Steven Wilson - Warwick Arts Centre

I've never seen Steven Wilson before , or been to the Warwick Arts Centre at the University of Warwick. So a first in different ways. Parking was good, free after 5pm in the multi storey on site. We had a good couple of hours to kill before doors and we had reserved seats so no rushing around tonight.

Off to the Student Union bar 'The Mucky Duck' it was then. I have to say three very nice pints of 'Wye Valley' 'Goddess' Golden Ale (4%) went down well. Not much studying going on in there I can tell you.   
As expected the audience  was largely made up of males over the age of 40. I set my wife a challenge of trying to spot 10 teenagers which with some effort she just about managed. (2 females as well).

I confess that I am not an expert on Steven Wilson.I know that he was with 'Porcupine Tree' and before that  'No Man'. A self taught multi instrumentalist, a Producer for a 'who's who' of
'prog rock' royalty. The Daily Telegraph described
him as the most successful British Artist you've
never heard of. After a career spanning 30 years and numerous awards he is justifiably known as the 'King of Prog Rock'. 

At this stage I will mention the absence of photographs..No sooner had I got my camera out than I noticed a tap on my shoulder. Strange place to put a tap I thought .... A stewardess
 warned me that photography was prohibited and I would be requested to leave if I continued. I queried this draconian action during the interval and was told that it was not the venue but the artist who had made the request. No doubt to stop people filming the entire concert I suspect.
This tour is to promote his 5th solo album 'To the Bone'. 8 tracks from the album are played.

 As you would expect the musicianship is of the highest quality.
 I was surprised how much he spoke to the audience as I always thought he was quite reserved. He spoke about how he has never labelled his music as a particular genre. His love of Prince and David Bowie. Listening tonight I am struck by the Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel influences. It is about a three and a half hour concert all told with a 20 minute interval.  As with watching Dream Theater there are parts that are very 'instrumental' and lengthy. For someone not well versed in the back catalogue it can be a case of persevering until those moments of something explosive detonate and all is good again.There were 6 Porcupine Tree songs thrown into the mix culminating with the wonderful and melodic ' The Raven who refused to Sing'. In the week we lost the wonderful Ken Dodd who liked a long show, you get the feeling Steven Wilson would happily stay and play all night if he could.

Full Set List

Intro ('Truth' short film)

Set 1

Nowhere Now
Pariah
Home Invasion
Regret #9
The Creator has a Mastertape
Refuge
People who Eat Darkness
Ancestral

Set 2

Arriving Somewhere but not Here
Permanating
Song of I
Lazarus
Detonation
The same Asylum as Before
Heartattack in a Layby
Vermillioncore
Sleep Together

Encore

Even Less
The Raven that Refused to Sing

Walking the Ridgeway - Princes Risborough

 Third leg of the Ridgeway walk and to be honest it's been a bit disjointed so far. A short leg done at Avebury and another via Wendover woods. Todays route is a circular one of about 12 miles close to Princes Risborough.

 

Three dogs in tow today so should be interesting ! Our starting point was by The Plough Public House in Lower Cadsden. From there we got straight on to the Ridgeway.The route only skirts the town and part of it also involves a short distance along the busy A4010 . There is a nice viewpoint at Whiteleaf Hill which is also a nature reserve.

 

 Our downhill walk leads us into Brush Hill also a nature reserve. Habitats on the site are chalk grassland, woodland and scrub. flora include wood anemone and wood sorrel. Going underfoot is very 'cleggy' with all the recent rain and snow. There is beautiful scenery along the way though and the skies always seem to have a Red kite circling above. We even passed a windmill.



Some very nice properties too hidden away amongst the woodland in what would be a very expensive part of the country no doubt. Standing proud in the woodlands were several Sequoia trees which are very similar to the Giant Redwoods seen in California. The bark is soft and spongy, so much so that you can punch it and not feel a thing. Apologies to the tree , I never meant to hurt you....

 

Several Deers were spotted including Roe and Muncjac , unfortunately the dogs tended to find them first and most were running at speed in fear of their lives. 'Have a look at those interesting fungal growths on that tree' my companion said. Undettered by the wire fence,logs, brambles and roots I clambered onwards and promptly fell on my back. Next thing 'Archie' the Box Terrier is on top of me licking my face.... Could it be any worse?

Another fine mess !

  Grim's Ditch - (Grim's Ditch, Grim's Dyke (also Grimsdyke, Grimes Dike or Grim's Bank) is a name shared by a number of prehistoric bank and ditch earthworks that accompany the Ridgeway. The purpose of these earthworks is a mystery but it really isn't difficult to conjure up images of ancient travellers or drovers along the same routes.

 

Land Rover 4x4 Off Road Experience

Don't be deceived by the clear blue skies , the weather was bitingly cold! Our venue was Rockingham Castle out between Corby and Market Harborough. I was really only keeping Marina company as it was her driving experience. However I was asked to make sure I had my driving license with me. During the briefing our instructor 'Graham' insisted that I had a go. Despite getting my excuses in early including; 'well actually i'm full of cold', 'i've never driven an automatic' and i've never even watched Top Gear' he wasn't put off, simply saying 'you'll be fine'. I wasn't so sure but it looked like he wasn't taking no for an answer anyway.


The Land Rover Experience team, who provide the equipment, supervision and training, are in a unique position to offer a wide variety of terrain, from disused sand and stone quarries to woodland, boggy lowland and rolling countryside. Our vehicle of choice today was the Range Rover Evoque. I was more than happy sitting in the back of the vehicle and occasionally jumping out to take a few photos.

 

As well as being a fun and enjoyable experience it was also about learning the capabilities and getting the best from the vehicle. This included 45 degree hill descents and climbs , driving through deep water and ice and driving on steep banks.

  And then it was my turn. I didn't feel at all nervous surprisingly even looking down from 'Holy Hill'. I say looking down but actually I couldn't actually see over the bonnet. A leap of faith if ever there was one!.


It is called 'Holy Hill' as people have been known to suddenly come over all religous and start saying a few prayers.. 

Getting down steep hills is a doddle using the 'hill descent' feature which applies traction to all four wheels automatically maintaining a constant speed and applying brakes to each separate wheel where required, increasing the vehicles capability. At the same time resisting the urge to hit the brake pedal. My biggest problem wasn't to disengage my left leg with it being an automatic . I found that I kept reaching for the gear sick which of course wasn't there.

I really enjoyed the experience and Instructor Graham said that I had done very well ! Although perhaps not as well as Marina ..