I feel as if I’ve been a juggler these past few days. Well, weeks, actually.
One of the first gigs I booked for attending this year was to see The Anchoress in London next month. From there it’s been a bit of a headache trying to get all the rest of it sorted. Mercifully, there is a certain accommodation site that rhymes with “rooking not rom” that is great for placing a hold on things and then being able to cancel, alter and change without any financial penalties. First off, I booked something very close to the venue and then was going to see if it was possible to travel down by train. But that was sooo far off at that time – and you have to be RIGHT ON IT for advance tickets for trains and they only kick in three months in advance – then and only then. So, if you don’t get in at exactly that 3 month advance time, you can end up paying far more. After a while I felt it was too much of a gamble so decided to book flights from Glasgow to Luton instead. With the OH being a born and bred Lutonian, I knew she’d be up for a couple of days away “back home” (Well, at least I hoped). I decided to turn it into a mini break away. We could stay 3 nights in Luton for the price of a single night in central London. So, flights were booked and accommodation was booked. BUT! Those three nights away were still pricey…. So I started to look into other accommodation options. There wasn’t much wriggle room. By this point (3-4 weeks ago) I was starting to consider knocking the idea of London/Luton on the head entirely.
Then, in comes Warm Digits announcing a gig in Sunderland on the very same night as The Anchoress show in London. I have been missing Warm Digits SOOOO much. They hadn’t played any gigs since 2023 and I was dying to see them again. I grappled with this dilemma. I was starting to think if it would be better to go to one of The Anchoress’s northern England shows instead? All would not be lost in terms of the flights to Luton. The OH could still use her flight to go there and stay with friends. And with that, it opened up the potential for me to see Catherine in Manchester instead as well as seeing Warm Digits in Sunderland – AND do that for less money than continuing to go Luton and seeing The Anchoress show in London. For a start, I could get to Manchester return from Glasgow for the same price as it would cost me to get from Luton to London on the day of the Anchoress gig (which is bloody INSANE!). One night in Manchester is at least half the cost of a night in London. There is also the option of travelling to and back from Manchester without having to stay overnight. Travel AND accommodation in Sunderland could be done as cheaply as one night’s stay in Luton. For me, it was becoming a no-brainer.
So…that’s those gigs sorted! No London show now – I’m seeing The Anchoress in Manchester instead. And I am getting all the stuff together for seeing Warm Digits in Sunderland.
That leaves one other gig clash – one that I can’t do anything about really, but it sucks arse that I can’t!
Hamish Hawk announced on his socials yesterday that he’s headlining a festival in Perthshire in June. A day ticket to this festival is £50 – half the price I’m paying for the Bellahouston Park gig! AND – he’s headlining it! But the sting is – he headlines the festival on 21 June – the night Craig Ferguson is playing the O2 Academy. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!! You cannae have it all. I’ve been wanting to see Craig for years, and years, and YEARS. I’ve already seen Hamish three times this year …. Craig wins! I’ll see Hamish a week later – being SUPPORT! Unless… Mr Kerr would like to, erm, ‘ALTER’ the running order of Bellahouston Park? Hmmm. Hmmm. Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more! (Nae chance, pal!) I mean…seeing as Simple Minds are only wanting to play Once Upon a Time in its entirety – 40 minutes and off you fuck, right? Come on first, get it out the way, go home. Job done, right? Lol. Think about it, Jim? Hang on – another 15 minutes for ‘Don’t You’ as an encore tips it over a bit…mmmm. Shite! Awright, never mind. It was worth a try. Fuck it!
Still, at least I’ll get to sort out seeing The Anchoress AND Warm Digits. That’s the main thing. But please…no more gig clashes everyone, okay?!
