Lemax Spookytown Octosqueeze - Troubleshooting and Reset / Repair

OCTOSQUEEZE HELP

If you've had trouble with your Oct-o-squeeze in the Lemax Spooky Town range here's how we sorted our problem out.

A common problem is that if you turn it off and on again too quickly Octosqueeze doesn't go into its correct shut down mode and appears to be broken.

In other words you can turn it on and off and it lights up and sounds come on, but the ride doesn't move and the riders are stuck in a mixed up and down position.

I thought ours was broken but luckily my son is an electronics whizz and he fixed it!!

Essentially if this has happened to your Lemax Octo Squeeze you need to do a reset of the device. It's not that easy - but not that hard either!

Step 1 - You need to unscrew the base from OctoSqueeze

Step 2 - A the base comes off, you need to gently detatch your Octopus model (he should be lightly glued on so just lift him off carefully)

Step 3 - Once you have the base separated inside you will see two motors and switches. One of these switch units will look closed. Essentially its two metal bars that will be shut together and you need to open them. The way to do this is to turn the smallest clog anti clockwise. You'll need to get some momentum up and spin it in reverse (anti clockwise) many times. After a while and many spins, gradually you will notice that the switch begins to open. When fully apart (about 2 or 3 mm) you can then reassemble your Octo squeeze. It is worth checking it works before you reattach Octo!

Step 4 - That's it. Hopefully that is your Octosqueeze repaired and just make sure you don't accidentally turn it off/on too quickly again in future.

I have put this guide on here in the hope that others that have trouble with Octo can find this as I think it's probably a common issue. There is nothing about this on line - well there is now.

Happy SpookyTown!

Aiden - Live at Camden Underworld 1st December 2010

Aiden return to the UK with a fast and furious assault in London.

Seattle band Aiden returned to the UK this November/December and were confronted with logistical nightmares for their trek across England and Scotland due to the early freezing conditions. However as William Control said in a post on Twitter. "We didn't fly 5000 miles to cancel shows."

So Aiden made it up,down and across the UK with only Brighton inaccessible - the gig being cancelled by the promoter.

So last Wednesday night in London Town, the aptly named Camden Underworld being the venue (a haunt of previous Aiden assault) and neither snow or ice was stopping the band or the audience from having fun.

Opener "The Asylum" from last album Knives led in a host of fan favourites plus a couple of surprises as well. The often ignored "Conviction" (Aiden's attempt at a more mainstream emo crossover) spawned 'Teenage Queen' and 'Moment' which were both rapturously received by the crowd.

The cover of Misfits 'Die Die My Darling' is an Aiden live favourite and singer William Control really gave all he had in this and other numbers.

http://tinyurl.com/2vglrzx (great footage of the song from the gig as posted by a fan on YouTube)

None of the fans could have gone away disappointed with classic anthems such as 'The Last Sunrise' and 'Die Romantic' nestling amongst the newer classic tracks like 'Let The Right One In' and 'Scavengers of the Damned'.

The fans that packed out the Underworld certainly seemed to enjoy themselves and the band definitely gave it 110%. After the last song William plughed into the audience and made his way to the merch stall where the other band members were waiting for their fans posing for photographs and spending time talking.

Aiden certainly have a very close bond with a loyal fanbase. Wil observed during the gig that there were a lot of familiar faces in the crowd.. but not too many new ones. (Well I was one).

There lies the conundrum.

Aiden are a fanstastic high energy live band and they are a band that also has a fantastic repertoire of material. The fact they are not more widely known across the UK (and the world) is almost criminal. It has to be said that the last album 'Knives' despite being their best to date was almost ignored by TV stations (in terms of the videos) and by much of the influential music press.

Other projects for the band such as the excellent dark electronic dance rock of William Control and bassist Zombie's MeVMyself mean that Aiden gets sidelined for significant periods of time, but this shouldn't detract from their quality and power when they do all reconvene.

Let's hope the promised new album (pretty much in the can I think - Aiden were recording right up until the UK tour) gets the promotion and support that these talented guys deserve and that new faces do indeed check them out and join the family.

I'm only a fairly recent fan myself and am definitely one of the older contingent, but having grown up with the likes of Kiss, Led Zep, Manson, Motley Crue and (the original) Guns'n'Roses - I can definitely see the magic that is Aiden and particularly their enigmatic frontman William Control.

A great night, one to remember (as was the William Control UK tour last summer) and I'm happy with my new Aiden T-Shirt and ZOMBIE wristband!

Give them a chance, let them in and spread the word - Aiden are one of the most exciting bands on the planet (still).

Grand Slam of Darts - PREVIEW

Razzle, dazzle ... let's get frazzled ... The Grand Slam of Darts is back.

The GSOD has long been a fan favourite as it puts all of the champions and finalists of major competitions for the past two years into one tournament, so far won solely by Phil Taylor.

Apart from his recent minor blip, Phil Taylor has won pretty much everything over the past year, so the field is populated with more qualifiers from an open tournament than usual.

Also the winner of the annual Martin Adams Masters tournament is now excluded from qualifying due to the continuing decline of that particular title. For the first time ever, I didn't even bother watching the Martin Adams Masters this year and in between yawns no doubt, Wolfie strolled it again by winning only 3 matches.

I'm not a huge fan of the group stages of the Grand Slam. They tend to lack spark and by the last match, never have a huge amount riding on them.

An added sparkle this year is that ITV4 launches its HD service on Monday to Sky Subscribers - so Darts fans dreams will finally be realised. Yes, folks - Ted Hankey in HD!!!


Let's take a look at the runners and riders ....

Group A

A tight group and not much in the gesturing or entertainment value from the group of Darts shy boys! Simon Whitlock has to be red hot favourite and Colin Osborne and Robert Thornton tend to blow hot and cold, so second place is anyone's guess. Dave Chisnall, a Lakeside finalist is an unknown quantity but most of his practice will have been in County Darts this year.



Group B

Gary Anderson and Wayne Jones should cruise through Group B, but Mark Webster has also finally come into a good run of results and don't be surprised if 'The Flying Scotsman' is upended as he can be unpredictable. Mark Hylton is also a quality player. Remember him popping up at the UK Open in the past as Darts' only cabin steward. If he gets through this tough group, he deserves a few air miles.



Group C

The seasoned professionals Mervyn King and Terry Jenkins are favs in Group C, but watch out for the larger than life juggernaut of John Henderson who could be the real outside dark horse of the tournament. Nice to see Ladies' World Champ Stacy Bromberg earning a few quid and I hope she enjoys the experience.



Group D

One of the two tightest groups. Which James Wade and Vincent van der Voort will turn up? If the wrong ones do both could go out to the usually steady Tony O'Shea and newcomer Justin Pipe. Get the kettle on while Pipe's in action though - fans of Dennis Priestley and Dennis Smith are in for a treat.



Group E

Adrian Lewis should cruise through and you'd hope he'll build on his recent World Grand Prix final place. Co Stompe and Scott Waites should fight for runners up spot, but Martin Philips certainly has the experience if not perhaps the extra gear needed to win big.



Group F

Raymond van Barneveld still seems a bit all over the place and Colin Lloyd will fancy his chances. Darryl Fitton has looked nervous on TV in the past and he needs to really kick on as time could be running out for the big man. Tricia Wright, again is there to hopefully have some fun.



Group G

Darts Mr. Nasty Paul Nicholson has his work cut out against the solid Ronnie Baxter and Steve Beaton and will need to be at his very best, while if Arron Monk is to kick on to the next level, this is an early chance to prove himself against the creme de la creme.



Group H

The Group of Death!! Darts most in form player Wes Newton takes on the greatest ever Phil Taylor, who will be busting a gut to put his recent indifferent (by his standards) run behind him. The boo boys will get to Ted Hankey again, so doubt we'll see him at his best and Michael van Gerwen has the talent, but even as one of his biggest fans I'm not that confident he can get through this group.



Should be fun overall and it's 8 days of Darts on mainstream TV. Can't see past Taylor, but if he does falter I think it's open house!

Occupying my time

I haven't posted much lately. Been very busy in my career and could take a discernable path one way or the other within the next few weeks.

If it goes one way, then I could look to develop my online presence massively. I've dabbled in the past with stuff (see profile) but never had the opportunity to do things professionally. If thing go the other way, I still won't have much time.

So what's been happening in my favourite topics recently :

Rock'n'Roll - Still obsessed with the greatest rock stars on the planet,ie William Control and Aiden. The William Control gig in London in the summer did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm as it was one of the very best I've ever been too. Aiden are touring in the UK within the next month and that will be killer. After seeing a lacklustre MCR a few weeks ago, I'm looking forward to Aiden showing the UK how to still kick it. Oh, and got tickets for Murderdolls and Black Veil Brides in February. Everyone with any sense and a modicum of good taste knows how good Murderdolls are, but BVB are rising stars and show a lot of promise.

Darts - Nowhere near as interested or involved as I once was. Enjoyed the World Grand Prix, particularly Adrian Lewis beating Phil Taylor and the Grand Slam will hopefully be good. I see Wes Newton is flying at the moment, qualifying for the Grand Slam and winning back to back Players Championships last weekend. Crazy Nights indeed! It may just be me but Darts is missing a bit of spark at the moment and I think it needs to find a few characters to come through the ranks.

Doctor Who - Am crawling through a complete marathon of the series (including recons) and about 3 years in, I'm midway through The Key To Time. Not really had much involvement other than fairly regular contributions to Gallifrey Base. If my time does get freed up I've a few ideas simmering.

And I'm on my annual Thomas Covenant read at the moment. Six years ago circa October/November I started a re-read of all the Covenant books. That brings me to White Gold Wielder which I started this morning. The reason for this pedestrian readthrough (having read the series twice before) is that I will finish in Autumn 2014 which coincides with the paperback publication of the last ever Covenant book - The Last Dark. Anyway it's going to take me a while to get fired up with White Gold Wielder and I'm reading it very slowly so as not to miss anything and to luxuriate in Stephen Donaldson's wonderful story.

That's it for now. Could be back with lots more soon...or not!

Wormboy turns into Punk into NY Doll

So how did this lowly worm form and turn to the dark side?

Well it all began for me when I was 9 years old. I have always been in love with music. Not as a musician but as a listener and a dancer and whatever else comes with the territory.

By the time I was 9 I owned quite a few albums from the reasonably cool Sweet 'Fanny Adams', Alex Harvey's 'SAHB stories', Eddie & The Hot Rods 'Teenage Depression' etc and some not so cool ... Donny Osmond 'Too Young' ahem, moving swiftly on...

Anyway by my 10th birthday I fancied myself a Punk rocker (even though I was probably a bit of a spoiled brat). I dreamed then that when I was say, 18 years old, I'd be able to go down to the King's Road dressed as a fully fledged punk and hang out with the bad boys and girls. I didn't really fancy having a safety pin through my nose, but I'd suffer whatever it took. Little did young me realise that Punk would already be on it's way out of the door by the time I was 11!

Anyway, Punk of course was making all of the headlines in 1977 and I was taken under the wing of some 15 or 16 year olds who worked in a record shop (helpfully owned by my dad). I will never forget the day that Greg Hefford (see I can even remember his name) said, "Look if you are getting into Punk, let me order this single in and if you like it, buy it .. it will change your life"

Strong words for a 10 year old boy! Anyway the single duly arrived and it was inconspicuous being a polygram single in a polygram sleeve (EDIT - Oh God, I've found a wee picture of it on the internet - took my breath away - see above). It went on the shop turntable and the wild riffs and caterwaul vocals poured out through the speakers. I was hooked.

The single? "Jet Boy" by the New York Dolls. Thanks Greg, for the early introduction.

During Punk's heyday of 77 which I followed through the press and Music Week, the only other single that for me came close in terms of furiousness and chaos was The Damned's "Neat, Neat, Neat".

Oh I loved it all and had an amazing collection of Punk singles - The Adverts, Boom Town Rats, Stranglers, Jam, Generation X, Vibrators, Ramones and of course Sex Pistols plus dozens of others. Even Jet Bronx and The Forbidden (didn't I read somewhere that was Lloyd Grossman - shudder).

At school, I used to write my own songs, compile my own charts and perform the songs in front of a group of school kids. I had a band name ready - Ill Treatment - and my stage name - Johnny Swearing. However, I was always too rock'n'roll to be a rock star and became an office worker instead ultimately! More on that another time.

(Note - I don't think anyone ever used the name Johnny Swearing which I still think is as cool as Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten or TV Smith! Feel free to pinch it but remember me and the blog if you use it. I'd love it if Johnny S. became a star one day!!)

It's fair to say I didn't become an instant New York Dolls addict, but our paths were to cross many times over the years. It was probably about another six or seven years until I heard anything other than 'Jet Boy' (it was all about the singles in those days) and this came in the form of a cassette tape sent to me by a Geordie guy who I talked about forming a band with. I thought the tape was a greatest hits as the songs on it were so incredible. It turns out it was The Dolls' first album which indeed, reads like a Greatest Hits.

Roll forward to 1986 and one of the best night's out of my life. I had gone up to Manchester (its as amazing as William Control thinks it is many years on) to meet a penpal (you did things like that in those days) and a new Glam trash and roll club was opening up in a large bar with a dance floor. Unluckily for the club but luckily for me, not many people turned up. My group of about 5 plus a couple from Barnsley. So that night it was New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders and Hanoi Rocks all the way for about 5 hours. Awesome - like having a private night club to yourself. Needless to say I think that was the only Glam night at the club even though I put a hefty amount behind the bar drinking tons of pints of Snake'n'Black.

A few years later I met my one day to be wife who had even more of a Dolls pedigree than me having attended their famous show at Biba in Kensington in I guess 1974?

Finally got to see The Dolls live at the end of last year at the London Forum and it was okay I guess. A good night, but like most bands they peaked while they were young and cocksure and er, had Johnny Thunders.

I followed Punk through The Clash, The Stranglers and the new breed of Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, UK Subs, Stiff Little Fingers and The Dickies, even through to a third wave dabbling in The Exploited and Abrasive Wheels.

Anyway, That was how it all began and it won't ever stop.

Flyin around New York City So High, Like He Was My Baby

LIFE, DEATH AND ROCK'N'ROLL

Well look I've got pedigree in some things by now. That comes with experience.

Not talking about Darts or Doctor Who this time but music... and loud rock music at that.

I think you have to have a slightly off kilter youth to truly get rock'n'roll and it helps if you've lived the life for a while as well. Underneath my (these days) smartly dressed and professional exterior beats the heart of a long haired, wild and raucous tattooed love boy. I used to be one. (Well I never did quite get the tattoos - although I did make it as far as the queue at the Tattooists in Kensington Market once).

But enough of that and the reason for this piece of randomness.

In my youth I always found it strange and difficult listening to music by people who'd died. Like there was some kind of hidden meaning in it or some greater purpose.

Three of the earliest star deaths I can remember were Sid Vicious, Bon Scott and Malcolm Owen (The Ruts). Their untimely demises happened when I was at an impressionable age (around teendom) and I'd been fans of their music and personas at and around the time they died. Most so, Malcolm Owen the husky singer from successful punk band The Ruts who lived very locally to me as well. I found it hard to listen to Bon Scott's AC/DC for many years and The Ruts as well.

As I've got older (a lot older!), the fact that I'm now facing the deaths of many of my musical heroes over the coming years is a reality. What a sad event a short while ago when probably one of my all time favourites Ronnie Dio died. Not many others passing will have that same effect on me. I never met Dio but I've been listening to him for over 30 years and seen him live many times during that period.

Even though I can still listen to Dio singing without being unduly overcome, something I've realised over the years is that most bands and artists are really only interesting and cutting edge when they are young (or young-ish). So I've stopped buying albums by bands who are on their second or third turn of the rack. Forget the new Ratt, don't wanna know the new Ozzy and I even have to recognise that Korn are probably way over the hill. Probably only Maiden are about the only ones who can still cut it .. and I wasn't a huge fan of the last album (even though it seems everyone else was).

I've always tried to keep current in terms of rock music. To me there's little worse than old boors who go on about eras from their teenage years like nothing good has happened since. There's always great bands around, you've just got to find them and feel the spirit (maaan).

So since Dio's passing I have sought solace in the more youthful end of the spectrum.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's new album 'FEVER' is awesome. A coherent collection of songs and their best album to date. It's high energy, top notch, yet melodic metal and they deserve all the success they get.

ESCAPE THE FATE remind me of the daft glam bands I used to like 25 years ago. They look like LA GUNS and sound like a lightweight Papa Roach crossed with Fall Out Boy. When they're loud they're great but I think they're playing too much to the girly audience. They're next album should be the acid test.

WILLIAM CONTROL is an enigma as are his main band AIDEN. I can't believe how young AIDEN still are. Their guitarist is only 23 and they've already made 4 albums (plus an EP) in 7 years together. In my opinion they are also about as good as it gets and I've just ordered Wil's 'NOIR'. I apologise for all of the years secretly sniggering at them - AIDEN are the best of the bunch.

I still think 80% of the new stuff is pretty dire, but some of it is great. Turning on Scuzz TV you have to persevere through a lot of treacle to get to some tasty cake!

Anyhow, I do still listen to the stuff that I've grown up with (and before of course - Hendrix, Zep, Purple, Buddy Holly), but I'm enjoying the energy of the young guns at the moment (not literally the YOUNG GUNS - they don't seem all that!).

Anyway time to tighten the tie knot and go back to the not too unpleasant world of corporate business. But Dr. Rock will always be lurking near the surface...

Taylor Triumphs ... But Is It Too Predictable?

And Phil Taylor's done it again.

Not only winning the UK Open Finals over the weekend (broadcast on Sky Sports) but setting a new world record for the highest average ever in a televised darts match. A spectacular 118.3 average during his 9-0 win over Kevin Painter.

What was disappointing with the tournament was how his opponents caved in while playing him. With the exception of Simon Whitlock and for a time Denis Ovens, everyone else collapsed like a pack of cards.

The air of predictability is setting in once again in World Darts and it won't be long until people start switching off during Taylor matches as has happened before.

No one can deny his staggering brilliance and absolute professionalism and you have to ask yourself what is up with professional darts when many of the other players don't appear to have that same focus or determination.

Gary Anderson was smiling all the way to his defeat at Taylor's hands and quotes in the press that he's happy to do what he did. I can never accept that a professional sportsman would be happy to come in second - particularly second by a considerable margin.

What does the PDC need to do to make its chasing pack of players work harder? Perhaps they are too spoiled and can make a good living by under-achieving. Top heavier prize structures could be controversial but if there was a bigger gap between the winner and the rest it could just fire things up a bit.

If the players aren't prepared to focus or work as hard as Taylor, why should they get a good payday?

It was terrific when Paul Nicholson (who arguably provided this year's most memorable moments at the UK Open - sneering at Anderson and then being manhandled off stage at the end) won the Players Championship finals in January. Not that I want Taylor to lose for personal reasons but his singular dominance of the sport is not good for Darts - or for entertainment.

I fear for the World Matchplay. Last year's tournament was hampered by Taylor's huge dominance - particularly over the longer distances - a lot of people switched off the final after a couple of legs.

Taylor might as well trouser the cheque now in fact. No one - not Wade, Whitlock, Nicholson, Anderson or a resurgent Barneveld will beat Taylor over an extended length legs format final.

If this year's Matchplay is as dull as last years (because of the lack of challenge to Taylor) then I question my summer Sky Sports subscription for future years. No one seems to have closed the gap sadly over the past 12 months (in fact it could be wider than ever) and if a player who reaches the final of the Matchplay is happy to stand there and laugh during a thrashing like Anderson, then what's the point?

Shrunken Heads and Phil Taylor

There are short stories by the million around these days. Horror short stories by the squillion.

But, in 1967 when the Eighth Book of Pan Horror Stories was published, the power to shock was still there. Lurking within this magnificent tome of the classic series is one of those gentleman's room tales where the narrator is telling a story to a third party.

I first read 'The Tsantsa' when I was a child and I remember it shook me and fascinated me all in one go. Were there really such things as shrunken heads (yes!) and did the practices described in the tale really happen?

It's a ghastly tale, with a neat twist and much more than about the nasty practice of head shrinking. Its more about the dominance of a manipulative woman and her ability to wind a man around her little finger.

I read it again this morning for the first time in many years and it still has great appeal.

The author Maurice Sandoz was Swiss by all accounts a real character and many of his tomes were illustrated by Salvador Dali.

Never dared look up the word 'Tsantsa' on Google before, but a quick search of course returns instructions on how to make your very own shrunken head. {{ shudder }}

Shouts out : "WiL (from Aiden) - it would be the great basis of a song!"

...moving swiftly on..




What a remarkable achievement by Phil Taylor on Monday night hitting two perfect 9 dart games of darts in a single match (the Premier League Darts Final vs James Wade). This unprecedented achievement in such a short format game really tops Taylor's career. He's broken every record in Darts over and over again - and hitting two perfect games in one match I think just about tops the lot. The shocking thing is that he came very close to hitting a third during the game.

This unique and amazing sporting achievement received quite a bit of press and TV coverage (even appearing on the front page of Yahoo for a while yesterday). However shame on London's two biggest newspapers the Metro and the Evening Standard ... for completely ignoring Taylor's achievement. No mention whatsoever.

There isn't much more the man can do, but sadly it seems Darts will never be taken seriously. Taylor is a perfect sportsman. His application, composure and control of his own ability is unique. Yes, he's a large guy but he's naturally built that way. Don't go thinking for one minute that he's not both mentally and physically fit.

His preparation and performance on Monday night was a supreme example of how to win at any sport. Completely relaxed before the match and during the breaks in the game, yet absolutely focused when throwing each set of darts.

A master with 15 world titles and setting records that are extremely unlikely ever to be broken.

Phil Taylor - possibly Britain's greatest ever sportsman - and most people don't even know about him.

The Right ... LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

For me the first time I came across 'Let The Right One In' was in the magnificent Aiden song from their intense last album 'Knives'.

I knew that there was a film with the same title and naively thought Aiden must have got the gig to write the soundtrack song.

Should have known that Aiden wouldn't have been so lucky.

No one has ever really been quite sure how to take Aiden. Admittedly in the past I was one of their detractors.

You couldn't blame me. I'm a 40-something old school rocker and while I have a penchant for some of today's bands like Papa Roach, Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold etc. .. my heart firmly remains in the hands of Deep Purple, Kiss, Led Zep, Motley Crue, Judas Priest etc.

However it was the song 'One Love' that swung me onto Aiden and from there and digging a little deeper, I reckon they are probably the most exciting band on the planet, fronted by their multi talented singer (guitarist) WiL Francis (or William Control if you prefer). All four of their albums are superb - Our Gangs Dark Oath, Nightmare Anatomy, Conviction and best of all Knives. Go get the albums (purchase them preferably) and looking forward to them touring the UK again at some point.

Anyway, this piece is about 'Let The Right One In'. It is a Swedish movie and released in 2009 and is one of the most original and thought provoking horror films in recent years. The film was based on a 2004 novel (by John Ajvide Lindqvist) and is the story of a 12 year old boy who strikes up a strange relationship with a vampire who also appears to be about 12 years old. Its a visually amazing film and as some have said - this is the way that a vampire movie should be made. Its sympathetic, but at times it catches you unaware with its brutality.

It's showing regularly on FX television in the UK at the moment and if you are lucky enough to have an HD set up you can catch the film in all its glory on FX HD. Hollywood has made the film into 'Let Me In' due for release later this year but I'm sure it won't be a patch on the Swedish original.



..And yes, apparently the Aiden song is based on the book, after WiL went on a huge reading spree before recording 'Knives'.

...And Lindqvist himself got the title from a Morrisey song 'Let The Right One Slip In'.

...And I believe WiL is a big Morrisey fan too..


It's Not The Knife You Bleed On ..... "Let The Right One In" - Aiden from Knives

Let Me Hear You Say Yeah!

It all started for me back in the spring of 1983. Music had always been my life up until that point (I was 16) and I had gone from being a kiddie glam rocker into a cool 10 year old punk. As punk died off and I unsatisfactorily dabbled with post punk Oi! and general pop, I was looking for a new spiritual home.

Heavy Rock seemed like it could tick most of the boxes for me, but I never forgot my glam rock roots. After painting tippex across my nose during Adam Ant's heyday and becoming disillusioned by the synthesiser driven pop of the early 80s I turned to bands like the Scorpions (Animal Magentism and Blackout) and Def Leppard (I was there from debut 'On Through The Night'), but I had never found my ultimate band.

That was until one night watching Jonathan King's Entertainment USA programme. Halfway into the show there was a clip of the new KISS video 'I Love It Loud'. Well it literally blew me away. This was the band for me. A rockin' inferno ... and glam rock!

That Saturday I jumped onto my pushbike and cycled the four miles or so to Slough and rifled through the KISS section in 'Our Price' records. I scanned all of the albums for the one with 'love it loud' on ... and I was pleased that it seemed to be on the KISS album with the coolest cover 'CREATURES OF THE NIGHT'.

Anyway after a furious peddle home (and a visit to the cinema to see the awesome ROCKY III - oh yes, I'll never forget that day!) CREATURES hit my turntable and the rest is... Kisstory.

During my mid/late teens I became obsessed with the band but being a late starter gigwise I didn't get to see them until a few years later.

I had a full four months or so of enjoying all the face paint, costumes and armour of KISS before being (again) in 'Our Price' one Saturday and discovering horror of horrors that there was an album in the rack called 'LICK IT UP' and it appeared to show a band called 'KISS' but with no make up or costumes. Oh well, it was good for me for the few weeks it lasted, but I thoroughly enjoyed the post make up Kiss years.

I even did a presentation on the band and my obsession with them for a college project once!

I bought tons of Kiss merchandise, all of the albums (a real struggle in the years of deleted albums and stuff), bootleg tapes and videos and joined all of the fan clubs. I still have a leather KISS studded belt from 1983 and I'll be wearing it later today.

After a 4 year absence from the UK I finally got to see KISS live in the intimacy of the 'new' Marquee club on its opening night in 1988. It had meant about 8 hours of queuing (and partying) throughout the day but wow - what a night!

As with most things over the years my love affair with KISS has burned brighter at some times than others, but I've always remained true to the KISS cause.

So after 12 long years since their last UK tour, I finally get to see Messrs Stanley and Simmons again tonight with my 15 year old son (who sort of likes them) and my wife who is going through about her fifteenth rock'n'roll comeback (hey - she saw the original New York Dolls in 1973!!).

It will be a spectacle and if Gene can still do it at 60, then so can we (even though we are a little 'ahem' younger).

May post my thoughts tomorrow once I've recovered from the SONIC BOOM!!