Music – Middle Age Fanclub

Middle Age Gigging – Flaming Lips at The Piece Hall, Halifax.

A gorgeous summer night in Calderdale sees the realisation of a bit of a musical dream of mine. I’ve wanted to see The Flaming Lips for ages, but circumstances have always gotten in the way until now. Suffice to say, as we park up and wander to the venue I’m more than a little bit excited for what’s about to happen.

The whole thing is almost a non starter though as we go through security. Regular readers will know that I’m fitted with a pacemaker, which also means no scanning at security. It’s usually no issue; just a word with the person in charge followed by a pat down. Tonight though, despite giving the usual pacemaker spiel and despite the security guys nods of understanding, when I put my arms up for a pat down, he starts to scan me instead! It briefly loiters over my pacemaker before I have to shout to make myself clear and am patted down! No damage done, but a definite numbness down my left arm and hand through the support act though! The perils of middle age gigging, eh?

I’m not too familiar with tonight’s support, The Beta Band and only have a vague awareness of their sound. However, their set tonight is a wonderful surprise. A multi instrumental, infectious pyschedelic groove for the whole time and a performance that will stay with me as well as giving me a kick up the arse into exploring that back catalogue. Stuart Murdoch is a brilliant frontman and the band are obviously enjoying themselves tonight. But to the casual observer like me, it’s the music that does the job with ‘Dry The Rain’ and ‘She’s The One’ really standing out. All in all, if I wasn’t sure at the start, I’m a total convert by the end of the set.

While the stage is being prepped for The Flaming Lips, there’s plenty of intrigue. I know that this will be a visual feast of a show, so spotting the giant balloons being stored behind the screen makes me smile. But then, there are a number of items being dragged onstage that pique my interest, several appearing to be huge pink tarpaulins which will delight everyone watching a short while later. There’s even a glimpse of singer Wayne Coyne waving from the side of the stage at one point, which helps to whet the appetite just a little bit more.

And then, there they are; no great fuss, but a visual treat alongside some truly excellent tunes – finally, The Flaming Lips!

Opener ‘The Stars Are So Big…I Am So Small…Do I Stand a Chance?’ eases us into tonight’s feast for the senses before fan favourite ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt1 and Pt2’ hits and it feels like the whole place has been lifted off its feet by this bunch of blokes from Oklahoma. Before we know it there are four enormous inflatable pink robots dwarfing everything in sight while a giant singalong party ensues. If anyone needed a pick me up, the Lips seem intent on delivering.

In the trio of songs that follow, ‘The Spark That Bled’ stands out while the visuals continue at pace, making this already a memorable evening. Coyne is in good form, thankful for the sunshine, the venue and the crowd who he encourages to keep screaming their support throughout.

‘The Golden Path’ recorded in 2003 with the Chemical Brothers really picks up the pace before something quite remarkable happens. Introducing new song ‘Every Teardrop Cried’ Coyne breaks down in tears revealing that his older brother died a week ago and that he hasn’t been able to get home. What follows is a beautiful tearjerker of a song and I swear every member of the audience is just willing Coyne to get through it.

Then, shaking off the grief, the band rip through crowd favourite ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’ and the whole place is just a riot of colour, dancing and at the risk of sounding like a raging hippy…love. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so relaxed at a gig.

A brilliant ‘Five Stop Mother Superior Rain’ is up next followed by a brilliantly timed ‘It’s Summertime’, the line ‘look outside, I know that you’ll recognise it’s summertime‘ really resonating just as the blue of the Halifax sky darkens and the lights and lasers shift up a gear. Wonderful stuff.

Coyne gives us the chance at some audience participation with a brilliant version of ‘The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song’ complete with giant balloons being flung into the crowd to add to the euphoria, before it’s left to the stunning ‘Do You Realise??’ to close the show. As the remaining balloons continue to be pinged left, right and centre we also have an inflatable rainbow onstage because, as you’d expect, the band always bring their own rainbow.

After a brief interlude the band come back onstage to a fabulous reception and fly through a brilliant version of Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ before closing the night with a truly rapturous ‘Race For The Prize’.

Tonight, with my son at my side for his first ever gig, I’ve fulfilled that musical dream sure enough, but The Flaming Lips have given us much, much more. Some superb music and an evening’s entertainment that will live long in the memory. I mean who else plays such euphoric tunes under their own rainbow? Who else could prompt a riotously friendly game of musical volleyball among a few thousand people in a Grade 1 listed Georgian Cloth Hall? And who else lends you a treasure like Wayne Coyne for an hour and a half, just so you can have a bit of a dance with a load of strangers and people on stage dressed as the sun?

At a time when almost everything seems to cause anger and disappointment, the world doesn’t know just how much it needs The Flaming Lips.

Middle Aged adventures in new music

Some of the fondest memories of my teenage years would have been spent hunting out music. A large proportion of that time would have been spent in record shops – shout out to Music Box in Blaydon who took much of my pocket money and wages in those formative years- and also perusing the music section of our local library, a source of many a gem that could be borrowed for a small sum.

Nowadays things are different for teenagers. A lot of the time there’s no need to set foot outside of the house to find music; music comes to them. Whether it’s via a video on social media or an algorithm on a streaming service that whispers in their ear, ‘I’ve heard what you like, have you heard this though?‘ it feels like things are a bit easier these days.

That’s not to say that I resent today’s youth. As I said, rifling through the shelves in record shops was something I found immensely enjoyable in my teenage years. There was something about the whole immersive experience that just dragged me back for more week in, week out. I’m sure lots of us would say the same.

While record shops and the local library were where I discovered the majority of the music that shaped me, my parents and older sister were another valuable source. My parent’s love of the likes of Elvis, The Beatles, Chuck Berry and Dionne Warwick is still with me to this day and it was my sister who awakened me to people like Luther Vandross and Alexander O’Neill. I learnt that it was ok to like things that my friends might not have deemed ‘cool’.

These days, as a father, the pattern is beginning to repeat itself as my son gets more and more into music. He’s been immersed in a lot of what we like and so has a healthy attachment to bands like Oasis, Embrace, Take That (we can blame Mrs C for that one) and The Bluetones as well as loads of what we now might refer to as old classics.

Recently though, he’s been telling me more about the music that he’s discovering. It’s great that he’s finding himself on the same kind of journey into music as I did at his age. At first, much to my delight, he’d mention bands like The Smiths and artists like Jeff Buckley, favourites of mine but not stuff that he’d been exposed to that much by me. But now, he’s begun to tell me more about new music, bands and artists that I’ve literally never heard of and I must admit that it’s made me curious. It’s great to see that he’s discovering new stuff and finding his own way. His headphones seem to have been surgically attached without my knowledge after all, so they may as well help him discover new music.

One night recently, after another music discussion, I got him to write a few recommendations down so that I could give them a go. And then I thought I’d tell you, dear reader, about what I found. I mean, any excuse for content, right?

He was very keen for me to listen to someone called Alex G. The name alone being a reminder of Kenny G, I wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. However, I clicked away until I found myself listening to the aforementioned Mr G. What I heard instantly reminded me of Elliot Smith, so a very high bar was set. Sadly though, young Alex failed to live up to Elliot’s standard. My notes included ‘sounds like he’s singing through a sock’ and ‘could he not work out how to end this?’ and after a few songs I just gave up. Not the start I’d wanted and not the result that my son wanted. He was genuinely disappointed to hear that I hadn’t enjoyed it.

I moved on to Dead Butterflies and their track ‘Embers’ which had been recommended as a starting point. I found it a bit dull, so moved on to a live version to try and find a spark of some kind. Here are my notes. ‘What’s the girl doing? Why is he crouching on the floor? They’re standing up again. She’s playing a trombone?! Ooh, he’s screaming. Really screaming. Has he fallen over? What’s with the weird handsy thing?’

I was beginning to think that my enlightenment may turn into more of just a plain mistake but I didn’t want to just sit there mocking people’s music. So I tried ‘Embers’ again and then another few tracks. There’s more screaming in ‘Ramona, the hurt’ and in the end it felt like while they might be trying too hard, they were a band to come back to. There was something in the obvious devotion of their fanbase on live tracks that suggested there’d be more than meets the eye – or ear – here.

The next suggestion was King Krule and as I typed that into the YouTube search bar I had no idea if the king was a band or an individual. What I did know is that someone involved can’t spell, which upset me a little as an English teacher. But I was here to focus on the music and the track I’d been told to listen to was ‘Baby Blue’. My instant response to what followed was simply, Babyshambles. The singer – who may or may not be King Krule – reminded me a lot of Pete Doherty. I could hear the influence of Jamie T in there too. The song seemed quite disparate; my notes mentioned timing and rhythm as well as the words ‘jazz interpretation’, but I felt that I wasn’t getting the best of his highness so I moved on. Thankfully, it got better. I discovered King Krule at Glastonbury and on Letterman and while I kept getting Pavement vibes, the song Easy Easy reminded me a little bit of The Jam, which could only ever be a good thing.

Next up was MF Angel and I must admit, I expected much more. In the end my notes just read, ‘quite melodic, but could you speak up a bit?’ Safe to say I’m not going to be a devotee.

My new music quest was coming to an end. I’d been asked to have a listen to Modern Baseball and already there was a positive with the name. They’re what I’d call a traditional American indie band and there were definitely hints of The Pixies and Pavement to be heard. Ben Kweller sprung to mind too. I listened to ‘Re-do’, ‘Tears Over Beers’ and then ‘The Weekend’ and I have to admit that I liked what I heard. It all seemed tuneful and there was an enthusiasm that was quite engaging too. A lyric from ‘The Weekend’ stuck in my head and there hadn’t been many of those in the experiment.

“You got a smile that could light this town and we might need it, cause it gets dark around here, real dark around here”.

Proof that while I might not enjoy so much of the modern music I get to hear, the art of song writing definitely didn’t die out just yet.

So what conclusions can I form about new music? Well, essentially not many, really. I mean I was fishing in a small pool, after all. But there have been glimmers of hope in what I’d listened to, most notably with Modern Baseball. And there were others I’d revisit. And I think that was the point here. Things need a chance. It took me ages to get the point of bands like The White Stripes and there are many bands and artists that I rejected in my teens and early twenties that I’d happily listen to now. Furthermore, is it just that I’m the problem here? Is being a middle aged man an actual impediment when it comes to listening to music that is being aimed at people 30 something years younger.

I’ll head back to artists like Modern Baseball and King Krule. Others have made me curious too. There’s a band called Mom Jeans and I just love the name so will definitely have to give them a try. And so, armed with more suggestions from my new music guru – my son – I’ll be heading back into the unknown sometime soon. And I’ll be sure to update you on episode 2.

Middle Age Gigging: Embrace at The Piece Hall, June 2026.

My memory is a little hazy these days, in keeping with my 50 something status. Some things just stick though, however long ago they happened.

Around 28 years ago I was living in a flat above a cobblers in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. I was unemployed and missing Newcastle. Late one night though, not long after we’d moved there, my heart was lifted as out on the street underneath our window a young lad sang loudly on his way home from the pub next door. The song? ‘All You Good Good People’. I was fully on board with Embrace at this point, having written about them for a work magazine some months previously. Needless to say, I joined in with his singing.

Embrace have been a constant for almost all of my adult years; from my early twenties all the way through. That’ll be the same for a lot of people. So today’s Piece Hall gig feels like a big deal, celebrating what feels a little bit like 30 years together.

First up are local band The Hazy Janes, a bluesy rock trio who seem to be having a whale of a time. Their energy gets the crowd going and more to the point helps to warm us all up as it’s bloody freezing! They’re certainly not overawed by the setting and serve up a cracking set. Singer Ellis is an excellent front man and it’s a bit of a treat to have them opening up.

We’re running late though and so after a shorter than expected break it’s time for Idlewild. They’re a band that, I must admit, I wasn’t particularly into in their pomp but tonight I definitely warm to them.

Opener ‘You Held the World in your Arms’ gets us off to a great start and songs like ‘Little Discourage’ and ‘American English’ help to raise the bar. Idlewild are quite the spectacle with both guitarists rocking out and singer Roddy proving quite an addictive watch for me. There’s an awkwardness that I can’t take my eyes off, but his voice is superb throughout and all in all they deliver a quite brilliant set.

In truth though, today is about one band and one band only; the legendary Embrace and before too long the stage is set and we’re treated to a little backstage video that allows us to watch their approach. And then, they’re there and it’s time to celebrate a quite magnificent 30 years.

Opener ‘All You Good Good People’ is just wonderful – as ever – and it’s clear from the off that the band are thoroughly enjoying themselves. It sounds like everyone is belting out the lyrics at the top of their voices and it might be a good time to apologise to anyone near me for possibly drowning out Danny and also singing the wrong words with a well chosen selection of the right ones for the whole night. Soz, I’m just terrible at remembering lyrics even if I’ve been singing them everywhere for 30 years!

New song ‘Road to Nowhere’ comes next and keeps up the pace before there’s an absolutely paint stripping version of ‘One Big Family’, a song which I’ll never, ever tire of.

A quick mention for bassist Steve at this point, who I don’t think I’ve ever seen so animated. There was a smile and acknowledgement of the crowd at the start that just said, ‘I’ve got the best job in the world’ and it was an absolute joy to behold from where I was, right in front of him.

‘Someday’ and ‘Looking As You Are’ come next with the latter featuring the background wall of old photos of the band as well as ones sent in by the fans, which means that I find myself singing along and simultaneously kicking myself after we forgot to send ours in. It doesn’t matter; it sounds and looks great.

‘We Are It’ follows and again, it’s a great version which helps to ramp up the atmosphere a tiny bit more, but I have to say I’m running out of patience with Danny for not including me in his pointing bit in the chorus. I’m right here! I can be ‘it’ too!

Thankfully, all is forgiven with the reappearance of old live favourite ‘Save Me’ as the next song in the set. I’m getting far too old to be jumping up and down to the chorus, particularly for a bloke with a pacemaker (rock and indeed roll, huh kids?) but tonight it can’t be avoided. Danny certainly seems to be enjoying the spectacle of a few thousand oldies pogoing! It’s such a treat to hear this being played live again though! Mind you, if they’d followed it with ‘New Adam, New Eve’ I think I’d have had to have called for breathing apparatus, so I’m thankful that new song ‘Pure O’ allows me a breather simply because…you guessed it, I don’t know the words properly!

Next comes new one ‘Stop’ which I think might prove to be a bit of a classic and it certainly sounds good tonight. ‘A Glorious Day’ then brings the memories of Millennium Square all those years ago in Leeds flooding back. Two similar evenings to tonight as I recall and it really brings it home to me that some of us are lucky enough to have had nights like that and are then still enjoying the band all these years later.

‘Coming Home’ brings the first quiet tears of the night. It’s a superb song and an absolutely brilliant version on the night, but Richard’s line ‘I’d have picked you all up and never put you down’ gets me every time. Another one that’s going to be a classic, I reckon.

‘Refugees’ is then another incredible performance from Richard and it seems this is a song that simply never fails live. It doesn’t matter about the venue, I feel like I’m always witnessing something spectacular when we ‘lift off this metropolis’.

It’s getting late and we’re well aware that at least the first part of tonight’s gig is closing. First there’s a heart felt rendition of ‘Get Out of My Own Way’ which is followed by another new one in ‘Up In Your Feelings’. Then it’s time for another little tear with a stunning ‘Gravity’ – first dance at our wedding, yet I still don’t quite know whether gravity’s turning or pulling – followed by the perfect end to this part of the set, in ‘Ashes’. More jumping, more screaming of lyrics and more keeping an eye on my heartbeat. It doesn’t matter. It’s all well worth it.

I’ve all but given up hope of hearing ‘Wonder’ or ‘Dry Kids’ or ‘Hooligan’ but when Embrace return to the stage it’s great to hear ‘Exploding Machines’ as the encore opener. Then it’s ‘Emily’, ‘The Love it Takes’ and ‘Come Back To What You Know’, before it’s just a massive joyous singalong of ‘The Good Will Out’. And that’s been the thing with Embrace for however long they’ve been in your life…it’s always just been a massive joyous singalong. Everyone smiling, everyone singing, everyone dancing to a band and their songs that simply mean the world; one big family. Danny, Richard, Mike, Mickey, Steve – here’s to the next 30 years!

Middle Age Gigging: Embrace at Birdwell.

Like many others I’m sure, for a long time now the gospel sound of ‘Down in the River to Pray’ followed by Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ has sent a shiver down my spine, being as it is the first sign that Embrace are imminent. Tonight, at a new venue for me, things are no different.

So when the lads take to the Birdwell stage, it’s as much a thrill as ever to see them. And with much of new album Avalanche about to be played for us this feels just a little bit special.

Of course, this being the age of social media – and even oldies like me can just about navigate our way round it – the majority of the crowd will have a fair idea about a lot of the songs already. So as the band launch into ‘Stop’, it feels like this is almost as much of a singalong as usual. And this carries on through the first few tracks with ‘Road to Nowhere’ and ‘Up in Your Feelings’. The new songs seem to be hitting just the right note with both ‘Stop’ and ‘Road to Nowhere’ following in what you might call the great Embrace anthemic tradition, while ‘Up in Your Feelings’ has a little bit of an infectious groove. All in all, three songs in and the atmosphere is fantastic.

Danny seems to be on great form and he’s clearly very proud of the new stuff and keen for us to hear the songs. It’s an optimism and confidence that gets more and more borne out as the gig progresses and we hear more of Avalanche.

‘Get Out of My Own Way’, a song about Danny’s wife – or as the man himself puts it, ‘Well it’s about me…I mean, I’m a singer!’ – is soulful and brooding while ‘Emily’ is a quite beautiful and slower number full of heartfelt emotion about a loved one.

The new songs are then wrapped up with the Richard penned ‘Coming Home’ which he tells us is about losing your purpose when your kids leave home. I nod along earnestly at this sentiment, while secretly willing my two out the door, yet knowing that I’ll probably have at least a few minutes where I think I know how he feels! Whether I agree or not, I love the song and am pretty sure that after a few more listens it’s going to one that stays with me for a long time.

The last of the new songs is definitely the one that has intrigued me the most – and I’ve only heard a short clip of it. ‘Pure O’ is what the kids would almost certainly refer to as a banger with Mike and Steve’s drums and bass driving the track on. For me, there’s very much a feel of Ace of Spades to it and so it rounds off this part of the set absolutely perfectly!

The set closes with four more known tracks in ‘Refugees’, ‘Gravity’, ‘Ashes’ and ‘All You Good Good People’ and as you’d expect, it’s truly exhilarating. Richard’s voice on ‘Refugees’ is superb and ‘Gravity’ (being the first dance at our wedding) is always welcome (no tears tonight though!). ‘Ashes’ provides its usual supersonic highway amid a genuine test to my left knee and a second jump cramp for the wife’s calf, before Good Good People closes the night as amazingly as ever.

It’s been a great night, but it’s not over yet, as we all get to pop over to the merch stand to meet the lads and buy stuff that our kids won’t understand, like a lanyard and a Rubik’s cube! Richard even helps us get a photo, hugging us both in close while I struggle with my angles and getting us all in shot! Surprisingly strong that lad! Cheers Rick!

On the drive home we decide that Birdwell might just be the perfect middle age gig. Firstly we get to see Embrace in a small venue. It’s only about a half an hour from our house, there’s free on site parking, we met the band, only had to test the knees and back for Ashes and were home for just after 10pm. I’m in my fifties, you know; life doesn’t get any better than Embrace at the Birdwell on a Tuesday night! What a wonderful world, indeed!

Book Review: ‘Young Soul Rebels’ by Stuart Cosgrove.

This was a book that I picked up at a charity shop in the town where I live. The cover grabbed my attention but the subject matter was also something that I thought I knew a bit about. And then I read the book and found out that I don’t know the half of it!

‘Young Soul Rebels’ is the story of northern soul, an incredible underground music scene with its roots in both the heartlands of industrial America as well as towns like Wigan and Stoke in Britain. Written by someone who quickly became obsessed with the music and the culture from the start of the scene it really is a fascinating read. Cosgrove is obsessive about the whole scene – as were many of its followers – and so the reader can be assured of the authenticity of every word.

If you don’t know, northern soul was basically American soul music that had been almost ignored in its homeland but was subsequently unearthed and worshipped by its followers in Britain.

The book details the rise of northern soul across mainly northern England, although its popularity also spread into the Midlands and as far as northern Scotland too, over time. And while there is a lot written about the kinds of club nights that you may have heard of, like Wigan Casino and the Twisted Wheel, it’s actually the sheer level of obsession that followers of the music displayed that is the real interest here.

Alongside the tales of northern soul Cosgrove also looks at the rise of certain drugs in our culture as well as the north south divide, the Thatcher years and all of the terrible times that they brought to northern Britain, making for a really interesting read.

However, it’s the focus on the music that makes this book so fascinating for me. Put it this way; if I thought I was serious about my music before I read this, the book and the tales of the obsessive nature of the followers of northern soul made me feel like an amateur. There are tales of record collectors travelling thousands of miles in search of records that they can’t even be sure exist anymore.

Cosgrove himself details his plan of action for tracking down rare records when he visits Washington DC, including planning day trips to nearby cities, cutting listings for places like thrift stores in said cities and then trying to appear like someone who’s just generally browsing so as not to potentially alert the storekeeper to the fact that you’re on the hunt for something valuable that they couldn’t possibly know about! He would even label the records he’d found with stuff like, ‘For educational purposes only – no value’ for going through airports in case he was called aside for a baggage search. I mean, I spent a lot of time in local record stores when I was younger but with nothing like a plan of action!

‘Young Soul Rebels’ is a fascinating read. The book takes you on a journey into a cultural phenomenon that most will have been unaware of; you may have heard of northern soul, Wigan Casino and the like, but will you have been aware of the dedication of those that have worshipped the music for decades? Probably not!

I give ‘Young Soul Rebels’…

Review: Stereophonics at Sheffield Arena.

As a music lover, it’s safe to say that I’d give my right arm to be in a famous band…although maybe that wouldn’t then be overly practical. You know what I mean though, right? And when Stereophonics take to the stage in Sheffield tonight and Kelly Jones strides down the catwalk that stretches out into the crowd, all leather jacket and cool quiff, that feeling is amplified x 10, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Some lucky people just exude cool and Jones has always had it. So tonight, as the band kick things off with a raucous ‘Vegas Two Times’… it’s difficult not to focus on just him.

But this is much more than just the Kelly Jones show. The staging is superb, with big screens and graphics combining with an audience cam – briefly featuring me and Mrs C stood either side of an Amazonian giant of a young woman – and even the occasional lyric being projected behind the band. This means that your eyes are everywhere while the rest of you is busy getting pretty much blown away by the sound.

The early part of the set features a series of singalong Stereophonics’ classics and tonight’s crowd don’t fail to indulge, meaning that, despite the fact that this could just be regarded as a soulless a 15,000 capacity concrete bowl, the energy is palpable. This is a band well versed at playing this size of venue and then some and it’s a great start to the gig.

In the middle of the set is a mighty version of ‘Geronimo’, featuring a bit more catwalk action and some rock and roll superstar poses. This is then followed a few songs later by the welcome return of raucous early classic, ‘More Life In A Tramp’s Vest’ before the frenzy is calmed with the unlikely appearance of Kelly playing a ukelele version – or at least the start of a version – of ‘I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio’.

Later in the set it’s ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ that has the crowd singing along before an excellent version of the altogether more soulful ‘Fly Like An Eagle’. And then it’s time for the final song of the first part of the set and a thunderous rendition of ‘The Bartender And The Thief’ which leaves everyone in the crowd hungry for more.

For the encore, there’s ‘100MPH’, ‘Traffic’ ‘C’est la vie’ and then an almighty version of fan favourite ‘Dakota’. A brilliant ending to a brilliant gig. On a cold and windy December night in Sheffield, Stereophonics have proven once again that they can warm any room right up!

Middle Age Gigging: The Bluetones at Academy 2 in Manchester.

Saturday was a busy night for the Britpop revival in Manchester. Fresh from the success of recent Oasis support slots, Richard Ashcroft was crooning out his anthems at Co-Op Live. And meanwhile, far more refreshingly for us, The Bluetones were treating us to their indie pop joy at the Academy on the other side of town without a bucket hat in sight.

As ever the ‘Tones were on fine form and there was much to please a lively crowd.

First up though were The Supernaturals and a bit of a pleasant surprise for yours truly. I wasn’t a fan first time around and their hit ‘Smile’ left me doing anything but. Tonight though, I’m proved wrong – don’t worry, it’s a regular occurrence – as their set is excellent showing that the band have a depth that I’d never been aware of back in the day. The Manchester crowd are a little quiet to begin with, but it’s not long before we’re all enjoying ourselves. The set features stuff like the more upbeat ‘Smile’ and ‘The Day Before Yesterday’s Man’ but there’s also the more reflective ‘Don’t Let The Past Catch Up With You’. The highlight for me is the excellent ‘I Wasn’t Built To Get Up’ and all in all, The Supernaturals have definitely turned my head.

After a short break, our heroes The Bluetones emerge to a rapturous welcome. This tour comes on the back of some new releases, the most recent being the ‘London Weekend Television’ EP and there’s a healthy smattering of new stuff in amongst some well known classics, as well as one or two lesser known tracks. So, with a crowd made up of both Bluetones nerds like myself and my wife and folk out for a night of Bitpop nostalgia, frontman Mark makes a quick mock apology for the songs that some people won’t recognise.

But there’s nothing to apologise for as we kick off in well known territory with ‘Bluetonic’ and everybody’s singing along. It’s followed by the brilliant ‘New Athens’ and ‘Solomon Bites The Worm’ ensuring that it’s been a whirlwind start to proceedings. Last year’s single ‘Drive Thru’ – a bit of a personal favourite – follows before there’s a change of pace with ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’. All killer so far, no matter what Mr. Morriss might be joking about!

In between songs, as ever, Mark is a master at working the crowd. Tonight, we’re jokingly told off for singing along with a stern ‘No!’, get the tale of how The Bluetones featured on both Bargain Hunt of all places and Sunday Brunch and hear of a time when Mark saw Duran Duran in America and their new songs turned what had been the best night of his life into the stuff of nightmares. There’s even an in gig band meeting when Mark tries to tell us about songs that are instantly known for their first chord strike while Adam insists on playing riffs. He was only talking about the first strike, mate!

Tonight, the new songs are well received and more than hold their own alongside the old hits that the ‘Tones are probably much more well known for among tonight’s crowd. Consequently, ‘The Aristocrats’, ‘Cheap Hotel’ and Madeline blend in seamlessly alongside ‘Cut Some Rug’ and ‘Slight Return’ because the truth is that these lads have never lost the knack of writing a cracking tune. In fact, for me ‘The Aristocrats’ is one of the stand out songs tonight.

The set closes with the brilliant ‘Never Going Nowhere’, which is followed by some good natured and Bluetones approved booing – props to Jimmy for the sign – because we’re all complicit in the lie here; of course they’re coming back for a couple more! I do have a tiny complaint to make here though and perhaps a reason for a small boo. There was no medley at the end of the song…no Eurythmics, no Van Halen and none of the other little surprises which have been blended into the set closer. I’ll let it go this once though…

And so, having also been booed back onstage, the boys are back to finish with the aforementioned ‘London Weekend Television’ an impromptu version of ‘My Way’ and then the sure-fire crowd pleaser that is ‘If…’. Once again, The Bluetones have been outstanding and given us yet another night to remember. Here’s to a new album soon and many many more nights like tonight. Cheers, lads!

Middle Aged Gigging: Stereophonics at John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield.

A funny one this gig. Beforehand, I was slightly reticent about going and not for the usual reason of being middled aged and living life in an almost permanent state of tiredness. No, this was different. This was a stadium gig and I really couldn’t remember the last time I’d been to a gig in a stadium. In fact, if anything I’ve been going to gigs in smaller and smaller venues of late. I needn’t have worried so much though, as first Blossoms and then headliners Stereophonics served up a cracking night that may well have taken the roof off the place if it actually had one!

The first time I saw Stereophonics live was around 1996, before their first album came out in what was a glorified pub in Hanley, Stoke-on Trent and it still amazes me to see what they’ve become. Don’t get me wrong; they’ve always had the songs and talent to deserve to be selling out stadiums, but it’s a hell of a leap from those early days!

Tonight, we arrive (fashionably) later than planned and after a mix up over stage times, realise that we’ve missed the first support act. In fact, we’re still trying to get into the stadium as the night’s other support, Blossoms, take to the stage. So, while I’m a big fan of their song ‘Your Girlfriend’ it’s difficult to enjoy it while your being squeezed through a small gap to get into a stadium and then precariously edging down some stairs towards the pitch. Tricky to sing along to when you’re trying not to take an almighty tumble!

Blossoms look and sound great though. Singer Tom looks amazing in flared jeans, striped shirt a loose tie and there’s more than a little bit of Mick Jagger about him. Tonight, he also brings to mind Faces era Rod Stewart and even a little bit of Prince at times, which is surely no bad thing?

Their set is superb and songs like ‘Gary’, ‘I Like Your Look’ and ‘Charlemaine’ have the whole stadium grooving along. It’s a great start to our night and the perfect set up for the main event.

After a quick set change Stereophonics amble on to the stage to a great welcome. There’s the odd wave from the band, but it’s a pretty low key entrance. And before we know it we’re into opener ‘Vegas Two Times’ and it feels like the whole place is up and moving. It’s a great track to open with.

This being a ‘Stadium Anthems’ tour there’s plenty to enjoy. Lots of singalong anthems and lots to make even the most curmudgeonly and dancephobic music fan (that’s not me, by the way) shuffle their feet. And singer Kelly Jones looks the epitome of cool in shades, black jeans and a black leather jacket. Oh, to be a rock god!

Stereophonics prove themselves to be as tight as it gets and this is just a brilliant rock and roll show. The visual production – in the form of screens – is pretty good; videos accompanying some of the songs and the odd bit of pyrotechnics as well as some massive pink balloons sent out into the crowd later on in the set as night falls. However, it’s the music that counts here; a stand alone reason to come and see the band.

Singer Kelly Jones has always been renowned for his incredible voice and it doesn’t let him down tonight as he’s absolutely note perfect throughout. My fears about a stadium show are quickly allayed as Stereophonics fill the place with a great big dollop of good old rock and roll. There are the usual irritations about this kind of show – people barging through to get closer to the stage when ‘their song’ comes on, people chatting – but none of it manages to get in the way of this being an excellent gig. Stereophonics do indulge in the odd bit of rock posturing, the odd pose here, a showbiz point or wink there, but then maybe they’ve earned the right to call on the odd cliche having sold over 15m records! It certainly doesn’t spoil anything for me, anyway.

There’s barely a dull moment tonight. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a set of stadium anthems so you’d have to be a fairly miserable fan of the band to not be enjoying what’s on offer. For me though the standout tracks are ‘Geronimo’ complete with it’s enormous saxophone (a baritone sax, I think?), ‘I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio’ with Kelly on ukelele, ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ and ‘Mr. Writer’.

As we edge towards a close – and my knees and feet begin to grumble – we’re treated to the ever brilliant ‘Local Boy in The Photograph’ and ‘C’est La Vie’ before an encore comprising of blistering versions of ‘The Bartender and The Thief’ and ‘Dakota’. Stadium anthems indeed!

As they exit stage left, Stereophonics leave behind a very happy bunch of Yorkshire punters. It’s been a brilliant night and a gig and band well worth coming out for. Makes me think that I shouldn’t leave it as long between shows next time!

Middle Age Gigging: The Bluetones at The Crescent in York.

Easter always confuses me. I mean, I get the eggs and the chocolate and stuff, don’t get me wrong. The bunny, I’m not entirely sure of, but it’s the whole Jesus bit that plays havoc with my brain. I’ll be honest, I’m never sure what happened and when. He died and then came back again and I’m imagining died again a bit later. Thankfully, my confusion is allayed this Easter Sunday as I’m off to York to watch The Bluetones and while my knees will probably die midway through the set, I’m sure they’ll be back again by Tuesday…ish.

Balter (thanks people of Bluetones Fans on FB!) are tonight’s support act. They remind me a bit of Vampire Weekend yet wear the jeans of a weekend spent at Spike Island, which it turns out is still a winning combination. The only snag is that they all look like they should be in Year 10 at high school, which instantly makes me feel even older than I am. And I’ll be honest at times that gets in the way for me. As the singer struggles with everything from his pick to his guitar strap I just want to put an arm around him and tell him it’s fine, but he clearly doesn’t need my ‘fatherly’ act and carries on manfully.

One of the last things I was expecting from them was a cover of Twist and Shout. Probably the actual last thing would have been that I enjoyed it…yet, here we are. As with everything they play tonight, it’s just superb. All in all Balter give us an energetic set tonight, full of lovely melodies, bits of Carlos Santana style guitar, sunglasses and engaging songs that are all well received by a room full of people who’ve probably never heard them before. If there’s any justice they’ll go very far indeed.

The Bluetones never fail to make me smile. They never have and tonight is no exception. From the moment they stroll on stage there’s no doubting that this will be yet another fantastic night.

With more new music to promote in the shape of the recently released ‘In the Cut’ EP, this turns out to be a bit of a different set. And it’s nice to greet certain songs like long lost friends, while struggling to remember the words to certain others. But this isn’t really in my skillset anyway and so I’m at times reduced to just dancing, slightly open mouthed and attempting to form the odd word or noise, all the while having a whale of a time regardless!

Beginning the night with ‘Are You Blue or Are You Blind’ followed by ‘Bluetonic’ is akin to having the winning lottery numbers though and so we’re off to a cracking start. ‘A New Athens’ is next and for me is one of the highlights of the set. Then it’s ‘You’re No Fun Anymore’ before Mark almost apologetically – and not without the trademark wit – introduces new track ‘Cheap Hotel’, which sounds great.

Chats with Mark Morris should be prescribed on the NHS, such is his effect on an audience. And he’s in great form tonight taking us on trips that touch on Bargain Hunt and daytime TV, the merits of York, 99p shops and his various experiences in ‘showbiz’, all with a heavy dose of sarcasm and self deprecation and all accompanied by an audience who are only too happy to play along. That said – and it’s a bit of a pet peeve for me – there are those tonight who seem to want to just chat loudly all the way through the set and are calling out stuff like ‘move on’ while the singer has a bit of a ramble. I’m no ‘serious muso’ type, but I’ve always loved music and it’s a genuine thrill for me to see my heroes any time I can, regardless of the fact that I’m far, far from the wide eyed teenager I was once. So, chatty people, f you could kindly fuck off when it comes to any future gigs, that’d be much appreciated, I’m sure by more than just me…

The hits, as they say, just keep on coming though and after a blistering ‘Fast Boy’ we’re treated to ‘Marblehead Johnson’, ‘Billy Balfour (which I swear gets better with every listen) and the wonderful ‘Carnt Be Trusted’ before the aforementioned ‘In The Cut’ makes an appearance and reminds York that these lads have still got the gift for writing fantastic indie pop.

Songs like ‘Cut Some Rug’ and ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’ feel to me like getting a big cuddle, such is their familiarity, so when ‘The Fountainhead’ comes along it’s like the rare and only kind of group hug that I could tolerate, if that makes any sense.

By now, various joints are telling me that the set is nearing a close, but the sound of ‘Slight Return’ is a shot in the arm and stifles my yawns somewhat. In my defence, I’d taken part in a hotly competitive egg hunt just hours before and I’m no longer of an age when I can easily manage two big events in one day!

The set closes with ‘The Last Song But One’ which I don’t think I’ve ever heard live before followed by the brilliant ‘Putting Out Fires’ but of course we know that it’s not quite over yet.

There’s an encore of new song ‘London Weekend Television’, which feels quite punky and sounds pretty incredible, I must say. Then, given it’s Easter Sunday, we’re treated to a rendition of ‘I was a Teenage Jesus’ which is a real thrill, even if I fail to remember whole swathes of the song apart from the chorus and the line about the ‘coolest sandals’. As I say, I’ve never had much of a memory for lyrics, but it doesn’t spoil the treat!

We end tonight, as is the tradition, with the glorious ‘If’ and although it’s been stripped down and doesn’t include any snippets of The Eurythmics ‘Obsession’, ‘Jump’ by Van Halen or any of the other spontaneous silliness, it doesn’t matter. Tonight has been another triumph for The Bluetones and I’ll take that every day of the week…and even Easter Sunday.

An Evening with Danny McNamara, Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax.

They say that you should never meet your heroes because they can only ever let you down. It brings to mind that scene from ‘Extras’ where Ricky Gervais’s character meets his hero, David Bowie, only for Bowie to humiliate him by making up a song called ‘Little Fat Man’ about Gervais in front of an entire restaurant and then having them sing along. Thankfully though, having recently met one of my heroes, I can completely refute the old adage! There were no humiliating songs, just a very memorable evening!

Danny McNamara, for those of you who don’t know, is the singer in the band Embrace; a band that I’ve loved and followed for the best part of 30 years. So when, a month ago he announced that he was going to be doing an ‘An Evening with Danny McNamara’ event in Halifax, well I was first in the queue, so to speak.

It’s fair to say that Embrace have a special bond with their fans. Thirty years will do that kind of thing, especially when you’re a band like Embrace who have always interacted with the fans. Over the years there have been various meet ups, ‘secret’ gigs where fans have had to track the band down using clues and loads more. And that’s before we even mention the music and the regular live shows. Suffice to say, spending an evening in the company of the singer was not to be missed.

On the night in question, we’re late out of the house, as usual. Still though, we arrive in Halifax in decent time to get to the venue and settle in. On the insistence of Mrs C, we take seats in the front row, but even she says that it feels awkward that we’ll be so up close and personal with Danny. Still, we stick to our guns.

It’s not just Danny tonight. First up, there’s support from Ellur who we’ve seen before and who is, as usual brilliant. You can read my review on the link below.

Middle Aged Gigging: Ellur at The Square Chapel, Halifax.

And then, at around 8pm, Danny is introduced and on we go!

He kind of ambles on to the stage like this is the most natural thing in the world. But it’s not though, is it? However, Danny the bloke, not the singer seems totally at ease and this is how it continues for the rest of the night. Never meet your heroes, my arse!

Despite my fears about feeling weird being sat so close to what is essentially just two fellas having a chat, I’m quick to forget about it. It genuinely feels like we’re just another part of the conversation, just sitting there listening in and occasionally even offering the odd opinion, whoop or even a round of applause.

Tonight Danny, doing exactly what it says on the tin, tells us all about his 30 years as the singer in Embrace. But more of that later. What he also offers us an insight into is, well…everything else really. He’s relaxed enough to let us in on life as a relatively new dad and the changes that having children have brought to him. We’re also privy to stuff about growing up, his views on dynamic pricing, a little bit of politics as well as some recommendations for music to have a listen to.

It’s when talking about Embrace that I have a little bit of a realisation though. Despite having followed them for all this time, I tend to forget how big they are and still see them as this indie band, almost my little secret in a strange way. And then along comes Danny McNamara casually mentioning playing Jimmy Kimmel, supporting Bowie at Glastonbury or hanging out with Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow and I realise that not only are Embrace still massive, but that Danny has had one hell of a life doing the kinds of stuff that I think we’d all like to have a go at!

Having spent the first half of the night being interviewed, Danny then fields audience questions. And it’s here that, for me personally, things start to get weird again. We’d joked about potential questions – What’s your favourite cheese? Why didn’t you come to our wedding? (it’s a long story) – as well as announcing myself casually as ‘Graham from the Middle Age Fanclub blog’, but when it comes down to it, although I have a sensible question I’m genuinely shaking a little bit as people start to ask their own and my heart is properly thumping in my chest! I avoid putting my hand straight up but then, feeling my wife’s eyes boring into the side of my face, sense an opportunity and go for it. At this point, Danny approaches me with the mic and I wonder if I might just pass out!

My question goes down really well though. I ask about touring 2000’s ‘Drawn From Memory’ next year (it’ll be 25 years old) and there are definitely noises of approval in the audience! Suddenly, I’m on stage and in the spotlight with one of my heroes. Kind of. Actually, I’m sat down and he’s walked back to his chair, but he tells me that the answer is actually very hush hush and a bit of an exclusive, so I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling like David Frost at this moment in time! And, I’ll continue to live under the illusion that only me and those who were there now know the answer to this question and the band’s plans for next year!

The rest of the audience questions feel like a bit of a blur, basking as I am in the glow of my own little moment, yet it’s still fascinating to hear Danny talk about lyrics and the song writing process as well as loads of other stuff.

However, there’s more to come. Another chance to embarrass myself as we get the chance to actually meet Danny. With literally no sense of irony we erred on the side of caution in bringing stuff to sign as we didn’t want to look like stalkers of any kind, so we only have a set list to sign and we buy a lyric book too. Others seem to have bags full of stuff though and so we’re a little regretful as we stand in line. However, that’s all appeased by the time it comes to our turn. We have a brief chat, get stuff signed and get a few photos too with me apologising in advance to Danny for shaking. I’ve always been the same. I once physically shook while meeting a Newcastle player that I didn’t even like (Kevin Dillon, if you must know) and he confounded my opinion of him by loudly letting the cat out of the bag to the whole room. Danny does nothing of the sort!

The conclusion of the evening is that Danny McNamara is indeed a genuinely lovely man. We kind of suspected this having briefly met him many years ago, but it’s nice to have it confirmed and to witness the fact that fame doesn’t have to equate to instant arsehole status. Yes, I’m getting at you Dillon!

I think it’s fair to say, without having done some kind of exit poll, that everyone, Danny included, has had a great night. It’s the first time I’ve done one of these ‘an evening with’ kind of things, but I’m so glad we came. And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

Thanks for a brilliant night, Danny.