I went to a gig in Birmingham on 15th November; on the undercard Sylosis, Children of Bodom (CoB), Lamb of God (LoG) and the headliners, Megadeth. As has been the case a number of times of late, my buddy for the evening was the whisky-drinking, welsh-blooded, hard-rocking and, slightly abbreviated, Hughesy.

The night’s entertainment prompted a few observations that I thought I’d share.    

First up, the gig at the O2 Academy on Bristol Street came shortly after the atrocities in Paris and it was chilling to think how much carnage/bloodshed could have been caused if some lunatics with Kalashnikovs had managed to gain access.  Fortunately no such thing occurred and so I only have myself to blame for my sorry looking, smelly state at the end of the night.

Having missed Sylosis altogether, Hughesy and I made our way towards the stage in time for CoB, a Scandinavian metal band, to begin its set. Bodom got the academy bouncing and, being rather close to the front (with standing tickets), I was caught up in the enthusiasm.

My second observation came from realising that one of my early heavy-metal-orientated beliefs had been permanently consigned to the grave. In my youth, I was firmly of the opinion that “real” heavy metal bands didn’t have keyboard players. If a band had a synthesizer/allotted user, it was lightweight and no better than “Europe”.

Now CoB has a designated ivory-tickler and yet the band plays some fast, heavy and mosh inducing music. Having accepted that my keyboard animosity was misguided, my only remaining, slightly negative thought was that the geezer playing the synth looked a bit like a spare part on the stage. Metal music suits singers and guitar wielders who can strut around, look confident and treat their instruments like big penises. For a keyboard player marooned at his station, there isn’t much to do.

​After Bodom, and the obligatory sound checking, Lamb of God took to the stage and the moshing energy level went up a few notches. Again, still close to the stage, I was caught up in the melee and rather enjoyed myself. LoG’s sound was/is harder and more aggressive than CoB and the crowd responded to it.

Here’s what I remember most vividly from LoG’s slot. The bass player, John Campbell looked just like Saruman (Lord of The Rings) with his long white/grey hair and lengthy complementary beard. For an ageing rocker I have to say he looked damn cool. Though I was bloody surprised to find out, subsequent to the gig, that he is younger than me.

The next thing about the LoG session worthy of note was that it got stopped part way through because an audience member got hurt. Though I have no idea what happened, the medics were called in and ultimately an ambulance was summoned and, until the patient was removed, the gig was halted. In all the gigs over all the years, I have never seen one stopped like that. It was actually the audience members gesticulating wildly at the band that caught the attention of Randy Blythe (the singer) who stopped his colleagues in seconds.

LoG’s set was curtailed by the drama but I have to say the band went down a storm nonetheless.

Megadeth’s turn eventually came at almost ten pm.

I have been a Megadeth fan since I was a teenager, I have all the band’s albums and have been to a number of gigs over the years (the first of which occurred in 1988).

But, despite my fan status, I share the following:

​Lamb of God was better than Megadeth…

And Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson and Kiko Loureiro need to accept that they are getting on a bit and maybe change their appearances/behaviours a little in recognition. Mustaine and Ellefson are in their fifties but there wasn’t a grey hair or bald spot in sight (despite there being lots and lots of hair). To me that means wigs or hair dying and neither of those things are cool. Loureiro, who is just about my age (again long hair, no grey), pranced around the stage, waggling his guitar a lot and just pissed me off with how sexy/glamorous he obviously thought he was.

It all felt a bit contrived.

Mustaine and Ellefson are looking their ages and it made me think that they should embrace the ageing process (like John Campbell – grey is okay) or call it a day and leave the thrash metal to the younger bands.   

Don’t get me wrong, the band played a good selection of tunes from across the back catalogue, had a cool light show and had the audience singing and dancing along. But Megadeth’s pace was slower than LoG and that change of tempo seemed to affect the venue, the show actually felt a little tired to me. Then again I was tired too, the argy bargy of the earlier acts had left me decidedly hot and sweaty. The raining beer didn’t help much either.

My final observation was that Chris Adler drummed for LoG and then Megadeth too. Respect to him for playing back to back sets – whilst Megadeth lacked a little bit of energy, Adler most definitely didn’t.

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Via LinkedIn today, I was chuffed to receive a connection invitation from a celebrity of the marketing world. If marketing professionals had a Hollywood Boulevard style walk of fame, Mark Ritson would have a star-emblazoned-slab of his own alongside other notable gurus such as Drayton Bird, Philip Kotler and Sir Martin Sorrell.

Ritson is an award-winning columnist in Marketing Week, a marketing professor at Melbourne Business School and he has worked on/with/for some of the world’s best known, most desirable brands. He is my age, has a thing for marketing and enjoys writing but that’s about all that would label us as homogeneous in any segmentation type exercise. To use a simile, Ritson is like a premier league football star…compared to my Sunday League status (as a substitute).

Though I am keen not to sound too sycophantic (and I might fail here), I habitually read Ritson’s column in Marketing Week, have occasionally left my comments on his articles, follow him on Twitter and have put links to his materials on my website to encourage others to take an interest in his written work.

So, I have to admit that getting an invitation to connect was really rather cool.

I don’t suppose for a moment that Mark actually singled me out for contact, the most likely scenario is that he has worked with LinkedIn to identify whole swathes of marketing folk that might value exposure to the Ritson Church of Marketing – for he is an evangelist. And what value has a preacher without his flock?

But if he follows me on Twitter,  I'll re-evaluate.

Now an approach from Ritson isn’t as exciting as contact from Ian Kilmister, Bruce Dickinson, Jeremy Clarkson or Nigella Lawson would be, but the LI request was enough to make my day.

Does that mean that I am sycophantic and sad?

I am not sure, so I’ll quit while I am behind.

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Today’s post marks the passing of two individuals, one character that I knew (at least a little) and one that I was not that familiar with at all. The latter, Peter Donaldson has had plenty written about him already but the former, the inimitable Simon Kelly, deserves to have an obituary of sorts too.

I don’t imagine that Peter or Simon knew each other but both are linked (at least in this post, and a bit bizarrely) by nuclear war.

Peter Donaldson, the Radio 4 presenter, was to be the voice of the nation in the event that the UK was attacked with nuclear weapons. The recordings he made to reassure/instruct the public were declassified some while ago and can now be heard by all. A transcript of an announcement is shared below.

“This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service. This country has been attacked with nuclear weapons. Communications have been severely disrupted, and the number of casualties and the extent of the damage are not yet known. We shall bring you further information as soon as possible. Meanwhile, stay tuned to this wavelength, stay calm and stay in your own homes.

Remember there is nothing to be gained by trying to get away. By leaving your homes you could be exposing yourselves to greater danger. If you leave, you may find yourself without food, without water, without accommodation and without protection. Radioactive fall-out, which follows a nuclear explosion, is many times more dangerous if you are directly exposed to it in the open. Roofs and walls offer substantial protection. The safest place is indoors.

Make sure gas and other fuel supplies are turned off and that all fires are extinguished. If mains water is available, this can be used for fire-fighting. You should also refill all your containers for drinking water after the fires have been put out, because the mains water supply may not be available for very long. Water must not be used for flushing lavatories: until you are told that lavatories may be used again, other toilet arrangements must be made. Use your water only for essential drinking and cooking purposes. Water means life. Don't waste it.

Make your food stocks last: ration your supply, because it may have to last for 14 days or more. If you have fresh food in the house, use this first to avoid wasting it: food in tins will keep. If you live in an area where a fall-out warning has been given, stay in your fall-out room until you are told it is safe to come out. When the immediate danger has passed the sirens will sound a steady note. The "all clear" message will also be given on this wavelength. If you leave the fall-out room to go to the lavatory or replenish food or water supplies, do not remain outside the room for a minute longer than is necessary.

Do not, in any circumstances, go outside the house. Radioactive fall-out can kill. You cannot see it or feel it, but it is there. If you go outside, you will bring danger to your family and you may die. Stay in your fall-out room until you are told it is safe to come out or you hear the "all clear" on the sirens.

Here are the main points again: Stay in your own homes, and if you live in an area where a fall-out warning has been given stay in your fall-out room, until you are told it is safe to come out. The message that the immediate danger has passed will be given by the sirens and repeated on this wavelength. Make sure that the gas and all fuel supplies are turned off and that all fires are extinguished. Water must be rationed, and used only for essential drinking and cooking purposes. It must not be used for flushing lavatories. Ration your food supply: it may have to last for 14 days or more.

We shall repeat this broadcast in two hours' time. Stay tuned to this wavelength, but switch your radios off now to save your batteries until we come on the air again. That is the end of this broadcast.”  

It is understandable that the government was keen to have processes/protocols in place but let’s be frank, the instructions were utter nonsense. Peter may as well have stated “we are all as good as dead anyway so you might as well die at home.”

And that kind of irreverence brings me on to the legendary Simon Kelly. Simon was an extremely self-confident, energetic, funny, slightly anarchic, Guildhall School of Music trained opera singer who, perhaps unexpectedly, was the long-time front man of The Bleach Boys, a Hitchin derived punk band.

Whereas Peter Donaldson, the voice of the establishment, had a certain outlook on nuclear war - Simon Kelly vocalised a very different perspective on one of my favourite Bleach Boys tracks entitled “Nuclear War” (available on the album “Four Cyclists of the Apocalypse").

The song’s premise is that Simon (because he’s singing) actually wants to die in a nuclear war because it’s the ultimate way to go. Lyrical extracts include:

“I want to die in a nuclear war,
What the hell are we waiting for?”
-
“I want to see that mushroom cloud
I want to hear it loud, loud, loud”
-
“Give me, give me that neutron taste”     
-
“Rearrange my DNA, microwave my head”
 
So whilst the early to mid-eighties saw the cold war at its height and kids like me were getting taught in school about the perils of nuclear conflict, The Bleach Boys (BBs) were out there poking fun at the subject that had so many so worried (me included).

Fortunately nuclear war has so far been avoided, but in an unfortunate twist, Simon and Peter got to experience the effects of radiation in their own ways because both ended up dealing with cancer.

Simon developed leukaemia and had his bone marrow destroyed with radiation as part of his treatment. In later complications, the cancer spread to his brain (which makes the final line of the BBs track above particularly poignant).

I found out that he died via another member of the Bleach Boys and I was gutted to hear the news. I knew he was poorly but, like many others, I hoped his indomitable spirit would see him through.

In relationship terms, we weren’t close friends but I had spent a reasonable amount of time in his company over the years, particularly in 2005 when I travelled to Berlin to see the BBs play and a little later in the year at the Wasted Punk Festival in Morecambe.   

I have written about the band a number of times on my site (see below) and I still do my best to see the BBs a few times a year. But once Simon moved on to focus on his business interests (and Matt joined the band in his place), I had seen very little of him.

But I will remember Simon in his element on the stage, being the centre of attention, owning the space, stretching the boundaries of decency, wearing some wild facial expressions (and occasionally a dress), leaping around like a lunatic and having a jolly good time.

I grew up in Hitchin and went to the same school as Simon (and the other members of the band for that matter); he was only a handful of years older than me. I started watching the Bleach Boys as soon as I was old enough to get into the clubs/pubs the band was playing in. I went to every gig I could until I moved away and even then I came back from time to time to catch another. 

He has left us way too early and, for me anyway, his departure has made me reflect on my own mortality. 

My thoughts go out to his family, there will be dark times ahead for his wife and daughter but maybe there can be some solace gained from knowing that Simon Kelly’s flame burned brightly and that he lit up the punk scene for so many people that they will never know.

Rest in Peace Simon Kelly 1959-2015

Visit The Bleach Boys

Previous related posts:

1. ​http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/the-c-word
2. http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/bleach-boys-balstock-beer-buffoonery-and-blimey
3. http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/1/post/2013/08/bleach-boys-and-chron-gen-at-club-85-in-hitchin-a-gig-review.html
4. http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/1/post/2013/05/the-bleach-boys-overload-and-rsi-punk-rock-with-king-billy.html
5. http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/the-bleach-boys-and-the-horn.html
6. http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/the-bleach-boys-a-cd-review.html

​
News about Peter Donaldson

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34711497
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34707749

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This month sees my site turn four years old and I’ll admit that I feel some satisfaction in reaching this milestone. On the site’s third birthday, I thought about ending it all (the blog that is) – but after some navel-gazing (and some fine encouragement from Chris Tucker – please see his comments on my earlier post), decided to carry on regardless…
 
…and another year has flown by.

The fact is that I am pleased that I stuck with it. Though the site requires ongoing nurturing, costs me money and takes up my time, it has given me some genuine pleasure too. Arguably, it’s a bit like gardening or bringing up one’s children (albeit with a lot less expense, stress, tiredness, raised voices and assorted hierarchical-pissing-contests).

In terms of a work ethic, more than sixty articles have been published since Nov. 2014 - an average output of more than an article per week doesn’t feel too shabby to me. But I acknowledge that justification could just be delusional, self-congratulatory bollocks.

Staying upbeat however and by way of a final low-key celebration; in addition to this post, I have updated the banner on the top of the home page. Take a look at it quickly if you are interested because it will come down shortly to make way for my Christmas decorations.  

​I end this post by finally getting around to the actual purpose of writing it in the first place - the most important message of all…

Thank you for coming (and for coming back). Thank you for the comments, the Facebook likes, the retweets and, in the case of Tracy Westgate the recent offer of a selfie.

If you are prepared to accompany me on my journey towards five years, you will be very welcome.

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