Ozzy was a legend, a larger-than-life heavy metal icon.

I own all his albums, had read all his books and had seen him perform live. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a ticket for ‘Back To The Beginning’ at Villa Park, but I watched the coverage/sets on YouTube and wished I was there.

After he died, I took the day off work to go to Birmingham and watch his funeral procession come down Broad Street. Whilst I was in Brum, I signed the books of condolence and toured the murals and other tributes that had been commissioned in the run up to Ozzy’s final gig.

A few months ago, I read ‘Last Rites’ the latest Ozzy Osbourne autobiography. It came out on the 6th of October, was ordered on the 7th, delivered on the 8th, and finished on the 10th.

I bought the book after watching the BBC documentary ‘Coming Home’ and prior to watching the Paramount+ documentary ‘No Escape from Now’.

I started writing this post in October and stopped because Ozzy was still all over the news and what could I add to the debate and why would anyone be that interested in anything I had to say? What brought me back to the keyboard was recently watching an interview on YouTube (link shared below) between Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne. The interview is/was moving and I urge fellow Ozzy fans to watch it.

In the interview, Sharon mentioned that, after Ozzy died, she got messages from Donald Trump and King Charles. When royalty and POTUS reach out to express their condolences, it’s clear that the Oz Man’s impact on the world was beyond doubt.

Sharon’s take down of Roger Waters is well worth enjoying too.
   
Like the vast majority of other fans, I didn’t appreciate how hard life had become for Ozzy. Having injured himself badly in a silly bedroom accident of his own making, his body was failing him, and a series of significant operations hadn’t enabled him to recover. He was the first to recognise the irony in him taking so many drugs everyday just to stay alive when all expectation throughout his life had been that drug abuse would kill him.

Ozzy and his family knew that doing Back to the Beginning could be the end of him, but he did it anyway. Respect to Ozzy because he lived, and ultimately died, on his own terms.

At the time of his death, I wondered if he had consciously decided his time was up, but there was no intervention, just a kind of poetry in the timing of his journey’s completion.

For the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness, Ozzy didn’t half shine brightly, and his passing left me feeling a genuine sense of loss.  The book, the documentaries, the funeral procession and the interviews all compounded it – the world is less interesting without Ozzy in it. 

Sharon and Piers interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaLMsEJKZEQ

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I credit Adam Ant for getting me into music, his song ‘Stand and Deliver’ was brilliant and fired up a whole new passion for me. Adam Ant posters decorated my bedroom, his records started building my vinyl collection, and he was discussed at length with my primary school buddies. Adam Ant made music exciting when I hadn’t found it particularly interesting before.

Even approaching 55 years old, I have an A2 Adam Ant Screen Scene poster magazine cover framed on the wall in my office.

On the 24th November, I went to the theatre in Milton Keynes (MK) to see Adam perform live for the first time. Having waited about 45 years to see my childhood hero, I hoped to come away from the gig as enthusiastic as I was when I saw Frank Carter and The Sex Pistols.

But for a variety of reasons, that was not to be. What follows is just my opinion, others may well have different perceptions and that’s a good thing.

The Venue
The theatre in MK is an odd gig venue in some ways, whilst it has great acoustics, it’s all seated and there are no standing areas (or mosh pits as I prefer to call them).

The impact of the style of venue was that people stayed seated, there was no dancing and there was even ‘polite’ silence between songs.

The audience were mostly ‘of an age’, which is no surprise I guess given that Adam’s biggest impact was at the beginning of the eighties.

Whilst the acoustics were good, they did make Adam’s occasionally ropey vocals all the more obvious. I’ll be honest, I winced at the start of Dog Eat Dog.

The stage show was minimal, which meant all the attention was on Adam, and at times he didn’t command the space in the way that I thought he might. Some more props could have helped him not feel/look quite so exposed.

On a positive note, the two drummers with their full drum kits were brilliant, the ‘two drum kits live experience’ was completely new to me and I liked it a lot.

Adam
When Adam took to the stage, I was impressed that he had kept his slim figure and that he looked the part in his black outfit and signature bicorn hat. For a man in his early seventies, he still had some ‘dandy highwayman’ about him.

I’ll be honest though, I expected more energy and more swagger from the seasoned front man. I got the impression that he was lacking some confidence; he didn’t make demands of the audience or move around like the space was all his to command. Maybe he was bothered that his voice was letting him down.

I don’t know if he was tired from the tour, not feeling his best, or just underwhelmed by the audience, but I felt he was not altogether in the moment (or perhaps going through the motions a bit).

When he sang Prince Charming, I hoped he would do the arm moves and instead he clutched his guitar with one arm and barely moved the other, to me he almost looked embarrassed. Even when the audience was singing along with ‘ridicule is nothing to be scared of’, Adam didn’t come alive. Though it’s one of his best-known songs, it wasn’t performed with the energy or arrogance that it deserved.

There were occasional moments of animation - he came to life for example on Kings of the Wild Frontier; he made a point of saying, in a quiet way, that he was still very proud of that particular song.

Some filler* when there could have been more killer
Set list:

1. Dog Eat Dog
2. Vive le Rock
3. Ant Music
4. Miss Thing*
5. Cartrouble
6. Zerox
7. Ants Invasion
8. Prince Charming
9. Lady
10. Young Parisians
11. Puss 'n Boots
12. Desperate but Not Serious
13. Kings of the Wild Frontier
14. Beat My Guest
15. Strip
16. Friend or Foe
17. Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)*
18. Red Scab*
19. Killer in the Home*    
20. Los Rancheros
21. Goody Two Shoes
22. Stand and Deliver (encore)

The set list overall was okay, many of Adam’s hits and then some lesser-known songs. Some of the filler (in my opinion) could have been replaced with more of Adam’s better tracks - Deutsche Girls, Friends, Apollo 9, Room at the Top for example. There was nothing from Adam’s 2013 ‘Blueblack Hussar’ album, I would have liked to hear ‘Marrying the gunner’s daughter’.

The best song, in terms of its delivery versus the original, was Young Parisians – that one though is not one of my favourites.

It was good to hear Los Rancheros live.

Stand and Deliver, an absolute anthem of the eighties, was the encore, it should have been the best song of the entire evening … and it wasn’t as good as it should have been either.  

The verdict
The 2013 album ‘Adam Ant is the blueblack hussar in marrying the gunner’s daughter’, though unrepresented in the set list, was a metaphor for the MK show. The album had moments of greatness but was patchy in others and let down by some production issues.

I think there’s a good chance that I just got unlucky, other tour dates have had great reviews (though interestingly the Adam Ant Facebook account didn’t even celebrate the MK show when it did highlight others).

I wish I could have got the buzz from the concert that I had anticipated, rather than feeling like I am making excuses for an old hero. The fact is that when the gig was done, I wasn’t clamouring for more, I actually felt a little sad to be honest.

I went to a show that wasn’t supported by Toyah. Before the gig, I was a bit disappointed about that because when I saw her a couple of years back, she rocked. In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that the date wasn’t supported by Toyah, she would have outclassed Adam and that really would have been a shame.

This year’s tour was a re-scheduled tour from 2024 that was cancelled because of Adam’s ill health. The blue-black hussar might have had his last hurrah.

With that in mind, I am glad I went the gig, I would have regretted not making the effort if I didn’t buy a ticket. There were moments of excellence, but I sat in the audience thinking that I had waited too long and really should have found a gig to go to 20 years ago.

​Hot on the heels of my last post, which was also about joy, comes this one.

Some scene setting first if I may. I have been thinking about my time at camp a fair bit lately. There are a few reasons for this:

1. I am going to New York for a few days in November. I haven’t been back since camp ended in 1995.  I have been talking to my family about my previous visits to the city, which were all associated with the before/during/after camp experience.
2. It occurred to me that I could maybe meet up with some old Summit friends in New York and so some dialogue has started. A big shout out to Rommel Vigne in particular here. He was Summit royalty as far as I was concerned.
3. The heartbreaking news about Camp Mystic in Texas prompted much introspection
4. And then I became aware of Erica Buki…  

I haven’t written a Camp Summit related article since 2011, but it’s now time to write another one thanks to my interactions with Erica and her Madame Buki business.

I am a member of the Camp Summit Alumni Group on Facebook, and it was through that group's news feed that I became aware of Erica’s efforts to help Alumni members remember and re-celebrate their time on Camp.
Erica has produced a range of Summit themed goods marketed through her Madame Buki store.

I visited the store - https://madamebuki.myshopify.com/ - to see the tee shirts, caps, mugs etc. and, inspired by what I saw I reached out to Erica to ask about the art of the possible.

Back in my camp days, I inherited a Summit baseball cap from a young David Merkur. I kept that cap for the next 20 years or more before it went missing (in the last house move I think). I asked Erica if it was possible to recreate it, and it turned out that was very much doable.

What followed was:

1. A delightful exchange of emails, ideas and Summit related visual assets from my time on camp
2. Some new designs and store updates from Erica
3. An order from me for a tee shirt and three different caps

The Summit Mountaineers cap design for example was a direct result of our interaction.

As a marketing manager, I take an active interest in design and branding. As an ex-Summit counsellor, the nostalgic value of these things is high. And for anyone that knows me, or indeed this site, nostalgia is a common theme.

Having placed an order, the items were manufactured, and they were delivered quickly into the UK; I was delighted with everything too. Over time, as more items are added to the store, I expect to buy some more.

If you read this, visit the site, or are thinking about placing an order, I absolutely recommend buying from Madame Buki.

​When I am in the States later in the year, I will be wearing my new Summit gear with pride.

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Related posts from 2011:
Camp America and Camp Summit, Wurtsboro NY

1. The Summit kids from 1994/5 get in touch
2. A Baldwin and the Bronx (September 1995)
3. Snakes and conquering my fear of them
4. Law enforcement
5. The Summit Speedway Go-Karts
6. Colour War
7. Tee shirts and baseball caps
8. Adrian and Baldwin - towns in Michigan

Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference, the inconsequential (in the wider scheme of life) happenings that have a positive impact on one’s sense of wellbeing.

I read the BBC news every day and find myself almost desperate for some good news amongst all the miserable stuff that seems to fill the screen – war, environmental disasters, the Camp Mystic catastrophe, the death of Ozzy Osbourne...    

Given the good news is hard to find, I thought I’d share a few things that have happened to me recently that brought me some genuine joy.  

And, dear reader, I hope that you can compile a mental list of the little things that have brought joy to you as well.  When I find myself worrying, fire fighting or problem solving, taking a moment to celebrate the little wins helps to bring some much-needed balance.  

Marmite peanut butter

First up, Marmite peanut butter is back on the shelves in the supermarkets, back in my larder at home, and back on my toast in the mornings. Some while ago I wrote about its delisting by Unilever and made the point that a simple pleasure had been taken away.

A week or so ago, Mrs B. had been to Sainsburys. I got home to find a new jar of Marmite peanut butter waiting for me on the worktop and I kid you not, I felt a rush of elation. I may even have shouted ‘yay’ and fist pumped the air. Mrs B. bought the jar because she knew how pleased I would be.

Lyons Maid lolly sticks

Next up are a couple of developments in the Lyons Maid lolly stick saga (see earlier posts, there are a few, below). The first event involved a lady called Sophie McKay getting in touch, here’s what she said:

Hi - I came across your website because I happened to find one of the lolly sticks washed up next to a lake in Wanstead Park in London. It’s the Penguin one - a bit dented but good condition! I kept it as it looked interesting. I was searching for someone who would have more use for it than I do - your story was really interesting and heartwarming! Let me know your address and I can send to you - Sophie

I responded to Sophie and, bless her, she did post the stick to me, and it arriving in the mail made my day. How really nice of a stranger to do something so kind!

I was that chuffed that I shared the story with John, he had commented on my posts in the past and is a bone fide Lyons Maid expert. Long story short, he sent me a Kevin Keegan ‘Goal’ stick to add to my collection. That was two new sticks in short succession. When the Goal stick arrived, it felt a bit like Christmas.

Kevin isn’t a DC character, but he came first and is an honorary super hero in my books.
​
Both are now stuck to my monitor, and they make me smile every time I look at them – which, as I am typing, includes right now.

An Oldsmobile

A few weeks back, I went to a classic car meet at North Kilworth Sports Club and was delighted to finally see an Oldsmobile that I had been desperate to have a look at for two years … and had just never been in the right place at the right time.

I had passed this car on the road, it had turned up at meets after I left, or at meets I couldn’t make it to.

I watched the Olds pull into the sports ground and felt a surge of elation. I had finally got lucky; I just had to rush across the field to have a look.

I met the owner, Andy, who was nice enough to indulge a clearly over enthusiastic fan by letting me sit in his spotless car and have my photo taken.

‘Yay’ and ‘yay’ again.

And that brings me full circle, at the start of this post, I talked about inconsequential things that bring happiness. A sit in car, a jar of spread, a couple of pieces of plastic won’t bring back the dead, improve the macro environmental doom and gloom, one’s health, or wealth or solve one’s problems, but thank goodness for the little things that make a difference to the daily grind.

To Sophie, John, Andy, you all rock.   

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Lyons Maid related posts:
2012 https://www.adrianbaldwin.net/lyons-maid-supermans-superheroes-ice-lolly.html
04/12/2012 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/the-sequel-to-the-supermans-superheroes-stick-story
25/02/2015 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/fantastic-plastic-perranporth-find
15/02/2017 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/first-class-ice-lolly-cool-cornwall-catwoman
10/03/2019 https://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/lolly-stick-happiness
13/03/2019  https://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/lyons-maid-supermans-superheroes-lolly-sticks-in-colour
19/03/2019 https://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/lolly-legacy
​15/04/2019 Lyons Maid - Goal!
24/04/2019 A Second Goal!

I have written a few posts about Kirstin Baybars and her delightful Ostrobogulous creations. Peter Hoot and the Ostrobogulous is that kind of particularly niche topic that means that when people search Google for inspiration, they may well come across me.

This has meant that visitors have got in touch directly to share their memories and photos of their Peter Hoots. You can see some of that engagement in the earlier pieces, see links below.

When Pam from the States got in touch, I was able to help her, through David Ward, source a replacement for her Peter Hoot that was lost when she was a child.  

And quite recently a lady called Jane got in touch with me because she wanted to find her Peter a new home. I offered my help and, long story short, I ended up buying a second owl for myself.  

Twit two    

Peter Hoot 2 was brought to life relatively recently. It was an old kit from Kristin’s shop, but one that had never been sewn together. Back in 2018 I think, it was finally constructed and then sold to Jane.

This Peter is presented in brown and orange (they are my favourite colours) and he has a proper seventies look about him. He is larger in size (though technically a medium) than my original owl and that makes him a nice companion.

After buying him, I found a lovely photo of Kristin with her newly commissioned parliament of Peters. No. 2 is in the picture. Very cool!

It turns out that Sarah Harrop, who has the best collection of Ostrobogulous creations in the country (and helped me in my research for my earlier posts) actually took the photo.

Kristin passed away in late 2021 and so finding this photo of her with the Peters felt rather poignant. I never got to meet her in person, which I always thought was a shame.

And Aristo too
Since 2013 when I first wrote about Peter Hoot, I have also acquired an Aristo clown. This one is an original and he shows his age, but he sits on his throne in the lounge, and I think he looks terrific.  I really fancied having one of these … it took me a long time to find one.

Related links:
07/02/20 Kristin Baybars and the Ostrobogulous 
07/07/20 More on Ostrobogulous Toys 
​Meet Peter Hoot from the zoo of the Ostrobogulous 11/13 - you'll have to scroll down a little

https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/tributes-to-kristin-baybars-the-toymaker-with-a-shop-of-dreams

Since Donald Trump came to power I have found myself getting more and more appalled by his behaviours and his apparent belief that the truth is whatever he says it is.

Trump might be American, but he is just like Putin, Xi Jinping or Yong Un when it comes to the playbook of power. For example:

• Lie until something becomes the truth because others have given up questioning or believe it to be true because they have heard it so often.
• Bully and threaten others with force or the removal of friendship if they don’t give way (Greenland, Mexico, Gaza for example).
• Do everything to hold on to power by removing dissenters from office.

The man is a narcissistic, egotistic megalomaniac and a convicted criminal too. The world is a much more dangerous place than it was before he came to power, and I think we all have reason to be quite afraid. He doesn’t care about the planet, decency, honesty or integrity and instead promotes division, aggression, expansionism and capitalism.

I don’t know how he can spout such lies (Ukraine started the war, Zelensky is a dictator, Putin is a genius etc.) to the world without being embarrassed. He seems to believe his own bullshit.

To me, America has always been a great and inspiring country, a place associated with living the dream – the united states of aspiration if you will. Now I am thinking that the USA is losing its shine and appeal. For the next four years, Trump will be America’s own dictator, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll look to amend the constitution so that he can be in power for longer.

The next four years are going to be uncomfortable for the rest of the world. 

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Updated 02/03/25
Since writing this post, Zelensky was on the receiving end of an orchestrated mugging by Trump and Vance in the notorious televised meeting at the White House. I listened and was angered by the diplomatic indecency.

There is a well-known saying “with great power comes great responsibility” and so as not to forget, Trump would do well to have that tattooed on to his body. He shows none of the tact and diplomacy that befits someone in his position.

I was slightly heartened to read in the news over the weekend that protesters have been taking to the streets in the States to show their support for Ukraine. Hopefully there were far more Americans upset by Trump’s antics than were visible in New York, Boston. Los Angeles and Vermont. They voted him in and, because he claims to be acting on their behalf, they need to manage his outrageous behaviours.

The media is full of Artificial Intelligence (AI) news, most recently thanks to the rise of DeepSeek.

In my working life, AI is starting to reveal itself. Its application for the written word and for language management is already firmly established.

AI is here to stay and there’s little point in fighting it too much, but I’ll be honest, I am not altogether comfortable with it either.

For the written word, I see AI as a bit like a microwave ready meal (lots of salt, sugar and ultra processed stuff). It’s cheap, quick and easy, but it’s not good for your health, and you really could still do with knowing a bit about nutrition and how to cook.

Then there’s the news today that the Doomsday Clock has been revised to 89 seconds before midnight. Here’s an extract that references AI from this BBC news article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgmkdz0297o

"The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists also warned that "an array of other disruptive technologies advanced last year in ways that make the world more dangerous".

"Systems that incorporate artificial intelligence in military targeting have been used in Ukraine and the Middle East, and several countries are moving to integrate artificial intelligence into their militaries.

"The organisation stressed that all these dangers "are greatly exacerbated by a potent threat multiplier: the spread of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories that degrade the communication ecosystem and increasingly blur the line between truth and falsehood".

I recommend following the link and reading the whole piece, though it’s not cheerful at all. 

AI may, or may not, be helping edge us closer to Armageddon. So, with that in mind dear reader, I am making a pledge. This website will not utilise AI for any content generation. The nonsense you read here is all my own making, it will reveal the shortcomings in my education and awareness. If there are mistakes, I own them.

In this space AI will henceforth be an abbreviation for ‘Adrian’s Insights’. Possibly quite a lot less useful to you than DeepSeek!

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Up until recently there were a few things, like the Northern Lights, that I had never seen in my life.  A live badger was another example.

Having seen dead badgers at the roadside hundreds of times, I finally saw a live one late one night in East Sussex. And last night, I finally saw the Northern Lights. Both things curiously life affirming.

To be fair, seeing the lights in the UK, in anywhere not classed as ‘the North’, is unusual. 2024 has been a particularly active year for the sun and its solar flares. In May the country was treated to a light show … and I only found out about it the next day. Damn, that was annoying!

You have to be in the right place at the right time to see the Aurora Borealis, and that isn’t easy. I know people that have been on holiday in the artic circle and not seen the lights.

Since May, I have been on a mission to enjoy the phenomenon. I have downloaded apps and started following online those in the know about these things. I have been out many times to try and observe the light show and have failed because it didn’t travel far enough south. I even spent time learning all about the camera settings on my iPhone so that when I finally got lucky, I could capture the moment.

This month has seen a lot of solar activity, but rubbish weather made it difficult to observe, that didn’t stop me trying anyway.
 
Last night though I was forewarned, and I was ready. As darkness fell, I was outside and was delighted to finally see the solar show.

I have shared a few of last night’s photos for you to enjoy. The Aurora was visible to the naked eye, but the camera (in night mode, no flash and a three second exposure) really captures it well. To the naked eye, I could see the red in the sky but it was nowhere near as defined and vivid as in the photos.
​
I thought that seeing it would scratch an itch, or be a tick in the ‘done that’ box, but I think now that I will continue making the effort to see the lights as often as I can. I am much less bothered about live badgers.

I went to see Frank Carter and The Sex Pistols at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on 26th September and had an absolute blast. Here's a gig review of sorts.

August and September saw the band perform three fundraiser shows at Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush; they were so successful that five extra UK dates were announced. I failed to get tickets for the fundraisers and then didn’t even know about the extra dates until the last minute.

I became aware of the Kentish Town date on the 24th September, just two days before it happened. That event was sold out in less than five minutes apparently, so I didn’t hold out much hope that I’d get to go.

But luck was on my side that day, I was able to buy a fan-to-fan resale ticket on Ticketmaster, it cost me more than it would have done if I could have got one earlier, but not a lot more, and I didn’t care … I was going. And I haven’t felt that excited about a gig since I was a teenager. 

Getting to the gig on the day though required a series of obstacles to be overcome, and at times I felt that things were conspiring against me getting there at all.

This post is therefore in two parts, the nightmare journey and then the joyous outcome from some persevering.

The not good stuff

Plan A
The challenges started around lunchtime when Trainline advised of delays and cancellations on the line into Euston. It turned out that there had been a fatality around Watford Junction and that various tracks were closed at the scene. The knock-on effects to the travelling public were significant.

Plan B
Given that I was uncertain that my train ticket would now get me to and from London in a timely fashion, I made a decision to drive into the capital instead. I made my way to Burnt Oak, parked up in the tube station car park and wandered up to the station to find it closed. A station operative advised all of us gathered outside that a tree was down over the line and no trains were running.

Plan C
So plan A and plan B had failed and I had to come up with a plan C on the fly.

This time the thinking was I needed a Northern Line tube station with a car park, that wasn’t in the congestion charging zone. I settled on High Barnet and plugged the postcode in the satnav. Only seven miles distance … but a 28 minute journey!

Once I made it to HB, it transpired that the only way to pay for the parking was via an app. So that meant downloading the app, registering the car and then adding the payment card.

That must have wasted another 5-10 minutes – and by then I could feel the anger, aggression and anti-establishmentarianism starting to boil up. Arguably perfect for a punk gig.

The car park at Burnt Oak was free, no such luck at High Barnet, that car park is expensive.

But I got on the tube and made it to Tufnell Park. Why there you might ask, well Kentish Town tube station is closed until the end of the year.

Once out of the Tube Station a walk down Fortress Road was required … and of course it was tipping down with rain.

But despite the stress and the setbacks, I made it to the gig on time.

The good stuff
But even having made it on time and watched the support band - yes, you guessed it - there was another problem. I think the Pistols were due on at 9pm, but come the hour, an announcement was made over the tannoy that there had been a medical emergency.

I didn’t hear it properly and, given my evening to that point, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that one of the band had taken a turn and the gig was about to get cancelled.

Original band members Paul Cook (68), Glen Matlock (68) and Steve Jones (69) were joined by stand-in front man Frank Carter (40). The majority of the band and the audience, me included, were of an age where medical emergencies are a lot more likely than they used to be.

It turned out though that an audience member had been taken ill and rushed to hospital, so the gig would carry on just later than planned.

At 9:30 I was right at the front when the band came on and launched into its set. The place erupted and from then on it was bedlam – moshing, crowd surfing, surges forward, drinks thrown around and the crowd singing along to every single song.
​
Frank Carter was the consummate front man; he had the audience eating from the palm of his hand, hanging on his every word and laughing at his gags. And he repaid the loyalty from his admirers by launching himself into the audience and singing whilst moshing or crowd surfing. He’s not a big guy and he even joked that he might be 5ft 7 in terms of height, but 7ft 5 in terms of energy.

He had the punk sneer mastered, the jumps and leaps sorted, he even threw in a little bit of mincing to thoroughly entertain the crowd.
  
Frankly (pun intended), Carter was brilliant, funny, and his boundless energy and enthusiasm was captivating.  His challenge to step into the shoes of the legendary John Lydon was huge, but he absolutely nailed it. He brought the whole place alive in a way that the rest of the band couldn’t have done without him. By comparison, the other chaps weren’t particularly animated at all.

In fact, given Lydon’s age, I don’t think that he could have achieved the impact that Carter had on the O2 Forum.  I know that Pistols die-hards will baulk at that, but there you are.
 
The band played everything from the legendary Never Mind The Bollocks (NMTB) album as well as a few other tunes, one of which was ‘My Way’.  Getting to hear those songs live and loud was life affirming and damn nearly spiritual for this ageing rocker. The full set list is shared here:

1. Holidays In The Sun
2. Seventeen
3. New York
4. Pretty Vacant
5. Bodies
6. Silly Thing
7. Liar
8. God Save The Queen
9. Submission
10. Satellite
11. No Feelings
12. No Fun
13. Problems
14. EMI
15. My Way
16. Anarchy For The UK

I was down the front near the barriers in the middle of the stage and from the first chord was in the thick of the pushing and shoving. By the end of the gig, I was soaked in sweat and a little bruised. As well as having a good view, there was another upside, when Steve Jones threw his guitar picks into the audience, I managed to catch two – result! The scramble for those was as energetic as any of the moshing.

To borrow a sentiment from My Way, 'regrets, I have a few' … but the only one I’ll mention is that I didn’t buy myself a tour shirt from an outside ‘non official’ vendor. There was this yellow NMTB shirt printed front and back (better than any of the official stuff), but the purveyor didn’t have my size left. He said ‘the shop is just down there’, pointing south down Fortress Road. I was rushing though and really didn’t have time to go back. I wish I had made more of an effort now.

I did try over the next day or two to track a shirt down by phone. But trying to find a source proved fruitless, not that I am exactly surprised by that given the Del Boy nature of the illicit tee shirt trade. That said, if any of you know anyone, who knows of someone who may be able to help me, please get in touch.    
   
To wrap, I know that I have already used many superlatives, but even days later, I am still buzzing about how good this gig was. The challenges getting there now comedic in terms of their impact rather than stressful.

So good was the show that I have watched it twice more since getting home. If you take a trip to YouTube and look up Simon Sanders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xob6rTbjTw&t=147s​ you can see the whole gig for yourself.

Do it, do it now!
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I have been struggling to buy Marmite peanut butter for weeks now. As it was my go-to jar for spreading on my toast in the morning, I was beginning to get rather concerned. 

So, being proactive, I got in touch with Unilever customer services to ask if there were any issues.

It turns out that the product has been discontinued or ‘delisted’ in Unilever speak. 

I was gutted to be told this news. I thought Marmite peanut butter was the best thing since sliced bread … and Marmite itself.

There is a possibility that old stock may be lurking in retailers around the country, but that is in effect that. So dear readers, friends, family a plea from me. If you find some, buy it for me. I will be very grateful.

I appreciate that the demise of my favourite spread is a first world kind of woe, and in the scale of bad news, it’s so pitiful as to be unnewsworthy. But FFS, another one of life’s simple pleasures has gone.
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