But, despite this year starting with injury and ending with my job hanging by a thread, I had a pretty good time. My torn achilles tendon, which I promise to stop going on about, did stop me from going to gigs for a solid ten weeks (including Hot Snakes, gah!), or indeed from fulfilling a genuine resolution I had to visit more old chums this year, but I was back on two feet by holiday season. This year that meant a week on the Isle of Wight for my father-in-law's 70th, a few days in South Devon at the height of the summer, and, best of all, a week in Corfe Castle in October. We made the most of this last one, getting to hang out with old pals Pidge and Caro, see my folks, go to Brownsea Island and take a cruise round Poole Harbour, get some country walks in and visit a few nice pubs, most notably the incredible Square & Compass.
On the way back, I also attended a school reunion to mark 25 years since we all left. I have to confess to being slightly nervous before going - I've only kept in anything like proper touch with a couple of people from those days, neither of whom were up for the reunion, and I had a few concerns. Would I have anything in common with these people any more? Would people be competing to show off their successes in life? Would anyone even recognise me? And how long, exactly, would it be before conversation turned to Brexit?
Well, from the moment I bumped into Nick in Wimborne and cadged a lift into the school with him, I've gotta say that everyone was incredibly welcoming. It was genuinely lovely to catch up with people I last saw in 1993, all of whom appear to have grown up to be splendid human beings. Special big ups to those who kept the party going well into the evening...
In other news, I caught up with my Dad's side of the family for my aunt's 80th, and resolved that I really need to see more of them.
I've been privileged to be given a bunch of writing to do this year, including long interviews with Mark Arm and Matt Pike, a chat with Stephen Brodsky about records he digs, and lengthy pieces on the black metal/shoegaze crossover and the young rock bands pursuing activism and worthy causes in the wider world. There were also a couple of new band interviews and a bunch of lead reviews, so big thanks to everyone I've spoken to or e-mailed in the course of all this, as well as to Nick and David for commissioning it all.
Also, I'm in a band again, along with James from Gorse and Stu, his old mucker from the band Yeast. We're called Viaduct, and I'll probably be spamming you all about it when we have gigs and recordings on the go.
Because I'm a massive softie, I'd like to send love to everyone reading this, but especially those who had a tough time of it in 2018. People who've lost loved ones, endured family splits, suffered from physical or mental health issues or faced losing their jobs. I hope 2019 works out better for all of us, and if you ever need to talk, I'm there.
ALBUMS
I'm not enough of an anorak to have kept count, but I suspect that I listened to more new albums this year than ever before. I mean, it wasn't as regimented as listening to one new record every day, but it probably averaged out about that. Now, clearly, that includes lots of things I listened to precisely once, as well as some which were rubbish. But once again, it was tough to condense this year into just twenty choices. Best believe there are some great rekkids outside of the following...
20. Grave Lines, Fed Into The Nihilist Engine
19. Horseflies, Sea Control
https://horseflies.bandcamp.com/album/sea-control
18. Personality Cult, Personality Cult
17. Therapy?, Cleave
16. Behemoth, I Loved You At Your Darkest
15. OHHMS, Exist
14. Fucked Up, Dose Your Dreams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAh1Nm5Zjvw
13. Pascagoula, The Path, The Cross, The Aftermath
12. Daniel Avery, Song For Alpha
11. Helena Hauff, Qualm
10. Dr Octagon, Moosebumps
9. Hot Snakes, Jericho Sirens
8. Stick In The Wheel, Follow Them True
7. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Hope Downs
6. Parquet Courts, Wide Awake!
5. Idles, Joy As An Act Of Resistance
4. Superchunk, What A Time To Be Alive
3. Svalbard, It’s Hard To Have Hope
2. Mudhoney, Digital Garbage
1. Rolo Tomassi, Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It
TRACKS OF THE YEAR
10. Helena Hauff, No Qualms
9. Svalbard, Unpaid Intern
8. Superchunk, What A Time To Be Alive
7. Mudhoney, Next Mass Extinction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45lBOINg_3Q
6. Rolo Tomassi, Aftermath
5. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Mainland
4. Mudhoney, Paranoid Core
3. Aphex Twin, T69 Collapse
(VIDEO CONTAINS STROBING!)
2. Rolo Tomassi, A Flood Of Light
1. Idles, Danny Nedelko
GIGS OF THE YEAR
Aerosol Jesus @ The Albert (twice!)
Bad Breeding/State Funeral/Never/Structure @ The Albert
Dawn Ray'd/Unyielding Love/Solleme @ The Pipeline
Dead Witches @ Creeping Death Fest
Full Of Hell/Kalloused @ The Green Door Store
The Goon Sax @ The Green Door Store
Grave Lines/Sleeping Creatures @ The Albert
Hey Colossus @ The TST All-dayer
Kalloused @ Creeping Death Fest
Melvins @ The Concorde2
Mighty Lord Deathman @ The TST All-dayer
Modern Life Is War/Svalbard/Who Cares? @ The Haunt
Mol @ Creeping Death Fest
Jessica Moss/Benen/Grow Fins @ The Rose Hill
Mudhoney @ The Concorde2
Part Chimp/Henry Blacker/Jungfrau @ Sticky Mike's
Pascagoula @ Creeping Death Fest & The Cowley
Possessed By Paul James @ The Albert
Remote Viewing/Wound/Ill, In Pain @ The Cowley
Rolo Tomassi @ The Haunt
The Schizophonics @ The Albert
Silent Front/Bruxa Maria/Perch @ The Albert
Sweet Williams @ The TST All-dayer
Therapy? @ The Concorde2
Alexander Tucker/Kemper Norton @ The Rose Hill
Workin' Man Noise Unit @ The TST All-dayer
