Garbage / Izzy and the Black Trees (Warsaw Progresja Outside Stage 30th May 2026)

 My highlight from last weekend, Garbage at Warsaw Progresja Outside Stage:

First came across Garbage in my attic flat in Bury (Lancashire), listening to evening radio in the mid/late 1990s ('Stupid Girl' was the first song I heard, I think, the memory kind of fades).

Hence, having never seen the band before, I didn't think twice about seeing them when they passed through Warsaw recently:

And I wasn't disappointed, songs like 'I Think I'm Paranoid'; 'Vow'; 'Special'; and 'Only Happy When I Rains' etc. are highly melodic, and it was an honour to catch the band live (singer Shirley Manson has a great voice, of course).

Was also really happy to see that Izzy and the Black Trees were opening the show:

Having lived in Warsaw/Poland for many years, I should've already caught this great band but eventually I did so:

Really liked 'This Land Is Ours', 'Two Sides', and, of course, 'I Can't Breathe' (with recent events in my native England, I couldn't help but think of Henry Nowak, RIP, of course).

Yeah, I really enjoyed both bands.

Spring in Full Swing

 As the pictures do show:

Spring is now in full swing:

With daytime temperatures between 24-28 Celsius in Warsaw, just how I like it.

Warsaw: Passing the Land Registry Office

 Have passed this way many times before:

Without taking much notice of the Land Registry Office:

The other Sunday, having a bit of time to spare, I ended up properly noticing the building:

Giving it the time and attention that it deserves:

When in a rush, you can miss the fine details.

The Land Registry Office lies on the short walk from the Capuchin church/centre (near the Old Town) which is famous for feeding/trying to help homeless people:

Up to Ratusz Arsenał metro station.

Christopher Cross - Warszawa Progresja (26-04-2026)

 My highlight from last weekend, Christopher Cross at Warsaw Progresja, loved every minute of it.

Not just Sailing; Arthur's Theme; and Ride Like the Wind, but also Dreamers; Light the World; Minstrel Gigolo etc.

Now 60, I find myself going to see performers I've never seen before, out of curiosity, to see something I've never encountered before.

And Christopher Cross and his band/female choir were fantastic.

It's great to see varied music.

Karnivool / Intervals - Warsaw Progresja (20-04-2026)

Another musical highlight from the week, seeing Aussie Prog (Metal) band, Karnivool, at the Progresja on Monday evening.

Find Karnivool incredibly melodic and still have tunes like Simple Boy and New Day playing in my head after Monday evening.

As usual, I was stood near the back of the hall where it wasn't always easy to see the band on stage:

But still, I thoroughly enjoyed the set.

Think that Karnivool have an incredible rhythm section.

Also really enjoyed Canadian band, Intervals:

Their kind of five-minute instrumental pieces work well, with Leave No Stone being my favourite tune of the set.

So lucky to still be going to gigs when I'm now 60, I started going to concerts in Manchester in January 1980 when still a 14-year-old schoolboy.

And great gigs like Karnivool/Intervals still give me a thrill. 

Kim Gordon - Warsaw Progresja (21-04-2026)

Found myself kind of tranced out at this gig, it was an amazing audio-visual experience.

Right from the word go, the Play Me album worked well live.

Favourite songs on the night from this album were the opening PLAY ME (a beautiful kind of retro tune) and, of course, the closing BYE BYE, with the wonderful outro.

When I first heard the Play Me album, I didn't really know what to make of it, but seeing it done live was incredible.

But the highlight of the night for me has to be the amazing Cigarette, this tune has a sublime build up and crescendo, it's mesmerising.

Mainly went to see Kim Gordon out of curiosity and nostalgia (can remember listening to the Sonic Youth John Peel sessions back in the day, mainly the mid to late 1980s), and was extremely happy with the experience.

Some Vegetarian Meals

 I only meat (beef) once or twice a week so most of my meals are vegetarian.

Starting off with my wife's fried egg; cabbage pierogi, potatoes, and salad:

Second, lentil and cabbage pierogi customised with raw onion and tomato sauce on top:

Third, very basic but good for if you have a bad stomach: buckwheat mixed with onions and topped with cottage cheese:

Fourth, buckwheat with cooked vegetables, a cold salad, and topped with poached egg (steamed on top of the vegetables):

Fifth, when the poached egg disappears, topping the same meal with cottage cheese:

Sixth, my wife's wonderful lentil soup:

And finally, my own tandoori curry: jar of tandoori curry; cabbage; carrots; potatoes; sweet potato; and chick peas (served with buckwheat and rice mixed together):

None of the above meals are particularly expensive expensive (although pierogi is no longer cheap) and most keep the digestive system ticking over nicely.