Reggae on the Rocks - Live in Nottingham 2 August 2015

Not so long ago I got the chance to see a live show by Nottinghams` Reggae on the Rocks, a band I`ve wanted to see for some time.

Along with a number of other bands, they were appearing at an event to publicise/raise funds for Maggie`s, a cancer-related cause based at Nottingham City Hospital ( https://www.maggiescentres.org ).

ROTR played a short set made up of covers of classic reggae tunes, starting with the Abyssinians` Satta Massagana and ending with the Psalms` Joy in the Morning, two personal favourites of mine. You`ll readily see that they`re not afraid of a challenge as only a band who were very sure of themselves would attempt these two.

Other artists` whose tunes were covered include John Holt, Toots and the Maytals and, rather surprisingly, Jesse J (a reggae re-working of the chart hit `Price Tag` which worked well ). 

This was an early afternoon appearance and I gather the band had played live the previous night before making a lengthy journey home. Under the circumstances they could have been forgiven the odd slip but in fact they never faltered and the musicianship was impeccable throughout.

To their credit, the band was well-received by an audience that (I suspect) was largely unfamiliar with their material. Much of the credit for this is down to the communication skills of singer Luke, the ideal front man for this type of show.

The band give the impression they see themselves as ambassadors - for reggae, for Nottingham and, on this occasion, for the Maggies charity. In that respect they were entirely successful.

ROTR can be found here ;

www.reggaeontherocks.co.uk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMQZqFbPh5U







   
     

Review - Joan Champion - Incidental Murder - London, MacDonald - 1946 ?

Joan Champion - Incidental Murder - MacDonald - Undated Hardback - Undated, but said to be from 1946

I imagine book reviews are far from fashionable these days but I don`t plan to let that discourage me !

Joan Champion`s tale of  secret tunnels, murdered men with false identities, espionage, intrigue and much else is sometimes confusing, at other times just plain daft. Nevertheless, I have to admit I`ve become attached to it.

It`s not for everyone - most modern readers will feel it lacks pace and I can`t imagine anyone thinking it`s an example of great novel-writing. Still, it has a certain charm.

In just one area it has accidentally become modern is in the personality of one character, Thea, a plain clothes policewoman. Attractive, assertive, determined and intelligent she is clearly a great deal more focussed than central character Dan.

 I very  much doubt that this was a contrived effect on the part of the author, but it is interesting, and unusual for the time.

One particular scene seems particularly in tune with modern tastes.  

As the story progresses, Dan becomes more and more interested in Thea in a way that has nothing to do with Police work. Shortly after the two have had a brief encounter with a pair of villains, Dan is left musing on his love interest, reflecting that his ideas about "the sort of domestic hearth scene that he had always associated with the married state" may have to be revised if he takes up with this forceful female.

She turns to him and asks if he`s "wishing the same thing I am" . By now he knows her well enough to respond "somehow I don`t think so." How right he is !  While he`s been reflecting on his romantic aspirations towards her, she has been wishing that one of the villains had tried to hit her with a spanner he was carrying. "Then we`d have had something to grab him for. " !

Dialogue like that from a character like Thea, is so de rigeur these days it`s pretty much a cliché. In 1946 it must have been very unusual. I could only speculate why Champion introduced this element - unless anyone knows more than I do ?

This book may test your patience a bit in places but overall, it`s a good read, and one you should be able to pick up cheaply online.

P.S.
I believe this was Joan Champions` only book and as far as I can tell I`m the first person to post anything about it on the internet. If anyone does know anything about the author I would be interested to hear from you.

P.P.S.
If you are fond of vintage detection, you may like to visit another pet project of mine, The Sexton Blake Blog ( http:thesextonblakeblog.blogspot.co.uk ) . Unfortunately it`s been neglected in recent times but I hope to do something about that soon.

Action Mesothelioma Day 2015

For some years now I`ve used this blog to publicise Action Mesothelioma Day, which this year falls on 4 July 2015.

I was prompted to start doing this by the death of a friend who had worked with asbestos in years gone by.

Unfortunately, this year I`ve not given the matter the attention I should. However, I would like to provide a few links which may be helpful to anyone seeking to know more about asbestos and asbestos-related diseases ;

www.mesothelioma.uk.com

www.junehancockfund.org

www.hasag.co.uk

www.asbestossupport.co.uk

www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos

http://ibasecretariat.org/index.htm


I do apologise for my lateness in posting something this year but hope these prove useful to anyone with an interest.

Best,

Nick

A Hiatus

As you may have noticed, in recent times this blog has been undergoing a hiatus, an interruption, a delay and  a lack of continuity.

I hope some time to be able to resume blogging here but I don`t know when that will be.

In the meantime, you can keep up with Hoonaloon Collectables, the business which Mrs Nick and myself run, by using these links ; 

http://hoonaloon.blogspot.co.uk

and/or  

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/hoonalooncollectables