My Mental Jukebox Part 16

Been to seven gigs in Warsaw this month, it's always the same in November, as bands like to play Poland before the proper, cold winter sets in.

Saw The Breeders at the Klub Niebo on 13th November which prompted their tune, 'Divine Hammer', to resurface in my mental jukebox (had somehow almost forgotten about this wonderful number until I went to the concert).

Gary Numan Live at Warsaw Progresja 25th November 2018

This was always going to be one of the concerts of the year, and so it proved to be: a nice mixture of songs from Gary Numan's recent 'Savage (Songs from a Broken World)' album and older tunes.

'Everything Comes Down to This' and 'Metal' are two brilliant opening tunes, and not that long after, we were receiving the canonical 'Down in the Park'.

Like with several concerts I've been to recently (Within Temptation; The Breeders; Public Service Broadcasting etc.), this gig was an audio-visual treat:

The highlight from 'Savage' would have to be 'My Name Is Ruin' with, as anticipated, Gary Numan's daughter, Persia, joining him on stage:

Also really liked 'Bed of Thorns' and 'Pray for the Pain You Serve' from the 'Savage' album.

But have to confess that it was tunes like 'A Prayer for the Unborn' and 'Are 'Friends' Electric' (this song always takes me way back to my old schooldays at St. Gabriel's secondary school in Bury, Lancashire) that I was waiting for most.

Yes, as expected, a most enjoyable evening, and, at the end of the show, as I was finishing off a decent pint and looking around, everybody's eyes seemed to be still transfixed and enchanted, and the place was truly buzzing.

Nightmare Air Live at Warsaw Progresja 25th November 2018

Really glad I managed to get up to the Progresja in time to catch Nightmare Air opening for Gary Numan last night. The band whipped up a good atmosphere with '18 Days' and 'Icy Daggers' being the two standout tracks for me.

Getting to see quite a few, really good opening acts these days.

A Weird Picture

A weird picture taken of my old friend, Phil, on the left, and me on the right.

Kotek's Love of Boxes

A further two shots showing Kotek's love of boxes:

Warsaw Riverside: Passing Syrenka, the City's Mermaid

Another highlight from my long walk alongside the river Vistula in Warsaw: passing a statue of Syrenka, the city's mermaid symbol.

Legend has it that at some point in the distant past, the mermaid decided to stay in Warsaw after stopping on a riverbank near the Old Town.

It is also said that a rich merchant trapped and imprisoned the mermaid, but upon hearing her cries, some local fishermen, who had already fallen in love with her, rescued her, and in return, armed with a shield and sword, the mermaid has promised to help and protect Warsaw and its residents forevermore.

Árstíðir Live at Warsaw Progresja 21st November 2018

It was an honour and massive pleasure to see Árstíðir again last night (last saw them at the previous Klub Progresja up in Stary Bemova with Pain of Salvation about eight years ago).
 

Thought that the tunes from the new album 'Nivalis' worked really well last night, while an older song like 'Ljóð í sand' was always going to be my favourite tune of the night.

Anthropologically, I found the end of the Árstíðir set interesting (perhaps a bit strange), as the band left the stage, with an appreciative crowd still in place expecting an encore. However, when the band returned shortly afterwards, they started gathering their equipment with the crowd still not retreating to the bar (I'm pretty sure the band would've done an encore if allowed to do so, of course).

At times, it looked as if the band were being (possibly uncomfortably) rushed off stage, although this may've just been my imagination.

After Árstíðír, it was the turn of Sólstafir:

This was the third and probably best time I've seen Sólstafir (saw them at the Proxima in Warsaw a few years ago and at the Prog in the Park event in Warsaw last year).

Was also glad I managed to get up to the Progresja in time to catch Louise Lemon open up the evening's entertainment: