I'm sorry I never got the chance to talk to Paul, because he was outstanding, another couple of inches and he could be Iggy :)

Best wishes Billy, hope everything is ok.

Yesterday I went shopping (what else are saturdays for?) to take my mind off things- whist in the posh lingerie department of Fenwicks (!) I suddenly became aware I could hear Teenage Kicks playing! I started zooming about to see where it was coming from or was I just imagining it? But no I was right I found a huge CD player tucked behind the 'I love Kylie' undies stand!!!! And blasting out of it was TK! As if this wasnt bizarre enough, along walks assistant singing along to it- and I have to say she was quite elderly (well she had grey hair!) I had to laugh at the oddness of it all. What came on next? 'Alright Now' by Free, YEUCH, so it was obviously part of some dodgy compilation CD. However Mrs lingerie then walked over to the CD player and swiched it off- good for her! So matter what I did yesterday I couldnt take my mind off not being in Derry! Oh, and I didnt buy any lingerie either.

During one of the songs last week towards the end of the set the Undertones sang Chihuahua instead of the proper words. I assume they are taking the mick out of the current Coca Cola advert. I think it was Top Twenty and they were replacing the hey hey hey.

Home from the Derry adventure- will try to write something up later but have some (blurry) pics for now. CLIFF- got the banner and have washed off the childish scribblings on it to tidy it up for you- only joking :)

George , Paul did the chihuaha thing at Leicester, instead of the whistle at the start of 'get over you'.

Wayne how far back were you? :)

hi .well what can i say great gig last night great to see so many young people there.met up with stote 007 and wayne[+kids] .just drop alex at the airport [the silk kimono not true] so talk soon see ya

Home safe,sound and knackered. Big thanks to Maureen and Wilke for putting me up, and putting up with me. Always good to see Vinny and Deborah. Thanks everyone for another great weekend. Now where is my Spanish phrasebook. What's the Japanese for double Smirnoff and Coke?? :)

It's a bright red silk kimono and he wears it round the house all the time.

the kimono to fit me has not been made yet .alex your welcome anytime.parkhead here i come??????

Managed to get Derry set list from sound guy : Family Ent, Thrill Me, YGMN, Gotta Getta, Need Your Love, Runaround, Norman, Can't Say That, Summer, Touch, Jump Boys, Girls That Don't Talk, Rough Escalator, Girls Don't Like It, Male Model, Wednesday Week, Joyland, Teenage Kicks, Oh Please, Get Over You, Everything But You, Jimmy Jimmy, Perfect Cousin. ENCORES:- 1= I Know A Girl, True Confessions, Top Wenty, 2= Mars Bars, Listening in, Lets Talk About Girls.

What with Martha Rose being sick on Thhursday and a double shift on Friday, I didn't set out to around 3.30pm alternating between listening to the football and Get What You Need: as close to lad heaven as you could get with live football and the film and gig to come, what could be better? The Scotland match was particularly entertaining with Pat Nevin's comments about the opposition following the, 'Basically, they're cheating foreign B*****%*...' line. It did sound that they were lying down any time they could. The album is getting better every time, I hear it, I love it. Loads going on and top tunes to put a smile on your face.

On a sad note, I learnt that the Acorn B&B (the official Undertones.net B & B) has been sold and is no longer operating so I stayed at The Saddlers which is a lovely Georgian terrace exquisitely decorated. The owners could best be described as engagingly eccentric and allowed me to park around the back. I was asked what I was doing and was given the old 'Aren't you a bit old for that?' I replied that once you pass 30 there's a fine line between being mature and being a real boring bastard and some people didn't know that besides which I was going to watch master craftsmen, the Johan Cruff's of guitar based pop. Maureen, Wilke's better half had agreed to collect me and I called her only to learn that Ireland were 2-0 down. Being the saint that she is, she came and brought me back to their house with her daughter Claire, who is the Irish kick-boxing champion, something that I'm sure I would be good at if I wasn't completely spineles. Claire was fighting today so I hope it went well.

At Wilke's house, both Alex and Wilke were dressed in smoking jackets and had extravagant silk scarfs. Alex smoking from a cigareette holder a la Noel Coward. Both were politely sipping sherry and offering crepes around. Actuallly, Wilke made a great curry and I watched the end of the Ireland match with Maureen. Ireland were rubbish, just not good enough. we switched over and saw the england game and I think its the best performance I've seen from england, they really should have won. After that we headed for Sandinos.

Vinny, Liam, Stote and a few others were there. The film was shown upstairs and there was a good turnout with people coming in all the way through it. I have seen it so many times, I chatted with Vinny in the corridor. On the way to the Gweedore Bar, I brought Stote to see the building used in the My Perfect Cousin video (The one where they're carrying their gear up a fire escape). Guess what, they've taken the fire escape down as well. First the wall and then this, is there no end to the attacks on Derry's cultural heritage? OPening the door of the Gweedore, I was met by the loudest band I have ever heard, doing Thin Lizzy covers. It was only a brief visit and Stote and I went up to the gig.

Did you notice they had changed into riding breeches and jodhpur boots for the gig Arthur? My little one wanted to know why they were wearing monocles and kept calling for ''another bottle of Bolli''.

Jackie- was at the back with Humdinger minor (9 3/4) sat on the bar so he could see however the mood got to me and we moved forward to the edge of the dancing for the final encore

Vinny told me that the gig was sold out and the Nerve Centre was already pretty full. There was a great buzz about the place and a real mix of people and ages which was great to see. The band came on with no introduction or fanfare and launched straight into Family Entertainment. I made a big mistake at this point - I started dancing and continued for the first 5/6 songs after which I was knackered. It was seriously hot in there last night, a sign from God that more lager was required. I didn't wear elasticated pants either but light cotton, summer ones and light shoes. It didn't make any difference and the lager on the floor made it like an ice rink.

Included last night was Jump Boys, a song I love and the new tunes were as well received as the old one's. By the time Teenage Kicks came around, I was spent force but the whole place went ballistic. I noticed that the band seemed to be enoying it with young John O'Neill on the left wing, grinning from ear to ear. McLoon, up front, has proved a sensational transfer and he was great last night, really impressive. There was no interlude for quieter songs last night, Julie Ocean or You're welcome were both dropped which is a shame because I love that side of the band as well. On a more practical point, they're also great excuses to take it easy for a bit. What other band would drop songs of that quality and still be brilliant? They played for an hour and a half and it was magnificent, there's always a great atmosphere at these gigs and if you get a chance, come over, it's well worth it.

Some of the pics I put up earlier might give the impression that the crowd weren't doing much dancing. Not the case at all, it was just I tended to take pics during the less animated songs as I was waving my arms around during the livelier ones.

At the end of the gig, I met Wayne and his three sons, all of whom were dressed in Undertones' T-Shirts. Wayne, are they fans or do they not have a choice? We also met John, Damian and Billy and I told John that he's some serious competition from Michael Bradley; something that'll probably do him a lot of good. After that I went back to Wilke's where a lot of alcohol was drunk and I was poured into a taxi around 4am. Just a great night, filled with fun and smiling faces. I felt it today though, not only my head but my legs as well. It was great meeting everyone. Stote, I hope you found your hotel. If you are looking for something to do for the children, try W5 at the Odyssey in Belfast, its an interactive exhibition and is meant to be excellent.

Great review Arthur. I've had more time to listen to the album this w/e and it is a great record. The Mickey Bradley tracks are classic Undertones and John o Neill (God) had better be looking over his shoulder. There is a real depth to the album and it keeps getting better the more I hear it. Its going to be on the CD for a long time to come. Having a 4 month old in the house the volume has not been as high as I would like but in the car its right up to 11 especially on 'Oh Please' and 'Enough'. Great production and I like the cover (although George said the car looked a bit like the one in Harry Potter which ruined it a bit). the should be rightly proud producing an album of that quality and completing a sell out tour.

Really enjoyed the PC extras as well, the Video for Thrill me was superb - great advert for the band live and realy liked the airport shots. Vinny Temple done well.

It struck me last night that with two very young children my opportunities for travelling to gigs are going to be severely reduced. I'm rapidly getting to the view that this might be their best ever.

Album - I mean.

Made our way down to Sandino’s about 8:00 only to be advised by staff no ‘little people’ allowed in the bar or upstairs for the screening- ''policy''. I can appreciate that so went upstairs to see Vinny and explain and get tickets for gig. Made our way back to hotel (only 5 mins away) to watch England highlights but was a little worried that we might not be able to get him into the gig (other 2 boys are 15 & 16- 6 foot+ so no worries about them) but wasn’t sure if he would be able to find his way back to the hotel on his own if he didn’t get in- only joking - :)

Decided to wait till about 10:30 to go to the Nerve Centre as Vinny had said doors didn’t open till 9 and band wouldn’t be on till after 11. We tucked him in behind as I handed tickets to bouncer and proceeded upstairs- no one batted an eye lid and we were in.

Atmosphere was very different to previous gigs- everyone seemed know to everyone else, understandably, and it felt like we were at big party. We went inside and plonked the little guy on the bar counter at the back (which was closed) so he could see the band. After a couple of visits to the bar I decided to try some Harp lager and got served a bottle the size of a fire extinguisher – true value!!!

After the support had finished the hall started to fill and again the party mood was everywhere with songs being sung even before the band came on, with an excellent rendition of TK from a group near us. On stage Paul seemed more relaxed and less intense than at the Garage, while the rest of the band seemed more animated than they had the other gigs (couldn’t really see Billy). All in all another superb performance rapturously received throughout by the crowd.

Afterwards had a chat with the sound guy and then spotted Vinny and got to put faces to several names and chat with Deborah, Wilke, Paul, Alex, Arthur (and I think some others whose names I can’t remember- it was nearly 1am and had been up since just after 4am). Great gig, great week and great people- thanks all.

Another thing, why don't they have entrance music. It doesn't have to be 'Fanfare for the Common Man' but something to help build up the sense of anticipation for the crowd. Any suggestions?

Wayne, are you back in Ingerland?

I thought your idea was good Arthur, don't be shy share it with the group.