Real Ale, Real Music

So after months of build-up, arguments, promises and bold statements, the big vote has taken place. Yes, Thursday, June 23rd, 2016, a day that will go down in the history of this country. Britain woke on the morning after to discover that 52% of the population had voted to leave the EU. It came around, all bleary-eyed and blinking, stumbled out of bed as if it had been to an almighty party the night before, had a little more than it should have done to drink, and the realisation of what it had done started to dawn. Did we really do that? Shit, what happens now? So Cameron, of whom I am no fan, announces he is to resign. Can't blame him really, though. The UK's EU Commissioner has resigned, well, eventually, there will be no job for him. So who sorts it all out? Nobody has stepped up to the plate.  Boris said yesterday there is no rush to invoke Article 50, which kicks off the process of the 2 year withdrawal from the EU. Sorry, but the fact Herr Juncker wishes to start ...

I was privileged the other night to go and see The Stone Roses performing their first gig in Manchester for 3 years. My first time seeing them. My mate Jim had managed to get some tickets at a good price, and to make things easier I was invited to stay at his home in Kearsley with his wife Emma and Benny the labrador, where I was made to feel very welcome. Tram from Radcliffe into town, then after a couple of Pints and some food at the Marble Arch we set off on foot to the Etihad Stadium. We got to the venue, got in reasonably quickly, and were greeted by the dulcet tones of Public Enemy. Don't believe the hype, not my cup of tea! The whole build-up was very much a case of home boys coming home. Massive levels of excitement at work, I'd had the chance for tickets on Sunday night, which I declined because I have things to do on a Sunday. So Wednesday it was. After the noise of Public Enemy they appeared, almost on time, just after 9. The opening chords of 'I Wanna Be...

Neil Young is unashamedly one of my heroes. I got to see him the other night. Leeds, First Direct Arena, and he was excellent, probably better than I'd dare expect. I'd first come across him way back in 1971 when I got to hear 'After The Goldrush', which was full of some absolutely brilliant tracks. Tunes like the title track, 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart', and 'Southern Man', which rapidly became favourites. Then 'Heart of Gold' came out as a single a few months later and I became a massive fan. So, almost 45 years and countless albums later I finally got to see him live. Now I am spending more time watching live music than at any time since I was a student, it was a no-brainer when I first saw the tickets go on sale for the 'Rebel Content' tour. I haven't got all his albums and some have been a bit hit and miss, but over the years he has come up with some absolute crackers - 'Time Goes By', 'Harvest Moon',...

'This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands,-- This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.' William Shakespeare ,  "King Richard II", Act 2 scene 1 The current build-up to the EU Referendum on June 23rd is hotting up and becoming more and more acrimonious, with insults traded by both the Stay and Leave sides. Colleagues from both main political parties, who find themselves on opposite sides of the argument, and who presumably will have to go back to working together once the dust settles and the result is confirmed, are continuously upping the ante in vitriol and abuse directed at each other. T...

Yesterday was an amazing emotional roller coaster ride. Against all predictions, my team, Halifax Town, triumphed in the FA Trophy at Wembley yesterday. We were the better team on the day, opponents Grimsby Town had won last week in the Play-Off Final to get back in to the Football League, but their big guns - Padraig Amond, Omar Bogle - never got going on the day. When your team has just got to Wembley for the first time in their 105 year history, it all takes some taking in. Yes, we were the better team. Yes, player of the year Scott McManus - who sadly had to leave the field later having picked up a suspected cruciate ligament injury - scored a brilliant goal, a sublime curling shot from his right foot to put us 1-0 up. We never looked back, and despite some pressure from Grimsby, we didn't buckle. So Town - every player performing out of their skins - emerged as winners. But it was still hard to believe, even when the cheers went up as the game ended with To...

This weekend, for the first time in their 105-year history, Halifax Town, yes, my club, are appearing at Wembley. They have reached the final of the FA Trophy, where on Sunday they take on Grimsby Town. This has created a tremendous buzz around the town, with sales of shirts and other merchandise going through the roof. 10,000 or more are expected to go to the game, including wives and girlfriends who have never set foot in the The Shay! There is even a Wembley song, by Simon Conway, featuring The Rainey Street Band's Andy Garbett on cajon! Aside from the football, this trip gives us a great opportunity to try some of the ales on offer in the pubs of London. This is one of the great benefits of following your team away from home. You see, real ale and football go together so well. Before every game at the field of dreams, aka The Shay, we meet at one of Halifax’s real ale pubs to discuss tactics. Post-match analysis is also conducted at one or more of the same venues. Many...

This wasn't the original plan. Months ago,  I'd booked a ticket on the recommendation of Kirsten and Lorraine to see the Treacherous Orchestra in Bury. Some friends of mine were also playing the same day at the Holmfirth Folk Festival, but obviously I couldn't be in two places at the same time! However , when I realised that, due to the times involved for both events, I could call at the Holmfirth Folk Festival and catch both Roger Davies and The Rainey Street Band, and still have time to get over to Bury, I thought, why not, let's do it! They were both on at Holmfirth Parish Church, and with Roger starting around 4.15, I left home before 3 thinking I'd have plenty of time to park up and have a leisurely wander around the place first. Wrong. Holmfirth was rammed, with the sunny weather no doubt having an influence, and after a 15 minute wait to get through the lights in the centre, I ended up parking near Compo's Cafe on the road to Greenfield! So a bit of a...