HEAVY METAL KIDS

Wolverhampton- Wulfrun Hall  31-3-2012

Finally & thankfully, yours truly has made it to one of the HMK gigs on the UFO tour. Believe me kittens, due to extraneous circumstances, it's taken a superhuman effort to get to this one, when initially I had intended to get to 5 or 6. 
 So it was with great elation when I got to the door & found out that  world class drummer & human metronome of this 'ere parish, Mr Keith Boyce had left me a pass for the photo pit, down at the front no less.
REEESULT!
 There's only one thing to do in moments like this & that's to repair to the bar for a libation or 2. No sooner had the second livener passed my luscious pouting lips, when I heard a commotion & a general buzz of excitement from the stage area.
 Oh yes my dears; IT WAS THAT TIME!

I flashed my pass (& that's not a euphemysm) to the security guy & took my position in the pit. What a buzz. Furthermore, in front of my very eyes, taking up their positions, were those fine fellows from the Heavy Metal Kids. Righteously where they belong; on a bloody big stage, with a bloody big lighting rig, going through a bloody big P.A & in front of upwards of a thousand bloody people. Niiiiice!
 Before a note was struck  however, it was time for an official announcement. 
The announcement of Keith Boyces' birthday had over a thousand souls singing happy birthday to our man Keith. What an uplifting moment!

On with the show & the boys launched straight into old favourite 'hangin' on', sounding like a slick, well oiled machine. 
With the recent departure of much loved, original bass player 'Ronnie Thomas', you'd have been forgiven for thinking this would have thrown the Kids into disarray. No such worries here kittens, cometh the hour cometh the man! 
Step forward & take a bow Mr Ronnie Garrity, who after 2 rehearsals, was thrown headfirst into this full UK tour & fit in immediately, just like a pair of silk stockings on Gina Lollobrigidas' legs!

In the face of adversity & several knockbacks, the Kids as a live proposition go from strength to strength. Justin McConville is developing into one hell of a frontman, who's voice gets richer & better everytime I see him play. 
Cosmo was as brilliant as ever, giving his fingers a real workout on the Montrose cover 'Rock Candy'.
They tore through one classic after another, 'blow it all away, 100 skeletons, she's no angel & Marseilles to name but a few.
 My dears 'twas over all too soon, but the Kids were well recieved among this sell out crowd. Here's hoping this tour with UFO has opened up a whole new army of fans for them & given them the exposure they so richly deserve.

After the show, yours truly was invited backstage for a few celebratory drinks with the band by birthday boy Mr Boyce. Niiiiiiiice!
 However as all good things must come to an end, the kids had to set off early & make their way back to London. This my dears, left me in the unenviable position of being left in the dressing room of what was once one of the wildest bands in rock'n'roll. What do I do? Do I trash the tv? Do I find a sharp object & drive it through the fridge, thus releasing dangerous gases into the atmosphere? Nooooooo! 
Would you like to know what I did??  Well come a little closer kittens & I'll tell you!!!
 For never in the annals of rock'n'roll history will you have heard anything so debauched, so radical.
   Ok Ok, I helped myself to a satsuma & an apple from the fruitbowl & munched them on the way back to the car!!

 The Heavy Metal Kids, we at Tightpocket towers bloody love 'em!
 Chin Chin. 

The GYPSY HOTEL 17-3-2012.

GYPSY HOTEL: SAT 17-3-12

Ahh, my old mate Macca! 
It's one of those rare moments when I'm actually glad that I washed up on the dubious shore that is f***book. 
 No sooner had I become friends with my old mate, I found myself; along with a few other like minded old friends & miscreants, on the bus to the Gypsy Hotel with his down 'n' dirty Rock'n'roll band THE ROCKETEERS.
 From the moment we walked into the Lexington & ordered a large stiff one, (matron please!) I could sense that Mr P.R. Angel & his merry cohorts had created something with a real unique vibe.
 From the chintzy velvet broccaded drapes to the 'er' healthily priced rare bourbon list on the wall, the place was aglow with an ambience like I haven't known for a long while.
 Where better to start than with Paul Ronny Angel & Slim Cyder who treated us to a handful of songs. Most noticeably, the hilarious 'pipe & slippers man', the funky cha cha of 'Carmelita' & 'Down by the river' from the UVM.

Oh baby! what a start to the evening.
 Before I go any further I feel I must apologise to the acts that I missed, for I was outside giving my lungs the much needed workout that they deserve. All thanks to Mr Lambert & Mr Butler. Not to worry folks these particular cigarettes are full of vitamin c & other such nutrients.
Onto The ROCKETEERS!

Whooosh!

The ROCKETEERS wowed us with their high octane rush of old school rock'n'roll. Macca; you always did have a sense of the dynamic. Only one minor quibble & that is the Rocketeers weren't on for long enough, 'Twas no fault of thine own though my dears. 
 Boys & germs! if these cats are playing a neighbourhood near you, 'twould be a sin & a crying shame to pass 'em by. If dirty arsed, sweat soaked, stripped down  rock'n'roll is your kinda thing, then the Rocketeers fit that bill like a pair of finely hand crafted Jefferey West shoes.


Next up was MISS MIRANDA the voodoo priestess, (it's all bloody go innit, hardly a moment to grab a beer & a crafty pasha). For no show at the Gypsy Hotel would be complete without it's performance artistes/ burlesque performers.
 Now I have seen many of these performers down the years, some good, some bad & some positively crude, but this young lady oozes class from every pore.
 Hey don't just take my word for it check out my ropey snaps!

Love this one!

After this breathtaking performance, it was time to indulge in the ingestion of my ultra healthy, vitamin c loaded cigarettes. 
Entertainment comes from all corners at the Gypsy Hotel, even outside in the fag smoking bay. For I did indeed become involved in a wager with Mr P. Ronny Angel, as to whether his fellow Norwegian compatriot Mr 'Casino Steel' had in fact toured with the legendary 'Johnny Cash'. Yay said I, nay sayeth he! Well there was only one way to sort out this little conundrum. Mr P.R.Angel got out his blower & sent a text message to the great Mr Steel himself. Result? in the shake of a weasels tail Mr Casino Steel responded in fine fashion, verifying that yours truly, Mr Flash Tightpocket was indeed the winner.
 I'll collect next time we meet Mr Angel!

Onwards & upwards; the beautiful retro swinging blue sound of 
FLORENCE JOELLE'S KISS OF FIRE.

Aaahhhh, what a great sound, what a great voice, I've just ordered the album on the strength of it.
 As you can see my fluffy little cherubs, the pictures were getting lesser in quantity as the evening wore on. What's that I hear you say 'thank god? Nothing whatsoever to do with the consumption of varied liquid refreshments!
 KATY PRADO & THE MAMBOLEROS provided us with; in their own words 'Latino Rockabilly cha cha Bizzness.

By this time yours truly was seriously flagging. Red bull on an intravenous drip being the only option.
 I only managed to catch the back end of EMPRESS STAH & maybe I should have worded that better. 
I just can't help but wonder what the shooting of cream & silly string is supposed to represent!!??!!

I say; what sorcery is this?

What a thoroughly bloody great evening we had, bumping into friends old & new, drinking like it was gonna be outlawed tomorrow & witnessing some absolutely bloody fantastic live performances. All held together at the seams by the man spinning the tunes 'Scratchy' & what a sterling job he did.

Macca & Scratchy

4.30 am came & by this time I'd got a second wind. None of us wanted the night to end, such is the lure & the pull of the Gypsy Hotel.

Doesn't anybody want to go home?

It appears not!

Bourbon Soaked-Snake Charmin'-Rock'n'Roll Cabaret.
You could not have worded that any better if you tried!
Boys & girls, if you ain't yet been to the Gypsy Hotel. You ain't lived!!!!


CHIN CHIN.