Happy Drinking Holba Again

 Really happy to be drinking Holba again, both the 4.7% version above, plus the 4.2% one below:

Have just read that the Holba brewery is based in the town of Hanušovice in the Olomouc district of the Czech Republic and dates back to 1874. 

Of Monsters and Men - Warsaw Stodoła (18-06-26)

 The highlight of this week: seeing Of Monsters and Men at the Stodoła in Warsaw.

Had wanted to see Of Monsters and Men for quite some time and finally, I got round to doing so.

Despite being packed in like a sardine for a sold out show, I soon found myself tapping along to King and Lionheart (a truly beautiful song), the heavier 'Alligator', and, of course, Crystals.

But, the highlight was always going to be the show-ending Fruit Bat which has a great Prog-type feel to it.

Was also happy to catch RAKEL doing her set beforehand:

I'm now 60 years old and enjoy bands that I'm curious about who I've never seen before (I've been going to gigs since January 1980).

After the sardine can kind of crowd dynamic, I was very grateful for a cold beer:

But the Stodoła allowed very little time to finish the beer (the bigger concert places in Warsaw are going downhill with this kind of thing, while smaller places tend to be more human).

Cabaret Voltaire - Warsaw Palladium (10-06-2026)

Went to see Cabaret Voltaire out of curiosity and so glad I did, I had a wonderful evening.

I'm old enough to remember the band back in the 80s and even the 70s but only in passing.

 But still, I recognised more tunes than I expected.

And what a top tune The Set Up is, plus Animation; Seconds Too Late; Spies in the Wires etc.

 With the band bowing out with Nag, Nag, Nag and Sensoria.

The gig was part of something called The Ephemera Festival:

So glad I caught Cabaret Voltaire, I was transfixed from start to finish.

It's great getting to see bands that I should've paid more attention to when I was younger.

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.