MCR at the Apollo

Last weekend I was lucky enough to see the return of My Chemical Romance in their first UK show for three years, previewing their new album Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys.

As a long time MCR fan, but having never seen them perform live before, the Hammersmith Apollo was a perfect venue, feeling intimate yet big enough for the pompousness and theatrics that has come to be expected from My Chemical Romance, especially when performing as their former alter-egos, The Black Parade.

All Photos from Nick Clark, Gigwise

As the first date on their World Contamination Tour, no-one was sure what to expect. Would they play the whole new album, or would they mix it up with some classics?

Thankfully for the fans, it was the latter.

I arrived at the Apollo just after 7:30pm, and was greeted by a queue which seemed to go miles past the venue. Thankfully the queue moved quickly and just after 8pm I was inside the beautiful Art Deco styled venue. After visiting the merchandise stand, I caught the end of Glaswegian support band Twin Atlantic, and moved into position for the main event.

Appearing on stage just after 9pm, MCR were greeted onstage to deafening screams from the crowd, varying in age from early teens to over 50s! They kicked the gig off with lead single from the new album ‘Na Na Na’, a perfect song to get everyone singing along thanks to its catchy (if a bit repetitive!) lyrics.

Gerard Way was in a talkative mood, telling fans that it felt great to be back on stage. He said: “I’m not going to be earnest tonight but it took a lot for us to make it here, stepping out here just before it felt like a big, fat fucking reward.”

Gerard's New Hair

His new red hair is a big step away from the bleached style he sported in The Black Parade era, and the change in hairstyle was also reflected in the style of the new songs.

The next new song to be played was entitled ‘Planetary (GO!)’, a dancey track that on first impressions was very good. Gerard certainly looked like he was having fun on stage performing it. Also performed was ‘The Only Hope for Me is You’, which had been floating around the internet for a few weeks so a lot of fans already knew the lyrics. This song felt very reminiscent to something from 30 Seconds to Mars.

The set contained songs from all four of MCR’s albums, with a rare appearance from ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’ from their debut album, which he claimed they had not performed live for five years. For ‘Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us’, two lucky female twins were invited on stage to sing, instantly becoming the envy of the whole crowd. Despite trying to start singing too early (several times!) they did a good job.

The biggest responses from the crowd obviously came from ‘Welcome to The Black Parade’, ‘Teenagers’ and ‘Famous Last Words’, as well as their breakthrough hit ‘I’m Not Okay’, but it was nice to see them include some older songs, showing they haven’t forgotten their roots.

Bassist Mikey Way

The main set came to an end with the emotional ‘Cancer’, which the whole band minus Gerard and the live pianist leave the stage for. It was certainly heart-wrenching, bringing on tears for many members of the audience.

The whole band returned to finish with an encore of their final new song for the night, ‘The Kids from Yesterday’. This song was very U2-sounding. I was slightly disappointed that this was all there was in the encore, but I put that down to not knowing the words to sing along yet and am sure that once familiar, it will become an excellent show-closer.

The sound balance in the venue wasn’t perfect, with fans sometimes out-singing the band and Gerard’s microphone breaking during the encore, but as the first gig of the tour there are bound to be teething issues. But overall it was an excellent first experience of My Chemical Romance, showcasing their diverse talents from the post-hardcore I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love;  the ’emo’ pop-punk offerings from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge; theatrical classic rock from The Black Parade and the slightly synthy Alt-Rock direction they are going in for Danger Days.

I can’t wait for the new album, and from the impressions that I’ve read , it’s gonna be a good one.

SET LIST

‘Na Na Na’
‘Thank You For The Venom’
‘Dead!’
‘Cemetery Drive’
‘Planetary (GO!)’
‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’
‘Give ‘Em Hell, Kid’
‘Our Lady of Sorrows’
‘I Don’t Love You’
’You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison’
The Only Hope For Me Is You’
‘Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough for the Two of Us’
‘This Is How I Disappear’
‘Welcome To The Black Parade’
‘Helena’
‘Mama’
’Teenagers’
’The Ghost Of You’
‘Famous Last Words’
’Sleep’
‘Cancer’
‘The Kids From Yesterday’

Player power has gone too far.

This week the footballing world has been rocked by the news that Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United.

Part of me wants to laugh at Manchester United’s misfortune, but I also think it is sad how much power and disrespect a player can now have for a club and manager that have done so much for him.

Every summer we see drawn out transfer sagas, seemingly always at Arsenal with our captain of the time being targeted by one of Real Madrid or Barcelona. With Thierry Henry, I was extremely sad to see him leave, but understood why he had to as Arsenal were about to begin a period of youth development thanks to the new Emirates Stadium. When Patrick Vieira was let go, he was past his best. Cristiano Ronaldo was inevitably going to Real Madrid at some point, but had a brilliant last season which allowed Man Utd to receive £80m for him.

Even this summer just gone, Cesc Fabregas wanted to leave for Barcelona, but he kept his mouth shut until it was clear that he was staying at Arsenal. And since then he has given 100% effort and put in some brilliant displays for the team (when not injured!)

Rooney has taken a step too far. It is totally unreasonable and unsettling to the team to come out with 20 months left on his contract. He has created a media circus around himself which is disrespectful to Sir Alex Ferguson who has been supportive of him in the good times and the bad.

The 24-year-old striker claims that Manchester United fail to match his ambition for the future. The biggest club in the world, the most successful in England in the modern era, lack ambition. This looks like an attack on the ownership of the club by the Glazers, which has reduced the club’s spending power in the transfer market. To be fair, he has a point but does a player who has been in such poor form really have the right to come out and say the players who have been providing his goals, and this season been playing better than him, are not good enough for him?

It looks like Rooney has been hypnotised by the possibility of a mega bucks deal at Man City, where on current form, he’s even less likely to get into the team!

That or he’s fed up of the British media finding out about his encounters with prostitutes and wants to engineer a move to Spain or Italy.

Whatever his motives, the fact that he has come out with this is pretty sickening.

Ian Holloway, Blackpool manager, sums it up pretty well.

The rules regarding Bosman transfers, compensation for under 24s and not for players over that age, added to the fact that Rooney could buy out the remaining year of his contract next summer and move wherever he wants, are quite frankly, ridiculous. I’ve always been sceptical of football player contracts. At points I’ve thought it’d be a lot better if it was a free market like in the real world, that players could move whenever they wanted (with rules to stop them being registered to too many clubs during one season) as long as they gave notice. Similarly, clubs would be able to make players redundant at any time.

I realise this theory is quite naive and would probably be bad for the game. Players and their agents would probably be mercenaries more than even now and there would be less team stability.

So if professional football is going to be ran under a contract system, they need to be more strongly enforced. If a player signs a contract, they should have to fulfil it. If the player wants to leave, however long they have on their contract, the club they are moving to should pay a transfer fee.

Money is turning football into something it shouldn’t be.

No, let me rephrase that.

Greed is killing football.

Back to Blog. In the Sh*te Garden.

Hello again!

I admit, I have been terrible with this blog. Extremely busy with work  in real life, yet also too lazy in updating this. Mostly lazy. But last night something made me so angry I just needed to vent it.

I was bored, there was nothing good on the telly so I thought I’d see what the wonders of BBC iPlayer would entertain me with. I randomly selected the highly popular Cbeebies show “In the Night Garden…”

NEVER AGAIN.

Seriously, the biggest waste of 30 minutes in my life. Can I write to the BBC and ask for a small portion of my licence fee back?
The show begins with a baby falling asleep and then we see the blue protagonist (supposedly representing a baby entering its dreams), Iggle Piggle. Armed with his red blanket, he rides a boat to the Night Garden.

This particular episode focussed on three little characters called Tombliboos, based on the shape of a pepper pot. The narrator, Sir Derek Jacobi, greets the Tombliboos and tells them to brush their teeth. They re-enter their home, a bush.
The Tombliboos proceed to brush their teeth for about 5 minutes. They don’t even have any (visible) teeth!

Everyone who has had a good upbringing knows you only need to brush your teeth for three minutes. This was just wasting time.

So, the Tombliboos teeth are clean. Maybe they can play now?

No, they have to show everyone how clean their teeth are!

We first meet Upsy Daisy, a cheerful looking dolly.

“Hello Upsy Daisy!” “Look at those clean Tumbliboo teeth!”

Iggle Piggle then arrives.
“Hello Iggle Piggle!” “Look at those clean Tumbliboo teeth!”

The Tumbliboos then leave and bump into Makka Pakka, a small creature who likes to collect and wash stones, and pushes a little trolley around with his sponge and soap. Why he does this, I do not know.

Can you guess what happens next?

“Hello Makka Pakka!” “Look at those clean Tumbliboo teeth!”

Makka Pakka then proceeds to clean the faces of the Tombliboos.

“Look at those clean Tombliboo faces!”

It is then time for bed. The Tombliboos ask for a bedtime story.
Mr Narrator has no better story to tell them other than the one about when the Tombliboos spent all day brushing their teeth and showing everyone in the Night Garden how clean they were.

How thrilling.

It is then the end of the episode, and everyone falls asleep. The Tombliboos, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, Pinky Ponk and Ninky Nonk, the Wottingers, Pontipers, Haahoos and Tittifers. Everyone is asleep apart from Iggle Piggle.

“Iggle Piggle’s not in bed!”
“Squeak!”
“Don’t worry, Iggle Piggle, it’s time to go.”

Iggle Piggle then collapses on the floor and leaves the Night Garden in his little boat. I think this is when the child watching is meant to fall asleep too.

The credits then roll and I shudder in horror and disgust at what I have just watched.

And somehow, this won the Children’s BAFTA for “Pre-School Live Action” in 2007 and 2008.

You may say it’s just nostalgia, but I am sure that children’s television wasn’t this mundane when I was a toddler. How was that meant to be able to keep the attention of a hyperactive little brat for half an hour? The official website of the show calls it relaxing, I call it mind-numbing and pointless. The BBC says it is targeted towards children between the ages of one and four. Maybe i’m cynical/out of touch with the youth of today but I can’t see any value of it for any child older than six months old.

Compare it to quality children’s programming from my childhood like Postman Pat, Fireman Sam, Rosie and Jim; and the more educational shows such as Sesame Street and Playdays. It has nothing apart from maybe some amusingly designed characters with funny names which will bring a giggle to whoever watches it.

Even Teletubbies had more entertainment value than this waste of time.

This week an episode of Sesame Street was banned due to guest star Katy Perry showing too much cleavage. Take a look yourself below. It is clear that she has a skin coloured cover over her chest. It’s amazing the power that conservative/bible belt Americans have.

And anyway, what’s the problem with children seeing a bit of cleavage on telly? They see it every day anyway.

I really fear for the toddlers of today.

If things go like they seem to be, they will never learn the alphabet, how to count to ten, or the colours of the rainbow. All they’ll know is how to brush their teeth until their gums bleed.

END.

Why do opposition goalies always have the game of their lives against us?

Rargh.
Bloody Tottenham Hotspur.

Now this isn’t the most professional blog I’ll ever write as when it comes to football, I am a lifelong mad Arsenal fan and won’t give the scum any credit for anything even though they may deserve it. Yes, I am that petty. However much I might want to become a sports journalist one day, I don’t think i’ll ever be able to write any good words about THEM.

I’m the type of football fan who gets properly upset whenever my team loses or a team I hate wins. DO NOT tell me it’s just a game.

So we lost to them 2-1 tonight, first time in 11 years, if we had won or drew it would have been the longest unbeaten run against a team EVER. I knew that stat was going to be unlucky for us.

After 10 minutes this happened:

Fluke goal from a debutant. Couldn’t be more lucky.

Almunia in goal could have done better and not flapped at it first though.

Spurs extended their lead just after half time through Gareth Bale, before we brought Robin van Persie on for his first appearance since being injured in a friendly match for Holland vs. Italy on November 14. And I’d say, without that pointless midweek international game, the whole season would have been a lot different.

RVP’s introduction showed how much we missed him. In the 22 minutes he was on the pitch, he forced 3 stunning saves from Heurelho Gomes, probably the best performance ever from a goalkeeper who has been distinctly average for the rest of the season.

Why can’t Almunia ever play out of his skin like that? (Apart from the first half of the Barcelona game.)

So saggy-faced Harry beat us this time, but I can’t say they were better than us. We weren’t great, we had most of the possession and plenty of opportunities, but ultimately, some of our players just weren’t pumped up enough for it and Gomes had the game of his life. Sol Campbell was outstanding in central defence, I wish some of our younger players were as dedicated to the cause as the 35 year old veteran.

So we are 6 points off the top of the table with 4 games left.

We’re gonna need a miracle to win it.

Looks like Chelsea are gonna win it, will HATE it if they do. They don’t deserve it. We actually need Spurs to do us a favour at the weekend. Urgh. It feels so disgusting wishing them to win. Must go wash my mouth/fingers out.

I hope it’s a game with plenty of red cards and injuries for both sides.

Particularly John Terry. Hate him. He got away with a terrible tackle on James Milner at the weekend, he cheated on his wife and got away with it, surely he deserves some bad karma sometime soon. Please?

But really, we need the Totscum to beat the Chelscum if we’re gonna have any chance of the title now.

And somehow Aston Villa need to get into 4th above Totscum and Man City. I haven’t worked out how that will happen though. Maybe Man City’s rich owners will run off and leave the club bust, and Totscum will be disqualified for being a scummy side with a tax cheat manager.

But really, Arsenal haven’t done too badly this season. We’ve had dodgy patches for sure, but with 4 games to go we are still within 6 points of winning the league. Not bad considering all the injuries we’ve had (RVP, Gibbs, Fabregas, Ramsey, Song, Arshavin, Gallas, Djourou). I don’t think for a single game this season we’ve had a full strength team. I heard Harry Redknapp say Spurs would’ve been a lot closer to Arsenal this season if they hadn’t had injuries. If we hadn’t had injuries, I would bet we would’ve won the league.

Right, I think that’s enough ranting for tonight. I must go to bed. Work tomorrow at 7:30 then a trip to Germany for the weekend 🙂 Might post a little update on that!

Think the next serious blog will be on politics. Was waiting for all the manifestos to come out and the first round of leader debates are tomorrow evening. Won’t get a chance to see it tomorrow but will catch up with it all when I get back from the land of SAUSAGE.

Until next time! ADIOS!

Obligatory blog welcome post.

HELLO!

Hola. Bonjour. Willkommen.

I just realised that last one doesn’t mean the same. Ah well.

So, welcome. I find it strange how we say welcome for internet pages like this. It’s not a house. In real life you wouldn’t say welcome to any old stranger that turned up on your property, you’d be “Who the hell are you?” before “COME IN!” The internet has funny ways. I guess that’s because it’s like a cover, we are safe behind a screen in the safety of our own homes, yet we are trying in a way to show ourselves off to whoever we can and get our voices heard. Odd really.

Blah, i’m rambling already.

So about me. My name is Paul, and I’m a journalism student at City University, London.

My last name is Muchmore, hence the title of this very blog.

Long introductions are boring so I won’t bore you with any more.  If you’re reading this you probably know me anyway, so whatever.

Finding out about people is like a puzzle. Or a sticker book. Or pokémon cards. You start off with just a few pieces/stickers/pokémon but as time goes on you get a bigger picture/full album/become a pokémon master.

That made sense to me anyway.

I don’t know what the aim of this blog is.

Just to write really. Because I should. But I’m lazy and get distracted easily.

So, I won’t keep this about any specific subject. I think if I did that this blog would die an early death.

Therefore, I will write whatever comes into my head.

Because that’s just the way I work.

So I might write something about music.

Or football.

Or telly.

Or football on telly.

Who knows really. I have lots to say about politics at the moment so I might write about that. I’ll try not to bore you too much.

With that I’m off to bed.

NIGHT!