Gorillaz in Manchester - just brilliant - and more

To Manchester, for a long-awaited Gorillaz show. And thankfully, it was more than worth the wait.



This was probably one of the best gigs I've been too, and certainly in my top 10 alongside the SAHBs' 1975 Christmas shows, Roxy Music circa Country Life tour, the Velvets' (short-lived) reunion tour of '93.....in short, it was fukkin great music and A1 presentation. What a show, can't say enough about it. Animation to die for, music that just ... works. Bobby Womack was a fucking star, of course.



Liked the MEN Arena, much better sound that the SECC and a better crowd, if I'm honest. Hate the SECC really.



Day 2, Salford Quays and - would you fukkin believe it ??! - that surgeon has already found a use for Sev's cast-off fan belt. Saturday morning and it was hooked up to a crane for daft bassas to go bungee jumping.
If only these Mancs knew the suffering Sev went through to facilitate their cheap thrills



to the Lowry, met famous "Mister Sixties" photographer Philip Townsend who's plugging a new book of pics from that era (great Christmas stocking material, gents, lovely b&w shots of the very early Stones, Twiggy, Charlotte Rampling and a few surprises such as a pre-New York Nico, long before the heroin claimed her). Here's Philip celebrating a sale :



Here's a gratuitous shot of someone's ballet shoes from an adjacent show, to keep the effete scarf wearers happy....



To Liverpool (why not?), found one of the few original pubs left standing by the endless re-development of a city that always reminds me of Glasgow with no money (Manchester reminds me of Glasgow but with more money).
This pub is surrounded by security fences, traffic cones and a mile of ploughed up land where once there was a simple road and some redbrick terraced houses.



Now they're building a "Strategic Gateway" (yes, a fucking ROAD!)

Anyway, headed to Albert Dock, home of a few shops and restaurants, the Tate, a Beatles museum and a couple of other museums. Couldn't be arsed taking too many pics here as I was starving and had to settle for some naff Scouse grub, they're lucky I was ready to eat a scabby horse by the time it arrived. Here's the Tate:



Here's the building with the Liver Birds atop it. In the foreground, in front of the Great Western Railway building, , there are two dry docks which were home to some of the most notorious slave ships of the 19th and 19th century.

(Can you guess we visited the International Slavery Museum, before taking the Strategic Gateway back north....)



This post is dedicated to Sev, who suffers in silence. I feel his pain.

Fantastic stuff, dad.

In fact, one of the reasons stennymad is the best board in the world.

Immo is the other reason, that cunt is god.

He's good tho inty

Top review Dad!

BTW

Is that Rothko piece still up in the Tate M in Liverpool Mo?

Canny mind the title... big black and red thing - fantastic

I stood for ages in front of it

The Gorillaz were immense, Crown. They did everything just right. Womack was fukkin brilliant, I wish I'd got a decent picture of the old bassa, wearing one hell of a sharp suit!

Didn't see any Rothko, Immo, but there was a lot of very conceptual Czech stuff so I might have blurred over

I'm sure I saw lots of Rothko's work in London during summer.Tate Modern perhaps?

Tate Modern is brilliant mo. Walking across the bridge to it, entering it, just a beautiful experience and the exhibits are so inspiring. Go to the Saatchi Gallery (you've prolly been) if you get a chance, it's cool as fuck.

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/

Might visit the Saatchi next time I'm there, Crown.

Agree on the Tate Mod. The original Tate is excellent too. Would also recommend the Nat Portrait Gallery, a completely different experience.

bloody fantastic, the bill bryson of the board, you could do that professionally mo.nice to see at least a wee part of me is doing good in the community. but im in pain now.