Katatonia Live at Warsaw Klub Progresja 5th October 2016

This was my third gig in four days and it was quite packed, so it was always going to be a bit 'gruelling' especially after a long day at work.

Still, it was also going to be impossible to not warm to Katatonia, for me, one of the most interesting bands around today.

Of course, I was always going to enjoy 'Teargas'; 'Evidence'; 'My Twin' etc.

But the song that really stood out for me was 'Soil's Song', a tune that's not really a favourite of mine, but really shone out last night.

And the new stuff off the recent album, 'The Fall of Hearts', well, for me, it all has a dream-like quality which was nicely reproduced last night.

Think that the band, Jonas in particular, really appreciated the audience response to the gig:

Hardy's Wessex: Salisbury City Centre Shots

Here I am walking down from the train station towards Salisbury city centre taking in some views on the river.

Really liked the cafe square next to the church that I passed below:

And parts of Salisbury city centre were simply awesome:

It was a real pity I didn't have enough time to properly explore the place.

Managed to get a good Wetherspoon's meal not far from the landmark below:

Have just found out that this landmark is called Poultry Cross and dates back to 1450 with parts of the structure having been added in the mid-19th century.  At a guess, I'd say the name suggests that traditionally, poultry has always been sold or a market has always been held here. 

Moreover, it was such places as Poultry Cross that helped me to more colourfully imagine the Melchester (Salisbury) context where Jude Fawley's aspirations to train for the Anglican ministry were crushed in Thomas Hardy's 'Jude The Obscure'.

Hardy's Wessex: Salisbury Cathedral Shots

Here's the spot where I entered the Salisbury Cathedral grounds:

Felt obliged to visit Salisbury, especially the Cathedral, because it is Thomas Hardy's model for Melchester in 'Jude the Obscure'.

It's also the seat of the ancient Catholic Sarum rite of Mass which was celebrated in many southern parts of England before the Reformation.

Just read that the Sarum rite of Mass was established by St. Osmund, the Bishop of Salisbury, and Richard Poore in the 11th century:

Had a nice chat with the sashed guides inside the Cathedral.

Like some other Cathedrals I've visited (Canterbury; Rochester; Barcelona etc.), I really enjoyed walking round the courtyard:

Just find Cathedral courtyards great places for reflecting on things:

And here in Salisbury Cathedral courtyard, I found myself recalling how Jude Fawley's aspirations towards the Anglican ministry had been dashed in Melchester (Salisbury).

As I expected, I found the inside of Salisbury Cathedral stunning, although it seemed a bit bare compared with Canterbury Cathedral (I lived in Canterbury, Kent, for four years):

Still, there were some impressive-looking stained glass windows near where one of the original copies of the Magna Carta stands under a canopy:

One of the sashed guides pointed out that the general lack of stained glass windows in Salisbury Cathedral is one of the most noticeable differences from Canterbury Cathedral:

And yet the lack of stained glass windows gave the Salisbury Cathedral a profound, light, airy feel.

And there were some interesting, colourful things to see inside the Cathedral:

Through having read J.B. Bullen's 'Thomas Hardy: The World of His Novels' recently, I've been reminded of a short but significant scene from 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles':  Tess and Angel passing Salisbury Cathedral quickly in the darkness with this symbolising the extinction of their Christian faith.

Wintersleep Live at Warsaw Hydrozagadka 3rd October 2016

Here's a few shots from the Wintersleep soundcheck and gig at Warsaw Hydrozogadka last night.  Was really heavily pouring down last night, but I'm really happy that I got to the gig.

Got back from Ireland a couple of weeks ago, checked out the upcoming gigs in Warsaw, had never heard of Canadian band, Wintersleep, but checked them out and really liked their most recent album, 'The Great Detachment'.

Really like 'Sante Fe' and 'Amerika' which the band did last night:

But it was the longer, reaching a crescendo-type tunes, which I'm less familiar with, that were the highlight of the set.

Yeah, definitely got cheered up by a good gig on a miserable, rainy night. 

Ben Caplan Live at Warsaw Proxima 2nd October 2016

Some of my shots from the fantastic Ben Caplan gig at Warsaw Proxima last night.

Got to admire the guy for being a multi-instrumentalist:

But despite all the wonderful musicianship from all the members of the band on stage, it was the beautiful interplay of male-female vocals that stood out most for me:

Was always going to enjoy 'Southbound'; '40 Days and 40 Nights'; 'Down to the River' etc.

But it was the songs that I was less familiar with that I liked most.

And of course, the passion that Ben Caplan and his bandmates displayed was amazing.

Kerry: Cloghane Youth Hostel Views

Here we are camping at the back of the Cloghane Youth Hostel:

Here, we were treated fantastically and got a wonderful breakfast in the morning.

And the views at the back of the Youth Hostel garden were also great:

Bury (Lancashire): Brandlesholme To Greenmount Walk

Above, we're crossing the river Irwell while walking the old train line route from Brandlesholme to Greenmount in Bury.

Despite having lived in Bury up to the age of 30 (before leaving Bury 20 years ago), I had never visited Greenmount so when I went back to Bury recently, I decided to take a look at the place.

I immediately recognised the school above and church below from pictures I'd seen on 'Old Bury' websites:

After a bit of walking around, we found Hollymount school tucked away from the rest of Greenmount, a bit like like some kind of Brideshead:

Had wanted to see this place because when I'd been at St. Gabriel's many years ago, some of my classmates had bragged about attending the place.  Must say that it did look impressive.

Below, me and my old friend Phil managed to get a quick drink in at the Hare & Hounds at Holcombe Brook: