uk trip part 2: record stores, joy division bridge, big country//the stranglers//the boomtown rats

day 2, manchester:

knif in manchester!

on our way out of manchester towards whitehaven (which is REALLY FAR AWAY) we stopped at a couple of record stores and also the bridge in that famous joy division picture.

the first store we went to was called vinyl exchange and what spurred me to go in there was the strypes record hanging in the display window. at that point it still wasn't out yet in the states and i wanted that record in the worst way. i ended up getting that, plus the boomtown rats - rat trap 7"; three stranglers records - la folie, the gospel according to the meninblack, and live (x cert); and the adicts - the sound of music. looking back i probably should have bought more, but it was the first stop and i didn't want to overdo it.

see that strypes record in the window? IT'S MINE NOW.

 there was a second record store we went into that didn't have anything i was interested in, but the third one, vinyl revival, was much better. i got a live tyrannosaurus rex album called agadinmar's lore; the stranglers - off the beaten track; the jilted john 7" (with the picture sleeve; i already had it with a generic sleeve, the picture sleeve is what did it for me); elton motello - jet boy jet girl 7"; and the stranglers - duchess 7". i didn't even finish looking through the singles because i was scared of all the good things i would be tempted to purchase.

at vinyl exchange, the guy ringing me up (who was really fucking cool and friendly and also helpful) told us how to get to the epping walk bridge, where that iconic joy division photo was taken. that was our next stop, where we walked over the bridge and took some photos of our own.

knif on the bridge!

just your average bridge, really.

now onto the more exciting stuff - this whole trek was to see the stranglers, and the first gig was that night in whitehaven. did i mention how much driving took place? it was a lot. i got to drive the car sometimes on the trip, but mostly i was in charge of playing music and taking pictures of the scenery, because this is the gorgeous shit we were driving through:

so we finally get to the place, see a bunch of people milling around outside of an unmarked gate, confirm that is indeed the place where the show was taking place, and then search for somewhere to stay for the night. we found a place in goosebutts. yes. goosebutts. don't you just love the uk?

this event was simply called whitehaven live! as far as i can tell. we were able to get right up front, which was pretty exciting since it was not only a stranglers gig, but the boomtown rats as well. and big country! before we got to our spots, i bought a boomtown rats t-shirt. the guy selling merch told us that they'd be coming to the states soon which was really exciting news.

eating a day old chip on the ground at the festival. whitehaven is very beautiful.

here we go- big country!

big country were actually pretty great. i went into this not knowing much about them, but here is a brief history lesson. big country was founded in the early 80s by stuart adamson (previously of the band the skids), who sadly passed away in 2001. they were pretty big in the uk throughout the 90s but were never able to really break through in the states, other than with their one single "in a big country." they're a great band, so i guess we're all just stupid over here in america. so, who is the band now? two other founding members, bruce watson on guitar and mike brzezicki on drums, as well as jamie watson on guitar (bruce's son!) and derek forbes (of simple minds) on bass. simon hough is the new singer, and i give him my seal of approval. mostly for his hair, but i mean yeah, he can sing, too.

mmm look at that sweet pseudo mullet action

so yeah, i would say overall i was impressed. they played for an hour and after a while it kind of all started to sound the same to me, but i can also tell you that i was impatient to see the band i had traveled over an ocean for. but i give them props and should they ever tour over here (seems pretty unlikely, though) i would go see them again. they're still really well-written songs that have held up over time. also of note: he was not wearing anything under the kilt, in true scottish form.

i saw his butt.

then it was THE STRANGLERS.
LOOK AT THEM.

omg.

that was about when it hit me that i was actually in england and that i was seeing my favorite band. it suddenly became real.

baz says "o rly"

it was a really, really great show. they only played for an hour and 15 minutes though, which is kinda short for a stranglers set. or maybe it just felt short because i love them so much. either way though they sounded great. well, baz was having some technical difficulties with his inner ear monitor or something and wasn't happy about it, obviously. we could tell he was annoyed but he didn't let it affect his playing; in fact he had a pretty good laugh when one of the crew had to come out and fiddle around with the piece attached to baz's pants. to me, that's how you know you're seeing a professional band. if they're going to have a meltdown about a little problem and be a total diva about it then they probably should have gone into a different line of work. just my opinion. so after the guy fiddled around with the belt piece he was all up in baz's face fixing the ear piece i guess, and baz kissed him because he was so close. after the song was over and the guy wasn't there anymore, he said "all my equipment is working fine, i just like it when he touches me."

ok let's get real here. they opened with "toiler on the sea" and then went right into "(get a) grip (on yourself)." people seriously go mental for that one, understandably of course, and i love watching it. then it was "skin deep" which is a pretty song and i was a little bit afraid still that it might bother me to watch baz singing cornwell songs but nope. i love the way he sings the chorus especially. and then it was "nice 'n' sleazy"; if you could see my face right now it's my happy face. i have a hard time describing how much/why i love that song. and i know it's like a weird kind of song with not much in the way of changes, but i guess it's the drum beat that really gets me. i can play the shit out of that song. for real. but also the best part is watching jj play it. the bass line is SO COOL and he does his sexy moves around the stage. ugh. it's just the best.

speaking of sexy, let's talk about how baz sings "peaches," which was next in the set. i don't know which was better, him changing the lyric to "spread it all over my peeling foreskin, that feels really good" (!!! i know right) or all the "mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mmmmmmmmmmm"s. whew. not my video but watch for yourself here.

smiling because he was just singing naughty lyrics.

and then it was "relentless" which was one of the only newer songs they did that night. i will openly admit that for many years i ignored everything post-cornwell that the stranglers did, and i will also openly admit that it was a big mistake. don't be stupid like me; suite xvi is a fantastic album. anyway...then it was "duchess"!!!! do you want to talk about how much i love this song? probably not. but i will just say that it's a fucking catchy little pop song if there ever was one. the video for it makes me giggle, the way the band sings the backing vocals... so cute. seeing it live makes me the happiest. so like, when cornwell plays it live, it sounds fine and everything but then you see the stranglers and realize without dave playing his crazy part it really loses something. but that's all i will say about that.

"golden brown" was up next, another one that sounds strange without the keyboards, so seeing the stranglers do it really gives you goosebumps, if that's the kind of person you are. would have been nice to see jet playing the drums but that's life. then it was "always the sun," and it's another one that i am always a little afraid that it will bother me to see baz sing it and then i'm wrong, because he's wonderful. oh, and he did another fun little lyric change in that one, too, which i'm still laughing about: "who has the job of pushing my knob?" and then the face he made after, like "oh my, did i really just say that?" hahahaha. love that guy. ok, where was i... "nuclear device," "walk on by," (fucking right!!), and then "hanging around"! one of my favorites to play along to, seeing it live and watching jim macaulay play it (no, not jet, but definitely the next best thing) made me so happy. then "all day and all of the night" which was unexpected but lovely just the same.

then it was "norfolk coast," another relatively new song which sounds fucking fantastic live. "5 minutes" was after that, featuring jj on lead vocals, followed by another jj song "something better change." my life was complete, that moment, right there. it was the one song i was so disappointed they didn't play in philly, and then there it was! i love how he sings "stick my fingers right up your nose!" phew. last song of the night was "no more heroes." they're all my heroes. fuck. so i was disappointed by jet black not being there, but i got over it because I JUST SAW THE FUCKING STRANGLERS IN WHITEHAVEN. and the boomtown rats were up next!!!

confession: after the stranglers i kind of wanted to leave the front row and go sit somewhere. but luckily we stayed put because DAMN, the rats totally kicked my ass in a way i was not prepared for. so like, i've always loved the band but never got super attached to them the way i did with other bands. now after seeing them i just want to talk about them all the time and tell people "hey, did you know the boomtown rats are really great?" seriously. when bob geldof came out on the stage my heart went all wonky.

sir bob!!!! that's actually him!!!

"i'm bob geldof and we are the boomtown rats and i am wearing a fuck-off snakeskin suit!"

here's the deal with the current boomtown rats lineup: still consists of original member bob geldof (obviously) as well as pete briquette on bass, simon crowe on drums, and garry roberts on lead guitar. for the life of me i can't seem to find the names of the new keyboard player and the new guitarist but they were great! whoever they are.

right. so, geldof looks pretty great, and he was full of energy. he pranced and danced around all night and i was in heaven. he seriously is more energetic on stage than anyone i know in real life, and he's 63. there is no set list online for this show that i can find, but i can tell you what i remember, which is that they opened with "(i never loved) eva braun" and went straight into "like clockwork" and then "neon heart" and then "(she's gonna) do you in." WHOA. i mean, WHOA.

i was pretty excited when i found out bob geldof had rejoined the boomtown rats; actually getting to see them was beyond anything i expected. let's see, what other songs... they did "mary of the 4th form" and "when the night comes" and "rat trap" and, yes, "i don't like mondays." i half expected them not to play that one, and half hoped they wouldn't because i thought it would just seem contrived. but i was very wrong. it was actually very touching, which is a thing of beauty for a song that is so ubiquitous.

they also did a super charged up "someone's looking at you" preceded by a whole diatribe about the government spying on us everywhere and nasa and all that shit... which is interesting, how a song that came out in 1979 is still relevant today. perhaps even more relevant now than ever. kind of like "i don't like mondays" which is still as relevant now in 2014 as it was in 1979. crazy.

and also, "she's so modern" and "lookin' after number one." those were the first songs by the boomtown rats that i ever heard, and subsequently got me into the band. hearing them live was so exciting. if you don't know those songs, do yourself a favor and look them up. right now. in fact, here, enjoy this clip of the band on marc bolan's tv show, because it combines 2 things that i love. such a fantastic night, all around.