Band Of Horses

                                            Band Of Horses

Back to the O2 Academy, my least favorite music venue in Glasgow. I hustled my way to the bar at the back and decided to stay in that vicinity to see if the sound system was more pleasant to the ear there. Or maybe it was my Scottish homing instinct to stay close to the service of alcohol. But it did make a bit of a difference. I was up close and personal with Laura Marling earlier this year but with the support act tonight I think being 50 yards to the rear did something to the acoustics and they sounded pretty good. They were a decent support act, that's two in a row, but I was hampered by a couple in front of me. They would occassionally lean over to whisper sweet nothings into their lover's ear but block out my view of the stage in the process. Cute but annoying, so for the main act I moved to a different vantage point. I noticed an older couple, maybe in their mid-fifties, sitting to my right. Maybe they just wanted a night out and bought tickets for 'Band of Horses' thinking 'that's a nice name for a band, they will surely sing gentle songs of nature'. Band of Horses are in fact a five piece rock band from Charleston, South Carolina. Having watched their music videos on YouTube I think they should change their name from Band Of Horses to Band of Beards, as there is an impressive array of facial hair on display. My own feeble whiskers pail in comparison to the lead singers prophetic growth. Their sound is actually difficult to pin down: they could be indie rock, alternative rock with a hint of country, etc. But live in concert they just rock, plain and simple. Live in concert you really appreciate them as a rock band. They didn't play as many songs from their new album as I had expected and quite a few of their songs I didn't recognise, as I own only two of their four albums, but it didn't really matter. They played most of my favorites. The Funeral. Is Their A Ghost? The Great Salt Lake. No Ones's Gonna Love You. And they played them with aplomb, gusto and an admirable energy that came across really well despite the shortcomings of the sound system. Even the older couple sitting to my right were grinning from ear to ear. I hope I'm like them in 20 years time. Never too old to rock!

                                           Respect the beard.

Celtic 2-1 Barcelona. Greatest result since Lisbon?

In 1967, long before I was born, Celtic beat Inter Milan 2-1 in Lisbon to become the first British football team to win the European Cup. That victory will always remain the pinacle of Celtic's footballing achievements, nothing can equal it, but last night they did the unthinkable by beating Barcelona 2-1 at Celtic Park in front of a passionate and delirious home crowd. It was the greatest result since Lisbon because Barcelona are the best club side ever to have graced the beautiful game. Lead by their talisman Lionel Messi, they boast players that are exceptional in their passing, movement, footballing intelligence and control of the ball. Barcelona have devised a way of systematically taking teams apart by using the aforementioned skills in wave after wave of intense attack. I've never seen a team ruthlessly dominate games in such a way before. There is something cold and calculated about it, but beautiful and hypnotic at the same time. Pass, move, pass, move, until they find a way to goal. To give Celtic their due, they were great as well, but not in the same way that Barcelona were great. Under intense pressure for most of the game Celtic played with lion hearts, fierce determination and admirable discipline. Most importantly they took their chances in front of goal. Celtic have enjoyed some great results in the past. Beating Manchester United 1-0 at home with a Nakamura wondergoal was fantastic, but trumping Barcelona was so much sweeter because they are the best of the best. To hail this as the greatest result since Lisbon is to honour Barcelona just as much as Celtic.