Marillion - Wolverhampton Civic

It's always good to discover a new band who you immediately strike a chord with. No, not Marillion of course who I have been following since 1983 but the support band Dee Expus.
The long trip down from Sunderland was a journey worth making as they went down well with the crowd. In fact Mark Kelly of Marillion  played keyboards on the latest album. Very much 'Porcupine Tree' influenced they are a solid and talented band.

Andy Ditchfield - Dee Expus Guitars & Vocals

 

A brand new Marillion album 'Sounds that can't be made' to celebrate although I have to confess to only the briefest of listens. As always a packed house full of the loyal army of followers however unfashionable the perception may be. It never ceases to amaze me the first question that always accompanies the mention of Marillion - 'Is Fish still in the band? Resisting the urge to apply physical damage I politely point out that he left the band in 1988. Some 13 albums later Marillion have gone from strength to strength flying  below the radar except to those of us who kept the faith and have reaped the richest of rewards along the way.

Steve 'H' Hogarth - Neverland

Guitar Maestro Steve Rothery

 . The Marillion set opened with the 17 plus minute long 'Gaza' from the new album. It is a very complex song but was played to perfection and went down well. In total there were 4 tracks from STCBM - including the title track, Power and The Sky above the Rain.

Pete Trevawas on Bass Guitar

Half way through the set we were treated to the classic 'Neverland' a real crowd favourite. This is where 'H' is at his most emotional and puts heart and soul into it. As always a fantastic and storming rendition. Marillion fans know every word to every song and no concert is complete without 'H' holding the microphone to the audience for them to make a contribution. It was pure adulation from the audience as 'H' put it something that few other bands command from their followers.

 Full Set List 

• Splintering Heart (except)
• Gaza
• This Town
• The Rakes Progress
• 100 Nights
• You're Gone
• The Other Half
• Sounds That Can't Be Made
• Neverland
• A Voice From The Past
• Power
• Fantastic Place
• Real Tears For Sale
• The Sky Above The Rain
• The Great Escape
•  

Encores

•  A Few Words For The Dead

• Sugar Mice

Glastonbury - Chalice Well & Wells Cathedral

It was great that all things I wanted to see were in easy walking distance from the hotel. After a good nights 'ghostless' sleep we set off for The Chalice Well, one of the most loved holy wells in the UK. The Well and surrounding gardens are a peaceful, spiritual sanctuary to soothe the soul and restore spirits. People come here to experience the healing properties of the Well and the 'Red Spring' or 'Blood Spring'. The legend is that the blood of Christ spurted from the ground when Joseph of Arimathea washed the cup used at the last supper. The water was very rich in iron and too much is not recommended. I felt full of the essence of life after a few sips!

Both The Well and the Gardens lie in a stunning vale between Chalice Hill and The Tor. The gardens rise up following the course of the waters to the source at the well head. The water provides 'energy' as well as the healing properties.






 King Arthur's Court and Healing Pool

Just a few miles away lies the beautiful cathedral city of Wells. Named after the three wells dedicated to St Andrew. Wells Cathedral is the seat of The Bishop of Bath and Wells who lives nearby in the Bishops Palace. Built between 1175 and 1490, Wells Cathedral has been described as “the most poetic of the English Cathedrals”. The magnificent West Front (1230) contains one of the largest galleries of mediaeval sculptures n the world. It is an illustration in stone of the development of Christian faith right through the twelve apostles with Christ. Inside there were some fascinating clocks. On the North Transept is an amazing astronomical clock dated between 1386 - 1392. The dial is a geocentric view of the universe, with sun and moon revolving round a central fixed earth. Above the clock and to the right is a figure, known as Jack Blandifers, who hits bells with a hammer held in his right hand and by hitting his heels on two bells hung beneath him. A set of jousting knights also chase each other every 15 minutes.

Vicars'Close is claimed to be the oldest purely residential street with its original buildings all surviving intact in Europe. It is made up of 27 residential Grade 1 residencies dating from mid 14th Century.

Glastonbury - Abbey & Tor

A lovely way to spend a Birthday! Down in Somerset at Glastonbury staying and staying at a 600 year old coaching Inn steeped in history and old folk law. Not to mention it's own resident ghost and playing host to Henry VIII as he watched the Abbey burn , more of him later. It really was like stepping back in time. In fact we had been told that it was not unusual to hear Harps and flutes in the rooms. It wasn't long before my heightened senses detected a crude medieval Recorder type sound circulating. Unfortunately the excitement was soon crushed as I discovered a busker below the bedroom window. Famous for it's music festival although the site is being 'rested this year Glastonbury is Glastonbury is a place of religious tourism and pilgrimage due to it's location at the centre of ley lines. Just wandering up the High Street it was clear that the residents were certainly a 'New Age' community!

Glastonbury Abbey is the earliest Christian sanctuary in Britain and legend says Joseph of Arimathea brought Jesus here. History records show the Abbey was standing in the year 600. In 1184 it was rebuilt after a fire, the remains today date from 1184 - 1539. It was then during the Dissolution of the Monasteries that Henry VIII had it demolished. In 1191 legend also says that the monks found the buried remains of King Arthur and Queen Quinevere. This was promoted by medieval monks who insisted that Glastonbury was Avalon. ( the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged).

Behind St Patrick's Chapel is the Holy Thorn Tree which is said to have originated after Joseph of Arimathea plunged his staff into the ground and it burst into leaf.

Glastonbury Tor is a very steep hill with St Michael's Tower perched on the top. Tor is actually a Celtic word for outcrop or hill. It is truly a stunning site and somewhere I have wanted to visit for years. Remains of a 5th century fort have been found on the Tor. Glastonbury Tor is often cited as one of the possible locations of the Holy Grail. One of several myths along with The seven deep, roughly symmetrical terraces that are one of the Tor's enduring mysteries. I do know that the climb to the top was exhausting but well worth the effort for the spectacular views afforded from the top.

The Rob Brydon Show

I've never seen a TV programme being recorded before so this was too good an opportunity to miss. The recording was down at Teddington studios near to London where many classic series were recorded in Studio 1 including; all the Tommy Cooper shows, Beny Hill and Morecambe and Wise. Unfortunately there was a complete ban on any photography so the images used heres are taken from Google Images. The entrance to Teddington studios with ariel view.   Once all the audience was safely settled we had a 'warm up man' 'Steve Royle' to get everybody in a happy excited state . Actually he was quite funny and we also had some juggling. Then Rob Brydon came out and introduced himself and treated us to his legendary 'Ronnie Corbett' impression as well as 'Small man in a box'.

First guest of the night on the sofa was none other than the one and only music royalty himself Tom Jones. Cue rapturous applause and appreciation. The chat started off about his recent victory as 'coach' on the BBC Series 'The Voice'. Can't say I ever watched it in all honesty. Lots of chat about his music career and his influences such as Elvis, and other Blues and R&B acts. We were treated to a rare rendition of the old Elvis song 'Mess of the Blues' with Tom playing acoustic guitar and Rob providing backing vocals. I have to say the interview was hilarious and i'm sure a lot will have to be cut before the show is broadcast. Apart from the time aspect there were a few things Tom regretted saying in public I think!

Next guest out on the sofa was Emilia Fox who stars as Pathologist 'Dr Nikki Alexander' in the BBC series 'Silent Witness. I actually like that programme although she was a bit bland to be fair and didn't add a deal to the chat show.

Last up was Naturalist and TV Presenter 'Steve Backshall'. He was good value and told some good yarns of his experiences in the wild. In his TV series 'Deadly 60' he travels the world in search of predators that are, "Not just deadly to me, but deadly in their own world". He has dived with Great White, bull, Great Hammerhead and tiger sharks, caught king cobras, black mambas and lanceheads, had a redback spider on his hand and was bitten on screen by a caiman. It was a really great night and a great insight into what goes on to make a show. It will be intersting to see just how the show is edited when screened at the end of August this year.

Isle of Wight - The Needles

A sunny and humid start so I headed for the beach at Sandown for a picture before catching the bus to Newport. Newport is the County Town on the IOW and has a population of 23,957 give or take a few since the last census in 2001. The IOW Music Festival has just finished in Seaclose Park Newport with the likes of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen headlining. Newport is also home to three prison sites including the notorious 'Parkhurst Prison'which has housed some of the biggest names in British criminal history. These include; 'Yorkshire Ripper' Peter Sutcliffe, 'Moors Murderer' Ian Brady, The Richardson brothers and the Kray twins. I had a 'short' wait at Newport literally before catching the next bus to Alum Bay. It was so humid I mad a detour to Marks and Spencer and purchased some bright blue shorts to change into. There were not the most stylish or fashionable but they served a purpose. In fact I did an amazing top deck 'quick change' on a busy number 7 bus that Houdini would have been proud of. Either the fellow passengers were too embarassed or too polite to say anything?

Alum Bay is a bay near the westernmost point of the IOW and judging by the number of coaches something of a tourist attraction. Away from the; glass blowing, sweet factory and crazy golf there is geological interest and the Bay is noted for its multicloured sand cliffs. Alum Bay is the location of a classic sequence of Eocene beds of soft sands and clays, separated by an unconformity from the underlying chalk formations. Basically layers upon layers or strata built up over millions of years or so i'm told.

It was a steep walk up the coastal path to view 'The Needles' although an open top bus does operate in the Spring and Summer. In fact with the mist rolling in and the chilly air I almost had to change back out of the newly aquired shorts but decided to brave it out having spent £10 earlier on them. The rocks and lighthouse have become icons of the IOW and known worlw wide. However, the main tourist attractions of the headland itself are the two gun batteries, the experimental rocket testing station, and the four coastguard cottages. I was really surprised just how much there was to see.

The Needles also has strong military links with a 'Battery' built in 1861–63 to guard the West end of the Solent to defend against enemy ships. The 9 inch guns took a team of 9 men to load and fire. These guns fired projectiles weighing 256 pounds (116 kg). Early searchlight experiments were conducted at the site between 1889 and 1892. The present observation post housing a searchlight was built in 1899.

As if that wasn't enough ! The site was employed in the testing of rockets for the ICBM program. Tests took place from 1956–71 for the 'Black Kight' and 'Black Arrow' rocket engines with 240 people working there at it's peak. These rockets were later used to launch the 'Prospero X-3 Satellite. It was great to be able to walk around the underground rocket testing rooms which are free to the public.

The Needles Lighthouse stands at the end of the rock formation. Built in 1859, it has been automated since 1994. Previously 3 men worked on there at any time doing shifts of 2 months on and then a month off. The lighthouse was built in 1859 by Trinity House. Constructed from granite it stands 33.25 meteres high and cost £20,000 to build. In 1987 a helipad was added to the top of the lighthouse, and it became fully automated when the last keepers left on 8 December 1994.