Stone Valley Festival North

 Last time I saw the Mondays live, little did I know the next time I would be nearly a decade later - in a field round the corner from my mams.

SVF do festivals up and down the country, and for the last seven years the North version has been up in the Durham dales. This year though they decided to relocate to the former priest seminary of Ushaw College. Myself originally coming from the local pit village Ushaw Moor, the prospect of seeing some top bands literally on home soil was appealing.

Saturday, post Exeter City (H), me and the kids took in the sights, sounds, funny smells and fire eaters of SVF. As we were settling in some lad with no pupils gave Seth a plastic AK-47. 

We were all Spartacus for The Farm, Hootons firm performing some classic 90s tunes - Groovy Train and Stepping Stone amongst others, cumulating with a sing along All Together (Now). Seth took this opportunity during a pro peace song to machine gun down the lead singer. 

The Undertones next up. Jimmy Jimmy got the boys dancing and my favourite My Perfect Cousin up shortly after. Tiredness was creeping in for the youngest Seth so we called for mam to pick us up - the pre teens had had their kicks for one night, we left as the crowd bounced along to Sharkey's hit.

Following night just myself and the eldest Jacob ventured along, couldn't risk being pulled away before Sunday's Mondays. We also came armed with blankets, Berghaus, camping chairs and cans.

Arrived a bit later due to work, From The Jam already mid set but caught the Tube (Station), That's Entertainment and a few others before an encore of Going Underground.

Cast were a Britpop band quite frankly I'd forgotten all about, but soon recalled after plenty of energy and hit after hit. I guess they were Alright, guess they were fine. 

Finally Happy Mondays. Jayboy could barely contain his excitement bless him - up late on a school night to see a bunch of ramshackle lunatics he'd only heard from dad's records before. Out they came to Kinky before a bit banter with the crowd, X asking Bez the MasterChef to cook 'im sumfin' up. Plenty baggy classics followed, mainly consisting of Pills Thrills tunes.

The bairn announced early that he was going to sit down if he didn't know the song. He didn't sit down once, and drew some approving comments from festival goers - "he's got the moves hasn't he?" and "You've taught him well" as he grooved round like Dennis and Lois.

Fairly short set of one hour, finishing of course with Step On. Shaun apologized for not being able to do WFL due to timings but it mattered not - I'd seen the Mondays basically at my home with my eldest son. Hallelujah.

Mondays Set list

Kinky Afro

God's Cop

Donovan

Loose Fit

Dennis & Lois

Clap your Hands

Bob's Yer Uncle

Twenty Four Hour Party People

Hallelujah

Step On

Electronic

 Proper 90s band. Proper 90s gear...

Paninaro

From the sandwich shops of Milan and Turin, to the terraces of Aberdeen, Leeds and Millwall, in the late 80s the Paninaro style was huge among youths of two nations. The violence, the religion, the injustice, the death and most importantly the swag...

Durham United

Some old pictures in and around Durham via United busways...

Football Toilets

Can you guess which ground these vintage cans are from?

Bergan Bargain

Always been a fan of Norway. They used to give Hartlepool loads of players back in the 1990s. A lasting memory of this second Viking invasion was Jan Ove Pedersen netting against Darlo, prompting burly blokes dancing down the terracing clad in daft plastic horned helmets.

The players were good. But the novelty Norse inspired hattage not so much. However the Norwegians fared much better in the fashion stakes with this wintry gem. Bergans of Norway have been making quality jackets since the war, protecting the wearer against the harsh Scandinavian climate but not against Nazi bullets. This one arrived from our North Sea neighbours via vintage stockist Too Hot for a bargain price and in Hartlepool United royal blue as well...

Th@t North

A new shop selling old (pre-loved) gear th@t opens tomorrow. Just hope it has website, because it's in Stockport. Th@t's too far to go. Even for smashing old school labels like these...

Complete Madness

I like the concept of Record Store Day. Some nice limited edition vinyls from cult bands. But queing up outside all night to pay a small fortune for something you can't even play in the car? Nah, not for me.

Never been into records, grew up late 80s and early 90s where cassettes were the cheapest option for pocket money, and then CDs were about to monopolize the market, so as it is I've only got one LP to my name. Complete Madness.

Purchased in mint condition for three pounds from eBay in 2005 as an 'investment'. A quick scan on the auction website today sees them for roughly a fiver. But given ten years has passed and the average rate of inflation, this mintas EP has depreciated. Badly. And Madness have never been so popular. Complete Madness indeed.

Anyway this was an earlyish greatest hits from One Step Beyond (album) to 7. I'm sure it sounds great. But it's never been listened to as -

1) It's an investment. It's my pension etc.

2) I've never had, or any access to, a record player.

3) It's rotting away in the damp of my mam's garage.

Anyway. I'm off to listen to Divine Madness. On Compact Disc format. In the car.

Dressed to Kill

Finally sourced a copy of Dressers. Cracking read, with some honest and unexaggerated accounts of Motherwell's finest going toe to toe with Aberdeen and Hibs etc. However really enjoyed the extensive clobber section towards the rear. Thought I'd share some of the pages for those who haven't read this cult gem.