Blisterpack

She is on. Told me whilst I was shamelessly flirting with her on Twitter.

I was speaking to Gary Clail last week: he is well and truly out of retirement. Playing Beautiful Days and Shambala as well as a few gigs of his own over the Summer. He did let a few of the Glasto bookers now of his availability but didn’t hear back. Bit disappointing that; absolutely one of the good guys out there and the stuff he is doing currently is top drawer.

Gulp

What’s the prices for Manchester?

A return to the Acoustic for Jake Bugg would be very welcome. He’s more appreciated there than anywhere else.

Half a dozen there that I really want to see, about a dozen I’d be happy to see and a handful more I wouldn’t walk away from. Not a bad start for me, and acoustic and Avalon usually throw up one or two defos as well. Quite enjoying the ‘no blockbuster act’ vibe tbh.

It will be either Monday or George Galloway.

Mine are. They take the piss for weeks if they haven’t heard of the official poet in resident.

i was talking to one of these lads at a BBC Introducing promotion at the Cavern in Liverpool last week. They played a festival in Sofia last year at the invitation of a couple of Glastonbury bookers and have had a few emails on the back of this new song and their last single (Dream + Lie). It’s all a bit murky I think in the realms of the minor stage bookings but I’d love to see these play somewhere.

Went to a BBC Introducing night last night at the Cavern. Best band in Liverpool headlined and were absolutely brilliant as always.

The Liverpool Royal Court does a great job in delivering local comedies with a superb stable of comic actors (Paul Duckworth, Gillian Hardie, Andrew ‘Scully’’ Schofield….) and I saw the latest one last night; ‘Haunted Scouse’ with Sinbad off Brookie playing alongside his real life wife. F*ck Shakespeare! This had me in tears of laughter and of heartbreak from start to finish. They have a group of writers there who absolutely know the Liverpool psyche so well. Though I went with friends from Bath and they were as overwhelmed by it as I was.

Seriously, this feeling of self-importance of Liverpool supporters is just incredible. I go every year with the biggest group of scousers you can imagine. About 60% are blues, 30% reds and 10% not arsed. And the reds won’t go to see one song and then f*ck off!

Carl Hunter, bass player, is a top film director these days. ‘Sometimes, Always, Never’ with Bill Nighy was wonderful and had a fabulous score by Edwyn Collins. Carl is also a huge promoter of local Liverpool bands (Hooton Tennis Club, Oranj Son, Keyside to name a few) and can regularly be seen on the streets of town chasing the far right fascists off when they come for their pathetic rallies. Top bloke.,

Citizens of Chester are permitted to shoot (with a longbow) any Welshman found loitering within the City walls after midnight. The wording is very specific however so best not make the mistake of shooting a woman.

Weird take that. Most of the more ‘out there’ fans these days are for female artists. I do struggle with the adoration for LDR cos I don’t get the connection with the fan reaction and the music. I can’t get through an album without feeling genuinely bored. I just wonder what the super fans are hearing that I’m not.

I know I’m probs in the minority but ….LDR is actually a bit sh*t isn’t she? Bit unfair that I suppose but she’s no better than ok. I think people have been well and truly duped my mediocrity there.

That is mad

Don’t know if it’s been mentioned already but Sting looks pretty much nailed on next year doesn’t he? All those outdoor shows up to a week before and quite a few festivals in July…..?

Just trying to get organised for Friday: if I want a campervan East general tkt and I have three or four people on the case at noon, I should be ok right? In fact is there a risk it could sell me more than one or does it only allocate one pitch per registration?

Cos despite the cliche about the festival being full of Tarquins and Henriettas, the truth is that every other person there seems to be a scouser. One of the stewards at worthy view told me they call it ‘Scousefest’.

My lot are in and will be joined by quite a few new additions. Can’t wait.

Four of our group are definitely not going due to the crowding issues. Feel it’s more faff than it’s worth to keep moving around (even on the Wednesday and Thursday) and few stages having enough on offer to just stick around. Fair comments I thought, next few years will be interesting to see how many regulars spew it.

Declaration of interest: my mate’s sons are in this band. Saw the singer do a superb set of acoustic versions of their songs at the First Stop stage facing Croissant Neuf bandstand on glasto Wednesday night. It was brilliant and chock full of scousers! Given that they are very electro, I thought it might have been a stretch but the songs were just so good. Anyway, if you are around in Liverpool next Friday it’s a freebie! https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Liverpool/Heebie-Jeebies/Oranj-Son/36401526/

If it stays like this for, say, 11 months then it will be very soft come next June. Good for getting the pegs in and keeping the dust down though.

Somebody please put me out of my misery? Is it a false memory, a very clear dream or did it actually happen? Did three or four hot air balloons hover over the site for half an hour one day at the festival? I sort of remember seeing them very clearly but the place I remember seeing them from (near San Remo), I was only there in passing for about ten or fifteen minutes. It’s doing my head in!