I think this is another case of my Swiss cheese memory. I could have sworn that my first encounter with Los Lobos was in 1985 but Wikipedia claims their first full album came out in 1984. It probably did and I didn’t actually hear of it until early 85. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it. It doesn’t matter either way because Los Lobos was my first encounter with a style of rock some people called Tex-Mex. This is a infusion of country music from Texas and Mexican music. All I thought at the time was this is a nice piece of rock and roll.
My belief it’s rock and roll comes from the opening track, “Don’t Worry Baby.” This track sound very 1950s and I envision kids dancing around to it in Happy Days fashion. Still, it’s a good way to open the album. The second track, “A Matter of Time” is certainly more soft rock although I wouldn’t say it’s a ballad but it keeps things ticking over nicely. Los Lobos’s Mexican influence definitely shines through on the third track, “Corrido #1.” Again, it is very catchy and though I’ve never done it, it is an amusing song to play at parties. One could definitely dance along and shout “Ole!” with this one.
While the third track brought the Mex, the very next track brings forth the Tex. “Our Last Night” sounds classic country and visions of people four-stepping and shouting “Yee-ha!” fill my mind here. The lead guitar sounds very country western. Things swing back to the Mex with “The Breakdown” but the 50s sound from the opening track is present too. The combination works and smoothly takes you to the drinking track on the album, “I Got Loaded.” Singing about getting drunk to a catchy 50s melody makes me want to bob along while taking swigs from a bottle. Can’t do it this time, I’m still on the wagon from Bloodstock. I love the sax solo at the end.
Mexico can certainly be felt with “Serenata Norteno.” This sounds like a fiesta and it is sung in Spanish but it’s a nice catchy little tune. A cool 50s sounding guitar solo opens the next track, “Evangeline” and sets the tone for the rest of it. The track cooks all the way through with another cool guitar solo in the middle. “I Got to Let You Know” is in the same 50s vibe but faster. Once I joked that the song was 50s thrash, though not quite that fast and the vocals are cleaner. Plus there’s a sax solo in the middle so you really can’t call it thrash. After the short instrumental, “Lil’ King of Everything,” Los Lobos save the best for last. Closing the album is the title track and first single. While all the mentioned influences are compacted into the song, it totally rocks! It has always been my all time favourite Los Lobos song. Like I said, it’s a great way to end an album.
Track Listing:
Don’t Worry Baby
A Matter of Time
Corrido#1
Our Last Night
The Breakdown
I Got Loaded
Serenata Norteno
Evangeline
I Got to Let You Know
Lil’ King of Everything
How Will the Wolf Survive
Los Lobos
Steve Berlin- saxophones, percussion
David Hildalgo- lead vocals, guitar, steel trap, accordion, percussion
Conrad Lozano- bass, backing vocals, guitarron
Louie Perez- drums, backing vocals, bajo quinto
Caesar Rosas- lead vocals, guitar, mandolin, bajo sexto
Thirty-three and a half years ago, I very much enjoyed my introduction into Tex-Mex. Los Lobos put out a grand debut album.
Next post: The Hooters- Nervous Night
Note: I’m going away for five days on a much needed vacation so the post won’t be for about a week.
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Roll-Children-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1609763556/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1535658688&sr=1-3&keywords=michael+d+lefevre
A place to get your air mattresses inflated. I didn’t have one.
At previous Bloodstock Festivals, I always had to leave on the Sunday night due to work commitments. Because I wanted to see so many bands on the Sunday, I made sure I sorted things out so I could sleep Sunday night and leave Monday morning. Monday mornings seem to be an anti-climax at Bloodstock and probably most other weekend festivals. Although, I could hear people partying away on the Sunday night, the campsite seemed deathly quiet when I woke up at 7:15 on Monday morning. Most of the tents were still up although I could see that some had packed up and left in the middle of the night. Therefore, I got Teal and Joe up with no problem, my offer of a MacDonald’s breakfast was good incentive, and we took down the tent, packed and joined the slow but steady procession of people leaving the grounds. There was no conversation, it seemed everyone, like us, was focused on leaving. The whole process only took an hour.
I was totally serious when I said Bloodstock 2018 would be my last ever three day festival unless of course I win the lottery and then I’ll rent a mobile home and go glamping at Bloodstock and Download. The thing is that I’m getting too old to be laying on a piece of ground for an entire weekend. I also felt my age in other ways. After standing to see a couple of bands, I definitely needed to sit down as I felt the aches and pains. While you’re never too old to rock, I have to admit that I’m getting too old for all the other bits that go with it. However, it’s not just me getting old, many of the bands I grew up with and rocked out to are calling it a day as well. Twisted Sister has retired and supposedly so has Ozzy and though Judas Priest claim they will be back, will they be the same without Tipton and Downing bending the six strings? That remains to be seen.
One thing I can say that if this was my last festival, I’m going out on an absolute high. Bloodstock 2018 was fantastic, don’t ask me if it was the best because all of them were that good. At 2018, I got to see personal favourites Suicidal Tendencies, Judas Priest and Doro, all of which put on a magnificent show. On top of that, I got to see Mr Big, a band whose material I have plenty of but never saw live. They proved to doubters that they did belong at Bloodstock. Also, after seeing Gojira twice as a non- headliner, I saw them take their rightful place at the top of Saturday’s lineup and they made the most of it. What I can say what was great about this year’s Bloodstock was that I got to see many bands I had heard little or nothing about and get totally blown away by them! Feed The Rhino and Orden Ogan definitely come to mind here and now that I know more of them, I am delving more into Amaranthe and Nightwitch.
Feed The Rhino welcome everybody to Bloodstock
Levermann and Kersting leading from the front.
Amaranthe won me over
Of all the bands, there are two which I have a special place with me on account of where they’re from, Orphaned Land and Underside. Orphaned Land, from Israel, explained that with all the hatred in the Middle East at the moment, there seems to be a unified hatred for heavy metal there. I have touched on this in past posts, especially with the band Confess who faced long term prison time in Iran for playing the music they loved so much. On the other hand, not all Middle Eastern nations are like Iran as the lovely Lilas Mayassi from Slave to Sirens pointed out to me. Lebanon is a liberal and tolerant country. Furthermore, Underside are from Nepal and they thanked me on Facebook for the kind words I wrote about them. It fills my heart to see that heavy metal is even making its way into small mountain countries. What we as metalheads need to do is to embrace these metal artists coming out of such regions and give them the ear they so desperately seek. Only this way can metal establish world dominance.
Orphaned Land come out under the lights.
Underside finally emerge
Some final observations from the historic weekend was that I noticed and forgive me if I’m not being politically correct here, that there were more persons of colour attending the festival. The New Yorker who was into At The Gates was African American. I’m not just talking about those of Afro-Caribbean origin, there were also people of other races there too. This is good because it has been a concern of mine ever since I read Laina Dawes book, “What Are You Doing Here?” In order for metal to progress, we must kick racism and sexism out of it. That reminds me, it turns out that Underside’s great female bassist whose playing totally rocked, isn’t officially a part of the band. It would be great for them to take her on full time.
Thank you for letting an old man rant but I hope the wisdom of my years shows through here. I will take memories of Bloodstock to my grave with me because it is a great metal festival and I enjoyed each and every one I’ve been to.
I finally got a song from Underside for you, enjoy!
Next post: Los Lobos- How Will the Wolf Survive
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Roll-Children-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1609763556/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1535371510&sr=1-3&keywords=michael+d+lefevre
A few months later, Andy had settled back into anonymity, glad that his fifteen minutes of fame were well and truly over. He gave little thought to the fact one evening when he met a friend at a pub less than half a mile from White Hart Lane. He and his friend spent several hours in relaxed conversation, downing four pints each over the time. Therefore, he never clocked the five lads sitting in the corner looking over and pointing at him. It was also the reason why he didn’t notice those same men follow him out when he left the pub.
Having gone a few hundred metres and in sight of the tube station, five men caught up to and surrounded him. Seeing he was severely outnumbered, Andy quickly pleaded, “Look, I don’t want any trouble.”
The shortest of the five, who was a good seven inches shorter than Andy, retorted, “Oh you got trouble, mate! We know you’re the guy who fouled Felipe Fonsecca.”
“We told you we’d get you,” another one affirmed. “We’re the White Hart Lane Firm.”
Thinking quickly, Andy offered up, “Look, I apologised to Fonsecca and besides, I’ve retired from football.”
“That’s not good enough,” the short one snapped. “You thought you’d be a hero to all the birds because they didn’t want him playing after he shagged some slapper who then cried rape.”
Andy realised that whatever he said would not make any difference to this mob. So, he did the only thing possible; he attacked. Picking out the largest of the five, he landed a right cross on the target’s jaw, knocking him back and temporarily stunning him. Unfortunately that would be his only offensive move because unbeknown to him, one of the other four had secretly readied a lead pipe which he viciously clubbed Andy on the back with sending him forward and giving the others time to surround him and unleash a barrage of punched and kicks. After a few minutes and their victim sufficiently weakened, four of the mob grabbed Andy and held him still so the man with the pipe could smash his kneecap. When that was accomplished, the mob left their prey in a heap on the ground, barely conscious.
He was in hospital for three days before the local police came to interview him about the attack. Andy did his best to tell what happened and confessed that the attack was because of his foul on Fonsecca. One officer seemed sympathetic but his partner commented, “I thought you should have been charged for that tackle.” Andy also mentioned the threats he got from the White Hart Lane Firm. The two officers took everything down and informed him that they would be in touch.
Durning his five week stay in hospital, the police only returned twice. The first time, they brought their file of known members of the White Hart Lane Firm, which Andy identified the short guy. The second time was to inform him that the short guy had an alibi. He also learned that the police blocked the redramatisation of his attack on “Crimewatch” on the grounds that Andy’s notoriety may do more harm than good. That meant that when Andy finally did leave the hospital, there seemed little chance of his attackers ever being brought to justice. He now realised that while he never should have fouled Fonsecca the way he did but he didn’t deserve any of this.
It looks as if 2018 is going to suck again as it’s my sad duty to announce the passing of former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King. Ed passed away from lung cancer at his home in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 68. Ed joined Skynyrd from when his original band, Strawberry Alarm Clock opened for them in 1972. Originally, he joined as a temporary replacement for bassist Leon Wilkeson but was added as a third guitarist later. He co-wrote the famous Lynyrd Skynyrd hit, “Sweet Home Alabama.” Another tragic loss to the music industry during three years of tragic losses. I hope you will all join me in offering my condolences to Ed’s family.
Final full day at Bloodstock and I was prepared for a long one. Five of the final six bands on the Ronnie James Dio Stage were on my ‘must see’ list. That gave me some time to not have to wolf down breakfast and chill before I headed to the arena for a final day of metal. However, that was cut short when Teal suggested I make it six of the last seven bands when he recommended I see Amaranthe. Oh well, one more band wouldn’t hurt so I went with him and Joe to the arena.
That six of seven could have become seven of eight, at least I wished so because when I got to the Dio Stage, the band Evergrey was finishing up. This was yet another band whom I only caught the last few minutes of and wished I had seen more of them. Maybe it’s mellowing with age but I’m getting more into prog-metal bands and these guys from Sweden are definitely worth checking out. Shame I can’t say more.
Evergrey on stage
So far at Bloodstock, Teal had been two for two when recommending bands I should see, Kamelot on Friday and Alestorm on Saturday. No surprises that on Sunday, he was three for three when I saw the second consecutive Swedish band, Amaranthe, although they did have some technical difficulties before they came out on stage. Not to worry, while those difficulties were being sorted, bassist Johan Andreassen entertained the crowd with a bit of improv. I can’t remember anything he said, damn my Swiss cheese memory, but he had me and the rest of the crowd rolling on the ground in laughter. When the rest of the band emerged, the most obvious sight was that they had three singers. Two males, one described as clean vocals, that was Nils Molin and the unclean male vocals of Henrik Eglund Wilhemsson along with the vocals of Elize Ryd. The best thing is that this combination totally worked. Each singer would come in with their style of vocals at the appropriate part in the song and take it in an unexpected direction. Of course, the other reason it worked was the musical efforts of guitar, bass and drums. The end result was forty minutes of good power metal and another band not known to me who impressed me a hell of a lot.
Johan Andreassen doing his improv
Elize and Henrik on the vocals
Amaranthe won me over
Having seen Fozzy twice before I had already regarded Chris Jerico as a good metal singer. Third time is the charm and if I had any doubt in my mind about him, those doubts were obliterated on this particular Sunday. He even came out on stage in a really cool looking long coat. His vocals, if anything, were even better and he still knows how to work a crowd. His band was as good as ever, especially when they played my all time favourite Fozzy song, “Drinkin’ With Jesus.” Really love that song and I have made a promise to myself to listen to more Fozzy.
Chris in his coat
A shot of the entire band
I thought I’d get the guitar and bass in.
Chris engaging the crowd
Got more good shots of Fozzy
I thought he was going to attempt a flying drop kick here.
Since I didn’t want to go back to the campsite but my 57 year old frame didn’t want to stand, I went over to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to have a little sit down at the back. Shortly after, the next band started to get ready to go on stage but they too had some technical difficulties. This time, the bass player didn’t do improv. Instead, she treated the crowd to a brilliant bass solo, she could play! The band took the stage and played some really cool thrash/death metal. I learned they were from Nepal and it’s great to see such a good band coming out from that part of the world. I hope more people will check them out. Unfortunately, someone from either WordPress or Youtube is being a prick and not letting me paste any of their songs here.
Bass player shredding away
Underside finally emerge
Underside show that you can rock in Nepal.
The universal big question asked by many of the 18,000 who attended Bloodstock in 2018 was whether Mr Big was the type of band to play at this Festival. For me, that question was answered in the affirmative on the very first song, it being my vote for their hidden gem, “Daddy, Lover, Brother and Little Boy.” I have always loved that song and that set the stage for the rest of their set. Sure, they played most of their classics, “Green Tinted Sixties Mind” was the fourth song and not long after, “To Be With You” which Eric Martin brought out an acoustic guitar to play along to. He did the same with the cover of the Cat Stevens classic, “Wild World.” On top of that, Paul Gilbert totally impressed me with his guitar work on the songs and when he was left to play a solo. Eric also explained to the crowd that they had been on a European tour and Bloodstock was their last stop. Their final songs were more metal leaning, one of the being “Take Cover.” However, when they left the stage, they proved to everyone that Mr Big belonged at Bloodstock! Even if they didn’t play my other favourite Mr Big song, “The Whole World’s Gonna Know.”
Welcome Mr Big
Paul plays a solo
Paul continues to wail
Here’s a shot of Billy Sheehan
Eric on the acoustic guitar
Billy and Paul jamming together. Mr Big were certainly the most photogenic band at Bloodstock.
Some might think this might be going from one extreme to the other. Going from the melodic metal sounds of Mr Big to the death metal of Devil Driver. That didn’t bother me nor the many others who came to see them. It was metal mayhem to say the least. I can’t really say much about their time on stage. I went close to the front with Teal and Joe and therefore, spent the entire time on the edges of mosh pits and passing crowd surfers to the front. That kind of ruins your concentration a bit. What I did hear from Devil Driver, I totally liked and still had a fantastic time during their set.
Devil Driver
The mayhem spoiled this shot a little.
The best shot of them
I don’t remember anything about them but I got a shot of Servers on the New Blood Stage
At Bloodstock 2016, I took HMO’s advice and went to see a band he recommended on his blog called Ackercoke. So, when he posted about At the Gates a few months ago, I knew I had to see them. He’s now two for two in my book because At the Gates were brilliant. Three Swedish bands took the Dio Stage on this day and all three impressed me. For me, they were a natural progression after the more progressive sound of Evergrey to the sometimes more harder one of Amaranthe to At The Gates’s death metal although, they did go melodic at times. I always have liked that style so these guys fit in well. During their set, I met a man from New York who had come to Bloodstock just to see them. Apparently, they hardly ever go to the States. The band needs to rectify that! All I can say when they left was “Thank you HMO for showing me another great band.”
At The Gates
Singer Thomas Lindberg engaging the crowd
Thomas turned his back on me here.
Headlining the Sunday was the Finnish band Nightwish. I had heard many great things about this band and I further liked what I had heard from them so I was expecting good things. I wasn’t disappointed. A huge clock at the back of the stage counted down the final minute to their appearance and they came out just as it hit zero. From then on it was pure magic, whether it was the vocals of Floor Jansen, the guitar work of Emppu Vuorinen or the keyboards of Tuomas Holopainen. What impressed me even more was Troy Donockley who played guitar, Bouzouki and an assortment of woodwind instruments and all very well. I now have a full appreciation of what is called Gothic metal. The hour and a half went by too fast and the show ended with a spoken word bit but I can’t say who was speaking or what was said but it added greatly to the atmosphere of the show. The band did come back and I was hoping for one more song but they just took more bows. Can’t complain though.
The clock counts down
Good shot of Tuomas Holopainen on keys
I tried to get the band but a bunch of lights got in the way
Flash!
The last shot before they left the stage.
Tired and hungry, I went back to the tent to feed, drink my last beer and get some sleep. Next morning would be time to tear down, pack up and go. However, I left completely fulfilled having seen some great bands not only this day but the entire weekend. However, Scandinavia did win the Sunday.
Next post: Bloodstock, My final thoughts.
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Roll-Children-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1609763556/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1535059396&sr=8-8&keywords=michael+d+lefevre
Saturday at Bloodstock was going to be an open day for me pretty much as the only band on my ‘must see’ list was the evening’s headliners, Gojira. While I was finishing my early morning tasks at a leisurely pace, a gentleman passed by and suggested that I check out Power Trip. His sales pitch was that if I liked Suicidal Tendencies, I would love this band. That was enough to sell me so I headed over to the arena.
Listening to American thrash/punk crossover band Power Trip, I could see what the gentleman meant by the comparison to Suicidal Tendencies. They even dedicated a song to Cannibal Corpse and even though they said some might thought it too early in the morning, orchestrated a wall of death. While I have to say they’re not quite like the band they have been compared to, Power Trip were a good band to have a great mosh to and quite an appropriate way to start the Saturday.
Power Trip- a great start to any day.
At this point of the weekend, I had seen several bands whom I had never heard of who had impressed the hell out of me and I was in the mind to award several bands the honour of “Band Whom I’d Never Heard of Who Impressed Me the Most.” That all went out the window when the next band after Power Trip ascended the Dio Stage. That band was German prog-metallers Orden Ogan. If you like Hammerfall, then you should like this band. They really impressed me a lot. One thing I noticed when they were on stage was the absence of a bass player. Lead singer Sebastian Levermann explained this was because he had broken his thumb and was unable to play guitar. Thus normal bassist Neils Loffler took up the rhythm guitar. Saying that, he did play a couple of solos along with lead guitarist Tobias Kersting who could really jam. Left to just sing, Levermann was good at engaging the crowd and at one point when he would sing, “All we are,” the audience would yell back, “Cold, fucking dead!” When they left, Orden Ogan were secure in the title of band who I’d never heard of who impressed me the most.
Orden Ogan come on stage. Too bad those horns got in my way.
Levermann and Kersting leading from the front.
Being wowed by Orden Ogan made me hungry so I headed back to the tent for some lunch. Returning afterwards, I happened to catch the last five minutes of Vola on the Sophie Lancaster Stage. They were a four piece band which included a keyboard. The best way to describe them is to say they’re industrial metal but they sounded all right to me and I might listen to them more.
Vola on the Sophie Stage
Heading back to the Ronnie James Dio Stage, I had no idea what to expect from the next band to take the stage, Combichrist. What I heard and saw took me completely by surprise. I thought that with a name like Combichrist, they would be a thrash or death metal band, especially with all the band’s faces painted white. Instead, their brand of industrial metal would be something that metalheads to dance to at parties. The audience jumped up and down in time with many of the songs, though I had to take it a bit easy with my weak knee. Still, the antics of the band were very entertaining. At one point, lead singer Andy LaPlegua had the audience say “Fuck off!” to each member of the band, which was followed by a song called “Fuck That Shit.” After a few more songs and “Fucks” from LePlegua, the band ended on a great high by bringing out three young ladies twirling flaming batons to the song, “I Don’t Give a Fuck About You.” Great way to end the show and I was very impressed.
Combichrist with no bass and two drummers
A good shot of them
In this shot, the drummer was bouncing his sticks off his drum.
The baton twirlers come out.
The band plays “Fuck That Shit.”
The twirlers in their full glory
After being totally amused by Combichrist, I headed over to the New Blood Stage where I caught the last few minutes of a band called Aeonia. The featured two female lead singers who both possessed operatic style voices. I was sorry I couldn’t have seen more of them.
Aeonia on the New Blood Stage.
Heading back to the Dio Stage, I was in for another surprise. On the recommendation of Teal, I decided to check out Alestorm. I had a feeling that this was going to be different when I saw the huge rubber duck at the back of the stage. This would be my first introduction to the genre known as pirate metal. The songs all sounded like heavy metal sea ditties and I liked it. I found the songs, “Drink,” “Captain Morgan’s Revenge” and “Shipwrecked” among others all to be very amusing. Instead of a mosh pit, lead singer, Christopher Bowes organized a rowing pit where everyone sat on the ground rowing in unison to the song, great fun. Bowes also stated that instead of a wall of death, everyone meet in the middle, take off their clothes and have a big orgy. We all saw the humour in that. Alestorm’s set ended with him leading the crowd in singing:
Fuck you, you’re a fucking wanker
We’re gonna punch you right in the balls.
Fuck you with a fucking anchor
You’re all cunts so fuck you all.”
A great time was had by all during the forty-five minutes Alestorm was on stage.
The big rubber duck awaits Alestorm
Alestorm on stage with a lot of flying inflatable objects.
An even bigger rowing pit
Alestorm leave with an explosion of confetti
With nearly two hours to go before Gojira, we decided to head back to the tent. The heavens had opened up so we stayed in the tent eating and drinking. That might have been a mistake because we all nodded off. I woke up at one point, heard the rain pelting down and thought, “I’m not going out in this.” Maybe I should have because when I awoke after nodding off again, I discovered it had stopped raining but Gojira had been on stage for 20 minutes! Immediately waking Teal and Joe, we raced like mad back to the arena and to the Dio Stage.
If any band in the history of Bloodstock had paid their dues and earned the right to headline, it was definitely Gojira. I had seen them play second from the top spot in 2010 and just below it in 2016 and both times they were better than the band who went on after them. This time, they were simply better than ever! Being the headliner, they had a really cool light show, just as good as Judas Priest’s light show the night before. I definitely remember them playing “Stranded” and Joe Duplantier was very good at engaging the crowd. Plus there was a cool drum solo from Mario. Overall, Gojira put on a great display of heavy metal and proved they can headline along with the best of them.
Managed to get a good shot of Gojira here.
Another attempt at photographing them.
Different lights made this shot possible
Bright lights
More bright lights
Having had that nap, I wasn’t tired so I headed to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to check out that headliner, Orphaned Land. This turned out to be another great decision because Orphaned Land where nothing short of absolutely brilliant! They blend folk and death metal together to make one great but unique sound. Coming from Israel, they also blend Middle Eastern and Western influences and again, it sounds just great. I loved the use of the Bouzouki in place of guitar solos in some of the songs. Plus they do go ultra heavy at times. Before, they got on stage, the announcer told the crowd to listen to the message of this band. Lead singer, Kobi Farhi, explained how fucked up things in the Middle East are with everyone trying to kill each other be it Jews, Arabs or homosexuals. However, he stated that everybody hates heavy metal because it’s considered Satanic. This got me thinking but I won’t talk about that now, I just want to say how great a band Orphaned Land are.
Orphaned Land come out under the lights.
A great shot of them.
A great show!
Still not tired, I went to the metal disco at the Sophie tent after the show. They played a good variety of songs which included some 1970s rock and even a Michael Jackson and a Coolio song. Eventually, I went back to the tent and had one last beer before bedtime. Sometime later, Teal came in and woke me up, I had fallen asleep in the chair with the beer in my hand. At least I didn’t spill any. Still it was a great second day.
I rectified my error on my post about Bloodstock, the Friday. The photos of Doro’ s performance on that night are now on the page. With that, here’s part 5 of “Dodgy Tackle.”
Hopes of a return to normality when the work week began that Monday morning were voided as soon as he walked through the front doors. Immediately, a pretty young secretary, not quite out of her teens rushed up to him throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a big kiss on the cheek. A middle aged female manager gave him a bear hug while whispering in his ear, “The women of Britain are proud of you.” His closest friend at the firm, Harry Tilsley, clapped him on the back while telling him, “You got Fonsecca good.” He then produced several copies of sports pages from the Sunday and Monday papers, including the one his girlfriend had shone him. Andy’s eyes momentarily lit up at the headline, “Fonsecca Crocked!” and “Just Desserts For A Rapist!” Even his boss told him how impressed he was with the tackle. Andy couldn’t help but feeling pleased with himself and thinking that he had done the country a great service.
He hoped the match was behind him when he reported for training on the Tuesday evening. Upon arrival, a teammate informed him that the manager wanted to see him in his office. Obediently, he went straight there thinking he was going to get a well deserved dressing down for his sending off.
Looking up at him, Manager Drury informed his midfielder, “The FA has suspended you pending a hearing.” Seeing Andy’s surprised look, he added, “We were beginning to dominate that match until you committed that foul and got sent off. Look, personally, I’m glad you got that Spanish thug but it cost us the match. You let the team down.” Andy couldn’t help but to agree with his manager.
While he tried his best to ignore the publicity gained from his tackle on Felipe Fonsecca during the nine days leading up to his hearing with the FA, it seemed to follow him everyhwere he went. Naturally, he had the backing of his family, friends, colleagues and teammates and several women’s groups applauded his courage for defending women, the media, on the other hand, were more divided.
Every newspaper, big and small, seemed to have an opinion on Andy’s foul. One columnist thanked him for doing to Fonsecca what everyone in the UK secretly wanted to do. Another agreed with his girlfriend’s father’s call for him to be knighted. Most, however, took the more neutral road by saying that they sympathised with his reasons but crippling Fonsecca was not the way to go about it. Of course, there were some columnists on the other side of the fence. One called Andy a bigger thug than Vinny Jones while another said he should be banned from football for life. The sports press all seemed to be against him.
Thoughts and emotions bounced around his head like a pinball as Andy went into his hearing with the Football Association. They didn’t lessen any when he stood before the FA Disciplinary Committee and only increased when they asked him why he did it. He wanted to be truthful but at the same time didn’t want to hang himself either. “A few minutes earlier, I cleanly took the ball off of him and he said something to me in Spanish. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound friendly,” he attempted to explain.
“Do you feel that Felipe Fonsecca should have been allowed back into football after his release from prison?” an unknown face on the committee asked him.
Again, Andy wanted to tell the truth without hanging himself. “I didn’t think he should have been allowed back in the game so easily,” he began. “After all, he committed a rape and hasn’t even apologised to his victim for what he put her through. I am genuinely sorry for the injury I caused to Felipe Fonsecca.”
He braced himself for the FA’ decision and hoped that his plea was enough to convince the committee to be lenient with him. When they returned an hour later, hoped that would be a good omen on his behalf. His heart missed a beat as the committee chairman announced the decision.
“You thought that brinigng down Fonsecca would make you some kind of hero in the media and the eyes of the nation. While we don’t condone what Felipe Fonsecca has done, he has served his time and it doesn’t give you or any other player the right to exact justice against him on the pitch. We will not tolerate vigilantes in football. Taking everything into account, the FA has decided to suspend you from football for a period of three months. This includes coaching or working in anyway with teams in the Football Association.”
Interest in Andy’s suspension lasted for only two days in the media and only for four on social media. Still, it was long enough for the White Hart Lane Firm to post on his wall, “The FA let you off lightly, we won’t.” Even the death threats subsided rather quickly. Instead, he concentrated his life outside of football. Most importantly, repairing his relationship with his girlfriend, Charlotte, which he did so well, that they got engaged four weeks later.
If it hadn’t been so much in the sports pages, most people would have never known about Fonsecca’s supposedly miraculous recovery. Having some of the best medical practitioners money could buy had a lot to do with it. What it meant was that on a typical Saturday afternoon in April at White Hart Lane, in the seventy-fifth minute and leading 3-0 against a team that was destined for relegation, Felipe Fonsecca stepped onto the pitch to a rapturous ovation. Those fifteen minutes he was on the pitch made little impact on the match but Tottenham fans were glad to see their hero back.
Andy’s ban ended two weeks later and he dutifully reported for training. Techincally, his first session back went well and all of his teammates were certainly glad to see him. In the one match he played, his game was clinically sound. He dominated the midfield just like he had done in the match against Spurs before he was sent off. He sent more than one perfect balls into the box and with two of those, Jason’s shot found the back of the net. However, when he made a clean sliding tackle against an opponent, stripping the ball off of him, the opposing player remarked, “Great tackle, but then again, I didn’t rape anyone.” He knew then something just didn’t feel right. His heart was no longer in the game, so after that match, Andy formally retired from football.
The only decent shot I got of Jill and she has her back to me
Blues Brothers with Aretha Franklin
I was beginning to think that maybe 2018 wouldn’t suck as much as the previous two years then we get the double whammy! First, this week, as most of you know, we lose the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin and now I have just discovered that Huntress singer Jill Janus has also passed away. Reports say that Jill, who had been suffering from mental illness took her own life.
Even having a crap night’s sleep the previous evening didn’t dent my enthusiasm for the first full day at Bloodstock. We started with a hardy bbq breakfast because we couldn’t have one the evening before on account of the waiting to get in and the brief rain. Therefore, we had it in the morning. After a breakfast of champions like that, which was washed down with beer, we decided to head for the arena.
Keeping with my established tradition, I made it a point to be present for the very first band out on the Ronnie James Dio Stage. That band happened be British punk band Feed The Rhino. If there is a textbook on how the opening band of a festival should act, then Feed The Rhino followed it to the letter. They exploded on stage at 300 mph with a song that grabs you by the throat and makes you listen to it nor did any of that energy dissipate after the first song. However, some purists may argue that the band broke protocol by organizing a mosh pit and then a wall of death. Whoever said opening bands weren’t allowed to do that? Especially when the lead singer, Lee Tobin, did a little crowd surf towards the wall. It was amazing and when they left, which was too soon, Feed The Rhino had set the mood not just for the day but for the entire weekend!
Feed The Rhino welcome everybody to Bloodstock
Lee Tobin carried by the crowd
In spite of the fact that I had seen and heard three bands I had never heard of previously who totally blew me away, I still went to the New Blood Stage to seek out more. Playing at my arrival was the band Garshkott. While they weren’t bad, their sound was in the vein of Feed The Rhino and Bloodshot Dawn, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were ever signed, in my mind, they didn’t measure up to the two bands I have just mentioned. Then again, those two bands set the bar astronomically high.
Garshkott giving it their all
Heading back to the RJD Stage, I thought I should see Onslaught. I had seen them at my first Bloodstock in 2010 but I didn’t remember anything about them. Seeing them again, I remember why I didn’t remember them, there’s really nothing about them to remember. While their music was okay and I have since discovered from Youtube that their recorded material sounds pretty good, they just didn’t do anything for me when I’ve seen them live.
Onslaught coming out to play
Another shot of them
The uneventfulness of Onslaught meant that when the rains came down in the final minutes of their set, I fled for cover. The closest was the New Blood Stage. Providing the entertainment in my new found refuge was Democratus. They weren’t thrash but good solid metal. The singer did a great job in getting those in the tent to sing along. He would sing out, “Is this what you call?” and the audience, me included, would shout back, “Democracy!” Very relevant at the moment and I thought they were pretty good. If I was a scout, I would have signed them before the previous unsigned band on the day.
Democratus
Still raining down in buckets outside, I decided to stay in the New Blood Tent to remain dry. It turned out to be the will of the metal gods because coming on stage next was Vulgore. Of the three unsigned bands I had seen so far, these guys were the best. Their music was loud and brash but the guitarist could shred a little too. Still, their music is not for the faint hearted. They announced they have an EP coming out titled “Bliss.” I might have to hunt this one down.
The guitarist from Vulgore
More Vulgore
Vulgore made the rain stop, so after their departure, I headed outside. On the Dio Stage at the time was Memoriam. I only caught the last two songs from their set but they sounded all right. Plus, I noticed that the lead singer’s hair probably made many ladies jealous.
Memoriam, but this photo doesn’t show the singer’s hair properly.
Still looking for the music, I headed for the Sophie Lancaster Stage where I was treated to the doom metal sounds of Godthrymm. This trio was doom metal in the true sense of the word, even more than Black Sabbath. Most of the songs were about death. I remember one lyric, “Oh God, you lost your only son,” I think that explains a lot. Guitarist hammered out some good solos and he shared the lead vocal duties with the bassist. Godthrymm proved a great change of pace on the day.
Godthrymm playing doom
I’m not sure what this picture was. I think it was this person dressed up going through the crowd during Godthrymm
After a brief but necessary break, I returned to the Ronnie James Dio Stage for the first band I truly wanted to see. Before that band came out, I caught the last few minutes of Swedish death metal band Bloodbath. They sounded okay and I was amused at the shirtless guitar player whose torso was covered in fake blood.
Bloodbath, not sure if you can see the guitarist covered in blood
Then came the big bombshell. It was announced that Suicidal Tendencies were running late and wouldn’t be up next. They were re-scheduled to play at the Sophie Lancaster Stage two hours later. I had caught up with Teal and Joe and we decided to get some dinner. I kind of regret this in hindsight because swapping places with ST was the all female death metal Japanese band Love Bites. I heard they were really good and I’m liking what I’m hearing thus far. Oh well, I’ll put a song of theirs in tribute.
Returning from our late afternoon bbq, I followed Teal’s suggestion that I go with him to check out prog metal band, Kamelot. Full marks to his wisdom here because I thoroughly enjoyed them. I was duly impressed with the guitar work of Thomas Youngblood but I won’t take anything away from the rest of this band, they’re that good. They brought a female singer on for a few songs as well which made them more diverse. Let’s say I was very impressed.
Kamelot
A better shot of them
Thomas Youngblood jamming
I tried to get the female singer in this one
Instead of Kamelot following Suicidal Tendencies, we had Suicidal Tendencies following Kamelot. Which way around didn’t matter as we joined the throng heading for the Sophie Lancaster Stage. There was talk that the sheer weight of numbers in ST fans would knock the Sophie Tent off its foundations. Suicidal Tendencies exploded onto the stage with “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Almost immediately, Mike Muir had the crowd in his hand with everyone singing the chorus. The band darted around stage and Mike did his little dance. It seemed that the opening song might go for the entire set because every time it sounded like it would end, the band would pick it up again. When the song did end, the audience was screaming their appreciation. Afterwards, they played songs “I Shot the Devil,” The War in My Head” and “Subliminal.” When they played the “Skater’s Song,” Mike announced that the band had been inducted into the Skater’s Hall of Fame. A young boy was brought up to play drums along side of Dave Lombardo for one song and they also let a man in a wheelchair onto the stage. ST are definitely a class act! In between songs, Mike talked about not letting things get you down. His advice was to “Get up, stand up for yourself and you will be the person you want to be.” Great words of wisdom. When they left, the crowd was on a major high and it was also announced that it had been the largest crowd the Sophie Lancaster Stage ever had. They were phenomenal and like Teal converting me to Kamelot, I converted him to ST. It didn’t even matter that they didn’t play my two favourite songs again nor the fact that they pretty much played the same set they had at Download last year.
The crowd heading to the Sophie Stage to see Suicidal Tendencies
ST comes on stage
Guitarist Dean Pleasants can still jam.
Another shot of Dean
Mike leading the charge
After feeding my face some more, we all headed back to the Ronnie James Dio Stage for the main even, Judas Priest. They had a massive stage set up with what looked like cacti which lit up on the wall behind. When the band came out, Rob Halford looked like a bent over old man but he quickly straightened up when they started playing. They opened with “Fire Power” and played two more songs from the album. It was the fourth song that was the big thrill for me when they revealed their all time hidden gem, “The Ripper.” I think I was the only one in the crowd who went absolutely nuts at it. Both Teal and some young lady in front of me both stated, “You’re excited about this song.” Next, they revealed that it was the 40th anniversary of their “Stained Glass” album where they played “Saints in Hell” as a tribute. Other Priest greats included “Turbo Lover” and “Freewheel Burning.” While Rob was the great show man he has always been for more than four decades, I was impressed with guitarists Richie Faulkner. He seems to have learned from his mentors and if the band was to continue, he is more than capable to carry them on. Scott Travis was pretty cool too and I loved how he and Richie traded solos. Things seemed to end with an extended version of “You Got Another Thing Comin'” and “Painkiller,” both drawing large cheers from the crowd. But Judas Priest weren’t done. Obviously, there would be an encore and that’s when they sprung a surprise. Glenn Tipton came out to play with them for the four encore songs. He did look a little frail and Rob kept coming over to him but he stayed the course. He even played a solo on the closing song, “Living After Midnight” which followed on from “Breaking the Law.” When the mighty Priest did leave, it was to much adulation and a brief but cool fireworks display.
Blasted light show kept me from getting decent pictures of Priest
See again!
A little better
Even taking a photo of the big screen didn’t work.
I kept trying though
Teal and Joe called it a night but I had one more act to watch. As soon as Judas Priest was finished, I high tailed it over to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to catch Doro. My timing was perfect because as I entered the tent, she was performing one of my favourites, “I Rule the Ruins.” That wasn’t the only one she treated me to, a few songs later, I got to hear “East Meets West,” where she brought out a former guitarist Tommy Bowen. Therefore, for the rest of her show, she had a three guitar attack behind her. Sounded real good when she played “Burning the Witches.” Doro engaged the audience really well throughout and while her light show was nothing like Priest, it was still pretty cool. “All We Are” got the crowd really going and it carried on until she left the stage. When she came back out, Doro asked the audience what song they would like. I was too far away so she couldn’t hear me calling out for “I’ll Make It On My Own,” so she said, since nobody came forth with a song, she’d pick one, which she did. A second song was asked for and she picked one from a young lady in the front and that’s how the night ended, with loads of bows and “thank yous” before leaving. It was a great way to end the first day!
Doro on the Sophie Stage
Better pics with Doro
Tommy Bowen on guitar
Doro mesmerizes the crowd
Note: You may have noticed that I haven’t posted songs from every band I saw. I thought to do it with the ones I had never heard of before and now you have.
Next post: Saturday
To download Rock and Roll Children, go to: http://mediahubb.net/14510967/rock-and-roll-children.html
Nobody said a word when Andy stated that he wouldn’t be joining the team in a comisseration piss up. Instead, he went home and spent a quiet evening at home. It was only out of routine that he turned on “Match of the Day” at 10:45 that night. Besides, he wanted to see how his beloved Liverpool fared in their third round cup match. He was completely unprepared for what was to come on the programme.
After Gary Lineker’s normal introduction of “Some cracking goals and exciting games,” he opened with the match he played in that day. “Tiny Epping Forest Utd were hoping for a giant kill against premiership side Tottenham,” Lineker began. “Let’s pick up the action from White Hart Lane.”
The millions watching the late night football programme got to see Fonsecca’s opening charge down the pitch aided by Lineker’s own commentary: “Fonsecca goes tearing down the pitch past the defense and looks like he’s going to put Spurs up in the very first minute but somehow, the Epping Forest keeper makes a miraculous save.”
It was a tremendous save, fair dues to that goalie,” the Scotsman on the commentary team affirmed.
Footage then skipped to later on in the first half with Lineker explaining, “It’s a very good ball in here and if it wasn’t for Spurs’ defender Ian Jones, getting his head on the ball to redirect it, it could have been disasterous for Spurs.”
Guest analyst Michael Owen described the next bit of footage. “Epping Forest get another great ball in, the striker hits it well and we see that Tottenham keeper Ernst Koernig is clearly beaten on the shot and it’s just unlucky that the shot just goes inches wide of the post.”
After a few replays of the closest Epping Forest Utd would come to scoring, Gary Lineker took back over the commentating. “Here’s Fonsecca, he dummies past one player and then we see another Epping Forest player slide in with this dangerous tackle on him.”
Sitting at home, Andy finally got to see his foul in its full glory. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw Fonsecca tumble head over bum and land on the ground writhing in obvious agony. Those few seconds of good feeling were interrupted by the Scotsman who interjected, “This was a gross deliberate foul on Fonsecca. I think this Epping Forest player was deliberately trying to injure Fonsecca here.” The foul was replayed at least eight times and for the first four times, the Scot pointed out, “You can see his leg is at least one foot off the ground and the bottom of his boot connects squarely with Fonsecca’s leg, just above the knee. There’s no doubt in my mind that this was a deliberate foul.”
Watching the remainder of the replays, the rest of the commentary team agreed with him. Michael Owen added after, “I think that with all the controversy surrounding Felipe Fonsecca’s return to football after serving time for rape, the fouler probably thinks he’s going to be some sort of hero.”
The elder statesman on the team, a noted football commentator, stated plainly, “No matter what Fonsecca has done off the pitch, there is no excuse for behaviour like this on it. The football pitch is not the place for vigilante justice.”
Trying to move things along, Gary Lineker commented, “We see the referee here showing the player in question, mid-fielder Andy Treharne, the red card and that sending off set the tone for the rest of the match.”
Andy didn’t know what to think when his picture was displayed to everyone in the country who was watching. He was having his fifteen minutes but wasn’t sure it was in a good way, not as far as the “Match of the Day” commentators were concerned. Andy switched off the television with out waiting for the Liverpool result.
Some unknown force compelled Andy to check his social media when he was wide awake the following Sunday morning. Upon opening his Facebook page, he shocked to see so many people had posted messages on his wall. Many were from ladies congratulating him for doing in the rapist. There were also a good number of men in agreement telling him he had done a great service to football. Of course, there were a few negative comments from angry Spurs supporters. Many called him a dirty player and some of those said he should be banned from football forever. Those didn’t bother him to much until he saw one that really disturbed him. It was from a group calling themselves the ‘White Hart Lane Firm.’ Their post read, “You might have gotten Fonsecca but we will get you. You’re a dead man!”
Thoughts about death threats against him didn’t last long. A knock at the door saw to that. He opened the door to a sight that made his jaw practically hit the ground. His girlfriend, who he hadn’t spoken to in two weeks following a row, was there with her long blonde hair hanging down. Her long brown coat was open to reveal a short, tight, blue dress. All he could do was stare.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asked.
Andy dithered for a further moment before opening the door wider and granting his visitor entry. She wasted no time in revealing her motivation for being there holding up a copy of a Sunday tabloid showing him the back page. The big headline read, “Unknown Vigilante Gets Fonsecca!” Underneath was the picture of his now infamous tackle. “My friend says you’re a hero among women and my father thinks you deserve a knighthood,” she declared.
“Oh thanks,” was all he could say. He didn’t need to say anymore. His girlfriend melted into his arms with the promise of reconciliation. It at least took his mind off the previous day’s match for the rest of the Sunday.
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