Some More Rich Robinson Band Shots from Warsaw Klub Progresja (22-6-14)

Still can't get over how good the Rich Robinson Band concert at the Klub Progresja was recently, so here's a few more decent shots from the gig:

Rich's recently released (third) solo album, 'The Ceaseless Sight' is an absolute cracker, one of the best albums I've heard in a long, long time.  So here's a few of my favourite tunes from the album ('I Know You'; 'Trial and Faith'; and 'In Comes the Night'):

Think this trio of tunes gives a nice taste of just how beautifully varied this album is.  From a few reviews I've read, I've seen phrases like 'country psychaedelia tinged with blues and jazz' which may be quite apt.

Deciding To See Martin Barre at Warsaw Klub Progresja on 16th October 2014

Saw Jethro Tull four times in the 1980s:  on the 'Broadsword and the Beast' tour at Birmingham NEC in 1982; at Milton Keynes (with Marillion, Gary Moore, Magnum, and Mamas Boys) in 1986; then on the 'Crest of a Knave' tour at Manchester Apollo; and another time at Manchester Apollo.  Absolutely loved the first three times I saw Tull, but was a touch disappointed the last time as the early bluesy stuff seemed to outweigh (my favourite) folky stuff.

However, a few weeks ago, I saw that Tull guitarist Martin Barre and his band will be playing Warsaw Klub Progresja in October, so I thought that I'd check him out on Youtube, saw that he did cracking versions of 'Minstrel in the Gallery' and 'Thick As a Brick' (as well as other interesting things such as Gov't Mule's 'Thorazine Shuffle'), then it was second nature to get a ticket to see him:

Full credit to the vocalist here as well, as he sounds somewhat like Ian Anderson while having a good voice in his own right. 

As for my favourite Tull albums, they are 'Songs from the Wood'; 'Heavy Horses'; and 'Stormwatch' (the folky stuff), but my favourite tune would have to be 'Mountain Men', as the start, lyrically and musically, just sends shivers down my spine:

Warsaw: A Couple of Nice Fountains

Here in Warsaw, the weather is still up and down and still more like spring than summer, but at least the fountains have been turned on around the city in recognition of what should be summer by now:

The one above is inside the park at Plac Wilsona (which leads on down to the Citadel), while the one below stands outside the (alternative-type) cinema near the Ratusz Arsenał metro stop:

At last, I've managed to get a decent mobile shot of this particular fountain, because I've been trying to do this for quite some time.

Liverpool: Our Lady and St. Nicholas' Church

Here is another interesting place I saw in Liverpool, down near the riverside, Our Lady and St. Nicholas' Catholic church:

Outside the church, there was the blue plaque (below) explaining the church's history:

Once inside, it was clear to see (like the plaque said) that the body of the church had been (re-)built post-2nd World War: 

Just about everything seemed to be made out of finely sanded wood inside the church, including the wonderful organ (below) stood facing the altar from the back of the church:

The church was open to the general public, which is becoming a rarity in Britain these days, but what was noticeable was that it had to be guarded by a host of blue-uniformed security men.

Liverpool: St. John's Gardens

At the back end of April, I had to go to Liverpool to have my new passport processed which cost me an arm and a leg.  However, what a pleasant surprise Liverpool was:  a beautiful city centre full of genuinely friendly people.

In particular, I really liked St. John's Gardens (below) in Liverpool city centre:

My favourite statue there?  Well, it had to be the one of the army drummer boy (below), it just reminded me of Thomas Hardy's 'Drummer Hodge' poem about the Boer War. 

Generally prefer Hardy for his fiction rather than his poetry.  Went through a big phase of reading Hardy between my late teens and early 20s, my favourite novels being the great tragedies:  'Tess of the Durbervilles'; 'The Mayor of Casterbridge'; 'Jude The Obscure'; and 'The Return of the Native' (the first Hardy novel I ever read).  Hope to go on a pilgrimage to Hardy country ('Wessex'/Dorset) one day.

Of course, other statues (including the one below) also caught my eye  in St. John's Gardens:

Just that none of these brought back memories like the statue of the army drummer boy. 

Bury/Heywood, Lancashire: Where Transparent Social Club Once Stood

Pictured above is the old steward's house, possibly the last remnant of Transparent Club which has now been knocked down for a good few years.  When I was over in Bury, I had to do 'the nostalgia thing' down near where 'Tranny Club' once stood (and the upmarket housing estate below now stands):

If I remember correctly, 'Tranny Club' was the social club attachment to Transparent Paper Mill (near Heap Bridge on the border between Bury and Heywood).  In its heydey, the Club was great having a football pitch where you could look down from the balcony of the Club watching the matches; a cricket pitch for as soon as the football season ended; and a bowling green and tennis court for good measure.

How do I remember these things?  Well, my father used to take me to 'Tranny Club' every Saturday afternoon when he played football down there.  Also have some great TV memories from 'Tranny Club' e.g. as a small child seeing Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) for the first time as he beat Don Quarry, and seeing the great Bjorn Borg beat Roger Taylor in the quarter-final of Wimbledon.  Yes, for some reason, these things still remain colourfully in my head (seeing two true sporting greats for the first time).

More than one year on from this blog, I'm now able to update it through somebody having recently put a lot of great pictures of both 'Tranny Club' and Transparent Paper Mill on an 'Old Bury' Facebook site.  Below, there is a great shot of 'Tranny Club' from a distance:

While below, there are a couple of shots from a football match, probably from the 1970s by the looks of things, at 'Tranny Club':

And finally, I recognise a few of the faces below:

Great old shots from the cricket ground below, think they're from the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebration in 1977:

Rich Robinson Band Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 22nd June 2014

A few nice shots from the Rich Robinson Band gig up at the Klub Progresja in Warsaw last night.

Definitely a candidate for my gig of the year.  Never was a big fan of the Black Crowes, but Rich Robinson's solo stuff, well, that's another matter, I really like the stuff.  My favourite tunes of the night?  Had to be 'Gone Away' (my favourite Rich Robinson tune) and 'Trial and Faith', the last encore, a real barnstormer, so to say.

Great guitarist surrounded by great fellow musicians, a recipe for great music in anybody's book.

 Let's just hope that Mr. Robinson and his band pass this way again.

Warsaw: The Lutheran Cemetery

A few weeks ago, I passed the Lutheran cemetery in lower Wola in Warsaw on a tram, and it looked incredibly interesting, so I thought:  "I must get round to visiting that place!".  Thankfully, yesterday, I managed to do this and was far from disappointed:

Upon entering the place,  I was immediately greeted with many interesting things such as the 'Queen Victoria-type' statue below:

And of course, the old skull and cross bones (below):  saw this kind of thing recently in a Catholic Church in the Old Town in Warsaw, and recall seeing some skull and cross bones on the marbled floors of the churches in Florence last year:

Love the way that many of the statues have turned green, often blending in perfectly with their gladed canopies, like the one below:

One of my favourite statues in the place has to be the one of the angel below, I just love the degree of detail on the wings in particular:

And my favourite gravestone would have to be the one below, as it just reminds of Philip Larkin's 'An Arundel Tomb' from 'The Whitsun Weddings' (my favourite anthology of poetry):

And the gravestone below caught my eye as it seemed to capture (as far as it is possible, of course) something of the grief of losing a loved one:

The statue below is devoted to a Lutheran clergyman:

And finally, engraved on a family grave, there was this interesting portrait of Christ with almost animated eyes:

Overall, I saw many interesting things in this Lutheran cemetery, far too many to put on a short blog like this, so all what I've tried to do here is neatly summarise what caught my eye most of all there.

The Warsaw Citadel (Near the River)

The citadel (above and below) is a very pleasant walk between lower Zoliborz (Place Wilsona to Plac Inwalidow) and the river in Warsaw.  Down here, there's also a nice set of exercise frames which my good friend Pierce has introduced to me recently.  Just what a middle-aged guy needs to try to keep in shape, to be honest.

Metro Gdanski, Warsaw: A Mother Duck and Her Ducklings

Saw this amazing sight of a mother duck being followed by her nine ducklings near, of all places, metro Gdanski in Warsaw yesterday.  I guess that she was trying to march her little troop down to the river as I saw them carefully cross a quiet road in that direction.  Just hope that all/most of them got to their final destination, but I'm not that confident, to be honest.

Warsaw Corpus Christi 2014: The Makeshift Altars Outside

Yesterday was the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, and it was interesting to see several makeshift altars outside, designed for the processions that will have been taking place all round Warsaw.  The makeshift altar above was just round the corner from St. Klement's church (below) where I went for the Old Latin (Tridentine) Mass at 14.00 yesterday.

Canterbury, Kent: My Old Mate Ross

Thanks a lot my old mate, Ross Barnes (below), for reminding me of just how beautiful Canterbury is with his excellent picture of a gondola going through Westgate Gardens (above).  I lived in Canterbury between 1999 and 2003, and went back there for the EFL summer seasons between 2003 and 2007.  Absolutely love Canterbury and it was great to be reminded of the place.

As you can see, my old mate (Ross) above is quite a character, coming from Cornwall;  moving to Deal in Kent; then settling in Canterbury.  Went to a few concerts while living in Canterbury with Ross:  Blue Oyster Cult at London Astoria, and Robert Plant and Arthur Lee at the Canterbury Fayre at Mount Ephraim Gardens (on the way to Faversham from Canterbury).

Ross is also an excellent artist as can be seen in his piece of work below, called 'Hearts and Souls':

Yeah, Ross has done hundreds of pieces of interesting work like the one above, and I think he's got a real genuine talent.

Another Good Polish Beer

When I see a new beer arrive on the Arcadia supermarket shelves in Warsaw, I'm only too happy to try it.  In this case, Zamkowe (above) is a refreshing, light-tasting (albeit slightly tangy) beer despite being 5.7%.  Thus, this beer joins all my other favourite Polish brews:  Perła; Lomża; Leżajsk; Zwierzyniec etc.

Warsaw, Poland: The Water Taps (Wells)

Scattered all round the city of Warsaw are the water taps (wells) where people can take their small plastic bottles and containers to get fresh water.  The place in the picture above and below is at lower Wola, just round the corner from the St. Klemensa Hofbauera (Redemptorist) church:

Where I live in lower Zoliborz, there are two wells:  one near Plac Wilsona and one halfway between Plac Inwalidow and Gdanski.  Generally, the water from these wells is incredibly fresh tasting, but every now and again it seems to be less so.