Fall Out Boy - Wembley Arena

Maddie's birthday was back in February and my present to her was tickets to see her favourite band at Wembley.  She had to wait for eight months but finally the day was here and Maddie rushed through the door after school and changed hurriedly.  After this quick pit stop we were on our way to London.

To me London is an alien place that I can only tolerate for short periods and driving in London is an absolute nightmare.  Heading this way to a teenagers concert should be the road to hell but luckily Maddie isn't one of the sheep that likes One Direction and their ilk.  My daughter has taste and likes a wide variety of music but particularly rock and punk.  Fall Out Boy manage to straddle these two genres.  I wasn't familiar with the band until Maddie started playing me their music and the more I heard the more I liked.  I still don't know much about them but they have been around a while, are American and the bassist Pete is the main songwriter. I'd describe them as... a bit like Green Day?  Whatever, they are a pretty good band.

After crawling through roadworks on the North Circular we eventually arrived at Wembley to be hit with a £20 charge to park!!  Fuck sake.  No choice, pay the racketeers and forget about it.  I'd seen several bands here in the eighties and nineties; AC-DC, Alice Cooper and UB40 are three memorable ones.  Wembley arena has been over hauled since I last visited,  it's all much fresher and I'm sure the entrance had changed ends?

Maddie met a friend for a rendezvous that wasn't as long as she'd hoped, time was short. We had decent seats half way up along the side left of stage.  We didn't know anything about the supports and didn't have long to find out.  First up was someone called Charley Marley.  I have to think twice before I recall his name because in my mind he was immediately and permanently rechristened 'Charlie Farley' after the "Two Ronnies" character.  I can't remember much else about him except he jumped around a lot.  Next was Matt & Kim.  Matt played keyboards and sang.  Kim smashed the hell out of a drum kit and they both danced around a lot.  The music was catchy and dancy and good fun.

We were getting ready for the main event but no, another support and someone I'd heard of, Professor Green.  This was a surprise because it seemed to me he was playing to the wrong audience and I expected he would sell out Wembley himself?  The half hour or so was okay but it was just okay.  For an up and coming star of British music I'd expect more than the Prof gave us.  I recognised the last couple of tunes and judging by the reaction so did the audience which finished the show on a high.

Not long to wait now...  The lights went out and Maddie started screaming.  The lights came on and Fall Out Boy hit the stage with a bang.  They started the show with a classic "Sugar we're going down".  The tune sounded fantastic and the crowd went absolutely nuts.  This is my favourite FOB song so I was a little worried they'd played their ace too early but they kicked on and kept the crowd buzzing for the whole show.  They played loads of blinding rock songs, Maddie would know all the titles but the ones I remember are "American beauty/American psycho", "Phoenix" and "Uma Thurman".  

A live performance is the ultimate test, many musicians sound great on record but can't capture it in concert.  Some bands come to life on stage and Fall Out Boy are in this category, four good musicians who sound like they've played together for years.  At one point the lights came down and the band vanished only to reappear in a cordoned off area in the middle of the arena floor right below us.  Here they played two acoustic songs including "Immortals" before the drummer took over from the main stage.  The lighting and visuals were excellent throughout the night.  FOB passed the live test with flying colours for me and got the thumbs up from the purple princess.

We really enjoyed the gig but for me the best thing about the night was sharing the experience with my daughter.  Maddie was in her element.  She danced the whole night, sang just about every word, held up her phone and punched the air putting me in mortal danger on the back swing.  Maddie was totally immersed in the experience, seeing a cherished band play a great show took her to a euphoric place away from the daily routine where time is meaningless and the music is everything.  I know this because music has taken me to the same place many times and it was brilliant to be there for Maddie.

Then it was all over.  Back to the car, stupid queues in the car park, a crawl away from Wembley and a tired drive home.  The next day I was knackered but it was well worth it.

2005 & all that. (part 2)

Fourth Test – Trent Bridge

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/216994.html

By now my test match routine was settled.  I arranged my working week so I could spend as much time as possible close to the radio on Thursday and Friday.  The TMS coverage that year surpassed even their usual high standards.  The commentators are great; Agnew, Blofeld, CMJ and Aussie guest Maxwell.  The summarisers included Boycott, Marks and Lawson.  Big news when I tuned in on day one, McGrath’s injury had flared up again and he would miss the match.  Gillespie had been taking a hiding and he was dropped, the lightning fast Tait given a debut.  Australia were creaking!

The match started, England won the toss and threatened to dominate from the start.  With the exception of Bell, all of England’s top order scored good runs but none turned their start into a match winning innings.  Day one was reduced to 60 overs by rain and finished poised with England 229-4.

Pietersen fell early on day two leaving England in a tricky situation at 241-5 but step up Flintoff who in partnership with Jones (85) tilted the game firmly in England’s favour.  Freddie made 102 and England were eventually all out for 477.  Then Hoggard destroyed the top order taking three and leaving Aus 99-5 at stumps.

 I now settled into my weekend routine.  Whenever I had the time or opportunity to watch TV that is where I would be found.  Whenever I was away from the TV I was never too far away from my radio.  England’s pace bowlers whittled away but the Aussie middle order showed a bit of fight.  Strauss flew to his left to take a brilliant one handed catch!! Then Jones blew away the tail, Aus were all out for 218 and following on!  Australia batted much better second time around but England kept chipping away at them.  The bad news was Simon Jones was injured and only managed four overs.  If I remember correctly he never bowled in test cricket again.  That afternoon the kids and I packed the car and went camping by a fenland river once again so it would have been the radio that kept me up to date and I missed the infamous run out of Ponting.  Day three ended with Australia fighting at 222-4  My diary tells me I caught a ten pound Zander that night.

We were home for the beginning of play, a hundred partnership between Katich and Clarke held England up but Hoggy broke them up and we began to chip away again.  The wickets were shared and eventually Aus were all out for 387 leaving England 129 to win.  It started comfortably enough with Strauss & Tres racing to 36 but Warne wreaked havoc and all of a sudden we were 57-4 and I was shitting it.  KP and Fred then calmed things taking us to 103 before Lee roared in at extreme pace and we were 116-7 with Hoggy and Giles at the wicket!  Surely they weren’t going to turn this around?  Not revenge for Headingly, please NO!

It was unbearable.  I had TV’s on upstairs and down with the radio in between and I was pacing between all three places.  Upstairs then down, out in the garden between overs, then back in the house.  We crept closer, from nowhere Hoggy played the best cover drive of his life and it went for four!!  Closer, getting closer, Giles pushes for two and fucking hell yes!!  Relief!! Adrenaline!!  And I didn’t have to hide in the shower this time!

In three weeks we’d just experienced three brilliant test matches with close, tense terrifying finishes.  And England had hung on to win two of them!!

Fifth Test – The Oval

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/218383.html

We had to wait two weeks until the fifth and final test.  It’s fair to say that by this point the country had gone Ashes crazy and everyone was behind the team.  Could they do what no English team had managed in nearly twenty years? England had been the better team and if not for time lost on the first day at Old Trafford would have been leading 3-1.  Would Simon Jones be fit?  As time went on it became apparent but who would replace him?  So with my Ashes routine in full swing my ability to follow the cricket was thrown into confusion by a family holiday to Holland!

I took my radio and TMS radio hat with me and was able to pick up coverage from time to time.  I also managed to locate some English newspapers to keep me in touch with what was going on.  For Australia McGrath was back and for England Paul Collingwood stepped in for the injured Jones, in what many thought was a defensive selection.  We only needed a draw after all.  Australia needed a win to draw the series and retain the Ashes, a victory they scarcely deserved.  Yes they had played some great cricket but we had been better.

I don’t remember much about the first four days of the match.  I managed to get TMS with a decent reception most of the time.  England won the toss and batted making 373 built around 129 from Strauss and 70+ from Flintoff.  A decent score but we hadn’t managed to bat Aus out of the match.  Warne was at his very best bowling long spells to take six wickets.  In reply the much vaunted opening partnership of Hayden and Langer finally fired, both made tons.  Flintoff took five wickets and Hoggard four as Aus were all out for 367.  By Stumps on the fourth day England’s second innings was poised at 24-1.  We just needed to bat out the day to regain the Ashes.

The fifth day was always going to be nervous so I went to Amsterdam. I had my TMS radio hat on but the signal was dodgy in the city.  I heard up until lunch with the score a precarious 120 odd for 5 but then lost contact.  Had an extremely nervous couple of hours and even a visit to a coffee shop didn’t help.  Sometime in the middle of the afternoon, I found myself standing in the middle of Dam square in the sunshine, the signal comes back and the first words I hear are “Lee runs in to bowl….”  Lee?  We’re still batting!!!!  They haven’t got time to come back…..!!!  I punched the air, shouted & danced on the spot.  The family thought I’d gone nuts but luckily if there’s one place in the world we’re this kind of behaviour is almost normal, it’s Amsterdam.

KP scored his maiden test century, a brilliant 158 and received support from Collingwood and Giles who made 59.  England made 335, Warne took another six wickets and McGrath three.  Brett Lee was wicketless but on another day, with a bit of luck he might have won the match for Australia.

Back at our holiday caravan I sat in a comfortable chair soaking up sunshine, sipping from a Bottle of Amstel as the greatest series ever played came to a rather anti climatic conclusion.  That didn’t matter one bit.  England had won the Ashes!!  Being abroad I missed the team’s drunken tour of London and in hindsight I’m glad.

Men of the series were obvious selections; For Australia Shane Warne took 40 wickets at 19.92 including three five wicket hauls.  He also scored 249 runs at 27.66 with a top score of 90. England’s Andrew Flintoff took 24 wickets at 27.29 with a best of 5-78 and hit a century on his way to 402 runs at 40.2.

After beating a team of Aussie legends, we passionate English cricket fans could now appreciate what a great team they were.  It was hard to do this when we were in the two decades of pain but now we could be objective.  Yes they were a superb team and in Warne, McGrath, Ponting and Gilchrist they had some all-time great players (but not as good as the West Indies!) At that time Australia had strength in depth, in 2006 they regrouped came back stronger to thrash England.  However that was the end of an era for Australian cricket.

Going into the 2005 England had a settled XI that was a proven match for anyone, that team reached its peak in that Ashes series. Afterwards it broke up and we didn’t have the strength in depth that Australia had.  Simon Jones never played test cricket again.  Vaughan, Trescothick and Flintoff struggled with illness and injuries.  However English cricket was in a better place than it had been for many years.

That was the greatest test series ever played, a clash of champion and challenger that rivals the Ali & Frazier duels of the seventies.  On paper England dominated the final four matches but that doesn’t tell the whole story.  England kept knocking Australia down but they kept bouncing back swinging. It had the nerves and tension of a penalty shootout that lasted six weeks.  The final outcome was not decided until the fifth day of the fifth test.  The standard of cricket over the five matches was simply brilliant, there were great moments in all disciplines from both teams. Will we ever see two sides playing cricket as good as that again?

2005 & all that. (part 1)

Ashes 2005

Despite the rising popularity of ODI and T20, to the true cricket aficionado Test cricket is still the pinnacle of the sport.  The shorter formats are a quick fix with bursts of power and excitement.  The longest format is the greatest test of skill and at its best can enthral the spectator for a full five days.  Obviously it’s best when we can actually go to a day’s play but failing that (i.e. most of the time), we plan our day around the cricket.  It’s good to be able to watch on TV and then it is even possible to have our meals during breaks in play.  The brilliant radio coverage on TMS is as good as tele in a different way and I have a sneaky radio secreted at work and a couple of others around the house.  One of these is small enough to travel with me.  The last resort is following via online updates on a PC or phone.  In the case of a great series this investment in time, planning and emotion can last for weeks turning to months.  Almost every series has a good match or two, some even have a match that can be termed as great and these live long in our memories.  Truly great series require an even balance between the two teams and a finale in which both are still in the hunt.  These have always been infrequent and are becoming increasingly rare.

My first memories of cricket are of Ashes series and others featuring the emerging West Indies team.  I recall watching the likes of Greig, Boycott, Richards, Holding, Lloyd, Lillee, Thompson and the Chappells.  The first series to really enthral me was the 1981 series which was dubbed “Botham’s Ashes”, although my most vivid memory is of Bustling Bob Willis charging his way down the hill at Headingly to 8-43.  Individual performances aside, this series doesn’t really count as “Great” as it finished 3-1, not close enough in my book.

The series that really turned my cricket habit into a lifelong addiction was England’s tour to the Caribbean in the spring of 1990. England had recently been battered 4-0 in a home Ashes series and West Indies were still the best team in the world by a distance.  Led by Graham Gooch England sent a young inexperienced squad to face a team of contemporary icons; great batsmen and probably the best pace bowling attack there has ever been.  On paper it was a mismatch, as my West Indian friends were constantly reminding me.

But England’s young lions punched above their weight and surprised everyone by winning in Jamaica to take a 1-0 lead.  The test match in Guyana was washed out without a ball being bowled and England almost made it 2-0 in Trinidad but rain and bad light saved the West Indies.  Gooch broke his hand in this match and that may have been the turning point as WI roared back to take the final two tests and clinch the series 2-1.

By 1999 the order of world cricket had changed and Australia now ruled the roost.  They visited the West Indies expecting to dominate the home team and sure enough cruised to an easy win in the opening match with McGrath rampant.  In the next held in Jamaica Brian Lara scored a brilliant 213 to help his side to a win. 

The third test was an absolute classic.  Steve Waugh scored 199 in the first innings to set the game up and it looked like Australia would control the game and eventually win with West Indies set 310 to win.  Enter Brian Lara again who scored an amazing 153* to lead the home team to an unlikely one wicket win. WI were one up with one to play but the Aussies showed their class with a good all round performance to win and level the series.  Langer scored 126 and Lara hit another century but it wasn’t enough this time.  This was a great series and at that time nowhere else in the world could compare with the cricket mad West Indies for the atmosphere and backdrop to great cricket.

Then in 2005 in England, the home of the game cricket reached heights of excellence never before seen – by me at least.  The British people created an atmosphere, up and down the country, that out stripped even the Caribbean in its heyday.  It’s hard to believe a decade has passed since that series and following the retirement of Michael Clarke only Ian Bell is still playing test cricket.  Over the last decade England have won four out of six Ashes series but those of us that have long addiction to test cricket cannot forget that prior to 2005 we hadn’t held the urn for almost twenty years.

Before the real cricket there was some short format stuff and whereas Australia were used to dominating everyone, this time they didn’t have it all their own way.  England won the T20 match and gave the Aussies a fright in the ODI’s.  Although Australia took the ODI’s overall, the scores were even going into the main event.  Everything was set up perfectly going into the test series.  Australia fielded a team of all time greats and had been the world’s best test side for a long time.  England were on the up too, we had won our last five series and had just beaten South Africa on their own soil.  This was a clash between the teams ranked numbers one and two in the world but Australia were still expected to win, even though some Aussie pundits conceded England might prove competitive for a change.  There were some of us who thought that no team could possibly be as strong after having the Waugh twins retire.  Also could the veterans McGrath and Warne stay fit for all five matches? I really believed England could win this time; the series couldn’t come quickly enough.

The series arrived and it was magnificent.  You can read match reports on the web if you go looking but here are my memories of the greatest series ever played.

First test – Lords

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/213856.html

The test series started late this year and we had to wait until the third week of July but at last it was here!  The first test was held at Lords and the teams enter the field through a Long room that had never been so animated.  Australia won the toss and elected to bat.  England had a four man pace attack that was fit and fearless, they roared into the Aussies!

I was at work, listening to the match on TMS and it was fantastic!  England got stuck right into  he Aussies, the challenger landed some punches and the champion wobbled!  Hayden fell early, Ponting was hit and cut and then out!  The pace attack shared the wickets and Aus were 97-5 at lunch!  It continued in the afternoon, Steve Harmison was inspired and ripped through the tail for 5-43 and Aus were all out for 190.  England were 10-0 at tea!  The first couple of sessions had been thrilling; I’d yelled and whooped with every wicket, the sound reverberating around the large warehouse I managed at the time.  England had bowled out and battered the Aussies; they knew they were in a fight now.

That was the high point.  Glenn McGrath loves Lords and he was at his best taking the first five wickets and reducing England to 97-7 at the close.  Only the young upstart KP Pietersen was showing any resistance.

From day two onwards Australia dominated the match.  England’s tail wagged but Australia had a lead on first innings which they built on second time around.  England bowled well but a partnership of 155 between Ponting and Clarke, who top scored with 91, took the game away.  The elation of the first two sessions will never be forgotten but Second time around, England were bowled out for 180 and Australia won by 239 runs.  For England Pietersen on debut scored a half century in each innings but the great Glenn McGrath took nine wickets and was man of the match.  I missed the worst of the carnage by fishing for Zander in the fens. A check of the diary reveals I had a six pound Zander and a surprise double figure Pike in the same net when both rods went within minutes of each other at first light.

In the aftermath all the usual suspects jumped on the bandwagon to declare this Ashes summer would be just another easy Australian victory.  Ashley Giles in particular was slagged off in the media for not contributing.  None other than John Emburey, speaking on Radio 5 called for him to be axed.  The fans sometimes know more than the pundits, we knew Giles had been a key member of a successful team for some time, he’d come good.  Defeat was horrible but this fan was not too despondent.  I knew England could perform much better than that and it was noticeable that Gillespie didn’t take a wicket in the match also Gilchrist didn’t get many runs.  After Lords, after going 1-0 down I was even more sure England could bounce back and win.  

Second Test – Edgbaston

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/215010.html

I tuned the radio in at work to find that Australia had won the toss and inserted England.  This was a surprise but doubly so because Glenn McGrath had twisted his ankle in the warm up and wasn’t playing!

So England batted and smashed the Aussie bowlers all around Edgbaston!  Wickets fell fairly regularly but England were flaying the Aussies pace men and even Warne was getting some stick.  Trescothick top scored with 90 whilst Flintoff and Pietersen also passed fifty.  Just about everyone chipped in along the way.  England finished the day 407 all out, scoring at a run rate of 5.13.  A good score but some, including Sir Geoffrey declared England were 70 runs short and had wasted a chance to really pile the pressure on.

I tuned it at work again on the second day to hear the Aussie reply.  Hayden fell early for a duck but Langer and Ponting dug in and took the score to 88 before the latter was out for 61.  That Friday afternoon I had to drive our Shantel to her Guides camp in the west of the county.  This meant a couple of hours in the car so I obviously tuned into TMS to hear England’s bowlers chip away at Australia.  Wickets fell at regular intervals and it dawned on me that a good position was turning into a potential match winning one.  Flintoff picked up three wickets as did the maligned Ashley Giles and Aus were all out for 308.  By the end of the day England had stretched their lead to over a hundred but Strauss had fallen.

On the third day I took Madison, Isaac, a tent and a car load of fishing gear west to the fens and set up beside a river.  During the day we fished for Bream and silver fish, many of which became bait as light fell and we commenced fishing for Zander.  I remember this was a bit of a social session with a few other friends and we enjoyed a barbecue and a bottle of wine through the evening too.  I couldn’t remember if we caught much and the diary revealed just one tiny Zander.  Anyway back to the cricket…

England’s second innings got into a bit of a mess as Brett Lee found his rhythm and Shane Warne found his magic to end with 6-46.  Freddie Flintoff came to our rescue with 77 but England could only post a lead of 281.  The match was in the balance.

Australia batted and started steadily but as we listened to TMS Flintoff bowled one of the great overs to remove both Langer and Ponting to reduce Aus to 48-2.  England chipped away at the middle order but an eighth wicket partnership developed which threatened to tilt the game back in Australia’s way.  Then with the final ball of the day Harmison bowled Clarke with that slower ball, 175-8.  We all roared, surely the game was ours!!

By the time play started on the fourth day I was back in home, lying in bed trying to rest my eyes with the match on TV.  I expected England to wrap up the game quickly and I could catch up on some sleep.  It didn’t work out that way.  First Warne, then Lee and Kasprowicz waved the bat and the total crept ever closer.  Simon Jones dropped a difficult catch at third man, the luck was now going Aussie’s way.  As England’s lead dwindled I became increasingly more agitated.  The more the innings went on my agitation turned to desperation.  Australia were going to win.  They were going to take this match away from us after we’d played all the cricket.  It wasn’t fair!  When Australia’s target crept below double figures I could no longer take it.  I couldn’t watch any more so went to the shower to sulk and wash my sorrows away.  When Harmison bowled that ball to Kasprowicz my world was being drowned out by water so I didn’t even see or hear it.  I became aware that England had won when the children started shouting and celebrating!!  We had won by just two runs!!  The despair and gloom was forgotten in an instant and I watched the replays over and over.  It was only then that I saw the handshake between Freddie and Brett Lee that became one of the images of the summer.  The series had been just one stroke away from being effectively over but it was still alive and kicking!

Third Test – Old Trafford

http://www.espncricinfo.com/engvaus/engine/match/215686.html

I can’t really remember too much about the third test match.  I expect I spent the first two days working within earshot of the radio and I would have spent large chunks of the weekend glued to the TV.  McGrath was fit again (or was he?), England played an unchanged side.  The game was another classic.

 

Vaughan won the toss and England batted with the skipper himself leading the way with 166 and with half centuries from Trescothick and Bell England posted 444. For Aus, Warne and Lee took for wickets each. Then Australia struggled in reply; Ashley Giles took three wickets and Simon Jones 6-53 and only a fighting 90 from Warne took the Aussies on to 302. England batted around a century from Strauss and more runs from Tres’ and Bell to declare on 280-6, setting Aus an unlikely 420+ to win. McGrath took five of the six wickets to fall.  England needed to take ten wickets to win the match and take a lead in the series.  It would have been great to break the opening partnership but they hung on to the close of day four.  I remember feeling that just one wicket before stumps might make all the difference.

Cricket fans had been excited before the series but by now the whole country had got behind the England team.  There were a few tickets on sale for the final day and by 8am people were queued around Old Trafford.  The tickets went quickly and thousands were left disappointed.  Those lucky enough to get in were treated to a fantastic day’s cricket.  I remember being at work, glued to the radio.  Langer fell early and Hayden struggled but Ponting dug in with a brilliant innings.  However everyone else struggled and every time it looked like Australia were out of danger, another wicket fell but it always felt that we were just one Aussie scalp short.

I was home from work and perched in front of the TV when Ponting’s resistance ended, ninth man out for a superb 156.  That left Lee and McGrath to fend off 24 balls to escape with a draw.  There were close calls for LBW and breathless moments then it all came down to the final ball.  Harmison bowled to McGrath… who survived and the Aussie’s celebrated like they had won.  Yes the great Australian team was celebrating a draw.

So now we were three games into the series and it was 1-1 with two to play.  On the whole England had been better team over the three games, could we maintain this superiority and claim the series?

The Oval and on...

This strange series finished with a thumping Australia victory at the Oval.  Cook won the toss and put Aus in, they rode their luck and had a good first day.  England's batsmen were awful on the second day and it was here that the match was lost.  We were following on by day three and I was dreaming of Headingly '81 but that was never going to happen.  The last rites were administered on day four with Aus winning by an innings and 46 runs.

Most of the Aussie runs were scored by Smith with 143 and Warner 85, if the top three don't get them the middle order won't!  To be fair Voges showed improving form with 76.  He looks a good player but is nearly 36 so won't be a fixture.  Their best bowler was Peter Siddle playing his first test of the series, England will be thankful he wasn't picked earlier in the series.  For England the only batsman to pass fifty was Cook with 85.  Moeen Ali scored a few in each innings and Buttler finally looked like he was finding form in the second.

Australia have already seen the retirement of the excellent Ryan Harris before the series and he will be joined by the likable Chris Rogers and the skipper Michael Clarke.  Apart from the 'broken arm' sledge and unbearable gloating during the last series down under, Clarke has been one of the more likeable Aussie skippers in recent times.  It seems unlikely that Haddin and Watson will feature in tests again.  This tour has been the end of an era for a decent Aussie side just like the last Ashes series was for England.

I've noticed that the Aussie cricketers are generally a lot more likable these days (except Warner).  This is probably because we've become more used to beating them than the period from 1989 to 2003 when their great team routinely battered us.  Most of the stars of that era seem decent blokes now they've retired but while they were piling misery upon us I loathed them.  I can't really say I dislike any of the current bunch, except Warner.

Going into the series hardly anyone predicted an England win, even I, a most biased England supporter, couldn't believe we'd win but I was optimistic enough to say " In 2009 I thought Australia were much better than us and would win comfortably.  A few months ago I saw this series in the same way.  I was wrong in 2009, England managed to nick it and this time around I think the sides are more closely matched.This first match is crucial and if England can come out of it undefeated I think England have a chance in this series and if we play well we can beat Australia."  This prediction wasn't far out so I'm feeling a bit smug.

A 3-2 series win was probably a fair reflection of the two teams over the five matches.  The first test was the only one that wasn't as good as over after two days but in the end it was hardly close.  All the other results were thrashings.  This series has proved similar to 2009 again as individually the statistics show Australia have had the better players but collectively we have won more matches!  4-1 would have flattered England and possibly disguised the fact that England are still two or three players short of being a top test team.

Cook had a reasonable series with the bat and caught & captained well, he'll be opening the batting for England for many years to come.  Adam Lyth fielded well but didn't score enough runs, he needs time in county cricket but may come again.  Bell scored the runs that set up the win at Edgbaston but didn't have a great series by his standards and is no longer an automatic choice.  Joe Root was brilliant.

Bairstow came into the side to replace Ballance and done OK but the latter looks more likely to have a long test career, once he regains form and confidence.  Bairstow is a good man to have around the squad, especially as Buttler didn't trouble the scorers too much.  His wicket keeping was pretty good though.

Stokes is inked in as England's all rounder for years to come, he contributed in all aspects of the game throughout the series.  The other all rounder Moeen Ali scored vital runs throughout the series and looked comfortable against good pace bowling.  His own off spin is not up to scratch and we need a spinner badly.

With Anderson, Broad, Finn and Wood we have four decent pace bowlers to choose from.  The first three all produced great spells of bowling at times in the series while the latter was a consistent problem to the Aussies and scored useful runs too.  It was great to see Finn back in test cricket and performing. Anderson is a legend and Broad was man of the series for me.

England face Pakistan in the UAE this winter, a difficult place for touring teams to play and we should be underdogs.  Of the thirteen players used in this Ashes series all but Lyth have a good chance of selection.  There is talk of playing Ali as an opener which will leave room for another spinner, possibly Rashid who deserves a chance.  Monty Panesar done okay in a county match earlier this month, if his mind is right, he should go.  Monty at his best is a match winner.

This has been a really enjoyable test match summer with loads of great cricket and wow moments, we musn't forget the contribution of the New Zealand team earlier in the year.  Before the tests began, one English cricketer dominated the headlines and now he's chip wrapping, nobody is talking about him.  KP?  Who? 

England have won the Ashes!

Three weeks ago the Ashes series stood at 1-1 and the force seemed to be with Australia, surely there fearsome bowling attack would continue to rout England while their batsmen piled on the runs?  Well it didn't quite work out like that!

The fourth test was very much a carbon copy of the third but if anything England were even more dominant.  Broad took 8-15 to help destroy Australia for 60.  Then Joe Root scored 130 and England declared with a lead of 331.  Aus were better in their second innings but even with the openers putting together a century opening stand, the ball was still nipping around and wickets seemed inevitable.  Ben Stokes done the damage second time around finishing with 6-36 and England won the match by an innings and took the series.  Injury to Jimmy Anderson made no difference, unlike the injury to Harris before the series started.

Australia's bowling attack looked very good on paper but in truth they haven't been able to maintain pressure and haven't been able to exploit "English conditions".  Only Starc has had any real impact while four different English bowlers have taken a  '6 for' in this series.

It's Australia's batsmen that have been most disappointing.  Smith has played one great innings and had one good match.  Other than that only Rogers and Warner have been anywhere near good enough.  Every time England have managed to take early wickets the aged, inexperienced middle order has been blown away.  Opener Lyth has struggled but otherwise all England's batsmen have contributed at some stage.  The catching from all, including Lyth, has been superb.

There's one last test match to go and as long as England retain their focus they should wrap the series up 4-1.  I expect they'll name an unchanged side, giving Lyth another chance and not risking Anderson.  It's Australia with the selection problems and for a one off match they could do worse than recalling Haddin, Siddle and even Watson!

Edgbaston and on...

Three tests, three thrashings, England lead the series 2-1 that's the very good news.  
The dark cloud is an injury to Jimmy that will see him miss the next match at least.  
Finn played and had his best match for England.  He looked superb and should be a confident new ball partner for Broad at Trent Bridge, this could be the making of him.
Mark Wood seems the obvious choice to slip back in as the third seamer with Plunkett and Footit added to the squad.  If this the kind of wicket we used to expect at Trent Bridge then I'm confident England can take twenty wickets even without Anderson in the side.
Bell's move up to three proved a success in this match, Root continues to be in the form of his life and Ali scored vital runs with the tail again.  
Adam Lyth is not contributing with the bat but has been retained for the next test.  If he fails it could be his last for a while.  Buttler is having a lean time too but his keeping has been solid and we know he'll come good with the bat.

Australia are the team with problems, the middle order is non existent, if the top three don't get the runs (like they did at Lords) they don't look capable of getting a score in English conditions.  The Aussies of the nineties knew how to play in England as the likes of Hayden, Langer, Hussey and both Waughs all played a lot of county cricket.  International cricketers rarely play in their own domestic leagues nowadays, let alone over seas.  The one exception is Chris Rodgers, say no more.
The lauded strike bowlers are erratic, in hindsight injury to Ryan Harris was a massive loss, surely Peter Siddle would have bowled well at Edgbaston?  Worst of all the captain Michael Clarke is in dire form and nothing is going right for him.  There is little chatter from him these days either, no 'broken arm' threats this time around.

Australia haven't won an Ashes series here since 2001 and in those 14 years only India, Sri Lanka and South Africa (twice) have managed to win in England.  This Aussie team is not as good as those that have lost here on the last three tours.  If we have a typical Trent Bridge wicket and England bowl it in the right place we will win the ashes next week.


A book.

I first read "To Kill a Mockingbird" at high school in the early eighties.  I began reading it because I had no choice and little enthusiasm but it hooked me up and moved me.  I've just finished reading it again, thirty years on it is even more addictive, more beautiful, more moving and at times very funny.  I absolutely loved it second time around and urge anyone to get a copy, if you haven't read it, why not?  If you have, read it again.

"Where were you while we were getting high?" Latitude 2015

But first a bit of cricket...

I was out of reach of both TV and Radio last weekend so thankfully managed to avoid the second test in which Australia totally thrashed England.  I think it’s fair to say the Aussies were all on top form and we crumbled with only Cook, Stokes and Broad coming out with much to shout about.  In fact the match was a complete reversal of the first test.  The next match begins next Wednesday and is being played at Edgbaston where there will be partisan home support.  Will this lift England to another good display or is this the beginning of another Aussie steamroller?  The smart money would probably be on the latter but we hope…  The selectors have wielded the axe and Gary Ballance has been sent back to his county, replaced by the inform Bairstow.  This may seem a shrewd move but the out of form Bell has been shoved up to three and Root to four.  I think for England to have a chance in this series they must win this match.

So for the third year in a row I missed the Lords test match which would be a big disappointment but I was actually doing something I enjoy even more than cricket.  The annual Latitude Festival had rolled around for another year and this is an event the Purple Princess and I will not miss.  Four days of relaxation, refreshment, laughter, music and dancing in a beautiful setting.  At the risk of sounding smug we know what to expect and how to last the distance of a four day festival (well almost).  This we have learnt through experience both good and bad.

By mid-afternoon on Thursday we had pitched our large tent in a rapidly filling field and were sat chilling in the sun with a brew.  I have to confess to a little pre festival trepidation.  There was a slight fear that this year might not live up to the high expectations we have for what has become our favourite weekend of the year.  2014 had been a blinding festival where we had been spoilt with great music; the bill looked a bit leaner this year.  That evening we entered the arena and reacquainted ourselves with the site, taking in DJ’s at the Disco shed and the woods.  We briefly also saw some tap dancing/flamenco and a water borne ballet thing called “Un mondo pieno sogni” which apparently means ‘a world full of dreams’.  Mad stuff, women on stilts waving, a giant seahorse (I wanted it to be a prawn so I could eat it), women poking their upper halves through a giant illuminated tit which looked like one of those knitted things posh people hid their bog roll in in the seventies…  I’m always intrigued by these Thursday evening performances but I don’t get them, I haven’t a clue what I should be impressed by.

We saw a bit of comedy on the Friday.  First Elis James was OK and he was followed by a favourite of ours; Alan Davies who was pretty good with his interpretations of everyday life.  A lot of this set was about the calamities and catastrophes of parenthood told how only AD can.  After that we gave the Comedy tent a miss for the rest of the festival, It’s OK if you want to invest half a day there in the hope of seeing a couple of good acts but it just isn’t big enough to cope with the crowds of people who just want to dip in and out.  Our main motivation for going to latitude is the music.

I can’t be arsed to run through the whole festival blow by blow so here’s an attempt to go through what we saw in brief.  I am a music fan not a music critic, my assessment of any gig is based purely on how it makes me feel, there is no kind of technical criteria involved, just emotion.

At some point on Friday we saw a bit of Soak in the big tent & Beach baby on the lake stage.  Both were pretty good. 

On the main stage Nitin Sawhney and Femi Kuti & Positive Force, again both were OK. 

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (I may have my izards in the wrong order) performed in the I arena.  Great psychedelic guitars, great foot tapping rhythm and loads of energy. This was the first band of the weekend that really got my feet moving but PP wasn’t so sure. The big crowd appeared to be agreeing with me.  We managed to meet Mr & Mrs Green + kids here too and happily our paths crossed many times over the weekend.

Back to the main stage for Santigold who had come recommended.  Nice voice, nice sound, bright performance but not enough to hold us there. The kids in the front were really enjoying it but the truth was we were knackered and needed to take the weight off our feet for a bit.

Public Service Broadcasting had also been recommended and their early evening set in the big tent went down very well.  This lot are hard to describe, they dress like lecturers and make a mostly electronic dancy trancy sound but throw in some raw guitar too.  A horn section popped up a couple of times too!  However you describe it PSB make music that moves your feet and sound better even live than they do on CD.  Unfortunately the PP was still crashed out so missed the show and I missed my dance partner which gives us an excuse to go see them again sometime.  I’d like that and I’m sure she would too.

The Purple Princess re-joined me for Caribou who were pretty good and got us moving a little.

We saw the start of Alt J headlining the Obelisk and they sounded good but they just aren’t my cup of tea.  From the four or five songs we saw I really liked “Left hand free” Alt J sound great when they play hard but that arty chanty stuff doesn’t move me in any direction.

Last gig of the night was Jon Hopkins in the Radio6 (Big) tent.  More trancy than PSB but not quite as dancy.  Started slowly & built… & built.  It was really loud too!  The Purple Princess announced her dancing feet had arrived at the festival at last, this show got me moving too but not into top gear.

We tried to go dancing but the donuts were crap some of the DJ’s were not able to grab us and a couple of stages were off limits due to crowd congestion caused by the secret acts we knew nothing about.  In hindsight it’s great having these secret, surprise stars (in this case, Thom Yorke, Ed Sheeran and someone I’ve forgotten) but in future they need to be in bigger arenas.  Keep the big tent open please Latitude people!!  We ended up saving our legs and headed back to the tent but on the way we took a look in the Alcove and came face to face with Stone Foundation playing first class Northern Soul and tearing the place up.  They were excellent, as good as anything I saw all day.  Keith Allen got on the stage and swore a bit as you’d expect then we wandered off and ended up crashing out about 0100.

First band of Saturday was at the main stage, Badly drawn boy (who Mr Green immediately christened Badly born boy), playing his “Hour of bewilderbeast” album.  I do remember quite liking this the first time around (fifteen years ago apparently) and I think the fella is a good song writer.  As a live performance it didn’t grab me and barely moved me.  Mr Gough didn’t appear to be enjoying himself, time for a new hat too.

Next up was Jose Gonzalez playing Latin style acoustic guitar and singing quite nicely which was all very pleasant and agreeable but nothing exceptional then he did a version of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrops’ and it was absolutely blinding!  A great moment for me bur Mr Green didn’t notice!  He finished off with another slow dreamy tune which I recognised and enjoyed.

We then moved to the big tent for one of my favourite live bands, The Charlatans.  I love them, they are great live and this could be the potential highlight of the weekend.  They started with “Then” and moved through a load of hits including “North Country boy” and “Weirdo”.  Tim Burgess commanded the crowd as always and the Hammond organ hooked me.  They played three tracks from the latest album and finished with a belter “Only one”.  Then the time was up and they were gone.  Surely they’d come back for “Sproston Green”?  They didn’t, I was left wanting more.  A very, very good performance from the Charlatans but the sound wasn’t quite right and for me they weren’t at their very best but I’m being picky.

The Purple Princess and I had decided tonight was party night so imbibed in extra refreshment throughout the Saturday evening which began on the main stage for Portishead.  I have the 90’s album which I think is called Dummy and I quite liked it at the time but would they hold me for the whole show?  They sounded great and the visuals were very good.  I really enjoyed the tunes I knew but they weren’t moving the dancing feet.  I liked what I was seeing and hearing but it just wasn’t enough.

We’d seen The Vaccines in 2011 and enjoyed them enough to check out the CD’s.  The first was really good, the next OK but not so good.  PP had the latest for her birthday and it seemed like they were back on form.  The big tent was packed which was fitting because the Vaccines were superb!  They make short, punchy singalong punky tunes and you find yourself dancing and shouting every word.  They played for an hour and packed absolutely loads in picked from all three albums.  Highlights included “Wet suit” and others I can’t remember and can’t be arsed to check because the disc is in the car.  They went down a storm and appreciated the audience and the reception they received.  They deserved an encore but we weren’t allowed.

After that we had more refreshment followed by tea and slightly better donuts then head off to dance.  Tom Ravenscroft was DJing on the lake stage and he hooked us up and kept us dancing for a long, long time.  We wandered off for a bit and bopped in the woods for a while but our attempt to get into the I arena for DJ EZ was thwarted by crowds once again.  So it was back to the lake stage until the close when we had no option but to wander slowly back to the tent.

Sunday late morning came around and we headed, foggy headed back down to the Obelisk where we parked for most of the day.

The first thing we saw was Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens which was quite nice but a bit of a surprise to see the vocalist wheeled out in a chair.

Next up was a band the Purple Princess really looked forward to seeing, (as did Mr Green).  A band that come from way back to our school days when we first met.  I liked the Boomtown Rats first time around but was sceptical about the ability to bridge the years.  It was a good fun show with all the hits and plenty of swearing from Geldof who told us we looked like cunts in our “crap tee shirts and weekend shorts” while at least he had made an effort.  They appeared to be sending themselves up at times but like I said it was fun.  My favourite was “Rat trap” and for me they just about carried it off 30+ years on.  PP and Mr Green were much more enthusiastic and both gave a big Thumbs up.

You have to love Seasick Steve and it’s hard not to love his boogie bluesy musical stories.  We missed him on this stage four years ago but there was no way we were going to miss him again.  The set meandered along at Steve’s pace and he demonstrated his array of guitars, some unique and homemade.  Steve is a simple, no bullshit man who makes simple no bullshit music and he connects with the audience on every level, he gets our feet moving too!  Highlights were ‘Dog House Boogie’ and ‘Walkin’ man’ when he made a young girls day by leading her on stage and singing to her.  Seasick Steve shows genuine joy that he is up there performing and that joy washes over the audience, he deservedly went down a storm on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

We missed the start of the Manic Street Preachers but soon got into it.  They got a good reception from the crowd as they played a ‘greatest hits’ type set.  I’ve seen them before (coincidently supporting Oasis in 1996) and they’ve made some good music over the years but have never been a great favourite of mine.  For me this gig kind of reflected that, they were good but not great, maybe just going through the motions?  The closing song “Design for Life” was a belter and the show ended on a high.

Opinions were divided ahead of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, there was a fear he might not fill the headlining slot adequately.  I had no doubts.  The new album is pretty good, full of the first class pop/rock songs Gallagher has been producing for twenty years.  A few songs in and all the doubters were converted, the band sounded great and the new tunes were moving people’s feet.  We danced the whole way through.  It was hard to hear Noel’s banter with the crowd but he did seem to be slagging off Guardian readers amongst many others.  His solo stuff went down well but the Oasis songs were given the best reception in particular ‘Champagne Supernova’, we couldn’t help singing along “Where were you while we were getting high?”  He finished with ‘Don’t look back in anger’ and for some reason that was it, no encore.  It was like watching Oasis but without the dickhead little brother and a great way to finish the festival.

The live music was over for the weekend but PP and I were determined to keep on dancing.  We tried but ultimately failed.  The DJ’s couldn’t keep us hooked for one but our legs and feet were totally knackered on this final night of the festival.  We chilled out on a bench for a while, chatting to young party people before finally giving in and staggering back to our tent.

Other festival thoughts…

The late night crowds around the ‘I arena’ & ‘In the Woods’ were a nightmare.  Whatever the organisers had planned didn’t work, a re think is needed here.

The Late night DJ’s weren’t great this year, either that or we didn’t manage to be in the right place at the right time.  The crowds mentioned above may not have helped.  A lot of what we heard played was, well, cheese…

The Food available was slightly better than 2014 and we did have a couple of good meals, (a Chinese and an Indian).  The Donuts we had this year were crap and for the second time in three years we had a Fish & Chips that was virtually inedible.  The stall virtually bang smack in the middle of the arenas, (opposite the Poetry tent) was the culprit.

Encores. Are they going out of fashion?  I didn’t see one all weekend, not on any stage.  They are a charade and we all know it so why bother?

The weather was almost perfect for a festival, four long, clear sunny days.  It was hot but not too hot during the days but a little stuffy in the tent first thing in the morning.  With no rain to dampen down the soil we had to contend with breathing in loads of dust at the busiest parts of the arena.  Glastonbury has its mud, Latitude has dust.

People watching is always an interesting diversion while soothing aching limbs or waiting between acts.  On the first couple of nights it’s amusing to watch the groups of teenage festival virgins getting smashed and suffering the consequences, we’ve all done it…  Note for young lads that are too cool to wear a hat.  That bandana across the forehead doesn’t work.  You are not in ‘Nam, you look like a prick.  As usual for Latitude there were loads of well to do yah yah’s of all ages strutting around like they owned the world.  You know the type, pressed clothes and a cricket jumper draped over the shoulders, strutting around with an air of ignorant entitlement.  Also there are people from all kinds of backgrounds that haven’t learnt any consideration for others, thankfully there didn’t seem to be any camped near us this year.  I also worry about the growing group of people that seems to live their lives through their mobile phones.  These people go round the festival looking at stuff through their viewfinders and screens stopping only to post a cool photo on social media.  This doesn’t strike me as being the best way to enjoy a festival or anything else for that matter.  Of course my friends and I get everything right all the time, or not.

Beards hide a multitude of sins but are trendy nowadays which is enough to put any thoughts of growing one out of my mind.  There were thousands of beards at Latitude, mostly on males and all styles were on display.  People who grow a big shaggy beard then go to the trouble to wax & twist the ‘tache should make up their minds; Are you scruffy or not?  Either way you are a twat.  Equally amusing are those desperately trying to grow a trendy beard but lack either the years or bristles to actually make it work.  A modern equivalent of the bum fluff nose liners sported by young males in the eighties and just as ridiculous but often very funny.

It struck me as ironic that there is a list of things that are not allowed in the festival which quite rightly includes “any item which may reasonably be considered for use as a weapon”.  However once inside the arena vendors attempt to sell things to children that could quite easily be used as a weapon.  I didn’t see any diablo damage this year but at least a couple of near misses.

It occurred to me that having seen Keith Allen, Bob Geldof and Noel Gallagher I had witnessed three of the great swearers of our time express themselves with typically inspirational profanity.

Best acts of the Festival.  Noel Gallagher, Charlatans & best of all The Vaccines.

Also well worth a mention, Seasick Steve, Public Service Broadcasting, Jon Hopkins, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Stone Foundation.

Musically not as good as 2014 but still a very good weekend with loads of special memories and yes we’ll be back!

PS  My daughter Maddie loves music too, here is a link to her blog;

http://maddionette.blogspot.co.uk/