The Gigwatcher 04/07/2007

Now back to Gene Krupa's syncopated style.

So like 500 million or so other people on the globe I sat and watched the Concert for Diana on Sunday, marvelling at the scale of the new Wembley, impressed by the organisational skills of the two princes and more than a little bemused by the terrible links provided by Jamie Theakston and Claudia Winkleman (though they didn't look nearly as lost and confused as Dennis Hopper).

Admittedly it was never going to provide the spectacle of Live 8, with only the tease of a possible full Take That reunion to keep us glued to our seats, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Of course, in an alternative reality Diana may well have been a fan of Motorhead or Metallica.

H'mm.

Well, if it would've stopped P Diddy turning up that's no bad thing.

*koff*

Fiddle-de-dee, here's what I found listed in the back pages of this week's NME:

Shiny Toy Guns @ The Barfly, Brighton - 24/07/2007
Winter Kids & Elle Milano @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/07/2007
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster @ The Barfly, Brighton - 25/07/2007
iLiKETRAiNS @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/09/2007
iLiKETRAiNS @ The Barfly, Brighton - 14/09/2007
Editors @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 02/10/2007
Starsailor @ Student Union, Southampton University - 08/10/2007
Ash @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 02/11/2007
Good Shoes @ Concorde2, Brighton - 20/11/2007
Maroon 5 @ The Brighton Centre - 05/12/2007

When I have a spare half hour away from playing that bally Baseball game that Stu forwarded to me I'll add the above gigs onto the SoMC Events Calendar; as mentioned once or twice before, the Events Calendar is lovingly crafted with lots of lovely super smashing gigs, like these...

The Hold Steady @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 04/07/2007
Shaped By Fate @ The Joiners, Southampton - 05/07/2007
The Dodge Brothers @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 05/07/2007
Cut The Blue Wire @ The Railway Inn, Winchester - 06/07/2007
Night of Treason & Barbwire Bob @ The Tap, Portsmouth - 06/07/2007
The Purple Project @ The Brook, Southampton - 06/07/2007
The Cartel & The Visitors @ Black Bar, Portsmouth - 06/07/2007
Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 07/07/2007
Waking Up The Neighbours @ The Brook, Southampton - 07/07/2007
Proxy @ Unit22, Southampton - 07/07/2007
The Way & Solrun @ Havana Bar, Southsea - 07/07/2007
Assembly Now @ The Joiners, Southampton - 08/07/2007
Dead Like Harry @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 08/07/2007
Jill Daniels & The Chris Walker Swingtet @ The Bandstand, Southsea - 08/07/2007 (free afternoon entertainment)
The Stations @ Unit22, Southampton - 08/07/2007
Arachnotaur @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 08/07/2007
Ron Trueman Border @ The Raglan Rooms at The Alma Arms, Portsmouth - 09/07/2007
The Sarah Prichard Quintet @ Havant Arts Centre, Havant - 10/07/2007
Eve's Only Son & Jessica Spencer @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 10/07/2007
Julie Felix @ The Kings Theatre, Southsea - 20/07/2007
East 17 @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Southsea - 09/08/2007
Sign @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/08/2007
Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 25/08/2007
Ezio @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 05/09/2007
John Power @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 19/09/2007

This weekend sees the return of the Summer Pops to the grounds of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, running from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th July. The Australian Pink Floyd headline this Friday, with Girls Aloud entertaining the masses the following evening. Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will be joined by Lulu to bring the event to a close on Sunday night.

There's still no word on a possible new owner for The Brook, but news has reached that one gig there (which I was particularly looking forward) that was cancelled has been rescheduled, albeit at a different venue. The planned Easy Star All-Stars gig will now take at The Talking Heads (about 5 minutes walk from The Brook); the date remains the same as before, Wednesday 18th July.

Following from last year's event The Wedgewood Rooms is again hosting a benefit evening for the Piam Brown Paediatric Oncology Centre at Southampton General Hospital. As before the line-up is made up of local acts; Portsmouth's Hobos & Eskimos and Cut The Blue Wire are scheduled to appear, Chichester's Joey Nightmare top the bill. The event takes place on Monday 16th July, tickets are £5 each.

And that just about wraps it up for this week. This afternoon I have mostly been listening to Black Grape and The Wannadies. Join me next week when I'll be proving that my kung fu is stronger than your kung fu.