it's a small world after all

on Friday i went to see Chris Isaak* play live at Manchester Academy.

I had a drink with one of the guys from the band before the show and he's this very cool, very rock n roll dude who i've been friends with now for over 15 years! haha, well more like penpals him living in the states n all, but we've kept in touch after all this time - impressive huh?!

but what i became instantly aware of was how English i was. my turn of phrase, my accent, my taste in music, all English thru and thru! it was as if everything was suddenly amplified... tres bizarre.

and then, like my friday wasn't exciting enough seeing an old friend i hadn't seen for 8 years, a really strange coincidence occurred. i was sat outside a bar having a beer with my friend when a guy gets out of a white van with a band and starts unloading all their instruments etc who looks like a guy i went to uni with 10years ago. i think to myself that's too weird and unlikely. so i did the name shout test "Mark!" and he looks around but presumably thinks i mean another Mark and carries on with his unpacking. But then he keeps tramping back and forth with bulky equipment and i'm really convinced now so I stop him:

"Excuse me, is your name Mark"

"Yes"

"I went to university with you"

Pause for penny to drop

"Oh my god!"

there were a couple sat nearby who watched the whole thing who laughed at us as we confirmed we knew each other with a big hug. so it turns out Marc is in a band called The Pony Collaboration and he still lives in Cambridge where we were at uni. I was going to the Isaak gig so i wasn't sure i'd manage to catch them but they started 20 mins after Isaak finished so i managed two gigs Friday night. they're wicked, very Belle & Sebastian if you like that sort of thing, which i do! so brilliant news.

well i'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that when i got home at about 1am i was quite exhausted from all this excitment in one night!


*who, can i just say, was wicked - top night! They played my faves Super Magic 2000 and Baby did a bad bad thing! Woohoo!