Árstíðir at Warsaw Chmury 15th December 2019

Brilliant way of ending the concert year in Warsaw, seeing Árstíðir at the Chmury (next to the Hydrozagadka) last Sunday.

Have seen Árstíðir playing on bills with Pain of Salvation and Solstafir, so at the Chmury, it was the first time I've seen them do a full set, and it was fantastic.
 

Loved the balance of the band's Christmas show with Icelandic hymns/Christmas songs mixed in with the bands older and recent material.

Loved every tune of the set, especially 'Ages' and 'While This Way'.

Hope the band return to Warsaw next Christmas playing the Hydrozagadka rather than the Chmury (too small).

Feel blessed to have seen Árstíðir again.

A Nice Cold Beer Outside

Went down to the Hydrozagadka (in Warsaw) for a concert recently, and the place was choc-a-bloc for the support band, so I had nice cold beer outside.

Elder Island at Warsaw Hydrozagadka 3rd December 2019

On a great little run of seeing genre-defying bands at the moment: Lamb; Ghostly Kisses; The Paper Kites etc., and on Tuesday night, it was the turn of Elder Island:

Wasn't in the mood for going out Tuesday night truth be known, but I'm so glad I made the effort as the Elder Island gig was fantastic, absolutely loved it:

Have only come across Elder Island recently, but it was great listening to tunes like 'Don't Lose' and 'Kape Fear' live, with 'JPP' being mystical and upbeat, the tune of the night.

Warsaw: The Hydrozagadka Rabbit/Hare and Frog

Have seen quite a few good gigs at the Hydrozagadka over the last few years.

Love the drawings of the rabbit/hare and guzzling frog that I saw near the cloakrooms last Saturday night.
  

The Paper Kites at Warsaw Hydrozagadka 23rd November 2019

Saw Australian band The Paper Kites at Warsaw Hydrozagadka last night. Only know the band through Youtube videos but really enjoyed the gig:

Was brilliant listening to 'Revelator Eyes' and 'Electric Indigo' live.

Overall, the gig was a very nice balance of jangly/melodic and slower/therapeutic-type tunes.

Glad I arrived in time to catch Axel Flóvent too:

Finishing The Lord of the Rings

Finally got round to finishing The Lord of the Rings about a month ago.

Lost my first copy of Part 3, The Return of the King, through leaving it on a coach while travelling round Donegal during the summer, so I had to buy it again.

While reading Tolkien's masterpiece over about 8-9 months, mainly while travelling on public transport between places in Warsaw, I was constantly scribbling comments in the margins about possible Catholic symbolism in the work. Some of my ideas, I was convinced of, for example, Aragorn being a Christ the King figure, while with other ideas, I was not sure if I was just engaging in speculation (e.g. interpreting a red fire in an elf hall as the tabernacle/real presence in a Catholic church).

Moreover, a friend from Bolton has introduced me to Joseph Pearce's work on Tolkien which has positively added to my interpretation of Catholic symbolism in The Lord of the Rings:

Think that Joseph Pearce is a really engaging speaker and inspiring Catholic convert.

Lamb at Warsaw Stodoła 21st November 2019

Really enjoyed seeing Lamb again in Warsaw last night:

Great set containing old and new material.

Really liked the new stuff, it's really fresh, especially beautifully understated tunes like 'Phosphorous'; 'Imperial Measures'; and 'The Silence in Between', and the instrumental 'Deep Delirium'.

From the older material, I've never quite known what to make of 'Transfatty Acid', but last night it worked a treat, a great final encore tune.

First saw Lamb at Manchester Academy in the early 2000s (my hometown is Bury), and have enjoyed seeing them a few times in Warsaw since.