2012 - The Year Of "Meh"

It seems like about a week ago that I was sitting over there (points) at the opposite end of the lounge, writing my review of 2011.  I was probably wearing the same top though - I don't buy tops very often, you see, just when they wear out or I grow / they shrink.

As I think about the last twelve months it is surprising that I can't remember much of it, so it can't have been a very exciting year at all.  Work has been its usual pesky self, my health has been unremarkable - although in the last few weeks I've been doing a staged withdrawal from my beta blockers and so far it is going in a manner the medical professionals describe as "very well", and we've done nothing really amazing with the house apart from buy a very nice and extremely expensive lamp for the hall.

In June we went on holiday to Halkidiki in Northern Greece.  We'd wanted to go for years but had always been put off by the long transfer times from Thessaloniki airport, so when we heard the journey was now a lot shorter we booked a week in Polichrono.  After we landed at the most hectic airport I've ever visited we boarded the coach and were taken through a very green part of Greece and reversed down a dingy side street to the steel panel that was the entrance to our hotel.  In fairness the accommodation itself was OK, a nice little hotel, but the town itself was totally grotty, full of graffiti, very built-up and overrun with snack bars and amusement arcades rather than nice tavernas and bars.  The view from our room was of a scruffy patch of grass dominated by a clapped-out Citroen covered with olives and the remains of a bonfire.  We couldn't wait to come home, and as we waited for our return flight at the airport the departures board taunted us by displaying three flights to Rhodes.  As soon as we got home we decided to go to Lindos in June 2013 as well as August, and needless to say our holiday in Lindos this year was as fantastic as ever, apart from the bit where I fell over a bolt sticking out of the pavement and trashed my elbow and knee like a big lummox.

Looking at our photo album of gig tickets it appears that we've been to 12 gigs (Lou came to 11 of those), and 5 "other" shows - comedy etc.  So without further ado here's my round-up of those, in reverse order, starting with the "other" ones...

5: Rhod Gilbert
We really like Rhod, but I felt his "The Man With The Flaming Battenberg Tattoo" show was just too long and not that funny, aside from a few good bits.

4: Dara O'Briain
He's still great, but his material isn't as good as his old stuff.

3: Greg Davies
First time we've seen him and I was impressed.  Extremely funny.

2: Ross Noble
I've wanted to see him for a while and he was fantastic.

1: Derren Brown
HE'S A WITCH!  How the hell does he do what he does?

And now for the music:

12: Elbow (MEN Arena)
As you'll know, we love Elbow and have seen them several times, but these days it seems they've become "comfortable" or victims of their own success, and they always appear to play the same set every single time, the same songs in the same order, with the same jokes in the same places.  We had tickets for their show at Jodrell Bank earlier in the year too but didn't go as the weather was terrible, and when we looked at the setlist it was the same as always.  Pull your socks up, lads.  Those who haven't seen you before will doubtless say the shows are the best they've ever seen, but those of us who've followed you since the start would love to hear you mix things up a bit.

11: George Michael (MEN Arena)
A rescheduled show after he semi-died or something.  Musically great - he had an orchestra - but a very dull set of songs.

10: Florence and the Machine (MEN Arena)
She'd good, but not really ready for arenas yet.

9: Morrissey (MEN Arena)
We love Morrissey but sadly on this occasion he was in a bit of a sulk and played his more sombre songs instead of his crowd-pleasers.  The most disappointing Morrissey show we've seen.

8: Keane (MEN Arena)
Staged in the round and we were three or four rows from the front.  Great staging, great performance, but as usual the MEN Arena did its usual trick of sucking all the life out of the audience so there was no atmosphere at all.  A shame.  Still, Keane will return later.

7: Muse (MEN Arena)
After a disappointing album Muse returned with a spectacular show, but they played most of the new album which killed things a bit.

6: Lionel Richie (MEN Arena)
A low position for Lionel!  We've seen him a lot over the years but this time we noticed it all seemed a bit familiar, with the same setlist as last time we saw him, and many of the same jokes.  The arena killed a lot of the atmosphere too.  Despite seeing so many shows there this year I really dislike this venue.

5: BAZ MAZ (aka Barry Manilow) (MEN Arena)
We laughed from start to finish.  On arrival we were given glow sticks, helped to our seats, we were the youngest people there it seemed, and by the end Baz could barely stand, sing, move etc.  Amazing.

4: Low (Halifax Minster)
My favourite band in the world, but one of Lou's least favourites.  She came to the show with me because of the setting and hated it, which spoiled it rather.  If I'd been there on my own this would have been two places higher.

3: Pearl Jam (MEN Arena)
I've been a fan since their first album and always wanted to see them, but this was the first time I made it to a show.  I wasn't disappointed.  A masterclass in rock and for me it seemed to last about an hour, but Lou felt it was more like a year and a bit.

2: Sparks (HMV Ritz, Manchester)
I LOVE SPARKS.  Lou hates them.  I went on my own.  This was their "Two Hands, One Mouth" tour and they played unaccompanied, Ron on keyboards, Russell singing, and it was electrifying.  I loved every second.

1: Keane (Manchester Apollo)
Incredible.  The best atmosphere I've ever experienced at a gig, almost like a football crowd.  Unbelievably good.  Such a shame that their next appearance in Manchester was at the Arena.

What else was good?  Well in terms of albums I loved Lana Del Rey's "Born To Die", Paul Buchanan's "Mid Air", Godspeed You!  Black Emperor's "Allelujah!  Don't Bend!  Ascend!", The Polyphonic Spree's "Holidaydream", Bob Mould's "Silver Age", and the reissues of the Blue Nile and Sugar back catalogues.  In terms of books, the best things I've read have been the superb "This Is Life" by Dan Rhodes, "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen, and that one about the 100 year old man who climbed out of a window.

Sadly this year I've not really written anything, but as I bought myself one of my favourite notebooks in the summer and then for Christmas my parents bought me three more I guess I should write more in 2013, providing I can get my mojo back.  I've also not played any music (must use my ukulele in 2013, if only to annoy our horrendous new neighbours) nor have I done any drawing, despite buying a big tin of pencils a couple of years ago and a lovely sketch book just before Christmas.  I really must get my finger out in 2013.

Hopefully then in 2013 I'll write more, go to lots of gigs (got a few booked already), play the ukulele, do some drawings, lose weight, find a tunnel, finish withdrawing from my beta blockers (and stomach tablets all being well), and have some fantastic holidays in Lindos.  Who knows, I might even update this blog more often.  Here's hoping.