Metallica at the O2 Arena

Metallica kicked off their show with That was just your life, a song from their latest album, this evening at the O2 Arena in London.

The stage was set in the middle of the arena, doing the gig in the round properly. The stage set up gave the entire audience a great view, maybe except if you stuck in the back of the highest tier. Binoculars are definitely needed if you are seated that far back.

Metallica is really in top shape on this tour. Every song is performed with enthusiasm and some of that rock and roll flavour.
The crowd was electric, really up for some Metallica on this night. Songs like Sad but true, Enter Sandman and Master of Puppets are definitely crowd pleasers.

Among the highlights for me were One, Overkill and the explosive last song Seek and Destroy. I screamed, in an attempt to sing, along to all of them.

A denim vest with patches and tight jeans are the perfect fit for me.

The whole gig can be downloaded from Met on tour.

London African Music Festival

The 7th London African Music Festival is being held at the Southbank Centre 11-13th of September this year and I will definitely be going.

Artists such as The African Jazz Allstars, Rachel Magoola and Claude Deppa will be playing.

Check out the video for a taste of what the African Jazz Allstars might perform.


It will be interesting to see if the African rhythms will suit a body from one of the most northern countries of the world.

Open mic night at the Hope & Anchor

A friend asked me to go to an open mic night at the Hope & Anchor in Highbury last night. Of course I said yes, as it would mean an evening of just relaxing and listening to music. The Hope & Anchor in Highbury does open mic nights every Wednesday where young and not so young people can show their talent.

The first guy performing does songs with a touch of humour to them. One of them is about working shit jobs, which makes the audience giggle.

The second act is two women who play very peaceful music. One of them plays the piano, while the other one sings. They play the sort of music you can sink into and take in.

Not everybody is as talented as those women and some of the people performing could do with a bit of practice. I still applaud their courage to go up on stage and show their creative ability. Just that is something I would never do.

The atmosphere in the basement of the Hope & Anchor is calm an familiar. A lot of the people there seem to know each other from before.

Open mic night is a bit like a new sweater. After having worn it a few times and it's really comfortable, you get into the habit of wearing it all the time.