Sex and Blogs and Rock & Roll

OK, two out of three's not bad when you reach my age!

Today's been a day I've been looking forward to for a while. The Motorcycle Club had organised a a day of music down at my local with live bands from 3.30 right up until 11pm. They are typical bikers with loads of leather, piercings and tattoos and they certainly don't look the sort of guys with whom you'd want to get into a serious argument. However, their looks belie reality insofar as these events are all for charity, with kids hospitals, the local RNLI and other worthy causes benefitting.

The day dawned bright and fair and everything was being organised with military precision. Large marquee in the car park, barbeque and outside bar set up in the beer garden, entrance all manned and Nick (the landlord and Mrs B's employer) with staff aplenty. I wandered down at 1ish for a coffee and a natter before it all kicked off, only to be told the coffee machine was broken (a usual ploy when it's a busy day)! Now, all the staff there know I live for my double shot latte and I was surreptitiously passed a mug of the same whilst I wandered around gazing at the bikes already there.

As a biker boy myself (Honda VFR 750), I gazed enviously at some of the machines whilst (making sure nobody saw me) sneering at the Harleys, of which there were plenty. The air was filled with noise as more and more bikes arrived and it was really the perfect recipe for a good day. The sun was out, the river shining in the sunshine and the occasional boat slipping in and out of the harbour.

With the exception of the main band, all the others were local guys who are friends and acquaintances so there were plenty of people to chat to. One particular band, Tasteless, for whom I've done some PR stuff, are friends of mine so I was looking forward to their set.

By 4, the place was pretty busy and the crowds had spread to the other side of the road, sitting on the riverside wall. The first band were playing and everyone was enjoying themselves. Big, hairy bikers were wandering around carrying their smaller offspring whilst the older ones ran gaily around the bikes and played in the garden. It had become a family occasion as well as a social mixture of ages, cultures and tastes.Tasteless came on and played as good a set as I've ever seen them perform. I had my digital camera with me so shot a bit of video (which I'll upload soon) as well as quite a few pictures. The video is their encore of "I'm Gonna be (500 miles)" by The Proclaimers, which isn't a favourite song of mine but it captures the moment and even I was singing along. Their music ranges from Cream to ZZ Top via The Who, Billy Idol and T Rex - much more to my liking. If you're ever around this way, check them out: guitarist Carl with magical fingers, Geoff, bass player and wearer of the tee shirts which I am sure inspired ther name, Nick on vocals. a gentle man but a presence on stage and Matt (The Animal) on drums. A superlative drummer with a fashion sense all of his own!
By now, being real rockers, we decided to go home for a while for a nice cup of tea! Having sat down, my eyelids got a tad heavy and next thing I knew it was 10 o'clock. The main act was due to start so I beetled off down there once more.

Of course, darkness had descended and the place looked amazing. People everywhere, music blasting from the marquee and lots of smoke and flashing lights. The poor bar staff were looking fraught by now and the pub was awash with people trying to get drinks. Firmly believing that rank has it's privileges, I dived behind the bar and got my own and then wandered out to watch the set.

I don't know if many have heard of Peter & the Test Tube Babies (http://www.testtubebabies.co.uk/) but they are a punk-orientated band who had success in the charts in the late '70s and are now firmly part of the professional circuit. Last night, they played an audience of 3000 people and today they played for us. Reason: Peter's a local "boy made bad" and he fancied a return to his roots.

I knew little of them and didn't really know what to expect but they were absolutely amazing. The marquee was totally packed and I was immediately absorbed by the music. OK, so they aren't now the archetypal punk rockers but the energy and humour was totally apparent and, chatting to a couple of them afterwards, they had a really good time and want to come back next year.

Music over, the pub was still heaving and I decided to call it a day. With the exception of 2 local kids who tried to come in and cause trouble, the day had passed off without any hassle at all. Everybody had a good time and a shedload of money was raised for charity.

It was one of those days that summer is all about.