Sunday 25 November 2012

The Late, Late Show

Albion 1, Bolton Wanderers 1
The Amex Stadium
Saturday 24th November


Last Saturday Bolton Wanderers were the visitors to Brighton’s Amex stadium. In appalling weather it was a game that Albion dominated from start to almost finish, however a late 95th minute equaliser proved to be a cruel ending to a match that the home team had plenty of chances to kill off early on.  Yet again a penalty opportunity was squandered when Ashley Barnes failed to convert in the 14th minute and then missed what looked like an easy chance to make amends on the rebound. In the first half Orlandi in midfield for Albion was inspiring and the industrious Liam Bridcut sitting in his usual role in front of the back four was winning every tackle. Bolton’s goal certainly led a charmed life as Albion hit the woodwork three times and the ex Premiership side hardly had a chance worth mentioning.
Somehow the teams went in level at half time but Albion’s early second half pressure paid off when full back and man of the match Bruno Salter scored an unstoppable cracker from 35 yards out.  It was no less than the home side deserved and they continued to press and came close to increasing their score on several occasions. Those misses were to prove costly when the referee gave five minutes added time and Bolton took full advantage with literally the very last kick of the match as David Ngog scored that late, late equaliser in front of their jubilant fans. It was a result that a poor Bolton side did not deserve and for the third game running Albion had conceded a last minute goal. Sometimes football just isn’t fair but Albion really do need to learn how to close a game out and they must make the most of every goal scoring opportunity, including any penalty decisions that come their way.

Brighton fans shouldn’t be too disappointed though as Albion completely outplayed and outclassed an ex Premiership side for 94 minutes and even Bolton manager Dougie Freedman conceded that Brighton were fantastic and looked a class act. If Albion keep playing this way and learn how to finish teams off they look like they may do rather well this season. The team are stronger than this time last year and they look much more solid defensively but they do need to convert the opportunities that are presented to them up front.
As I write this, Tuesday night's home game with Bristol City has yet to take place but Albion currently sit just outside the top six with the biggest match of the season coming up this Saturday as Albion take on table topping Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. That game is the one that every Albion fan wants to win and should prove if their team are real contenders or not this campaign.

Friday 23 November 2012

Tempted By Paul Carrack


Paul Carrack
The Hawth, Crawley
Thursday 22nd November 2012

Wow! Just been to see the fantastic Paul Carrack in concert at The Hawth in Crawley. Very impressive. What a great singer, songwriter and musician this guy is. 

I've seen Paul Carrack in concert quite a few times and he's like a fine wine...he just gets better with age. This guy is so versatile he can sing and play almost anything. He has such a rich, soulful voice and his backing band are top notch musicians themselves. As well as being an artist in his own right he's a highly respected and much sought after session musician as well and has played in bands such as Ace, Roxy Music, Squeeze and Mike & The Mechanics.

The support band, Tinlin, were excellent. This trio comprises of brothers Rolf and Alex Tinlin on acoustic guitars along with Paul Carrack's son Jack on percussion. They performed a really good set with all their own material, the standout song being the delightful Steal from their new CD Shade Of The Shadows. 

Paul Carrack took to the stage at a packed Hawth to a very warm reception. From beginning to end it was a terrific concert performance. It's so hard to pick out my favourite Paul Carrack performance of the night when you have classics such as Tempted, How Long and Over My Shoulder to choose from but the highlights of the set for me were the bluesy belter Better Than Nothing, the achingly beautiful and tender Eyes Of Blue and of course the real crowd pleaser, the touchingly sad and emotional Living Years. The concert ended on a real high with his rendition of the Marvin Gaye classic What's Going On. This is one of my all time favourite songs and Mr Carrack did it justice, a truly great way to end the evening.

A really good night for me as I did a bit of dad dancing in the front row and came away with Paul's set list from the stage, a poster from one of the Hawth walls and a signed copy of his latest CD in my hands. You may not know the name Paul Carrack but you will definitely know the voice.
For those of you that want a starting point to investigate Paul Carrack's music then try getting hold of a copy of his latest compilation release, Paul Carrack Collected, this is a bumper 3 CD album packed with all sorts of goodies. Due for release on 26th November it can be bought from his website here


If you get the chance then do go to see him in concert, you won't regret it. Paul Carrack is currently touring the UK until March 2013 and more of his concert dates can be found here. Want to know more about this fine musician? Then you can find out more info about him here.

Set list:
Good Feeling
Whatever
Tempted
Long Ago
Satisfy My Soul
Better Than Nothing
Beautiful World
I Can Hear Ray
Make It Right (with support band Tinlin)
From Now On
I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love
If I Should Fall Behind
Eyes Of Blue
The Living Years
When My Little Girl Is Smiling
Time To Move On
How Long

Encore:
Over My Shoulder
What's Going On