Camel in Concert, Salisbury, 22nd October 2013

This was a concert I had been looking forward to for some months. Earlier in the year I found out Camel were touring again. Initially the venues were too far away, but then I spotted a booking at the City Hall in Salisbury in Wiltshire, about an hour’s drive away. Despite money being tight at the time my lovely wife insisted on purchasing a ticket for me.

For the next few months I purposely stopped listening to their music. I wanted the concert to feel fresh. I also know from past experience that I can overdose on the same music sometimes, resulting in not wanting to listen to it again for a while. I did not want to feel that way at the concert.

As anyone of a certain age knows time goes by so quickly that it was not long before the concert date came around. The weather was very stormy as I set off and the lightning flashes accompanied the music I was listening to (Camel, of course) as I made my way to the venue.

Once there I found my way to my seat and waited in anticipation. For once I was not behind giants where I would only be offered the occasional glimpse of the stage. No, this time I was right at the front, right in front of the speakers in fact. This concerned me a little. Would it be too loud? Would I hear lots of noise but be unable to pick out individual instruments? (I need not have worried, the sound was ace).

After the audience had given the band, and Andrew Latimer in particular a standing ovation before a note had been played I knew tonight was going to be special. Someone from the audience shouted out “Thank you for coming”, a statement I think we all agreed with.

The crowd became quiet and awaited the beginnings of The Great Marsh, the opening track from their 1975 album The Snow Goose which they were playing in its entirety for the first part of the show, dedicated to ex band member Peter Bardens who died in 2002. For the next 45 minutes I was entranced. The performance from the band was fantastic. The sound was perfect and the response from the audience was very mature. No shouting out during the quiet bits, full respect was given to the band to let them perform. All too quickly the first part of the show was over and an intermission was taken. I sat there, taking in what my eyes and ears had just witnessed. That was one of the best 45 minutes of a concert I had ever experienced. Magical!

A large number of the audience took the opportunity to visit the front at this point and took photos of the stage setting. I looked around to take in the venue and, whilst doing so wondered what the average age of the audience was (45 to 50 years perhaps?).

It wasn't long before the band was back on stage. This time they picked tracks from their vast back catalogue to entertain the loyal crowd. Each track was played to perfection. The band came across more relaxed now, chatting to the audience, pulling faces with each other and generally having fun. Colin Bass, a member of the band since the late 1970’s, impressed with his vocals. Denis Clement was brilliant on drums and helped out more than adequately on bass when Colin Bass was on acoustic guitar and the two keyboard players, Jason Hart and Guy LeBlanc excelled. Last but by no means least, the main man, Andrew Latimer was in fantastic form, both with the guitar and the flute. You wouldn't think he’d spent the last 20 years battling against the progressive blood disorder polycythaemia. Apparently this progressed to myelofibrosis and a bone marrow transplant was needed in 2007. I won’t pretend to understand what this does to a person’s health, nor their minds. All I can say is this man hasn't let it beat him. His energy was amazing, as were the faces he pulled during the many wonderful guitar solos he performed.

Camel has never achieved the mass popularity I feel they deserve. However, they have a strong dedicated fan base and, perhaps, this is all the band want. To be able to play their music to people who appreciate it.

The video at the beginning of this post is of one of my favourite tracks off the Snow Goose album. There are a couple of clips on YouTube from the concert I attended but the audio quality is quite poor so I opted for this instead.

If you are thinking of seeing them live this year then my advice is to stop thinking; get a ticket and go. You will not regret it.

I for one look forward to seeing them live again one day and to a possible new album in the future.

The World at War - TV Series

For me The World at War goes down as one of the best documentary programmes ever made.

The theme tune, the empathetic narration by Laurence Olivier and the images portrayed combined to create a fantastic TV series, and one that can still be watched today without sounding or looking dated.

The subject matter alone leads to interesting TV but not always in a way that informs without coming across as demeaning.

I was 11 years old when it was first broadcast in the UK so I probably watched it when it was repeated some years later. That said I think this series should be part of everyone’s education.

The more we learn about what went wrong in the past the better placed we are to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated in the future.

Bruges, Belgium.

I usually visit France a couple of times a year, visiting my wife’s family, whilst there we always try to have a day in Bruges, Belgium.

Smelling the freshly cooked waffles and listening to the church bells or just enjoying the peacefulness this busy city somehow manages to emit, it is a lovely place just to wander around. Over the years I have ventured further away from the main centre and found the lesser known areas to be just as enjoyable to explore.

I’m not one of those who like to sit at a cafe to watch the world go by. As an enjoyable experience I’m sure that is I’d much rather be on my feet exploring. I could hire a bicycle and explore further but I prefer to be on foot. It’s easier to be able to take a photo or three.

Bruges is a photographer paradise. Street after street of photogenic medieval buildings lovingly looked after and restored. The canals break up what could be a monotony of brick and the regular boat trips give a view of the city that is not to be missed. At street level horses pull carriages of tourists on a guided tour around the narrow streets, sharing the cobblestones with the many cyclists.

I’m a country boy at heart but if I had to move to a city to live, then Bruges would be a strong contender.

The photos shown here are just a small selection of the many I have taken over the years. Many more, including 3d versions can be found on my Flickr site.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

When I started watching the Cosmos I was immediately taken in by the combination of the music and special effects. Today CGI is common place but in the early 80’s what they did here was slick.

To see presenter Carl Sagan stroll through ancient structures and cities made the programme much more entertaining. I liked his delivery too. There was nothing demeaning just straight forward facts and information. You felt he respected his audience and did not want to talk down to them. I was genuinely sad when I heard of his death in 1996.

The series lasted for 13 episodes and left a strong impression on me. So much so that I bought the book (and read it from cover to cover) and the LP (no CD’s at this time). Alas there was no t-shirt to complete the set.

Fast forward some 25 years and I received the whole series on DVD as a Christmas present. Watching the first episode again took me right back in time. The special effects actually held up quite well I thought and didn’t look as dated as I thought they would. It’s no surprise the series won awards.

Now a sequel is in the pipeline called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey. Due for airing in the States sometime in Spring 2014. I look forward to this new series and hope it is as good as the original.