Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Nothing that a good dose of Therapy? can't fix

....live like a fucker, die like a motherfucker....

A fine sentiment, I'm sure you'd agree and a sentiment coined by those popular Northern Irish rock beat combo merchants, Therapy? Who just so happened to play a gig tonight in Antwerp, ably assisted by the Belgian band Waldorf.

In the interest of providing you, The Discerning Reader, with a blow by blow account, here is my concert review. Sort of. (for I know you're all soooo interested in such things)...

Therapy? rocked last night.
The support band, a band from Ghent called Waldorf were pretty good as well.

So pumped by the concert was I, thatI got home at 04:30 this morning. Not very sensible, but do you wantto know my secret?....The "power nap".

I went to bed yesterday evening at 18:30 and got up at 20:45. More than enough time to recharge the batteries for the debauchery that followed. Not for the first time this week, Colin and myself had my Northern Ireland flag raised high and proud above our heads. At every opportune moment when it was quiet enough (and believe me there weren't too manyof those) we would burst into song, singing the name of my - and Therapy?'s lead singer, Andy Cairns - home town, Ballyclare - except it was more like:
"Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!"
"Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!"
"Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!"
*ahem* - I think you get the idea.

Anyway, after a few attempts to get his attention, we eventually succeeded and I'm pleased to report the follwing discourse took place:

Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!

Andy Cairns: You're shîtting me!

Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!
Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!

Andy Cairns: Is there REALLY a Ballyclare contingent here tonight?

Colin + Jonny: Balllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeclaaaaaaaaaaaare!YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Andy Cairns: OK ladies and gentlemen of Antwerp - time for anexplanation. Ballyclare is my home town.

Jonny: And mine! And mine!
Colin: And his! And his!

Andy Cairns: Do you know the way some towns are twinned with others,like I dunno - Nice is twinned with fucking Stoke-on-Trent. Well, Ballyclare is in a suicide pact with fucking Amsterdam, you knowwhat I'm saying??!!

Colin + Jonny: HELLLLLL YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! whilst high fiving.

All very high brow stuff, I'm sure you would agree - but it made our night!

The rock party afterwards was a blast and then of course we had to goto The Dubliner for the one post-show drink (Alas Andy Cairns didn't join us). Hence the lateness of the night...Now I'm gonna have to sit in the office here until long after everyone else has gone to make up my hours.

tsk tsk

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Colin and Jonny's Roadtrip to Nowhere

Happy Easter one and all!

I hope whatever you did proved enjoyable.

Mine....well mine was, let's just say a wee bit different.....

As you may, or may not be aware, England took on my home country, Northern Ireland on Saturday in a world cup qualifier. And, as luck would have it, I managed to get 4 tickets. So it was deicded that the PopTart and I would head off to Castle Greyskull, The Theatre of Nightmares, home of that pub team Manchester United, to watch the game.

By car.

We would go via Stansted airport to pick up my brother Darren and his mate, before embarking on a trip to Manchester to join in the fun.

So it came to pass, that we set off from Turnhout in the middle of nowhere in Belgium at 03:30 CET Saturday morning and embarked on our journey of epic proportions.

The match itself was one of the best I've ever been to. Our support was incredible.

The fact that we were beaten 4-0 (with 4 lucky goals) did not matter one jot. For when it came down to the crunch the Northern Ireland supporters were not left wanting when it came to the party stakes.

Despite being outnumbered 10 to 1, we outsung them before, during and after the match. We might be ranked 114th in the world but our fans are number one!

I can honestly say it was one of the best games of football I have ever been to.

And for anyone who questions my sanity in driving a 1600 km, 18 hour round trip, surviving on less than anhours sleep over a 50-odd hour period, to watch a game of football that we lost 4-0 and for me to say it was one of the best games of football I have ever been to -you only have to look at this short clip to see why it was all so worthwhile...

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=great-escape

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF BELGIUM

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF BELGIUM I have seen the Noel Gallagher comments on the city of Brussels and how boring it is and I...