Public Service Broadcasting at the Brighton Dome

I think this was my first real jaunt outside London to see a gig, ignoring festivals or where I was staying with friends. I had persuaded my mate John to go, so we made a day of it in Brighton, arriving in time for lunch.

After a bit of pottering we visited the Brighton Art Galley and Museum which was actually next door to the venue. The design stuff on the ground floor in the gallery was rather good. The upstairs scattering of exhibitions much less so. To be really trendy and relevant, and very Brighton, one room was devoted to the first ever Museum of Transology. This was a "collection" relating to sex-changes, but obviously this was something which might work as a magazine article but is utterly unsuited to a museum/at gallery due to the total lack of suitable exhibits. So one case is just a wall of drugs, ie boxes of pills needed for the hormone treatment. So looked very like a wall of a chemists. A collection of dresses looked very like, er any dresses you would see in an Oxfam shop. Just nothing to see at all, but plenty to read, and if museums were the ideal medium for reading we would all go to one to read our newspapers while walking around and squinting over the shoulders of others.

Anyway, by then the sun came out for a few minutes so we went down the pier and then had a cup of tea on the beach. By which time the sun went in again, so we had a walk around the Lanes, primarily an area of narrow lanes mostly consisting of small jewellers. And then to find somewhere for dinner. Having looked at many restaurants we ended up going to the first one, a French restaurant. We were going to a nice looking seafood restaurant, until I  looked it up on Trip Advisor to see a row of truly dreadful reviews. Our choice was a good one. Lovely service, tasty food and not too expensive, although that was partly explained by rather small servings.But we came out happy and went on to the gig. For which purpose we need to cut past the magnificent Brighton Pavilion.

The Dome itself was one of the best venues I have ever been to. Would like to come again. It has a large standing area surrounded by seating in a circle, and we chose seats at the front - you could take your pick. SO we were not as close up as normal for me, but we had a fine view.

This tour by PSB was in support of their latest album Every Valley, themed around the coal industry, hence the imagery with the mining gear.

 But after the opening couple of tracks from the new album they went back into their back catalogue. Overall a cracking set much enjoyed by all, including my mate John. Definitely go and see PSB. Nothing quite like them.

Everyone on stage for Gargarin, complete with dancing cosmonauts

So after all that we were happily heading back to London. Until of course we ht the legendary Southern Region. Due to planned engineering works, there was a replacement bus service to Three Bridges. Whereupon our connecting train was late. Indeed so late that it was touch and go whether it would beat the next rain. Further, if it wasn't for the fact it was around midnight we could have been quite entertained by the battle on the indicator board as first one train then the next was supposed to arrive first. Best of all at one point both trains were expected to arrive simultaneously on the same platform. Eventually the regular Thameslink beat the late running earlier train and we caught that, getting us to St Pancras well after 1am, and home by 2 am. SO much for Brighton being only an hour away from London.