geoham

My dad was in his teens when Gary Glitter and the Glitter band were at their peak, and he continued to be a fan into adulthood. He's still rather angry that Gadd's crimes have made it almost impossible to be a fan or even listen to his music for the past 20 odd years.

Ah Concur! I work with financial systems for the day-job, and this can work well when implemented properly. Card transactions appearing automatically, integration with the accountancy system etc. However, Greene King's use of it to pay bands is horrible. We only play one of their venues, and the process is unnecessarily complex - far from intuitive! I understand these large chains need proper governance and the days of cash from the till are long gone, but the way they've shoe-horned an employee expense system to handle is little more than a bodge. George

I was hugely saddened by this news. My dad has been a huge Steve Harley / Cockney Rebel fan since his teenage years, and didn't ever miss a show in Glasgow. I started going to the gigs with him in 1999 when I turned 18, and became a fan myself. I probably managed to see him a dozen times, maybe more. Two particularly special shows were the Human Menagerie / Psychomodo shows at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, then a couple of years later at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The rock band backed by an orchestra and choir - spectacular! Steve was always quite open that his big hit paid the bills, and enabled him to make the music he wanted. He seemed to keep touring because he loved it. While 'Make Me Smile' is one of the most popular songs ever recorded and obviously what he was best known for, I'd recommend that everyone listen to his other material - there's a huge amount of depth there. Sebastian and Death Trip for example, are both rather epic, verging on prog. Sadly, a few Cockney Rebel bass players died prematurely over the years. Original Cockney Rebel bassist Paul Jeffreys in the Lockerbie disaster, like you mentioned. George Ford in 2007, Lincoln Anderson in 2014 and Kuma Harada last year. George

I work in Glasgow city centre for the day job. I mostly take the train, but cycle when the weather allows - about 14 miles, so a fair trek for an overweight bloke in his 40s. I actually could manage to gig travelling by train - I don't use an amp, just a Helix and in-ears - however, the train service is poor after 6pm and finished by midnight. So like most others, I drive to my city centre gigs.

I genuinely think this could kill off my city centre gigs. We’re hobbyists and don’t make much, playing pubs for little more than beer money. I think it will cost £12 to park for 2 hours now. And the 2 hours maximum isn’t long enough. I priced the multi-story near McSorleys (a regular spot do us) - about £27 to park for an hour either side of the gig. It’s almost as if the council are trying to kill off what’s left of night time industry.

Symphonic metal. A fairly recent discovery for me, someone who doesn't really like metal - especially when it has harsh, indecipherable vocals. I could probably pick my top three bands from just using the first band, but I'll mix it up a little! First up, is Nightwish, with Ghost Love Score. It's a little long, but stick with it until the end, interesting time signature and key changes, a really nice orchestral arrangement and their delightful vocalist Floor Jansen nailing it. It's worth watching just to hear her final note! Next is Epica, featuring Apocalyptica, with Rivers. Not really their typical style, but a beautiful performance. Lastly, Within Temptation. Coincidently featuring Nightwish's previous vocalist! Have a listen, hopefully find some of you find these enjoyable! George

A very fair point. I worked in retail when I was young, a large clothing chain. We were forever cleaning, sorting stuff and rearranging the floor when it was quiet. My wife and I often notice that shops now often look like they haven't been dusted for weeks, and and too often there's nobody available or interesting in serving customers.

I've never been to a PMT, there's not one near me. However, I visited Guitar Guitar in Glasgow a few weeks ago. In the not too distant past, the downstairs section was all basses - but now one of the walls has been invaded with six-string guitars.... definitely a significantly smaller selection of basses this time. It felt a little understaffed for a busy Saturday, just one guy in the bass department - who to his credit was very knowledgeable and helpful. I think overall, retail is struggling on a few fronts at the moment. In particular, rising costs, decreased footfall and much tighter margins to remain competitive against some of the online giants.