Coogans Bluff Live at Warsaw Prog Days 10th February 2018

It was the early hours of Sunday morning, I'd just seen Colin Bass and Friends; Amorok; Gallileus; and Here on Earth all play great sets, and Coogans Bluff seemed to be taking some time over their soundcheck, so I questioned whether I should stay or go.  Thankfully, I chose to stay.

What transpired was something magical in the early hours of Sunday morning (at Warsaw Progresja where the Warsaw Prog Days event is held each year).

When Coogans Bluff came on with the 12-minute 'Flying To The Stars', it was one of the most dramatic opening songs I'd ever seen in 38 years or so of going to gigs, it was mesmeric, truly riveting, and the band continued in the same vein for the remainder of their set. 

In 38-39 years of going to gigs, rarely have I seen an audience so captivated, so magically caught up in a band's performance.  Would love to see Coogans Bluff again.

Flunk Live at Warsaw Klub Poglos 9th December 2018

My third concert at Warsaw Klub Poglos in a short space of time and another good one.

Like with KYPCK the previous weekend, I discovered Flunk through checking them out after seeing that they would be playing at the Klub Poglos in Warsaw.

In the space of a few weeks, I familiarised myself with some of Flunk's music and happily ended up seeing them last night.

Really like 'Queen of the Underground'; 'Six Seven Times'; 'Personal Stereo' etc. so it was nice to hear such tunes live last night.

It's good to discover a band just in the nick of time to be able to see them live.

KYPCK Live at Warsaw Klub Pogłos 3rd February 2018

Thoroughly enjoyed Finnish band KYPCK at Warsaw Pogłos last night, great band and great beer.

Only discovered KYPCK just before Christmas when I checked them out after seeing they were playing the Klub Pogłos in Warsaw in early February.

Not only enjoyed the more famous tunes that I'd quickly become familiar with such as 'Ya Svoboden (I Am Free)'; 'Stalingrad'; and 'Demon', but also the songs that I wasn't familiar with.

Not often you come across a vocalist like Erkki Seppanen, singing in Russian as a fluent (non-Russian) Russian speaker: 

Think that the bassist Jaakko Yla-Rautio also gives the band some unique character with his one-string bass:

Also really liked the good, warm atmosphere that the band created during the set with regular handshakes with the audience and great stories in English from Erkki Seppanen in between songs.

Also, the Klub Pogłos is a lot more comfortable for a gig when there's a decent turn out without it being packed out.

Lolek and Klex

Up until quite recently, I would never have imagined that I would've become interested in cats, but Lolek (Kotek) above and Klex below have become two good friends.

Really like the wide range of chirping (like a bird), meow-type, singing, squeaking (like a mouse), and almost speaking-type noises that my two friends above make.

Warsaw Klub Pogłos: A Nice Refreshing Bottle of Beer

As the UK Subs were heading towards their encores on Sunday night, I decided to have a breather with a bottle of Perła (one of the best Polish beers) downstairs at the Klub Pogłos:

Really liked the laid-back atmosphere in this downstairs room.

UK Subs Live at Warsaw Klub Pogłos 28th January 2018

Not having been to a gig since the beginning of December, it was good to get the 2018 concert season underway with the UK Subs at Warsaw Poglos last night:

Despite having quite liked UK Subs while I was still at school (back in the late 1970s/early 1980s), I don't really know the band's material much beyond the famous tunes ('Stranglehold'; 'Tomorrow's Girls'; 'Warhead' etc.), but felt I had to get to this gig for nostalgia (we all love the music from our schooldays, of course).

Got to take your hat off to Charlie Harper still going strong:

Got a few shots of the band setting their gear up on stage:

 

Enjoyed the gig a lot, this being the first time I'd seen UK Subs (better late than never, I guess).  Rather foolishly missed the chance to see the band when they played the Horse & Jockey pub on Rochdale Old Road in Bury, Lancashire when I was living a stone throw's away from there in the mid-1990s.

Last night was also the first time I'd been to a gig at the Klub Poglos in Warsaw.  With the sell-out crowd, the place seemed a bit of a sweatbox, but I guess things would be a lot more comfortable if it was about two-thirds full.

Marrows from Eastern Poland

Must get round to eating these marrows from Eastern Poland, they've been on the window sill long enough.

I ate a longer, more rectangular-shaped marrow (from Eastern Poland) a couple of weeks ago and it was definitely tasty enough.

Funny thing is, when I got round to cutting open the 'marrow' on the left above, it turned out to be a small melon.