From St Paul's to Relentless Garage

Have put myself as far as I can easily go on crutches. Went to see Ed Byrne at Hammersmith Apollo (very funny and really a breeze on crutches) went round the Museum of London with a friend and her 10 year old, a bit hard work but not too bad, then took them to Clerkenwell for lunch then back to St Pauls. They both took the opportunity to actually climb up the Dome. I thought the 500 odd spiral steps might be testing the crutches a bit too far. Then Sunday I headed up to see my mum for the first time in ages. Poor mum. She was trying to tell me how easy it was to visit with a broken leg as I could just sit in the armchair. Yes, but its the combination of bus, tube, trains and taxis that is the struggle! Then onto see some friends in Stratford.

But the big test was a venture into Islington last night to a venue I have never been to before - the delightfully named Relentless Garage. Not sure how crutches and a punk gig would mix, but then again the punks (well I think the Undertones were more New Wave if one wanted to get technical) would all be older than me so I hoped pogo-ing would be kept to a genteel minimum. The mate I was going with had just told me he is expecting a second baby in September, so I expect our gig going will be even more curtailed in future. He is a pretty besotted dad.

Anyway, when I turned up at his flat (only a few hundred yards from the gig), he announced that his first born had just been doing a bit of projectile vomiting, and pointed to the stain in the stair carpet (at the bottom of four flights of stairs which I was about to scale. However, upon reaching the flat I was, instead of being greeted by an ailing child, met with a happy beautiful smiling little girl. Clearly it must be me. Everyone gives me warnings about their children but I have an almost Lazarus like effect on them. Maybe I could become the cheap alternative to Lourdes. High success rate and won't try to fob you off with a plastic model of the virgin mary.

Gig was excellent. Well awful Belgian support act (never heard a Belgian band? - maybe a good reason for this. Cross between the White Stripes and the Ting Tings, without the merits of either) But the Undertones just went breezing through their extensive back catalogue, and indeed through their first album cover to cover. Interested to see they had a fair young following jumping around at the front. But then I was watching them from the back over a see of bald heads, reflecting that those who saw them in their pomp are now the far side of 50. Along with most of the band. But a great venue, basically a glorified cellar with a bar. And although I was standing safely at the back, the back was still closer to the band than I get at many festivals when standing at the front.