You mean there was a football match?

I didn't watch the football last night - though I caught the 'highlights' and to be honest didn't seem I'd missed much - as I went to see the excellent Julie Fowlis.

Have to say it's slightly weird going to a concert when there is a big England world cup match on - especially as the band are very Scottish and sing in Gaelic. However, being on the same evening gave it a real intimate feeling. Ticket sales were perhaps lower than expected so to make best use of the space the venue had arranged the seating in to 'cabaret' style which also added to atmosphere. The combination of that, a smaller audience (around 200) who really wanted to be there, and an excellent group made for a wonderful evening's concert.

Julie Fowlis hails from North Uist in the Outer Hebrides and sings traditional style Celtic folk in Scots Gaelic. She possesses a wonderful voice and was BBC Radio2 Folk Singer of the Year in 2008. The evening was a winning combination of that sublime voice, four other very talented musicians, and good humour and charm between the songs all in a pleasant and intimate venue. Her current tour has played/is playing some great venues, including Union Chapel in London on Thursday. Heartily recommend catching her in concert if you can.

So a interesting week musically. Monday night was thousands seeing Bon Jovi start their O2 residency. Saturday around 200 watching a folk gig. Both good and both very different in numerous ways - and if I'm honest, I enjoyed the the Julie Fowlis slightly more. If nothing else there was also something funny about being updated with the score from the England game. "It's 1-1. Really? Oh, that's a shame." I *suspect* her tongue was firmly in her cheek.

All the way up to 11 - again

Spent last night at the opening concert of the Bon Jovi 'residency' at the O2.

As I've said before, I'm not a massive fan and they'll never be cool, but a good chance to catch up with a friend (a Bon Jovi fan) and you have to say the band know what they are doing. They did a good, tight 2 & half hour set mixing some new stuff with all the fans' favourites. It's basically a mass singalong with the band.

Two observations. First, the O2 really has changed from it's old incarnation as the Dome, and even from when I went to the first concert there a couple of years ago. It's a good venue and, unlike Wembley, pretty easy to get to/from on public transport, plus there are numerous bars and restaurants. Overall it's pretty impressive.

Second - I'm going to give up on trying to work out the Bon Jovi fanbase. They are a rock band who've been around for 25 years so you'd expect lots of middle aged blokes in demin? You'd be wrong. Me and my mate are both 39 and probably amongst some of the oldest there. Yes you'll still find the odd aging rocker - but most fans are in their 20s with a pretty even gender split, if not slightly more women. I find it bizarre that you're more likely to come across groups of women attending than blokes. I don't understand it, but can't knock it - the group know what they do and do it well.

Basically they've found a winning formula - and whilst they are never going to win masses of critical acclaim - you can't begrudge them their success.

It's My Life (apparently)

OK, I'm now a bit worried - this is becoming a habit - almost an addiction. It's June and last night once again I've somehow ended up at a Bon Jovi concert...

It's really strange. This concert is at Twickenham - 2 stops from me on the train. My friend and I have a pint at a pub on the river and head over to the stadium - the weather is windy but looks like it will hold. Once again I'm amazed at the demographic of a Bon Jovi concert - it's young (most are in their 20s) and it's probably over half female. Guess it proves sex appeal sells.

We have good seats - high up in the gods but front and centre. The support act - Biffy Cyclo - is dreadful. All the other UK dates have The Feeling as support, but tonight they are playing Glastonbury. It's also the same evening as the Mandela concert so I guess getting a decent support act was always going to difficult.

In front of us are a group of people who, as the evening unwinds, act out an episode of a soap opera. One bloke can't handle his drink and goes through the 5 stage of drinking so brilliantly observed by the excellent Larry Miller. At a couple of points his wife/girlfriend is in tears and the security guard keeps a close eye, having a quiet word on one occasion. It's never threatening or hostile, just distracting - he's just a complete pillock who can't handle his beer, makes an idiot of himself and you do wonder if he has 'special needs' and has been let out with his social workers for the evening.

The concert is what you'd expect from a best selling group who have been around for over 20 years. They are a tight unit, completely at ease with each other and the crowd and it comes across. Bon Jovi will never be at the cutting edge nor have artistic credibility - but they do a great concert and give the fans exactly what they want - and really, you can't ask for more. For me the weirdest thing is simply walking all the way home from such a big gig - gradually the crowds ease but they are still several from the concert walking alongside us all the way back to TW11.

Overall, a good evening at the local concert venue.

Elgar and the the Apostles

Last night spent a lovely evening in the wonderful surroundings of the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Albans listening to the Hertfordshire Chorus perform The Apostles by Elgar.

It's a work that I don't think is performed too often - the need for 6 soloists, a full choir and orchestra suggest it's quite a project for a choral group to tackle.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening - good company and an interesting piece beautifully performed in a very appropriate location.

The Secret of Life...

... is a good cup of coffee.

Slightly unexpectedly I head off to The Borderline to see Gretchen Peters live. Doubt you will have heard of her - so the obtuse reference above to one of her songs is doubly pointless - but she is a Nashville singer songwriter and you may have heard one of her songs at some point.

The support act is Edwina Hayes an acoustic/folk singer songwriter from Yorkshire. She has a wonderful voice and a lovely sense of humour. "Most of my songs are pretty depressing. They're all about either unrequited love, falling for someone whose not interested or having a crush on someone", she says with a wonderful laugh.

Gretchen claims she is under the weather but she - along with her excellent keyboard player - deliver a wonderful set. Again there is a good use of humour between the songs. Overall a lovely concert highlighting the delightful talents of two excellent female singer songwriters.

End the night with friends watching a gripping Superbowl match. The Patriots - so near to the perfect season...

Eventually a long Sunday ends...

Living on a prayer (again)

It's not Glastonbury, but it's raining and I'm with thousands of others watching a famous group performing under canvas.

"Hello London. Welcome to the O2, your brand new home. And by the sound of the crowd in here tonight... who the hell needs Wembley anyway??" Jon, you've got to let it go...

Some how I've once again ended up at a Bon Jovi concert - and this time it really is the opening gig in a new venue - and it's all a bit surreal. The venue is the O2 - the Dome as was. Easy to get to, but a real pain to get back from on a Sunday night as the tube finishes earlier. This has meant a bit of rethink and we drive most of the way, park up and then cycle the rest - surreal moment one, we're going to a big gig by bike...

Cycling on the Thames path we come by the pier for the Dome - there are loads of fans awaiting Bon Jovi's arrival by boat. This is surreal moment two - we are passing by at just the right moment. We dismount, wait 5 minutes with various screaming people and slightly bemused tourists, and Bon Jovi walk past - all jeans and hair.

We queue for ages to pick up our tickets - despite ordering months in advance they haven't arrived in time for the concert and we're not the only ones. What is it with new venues and ticketing? I used to live 2 tube stops from Dome but have never been there - I now feel justified not coming before - there is nothing there as you wait for the concert - the few bars and restaurants are ridiculously over crowded.

Eventually we head in to the arena. After the 'special guests' the arena darkens and on the big screen is Jon Bon Jovi pictured backstage making his way to the arena. The crowd - or at least the females in it - scream. JBJ swaggers - there is no other word for it and I guess if you're as good looking and rich as him why not? He continues to make his way backstage as the steadicam follows him - for a moment I think of a scene from Spinal Tap - and then he appears. The band strike up and go for it.

Bon Jovi will never be hip and I'm not particularly a fan - though I know a few of their songs and some of their newer stuff has a definite nu-country ting and are more my thing. But give them huge credit, they know how to deliver a gig and they give their fans exactly what they want - it's basically a 2 hour singalong. It's good fun.

The O2? The location and wider bar/restaurant facilities are poor - but the actual arena venue is excellent. Well built, it has surprisingly good acoustics for a concert and though there are 20,000 in there, you have a comfortable seat, a good view and are close enough to the band to enjoy it. A welcome addition to London venues - even if it was surreal cycling away from a rock gig.

A Hundred Miles or More

Having not bought any music for quite a while I seem to have found a bit of streak. There are very few artists whose recordings I'd buy unheard, but Alison Krauss and Union Station are one. Not a particularly well known artist in the UK, I found it a bit bizarre when I saw a TV ad promoting her new album as the 'Album of the Week' at Sainsburys - so off I toddled.

Now I've been a AKUS fan since their wonderful Now That I've Found You: A Collection 1995 release containing the simply beautiful "When You Say Nothing At All" (latterly completely ruined by Ronan Keating on the Notting Hill soundtrack - another reason to not like Ronan). Some of the releases since have been superb, such as Lonely Runs Both Ways, and other have been a bit, well disappointing, such as Forget About It.

A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection is a bit hit and miss - it contains some new stuff, some film soundtrack songs she has recorded (including from the Prince of Egypt OST!) and one track from The Best of Country Sing the Best of Disney recording (no, I'm not making that up!).

With some excellent new tracks written by Julie Lee (a great artist in her own right), a couple of songs from the Cold Mountain and O Brother Where Art Thou soundtracks, and the excellent Whiskey Lullaby, it's still better than 99% of the other stuff that makes it on to CD. The best starting point with AKUS for newbies is their truly superb Live CD/DVD, but this is definitely worth a listen.

Cuilidh

Have recently stumbled across the excellent new album by Julie Fowlis. Not your average recording - it's a Scottish album sung in Gaelic containing a beautiful collection of folk songs inspired by and relating to the Outer Hebrides.

It fascinates me that the artist is from North Uist, which is remote even by Hebridean standards! For me this is part of the attraction - having spent a brief spell in the Hebrides last September (see here) I can see how the beauty, the landscape, and the isolation can inspire.

A beautiful location has led to a wonderful album - enjoy, it could be one of the sleeper hits of 2007.