All things GRFC

Another eventful few days in the soap that is GRFC....Noises, familar noises had been coming out all week..defiance, upbeat,putting mistakes right, all the talk of the town. Apparantly a tough training session ensued and 2 forward internationals became injured in an already small squad. Smart.

Attention turned to the appalling  surroundings of Vicrage Road and a pretty appalling match by all accounts. Losing bonus point, chance of the draw,maybe chance of a win if NRobinson had pinned his ears back that extra yard. Oh and the usual GRFC citing/GBH incident concerning our french hooker Ollie Azam. One feels the hourly medical bulletins of the English captain over the news media since Sunday are slightly over the top.

But like a phoenix from the ashes, Australia are in town to play a Gloucester XV before their Grand Slam attempt in november. Great news for all concerned and I shall be trotting down to the club post haste once tickets have been allocated

Genghis Khan politics...

Caught some of QTime the other night and there was a worrying glimpse in to the future. M.Hesletine passionately defending the rich against paying more millionaire tax and claiming that 5 year old Afghan children at the gates of Calais were clearly economic migrants because "you can tell they are"

There will be sadly a lot more of that over the next 10 years

Me and REM

Man, I am excited.

On October 27th, R.E.M. will be releasing Live At The Olympia, a 39-song, two CD set containing "working rehearsals" from 2007. Taken from five nights of live "tests" at the Dublin venue and culminating in the group's 2007 Accelerate album, this is no ordinary recording. Aside from live versions from Acelerate, the majority of songs are
from 1982-1988 IRS days . In their full glory the album consists as follows

1 Living Well is the Best Revenge

2 Second Guessing

3 Letter Never Sent

4 Staring Down the Barrel of the Middle Distance

5 Disturbance at the Heron House

6 Mr. Richards

7 Houston

8 New Test Leper

9 Cuyahoga

10 Electrolite

11 Man-Sized Wreath

12 So. Central Rain

13 On The Fly

14 Maps and Legends

15 Sitting Still

16 Driver 8

17 Horse to Water

18 I'm Gonna DJ

19 Circus Envy

20 These Days

21 Drive

22 Feeling Gravitys Pull

23 Until the Day is Done

24 Accelerate

25 Auctioneer

26 Little America

27 1,000,000

28 Disguised

29 The Worst Joke Ever

30 Welcome to the Occupation

31 Carnival of Sorts

32 Harborcoat

33 Wolves, Lower

34 I've Been High

35 Kohoutek

36 West of the Fields

37 Pretty Persuasion

38 Romance

39 Gardening at Night

My best man to be introduced me to REM in 1991. I was 20, never really into music although by then U2 were on my radar, mainly due to the Joshua Tree.

I caught a couple of snippets on TV of a rock journalist called Dave Fanning talking to REM and there studio recordings of 2 songs from their forthcoming album. One of these songs as I later found out was Losing My Religion.

I was hooked, I wore out the video tape listening to these recordings and the rest was history. 9 years later their song At My Most Beautiful was the first dance at my wedding. Better than Shiny Happy People I guess?

One of the joys of finding a band like REM was history. Discovering the 6 albums already recorded, live versions in front of 50 people,singles collections and then watching that grow before my eyes over several live concerts throughout my 20's and 30's into the largest band in the world. Accelerate was a welcome return to form,IRS years all over again. I probably have all those above versions somewhere already. It dont matter. They are now  to be safley on one recording in 5 weeks and counting.

U2@CARDIFF

Ok,quite an old review but one that must be documented. It was a beautiful day but one that at times did have an overwhelming sense of deja vu. However in the days and weeks since,and having given great thought, I have no doubt I would do it all again.

First thing I would say on Lisa and my behalf, is that it is possible that a very large amount of alcohol was consumed that day and it may well have clouded judgement. I am still not taken with Cardiff.Possibly we are shopping in the wrong quarters but its not a stand out city for mine.

So to the concert. The set up was amazing as normal, sound was just standout. We sat upper tier at the back and it was like listening to it in your front room. Genuine excitement built as the Claw started to smoke and Space Oddity echoed out of the 250 feet high speakers announcing the capsule's arrival.

The new songs are excellent live. It has given me new will to go back to the album which upon continual listening to since Cardiff, I would now put up there as the finest album made since Actung Baby; it is that good. The old songs are still good to see, good to hear but one wonders if one's heart was in it this time. It just felt I had been there before. In saying that,massive entertainment value and no doubt if the show passes through a town near me again in 2010,I will be putting my hand in the air for a prime seat.

GRFC

I fear I am falling out of love with rugby.

This is not a kneejerk reaction to the bloodgate incident. I note of course that all of the people calling for the public flogging of Dean Richards have never made a cock up at work and then panicked into trying to hide it as it snowballed out of control.

No this is a longer term effect. I just dont find it entertaining anymore. has it something to do from moving over from a 20 something generation that used to stand in the shed and watch through beer goggles as Glos either destroyed its opposition or fall over the finishing line in a hotchpotch end of the season into the more refined seats of the West and C&G stand where the product and the beer just dont taste that good anymore?

I dont think so.

Take Saturday. £39 spent with J and myself to be entertained. Very little running rugby,very little good basics,blatant offsides,continual interruptions,energy drinks galore and a referee who probably wouldnt have brandished a yellow card for GBH.

This is not sour grapes. All parties were to blame. After 3 rounds of the GP,have you seen a good game? The last 2 weeks TV viewing have been awful. Leicester of all teams are yet to go over the whitewash.

It started so well against a Bath xxiii.Strong defence,solid going forward,a pack of mean and moody souls,an enforcer in the line out(as there was no old one I wont call it a new enforcer) and a 10/12 axis who will produce no finer competitive debut between them. A new brush was certainly in town but I sensed the usual rollercoaster ride ahead.

I just cannot remember seeing Gloucester play well for a long time now and just as importantly leaving Holm feeling that was good value, must go back. It comes to all teams in the end; i just wonder if it has come to some of the players. Tindall looks a spent force, our sole strike player JSD plays with such little regularity, potentially our best player at full back seems as injury prone as one of Simpson Daniel's old nags ,around the base of the scrum is cringe worthy and I will leave the forwards to another day as it would seem that is what the coaches do.

The first 30 mins of the second half were up there with Newport Dragons in the EDF,Rotherham first game of the season when Rory Teague ponced around with 15 on his back, a Leeds landslide at home,Wasps 0-27 drubbing. Entertainment nil,belief nil,passion,you know the rest.

Yes early days but worrying signs for this committed follower but occasional visitor .

Gloucester Quays

Lisa and I had our first proper look a few Saturdays ago.

We initially drifted over after the poorly organised GRFC open day for which questions should be asked around a table. To avoid the throngs, we then returned at 5 of the cloakings the following Saturday. Yes the aisles were bare but it gave us a chance to look at our own pace without interruption nor crush! Its a solid spectacle,one which Glos folk should be proud of in a vain attempt to appeal to the ABC! golden generation of credit card holders. Spacious,we designed ,clean,it puts the pitiful slum of the city centre to shame.

Take away the layers and some concerns. Prices range from the sublime to the ridiculous and the actual choices of garment are a little predictable and one dimensional. To have no real food or wine choice of beverage from the outset is poor. Elder generations tell me there is no where to sit down?! I would have thought the essential life supplies of sport shops,mobile phone operators and ELC's would be bearing down fairly quickly. It deserves support although at this stage the number of appealing units for this household can be counted on one hand