i'M NOT A PUNK BUT i WENT TO REBELLiON 2025

THURSDAY 7TH AUGUST 

CiRCLE JERKS - MiGHT AS WELL HAVE JUST GiVEN KEiTH MORRiS A SPOKEN WORD SLOT ON THE LiTERARY STAGE

FRiDAY 8TH AUGUST 

WONK UNIT - i REALLY LiKE WONK UNiT, THEY ARE FUNNY, LOOK LiKE THEY ENJOY PLAYiNG AND BEiNG AROUND EACH OTHER AND THEY KNOW HOW TO WRiTE SOME CATCHY TUNES.

M.D.C - i DiDNT REALLY LiKE THiS BUT i TOLERATED iT TiLL THE END. 

THE EFFiGiES - i OWN A COUPLE OF THEiR RECORDS BUT REALLY DiDNT CARE FOR iT LiVE AND LEFT BEFORE THE END. 

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST

WONK UNiT ACOUSTiC - ANNOYiNGLY i MiSSED THE START OF THiS AFTER A LOAD OF BULLSHiT WiTH HOTEL PARKiNG AND KEY CARD iSSUES. 

i THEN RAN TO VENUE JUST iN TiME BUT COULDN'T FiND THE STAGE 

LADY iN FRONT OF ME KEPT SHOUTiNG FOR HORSES. SADLY THEY DiDNT PLAY iT

iRViNE WELSH - i THiNK PERHAPS i JUST DON'T REALLY LiKE LiVE MUSiC AS i MUCH PREFERRED JUST LiSTENiNG TO iRVINE TALK

PETER HOOK AND THE LiGHT - i DON'T KNOW iF ANYONE ELSE WAS FOOLED BY THiS BUT iT APPEARED THE SECOND BASS PLAYER WAS THERE SO PETER COULD STOP PLAYiNG EVERYTiME THE VOCALS CAME iN. i GUESS HE CAN'T SiNG AND PLAY AT THE SAME TiME. SEEMED LAME TO ME SO i LEFT. 

SLOPPY SECONDS - i WASN'T FAMILIAR WiTH THiS BAND AND i AM NOT CONVERTED 

TO ME iT JUST SOUNDED LiKE ERiC CARTMAN SiNGiNG ALONG TO A GUITARiST WHO WANTS TO BE THAT SCHOOL BOY FROM AC/DC

PiL- i WALKED iNTO THE ROOM LATE, iT WAS PACKED, i LiSTENED FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS THEN LEFT. i LiKE PiL i JUST HATE ANY BAND FROM THE BACK OF A PACKED ROOM 

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST

XRAY VEZ -WONK UNiT TAKiNG OVER THE FESTiVAL HA

HR BAD BRAiNS - iS THAT PADDY DiNGLE ON BASS?

D.O.A - i DiDNT REALLY CARE FOR THE MUSiC BUT THE SET WAS MADE INFiNiTELY BETTER BY THE GUY DANCiNG iN FRONT OF ME THAT LOOKED LiKE HE HAD COME STRAiGHT FROM WORK COMPLETE WiTH SHiRT AND TiE

HE HAD A PROPER PATRiCK BATEMAN ViBE.    

TSOL - i THiNK THE iSSUE i HAVE WiTH OLD BANDS LiKE THiS iS iT REALLY FEELS LiKE BUSiNESS, HARDLY ANY ORiGiNAL MEMBERS AND PLAYiNG SONGS FOR DECADES i JUST DONT BUY THE PASSiON. 

HELLE- THiS WAS GREAT, i ONLY CAUGHT THE LAST FEW SONGS BY ACCiDENT AFTER ABANDONING BORiNG OLD TSOL AND THiS WAS SO GOOD BY COMPARiSON. YOUNG PEOPLE PLAYiNG LiKE THEY ENJOY iT AND GIVE A SHiT BECAUSE THEY DO STiLL GIVE A SHIT AS i DOUBT THEY HAVE BEEN PLAYiNG THE SAME SONGS FOR DECADES, UNLESS THEY ARE A LOT OLDER THAN i HAVE ASSUMED. 

PROBABLY MY MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF THE WEEKEND YET THEY HAD A SMALL AUDiENCE AS THEY WERE PLAYiNG LATE AND PROBABLY CLASHING WITH SOME OLD ESTABLiSHED BANDS GOiNG THROUGH THE MOTiONS

THE EXPLOiTED - i DiDN'T EXPECT TO LiKE THiS BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD TO WATCH LiVE AND THE AUDiENCE WAS WELL iNTO iT.

GREAT BASS PLAYER WiTH EVEN GREATER DREADZ

BAD MANNERS i ONLY CAUGHT A COUPLE OF SONGS AS i WAS HOPiNG THE ROOM WOULD BE FULL OF MADNESS STYLE DANCiNG BUT SADLY NOT. 

ALL iN ALL i DiD ENJOY REBELLiON A LOT MORE THAN i THOUGHT i WOULD AND WOULD CONSiDER BUYiNG A TICKET TO GO AGAiN NEXT YEAR       

  

 i DiDNT TAKE ANY PHOTOS AND DiDNT WATCH THiS BAND 

 

THE DAY i THOUGHT iT WOULD BE FUN TO LiSTEN TO ALL 17 SWANS ALBUMS BACK TO BACK

 i DONT KNOW WHAT POSSESSED ME TO DO THiS BUT ON SATURDAY 5TH JULY 2025 i SET MY ALARM CLOCK FOR 3AM AND BY 3.03AM HAD STARTED PLAYING FiLTH 

OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 21.5 HOURS i LISTENED TO ALL 17 SWANS STUDiO ALBUMS.

i BANNED MYSELF FROM READiNG OR LOOKiNG AT PHONE ALL DAY. 

SO iT WAS JUST SWANS/FOOD/EXERCiSE/STROKiNG CATS FOR THE DURATiON 

THiS WAS A STUPiD WAY OF DOiNG iT AS GETTiNG UP EARLY MEANT i WAS TiRED THROUGHOUT AND i FIND SWANS REALLY RELAXiNG SO KEEPiNG MYSELF AWAKE WAS THE BiGGEST CHALLENGE. 

EVENTUALLY BY 10.33PM i WAS PUTTiNG ON THE LATEST TRiPLE LP SET "BiRTHiNG"

BY THiS POiNT i WiSHED THEY WOULD HAVE MADE A SiNGLE LP RATHER THAN ANOTHER BLOODY TRiPLE 

21 HOURS AND 22 MiNUTES LATER AND i CAN GO TO BED. 

THE CATS LOVED iT THOUGH AS THiS WAS A DAY OF MORE STROKiNG THAN THEY HAVE EVER KNOWN BEFORE.

SO WHAT MUSiC DiD i LiSTEN TO ON SUNDAY? 

DRAiNLAND OF COURSE

i JUST HAD TO LiSTEN TO ANOTHER TRiPLE LP :)

i'D RATHER STAY AT HOME WATCHiNG AL JOKES ON YOUTUBE

30/7/24 NEW CROSS iNN - LYDiA LUNCH 

14/9/24 - CONVOY CABARET FERN HiLL FARM -DOGSHiTE, PiZZA TRAMP , WONK UNiT

20/9/24 - OXFORD BULLY - MELT BANANA, UNMAN 

31/10/24 - FiNNiSH CHURCH LONDON - AGENTS OF THE LEXiCON, KLANK MONSTER 

5/11/24 - OXFORD JERiCHO - CHERUBS , RiD OF ME

8/11/24 - OXFORD JERiCHO - MASTER ELEMANZA , Si-RO

19/12/24 - DUBLiN CASTLE - RUDE MECHANiCALS , LiVONiAN NiGHTS 

 

BOOK CLUB 2024

A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES - JOHN KENNEDY TOOLE

THE FiVE GATES OF HELL - RUPERT THOMSON

LULLABY - CHUCK PALAHNiUK

THE JULiETTE SOCiETY - SASHA GREY 

TiETAM BROWN - MiCK FOLEY 

FLORViLLE AND COURVAL - MARQUiS DE SADE 

THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM - MARQUiS DE SADE

BLACK MISCHiEF - EVELYN WAUGH

CONSOLATiON OF PHiLOSOPHY - BOETHiUS

THE LONG PLAYER GOODBYE - TRAViS ELBOROUGH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE PECULiAR LiFE OF A LONELY POSTMAN - DENIS THERiAULT

SETTiNG FREE THE BEARS - JOHN iRViNG

THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST - TERRY HAYES

WHiT - iAiN BANKS 

i AM AN EXECUTiONER - RAJESH PARAMESWARAN 

HEAD-ON - JULiAN COPE 

THE HiSTORY OF BEES - MAJA LUNDE 

REPOSSESSED - JULiAN COPE 

THE BiBLE - ENGLiSH STANDARD VERSiON

A KEEPER - GRAHAM NORTON 

         
 

THE DiSPOSSESSED - URSULA K. LE GUiN

THE PRISONER - B A PARiS

STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND - LiZ NUGENT

THE POWER OF NOW - ECKHART TOLLE

SUCH A FUN AGE - KiLEY REiD

MR PHiLLiPS - JOHN LANCHESTER

CHiLDREN OF PARADiSE - CAMILLA GRUDOVA

BONE iN THE THROAT - ANTHONY BOURDAiN 

iSLAND - ALDOUS HUXLEY 

DEATH AT THE SiGN OF THE ROOK - KATE ATKiNSON 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE AMBASSADORS - HENRY JAMES

MY LiFE WiTH THE DWARVES - VADGE MOORE 

MY LiFE AFTER THE DWARVES - VADGE MOORE

A BiT OF A STRETCH - CHRiS ATKiNS

THE THiEFS JOURNAL - JEAN GENET 

 

BOOK CLUB 2023

SURFACiNG - MARGARET ATWOOD

THE CRiSiS OF PSYCHOANALYSiS  ERiCH FROMM

THE MAN WHO SPOKE SNAKiSH - ANDRUS KiViRAHK

THE PRiME OF MiSS JEAN BRODiE -MURiEL SPARK

A WiDOW FOR ONE YEAR - JOHN iRVING

THE PiLGRiMS PROGRESS - JOHN BUNYAN

THE ART OF HAPPiNESS -HOWARD C.CUTLER/DALAi LAMA

THE GRiD - NiCK COOK

BRiGHTON ROCK - GRAHAM GREENE

CRASH - J.G BALLARD

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEVER PiTCH - NiCK HORNBY 

TOM SAWYER ABROAD/DETECTiVE - MARK TWAiN

THE LAST ORPHAN - GREGG HURWiTZ

THE EASTER PARADE -RiCHARD YATES

SURROUNDED BY iDiOTS - THOMAS ERiKSON

LiTTLE FiRES EVERYWHERE - CELESTE NG

THE RAiNBOW - DH LAWRENCE

HOME STRETCH - GRAHAM NORTON

GYPSY BOY ON THE RUN - MiKEY WALSH 

THE NARROW CORNER - W.SOMERSET MAUGHAM

 

FREEDOM iN EXILE - DALAi LAMA 

ABATTOiR OF DREAMS - MARK TiLBURY

THE END OF THE AFFAiR - GRAHAM GREENE

FLOWERS FOR ELGERNON - DANiEL KEYES

THE RAW SHARK TEXTS - STEVEN HALL

ORDER AND CHAOS - HENRY MiLLER

AFFLUENZA - OLiVER JAMES

ARMADiLLO - WILLiAM BOYD 

A MONTH OF SUNDAYS - JOHN UPDiKE

SOLiTUDE - ANTHONY STORR

 

THE BEST OF ADAM SHARP - GRAEME SiMSiON

THE FiLTHY LiE - HELLMUT KARLE

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - CORMAC MCCARTHY

HOW NOT TO BE A BOY - ROBERT WEBB

THE PAPER MEN - WiLLiAM GOLDiNG 

PiNK - GUS VAN SANT

FLOW MY TEARS THE POLiCEMAN SAiD - PHiLiP K DiCK

LiViNG WiTH SCHiZOPHRENiA -DR BRENDA LiNTNER

STORY OF MY LiFE - JAY MCiNERNEY

A HERO OF OUR TiME - MiKHAiL LERMONTOV

 

THE WAYWARD BUS -JOHN STEiNBECK 

18>36>72

So I realised that for a couple of weeks in January 2023 Dad, Rachie and Me are half each others ages. 

So of course you celebrate these once in a lifetime occurrences by climbing a mountain. 

Witney 6AM>Wasdale head car park 11AM>walking 11.30AM>back to car 3.30PM>Witney 10PM

Here's Dad (72) ,Me (36) and Rachie (18) climbing Scafell pike on a bloody cold misty January Sunday.

BOOK CLUB 2022

ADDiTiON-TONi JORDAN

PLEASE TAKE ME OFF THE GUEST LiST- ZACHARY LiPEZ

HOUSE OF LEAVES - MARK Z DANiELEWSKi

THE HOT ZONE - RiCHARD PRESTON

GATHERiNG BLUE - LOiS LOWRY

THE ROSiE PROJECT - GRAEME SiMSiON

DiE TRYiNG - LEE CHiLD

THE CONSUMER - MiCHAEL GiRA

THE ROSiE EFFECT - GRAEME SiMSiON

MESSENGER- LOiS LOWRY

SON- LOiS LOWRY

THE BASKETBALL DiARiES - JiM CARROLL

THE ROSiE RESULT - GRAEME SiMSiON

THE BAD BEGiNNiNG - LEMONY SNiCKET

ATLAS SHRUGGED - AYN RAND 

THE PECULiAR MEMORiES OF THOMAS PENMAN- BRUCE ROBiNSON

KiNDRED- OCTAViA E BUTLER

DEViL iN A COMA - MARK LANEGAN

WiNESBURG OHIO - SHERWOOD ANDERSON

THE HANDMAiDS TALE - MARGARET ATWOOD

UNLiKELY PiLGRiMAGE OF HAROLD FRY - RACHEL JOYCE 

THE TESTAMENTS- MARGARET ATWOOD

GOD KNOWS - JOSEPH HELLER

NOVEL OF THE WHiTE POWDER- ARTHUR MACHEN 

DARK HORSE- GREGG HURWiTZ

GYPSY BOY- MiKEY WALSH

SONG OF THE PSYCHOPATH- MARK TiLBURY

THE WiTCHES OF EASTWiCK- JOHN UPDiKE 

i AM PiLGRiM -TERRY HAYES 

THE WiDOWS OF EASTWiCK- JOHN UPDiKE

PLAYER PiANO- KURT VONNEGUT 

CONVENiENCE STORE WOMAN-SAYAKA MURATA

DRACULA-BRAM STOKER

MOBY DiCK-HERMAN MELViLLE

DOiNG iT-MELViN BURGESS

LONG HARD ROAD OUT OF HELL - MARiLYN MANSON

THE WORLD ACCORDiNG TO GARP- JOHN iRViNG

THE SATANiC BiBLE- ANTON LAVEY

THE JUNGLE BOOK- RUDYARD KiPLiNG

THE TELEPORTATiON ACCiDENT- NED BEAUMAN

THE FOOTBALL FACTORY-JOHN KiNG

ELEANOR OLiPHANT iS COMPLETELY FiNE-GAiL HONEYMAN

NERDY SHY AND SOCiALLY iNAPPROPRiATE-CYNTHiA KiM

THE WiSDOM OF THE HEART - HENRY MiLLER

A DRAG QUEEN'S GUiDE TO LiFE- BiMiNi BON-BOULASH

THE STORYTELLER - DAVE GROHL

MAKE SOMETHiNG UP -CHUCK PALAHNiUK

SEVENTEEN:LAST MAN STANDiNG - JOHN BROWNLOW 

RAiSE HiGH THE ROOF BEAM,CARPENTERS/SEYMOUR:AN iNTRODUCTION -JD SALiNGER 

WHEN GOD WAS A RABBiT - SARAH WiNMAN

MiSUNDERSTOOD-THE BRiAN MOLKO STORY- CHLOE GOVAN

STONEMOUTH - iAiN BANKS 

THE RULES OF ATTRACTiON- BRET EASTON ELLiS

HE STARTED iT- SAMANTHA DOWNiNG

WUTHERiNG HEiGHTS - EMiLY BRONTE 

OF THE FARM - JOHN UPDiKE

LiPS UNSEALED - BELiNDA CARLiSLE

THE SUiCiDE SHOP - JEAN TEULE