retiredmartin

July 2026. Newcastle.

Last week my son told me I had “mainstream music taste“. Let that sink in.

“Matthew has to be contrary” says Mrs RM. “I suspect your son enjoys winding you up” says ChatGPT. And you can rely on ChatGPT, folks; it told me so.

ChatGPT was helping me to find some mainstream music that Monday night in Newcastle.

Not many options at all, bar a few cover bars, but the Lubber Fiend just west of the station had a clear winner for a tenner.

“Exstatic resonances are wild acoustic phenomena created by determinancies within the clarinet’s timbre“, reminds me of the third Culture Club album.

Oooh, “onerous perennialisms” too.

Bit of a departure from the usual fare at the Fiend.

I’d taken Matt to a metalcore gig at nearby Think Tank when he was too young to drink, and the Lubber Fiend has similar “toilet” venue qualities.

Goodness me, toilets have changed, generally for the better.

I’d actually asked the lead “artist” what time the “gig” started* (I had Chinese takeaways to plan), and dutifully turned up 5 minutes early to find no sign of imminent life, but a cracking beer board.

Being as contrary as Matt I picked one from the fridge first, Otherworld from Dalkeith,

and took the prime spot.

I was on my second beer, the Fancy Good from local Donzoko, before the first set started.

This is the video from the previous night in Leeds (PRESS PLAY),

and I have to tell you it was totally mesmeric, though its sparseness made Talk Talk’s “Laughing Stock” sound like ABBA.

But I’m not built for sitting still so long, and 2 hours in I could see I wasn’t the only one wondering whose resolve would break first and dash for the loo.

Inevitably, it was me, making sure I didn’t knock over the little recorder on the floor.

Get outside your comfort zone, Matt.

*_{I do prefer the German system whereby “doors” is when the music starts and woe betide you if you’re late}