It's It Bites!

Well, it's one member of It Bites. That's the trouble with being right at the front - you can't get them all in.

Anyhoo, anyone who thinks I wouldn't dare go out to a rock concert four days after the birth of my first child, needs to understand one thing: it's IT BITES! I think that's all the explanation I need to give.

Who would have thought that a mere twenty years after playing along to their songs on a drum kit in my bedroom, and deciding to take up the guitar just so that I could play their music, I'd actually get the chance to perform with the band live in my hometown. Them on stage, me in the front row, singing badly. It's a dream come true. Obviously having a baby is pretty special too, but let's face it, you can have too much of a good thing, and everyone needs outside interests. Something I'm sure Lisa's Mum understood perfectly when I asked her to come round and look after her daughter and grandchild so that I could go out for the evening. I think she's still talking to me.

Anyhoo, It Bites were performing at the Brighton Komedia which, as mentioned here before, is home to the hardest seats in Europe. I spent a good half hour yesterday afternoon trying to decide whether I had the nerve to turn up to a rock concert with a cushion, before deciding that comfort comes before coolness, and stuffing one into a bag. So imagine my delight when I arrived at 8:30pm to find that it was a standing-only gig. You haven't lived until you've stood in a mosh pit for two hours with a scatter cushion at your feet.

But despite that, the evening was excellent. Even the support act, Touchstone, were good. So good, in fact, that I bought their CD. The woman on the merchandise stall tried to persuade me to buy a t-shirt too (I think she saw my cushion and realised I could do with some style advice), but I told her I only buy clothes if it's for charity, and walked off.

Anyhoo, the result of all this is that for the first time in my life I've become a bootlegger...

Just listen to that hi-fidelity digital surround-sound. It's like you're actually there.

I also filmed Screaming on the Beaches, which is about treading on jellyfish (probably), so if you can't get enough of music which sounds like it's being played on an old 78 with a dodgy needle, you can watch that too.

But before I go, here's the obligatory daily shot of Amelie...


She sleeps with her mouth open like her mother. Today's bedfellow comes courtesy of young Melee, who sent us an aid package consisting of toys and clothes for baby, earplugs for me, and Frazzles and Curly-Wurlies for Lisa. She knows us too well. The postman arrived with the parcel at 8:30am. Lisa was asleep, but fortunately I was already up, changing Amelie's nappy. I have to do something to make up for last night.