Monday 20 October 2008

Millencolin live at Manchester Academy

This tour was in celebration of Millencolin being around for 15 years which is a pretty impressive feat. I think they are a really good band and their albums always have a nice, crisp finish and sound to them even though they are originally from Sweden. In particular I would have to say that the albums Pennybridge Pioneers and Home From Home are a really good listen if you are into punk-rock and the songs usually have a good quick tempo about them.

But despite being around for so long, they have never really hit the big time. It would be untrue to call them an A-list band because they were playing in the third (out of four) biggest room at the Academy and I think it would be safe to say that a majority of people would never have heard of them. It wasn't really a problem though as the smaller venue (think maybe 150-200 people) is a lot of fun as you can really get up close near the front and it has a lovely intimate feel about it.

Overall it was a great show and they played all the great, main tunes like No Cigar, Fox, Penguins And Polarbears, Kemp and Afghan and the rest of their set was great and they came back for a decent length of an encore. The only downside I would say is that there was very little banter about them on the stage. You could argue that English isn't their native tongue but then again, their albums are all in English. That aside, it was a terrific gig and I would definitely go see them again if they were to return.

Here is No Cigar which any skateboarders might remember as one of the tunes from Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 soundtrack all those years ago. It was a damn fine game (as were subsequent ones) that appealed to people outside that particular audience. Anyway...



And another big song of theirs, Kemp...



So yeah they get two thumbs up from me.

Wednesday 8 October 2008

A Magnificant End To Summer

Yeah, yeah I know Summer was months ago. Or was it, considering the weather was awful and we seem to have bypassed Autumn and are straight into Winter already. However I wanted a big post to kick things off with and the events of the Sunday 21st September were indeed huge.

You see it was All-Ireland gaelic football final day (and for those who don't know what gaelic and hurling for that matter are, check down some information and videos about it. Because honestly, they are probably the two best sports in the world in terms of skill, excitement and just the sheer quickness they are played at). Anyway it was the biggest day in the Irish sports calender and the match was between my home team Tyrone (going for their 3rd title in 6 years) and Kerry (going for their 3rd in a row). It was a match billed to determine the 'Team Of The Decade'. Here's how the day unfolded...

Croke Park, in Dublin and one of the best stadiums in Ireland, packed with over 80,000 fans and the weather was superb.






There was then all the pre-match build-up including the obligatory giant flags.




One of the best things about Croke Park is that the fans are usually all mingled in together so you get a great sea of colours and it allows for a bit of ribbing but things hardly ever get out of hand.


The two teams then made their way onto the pitch for the pre-match photos and then to get warmed-up.



Flags!


Both teams line up to meet the Irish dignitaries and then parade around the park with the brass band.



Confetti...



...and game on!


So ultimately Tyrone triumphed which lead to an inevitable pitch invasion while the captain made a celebratory speech next to the huge cup.


These two men, the manager and captain, are just fantastic. Mickey Harte is just such a tactical genius while Brian Dooher rolled back the years to put in some fantastic performances.


It was just such a fantastic day, the atmosphere was great and it was a thrilling match. And I've saved the best for last.

Monday 6 October 2008

Welcome...and here we go!

Well hello there. If you stumbled upon this place don't leave just yet as there is a slim chance you might see something that interests you. I finally pulled the trigger on doing a blog and you can expect to see all sorts of posts on here including items to do with sport, television, film and so much more so hopefully you will stick around. Hope you enjoy!