Euros 2022 #4

Football, WOMENS EUROS 2022

We went to Brentford to watch Germany and Denmark and it was an amazing atmosphere. We were sitting with a lot of Danish supporters and they chanted and sang the whole way through. A little girl of around 4 or 5 years and her dad was sitting next to us and I thought that she might get bored during the game but she was very enthusiastic and loved cheering all the goals. It’s a shame Denmark didn’t score because they played well and the fans all left smiling. Germany are an incredible team, I fully expect to see them in the final. My only gripe is that there is no programs for Euros22! I was looking forward to buying one to read over the tournament. Why didn’t they make programs???

Slagheap

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Last night we went to The Victoria in Dalston to see Slagheap from Bristol and Nervous Twitch from Leeds.

Nervous Twitch are C86 style with a hint of surf.

Slagheap are my new favourite band! Gav said this gig was the best show we’ve been to this year and I agree. Slagheap sound like The Slits but are better musicians, more funny and more danceable. We bought their LP at the show and played it as soon as we got home. I hope they play in London again soon.

The Schizophonics

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We went to the Lexington last night for an incredible and fun show by The Schizophonics from San Diego. The guitarist was all over the stage, doing moves like he was at Wigan Casino, all the time playing groovy fuzzy guitar. It was hard to believe that the band are just a 3 piece. The energy and fun of The Schizophonics is off the scale. My new favourite garage punk band! Can’t wait for them to play in London again!

Pussy Riot, Hagar The Womb, Hetze

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Friday 20th May 2022, Het Depot, Leuven, Belgium.

This gig was a dream come true for me. After 6 months of intense learning I got to play guitar on stage with my favourite band at an amazing show.

First band of the night was locals Hetze. They are like a tornado; fast and in-your-face heavy punk, with short, tight songs that are full of energy and aggression. Hetze are coming to London in September to play Chimpyfest 2022, do not miss them!

Next up was us! I joined Hagar The Womb last September and have spent months learning to play their songs on guitar. The Hags were my favourites when I was a teenager, at that time the punk scene was completely male dominated and Hagar The Womb were one of very few bands of the time that I could relate to. I still love them and it is amazing to be playing with them.

We put on a lively and fun show and we had a great time playing. Karen and Ruth made it very clear what the band thought of Boris Johnson and Brexit, Mitch was in full-on show-off mode and the audience seemed to love it.

The lights went out and we were in darkness and then it was time for Pussy Riot. It was the first time I had seen Pussy Riot and I was completely blown away. Their show, Riot Days, tells the story of the Punk Prayer performance and their arrest, trial and imprisonment following it. Visuals including English translation of their words were projected behind them and the packed venue was captivated and in awe. Pussy Riot’s show is one of the most empowering and strong performances I have ever seen. Their strength and conviction is incredible, and it felt especially important to me (as a Brit) as our government is in the process of making protest illegal.

After Riot Days the group returned to the stage for a shorter performance in solidarity with Ukraine and to give a declaration of their opposition to the Russian invasion. Half of the merch sales for this tour will be donated to a Children’s hospital in Kiev.

Punk women, taking up the space we deserve.

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Today we had a fun pre-gig practice with Mike (Dinosaur Skull) who is standing in for Tabi on drums at the Queens Head tomorrow. We are so excited about this gig, we’ve been playing gigs for almost 23 years and for most of that we’ve been the ‘token girls’ in a man’s domain. This is the first time we have played on such a female centric line up (Mike will be the only man on stage all night). 23 years ago we could only dream of this line up happening. Mike organised this gig, and when he was choosing the bands for the night he said that it didn’t hit him until the line up was fixed that he would be the only man on stage all night, and he said that he wants to wear a ‘token male’ T-shirt to the gig, (so I drew him wearing it).

Lockdown 3 – Volcano!

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These days, if anything slightly interesting happens then we jump right on it. We watched the Fagradalsfjall volcano for most of Sunday. We set up the screen & projector so we could watch it as big as possible. It was amazing. I love volcanos. My family watched it together during our Sunday afternoon skype meet up. Later Gav and I watched it while listening to the Freakzone on 6music and it was perfect for Sunday evening.

11K people from all over the world were also watching the stream. At one point a couple of men did some work on the camera and it was funny seeing their faces with waves and words of thanks coming from the chat of the stream.

Lockdown 3 – Busy Social Life

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We set up a Shouty Cafe in our garden and ever since we’ve had a constant stream of visitors. The most regular are ‘The Shouties’ – a gang made up of Robin, Wren, a pair of Great Tits and a pair of Blue Tits, and recently a couple of Dunnocks. They come at the same times each day and we often eat our lunches together. The Magpie couple who live in the tree nearby and Blackbird call by sometimes, and for the last few weeks the Wood Pigeons are constantly picking up the dropped seed from under the feeder. Sadly, Old Pigeon may not be with us much longer as he can barely walk. Cheeky Squirrel Nutkin comes and eats the food from the cup feeders that are hung in the hedge.

Lockdown 3 – Gav’s School

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For four afternoons a week for a month two boys came to our flat for ‘Gav’s School’. During lesson times I could overhear what was going on from the safety of my cupboard/office and it was a joy to hear a six & seven year old get so excited by learning. They learned spelling, maths, telling the time, all sorts of interesting science and nature facts and they made a plasticine stop annimation film. In between every class there was a ten minute break and I joined in pillow fights, hide & seek and ‘home taping is killing music’.