ThunderWeb V2.2
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Stuff
    • Interesting Stuff >
      • Americana >
        • The Sierra Nevadas
        • The Brooklyn Bridge
        • The Empire State Building
        • Lost Angeles
        • Hollywood Boulevard
        • Jim Thorpe
        • The Alamo
        • The Basketball Museum
        • Sunset
        • Boston Skyline
      • Europeana >
        • Brimham Rocks
        • Liverpool - L7 4LB
        • Liverpool - Tobacco Warehouse
        • Kirkstall Abbey
        • Ilkley Moor
        • Classic Cars and Beartown Radio
        • Bjorn the Polar Bear
        • Dachau
        • Munich Olympiapark - Olympiaturm
        • Munich - BMW Welt
        • Neuschwanstein
        • Munich - Oktoberfest >
          • Shlocktoberfest
          • Fear and Loathing in München
          • When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
        • Munich - Christkindlmarkt 2009
        • Dali
        • Tutanchamun - Munich
        • Tutanchamun - Manchester
    • Walkabouts >
      • Nude Dudes In The Sand
      • Harrogate Walkabout
      • Liverpool Walkabout Sefton Park
      • Leeds Walkabout
      • Blackpool Deco
      • Fenton Town Hall
      • Stoke Minster
      • Beauty and Bursley >
        • The Wedgwood Institute
        • The School of Art
        • Town Hall Tales
        • The Leopard
        • Desolation Boulevard
      • Asbury Park
      • New York Rideabout >
        • New York Rideabout I
        • New York Rideabout II
        • New York Rideabout III
      • Reno
      • San Francisco
      • Atlantic City
      • The OC
      • Philadelphia
      • First Boston Walkabout >
        • First Boston Walkabout - Copley Plaza
        • First Boston Walkabout - Boylston and Boston Common
        • First Boston Walkabout - Downtown Boston
        • First Boston Walkabout - Charlestown Naval Yard >
          • USS Constitution
          • USS Cassin Young
        • First Boston Walkabout - Beacon Hill
      • Final Boston Walkabout
      • Blackpool (Post Apocalypse)
      • Liverpool
      • Manchester - Brief Walkabout
      • Glasgow
      • First Munich Walkabout
      • Munich Faschingsdienstag Walkabout
      • Second Munich Walkabout
      • Munich Walkabout with Firstborn & Lizzie I
      • Munich Walkabout with Firstborn & Lizzie II
      • Munich Walkabout with Pan 'n' Chris
      • Copenhagen
      • Passau
      • Oss
      • First Basel Walkabout
      • Second Basel Walkabout
    • Old Stuff
    • Random Stuff >
      • The Garden of Unearthly Delights I
      • The Garden of Unearthly Delights II
      • The Garden of Unearthly Delights III: Christmas Special
    • Weird Stuff >
      • Top Ten Plagues
      • Top Ten Gangsters
      • Top Ten Ways To Kill Someone
      • Top Ten Hairstyles For The Follicly-Challenged
      • Top Ten Stars on Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame
  • Gigs
    • 2017 Gigs >
      • Iron Maiden - Leeds
      • Norman Beaker Band - Blackpool
      • Ian Hunter - Liverpool
      • Cheap Trick - Manchester
    • 2016 Gigs >
      • Congleton Unplugged 2016 >
        • Congleton Unplugged 2016 - Saturday
        • Congleton Unplugged 2016 - Sunday
    • 2014 Gigs >
      • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2014 >
        • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2014 - Saturday
        • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2014 - Sunday
      • Dirty Dozen - Congleton
      • Chantel McGregor - Wolverhampton
      • Chris Bevington & Friends - Wolverhampton
      • Sweet Winn Dixie - Congleton
      • Congleton Unplugged 2014 >
        • Congleton Unplugged 2014 - Friday
        • Congleton Unplugged 2014 - Saturday
        • Congleton Unplugged 2014 - Sunday
      • The Fire Beneath The Sea - Blackpool
    • 2013 Gigs >
      • BearTown Radio 1st Birthday Bash 2013
      • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013 >
        • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013 - Friday
        • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013 - Saturday
        • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2013 - Sunday
      • Parklive 2013 >
        • Parklive 2013 - Friday Marquee
        • Parklive 2013 - Saturday Park
        • Parklive 2013 - Saturday Marquee
      • No Strings Attached - Congleton >
        • NSA: Adam French
      • The Dirty Dozen - Congleton >
        • TDD: The Fire Beneath The Sea - Congleton
      • Maschine - Congleton
      • Congleton Unplugged 2013 >
        • CU 2013: Sweet Winn Dixie
        • CU 2013: John Ainsworth
        • CU 2013: Jim Kirkpatrick
        • CU 2013: Phil Maddocks
        • CU 2013: The Robin Pierce Band
    • 2012 Gigs >
      • The Post Apocalypse Party 2012
      • Congleton Jazz and Blues Festival 2012 >
        • CJ&BF: Steve Hayes and Les Hunt
        • CJ&BF: The Beartown Stompers
        • CJ&BF: The Robin Pierce Band
        • CJ&BF: Phil Maddocks
        • CJ&BF: The Hexmen
      • The Rittz and Friends Festival - Congleton >
        • TRAFF: Thomas Twemlow
        • TRAFF: Amy Condrey
        • TRAFF: Phil Maddocks & Nick Bayes
        • TRAFF: Faux Feet
        • TRAFF: John Ainsworth
        • TRAFF: Dirty Green Vinyl
        • TRAFF: Luke Gray & Danny Wilde
        • TRAFF: Hoodie Ledbetter
        • TRAFF: Kill The Young
        • TRAFF: The Rittz
      • The Dirty Dozen - Congleton >
        • TDD: Thought Glands
        • TDD: Fieldhouse
    • 2011 Gigs >
      • Fun House (November) - Congleton
      • Demon - Kingsley Holt
      • Fun House (August) - Congleton
      • Fun House (July) - Congleton
      • Johnnie Walker - Bradford
      • Fieldhouse - Liverpool
      • Kush - Liverpool
    • 2010 Gigs >
      • Wolfmother - Munich
      • Dave Matthews Band - Munich
      • Chris Rea - Munich
      • Dave Matthews Band - Manchester
      • Joe Perry Project - Sheffield
      • Bad Company - Sheffield
      • The Mayhem Effect - Congleton
      • Demon - Leek Arts Festival
      • Mark Knopfler - Munich
    • 2009 Gigs >
      • Sweden Rock Festival >
        • About SRF 2009
        • SRF: The Tubes
        • SRF: ZZ Top
        • SRF: Over the Rainbow
        • SRF: Marillion
        • SRF: Demon
        • SRF: Johnny Winter
        • SRF: Motörhead
        • SRF: Riot
        • SRF: Blackfoot
        • SRF: Journey
        • SRF: Goda Grannar
      • Keep It True
      • Y&T - Munich
      • Foreigner - Munich
      • Bruce Springsteen - Munich
      • Eric Burdon - Munich
      • Gary Moore - Munich
      • Demon - Dudley
      • Hamburg Blues Band - Munich
      • Mott the Hoople - Hammersmith
      • Night at the Flamingo - Blackpool
      • Magnum - Munich
      • Pavlov's Dog - Munich
      • Uriah Heep - Munich
      • Ace Frehley - Munich
    • 2007 Gigs >
      • Little Barrie - Manchester II
      • Demon - Wolverhampton III
      • Diamond Head - Wolverhampton V
      • Demon - Antwerp
      • Demon - Nottingham
    • 2006 Gigs >
      • Helloween - Bradford
      • Yellowcard - Manchester
      • Robin Trower - Manchester
      • Dave Matthews - Manchester
      • Mountain - Manchester
      • Danko Jones - Manchester
      • Monsters of Rock 2006 >
        • About Monsters of Rock 2006
        • Monsters of Rock 2006: Roadstar
        • Monsters of Rock 2006: Ted Nugent
        • Monsters of Rock 2006: Queensryche
        • Monsters of Rock 2006: Thunder
        • Monsters of Rock 2006: Journey
        • Monsters of Rock 2006: Alice Cooper
        • Monsters of Rock 2006: Deep Purple
      • Journey - Manchester
      • Demon - Sheffield
      • Bob Catley - Sheffield
      • Demon - Cheltenham
      • Bob Catley - Leek WM
      • Demon - Leek WM
      • Little Barrie - Manchester I
      • Wolfmother - Manchester
      • UFO - Manchester
      • Demon - Crewe III
      • Demon - Nuneaton
      • Iron Maiden - Sheffield
    • 2005 Gigs >
      • Velvet Revolver - Manchester
      • Megadeth - Manchester
      • Diamond Head - Manchester
      • Fozzy - Manchester
      • Wishbone Ash - Blawnox PA
      • The Midnight Creeps - Providence RI
      • Danko Jones - Cambridge MA
      • Demon - Leek II B
      • Demon - Birkenhead
      • Donington 2005 >
        • About Donington 2005
        • Donington 2005: Fozzy
        • Donington 2005: Megadeth
        • Donington 2005: Billy Idol
        • Donington 2005: HIM
        • Donington 2005: Velvet Revolver
        • Donington 2005: Black Sabbath
        • Donington 2005: Slipknot
        • Donington 2005: The MC5
        • Donington 2005: Motorhead
      • Kings of Leon - Manchester
      • Danko Jones - Philadelphia
      • Sonny Landreth - Ocean City NJ
      • Derek Trucks Band - Ocean City NJ
      • Leeds Festival 2005 >
        • About Leeds Festival 2005
        • Leeds Festival 2005: Funeral For A Friend
        • Leeds Festival 2005: Iggy Pop
        • Leeds Festival 2005: Marilyn Manson
        • Leeds Festival 2005: Iron Maiden
      • Iron Maiden - Hammersmith
      • Diamond Head - Stourbridge
    • 2004 Gigs >
      • Hughes-Turner Project - Dudley II
      • Wishbone Ash - Crewe
      • Donington 2004 - Hoobastank
      • Donington 2004 - Danko Jones
      • Donington 2004 - Metallica
      • UFO - Wolverhampton
      • Marillion - Wolverhampton
      • Marillion - Leeds
      • Nazareth - Manchester
      • Bill Nelson - Manchester
      • Nils Lofgren - Wolverhampton
      • Living Colour - Manchester
      • Rush - Birmingham
    • 2003 Gigs >
      • HITS UK - Bradford
      • Demon - Leek I-A
      • Iron Maiden - Donington
      • HITS UK - Morecambe
      • Blue Öyster Cult - Wolverhampton
      • Alice Cooper - Wolverhampton
      • Rat Dog - Wolverhampton
      • Budgie - Crewe
      • Thunder - Wolverhampton
      • Iron Maiden - Sheffield & Birmingham
    • 2002 Gigs >
      • Chris Farlowe - Crewe
      • Diamond Head - Wrexham
      • Budgie - Wrexham
      • The Blues Brother's Band - Manchester
      • Man - Crewe
      • Mountain - Dudley
      • Stray - Dudley
      • Iron Maiden - Brixton >
        • Iron Maiden - Brixton Academy: Getting there
        • Iron Maiden - Brixton Academy: Getting home
      • Diamond Head - Crewe III
      • Rick Derringer - Crewe
      • Pat Travers - Crewe
      • Ian Hunter - Crewe
      • HITS Blackpool 2002
      • HITS USA 2002 - Saturday
      • HITS USA 2002 - Sunday
      • Diamond Head - Hanley
      • 21st Century Schizoid Band - Crewe
      • Diamond Head - Crewe IV
      • Diamond Head - Ashton
      • Hughes-Turner Project - Dudley I
      • Jefferson Starship - Wolverhampton
      • Budgie - Crewe
      • Monsters of Rock - Manchester >
        • Monsters of Rock - Alice Cooper
        • Monsters of Rock - Thunder
        • Monsters of Rock - The Quireboys
        • Monsters of Rock -Dogs D'Amour
    • 2001 Gigs >
      • Demon - Crewe I
      • Demon - Leek Moorlands
      • Diamond Head - Crewe I
      • Black Crowes - Brixton Academy
      • Demon - Newcastle Oxford
      • Rockshield Festival >
        • Rockshield - Wishbone Ash
        • Rockshield - Girlschool
        • Rockshield - Demon
        • Rockshield - Diamond Head
      • Demon - Crewe II
      • Demon - Leek FC II
      • Pat Travers - Wolverhampton
      • Demon - Macclesfield
      • Diamond Head - Crewe II
      • Demon - Camden I
    • 2000 Gigs >
      • Demon - Wolverhampton I
      • Demon - Telford
      • Demon - Newcastle (Rigger)
      • Demon - Leicester
      • Demon - Leek FC I
      • Demon - Stoke
      • Demon - Wolverhampton II
      • Demon - SOM Rehearsal
    • 20th Century Gigs >
      • 1990s >
        • Man - Swansea 1999
        • Man - London 1999
        • Man - Croydon 1999
        • Man - Stoke 1998
        • Man - Blackpool 1993
      • 1980s >
        • Man - Reading 1983
        • Reading Festival 1983
        • RockPop 1982
        • Rockpalast 1982
        • Alice Cooper - London 1982
        • Reading Festival 1981
        • Diamond Head - Leeds 1981
        • Whitesnake - Bradford 1980
        • Iron Maiden - Leeds 1980
        • Monsters of Rock 1980
      • 1970s >
        • Buzzcocks - Manchester 1978
  • Travels
    • 2015 Travels >
      • Toxteth Walkabout
      • Eclipsage - Toxteth Cemetery
      • Crosby - Another Place
      • Crosby - Sunset
    • 2014 Travels >
      • Brimham Rocks
      • Harrogate
      • Liverpool - Divergence I >
        • Liverpool - Sefton Park
        • Liverpool - L7 4LB
        • Liverpool - Tobacco Warehouse
      • Leeds Walkabout 2014 >
        • Leeds 2014 - Kirkstall Abbey
        • Leeds 2014 - Ilkley Moor
    • 2013 Travels >
      • Fenton Town Hall
      • Stoke Minster
      • Beauty and Bursley >
        • The Wedgwood Institute
        • The School of Art
        • Town Hall Tales
        • The Leopard
        • Desolation Boulevard
      • Blackpool - An Alternative View
    • 2011 Travels >
      • Blackpool (Post Apocalypse)
      • Manchester >
        • Manchester - The Trafford Centre
        • Manchester - Tutanchamun
      • Liverpool
    • 2010 Travels >
      • Faschingsdienstag
      • Manchester - Brief Walkabout
      • Manchester/Glasgow
    • 2009 Travels >
      • What Marky did in The Fatherland >
        • Arrival
        • First Munich Walkabout
        • Faschingsdienstag
        • Second Munich Walkabout
        • Dachau
        • Hannover
        • Olympiapark Sealife Centre
        • Olympiapark Olympiaturm
        • BMW Welt
        • Home from Home
        • Würzburg a Mad Manager and a Demon
        • Tutanchamun
        • Back in the UK
        • Neuschwanstein
        • Copenhagen
        • Passau
        • TiPi Fest
        • Potts and The 'Zard Camera 1
        • Potts and The 'Zard Camera 2
        • Pan 'n' Chris
        • Oktoberfest >
          • Shlocktoberfest
          • Fear and Loathing in München
          • When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
        • Blackpool
        • The Flaming Gummi Bär Incident
        • Oberammergau
        • Garmisch
        • Christmas 2009: Christkindlmarkt
        • Christmas 2009: Snow
        • Christmas 2009: Absinthe, Drunkenness and Fireworks
    • 2006 Travels
    • 2005 Travels >
      • Basel
      • Philadelphia >
        • The Krispy Kreme Fiasco
        • King of Prussia
        • Snow
        • Atlantic City
        • Sunset
        • Lancaster County
        • The Philadelphia Cheese Steak Debate
        • Food For Thought
        • More Food for Thought
        • Gideons
        • Dali
        • Culture
        • The Basketball Museum
        • Ocean City NJ
      • Boston >
        • The Cheesecake Factory
        • Copley Plaza
        • Boylston and Boston Common
        • Downtown Boston
        • Charlestown Naval Yard >
          • USS Constitution
          • USS Cassin Young
        • Beacon Hill
        • Call Me Spiderman
        • Providence RI
        • Boston Skyline
        • Final Boston Walkabout
        • The Third Time I Nearly Got arrested
      • Oss
    • 2004 Travels >
      • Basel
      • Philadelphia >
        • First Philadelphia Walkabout Pt I >
          • The Franklin Institute
        • First Philadelphia Walkabout Pt II >
          • The Liberty Bell
          • Monopoly
          • USS Olympia & USS Becuna
    • 2003 Travels >
      • US Tour 2003 - Fri 25th Flying In
      • US Tour 2003 - Sat 26th Brooklyn >
        • The Brooklyn Bridge
      • US Tour 2003 - Sat 26th Baltimore
      • US Tour 2003 - Sun 27th New York
      • US Tour 2003 - Mon 28th Oakland
      • US Tour 2003 - Tues 29th Sacramento
      • US Tour 2003 - Wed 30th The Sierra Nevada
      • US Tour 2003 - Wed 30th Reno
      • US Tour 2003 - Wed 30th Reno (Later)
      • US Tour 2003 - Thurs 31st San Francisco >
        • US Tour 2003 - Thurs 31st SF Walkabout
        • US Tour 2003 - Thurs 31st San Francisco (Later)
      • US Tour 2003 - Fri 1st San Francisco to Lost Angeles >
        • US Tour 2003 - Fri 1st Hollywood Blvd
        • US Tour 2003 - Fri 1st Hollywood Blvd - Walk of Fame
      • US Tour 2003 - Fri 1st Lost Angeles (South Gate)
      • US Tour 2003 - Sat 2nd Costa Mesa & The Beach
      • US Tour 2003 - Sat 2nd LA (Corona)
      • US Tour 2003 - Sun 3rd San Diego
      • US Tour 2003 - Mon 4th Phoenix
      • US Tour 2003 - Tues 5th Phoenix to San Antonio
      • US Tour 2003 - Wed 6th San Antonio
      • US Tour 2003 - Thurs 7th Austin
      • US Tour 2003 - Fri 8th Dallas
      • US Tour 2003 - Sat 9th Oklahoma City
      • US Tour 2003 - Sun 10th Flying Back
      • US Tour 2003 - Epilogue
    • 2002 Travels >
      • US Tour 2002 - Fri 30th
      • US Tour 2002 - Thurs 5th >
        • US Tour 2002 - Thurs 5th Union & Clifton
      • US Tour 2002 - Fri 6th Providence RI
      • US Tour 2002 - Sat 7th Union NJ >
        • US Tour 2002 Sat 7th Asbury Park NJ
        • US Tour 2002 - Sat 7th Asbury Park NJ (Later)
      • US Tour 2002 - Sun 8th Asbury Park NJ
      • US Tour 2002 - Mon 9th Union NJ >
        • US Tour 2002 - Mon 9th Long Island NY
      • US Tour 2002 - Tues 10th >
        • US Tour 2002 - Tues 10th NYC
        • US Tour 2002 - Tuesday 10th ESB
        • US Tour 2002 - Tues 10th NYC II
        • US Tour 2002 - Tues 10th- Manhattan and beyond
      • US Tour 2002 - Wed 11th
  • Music
    • Phuxubtelty Review
  • Movies
    • Skyfall Review
  • Books
    • Ted Simon
    • Charley Boorman & Ewan McGregor
    • Mike Carter
    • Robert Fulton Jr
    • Zoltan Sulkowsky
    • Simon Gandolfi
  • Artworks
    • Diamond Head - Acoustic Cuts
    • The Skeptix - Hate and Fear
    • Demon - Child of the Dark Sky
    • Demon . Better The Devil You Know
    • Demon - Time Has Come
    • Demon - Live at Tiffany's
    • Demon - Live in Germany
    • Demon T-Shirts
    • Mjollnir
  • The 39 Steps
  • New Page

Fun House - The Club Congleton 20th August 2011

Picture
Well, slap my ass and call me ‘Charlie’! It seems that people do, actually, still read.

No, my little white punks on dope, I have not had an epiphany, nor have I experienced near death. Well, not lately, anyway. What I have done is attend the latest Fun House summer soirée.

Allow me to elucidate. You see, when I started writing reviews of the gigs that I had attended, at the end of the last Century, all I ever hoped for, was that, maybe, my writing could turn someone on to some great music or musician, which they might not have, otherwise, encountered. With my travel writing, I hoped that someone might read my crazy adventures and take the chance of visiting somewhere and enjoy it as much as I did. I have always tried to do it in an interesting, informative and fun way. Sometimes, I think I succeed. Other times, I wonder.

That is all very well, of God of Thunder, but what the Hell are you prattling on about?  I hear you twitter. Patience, little pigs. All will become as clear as a transparent thing…

 

Picture
Just after I’d arrived at Fun House, on Saturday afternoon, a young chap came up to me and asked if I was the guy who had written ‘the review in The Chronicle’. I almost denied all knowledge of it. Eventually, I admitted that it was me what done it. As it turned out, he’d read my review of the last bash and that is what had made him decide to come and see, for himself, what all the fuss was about. Thanks, Richard. You made my year!

Gluttonous with self-approbation, as I then was, you’d think that my review of this Fun House extravaganza would be a cut-and-paste special of the last one, wouldn’t you? Nicht so schnell, mes enfants terribles. Marky don’t play dat. I like to do things the hard way…

Just because the last review was flattering and positive don’t mean diddley-squat to me. Oh yeah, I’m Bad. In fact, I’m Nationwide. Thing is, I’m a nice guy but, if it’s not good, I tend to say so. No matter who or, what, it am. Yeah, I had a great time at the last Fun House, but it was all new and shiny then. Now, the novelty has worn off, I’m a little jaded, a tad cranky, completely stone-cold sober. I am no novice this time. I know what to expect (sort of). I know a bit about the music (nothing whatsoever). I know some of the DJs (true). Moreover, everyone seems to know who I am and (as I would discover throughout the evening’s events) more than happy to pose for pictures (always fun). No, my little street arabs, this event had to be better than the last one. That’s the way it works. Continuous Improvement. Organisers, Sam Hurst and Tom Ellis may be nice guys, but I don’t impress easily and I can be quite grumpy.

 

Picture
The last event, in early July, started earlier in the day, had better weather and, took place when a lot of the great unwashed were back in town, sponging off their poor, hard-working, downtrodden parents, as opposed to skiving in some university town, at the expense of tax-payers everywhere. This time, there was a certain dependency on the locals; would they turn out?

When I arrived there had been some technical challenges with the sound system and things were running a mite late. Not that anyone would have noticed; there was almost no one there. I wondered if this was going to be a very short review. 

 

Picture
Gareth Ireland
With a Brother’s Lemon Cider in my hot, sticky paw, I took a seat and watched the first of the DJ’s doing his thing. 

Gareth Ireland was completely new to me. He’s not someone I know and I have absolutely no idea what he played. It was pretty heavy-sounding stuff to my ears though and it moved along with quite a pace. But, kinda heavy. Does that make any sense? Probably not. The thing I really like about this set was the Dj’s intensity. Even though he was, essentially, playing his set to one oldish bloke, who was busy reading Arnold Bennet’s The Card on his MePhone, he still delivered a high-intensity performance. You gotta respect that. Nice one!

 

Picture
It would have been nice if more people had been there but it was still very early in the day. From having two daughters I know that the young uns don’t even consider going out until about 11 o’ clock, so there was time. 

Next up on the decks (see how I’m hip with the lingo now?) was my tie-dye t-shirt, twin brother, Splinter. Yep, you probably guessed, I can’t say what he played, but I know I enjoy watching him. He’s not as intense as the others. He’s relaxed, irreverent, a bit of a maverick, breaking the rules and being a drum ‘n’ bass bad boy. He likes to wing it and fly by the seat of his pants or, at least, give that ipression. He would have made a great Pirate Radio DJ, back in the day. Anyway, I can’t bad-mouth anyone who wears a tie-dye t-shirt.

 

Picture
Tom Ellis (taking photo)
I must confess that I almost completely missed out on a couple of the DJ’s sets. as I was otherwise occupied with my camera, trying to set it up for later (Cheers Tom!) and, well, I was also having fun. 

That’s the thing, you get caught up in the beat and have fun. 

There, I said it! I’ll self-flagellate later. 

 

Picture
Dave Grigger
Much to everyone’s relief, around 9 o’ clock, the place started to get busy. If you play it, they will come, seemed to be the rule of thumb. Dave Grigger certainly did that. One thing I realised about this young fella is that he really loves doing this. Talking to him when he is not DJing, you encounter a much quieter, almost-introvert, character. Stick him on the stage and loosen the leash and he’s the offspring of the Duracell Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil. He tears the place up with lots of loud, pumping sounds, chanting, shouting, stomping and jumping around. Personally, I find it all a little energetic to participate in, but I get the 50% exercise from watching others sweat. It all counts. 

By the next changeover, the room was swinging. The hep cats had arrived in significant numbers and Dave Grigger had everyone bopping along like it was a High School Sock Hop. 

 

Picture
Sam Hurst
At the midnight hour, Sam Hurst took over. He was one DJ I still hadn’t yet seen that I really wanted to. Now, he talks a good game but could he deliver the goods and impress me? Not easy. I mean, he’d only bought me one drink, it was midnight and way past my bedtime…

I hate giving out praise. I really do. I’d rather gnaw off my own foot than admit that someone done good. I have been asked, on occasion, why, if I hate effusive ululations so much, why I don’t appear to have written any bad reviews out of the few hundred on my website,. Well, hang on there, my scurrilous, little vagabonds, two things you need to know: 

  • One, they are there, believe me.
  • B, I don’t, generally, go and see live performances by crap acts, no matter the genre.
  • 3. See above.

Oh bugger! I even went to the trouble of bullet points to avoid this moment. Yeah, Sam was pretty good. His style is fast, furious, and full of energy. He could work half as hard and people would still have fun. That’s not Sam’s way and I can resonate with that notion. He puts in an immense amount of work into selecting tracks, mixing, cueing, and doing whatever it is he does amidst all those flashing lights and knob-twiddlery. In a way, if Splinter is relaxed and freewheelin’, Sam is the anti-Splinter, which would, I suppose make him ‘DJ Shredder’. Still, as complex as Sam’s sounds are, you gotta love his work ethic, his enthusiasm, his energy, and his intensity. That and the fact that he plays some damn crackin’ tunes!

 

Picture
Mr. Josh Lyons
All of the Fun House DJs are different. Some play music that I like, others play stuff that means nothing to me. I still don’t understand what I’m listening to. Mind you, two months ago, I wouldn’t have even been able to tell the difference twixt Drum ‘n’ Bass and Dubstep (still can’t, but you get my drift). It’s growing on me and, at least, I can tell that each DJ plays different things.

If I have to give an award to the DJ that I, personally, enjoyed the most, on that day, it would be to Mr. Josh Lyons. I can’t tell you why I choose Josh, because I don’t really know, myself. I couldn’t say if he’s technically any better than Sam, or any of the others. I don’t know what style of music he plays and I certainly can’t give it a name. He doesn’t chat like Splinter and he doesn’t jump around like Dave Grigger. For some reason though, I just enjoy what he plays and how he puts it together. There was a moment – it was just for a nano-second, my grubby, little urchins, but it was there – when I almost danced. Fortunately, I caught myself in time and the feeling passed but, still, it was a close call. Of course, now I will have to hunt Josh down and kill him, as I have a reputation to think of and I can’t have the haunting spectre of geriatric disco-dancing hanging around my neck, like Marley’s chains (that’s Jacob, not Bob). 

 

Picture
Fun House: the clue is in the name...
So, once again, I found myself enjoying something I don’t understand and can’t explain. What’s more, this time, I wasn’t as fixated on my photos or, the what, and how the DJs did what they do. I just went with it and let it happen. To my abject horror, in some ways, I do believe I enjoyed this event more than the previous one. I think it comes down to some quite simple factors. For a start, rather than just hearing the music, I have started to listen to it and, instead of deconstructing it, I accept it for what it is. Fun! It really is quite liberating. 

Of course, it is still a mystery to me but I’m open to new things and I am quite girlishly excited about the next event. Sam Hurst and Tom Ellis work so hard to make these events happen it would be rude not to go along. Well done lads.

Don’t get too worked up about seeing me on the dance floor though. It will be a cold day in Trenton NJ before I strut my funky stuff in public!

Catch you on the flipside,


Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder


22nd August 2011

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.