Dream Wife - Mar 22 2021 was a bit of a washout gigwise. We had nothing in the first half of the year as a result of the pandemic and the second half saw semi match fit bands playing to severely reduced crowds whilst the threat of cancelled tours still reigned high for all involved. Tours were generally restricted to UK artists who were already struggling to reach their audience in the aftermath of Brexit and the increased costs and administration of touring in Europe. Regardless there were a few highlights including Holy Moly and the Crackers at the London Omeara and Amyl and the Sniffers at Camden’s Electric Ballroom.

2022 was hopefully going to be a far better year. The year started slowly with the remnants of the December Covid wave still permeating across the country coupled with the usual January malaise. As a result, it wasn’t until the end of January that I got to my first gig. Local comedy punks, The Deckchairs got the show rolling with a typically shambolic show, whilst a couple of more vanilla punk covers band supplied the rest of the entertainment for the evening.

February was to be more promising. First up, a cracking Runnin’ Blue triple bill with three of the country’s finest songwriters, Boss Caine, Rich Ragany and Carol Hodge at Aces n Eights in Tufnell Park. I would see each of the artists several times over the next year. Sadly, covid finally caught up with me and a few others at the gig meaning I missed the next three gigs on my list. It would be the end of the month before I was back in action with my first Club Velocity gig of the year and the experimental punk of Girls in Synthesis at Reading’s Facebar.

Carol Hodge - Feb 2022 Things really got moving in March with a plethora of gigs starting with The Hawkmen at Reading’s Facebar supported by rising star Tom Webber and his take on the sounds of the 50’s and early 60’s. Tom should be huge and has already made several inroads with support slots with Nick Lowe and Deacon Blue, plus multiple festival appearances raising his profile. One to watch in 2023.

Tom Webber - Mar 2022

More followed with excellent sets from Third Lung, The VirginMarys and Ricky Warwick and the Fighting Hearts. Next up were a couple of trips to Oxford Bullingdon to see Dream Wife and an extended set from The Warner E Hodges Band. Gig of the month, however, came courtesy of Amigo the Devil supported by Katacombs at the London Omeara. Taking a leaf out of Nick Cave’s nineties output, Amigo the Devil delves into what he describes as ‘Murderfolk’. It’s excellent stuff and it would be great to see Danny playing with a full band in the UK.

The Virginmarys - Mar 2022

April was a storming month with the first arena gig of the year. But first came the much delayed The Warner E Hodges Band appearance at Islington Hope & Anchor. Warner was on top form and supports Dead Hombres and the mighty WitchDoktors made it a night to remember. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Killing Joke, but their appearance at Hammersmith Apollo demonstrated that they had lost none of the power that has kept them at the top of their game for over 40 years.

Killing Joke - Apr 22

I’ve seen Ghost a number of times and their show at the soulless O2 Arena was a true spectacle. Boasting an impressive stage set and the Nameless Ghouls’ new futureworld stormtrooper look, Ghost produced one of the highlights of the year with the new material mixing seamlessly with the highlights of their earlier albums.

Ghost - Apr 22

I was asked if I’d like to photograph The Christians at Reading Sub89 – I seemed to remember that ‘Forgotten Town’ was a decent tune but otherwise went in with few expectations. How wrong was I – Gary Christian still has an incredibly soulful voice and I had so much fun shooting this one. A trip back up to the Oxford Bullingdon saw an excellent post-hardcore set from Mclusky and another to Camden’s Black Heart to see the unsubtle rock of the ludicrously named Thunderfuck and the Deadly Romantics followed.

The Christians - Apr 22The Christians - Apr 22

In complete contrast, Alabama 3’s techno country at Reading’s Sub89 was another of the year’s highlights. Having missed the UK Subs on their previous visits, I finally got to see Charlie Harper and his band. For a man close to 80, Charlie has the look of a much younger man and still has the passion he possessed in the early days of punk. Fitting support came from Who Killed Nancy Johnson? who are always put on an enjoyable set, and once again local comedy punks, The Deckchairs.

Alabama 3 - Apr 22

The final gig of the month saw me attending the monthly Rockaway Beach event at the Islington Hope and Anchor with the headline slot taking by the wonderfully named King Salami and the Cumberland Three. If you want fun primal garage rock n roll and songs, then you can’t go wrong with this band.

King Salami and the Cumberland Three - Apr 22 So far so good, after a slow start the gigging year was really starting to ramp up with a number of really strong sets and line ups.