lurksalot

From Big Country tonight in Alexander’s chester

 

superb , I realise that it is almost a tribute , but Mark Brzezecki was incredible , I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard drumming like it .

the rest of the guys were so on it , it was fantastic.

 

i bought an extra ticket for our kid for his birthday last week , we first saw Big Country at the Liverpool Empire 40 years ago 😁 

 

for those that are up for it  December is upon us ...

 

 

Its Showcase time ... or at least copy someone else time.

 

Maybe, maybe not though, as December is traditionally the challenge of presenting a cover, it could be a new one or any that you have recorded this year.

It can be a faithful attempt at the original, a minimalist approach or a radical re-imagining but based on another song or tune .

 

 

 

 

 

This marks the spot for the start of the challenge , dive in and have some fun.

 

✅ Entries must be <5 minutes and recorded between now and the deadline.

❌ No illegal samples, copyright infringements or other snide goings-on

❌ Bagpipes, only if they are absolutely essential, but must be recorded live from Edinburgh castle at -65db

❌ No voting for your own entry. We'll know. And we'll shame you..

 

Deadline-wise, we will go for Midnight on Chrimbo day  ... Which really means you can still get cracking after Charlies speech 

 

A line or two of blurb as usual for the vote thread will be super duper smashing lovely.

 

catch you later 

 

PS we can sort a photo out for the January challenge after Chrimbo 

 

 

Well done guys, 3 great tracks for a joint win , we can sort out a photo in due course, but it will be for the January challenge .

 

As is tradition, December challenge is a cover challenge, if you have recorded a cover version this year you can use that, or get busy recording one 😁

 

I shall set the thread up as soon as I can , hopefully this evening 

1 hour ago, upside downer said:

Poll appears to have closed a day early. Shame, I was hoping for a late surge 😁

Carry on with a late surge , I must have put the date wrong DOH 

 

I’ve amended it ! 

8 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Yes, now, but again, not back when I actually wrote the message, so maybe someone read it and corrected their mistake.

You must have been quick off the mark on that one !

 

I set the thread up with 2 votes as I did last month , but as soon as I’d pressed the button I thought I would change it to 3 

 

the 2 votes version could only have been live for 5 minutes at most ! 
 

 

ed to add 

I checked , original posted at 18:27 , edited version 18.30 😁. 

here we go ...

 

 

Having shared the top step in October with @Al Nico , I wanted to get November started with a weekend ahead of us , so I took the liberty of choosing a quick holiday snap .

 

Its a 'fishing' village called Olhos de Agua on the Algarve , I say fishing, but its pretty much tourists, as the boats don't seem to move very often! 

 

Some lovely cliffs and beaches, oranges and lemons, and a billion hotels and apartment blocks.

 

 

 

 

Have a listen to the following tracks and vote for your favourite 3 tracks  and don't forget the December challenge is, by tradition, a cover challenge , so have a think on! 

 

 

 

1  @Baloney Balderdash   Dark secrets lure in the ocean for the foolhardy surfer, shattering the seemingly idyllic beach life, in this unsettling electro surf metal piece:

 

 

 

 

 

2  @Al Nico  Time to launch the power boat and tear about skimming the waves (watching out for surfers not).

 

 

 

 

 

3 @Leonard Smalls  I remembered how Portugal, back in the early 2000s decriminalised drug use... So I was reminded of classic US 50s scare-movie, Reefer Madness. Hence quotes from US 50s movies on the dangers of The Weed!

 

 

 

 

 

4 @Chiliwailer Mermaid Lament  - the boats are abandoned on shore and the fisherman have gone. As the mermaids sing for their loss, sounds represent the waves carrying their lament to the beach, while the bass pounds steadily like the countdown of time ticking away..

 

 

 

 

 

5  @upside downer   A light and frothy tune with a Portuguese title that translates as Hate Everybody Immediately, ha, no, not really, it means Sleepy Village. I could imagine supping a cold beer in one of the beach huts and listening to this. Mind you, I could also sit in one of them listening to Wake Up by Rage Against the Machine, so what do I know?

 

 

 

 

 

6  Lurksalot  the guy was out of luck fishing , sold up and spent his days trying to romance the holiday makers , or something like that 

 

 

 

 

 

7 @Jean-Luc Pickguard  This is the ritual of visiting the seaside as observed by a visitor from another planet.

 

 

 

Thats your lot for this month, and a fine selection they are to.

 

I reckon vote for your favourite 3 if you can whittle it down 

 

voting will end at midnight on 30/11 

 

good luck and don't forget the December challenge is, by tradition, a cover challenge , so have a think on!  

 

 

 

Holiday

 

the guy was out of luck fishing , sold up and spent his days trying to romance the holiday makers , or something like that 

 

 

EZ drummer , Gordon Smith on the Low end , Ibby 6string doing some riffing and the dulcet tones of myself with a bit of pitch modification , and a splash of Ozone through Reaper 

I’ve got one more verse to record , got the the lyrics now so just got to wait till I know everyone in the street is out.

 

😁

14 minutes ago, upside downer said:

I could imagine supping a cold beer in one of the beach huts….

been there , done that , my interpretation however is more  like your other choice 😂

ABC in Liverpool tonight , superb , great sound , great night , overall a great few days for the gigs I’ve been to 

17 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Didn't you see them when you came and saw us at Percy's?

woah , I’d completely forgotten that ! I must have done , but that was a crazy night all round, wind and rain, bus , train , random strangers being related to business contacts, and some very odd type dudes who must have snorted a weeks entire pharmaceutical output . 
 

Voodoo radio then, must have done , hardcore fan me 😁

Friday was Ferocious dog at the live rooms Chester , great energy and a monster mosh pit , haven’t seen the whole crowd moving like that in a while ! 
suppported by Voodoo radio , a father and daughter duo who were very entertaining 

good night all round.

last night was the Black charade and Fell out boy.

Both put on a great show , more dancing , no moshing and a noticeably smaller crowd ,the quantity of people was similar but I could see the stage easily without the hassle of peering between all the tall ones 😁

 

On 30/10/2025 at 07:53, lurksalot said:

was Vic there ? 

 

I am off to see them in Liverpool on 17th , really looking forward to it 

turned into a busy gig weekend …

ferocious dog tomorrow 

the black charade and fell out boy on Saturday 

ABC on Monday 

 

I think my ACS plugs will get a workout on the first 2 at least 😂

 

 

May as well strike while the iron is hot ....

 

 

 

Having shared the top step in October with @Al Nico , I wanted to get November started with a weekend ahead of us , so I took the liberty of choosing a quick holiday snap from last week.

 

Its a 'fishing' village called Olhos de Agua on the Algarve , I say fishing, but its pretty much tourists, as the boats don't seem to move very often! 

 

Some lovely cliffs and beaches, oranges and lemons, and a billion hotels and apartment blocks.

 

 

 

 

✅ Entries must be <5 minutes and recorded between now and the deadline.

❌ No illegal samples, copyright infringements or other snide goings-on

❌ No Bagpipes, Please, I think they would suffer from the salty sea air and sound a bit off.

❌ No voting for your own entry. We'll know. And we'll shame you..

 

Deadline-wise, we will go for Midnight on the 24th November ... Which really means tea time on the 25th I suppose 

 

A line or two of blurb as usual for the vote thread will be super duper smashing lovely. 

 

Good luck, Have fun 

 

Congrats to @Al Nico on his joint win and thanks for the votes as it’s been a while since I was on the top step in any fashion 😁

 

I’ll give @Al Nico till lunchtime to send me a picture , after that I’ll do the honours 

On 28/10/2025 at 22:32, NancyJohnson said:

 

They're doing the Last Flight with an orchestra.

Interestingly, I had a brief exchange with Willgoose a few months back.  I was gigging with Eddie Roxy (Department S) at the time. 

was Vic there ? 

 

On 29/10/2025 at 06:35, Dom in Dorset said:

I started liking them ironically then my partner bought tickets for my birthday.  Massive guilty pleasure...

ABC with full orchestra in Bournemouth tomorrow. 

I am off to see them in Liverpool on 17th , really looking forward to it 

29 minutes ago, lurksalot said:

Los kareokeos 

 

 

a dude who pretended to play a tiny keyboard to schmaltzy crap in the lounge bar.

 

Do people really think that this is what holidays are all about…

 

 

 

At least  Los Kareokoes is making a buck on top of singing his way for tips while driving the Uber to Albufeira …..and back. 
 

ah well , as Mr Green once sang 

 

 

 

edit to add

 

sat on the room balcony now , and am regaled by the sound of the wind and rain (slightly) drowning the cheesy rock being belted out from the tower block ballroom next door.

 

algarve R us 

I’m heading next door tomorrow night , sounds like a party from here , they may be playing to the bar staff for all I know , but it will be at least the bar staff and me tomorrow 😂.

Los kareokeos 

 

 

a dude who pretended to play a tiny keyboard to schmaltzy crap in the lounge bar.

 

Do people really think that this is what holidays are all about…

 

 

 

At least  Los Kareokoes is making a buck on top of singing his way for tips while driving the Uber to Albufeira …..and back. 
 

ah well , as Mr Green once sang 

 

 

 

edit to add

 

sat on the room balcony now , and am regaled by the sound of the wind and rain (slightly) drowning the cheesy rock being belted out from the tower block ballroom next door.

 

algarve R us 

Okey Dokey

 

plane mode is now off , so I ve released the thread , dive in 

 

 

A round of applause and a pat on the back maybe for both @Chiliwailer and @Wolfram , tied winners  in September with superb compositions. 

 

So to get those itchy fingers back to the instruments , Wolfram has supplied the following for our inspiration.

 

"I glimpsed this ad on the Underground a while back - I was previously unaware that 'non-toxic' was a key selling point for an air fryer! Let's hear your ad jingles, weird and wonderful product endorsements, or songs about air fryers 😆."

 

 

 

Have a listen and vote for your favourite 2 tracks 

 

 

1  @Chiliwailer   If 6 was 1  - You won't catch me singing, so because the Air Fryer poster said it's '6 in 1' I decided to do a little jingle in 6 styles. 

 

 

 

 

 

2 @Baloney Balderdash   Ok, so here's my contribution, had some issues transposing this month's image into musical ideas, hence the title, but since it is October, the Halloween-ish spin on this happens to fit well :

 

 

 

 

 

3 @Leonard Smalls      This is a funky little groove about the voices telling you what to buy and how it will improve your entire being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4  @Jean-Luc Pickguard   Crispy Fried Air is based around a simple | Am | / | G | / | F | G | C | / | chord sequence

 

 

 

 

 

 

5  Lurksalot  This is a story of how some things don't always work out, all singing and dancing , promises, promises and then the shine comes off and it all becomes a let down ... Love story

 

 

 

 

 

6  @Al Nico  I couldn't resist making a track about air fryers either.

 

 

 

 

 

7  @upside downer  Going off at a tangent from the 6-in-1 wonder oven theme (although an air fryer is mentioned in one verse) I instead decided to celebrate a comedian, a singer, a professor, a philanthropist, a cricketer and a cartoon character with an in-depth(!) delve into what makes them who they are. What they do have in common is that they all share the same surname, Fry. Ended up doing that as I couldn't think of six folk with the surname Oven.

 

 

 

dial in your 2 votes and we will crown the winner at midnight on Halloween 

 

good luck have fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guys I am going to put the voting thread up shortly and then hide it straight away , I have done it up to the entries so far, as I am off in a big metal bird first thing in the morning.

 

This way I can unhide it before I fly off and if I need to edit the post for any late ones , it is just adding 1 or 2 if that.

 

I only note it, as  you may all get a notification to say i have mentioned you in a topic , but you can't find it  !

 

 

3 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Featuring our own @cheddatom on drums!

They're always excellent value...

I was all set to come Nottingham when you were supposed to play with them with Choked on the bill , but a pandemic put the kibosh on that !