Blog

Hope & Tears

I don’t think there were many dry eyes in the Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on Friday 5 October 2018.

Music has always been important to me, even though I can’t play any instrument, I can only sing enthusiastically (and feel sorry for people near me at gigs) and I can’t even clap in time! But being at a gig with others is one of the places I feel most at home, connected and alive. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to see some of the best bands in the world (I know that is very subjective) and been to some wonderful and memorable gigs. A number of years ago, a friend thought I may like to check out a band described as “A cross between Arcade Fire meets The Faces like a Yorkshire’s E Street Band” – they sounded right up my street!  Ladies and Gellyspoons… please allow me to introduce you to Hope and Social.

Continue Reading

Blog

Collaboration – Pitching Far Too High?

Sometimes you’re too close to something to appreciate how special it is. But with a bit of distance and time you realise what fantastic things a bunch of random people can achieve! Preceding Le Grand Depart in Yorkshire there was a parallel arts festival and one of the highlights was undoubtedly Hope and Social’s Tour of Infinite Possibility. This blog is not about how great it was or the band are (ok I have to agree they did steal the show at the team presentations opening ceremony!) but about how I witnessed and was a small part of a team working and co-operating together – now I think I understand what collaboration really means.

Continue Reading

Blog

If You Feel You Can’t Sing – Why Would You Sing in Front of 71,000 People?

In June 2013 I quit my job, realised I’d not been a great dad but had tickets to see The Boss and the legendary E Street at Wembley Stadium. I  went down the night before, with my 12 year old son and given options he decided we should camp outside Wembley the night before to ensure we’d get into the pit! We met some great people in the queues and once we were given our wrist bands the following afternoon we headed off to the nearby Badlands party. We had a game of pool and bought some great T-Shirts depicting a single with the headline ” We learned more from a three minute record then we ever learned in school”.

They played an awesome set, including all of Darkness on the Edge of Town – could it get any better?

Continue Reading