Night Train

Part of my recovery process is starting to do more of what you I used to do when you were fit and well. Getting out and seeing bands live would definitely fall under that heading. I'd seen Chuck Prophet at the Metronome (and just about it made it unscathed) and last week I figured I'd be able to manage DeWolff at the Rescue Rooms (I saw it was a 10pm curfew so happy days - I still get very tired). All the way from Amsterdam, I've been following this insanely talented Dutch guitar/Hammond/drums trio for a few years now but this was the first time I'd managed to see them in a live situation. If I tell you they opened with this and didn't take their foot off the gas for 90 minutes it'll gibe you an ideas of just how good a night it was. A quick explainer - it was just the three of them last week, not the full on wall of sound with horn section and backing singers you see below. (And that's taking absolutely nothing away from them or their ridiculously high energy levels.)

DeWolff - Night Train (2025)

 

★

A week later and I'm still hicking myself that I hadn't got to the venue a little earlier. That said I was still able to catch a fair bit of the support band's set and generally weigh 'em up. It can be daunting opening for anyone, let alone an established act, but Silveroller don't do nerves. Watching them strutting around it was like seeing a cross between Rod and the Faces and the Black Crowes up there on stage. And good to see the sound guy didn't fuck about with their sound either. I'd definitely like to catch them again. Preferably when they're headlining.

Silveroller - Hold (2024)

Bristol Express

I'd like to talk about a couple of films that entered my orbit this week. The first, from 1962, can loosely be described as coffee bar movie and arguably the first UK new wave film, featuring as it does David Hemmings and Ray Brooks. Some People also wraps up nicely my recent trio of Bristol themed posts (it was filmed entirely on location in the city and is a fantastic social history of both a culture and a cityscape long gone); juvenile delinquency, motorbikes, girls, beat music - there's a lot going on here - all a good two years before the Beatles made a dent in UK cinemas. And it's shot in glorious Eastman Colour, just as the sixties were starting to swing.

The soundtrack features local musicians and I've picked out this twang heavy guitar instrumental. It could be the Shads but it's not. Though I think Jet Harris did go on to record a version of it. I've also got a feeling Rol may have covered the Eagles in his Namesakes series; if he hasn't then he probably should.

The Eagles - Bristol Express (1962) 

★ 

The second film couldn't be any more different. I've been meaning to watch Manchester By The Sea for the longest time and finally made a date with my sofa on Saturday night. Casey Affleck gives the performance of his career in this Kenneth Lonnergan (Analyse This) written masterpiece from 2016. Affleck plays a loner, Lee Chandler, with a past so fucked up it's no wonder he shuns the world the way he does. With the recent death of his brother he finds himself returning to his former coastal home town in Essex County as reluctant sole guardian of his sixteen year old nephew. The film digs down into the root causes of Lee's depression and anger and after 2 hours 17 minutes you feel as if he's found (a kind of) peace with himself and those around him but that it could all still be blown off course at any moment. A powerful insight into dysfunctional families (something close to my heart) that will leave its imprint on you.

Manchester By The Sea - Trailer (2016)

Bristol Boogie

I defy anyone to listen to the following piece of music and not to be swept up in its sheer vitality and exuberance. Imagine this tune was playing in your buds as you were pulling into a certain railway station on the Great Western Main Line - with the sun streaming through the carriage and the guard over the tannoy advising you to ensure you've gathered up all your goods and chattels before disembarking. "Bristol, this is Bristol."

Morrisey Mullen - Bristol Boogie (1979)

★  

 Dick Morrissey (1940-2000)

Jim Mullen (1945-)

Johnny Bristol

Ernesto emailed me this morning: he was sending me not only his felicitations but also his contribution(s) to May's Photo Challenge (it's never too early - as Freddie Laker, or some other besuited 70s celebrity, may have said). In his missive the 4th. Earl of Goggins was also enquiring if I was on the up and to, and I quote, "Hang on in there, baby." (J. Bristol, 1974). Without delay I replied that I was indeed on the up and that God/Allah (other worshipees are available) permitting it is my avowed intention, in June, to be, literally, Johnny Bristol.

Ernie may or may not be aware* that J. Bristol Esq. in 1974 also penned Love Me For a Reason for the Osmond tribe. In what must have been a bumper year for the non-Bristolian Bristolian, both records were in the charts simultaneously. Also, and again Ernie may or may not know, Love Me For a Reason is, to the best of my knowledge, the only single ever to have bothered the Hit Parade containing the word 'facsimile'. As I say, Ernesto will I'm sure confirm or deny my claim.  

Johnny Bristol - Love Me For a Reason (1974)

* Though I'm sure Alyson will.

  ★

 Johnny Bristol (1939-2004)

I'm doing just fine

Following my last post where, even I, when I've reread it, could see someone potentially in trouble; a bit like the 70s coastguard ad I saw someone drowning not waving. But panic thee not. It was just a temporary blip (another bump in the road). The good news from the District Nurse team1 is that my wound is healing really well. The tissue is getting healthier day by day which, they say, is, in no small part, down to regular exercise (i.e. walking 10,000 steps per day - not pumping iron in testosterone-heavy gyms) and my new high protein2 diet (steak & eggs for breakfast is the new thing at Medd Towers). In time, as the skin begins to knit together, the dressing should reduce in size as will the regularity with which it needs changing: as much as I've kind of liked nurses making a fuss of me, I long for a time when my bedroom is free of anyone save for the current Mrs. Medd and George & Luna.

Yesterday I picked up the guitar and started to bash out a melody that had been niggling away at me for a while and, with a few snatched words (pieced together with imagery from recent dreams), I was able to write my first song of 2025. It's called 'I'm Doing Just Fine'. I'll play it in public for the first time at Songwriters. If there's any creases in it that need ironing out I'm sure they'll tell me. After they've given me a bollocking for missing the last four meetings.

1I've never had so many women in my bedroom.

2This wound is sapping all my protein so (look away now if you're a vegetarian) I'm currently eating more meat than a boxer training for a prize fight.

Looking to get home

When a song truly touches you then you carry its words (and their meaning - implied or otherwise) and melody around with you forever. Although I only heard To Get Home by Megson (from their latest digital only EP) for the first time a couple of weeks ago, it has nonetheless already lodged itself deep into my psyche. Yes, I could put it down to  my current physical and mental health (rundown and fragile respectively, since you ask), but it's probably just as much attributable to my eternal love of songs about longing: a longing often for something or somebody or even a way of life that has gone and will never come back. Throw in homesickness and a crushing sense of loss and I think you've got the full set! When I say implied meaning of song lyrics, referencing Megson's song in particular, I know they're referring to a time and a place where and when they grew up in Teeside and that travelling back years later on familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, roads and seemingly all your landmarks, all your footholds have disappeared. But that mirrors how I feel health wise at the moment. I may be home, as in out of hospital, but it's not the same. I'm looking to get home, to a place where I can truly be at peace. And until my physical and mental strength fully returns (my mental health in particular) I currently feel disconnected from all my natural trig points. 

Meson - To Get Home (2025)

   

Also, the cover of Megson's EP is very striking. If I'm not mistaken it's a depiction of the cooling towers not far from me at Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. I've mentioned these iconic towers often round here; I'd like to think that when Debs and Stu travel from Cambridge (where they now live) to Teeside, the cooling towers - clearly visible from the motorway - will be like a marker post for them indicating how far along the journey they are*. I'd have asked them personally last Friday at Nottingham's Metronome but alas as I'd only just come out of hospital that day I ended up bequeathing my pair of tix to someone who could go. 

*On a more philosophical note I guess we all know roughly how far along our journey we are, nut none of us want to know precise timings. 

*

Well that was cheerful, wasn't it? I promise the next episode of Are We There Yet will be a tad more upbeat! 

Tightly coiled

Welcome to April's Photo Challenge. Can we say that Winter is finally behind us? I really hope so. I was asking for vital signs of Spring. And once again you have not let me down. Thank you so much for all your brilliant photographs; proving, once again, that Photo Challenge really is going from strength to strength. Historians among you may be interested in what we were doing this time last year, or even 2023 (when we were still very much in our infancy). Good to have you on board. 

As is traditional, Rol is first up. ''Here you go, John. These are all from my Spring folder and taken a long time ago - back when I still used a camera; the sheep shouldn't be in that field! Hope you're doing well, Rol.'' Thank you, Rol. One step forward two steps back at the moment.

Cee next: ''Hi John, lots of fresh shades of green and yellow out there, Spring is here at last but one of the most exciting things for me is seeing blue tits return to the nest box to breed. I couldn't capture a photo of them unfortunately but one pair have started to stake their claim on it again this year so when they left a bit of nesting material by the entrance hole it seemed like a sweet little symbol of Spring. Sending lots of best wishes, C x.'' Thank you, C. I'd love to see the pair of them.

Matthew, what have you got? ''Hi John, some early cherry blossom, Shimizu, Japan, 14 March 2025. And then signs of spring on shores of Loch Ryan, nearer home, 21 March 2025.  M x.'' Thanks, Matthew. Weather looks about the same in both.

Highbury's finest - Ernie: ''Hi John, I won't have the chance to explore my extensive Spring related archive before your deadline so all I can offer is this uninspiring effort taken on the way to the football the other day. Will try to do better next month, Ernie.'' Thank you, Ernesto.

Portuguese George: ''Hi John, I hope things are going well for you. Here you go - Broughty Ferry, when I was back 'home' a couple of weeks ago. It's not the greatest photo but it made me stop and appreciate a Scottish springtime. The second one is how I know spring is underway over here - I can start wearing shorts again! And the third is of some of our fava beans - everyone round here plants them in January and February, in time for picking the beans in spring (and we've already had some). Take care, John, and best wishes,  George (in the Alentejo Litoral).'' Cheers, George. Are knobbly knees contests a thing over there?

Walter in Germany: ''Hi John, before the challenge closes I'll send you some photos. For me, spring begins at the latest when the first daffodils start to bloom.. Another highlight are clear blue skies. Especially at one of my favourite places near the old city wall of my home town. Cheers and get well soon, Walter.'' Nice one, Walter.

Khayem in the Kotswolds: ''Hi John, daffodils are a sure sign that spring has arrived. I don’t think  the message had quite reached the platform at Stroud rail station the other week! Also, a bridal path not far from Casa K, circa 2021. If you live within 20 miles of Bristol, another sign of spring and warmer weather is the sight of a hot air balloon floating over your garden. 4) And spring inevitably means there’s work to do outside. Describing me as an amateur would be a kindness. Best wishes, K.'' Looks live you severed your own gloved hand, K.

Harry Harrington Harris has been out and about communing with nature.

''A swan returns to its regular pond.'' 

''Bulrush seeds on a Hawthorn bud.''

''Bulrushes in seed on a sunny morning.''

''The Blackthorn is out. A sure sign that Spring is round the corner.''

''Lesser celandine.''

''Dandelion.''

''More bloody shadows!'' Nice one, Harry. Yep, shadows everywhere.

Miss Turner (but no Alfie, alas) - ''Hi John, the first flower on our camelia bush.''

''A beautiful sky from the top of our road.''

''The first ladybird I've seen this year!'' Thank you, Miss Turner. More ladybird pics please!

Local lad, Pete Zab: ''Three pictures for you, John. The crocus is from St John's churchyard in Carrington, a large spread of them appears every year.''

''The daffodil is courtesy of my garden.'' 

 

''This blossom picture was taken in Woodthorpe Park, Nottingham. All the best, Pete.'' Good work, Pete.

David 'Coops' Cooper: ''Hi John, just the one from me this month - not sure where it was taken. (I’ll be honest struggled with this subject. Not many examples in my archive, this was the best of a bad bunch). David.'' Thanks, Coops.

Tim's got a few up his sleeve. ''Hi John, hope you are well. The sprouting of wild garlic in the woods near us. Hugely strong pungency game with this😉. Smells as well as views to indicate Spring is here.'' 

''Cornfields turning green.'' 

Some blue (why not) - beech trees reaching for the sky in the woods a short wander from us. Qualifying on the basis it was taken in March.

''The view down from Richmond Hill taken in Spring but reminding us it can still be blooming grey & miserable. The crow rather pleasingly added to this murky vista a treat.'' 

''A textbook Spring with a carpet of bluebells.'' 

''Beech and birch trees starting to leaf. I love this time of the year when the sun still gets through the small fresh green leaves giving us the hint of warmer times to come. All the best, Tim.'' A strong Spring game indeed, Tim.

Charity Chic and his legendary pot - ''Sadly this one popped up early and didn't make it.''

Kate - ''Vital signs of Spring at Malham Cove, Nr. Skipton.''

Yay, Johnny Legs is back! He calls this power trio ''Woodland Walks.''

Claire says ''Bees make honey!''

''Blue skies over Battersea.''

''Spring flowers.'' Thanks, Claire. Fantastic pics and lovely to see BPS basking in the Spring sun.

Swiss Adam has a brace - ''Hi John, two photos taken last week. Both showing the outburst of cherry blossom that has hit Manchester in the last couple of weeks. The daylight one was from an evening walk. The night-time one was in the rain on Whitworth Street last Saturday. Central Manchester in the dark when it's raining - how more Spring like can you get?'' Thank you, Adam. See if you recognise one of my Manc efforts below.

Alyson from the Highlands where I'd have expeced Spring to be at least four weeks later than the rest of the UK. ''Hi John, I'm attaching two photos of spring flowers from my garden: I like a bit of yellow at this time of year. Add a bit of lilac and just perfect. Tete-a-tete, montbretia and forsythia. Get well soon. Alyson x.'' Thank you, A.

Neil Abdo says 'Forget about the first cuckoo of Spring. What about the first burnt out car?''

 

Riggsby has a few words to say about his Southern Californian collection: ''Hi John, a big event in Spring in California is the blooming of wildflowers in the desert after winter rains. Jingyi took this pic one year when we went out to Lancaster in the Antelope Valley in the western Mojave Desert. The short, stunningly colourful period is quite a contrast in these areas, which for most of the year are dried-out brown (or, by some, also described as 'golden). At our current home in San Diego County, Spring is marked by the flowering of our Wisteria bushes. One of Jingyi’s friends comes and harvests some of the flowers and uses them to prepare the filling for flaky pastry flower cakes, which are often made with filling made from rose petals. Lastly, here's a picture of the blue sky. I took this as we were scrambling up Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona, at the beginning of March. The Sedona Valley elevation is about 4,000 feet. There were no wildflowers or much sign of new growth, and there were small patches of snow in some places. Sedona is said to have vortexes that facilitate spiritual healing.'' Cheers, Richard. You got a Pantone colour for that sky?!

And, finally, a couple of snaps from me to round things off. This one is from Green's Windmill & Science Centre in Sneinton in Nottingham. I'm sure the daffs were retreating from the cold when I took this a couple of weeks ago.

Likewise these brave souls at the base of a tree at Holme Pierrepoint white water rafting course. The sun may have been shining but it was blood thinningly cold.

I passed a house in Sherwood with no front garden the other day. However, these three pots were more than making up for it.

This is where fairground rides come to die. I found it in March 2021 during one of many lockdown rambles.

From a couple of years ago. Taken from a brutalist housing estate built in the 1960s, this glimpse thru the trees down to the city makes Nottingham just about visible.

When James lived in Levenshulme he didn't live a million miles from this house. I took the pic in April a few years ago, but I guess it's always Spring on that painted elevation in Levy.

Good work, people. May's Photo Challenge will be posted in the comments below in a few days. J x