Meeting Joe Strimmer

From the title, you might imagine that I lied about the name-dropping celebrity-chasing assertion I made in my last post. I certainly hope my blog doesn't turn into an exercise in shallowness of that kind. Nonetheless, the events of this week need to be addressed; specifically the Punks Not Dad gig at the Claude Hotel in Cardiff on Thursday.

When I first ran away from home at the tender age of 25, and moved to Cardiff, I quickly discovered what a fabulous live music scene there was in the city. I became fascinated by such fabulous bands as The Howling Sleepers, The Dostoyevskys, Railroad Bill, The Blue Horses, The Six-Sided Men - all based in Cardiff and mostly sadly defunct now. Many of these bands played at Cardiff's "Meltdown" - an organisation run by enthusiasts of live music and still going after over 20 years (albeit now monthly rather than weekly.) I went as often as I could - actually, I still do...

So, this Thursday, I found myself watching some old friends playing stupidly brilliant punk. Punks Not Dad sing wonderfully anarchic songs about sheds and lawnmowers and flat-packed furniture. The music is genuine punk: noisy, with brash chords and rough but humourous lyrics. They've successfully made the gap between teenage-angst and the anxieties of a 40-something seem like no gap at all. I'm sure some people wouldn't 'get it', the roughness might put some people off - but hey, it's punk! It's supposed to be this way! And yet, for some of us, perhaps their target audience - it really is nostalgic too, with a healthy dose of humour thrown in. If the music means anything to you at all, I'd recommend going to see them.

Of course, I managed to catch up with 'Joe Strimmer' too, I guess I've known him for 18 years or so now, and 'Sid Life Crisis' too for that matter. (I'd normally call them Chris and Dan, but hey...) And it seems there's been quite a bit of interest in their new venture recently, so I'd just like to wish them all the success they deserve.

On another, stranger, more random note, I also met another guy: Mark Ryan, who used to play with Adam and the Ants, way back. He was convinced that I ought to try doing some comedy, and you know, maybe I shall...