Warsaw: Being Neo-Vegetarian

Couple of shots of my vegetarian main meal from yesterday which included lettuce; cucumber; green pepper; mixed salad; beetroot; red cabbage; and boiled carrots; potatoes; aubergine; and courgette; and steamed tofu - topped with cottage cheese and leek:

I'm not a 100% vegetarian.  Today, I felt my stomach screaming out for meat so I had a lamb kebab, but for two weeks before this, no meat had passed my lips.  Just find that being a neo-vegetarian makes life a lot easier for my digestion system.  Think that semi-vegetarianism and neo-vegetarianism offer healthy alternatives to strict vegetarianism; veganism; and exaggerated meat-eating diets.

Operation Mindcrime (Geoff Tate) Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 25th November 2015

First saw Queensryche in the mid-90s at Manchester Apollo back in the Chris Degarmo glory days, and saw them again at Warsaw Stodoła in 2008 when they were still a very good band.  Thus, despite Geoff Tate's Operation Mindcrime getting some negative press, I thought that I still had to check them out at Warsaw Klub Progresja last night.

To a small but genuinely appreciative audience, the band came on with 'Revolution Calling' and went through the whole of the classic 'Operation Mindcrime' album.  'I Don't Believe in Love' and 'Eyes of a Strange' are my two other favourite tunes from this great album.

It seems fair to say that Geoff Tate's voice can no longer reach a very high pitch, but this didn't matter too much, as it was just good to listen to 'Operation Mindcrime' in its entirety live:

Tate was joined on stage to do 'Suite Sister Mary' by the young Irish lady from 'Fire & Water' (the opening band from Cork in Ireland):

 My favourite tunes of the night were 'Burn' and 'Re-inventing the Future' from the recently released Operation Mindcrime album, 'The Key':

Just got the impression that the band looked a bit more naturally together doing their own numbers rather than the old Queensryche tunes:

And all the band members quite clearly buzzed off the small but appreciative audience:

And of course, as we headed towards the end of a two-hour set, we got more Queensryche classics like 'Silent Lucidity' and 'Jet City Woman'

Final few thoughts on this gig:  it may not have reached the heights of the two occasions I saw Queensryche back in the day, but it was still worth turning out for.  I also find Operation Mindcrime a good band in their own right, and think they should do more of their own stuff (especially from 'The Key') live.

Starting Reading George Eliot's 'Silas Marner'

Currently reading George Eliot's 'Silas Marner' whenever I have a few minutes spare on the underground or tram in Warsaw, or to keep me away from getting addicted to the curse of Facebook.

I'm only about 70 pages into this 200-page or so novella, but so far, the gods seem to be completely against poor Silas: being banished from his home place for a theft he never did, and then years later, being robbed of his life savings.  However, having seen a wonderful BBC series of 'Silas Marner' many years ago, I know that things will start brightening up for poor Silas.

Glad that 'Silas Marner' is only a couple of hundred pages.  Only other George Eliot I've read was 'Adam Bede' (a big novel) many years ago studying Literature at university.

A Great Tune

As autumn turns into winter, Jonny Cash's wonderful cover of Neil Diamond's 'Solitary Man' gives me strength.

Warsaw: Klub Karuzela

Only been to the Klub Karuzela up in the Bemowa part of Warsaw once, to see Norwegian Prog band, Gazpacho, a few weeks ago. 

Really liked the bar area of this students' place, as it had both Perła and Zwierzyniec beer on tap, and the decor was quite nice:

Night Mistress at Warsaw Klub Progresja 17th November 2015

Couple of shots of Polish band, Night Mistress, opening for Uriah Heep at Warsaw Klub Progresja here:

A Polish guy I know called Michał always raves about Night Mistress, so I thought I'd check them out and was glad I did.  Quite liked the music and the sociology (special rapport) of a Polish crowd appreciating a Polish band is always interesting to see.

Uriah Heep Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 17th November 2015

Absolutely loved Uriah Heep up at Warsaw Klub Progresja last night, as they rolled back the years with classic after classic:  'Gypsy'; 'The Hanging Tree'; 'Rainbow Demon'; 'Sunrise'; 'The Magician's Birthday'; 'The Wizard'; 'Lady in Black'; 'July Morning' etc.

Vocalist Bernie Shaw was full of energy and kept the crowd engaged throughout the show.  Didn't realise that Bernie was Canadian.  Amazing story on the Internet about how he came over to London from Canada during the NWOBHM times and had spells as lead singer with Grand Prix (with Uriah Heep keyboard player, Phil Lanzon) and Praying Mantis (can remember him joining Praying Mantis in the early 1980s/also saw Grand Prix twice with Phil Lanzon but not Bernie Shaw in the early 80s).

And, of course, Uriah Heep mainstay, Mick Box, just makes guitar playing look effortless:

Wonderful shape of Davey Rimmer's bass guitar below:

Only other time I've seen Uriah Heep was back in the late 1980s at Manchester Apollo, but must say I preferred them last night, as the band were on fire so to say.

First Hearing '2112' by Rush

The classic (breakthrough) Rush album '2112' was released in 1976, and thanks to an old mate, Andy Hawkins, I got to first hear this great album in about 1978, as a 12-year-old in Bury, Lancashire.

Back then, I wasn't aware of the Ayn Rand influence on the album (for me now, this is another big plus), but was just blown away by encountering my first great Rock concept album.  After playing the song '2112' to death for a few months, I started really liking the tunes on the second side of the album ('Tears'; 'Something for Nothing'; 'A Passage To Bangkok' etc.).

Yeah, this was the album that got me hooked on Rush and Rock music in general.  From here, I went on to quickly pick up 'A Farewell To Kings' and 'Hemispheres', and I've seen Rush numerous times over the years starting with the 1980 'Permanent Waves' tour.  Really owe Andy Hawkins a massive thanks for introducing me to '2112' and Rush (we were collecting bonfire wood as schoolboys at the time).

Warsaw: Five Concerts in Five Days

For obvious reasons, I didn't feel like writing anything yesterday.  Today, I'm still feeling 'jet-lagged' after the five concerts in five days from last week (7th-11th November).

November 7th was a female vocalist, melodic affair with Amberian Dawn; The Gentle Storm; and Delain up at the Klub Progresja:

The day after, it was the mysticism of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, again at the Klub Progresja:

And then on the 11th, I was up at the Klub Progresja yet again for the nostalgia of Fish doing 'Misplaced Childhood':

And to see the intriguing French band, Lazuli (for obvious reasons, my thoughts are with the French people at the moment):

Then, on the 10th, I was up at the Proxima to see Chelsea Wolfe:

Massive well done to Chelsea Wolfe for going through with this gig, as she was battling against bronchitis.  Also enjoyed New Zealand opening act, A Dead Forest Index, that night:

And then, finally, on the 11th, it was Tex-Mex band, Calexico, at the Palladium:

Fantastic gig from one of the finest bands around, but if truth be told, by now, I was just too knackered to fully appreciate it.

Now, three days after this five-day concert stint, thankfully, the 'jet lag' is just starting to wear off.  Can't wait for the next gig, though.

Calexico Live at Warsaw Palladium 11th November 2015

Nice surprise to see 'Tex-Mex' outfit Calexico turning up to play Warsaw on Independence Day in Poland.

First up, Guatemalan female singer Gaby Moreno did a handful of pleasant tunes and was joined on stage by Calexico to do a few more, including an excellent version of Ry Cooder's 'Across the Borderline':

And the Calexico set itself was excellent, mixing up songs that I'm familiar with from years ago, such as 'Crystal Frontier', 'Sunken Waltz', 'Quattro', and Love's 'Alone Again Or' (was blessed to have seen Arthur Lee do this a few times); and tunes that I've more recently become acquainted with like 'Bullets and Rocks', 'Tapping on the Line'; 'Moon Never Rises', and 'Falling from the Sky' (all incredibly beautiful):

Before last night, I'd only seen Calexico once, at Manchester Academy on the 'Feast of Wire' tour in the early 2000s (I got to know the band through listening to them doing 'Sessions' for the late great John Peel when I was living in bedsit land in Bury, Lancashire and Canterbury, Kent).

Nice backdrop as the well-appreciated two-hour Calexico set was drawing to a close last night:

And finally, the band about to take a bow at the end:

A Dead Forest Index Live at Warsaw Proxima 10th November 2015

Couple of shots of A Dead Forest Index opening for Chelsea Wolfe at Warsaw Proxima last night:

Glad I caught the band as I found their sound both haunting and mellow (a contradiction of terms, I know, but it worked really well).

Until last night, I'd never heard of A Dead Forest Index, but have been quickly listening/reading up on them today.  Have read that they're made of two brothers, Adam and Sam Sherry (one on guitar/vocals, the other on drums/piano) from Auckland, New Zealand who are now based in London.

Also found out that the track I really enjoyed from last night is called 'No Paths', and that the band really like William Blake (great taste in literature/art).

Chelsea Wolfe Live at Warsaw Proxima 10th November 2015

For a change, I was up at Warsaw Proxima last night.  Chelsea Wolfe was wonderful, at times sublime, but much louder than I expected (I somehow got stuck next to the amps on the right-hand side of the stage).  As soon as she came on with 'Carrion Flowers', my ears were burning but fortunately I had some tissue in my pockets which worked well as ear plugs and I got a great sound next to the amps.

And three songs in, we got my favourite Chelsea Wolfe tune: 'We Hit a Wall' (truly beautiful).  Halfway through the set, as an almost 50-year-old man, I felt the need to retreat towards the back of the hall, have a nice cold, refreshing pint of beer, and watch things unfold from a distance:

Always try to do this at gigs: first go up near the front to get the full-on atmosphere, then retreat to the back to get a more 'detached' viewpoint, observing a gig from polar opposite perspectives, if you like.

Don't really like the Proxima as the place is a bit on the small side, but really enjoyed Chelsea Wolfe last night. Only discovered her music a few months ago and immediately liked it. 

Have read that she really likes DH Lawrence and Ayn Rand (two of my favourite writers - for me, DH Lawrence's 'The Rainbow' and Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead' are two of the finest books ever written). 

My Mother's Anniversary

Couple of pictures of my late mother as a child here.  She passed away on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month four years ago. 

My first living memory at two or three-years-old was of planting purple crocus bulbs with my mother in the back garden of the house we lived in at Broad Oak Terrace (behind Fairfield Hospital) in Bury, Lancashire:

For various reasons, my mother had a very difficult and painful life.  Hopefully, she's in a much better place now, and she's happy like she was as a child:

Fish Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 9th November 2015

Not that familiar with Fish's solo stuff so I didn't really know what to make of the first half or so of this gig.

Still, Fish is a great storyteller and I enjoyed listening to his tales, and it's clear he has a deep affection for Poland which he's been visiting since 1987.

Like most people, I guess, I was there last night for 'Misplaced Childhood', the 50 minutes or so of Marillion magic from 30 years ago now (how time literally flies):

As expected, the whole tone and atmosphere of the gig changed as Fish went through 'Pseudo-Silk Kimono'; 'Kayleigh'; 'Lavender'; 'Heart of Lothian' etc.

Played my 'Misplaced Childhood' vinyl out many years ago as an 18 or 19-year-old in the mid-80s.  Remember seeing Marillion around the time of the album at Castle Donington in 1985 and Milton Keynes in 1986 (a guy called Bram, who has lived in London for years, drove us down from Bury, Lancashire, in a furniture van).  Those were the days, I guess, and 'Misplaced Childhood' takes me back there.

Lazuli Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 9th November 2015

Really glad I managed to get up to the Klub Progresja in time to catch French band, Lazuli, opening for Fish last night.

Having checked out Lazuli's recent performance at the Loreley 'Night of the Prog' Festival on Youtube, I knew that they would be well worth catching, as they offer Prog in an interesting, idiosynratic French kind of way:

And at the end of the set, the house was brought down with the collective xylophone work:

And then the band took the plaudits from a warm and appreciative crowd:

Really liked the fact that each band member played with a big smile throughout the set (who said the French don't have a sense of humour?).