Leicester City down and out with a wimper. Pathetic from all their players and ownership.

If those Newcastle fans could read, they'd be very upset.

The special plan for the cup final: a radio hut had been erected in Wembley, with TWO direct lines to Savoy Hill studios!

Cardiff would beat Arsenal 1-0, and is still the only time that the trophy has been won by a team outside England.

Haha, yes! My name is on the inside cover of three of their albums 🤘

🎸 Hunny Buzz (supporting Tom A. Smith)
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/0bC7b...

Another new one for me. Really enjoyed them! Quite grungy indie-pop, but sweet in places (imagine a heavier side of Beabadoobee / Alvvays / Big Moon)

🗓️ 05/04/26
📍 The Cluny
🎸 Tom A. Smith
🦋 @tomasmithmusic.bsky.social

Twice in two months? Heck yeah! Tom is really putting the work in to perfect his craft. The gig made even better with Rowetta (of Happy Mondays fame 🪇) in as a surprise guest, doing backing vocals for Tom's track 'Toronto'.

⚠️🔊 LOUD 🔊⚠️
Absolutely brilliant. No support act, straight into it for a solid hour-long set. Courtney rocked a Sunderland shirt for the encore!

♥️🤍♥️🤍❤️

I'm not looking because I was distracted by a delivery robot...

🗓️ 29/03/26
📍 Independent, Sunderland
🎸 Courtney Barnett
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/4OOlG...

Our little Indy, hosting one of the best singer-songwritters of our generation? Incredible! Love the new album, Courtney is class

Even managed to meet her afterwards, though I may have been slightly pished😅

Courting

🎸 Courting (supporting The Cribs)
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/3oLTa...

With the Metro shitting the bed, and security being such a fucking faff at the Boiler Shop, I could only hear the tail end of their set from outside the venue.

Canny band though!

🗓️ 18/03/26
📍 Boiler Shop, Newcastle
🎸 The Cribs
🦋 @thecribs.bsky.social
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/51Eq6...

Sound was weird for the first few tracks, was a shame. Still decent once they got it sorted.

'Selling A Vibe' is another good 2025 release - a throw-back to the band's early work

🎸 Home Counties (supporting FF)
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/7L0uK...

Synthy post-punk, I'm glad most of the crowd was already down to see them, as they are absolutely fantastic. Humdrum was another of my favourite album of 2025.

🗓️ 28/02/26
📍 Newcastle City Hall
🎸 Franz Ferdinand
🦋 @franzferdinandhq.bsky.social
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/0XNa1...

An early nomination for my favourite gig of '26! A week between these and Maximo, it really did feel like 2005 again. Kapranos is such a good frontman - he got the crowd rocking!

🎸 Eville (supporting ADF)
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/0SOtm...

Bit too screamy and shouty for my old tinnitus-riddled ears, but the crowd seemed to enjoy them. Really not my thing though...

⚠️🔊 LOUD 🔊⚠️

They are independent until the end, I love the way they do things, and worth supporting!

I'm in the album credits, y'knar!

🗓️ 27/02/26
📍 The Grove, Newcastle
🎸 As December Falls
🦋 @asdecemberfalls.bsky.social
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/7Atp6...

One of my favourites! Just like Black Honey (who I saw the week prior), ADF released their 4th album (Everything's On Fire But I'm Fine) in the summer of '25

🎸 Girl Group (supporting Black Honey)
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/4v9ht...

New to me, but impressive. Bratty punk / riot-grrrl.

🗓️ 22/02/26
📍 The Grove, Newcastle
🎸 Black Honey
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/2oVmQ...

Supporting their 4th album Soak, released in the summer of 2025, the band have quite the repertoire now* and Izzy B is a great frontwoman.

(*didn't play my favourite, Dig, though! 😔)

🎸 Art Brut (supporting Maximo Park)
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/1gxXz...

A bit of a full circle moment, as Art Brut supported Maximo on their '07 UK Tour. Coincidentally, both released their respective debut albums in May'05.

The band were good, an old fashioned dose of mid-00s UK indie rock.

I was there for the 10th anniversary of the album, back when City Hall was seated! Random seat selection, I somehow managed to get front row seats - wicked gig, but how time has flow. Still have the set list! 2/2

🗓️ 21/02/26
📍 Newcastle City Hall
🎸 Maximo Park
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/048FB...

Celebrating 20 years of A Certain Trigger! Expectations are high for Paul & The Park to perform, but I thought it didn't flow quite as well as it should have, with a couple of issues in the crowd pausing things. 1/2

🎸 Patrick Gosling (supporting Tom A. Smith)
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/0dn48...

I had mentioned Pat a couple of times, in last year's list of gigs - he is well worth checking out. Local lad, and a good turn. This was a little solo set.

🗓️ 31/01/26
📍 Independent, Sunderland
🎸 Tom A. Smith
🦋 @tomasmithmusic.bsky.social
🎧 open.spotify.com/artist/6haZI...

A cracker of a gig, as part of Independent Venue Week (@ivwuk.bsky.social). Quite incredible how far he has came in a few short years - more on that later!

Meme seen in Facebook REFORM UK CANDIDATE ANNOUNCEMENT PAULINE CAMPBELL-JONES Royston Vasey BRITAIN NEEDS REFORM Promoted by Reform UK Royston Vasey. Not affiliated with The BBC. A fictional character from The League of Gentlemen.

Pens for everyone (to use on their ballot papers)

Two #cats fighting #CatsofBlueSky

Assholes

66, 63 and 62. Different times...

Spurs fans (the proper ones, who attend matches...) are about to lose one the best away day pubs, and will have to travel to Oxford United's car park instead.

Wow, that's not bad. We are taken as fools, here in the UK.

As long as there is demand, and people pay for it, then they will keep the prices high. Glastonbury Festival is close to £400 now (❗), and that doesn't include £150+ coach there and back.

£100 for a Strokes ticket.
£70 for a Jack White ticket.

Yeah, nah. Beyond a joke now.

Might try for last-minute drop-outs, selling their ticket for cheaper, but it's beginning to take the piss now.

I was never worried. Fingers crossed both go down, and stay down. There are more deserving fan bases in the Championship.

I had some people round for dinner last night, and I tried to impress them with a sauce created from vodka, gravy and nitrous oxide. But all I've done is make myself an absolut laughing stock.