Nice to see some big time support for BBC6 Music

The have a new live DVD / album out “Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre”

Strangely the bands website doesn’t seem to have been updated with this momentous news? so I thought I’d post it here on my own high hit rate site (yeah , right). Anway, everyone should take a listen to the Weakerthans.

The BBC Trust has now launched an official consultation on its proposals for massive cuts to its services. It’s asking us to email to say what we think of their plans to cut their website in half and scrap BBC 6 Music and Asian Network.

We need to make sure the BBC gets an overwhelming number of responses against these plans. The more of us who send an email against the cuts, the more chance we have of changing their mind.

It only takes 1 minute to email the BBC Trust and speak out against the cuts using this online tool – please click here to add to the pressure: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/email-the-BBC-Trust

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/BBC-stop-the-cuts

I last saw IT Bites in 1986, so this was really an excuse for a trip down memory lane.  The opening act was Jon Amor a bluesman from Devizes in Wiltshire, (home of the delta blues?) . Poor fella had one or two technical hitches to deal with but managed to pull off a convincing set – I particularly liked his cover of Tainted Love (in a blues stylee of course).

IT Bites were on stage for two hours . They filled the time with some pretty top notch musicianship and the appreciative diehard fan audience lapped it up.  I haven’t seen that many ponytails and very old tour t-shirts in one room for a long time.

I was especially impressed with bass player Lee Pomeroy . He plays bass left handed on a bass that is strung right handed (i.e. upside down). He looked like he was having a ball. I suppose the music must be a little more challenging than his other main gig with Take That?!

I did come away feeling disappointed  - the band didn’t play a single song from their very first album ‘The Big Lad In The Windmill’ which is odd as their only really ‘big’ single ‘Calling all the Heroes’ was taken from it.

Tragically Hip were fantastic – even better than I had hoped for. 2 sets – over 2.5 hours on stage. The audience loved it. Great sound too.

Full set list:
New Orleans Is Sinking
The Depression Suite
The Drop Off
It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken
Fireworks
Springtime In Vienna
Morning Moon
Yer Not The Ocean
Poets
Love Is A First

Courage (Acoustic)
Coffee Girl (Acoustic)
Wheat Kings (Acoustic)
Gift Shop
Ahead By A Century
In View
At The Hundredth Meridian
Long Time Running
Family Band
Grace, Too
My Music At Work

Encore:
Frozen In My Tracks
Little Bones