• Track Name

    Nova

  • Album

    Automatic

  • Artist

    VNV Nation

Well.. as 2012 draws to a close… the first band I saw this year was @VNV_Nation - one of the best (and most underrated) bands around - electronic, EBM, industrial… whatever you wanna call it, Ronan and the boys get you to “dance motherfuckers!” - and that ain’t no bad thing.

After a cathartic twelve months, all is well… all is well.  I know what I want / don’t want in life.  I know what I like / don’t like in life.

And, after ambling and shambling and four months in Cairo, I met someone who gave me the time and space to work it all out… no drama, no fuss.  A right old Dreamscape moment.

The writing therapy sure did help, the Dreamscape therapy sure (sure sure sure) did help.  I remember NYE 2011 wondering / worrying about 2012.  A year on… can’t fucking wait to get into 2013 and be a super-dazzling panda.  

Maybe with my own little uniform.  A cape, maybe.  

Hmmmm… would a super-dazzling panda in a cape need little bootees?  Maybe furry ones?

Anyway, back to the point… VNV.  Top band.  Glowsticks.  Jumping about.  But sometimes, they fire out such tracks as Beloved and Illusion… and Nova.

Shine, shine your light on me
Illuminate me, make me complete
Lay me down, and wash this world from me
Open the skies, and burn it all away
‘Cause I’ve been waiting, all my life just waiting
for you to shine, shine your light on me

Rest assured, when I see these next… I will be the one up the front with glowsticks, cape and my little furry bootees, Dreamscape by my side (probably shaking her head and wondering what the fuck she got herself into).

Laters, dudes!

  • Track Name

    Streams Of Whiskey

  • Album

    Red Rose For Me

  • Artist

    The Pogues

Well… The Big Man came… he emptied his sack… and off he went again.

An awesome day, all in… me, Dreamscape and the little one, nibbling chocolate, checking out Shrek, getting weepy over some program about midwives… pretty great.

No… VERY great.

Today is a day with more kids, more wrapping paper lobbed all over the place… tomorrow is a day with the cubs here too

Seriously… I had some top presents - and one of them never to be guessed in one million years (we worked it out) - but having Dreamscape, Da Boss, Evil, Cubs and the tot… is pretty fucking fine indeed.

And for those of you out there too fucking miserable for their own good… pogue mahone!

  • Track Name

    Planet Earth

  • Album

    Duran Duran

  • Artist

    Duran Duran

Oh yeah… @mileshuntTWS, @thewonder_stuff, @pweiofficial and @jesusjonesband basically battered the fuck out of the night… the UK was well and truly sleighed.

New album in hand, beer in other hand.  Away we go.

JJ fired in such stuff as International Bright Young Thing, Never Enough, Real Real Real, Right Here Right Now, Zeroes and Ones, Who Where Why and Info Freaky… you get the frickin’ idea.  And this is the first band of the night when you’re just settling into that first pint.  Holy crip.  The only downside was that the keyboard player seemed, basically, fucking mental and you couldn’t hear some of the samples playing on the tracks.

At the bar for another beer and PWEI amble into the evening with Ich Bin Ein Auslander and Wise Up Sucker… and let’s not forget Def Con One (gimme big mac, gimme fries to go!) - it was very much like a rocked-out Prodigy set.  And fucking brilliant.

Then after a real short roadie-break… the lights drop… and on they stroll.  Miles SMILED.  Yeah, I know.  Smiled.  Erica looked mighty damned fine as per usual - all in red with a funky top hat.  We all kind of agreed that Stevie Wyatt was probably the singer with Erasmus at some point… Fuzz was there to bash drums… and Mark McCarthy spent the evening avoiding smiling (obviously Miles was smiling enough for everyone).

Two tracks from the new album (sounding promising… the big fear was, after a seven-year break… the new stuff would be cack) and one track from the Midlands with Love (cover version of Duran Duran’s Planet Earth)

We were spared any Beverley Knight cover versions.

But we kinda know the drill by now… lots of songs with Erica fiddling (Red Berry Joy Town, Here Comes Everyone, Golden Green, Size Of A fucking Cow, Caught In My Shadow, Mission Drive, Circle Square, Play, Welcome To The Cheap Seats,  Don’t Let Me Down Gently).

Then Erica dawdles off to ‘let the boys play’ and… ooooh yeah.  Unbearable, Give Give Give, Ten Trenches, It’s Yer Money, Poison… 

By the end of 4 hours… sweaty panda, happy panda.  Dreamscape shook her ass… most definitely two legs of the groove machine.

The only criticism… the fucking venue runs out of beer.

I. Kid. You. Not.

A Saturday night, before Christmas.  The venue is RAMMED.  And, by 8pm… run out of Guinness.

O2 Academy… tossers.

JJ, PWEI, TWS… gods.

  • Track Name

    Ten Trenches Deep (20th Anniversary Edition)

  • Album

    The Eight Legged Groove Machine (20th Anniversary Edition)

  • Artist

    The Wonder Stuff

Holy Hell… tomorrow is #SleighTheUK - here already!  Waited for months (and months) and months.  And now it’s here.  Finally.  I may pee some glitter before the weekend is over.

I was kinda tempted to post Mission Drive cos it’s Malc’s favorite Stuffies tune (or so Miles tells us at most gigs) but, the thing is… it’s an OK tune and gets you bouncing but I love the stuffies more for the moshing.

And, to mosh… you need Unbearable, Poison, Give Give Give Me More More (fucking) More… and Ten Trenches Deep.

To think… to have this or Good Night Though as the last track… after a night of Jesus Jones and Pop Will Eat Itself… calf length shorts, new rock boots, sweaty panda

GNT is a pretty awesome track, complete with loudhailer for Milo to shout ‘good night, so long’ - but, to be fair, whatever the track… bro, sis and dreamscape - the eight legged groove machine will be in full effect… yes sir we’re REALLY keen!

  • Track Name

    Silent Night

  • Album

    Silent Night

  • Artist

    Richard Hawley

Well.. it’s almost here… the big man is filling his sack… a Dreamscape Christmas beckons.

In retrospect, a cack year turned brilliant on August 25 - a lucky panda, I suppose!

Since that fateful day, a book written and selling well and now speaking to be done in UK, India, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Qatar… offices to open in USA, India, Middle East.

Add to that, trips to Cairo and to see my friends in Lebanon.

A busy 2013 is on the cards but, before all that, we have the great Christmas Pudding cook-off (oh yeah) as well as Christmas Eve par-tay, Da Boss’ birthday par-tay, the great Christmas Curry cook-off…

Oh, and The Stuffies, Poppies and Jesus Jones… oh and VNV Nation.  All before end of 2012.

Next year… well Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is a frickin’ GIVEN but we are also waiting on Glasto too.

Dreamscape Times sure do rock.

True story!

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