Category Archives: Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont?
The Obligatory Top Ten List to Celebrate My 100th Post
I’ve been blogging for over a decade now. My first attempt, which included the initial incarnation of the Brief Biography of God, appeared on my MySpace page around 2007. I immediately fell in love with the medium — it was … Continue reading
Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont? Heart Going Boom, Boom, Boom (Guest Blog)
I’ve referred to guest blogger Glenn Williams many times in the Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont? blogs. Now it’s time to meet him in person. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Glenn grew up in Evington just a few … Continue reading
Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont? That Werra Good’n
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the experience of attending shows at the De Montfort Hall profoundly influenced our lives. And it wasn’t just that we had the good fortune to see some of the greatest bands of … Continue reading
Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont? Breakin’ the Law
As I was soliciting stories for the Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont blogs, one theme started to emerge that had less to do with music and more to do with us being teenagers: the never-ending games we engaged in to … Continue reading
Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont? SAHB Story
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (May 22, 1976) I’d seen SAHB the year before (May 20, 1975), and was just blown away. Alex was mesmerizing onstage, playing different roles–a school teacher reading from Treasure Island for “Tomahawk Kid,” a crazed … Continue reading
Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont? The Rise and Fall of the Giant Hogweed and the Spiders from Epping Forest
As it turned out, 1973 became something of an annus mirabilis for me as far as concert going at the De Mont was concerned. A month after the Quo show, there was a lackluster performance (yes, I was a critic … Continue reading
Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont? The First Time
If, like me, you grew up in Leicester in the 1960s, then there’s a pretty good chance your first visit to the De Montfort Hall was over Christmas to see a pantomime, that peculiarly English form of entertainment where B-list … Continue reading
Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont?* An Oral History of Rock Concerts at Leicester’s De Montfort Hall in the 1970s and 80s
The older I get, the more I thank God that I had a truly fortunate childhood. I had two loving and indulgent parents who raised me in a nice home in a clean, affluent, middle-class suburb of Leicester. All the … Continue reading