Having ended up on the wrong side of the River Witham I missed Frank Turner, but arrived in time to grab a drink before Divokej Bill appeared.

With what seemed to be an infinite number of musicians (well, eight at least) and a bass guitar that tested the eardrums, Divokej Bill pounded through their rock/folk/country/nu-metal cross-over repertoire and managed to keep the attention of the majority of the audience for most of their set.

I failed to catch any of the track titles, but most bounced along nicely and...more

I normally dislike this sort of venue, but was pleasantly surprised by the Trent FM Arena. I wasn't subjected to a full body search on the way in, I wasn't treated like a sheep on the way in or the way out and I wasn't so far from the stage that the artist was the size of a pin head. All in all quite a pleasant surprise really, although I was standing and I don't think I would have liked the seats very much...more

The train to Derby had us all packed in like cattle, which didn't amuse any of the passengers who'd failed to get a seat. Just one more carriage would've made all the difference…

From the relief that was Derby station it was just a quick run across the road to the Victoria Inn, where I arrived in time to catch...more

The Royal Albert Hall is an awe-inspiring place. Not for the faint-hearted, to stand on its stage demands presence and the ability to prove to a 6000+ audience that you command the right to be there. Tonight the mighty Hall played host to the Levellers, supported by acoustic guitarist Nick Harper.

Harper is an old mate of the Levellers, but was an odd choice of support, rather like putting Gordon Brown on the same bill as Russell Brand: as different as chalk 'n' cheese as...more

On a warm summer's evening in Brighton we walked across the seafront and made our way up the north laines towards Kemptown to the Joogleberry Playhouse theatre. Upon arriving at this picturesque little venue we were greeted by friendly staff who led us downstairs to what seemed to be a secret basement. The room was dimly lit with glitter stars shining on the back wall, candlelit tables and a mock backdrop of a Manhattan...[more]

This new little colourful festie consisted of several hundred happy folk wearing fake rainbow beards having a fun time all in the name of charity for Oxfam and for a very reasonable price of only £12.
The setting seemed hidden deep in the hillside of the Derby Dales wrapped around the Knockerdown Pub near Carsington Waters. This is quite a scenic...[more]

Arriving in the venue reception area was like arriving in a refugee camp for extras from the Sometimes video. To say it was raining outside was an understatement.

I haven't been to a James gig since 11 August 1990, where they were uplifting on a warm summers evening and probably the best band on the bill, as I remember the Cure were going through a bit of a mixed up patch, so as you can tell, it's been a while. Having said that, I've also seen them many times as I think my first gig was when they supported The Man From Delmonte (or was it the other way round) in Manchester...[more]

The Bloom Festival, taking it's cue from the likes of Big chill, took over KOKO last night in a one off night to spread it's fare beyond the confines of a single summer weekend. First on were the London Breakbeat Orchestra. Watching a thirty piece classical string and wind section putting their melodies on top of a broken beat backing track was initially charming and novel, but there was not enough groove, incision or even humour to justify using them as anything other than what they were...[more]

Billed variously as Beautiful Nights, by the Levellers...more

The Breakdowns were first on stage but most of...more