Modest Mouse and Johnny Marr

This holiday has mostly been about music; listening to it, talking about it or the acquisition of it. I have lost count of how many record shops we have visited and the vinyl records that have been purchased.

Last night we went to the Leeds O2 Academy to see Modest Mouse and I think it’s fair to say that we had a great time. There were two support acts – Hippo Campus and Elle Knight, both American indie rock bands that went down very well with the audience. The gig was sold out and although we had no real idea of what we were going to hear, the crowd seemed to know all the back catalogue of Modest Mouse songs. It was pretty full-on rock and very entertaining. The boys certainly enjoyed it, right in front of the stage for the whole evening. We had to queue for merchandise after the gig; more vinyl albums of course. Incidentally, Johnny Marr used to play with Modest Mouse, hence the reason we bought the tickets.

Before we set off to Yorkshire I had also noticed that Johnny Marr was playing at Wakefield and since we have in our company a huge Smith’s fan it seemed a shame that the ticket office said it was for over 18s only. However, it turned out that Ian’s Auntie Helen was going to the gig and she was so surprised by the fact that it was supposedly for over 18s that she rang the venue and discovered this was a mistake. So we quickly purchased two tickets for Ian and Joseph and Auntie Helen is picking them up to take them to the gig. I can’t tell you how much excitement that caused.

Jacob and Murdo are going to accompany me to Manchester this afternoon/evening while the other two are at the gig. They are going to hang out in more record shops and cafes while I meet up with someone very special. Anyone who has read Learning to Dance Again will have heard of Becky Sherry – well I am going to meet the woman who inspired the character. More about that tomorrow.

Oh and by the way, the sun is shining and apparently it is going to hang about all day. I am sitting in the garden outside the cottage listening to Sade while I type. The boys are still in bed asleep. Perfect peace!