More "cat" shenanigans + meeting the family <3

@naffeclipse If stealing coat bad, why coat so comfortable?

self insert is not a girl (he/she)

COUSIN & PRIORI // 1 [NUMINA 12", DEC 2023]

Cousin & Priori - "1"

Numina [NAFF, 2023]

naff recordings

clearing out the drafts of Random Things I've Noticed if you can't tell but here, have another one - this building on the end of aziraphale's row of shops, on the other side of the record shop:

now im fairly certain about two things. first, it's called 'Alf Laylah wa-Laylah' - translated to english from arabic as One Thousand and One Nights. i can't quite tell at this quality if the writing below it is hebrew or yiddish, nor if it's a translation of the text above it (although, as best as i can tell? it isn't? but not sure)

im also not entirely sure on the relevance of the reference - if there is any to be had - to the story compilation that is One Thousand and One Nights, to tell the truth. the immediate thought that springs to mind is how scheherazade tells the king countless folk tales and stories over 1001 nights in order to keep him in suspense of hearing how the stories end - so he essentially stops killing women as revenge for the infidelity of his wife (it's a whole thing), whom he eventually pardons/spares from execution.

all the tales - as well as returns to the 'present' - include debate on philosophies and ethics, and explore various themes and topics, but regardless... my thoughts are somewhat jumping between this, the questions around the reliability of events as presented in s2, the flashbacks and the Lessons, etc. maybe that's not the link to make here, but it's all im coming up with so far.

but back to the building, and the second thing: think that the stars on the bottom half of the building, in the specific configuration they're shown, are the kaheksakand (estonian) / auseklis (latvian) - an eight-pointed star representing fertility and life, the triumph of light over darkness, as well as used as a protection symbol against evil (aptly placed outside the door).

there's a lot to go into re: the symbology behind '8', including its relationship to the concept of balance and harmony, especially in nature. the eight-pointed star in general, not just in the above exact shape, has dozens of cultural, religious, and mythological links (tbh it's probably featured in some capacity in nearly every culture), but i think particularly apt is how it links to venus aka. the morning star.

in the interest of keeping this brief (im sure cleverer people may wish to clarify/develop this more!!!), and keeping on track with where its place may sit in the show, i think it's first of all potentially of interest how this building is lit, given the above. we see the shot of the bentley arriving to whickber street in ep1 at night, and this particular shop (?) front is the most brightly lit... might mean nothing, might mean something:

but when the demons descend in ep5, a good portion of them appear out of the mist from that direction; a green mist (green shop?), reflecting the hell vibes we saw in ep1 etc. that being said, when crowley starts sensing Trouble Is Afoot earlier on, he's looking in all directions and certainly we see some demons behind him (in the direction of the dirty donkey) when he confronts this particular little gang of them, so unless some demons started arriving ahead of schedule, they may not have all come through this building:

but. we know from eric that the lift is broken, and the only other routes are the small lift, one at a time, or the stairs. shax obviously arrives in style, but the other demons? taken the stairs. what if this front is that exit onto earth? but just the back stairwell?

there's so many potentially loose threads to weave in here, and im sure i'll come back to this at some point, but felt it was an interesting design choice nonetheless, even if it ultimately means naff all✨

I Volunteer!

@wylldebee you have started a fire in my mind that cannot be put out! Lucy Gray volunteers for Katniss in the Quarter Quell. it's a little naff because I haven't got Lucy Gray's characterisation down and I didn't want this to be crazy long but eh. May rework it later or do a more in depth one, we'll see.

"Katniss Everdeen."

The words everyone knew would sound echoed in the still air, even as Effie seemed to hold back tears. Katniss had her eyes closed on the podium, even as she started walking in front.

Suddenly, from the back of the neat rows of people, came a loud cry.

"I volunteer!"

Katniss froze in place, everyone's eyes turning to the person in the crowd who yelled. A brightly coloured dress, every colour of the rainbow, adorned her body, curly white hair falling past her shoulders. Her wrinkled skin still held a bit of a tan as she walked forward, looking around 80 years old. Despite her visible age, she had a spring in her step, as she quickly made her way down the aisle.

Effie looked like she was about to speak, to say that unfortunately she couldn't do that, when the old lady made a mocking bow to the camera.

"My name is Lucy Gray Baird," she smirked, "Victor of the 10th Hunger Games. I volunteer as tribute!"

The mayor was scrambling for records, the crowd in an uproar. Katniss herself was frozen to the podium, one foot prepared to step up next to Effie as she looked at Peeta and Haymitch, equally as dumbfounded as her.

Sure enough, the mayor came back, confirming Lucy Gray Baird had been a victor and that she was eligible for the Quarter Quell. The male reaping happened in a flash, Haymitch accepting his position as tribute and everyone being ushered to the cart. Lucy Gray seemed almost happy to be there, looking around the train car with excitement.

"Oh this is much nicer than my train," she grinned, plopping down on the couch. "We were shoved into cattle trucks. Do we still get shoved in the zoo? I haven't watched in a while. Makes me feel sick."

"I - no?" Katniss stuttered, tentatively sitting next to her. She still had to attend as a mentor, not as a tribute, and she was so confused that she just didn't know what to do. "The zoo?"

"Oh yeah." Lucy Gray nodded, face serious. "I was in the first games where we had mentors you know. Ours were Capitol students, trying to find ways to make the Games more viewable. I remember my mentor ran into the van they shoved us in, travelled with us all the way to the zoo. Of course, he ended up being shoved out by peacekeepers, but only after he introduced me to the cameras. Lucky Flickerman - god I hated him - tried to pretend like sticking us in the monkey exhibit was a good thing. We weren't given food or shelter or anything, poor Jessup developed rabies if I remember correctly. Nearly killed me in that arena if that water hadn't been sent."

"You do, realise that this is gonna be completely different to your games right?" Haymitch asked, almost sounding scared. "This is a lot more high tech and it's not in that gladiator arena anymore."

"Oh I know, and I expect to die." Lucy Gray shrugged it off, "After all, I only won my games because my mentor cheated."

"Cheated?"

"Oh yeah, apparently there was never supposed to be a victor. He managed to get my scent into the snakes so they wouldn't attack - they were the first mutts, you know. He was supposed to be exiled, but he managed to come back and work his way up to a high position. I wonder how he's gonna react to seeing me again." She chuckled bitterly.

"And who was your mentor?" Effie asked quietly, watching Lucy Gray break out into a wicked grin.

"Oh, you don't know? My mentor was Coriolanus Snow."

The rest of their time passed in a blur. What Lucy didn't know was that by volunteering, she had prevented the need for a rebellion. When he confirmed that it was Lucy Gray, President Snow had summoned her to a meeting, where he accidentally ingested rat poison that had been mixed into water. Lucy Gray had drunk from the same pitcher, dying in the medical wing after the interviews where she revealed the truth behind the 10th Hunger Games and sang the song she claimed saved her life. Everyone seemed to be wandering around in a daze as the Quarter Quell was cancelled, the Capitol in an uproar after Finnick Odair took the opportunity to reveal the secrets he knew.

District 13 took their opportunity, seizing control of the central government. There were a few riots here and there, but they were quickly suppressed, and The Hunger Games went down in history as a horrible punishment that was intended to be a drunken assignment save for the actions of the Snow family.

Once a year, the people of Panem now meet up to mourn the loss of those forced to participate in the Hunger Games, a large memorial in each district commemorating those lost. Photos of each tribute lost were placed behind clear resin to protect them from erosion, and songs would be sung in every district and the Capitol itself to mourn their loss. The arenas were preserved - no longer as a tourist destination, but as a stern reminder of what had come to pass. The arena for the 75th Hunger Games, that had never been used, was used to show children the depravity of their government and the senseless cruelty inflicted on those the Capitol deemed beneath them.

Many Victors came out with memoirs. Finnick Odair's book became a bestseller, compiling information he had learned from Lucy Gray in their short time together in training, information from those he had slept with, and his own experiences as a victor who was sold. Johanna and Haymitch weren't far behind, their recollections of their own games and how their families were murdered making a grisly addition to every bookshelf.

And the truth of the games lived on, until it was naught but a distant memory.

Sometimes freedom didn't have to be acquired through fighting.

Sometimes freedom is poisoning yourself and your old lover to exact vengeance upon him.

-slides in here so smoothly I nearly run into the wall-

Hiiii Naff I come with Lost Episode thoughts <3 Because, with Glitchtrap already taken care of, the "ending" for their little timeline is so so open, and I wonder about Y/N and Vanessa's friendship. Do they have any chance of a happy ending? Will Vanessa ever overcome her own bias and realize that her friend is the vampire? How would that affect her hunt? Would she ever abandon it, as a last favor for a friend, or for her own sake, as Y/N advises? Would she ever want to communicate with Y/N, just as friends, or would her morals and the knowledge that even if it is Y/N, they now consume human blood to survive, keep her from ever wanting that kind of contact with Y/N? How would it affect her, getting older while knowing Y/N will outlive her as an undead if she abandons her hunt? How would Y/N treat her aging friend if Vanessa insists on hunting them until either of them dies? How would that change if Vanessa did treat them as a friend?

This are. so many questions oh my god gfhdjs tldr: I am insane about the Lost Episode. Please monologue as much as you want I want to hear it all

Heya, babe! *cracks knuckles* Monologuing begins now!

Vanessa, unfortunately, has an even more negative view of cryptids no thanks to Glitchtrap and all that she suffered, and in this AU, she suffers all of that alone. There's no Y/N to help her process and begin recovering from a boatload of trauma. Additionally, Vanessa holds guilt for not being there to save Y/N from the vampire bite or helping them pass away peacefully after the fact. She's not handling Y/N's vampirism well, to say the least.

A happy ending in an already angsty timeline isn't possible. As much as I'd love to say that Y/N and Vanessa reconcile and figure it out, that's not possible within the circumstances. Y/N struggles with their own blood drinking and Vanessa wouldn't give Y/N a chance to freely talk about their decision to not end themselves like any hunter should do.

For a long time, it's just text messages back and forth, maybe a phone call if Eclipse thinks it's safe for them. Y/N can't be close to Vanessa with their own lack of control, but they want to stay in contact and this eases that longing somewhat.

At best, Vanessa and Y/N get trapped in some place and are forced to talk it out. Vanessa can hear out Y/N, but ultimately, Vanessa cannot grasp why Y/N would choose to continue to be a monster, especially after all of the cryptids they've hunted. Vanessa would think even less of Y/N now that she sees that it's still them, in a way. She would be disappointed and revolted.

Y/N would be devastated. It hurts so much, but all Y/N can get Vanessa to agree to is leaving them, and Eclipse, be. Their track record shows that they've only killed people who have harmed children. Vanessa doesn't like it, but Vanessa is tired. She can't look at Y/N's red eyes and fangs anymore.

Then, of course, Vanessa would age and Y/N would not. They and Eclipse would be endless. Y/N would want to see Vanessa from time to time, and with each passing decade, Y/N sees more gray hair on Vanessa's head and more wrinkles around her eyes. Those visits are short and tense, unfriendly. Then there's that dreaded day that Y/N can't fathom but Eclipse can only hold them tight and promise that this pain will not haunt them forever.

Taskmaster Series 17, Episode 1- A few random thoughts about the episode and the contestants. Spoilers within.

A good first episode and I really enjoyed everyone. Nobody stood out more than any of the others, IMO, I thought they all seemed really good, really fun and a great bunch.

Joanne was a really competant and possibly overlooked (by me, as I don't know most of these people) contestant. I thought based off of her interview with Alex that she was going to be a disaster, but she was nowhere near as bad as I thought she might be. Although it's still early days and sometimes we get those episodes where they just start to dive.

John had a real Ed Gamble vibe for me. Wants to win in that competitive way. I can see him losing his shit and arguing about points with Greg but he was fairly really strong in this first episode as well as Joanne and Steve. I also think people expect him to do well so it'll be interesting to see if he maintains that high level or if he starts to get in his own way.

Nick I thought was really fun. I wondered if he'd do any character stuff considering he was dressed as Dracula but insane costume aside, he was just really fun, had a great vibe not taking anything too seriously and just going for it. I think he's going to be great fun and someone who isn't going to take points and winning seriously.

Sophie was absolute chaos in this first episode but in the best way and I think it's maybe not how she'll be all series, she maybe just had a couple of stinkers in this one, sadly. She was also great, I laughed so much at her in the river although I felt bad but it was also classic TM. I don't think she's someone I'd even think as a contender to win but she's going to be amazing.

Steve is someone who is going to be the one to beat. I think he has the respect of Greg, which always helps, so Greg could favour him if it's on Greg to decide. He's also very sharp in how TM works and to look out for certain things, like the tie at the end of the episode. He's clearly creative as well so a big threat to John and Joanne. Oh, and the puns from Steve are great. Clearly it's something Alex is going to love and it will grate on Greg throughout.

Seems I've already written-off Nick and Sophie but I hope they have an episode win or two along the way.

I think any of these three could be winners at this point but I'd say most likely John or Steve.

As for the episode itself, I thought it was a good selection of tasks.

The prize task was okay. It's probably my least favourite part of the show, if I had to pick something, but it's not awful. I thought Steve earned the 5 points though. The first task with the egg I enjoyed mostly but I thought the editing of John's was a little naff and with everyone else DQ'd except Joanne, it still wasn't worthy of 5 points. I didn't even think the task came across dangerous to the egg either. I thought the danger to the egg was more pronounced in Joanne's task personally, but it's not a decision that annoys me.

The team task was a little bit overly complicated I think. The whole list of where the pictures are going to be with the two-word limit made it a bit too hard, I think. But the task itself was kept short and the reveals were fun. The teams also seem pretty good.

Last recorded task with Gary was also good. Fairly simple premise and I loved the waders being on the scarecrow that everyone looked at. I had no idea, lol!

I thought the studio task was fun and they all did great in that task as well.

KERRANG! - 8 October 2005

50 songs that changed the world

50 - Du hast by Rammstein

Why it rocks: Rammstein’s breakthrough single features a saucy word-play even Germans are hard pressed to explain (something along the lines of ‘You have me/You hate me’), but that didn’t stop it from becoming the beefy industrial metallers’ biggest international hit to date.

Perhaps it had something to do with the massive, stomping riffs, cosmic keyboard, and driving, marching rhythms the sextet had previously been known as a cult band for since their 1996 ‘Herzeleid’ debut. ‘Du hast’ turned all that up to eleven and in the form of a infectiously gruff vocal hook provided by former basket weaver Till Lindemann, it would pave the way for the industrial metal Village People to become on of the most bizarre and (literally) incendiary acts of the last decade.

Best bit: The twinkly synths after the chanted chorus supply a welcome note of playfulness amid the chest-beating macho angst.

Did you know? For the benefit of the Teutonically-challenged, Rammstein also recorded an English-language version of the song, but it sounds a bit naff.

Find it: ‘Sehnsucht’, 1997.

I love Du hast - Matt Heafy, Trivium/

“It’s not my favorite Rammstein song but it’s the one that hooked me in. It’s so simple but so awesome and it mixes up metal, industrial and even has a dark dance feel to it. The German vocals just add to it — it really sounds menacing and dark and I don’t think it would have that quite so much if they sang in English.”

Paul McCartney on the Worst Album He’s Ever Made

Uncut Magazine: What’s the worst album you’ve ever made

Paul McCartney: I’d love to answer that, Jon, I really would. But the truth is I don’t know as I don’t listen to any of my stuff. Not even The Beatles. I played Let It Be when it was reissued, but only to check it. I might have played Beatles 1 a couple times. 

Give me a full week, I’ll play everything I’ve done, then I’ll tell you what’s the  worst. Quite honestly, I can dismiss just about anything I’ve done. I’ve never been a great defender of my own work. I can be quite ruthlessly cynical about it. A lot of Wings stuff...I dismissed that as everyone was saying I’d lost the knack, so I figured for a while they must be right. 

An album like Press to Play--that got a good kicking when it came out in ‘86. Quite right, too. It’s not that I make a below-par record and think, ‘Oh well, it’s crap, but I’ll stick it out anyway.’ I must like them when I finish them. What can I say? Sometimes I’m wrong.

 It might have been very smart of me to have hired an image consultant, some kind of lifestyle guru, to stop me doing things that run the risk of making me look naff. “Don’t put that out, Paul, ol’ boy. You’ve done this thing for yourself, now keep it to yourself, or you’re gonna cause  too many ripples. Just stick to what you’re known for and you’ll be safe.” The thing is that I’m not safe. I’ve never been safe. I love taking risks.

Paul McCartney interviewed for Uncut by Jon Wilde. Originally printed in July 2004 and titled “McCartney: My Life in the Shadow of the Beatles”

30, 33, and 34 for the fanfic writer ask! ❤️

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

In reading, I don't actually enjoy angst if it's merciless most of the time! I do enjoy some hope with my pain, please <3 So with content I seek out, it'd be the fluff! For writing? Well, uh, looking at my track record - did I. Did I ever write just pure fluff? With not a hint of conflict? The type to make you put your device down and just giggle for a while over it all? I. I honestly don't think so, whoops Merciless angst I also rarely write (and even when I do I can't really leave it alone and let it remain angsty), but I think I'd honestly be better at angst than I'd be at fluff gfhdjs It just, activates my brain? And I love seeing the reactions it causes - a very interesting ego boost where everyone including me is crying <3 (I still will not promise a Y/N dies scenario, because Y/N I definitely cannot fix and I'm not sure I can handle that) Besides, merciless angst doesn't have to involve death, and I do have other evil thoughts brewing <3 So, for writing, I guess it'd be angst!

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

Maybe. Not in a "please ignore all mistakes" way, but in a "please be aware of how often I mix things up" way - please remember English is my second language. To top it off, I learned most of it online, with manga fan translations that were unavailable in German, and on social media, and that makes for rather unorthodox results. Especially with writing - grammar rules differ between English and German, and sometimes I just have to stop and squint and think about which rules I'm applying currently, and if it's the right ones. Or having the perfect word or phrase for something in German - but it's untranslatable. Often enough I write a sentence, in English, that in English makes no sense, but if I literally translated it to German it'd just be a normal sentence. I'm so lost between languages sometimes, I even forget which language I read something in, until I think of a specific phrase from the thing or a context clue that will help me sort it into the German or English basket. Being bilingual is fun, but sometimes I wish I could take my brain out and just make vague, confused, and offended gestures at it until it stops producing nonsense. And perhaps not necessary to know, but a fun fact: I don't write in German, and I'm not sure I'd be any good in it. I very much dislike reading in German these days, and since most things I'm interested in are in English/ have an English original or translation, I go with that! It's a weird situation, honestly, feeling so distanced from my native language, but it's also not big enough of an issue to unpack, and English does have a much wider audience!

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

I'm still very very happy with this little bit from Catbird out of the Bag:

I didn't have a plan, going in, that went beyond "Moon introduces himself and reality smacks him like a brick to the face, he has a quiet, shorter crisis before helping Y/N through theirs". So then I was at that point and Y/N was still so frantic, and I wasn't quite sure what would fix it - but Moon did. It really just hit me, that of course he'd defuse things, because that's his rival, he knows them, they know him, and if he acts a little goofy there's no way they can resist calling him out on it. It's also the first time he uses "dove" for them - the softer, post-reveal pet name he opts for when not on the clock, and I am just so soft for that <3 I still miss this reveal sometimes, I'm glad they all got the happy alternative, and I know that there's only more happiness in their future, too. Happiness that our canon trio will also get, just taking a bit more time! <3

Regularfantasy - "Running Around (Priori's Definitely Canadian House Remix)"

Lemon Citrus [NAFF Recordings, 2023]

Just turned the tv on to play bideo games and it was on at sky arts and it was some woman singing you raise me up with an orchestra and I was like TSCH... yawn. This is so beneath me. NAFF!! Anyway I watched it for a little while and ended up fully sobbing for about 10 minutes because of the audience shots they were so fucking invested and some of them were so silly and some people were crying and parents were kissing their children who were recording it and grinning on the forehead. Good god. The andre rieu in dublin got to me bro

1998 Birmingham - Number 4 - Imaani - "Where Are You?"

The Great British Song Contest of 1998 was extraordinarily close. The privilege of representing the host country was settled on a televote. Third place got 65,712 votes. Second 66,278. Imaani won with 70,421. This comes after 800 songs were submitted to the BBC as prospective candidates. With eight songs initially selected, none were joke or troll entries, all were worthy potential Eurovision candidates. Whatever you think about the UKs attitude to Eurovision these days, in 1998 there was enthusiasm and excitement.

Prior to this, Imaani herself had provided vocals for the band Incognito and FM Inc. She was relatively unknown yet her assured confidence on stage with deep, smooth vocals didn't betray that lack of experience in front of an audience.

Where Are You? was written (shockingly) by the same man who wrote Jeff Beck's Hi Ho Silver Lining. This is not a football ground chant though. It's a plaintive plea for a lost love over a subdued house beat. It's chill, even if Imaani is singing about a prolonged heartbreak. It's contemporary chart music and after the previous years UK entries, that's perhaps a little surprising. This was modern. For a country that had been finding Eurovision increasingly naff, this was cool. Success can sometimes change perceptions.

This was one of the favourites going into Eurovision, and it did very well. Going into the final round of voting, it was was still in contention. 10 points from North Macedonia took it above Malta, but it couldn't pip Israel for the win. Another second place for the UK, Eurovision's perennial second-placed country.

Sadly, this success was short-lived. Imaani's recording contract got cancelled despite this single selling a quarter of a million copies in the UK. The music industry the BBC reverted to type, killing a career and failing to learn lessons. The UK had been in the forefront of change to Eurovision in the 1990s, and while this is not quite the last hurrah, but it's definitely the point at which the plot was lost. Having put on such a successful Eurovision, as soon as that winning feeling disappeared, corporate interest waned.

If only they'd taken the step to build on 1998 instead of pulling back and phoning it in for a few years... What could have been.

cousin & priori -- 2

Roger Taylor live at the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton, UK - March 30, 1999

Fan Stories

“I'll never forget the night I saw Brian and Roger at Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall, my home city (well, actually, it was a town then, we didn't become a city until the end of 1999!). It will stay with me forever, although I live in hope they will return one day with some new material! We had no warning in advance about Brian coming, not even as a guest just to watch. The band arrived quite late on at the venue (well, I'm not sure if it was late but it was getting on for 5pm I think), they didn't mention it but we heard them soundchecking 'Rock And Roll' and according to legend one of the roadies told someone that BHM was coming when they asked if there was a special guest. We thought it was going to be Robert Plant as he lives nearby, about ten miles out of the city. It certainly wasn't going to be one of Slade, lol! We weren't let into the venue until really late and when we got in we could see tinkering with some AC30's by someone that looked suspiciously like Pete (BHM's roadie). He had a really naff rain mack on and was desperately trying to hide the Red Special underneath it. Well, it looked remarkably like the nick of the RS! Nobody knew for sure that Brian was going to be there, most people seemed oblivious to Pete being there even. My mate said maybe someone was going to play an RS copy but I told him he was being silly. The set list was different to usual and I was waiting for Brian every time they played a Queen song. When he eventually emerged (dodgy shirt!) for 'Under Pressure' the place went mad. In between 'Under Pressure' and 'Rock and Roll' he did say something which was lost in the moment but listening to the recording of the night sounds like 'Lot of fun, init?'. The roar was immense. When Roger announced they were going to do something from the past I was hoping it was going to be an early Queen track, I suppose I should have guessed it was 'Rock and Roll' having heard the sound check. The final moment of the evening brought us 'Radio Ga Ga' and I have to say it was one of the better moments of my life seeing two of my heroes up on stage and being part of the mass of people doing the hand movements. I missed the real Queen, but this was the next best thing for me. Treana's guitarist (Alden Evans?) looked totally swept away being on stage with Brian. Mind you, wouldn't you be? Apparently Brian arrived in a VW Camper van and was mobbed when they left afterwards, leaving Roger to walk to his mode of transport almost unnoticed! It was just after this that Roger announced they were going to do some new stuff (still waiting...) but events around that time seem to have led to the musical and the current status of tour rumour. I walk by the Wulfrun quite often and I can never get that night out of my mind. I was buzzing for weeks, months afterwards, even now it sends a shiver down the spine. Wonderful!” - Dave

“Arrived with Cathy Highfire (many many thanx to Cathy for driving and even suggesting going to Wolverhampton) around 11.30 and joined up with the small queue (Hi Sandie, Kevin & Lisa). Quite a subdued wait, until the gorgeous Treana was spotted getting off the bright orange Tour Bus. A mass exodus followed to greet Treana, who as always was extremely charming. Managed to get the Surrender 7" signed by her and also a 9"x6" photo that I took during her fantastic performance at the Leadmill. Had a very brief chat with her, which resulted in her telling me that she was enjoying the tour, although it was very tiring. She then mentioned that we were in for a treat in tonight's performance (teasing us with the line 'That's if HE turns up'). Who could this special guest be?????? Waiting for RT to turn up at the soundcheck, we discussed the special guest. Could it be local boy Noddy Holder (Surely not!) or a repeat performance from Uncle Bob Geldof?????. Our suspicions were roused when the band started to intensely rehearse Led Zep's 'Rock and Roll', and we all jumped to the conclusion it could be local lad Robert Plant. We just had to wait and see. RT once again managed to slip into the soundcheck (at around 6.15pm) with only a couple of clipboarders getting autographs. Then no sooner had we heard the soundcheck, it was time to be let in. AAAAArrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhh. Very annoyed to be extensively searched before going in and finding that the doors to the hall were actually locked and we had to congregate in the bar next door. After all those hours of queuing, a disorganised array of fans was waiting impatiently to get in. Finally we were let in and rushed to the front. Phew managed to get there OK. We then had to endure a 90 minute wait before Treana came on to do her routine set. Absolutely storming as usual. If you've not seen this lovely lass weave her magic spell with that fantastically powerful voice, then you must!!!!!!!!!!. Long may she continue. With an empty stage, and lights back up, tension was mounting with the crowd for the arrival of RT, which we all knew to be imminent. The suspicions of the special guest were roused even more, when there was some tinkering with a vox amp and a very familiar guitar being tuned (with the technician trying not to show the guitar to us). The tension became greater when the lights dimmed and an aural opening of someone entering a room and turning on the electric fire, at which the cue of strobe lights and the fire on the stage backdrop lighting up. The drums of We Will Rock You belted out with Prior and RT behind his Sleishman drum kit thrashing out that familiar beat. Moving down to centre stage, RT (wearing that same jacket and Armani shirt) took to the raw and vibrant vocals (this time word perfect); a somewhat more energetic performance than that of BM in '98. Still a storming show opener. Then it was straight down to recent times with Pressure On, Haircuts and Believe in Yourself, with the crowd getting behind the lyrics of Haircuts and pointing at RT during 'You're so f**king cool', with which RT pointed to us all on the front row, smiling away. Roger particularly enjoyed the green pair of skimpy knickers thrown at him by Lisa of Newcastle during I Want To Break Free ("This ones for John Deacon" - RT), which he duly picked up and threw at Jason Falloon ("rhymes with Balloon" - RT), laughing. Treana joined RT for London Town and Surrender and then they were off. RT managed to shed those shades for the 1st encore, which consisted of I'm In Love With My Car and Strange Frontier, which Cathy and probably most of the females, screamed uncontrollably.

For the 2nd encore, RT announced that he "found someone wandering outside" and duly announced... "Mr Brian May!!!!!", who entered (wearing another very loud shirt) the stage to a receptively large applause. A quick friendly gesture with RT and then straight down to business, with Under Pressure (Treana once again with immense vocals). Then it was onto Rock And Roll (in place of Happiness), with BM taking his 'normal role' of lead guitarist and letting RT have all the limelight. Finally the superb set ended with Radio Ga Ga, finishing another great performance (fuelled by the appearance of BM). Good to witness RT + BM back on stage together again. The sound was awesome, although a little distorted sometimes at its' loudest. My ears are still ringing the day after!!!!!!!!!!!!” - Dr. Andy Green

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