A gig like this...

If you listen to radio 2 and bbc six music you might be aware that they were giving tickets away to Elbow's Homecoming gig at Manchester Cathedral last thursday.  I had seen the link on Twitter and because I don't live that far away from Manchester, I decided to apply for two tickets to see them.

Well I received an email confirming that I'd been selected so my chap and I duly headed out to Manchester last Thursday to go and see the gig.  Free gigs are great things, I've been quite lucky in the past and have won tickets on a few occasions most memorably the Scissor Sisters in Trafalgar Square.  The T&Cs for this one were quite scary and warned you not to be disappointed if you didn't get in. So it was some trepidation that we queued to get in. My fears were somewhat unfounded though as we made it in and experienced the space.

There was a lot of dry ice and the BBC had made the stained glass windows look amazing by shining some bright lights through them.  The cathedral itself was smaller than I expected but warmer.  The band played for a good 85 minutes and were incredible.  I always like Elbow stuff when I hear it, I don't necessarily own much, between us we have seldom seen kid and build a rocket boys and their set covered some of their older back catalogue.

Guy Garvey comes across a bit like a kindly geography teacher, dressed in a shirt and pullover. His voice is something else and his presence on stage is one of a kindly giant. He seems like the sort of person you would like to share a pint with and have a natter.  And yes this comes through his singing and the banter between numbers.  One thing we noticed in out position near the front but extreme stage left was that there was a bod from the BBC holding up a sign saying hurry up please.  Playing live to the nation, even artists are subject to deadlines.

I found the gig to be uplifting and mostly full of admiration.  Highlights for me were Seldom Seen Kid and the sing along preceding, I also may have audibly squeed at On a Day like this.

I'm really grateful to the BBC for putting shows like this on and offering tickets to people who just apply.

And just a little thing to show off, at one point my chap found himself standing next to Jo Whiley, Mark Radcliffe and Mark Riley.  I do believe he squeed.

Welcome to the new crowd of readers I've picked up from the OU creative writing level one course.  This seems like a good a time as any to reiterate what this blog is for and who I am.

Well let's start with the easy bit.

I'm Jane this is my blog. I am 32 I live with my boyfriend just outside of Wrexham. I'm a geek and a fangirl and I'm proud.

This blog is a positive place, it's where I'll write about what I'm enjoying on TV, what has tempted me to the cinema and what love film has served up.  I'll also talk about what I'm reading though I have a good reads account which is where most of my writing about reading occurs. Here is also where I write about how I experience and express what fandoms means to me.

Please feel free to comment, it makes me feel loved and that I'm not shouting into the void.

What I've been watching lately: 

Firstly last week BBC Four showed Holy Flying Circus which was a drama based on the furore surrounding the Python team at the time of the release of the life of Brian.  It was a perfect piece about the group because it did it in the style of  Monty Python, with fantasy sequences, weird animations and good old fashioned silliness. For instance the actor playing Terry Jones also played Michael Palin's wife and the actor playing Michael Palin also played his mother.

Darren Boyd was incredible as a very Basil Fawlty version of John Cleese, the pitch of his voice, the way he moved, it was a beautifully observed and fantastically funny.

The show was very knowing and very self referential and post modern in the way the story was told I loved it, I laughed out loud a lot and when I watched the actual interview and 'debate' afterward it was interesting to see just how closely the scene in the drama had kept to the show that had aired.  Some things I felt sure must have been put in for comedy effect were there in the original and I was amazed.   

I will have to watch this again, get it on iplayer while you can.

I've also been keeping up with Warehouse 13 the finale to the third season was on recently, and I'll be watching it tonight, it promises to be a game changer. This really is the little show that could and over its three seasons it has become more exciting and more intricate. They have great guest star slots including Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Jewel Staite and Sean Maher also the ubiquitous Mark Sheppard and Saul Tigh.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this season gets finished and where they will head next.

We've also started watching the Closer from the beginning which is really easy TV to watch and a southern accent, I'm kinda there y'all.

And Spartacus Gods of the Arena, which is the prequel to blood and sand is just great, a time before Spartacus, with Crixes on the rise and the status of the ludus being one that was very much in the lower echelons, it will be interesting to see the rise in status, that we know will come.