Song for Sunday

Little Green Cars – My Love Took Me Down to the River to Silence Me

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Manic Street Preachers (feat. Richard Hawley) – Rewind the Film

Song for Sunday

Phosphorescent – Song for Zula

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Lykke Li – Velvet

Song for Sunday

David Lynch and Lykke Li – I'm Waiting Here

Band/artist of the week: M83
Song of the week: Frightened Rabbit – Holy

Song for Sunday

Manic Street Preachers (with Richard Hawley) – Rewind the Film

I love the combination of Richard Hawley's and James Dean Bradfield's voices in this.

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Idlewild – The Bronze Medal

Song for Sunday

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu and Delta Goodrem – Bayini

Band/artist of the week: Frightened Rabbit
Song of the week: Moby and Mark Lanegan –The Lonely Night (Photek remix)

Song for Sunday

Frightened Rabbits – Late March Death March

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: Moby and Mark Lanegan –The Lonely Night (Photek remix)

Tour de France 2013

The race started a couple of hours ago, but still just enough time to get my predictions for this year's Tour de France. It is going to be an interesting race this year: no prologue, Pyrenees in the first week and, of course, no defending champion. Lots of rumours and intrigue flying around about the real reasons, but undoubtably it can only make life easier for the hot favourite, Chris Froome, and Team Sky.

Froome's form is superb and his results this year point to him being the man to beat, so can he take the one hundredth Tour de France as his first ever grand tour win? Well, it is the Tour and plenty can and will happen between here and the Champs Elysees, but basically the answer is yes. Same as last year his closest rival looks to be his Sky teammate Richie Porte and I reckon they will both be on the podium. Joaquim Rodriquez is a bit of a long shot and he has been pretty invisible this year, but the course has plenty that he will be looking forward to and I hope he can give Froome a run in the mountains. Mainly because I can't see anyone else being up to the job.

Evans and Contador will both be strong and consistent, but I can't see either of them getting onto the podium. Evans is going well this year, but the course doesn't really suit him and he just doesn't have the motivation that Froome and Porte have. Contador doesn't look anywhere near his best form, whether that is to do with a lack of chemically enhanced steaks or just the result of all the upheavals over the last few years, and I don't think he will really challenge. He has a strong team and may make the top five, but to be honest he looks like a relic from a past era already.

I am looking forward to the green jersey competition this year and can't believe anyone will get close to Cavendish. The course will make it difficult for Peter Sagan to challenge, although I bet he gets a stage or maybe even two, and I reckon Cavendish's closest challenger will be Andre Greipel.

And the maillot à pois will stay in France, although little Tommy will have to hand it over to Pierre Rolland. I hope Rolland makes top five, but the mountains jersey will be a nice consolation even if he doesn't manage it this year.

Right, the TV coverage must be about to start. See you in three weeks for the post-mortem. Oh, and don't forget to get your fantasy tour teams in here or here (my team is still called Green Wedgie and we have a league going on the SBS one called Green Wedgie vs the World – let me know if you want to join).

Yellow

1 Chris Froome
2 Joaquim Rodriquez
3 Richie Porte
4 Cadel Evans
5 Alberto Contador

Green
1 Mark Cavendish
2 André Greipel
3 Peter Sagan

Mountains
1 Pierre Rolland
2 Thomas Voeckler
3 Joaquim Rodriquez

Song for Sunday

Moby and Mark Lanegan – The Lonely Night

Band/artist of the week: Lykke Li
Song of the week: Lykke Li – Velvet

Song for Sunday

The Big Pink – Velvet

Not for viewers of a nervous disposition. Our friend from a few weeks ago Lykke Li does a wonderful version of this as well.

Band/artist of the week: Camera Obscura
Song of the week: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Delta Goodrem and Musicians of the Sydney Symphony – Bayini (Live)

Songs for Sunday

So, apologies for the lack of song last week. Almost exactly five years ago I copied Scott Pack's idea and started putting up a song video every Sunday. At the time I thought it would be a good way to make sure that I did at least one post every week, but as it has turned out for most weeks it is the only thing that ever gets put up.

Over the five years I know I have missed a few, but it doesn't take long and I hate it when it happens for whatever reason. Last week I was in the throes of finishing up a large freelance job which I started at the end of March. When I started I was between jobs, but spending most of my time being a stay-at-home dad and so most of the work got done during afternoon naps, when K wasn't working and in evenings. When I started back full-time I assumed that it would take another couple of weeks, three weeks maximum, to get it all finished off, but then illness and a trip to South Korea for new job got in the way and so it ended up being more like five weeks. Which was okay for the deadline, but not so great in terms of actually doing anything that wasn't either working fulltime, freelance work and as many fatherly duties as could be squeezed in.

The freelance job was finally finished up on Tuesday after a fairly epic three evenings working into the night, but of course everything else went by the wayside. Anyway, to make up for this here, courtesy of WFUV Radio (whoever they are), are three fantastic live performances for your enjoyment.


Phosphorescent – Song for Zula


The National – Graceless


Bob Mould – Keep Believing

Song of the week: The Big Pink – Velvet
Band/artist of the week: The National

Song for Sunday

British Sea Power – Machineries of Joy

Reminds me of my first racing bike. Although that jumper doesn't look like optimal cycling wear.

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: London Grammar – Hey Now

Song for Sunday

The National – Sea of Love

Band/artist of the week: The National
Song of the week: The National – Demons

Song for Sunday

Suede – It Starts and Ends With You

Band/artist of the week: The xx
Song of the week: Sigur Rós – Svefn-g-englar

Song for Sunday

Daughter – Still

Band/artist of the week: All India Radio
Song of the week: The National – Demons

Song for Sunday

London Grammar – Wasting My Young Years

Band/artist of the week: All India Radio
Song of the week: Suede – It Starts and Ends With You

Song for Sunday

Low – Just Make it Stop

Band/artist of the week: U2
Song of the week: The National – Demons

Song for Sunday

The National – Demons

Easy choice this week. Fantastic albums already this year from My Bloody Valentine, David Bowie, Frightened Rabbit, British Sea Power, Low, Delay Trees, Deptford Goth and Phosphorescent, and now news of a new National album coming in May and Suede in the next couple of weeks. Could be difficult choosing my favourite ten this year. Which reminds me ...

Band/artist of the week: Phosphorescent
Song of the week: The National – Demons

Song for Sunday

Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers

Band/artist of the week: Phosphorescent
Song of the week: Deptford Goth – Union

Song for Sunday

Delay Trees – HML

Band/artist of the week: Phosporescent
Song of the week: Phosporescent – Ride On / Right On

Miracles do happen (or how we ended up in the middle of row A at the Bruce Springsteen concert ...)

Well perhaps not a real, bona-fide miracle, but amazing how a really bad situation can turn into something wonderful with a large helping of luck.

The first time I went to see Bruce Springsteen was back in 1988 when I was 18 and a first year student at Edinburgh University. I had been a big fan for a few years, ever since I had seen him singing Born in the USA on The Old Grey Whistle Test, and even though he wasn't playing anywhere further north than Birmingham on that tour I knew that I was going if I could get a ticket. No-one wanted to come with me so I ended up getting the overnight bus down the day before, arriving in plenty of time to  get a great spot near the front before travelling back on another overnight bus.

I've mentioned it before on this blog, but it was worth every minute on the bus and hanging around Birmingham as the show was amazing. I couldn't believe how incredible the band was and Bruce was everything I had heard or read and more. Full of energy, it seemed he wanted to connect with everyone in the audience and they played and played, until after four hours everyone was exhausted. There were serious moments, anger and sadness, but mostly just joy and exuberance. The excitement of the audience and the reflection of this in the Bruce and the band was incredible.

Needless to say that evening has stayed with me every since and Bruce's music has been a constant throughout the many years that followed. I managed to see him live once more in London in 1999, but since moving to Australia in 2002 there haven't been a lot of opportunities to see him play live ...

And then early last year I heard some rumours that he might be touring Australia late in 2012. Nothing seemed to come of them, but then in November last year there were low-key adverts in the paper announcing dates in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Hanging Rock. At the time only one date had been announced in Melbourne, so I knew the demand for tickets was going to be sky-high. I signed up to get into the advance sale and we tried to book as soon as they went on sale. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to get any. We tried again when general tickets went on sale, when the next night was announced and then when the third and final night went on sale. Still didn't manage to get any tickets.

Getting pretty desperate, a friend who had also been trying to get tickets put us on to a guy who had two tickets for sale. They were mobile phone tickets and not in the best seats, but he was selling them at face value and seemed pretty genuine. My wife wanted to get them as birthday present, so she drove over to his house, paid the cash and he texted her the tickets. Whew, sorted we thought.

Over the last few weeks excitement was rising and we decided that since K was just getting back from a training course in Brisbane on the Sunday afternoon that son number one would come with me. Sure it would be a late night and might mean a day off school, but if you are going to go to your first rock concert at eight years old, you might as well make it a good one.

So, Sunday evening we set off full of excitement and anticipation. I am not sure what son number one was expecting, but I guess he was probably thinking how could it possibly live up to my build-up. He was impressed by the number of people, but not by the queuing and then imagine my disappointment and shock when the tickets didn't work. Someone had already used them and was inside sitting in the seats we thought were ours.

More queueing at the ticket office and they confirmed that yes, the tickets had already been used – someone entered using them just after the doors opened. As we hadn't bought them ourselves there was nothing we could do.

By now it was about 7.29 pm and Bruce and the band were due on stage at 7.30 pm, so staying calm (but inside feeling like I wanted to drive round to someone's house and break all his legs) we checked at the ticket sales window just in case there were some tickets behind the stage left. Then the miracle.

'Yes, we do have a couple of tickets for sale in the seating just behind the general admission area.'

'Okay, we'll take them. What row did you say they were in?'

'Row A, in the middle.'

Not wanting to get too excited, but thinking there must be some mistake. I scribbled my signature on the credit card slip, grabbed the tickets and we tried not to run too fast to get inside. One quick toilet stop to empty an eight year old bladder and buy drinks and we were inside. The seats were incredible – probably the best in the arena. Straight in front of Bruce's microphone, slightly raised so that we had a great view over all the standing general admission crowd and right next the walkway he would use when he came out into the crowd.

Wow, it doesn't get any better than this I thought. A few minutes later the house lights went down and the band kicks into Out in the Street. A couple of minutes in and Bruce makes his way down into the crowd and round onto the walkway. He spots son number one smiles, shakes his hand and gives him the guitar plectrum he was using. Unbelievable.

Ten minutes ago we had no tickets and were looking at a pretty dismal walk back to the train station and home, and now we are sitting (well standing mostly) in the best seats at Rod Laver and Bruce has just shaken my son's hand ...

The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur, but you can see the set-list here. Bruce came past a few more times, including giving number one son another plectrum, crowd-surfing his way from just in front of us up to the stage during Hungry Heart, standing right next to us during the emotional tribute to Clarence and Danny during the encore and getting number one son to sing a line of Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.

So, Mr Eddie Black, you may be a con man and a miserable person, but if you weren't a dishonest fraud we wouldn't have been in those seats and had the most incredible night. Only problem is that I now have to somehow explain to number one son that when he goes to concerts in future he may not get to shake hands and sing with band!

Eddie, if you have a change of heart and decide to do the right thing, leave a comment below. If not, I hope the Police catch up with you and that you haven't conned too many other people out of their dream of going to see Bruce Springsteen. I guess they may not all turn out quite as happily as our experience ...

Song for Sunday

Beach House – Wishes

Band/artist of the week: Bruce Springsteen
Song of the week: Deptford Goth – Union

Song for Sunday

Deptford Goth – Union

Band/artist of the week: Low
Song of the week: Low – Just Make it Stop

Song for Sunday

Poliça – Wandering Star

Band/artist of the week: David Bowie
Song of the week: Massive Attack vs. Burial – Paradise Circus

Song for Sunday

Belle and Sebastian – Lazy Line Painter Jane

Still love this after all these years. I have been watching an excellent documentary about the early years of Belle and Sebastian, which has prompted a bit of nostalgia for 1990s Glasgow. Also finally got a copy of their 2010 album Write About Love which is actually really good. Live version here is also worth a listen.

Band/artist of the week: Low
Song of the week: Little Green Cars – The John Wayne

Song for Sunday

Little Green Cars – The John Wayne

Band/artist of the week: My Bloody Valentine
Song of the week: British Sea Power – Machineries of Joy