DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME;

A cold night in the capital (that's the Welsh capital,
of course!)

By Caryne

Cardiff...got there, amazingly for British
Rail, on time. After negotiating a rather over
friendly taxi driver, met Mike 'Dukie' Anderson, his
wife and their son, Jake, outside the Coal Exchange.
Jake, aged 7, hadn't been told he was going to see
'Love' and was quite overawed by it all, which was
really sweet. We were supposed to be meeting Mike
(Randle, too many Mikes) in The Packet (the same pub
we met last year) so we went round there (after
ascertaining there is nowhere else to eat in Cardiff
Bay at 5.30pm on a Friday, if you have a child and/or
vegetarian) and settled down in the 'No Smoking' area
(where someone, of course, proceeded to smoke!) Jake
filled the area with plastic dinosaurs and we waited,
and waited and waited. Yep, Mike was a no-show.
After far too much alcohol gave up and went back to
Coal Exchange. Still no sign of the band (worrying)
and we'd missed The Keys (a pity, so I hear, must try
and catch them on Wednesday) Caught Micky Gee's set
though and he was a totally entertaining guitarist who
got me dancing even though I was planning to save
myself for 'Love' (Me - save myself - probably years
too late for that?!!) Towards to end of Micky Gee's
set we noticed 'Love's' equipment appearing at the
back of the stage and Mike R bounded up and said
something about the equipment bus breaking down and
nearly having to borrow 'The Keys' stuff. Thankfully
they got there and the panic was over (though it was
bloody late by the time they got on, well, after 10pm
anyway). I'm nothing for gig reviews so I'll just say
it was amazing, lots of songs (well, what did you
expect) which I'm sure the ever-efficient Dukie has
now posted up on Torben's website. Got 'Rainbow in
the Storm', which is becoming a real grower, also
'Message to Pretty' and some blistering versions of
'August' and an extended 'Signed DC', which even
seemed to surprise Arthur by how long it went on.
Noticed 'Feathered Fish' was on the printed set list
but it wasn't played, actually the set list wasn't
stuck to at all. After best part of two hours it was
done, I was knackered and well 'bounced' out (you
don't want to know!!) Finally got to say 'Hello' to
Mike, who introduced me to a guy from Cheltenham who's
doing his new album and said a quick 'Hello' to Rusty,
who also made Jake's day by posing for a photo, Mike
having done so a little earlier (looking forward to
seeing them) Surprise of the night, just as I wa
going (my long-suffering lift home was waiting) I saw
Arthur was in the corner chatting to people and
signing stuff, I had nothing but the
'ever-resourceful' Dukie saved the day by letting me
have one of his 'Arthur photos' to get done, so now
I'm happy - also got a photo but, sadly, rather washed
out by the flash - must get some of this 'new-fangled'
digital technology then I won't have those problems.
Was blind (contact lenses couldn't cope with the very
friendly but chain-smoking guy standing next to me at
the front) and deaf (too near the speaker) all the way
home and, very slightly, pissed so must apologise to
everyone who I spoke to at the end BUT it was great
fun.
Roll on Wednesday, 5.30pm in The Hatchet, across the
road from the Academy(Bristol) if you are coming.
It's a lovely old pub only marred by it's freqenting
by 15 year old goths but there's worse people to be in
a pub. See you there?

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All Pix By Dukie Anderson, here havin' a Beer with Mike!
the one on top, that's Caryne's, and the "Beer" shot by Dave Chapple

SCOTTISH ROSE RECORDINGS
www.thefreedomman.com

=====

Mike Randle
mike@lovewitharthurlee.com

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