Michael Dean, drummer of New Model Army, goes for it during tonight’s set at the Academy… It would be lovely to be able to get close-up shots at gigs with all the sweat and energy of a rock band but my days of mixing it in the moshpit have passed, sorry. Not a bad shot for someone standing more meekly nearer the back, with a long zoom, however.
After two blissful days working at home, welcome back to sodding Northern Rail’s dreadful recent performance on the Calderdale line. Just to put this in perspective, over the last two weeks I have lost a total of 7 hours of my life to delays — that’s a whole working day. This is how it feels.
As pictured at the Manchester Christmas market, which opened this week. He can consider it free advertising. This makes it 28 days in a row, or a full four weeks, with only pictures of Hebden Bridge and Manchester.
A shame about the signs on the door, which rather spoil the composition. So that’s 21 days in a row of shots only in Hebden Bridge or Manchester, breaking the record for this particular sequence; and seeing as the weather forecast for this weekend is pretty dreadful, thus no Lake District walk, the run will go on for a few more days yet.
Five movies on all afternoon and evening at the Hebden Bridge Picture House (this town’s best asset if you ask me), of which I saw the last three — The Shining (gotta see any Kubrick on the big screen at any opportunity); The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (bizarre Spanish/Italian 1970s zombie movie filmed in the UK, though not, particularly, in Manchester, which also includes probably the most gratuitous nude scene in movie history); and The Wicker Man (among the best movies ever made). Would you have been brave enough to spend such an evening in the company of this man?
It’s Joe’s half-term, so to occupy him (and also mark Clare’s birthday) we went to the National Football Museum in Manchester. This is part of the new “From Pitch to Pixel” exhibition, head that bright orange ball and become part of some giant interactive artwork being compiled over several months, called “Hit It!”. And become part of my rather longer-lasting interactive artwork too….
Oh, it’s always very nice to go to Leeds and win, although we (Brighton) seem to be making a habit of it… a 2-1 victory makes it six wins in our last seven games against Yorkshire’s ‘finest’. Tim and Jamie on the left constitute the other half (with Joe & I) of the Calderdale Seagulls… being based in the local area this is the one we want to win the most. I seem unable to take decent action shots of any football match, probably because I get too involved, but this picture encapsulates my day just fine.
Work trip down south today. Change trains at Leeds. Leeds probably ranks third on the list of ‘Drew’s most frequently-visited railway stations’ (after Hebden Bridge and Manchester Victoria, but ahead of Preston and King’s Cross). This section of it seems to have turned a shocking pink colour in the last few weeks for no immediately obvious reason.
This piece of equipment isn’t quite as fearsome as it looks, because in fact there are three of them lined up along row O of the stalls of the Palace Theatre, Manchester, filming the performance we came tonight to see. The ten rows behind them all had to be reseated, which is proof, I guess, that the BBC can stomp in and do what they like….
Being 42 