Therion Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 28th January 2016

Must admit that I mainly bought the ticket for Therion to see Russian band Imperial Age and (Therion spin-off project) Luciferian Light Orchestra.  Have listened to Therion here and there over the years, but have never really focused on them.  However, I absolutely loved them at Warsaw Klub Progresja the other night:

Just about every song in the set was excellent even for a curiosity-seeker like me, as I recognised some tunes and others not:

My favourite tunes were always going to be the famous ones that I recognised such as 'Lemuria' (sublime); 'The Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah' and 'To Mega Therion' which were all done towards the end of an incredibly fast-moving, two-hour set.

And the lady with the incredible operatic-voice, Chiara Malvestiti, she was absolutely fantastic:

Wonderful theatre below between vocalist, Thomas Vikstrom, and Mari Karhunen who came on stage for a tune:

Pretty pleased at how the mobile handled the shot of the band from a distance below:
 

Thus, overall, I was incredibly happy that I'd seen Therion, and would definitely go and see them again.  Have been listening to them non-stop since the gig last Thursday.

Luciferian Light Orchestra Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 28th January 2016

As expected, I found Luciferian Light Orchestra a wonderful, 1970s-type, melodic experience.

My favourite tunes from the set had to be 'Church of Carmel' (incredibly catchy) and 'Taste the Blood of the Altar Wine'.

Singer Mari Karhunen tends to take things nicely in her stride, and like Anneke van Giersbergen, I find her an incredibly feminine woman:

Of course, we could all guess who the guys in the masks were:
 

And there was some great stage theatre during the short 30-40 minute set:

With Mari always being the central presence on stage:

Love the hat that the bassist wears:

Ego Fall Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 28th January 2016

Despite not being exactly my kind of music, must say that I enjoyed the full-on energy and sense of fun of Inner Mongolian band, Ego Fall.
 

Just found the anthropological-type aspect of seeing a Rock band from somewhere like Inner Mongolia absolutely fascinating with all the band members except the vocalist wearing what appeared to be traditional Monglian costumes:

But the most intriguing part of the Ego Fall set for me had to be the start when the bassist, Chaoluomeng, was sat down playing a morin khuur, a traditional Monglian instrument, a kind of small, 2-stringed cello/big 2-stringed fiddle (just read up on this on the Internet):

And there was a genuine party-type atmosphere throughout the Ego Fall set, with the vocalist, Chao Yu, inviting the Warsaw audience to visit Inner Mongolia:

Imperial Age Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 28th January 2016

Was a bit touch and go but fortunately I managed to get up in time to catch Russian band Imperial Age opening the show (before Ego Fall; Luciferian Light Orchestra; and Therion) at 6.30pm at the Klub Progresja in Warsaw last night.
 

Loved every minute of the band's short set, as they came on with the 15-minute 'Turn the Sun Off', a real beautiful piece of Prog.

They also did 'Aryavarta' and 'Anthem of Valour', two other beautiful tunes, in the short 30-35 minute set.

Below, the band are having their picture taken with the crowd at the end of the set:

Would really like to see Imperial Age do a full set one day.

Some really interesting bands coming out of Russia these days, a few months ago I saw Iamthemorning who I also really enjoyed.

Two Cathedrals in Iran

Some pictures that went round Facebook recently showing two cathedrals in Iran, starting with the Armenian Orthodox Vank Cathedral in the city of Isfahan above.  Just read that this cathedral dates back to 1664, and that Isfahan contains a few churches that go back to the 17th century.

The two shots below are from inside Vank Cathedral which is incredibly beautiful:

 Below, there is a shot of St. Sarkis' Armenian Cathedral in Tehran which I've just read was built between 1964 and 1970:

And what a shot below from inside St. Sarkis' Cathedral, find this image of the Madonna and Christ-child stunningly beautiful:

 Must read some more about the Christian cathedrals and churches in Iran.  Have always been aware that there are some Christian cathedrals/churches in Iran probably mainly due to the Armenians that live there, but this is the first time that I've seen any shots of them.

Canterbury (Kent): Ross and Alfie

Another shot from yesteryear here (about 14 years ago), this time of local Canterbury artist, Ross Barnes (left) and his friend Alfie who had come down from Bury (Lancashire) to watch the 'World Music Festival' in the Dane John Gardens in Canterbury.

Another Great Song

Another great song (from yesteryear) here, 'Don't Believe Anymore', my favourite tune by Icehouse.  Remember everybody comparing Iva/Ivor Davies' voice to the great David Sylvian back in the early 1980s.

Warsaw (Poland): Christmas Decorations Surviving till Late January

One of the things I love about Poland is that the Christmas decorations survive into late January before being taken down.  For me, this shows that Christmas is a serious season for the Poles who thankfully don't feel that they have to pander to the 'needs' and 'sensitivities' of Muhammadans nor the dictates of a politically-'correct' elite.

Yeah, these Christmas decorations, which were up until last week in Warsaw city centre, were commercially driven, but they also seriously brightened the place up:

Below, there is a nice bright shot from Metro Politechnika in Warsaw, which, as can be seen, is a bright, lit-up place all year round:

The Beaver

Saw this wonderful beaver on a trip to a country park somewhere between Canterbury and Herne village in Kent about 10-15 years ago. 

Went there with a group of Italian students, and one of the park keepers had to entice the beavers out of their den with food:

The beaver above had raw carrot and turnip, followed by an apple for dessert.

Broadstairs (Kent): Walking on the Beach

Don't really like shots of myself, but this one is an exception, taken about 10 years ago on Broadstairs beach in Kent.  Remember this being a cracking day, went there with my wife Agnieszka and Ron, a great old Scottish guy who lived in Canterbury.

Warsaw (Poland): A Good Vegetarian Place

Don't get to this great vegetarian (kind of Hare Krishna/Eastern religious) place as often as I should.
Sometimes, I've eaten and drunk things at this place, and it's literally felt like my whole digestive system has been opening like a flower, the food is that healthy.

Warsaw (Poland) The Palace of Culture in Snowy Evening Mist

Here's a picture of the Palace of Culture being wrapped in snowy evening mist that I took last Friday evening in Warsaw city centre.  Find the Palace of Culture to be photogenic no matter what time of year it is.

A Great Song

Have only recently discovered French band, Lizzard, but what an incredible sound they've got.  Really like this tune, 'The Roots Within'.

Manowar Live at Warsaw Torwar 16th January 2016

Eventually got to see Manowar last night.  Despite not exactly being my kind of band these days, I felt that I had to see them, as I can remember listening to them while still at school many years ago (Manowar date back to 1980, I was at school 1977-1982).  Just feel a special affection for the bands that were around during my schooldays.

Missed the first couple of numbers due to big queues outside and people not being able to get inside the Torwar building quick enough (some poor organisation from the concert organisers and/or Torwar staff here, I'm afraid).  Still, thankfully, I managed to get inside just in time for 'Sons of Odin', which was the real highlight of the night, literally giving me goosebumps.

Not long after, it was the Joey bass solo slot, when many people decided to have a walk to the toilet or get a fresh beer, as they're prone to do during most bass or drum solos.  Still, this gave me an opportunity to get some decent shots of the big screen:

As I'd expected, the stage show was great, at times really spectacular:

 

Really appreciated the big screen behind the band, as it allowed the crowd to see the band members properly:

Vocalist, Eric Adams, seemed to be enjoying himself below, as we neared towards the end of the show:

And of course, we got theatrics and a speech about the metaphysical value of Heavy Metal from bassist, Joey:

 

 

A friend today asked me what I thought of the show, and I answered that the stage show was great, but the setlist could've been better.  Good to see the band doing 'Hail and Kill' and bowing out with 'Black Wind Fire and Steel', but, for me, the occasion would've been further graced if say 'Battle Hymns' and 'Defender' had been done ('Battle Hymns' is the kind of track that would bring the house down anywhere - remember listening to this at the UMIST Rock disco in Manchester every Saturday night in the early/mid-1980s).

Hence, glad to say that I finally got to see Manowar, but would've preferred a longer set with a few more barnstorming tunes.