Prog Rocking

Back blipped due to getting home at 1am!

When I started this Muscial May Challenge what seemed a life time ago, I had no idea I would end up seeing three gigs in the space of four weeks. Yes I knew Roger Waters - The Wall was booked, but Fishbone and tonight's gig were booked after I started this challenge. Worked out quite well really!

Last night it was the turn of veteran prog rockers, Pendragon, to entertain us. They have been slogging away for thirty odd years around the small venues of this fair isle.

I first encountered them a couple of years ago, in Leamington Spa, at the FishFest. I had never heard of them before, and was pretty much blown away by their performance. I have spent the last few years filling in some of the back catalogue, and finally got to see them again last night. It had been 20 years since they last played Wales.

Once again, they were brilliant! The new material sounding excellent alongside old favourites. The semi maligned Green And Pleasant Land and Empathy (Prog rapping section no less) was actually one of the highlights of the night!

Once again, like at the Fish Heads gig we ended up with Matt from The Reasoning in the back of the car .. or as I know like to think of the old Fiesta .. The Prog Mobile! It was great chatting to him on the way home .. one of the most down to earth blokes I have met!

It got me thinking when we got home, how brilliant the small venue music scene is ... as much as I enjoyed The Wall, and it is one of the greatest musical experiences I have ever had, to get that close and personal with the band at venues like The Globe, in Cardiff makes a huge difference.

It also continually reminds me of how X Factor and all the crap they foist on us every year has destroyed the British mainstream of music. There are bands out there who slog away for a relative pittance and do it all for the love of their fans and the love of the music they create for very little recognition, and then along comes some untalented Muppet, who couldn't hold a tune in a sealed container, gets auto tuned, gets told he is the next huge thing, makes Simon Cowell a million, and then gets thrust back into obscurity in an instant. It's all about fame and fortune (alas not theirs) and the music simply secondary. The musical nutritional equivalent of a Big Mac!

Went off on a blip rant there didn't I ...

Get out there, check out your local venues, check out local bands, you never know, you might find a diamond out there, and it won't cost you a fortune ...

Other blippers taking part in this challenge can be found in this search matrix.