The Last Two Days

The first few weeks of retirement are pretty surreal really.

It just feels like being on holiday and you have to keep reminding yourself that this not having to get up for work is going to continue for (hopefully) a considerable period of time.

I had intended to sum up these first few weeks here but have only managed to get to the final two days (This all takes up my valuable time you know!) so I changed the title and will break things up into smaller chunks (The best way to eat an elephant).

My third (as a friend reminded me) retirement do went well. Actually, for the record, it wasn't my third but it was my second. I retired from the Police, then resigned from The BPI.

My colleagues were generous, both in spirit and materially, and everybody laughed at the correct places in my speech so that was a bonus.  It was so lovely that Lucy and my two youngest daughters, Siobhan and Niamh could share the afternoon and evening with me.

We all left the Brewdog in Canary Wharf suitably refreshed and, although I did show my face in the office the following morning for a few hours that, as they say, was that.

I had a lovely lunch with Lucy, Siobhan and Niamh the following day and then Lucy and I went for a long walk from Waterloo to the Royal Albert Hall via St James' Park, Green Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and The Greyhound Public House!

We were heading to the Royal Albert Hall to watch a tribute to Buzzcocks' former lead singer Pete Shelley who tragically died on 6th December 2018.  Buzzcocks had supported The Sex Pistols at the legendary Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall gig so their place in Punk Rock history was properly earned. When we bought the tickets, Pete was still alive and the gig was simply Buzzcocks, supported by The Skids and Penetration, three bands who I had followed when I was a teenager (although I only saw Buzzcocks, never the other two). I saw them again in recent years, both times at festivals in the USA and they had the same levels of energy that I had first witnessed at the Portsmouth Guildhall on 3rd October 1978 so it was incredible that this band were to play The Royal Albert Hall.

After Pete's unexpected death, we wondered whether the show would just be cancelled but instead, they turned it into a tribute show and invited a number of guests from various 70s and 80s punk rock bands to help them along.

We met up with some friends in The Greyhound, people we have met over the years from attending various gigs and festivals and, after a few pre-gig drinks, walked over to the venue.

The crowd were, in the main, around my age and, whilst there was not so much hair around as there had been in the 70s, there was no shortage of enthusiasm. Only three crowd members sported mohawk haircuts (although these were quite splendid) but the assortment of band t-shirts and jocularity made this old punk-rocker very happy indeed.

The evening was compered by Paul Morley, who I used to read avidly every week in the New Musical Express.

First on were Penetration, fronted by Pauline Murray who, at 61 years, still has an incredible voice. The band served up all the old favourites; Don't Dictate, Come into the Open and a cover of The Buzzcocks' Nostalgia. The full setlist can be found HERE .

Then came The Skids. One of the more "hit-friendly" bands to come out of the Punk Era and spawn of the brilliant Big Country, which Stuart Adamson formed when he left The Skids in 1981, they had a number of hit singles such as Circus Games, Into the Valley and Working for the Yankee Dollar. All were on the setlist this evening and Richard Jobson (the only original member) belted them all out with gusto. Jobson looked extremely fit and is clearly working out regularly, which I guess you have to if you are going to perform with that much energy, aged 58?  The highlight of this set for me was a trilogy of "TVStars/Pretty Vacant/What do I get?" which the crowd and of course I, merrily joined in with. "ALBERT TATLOCK!"

It was then time for the main event.  Buzzcocks only original member is Steve Diggle, although former drummer John Maher and bassist Steve Garvey joined him during the evening. Diggle performed the first four songs unaided before being joined by a variety of guests as follows:

Captain Sensible (The Damned)
John Maher (Buzzcocks, Penetration)
Steve Garvey (Buzzcocks)
Peter Perrett (The Only Ones)
Pauline Murray (Penetration)
Richard Jobson (The Skids)
Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
Dave Vanian (The Damned)
Tim Burgess (The Charlatans)

A veritable who's who of 70s & 80s Punk and New Wave (with Tim Burgess being an odd but very welcome bedfellow)

The Setlist was simply a Buzzcocks' Greatest Hits set culminating with all the assorted guests joining together for Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've).

This was a joyous event, tinged with sadness but appropriate that my last working day ended with me watching artists which I had first watched at the beginning of my working life.

                     The only people in the audience young enough to still grow a mohawk!

                                Paul Morley

                      Steve Diggle

                     Captain Sensible

                                Peter Perrett

                      Dave Vanian

                      Thurston Moore

                      Tim Burgess

                      

    The ensemble

I'm no gig reviewer (I think I like live music too much sometimes and can therefore never be truly critical). If you want to read a proper review then you could do a lot worse that this one from Louder Than War.

I'll publish some more retired ramblings in a few days.