On Sunday I got the chance to see another of my heroes. Neil didn’t let me down producing a fantastic show. 25 songs and nearly three hours worth of fantastic music. The show was split into two sets. The first half with Neil on his own and the second set seeing him accompanied by Ben Keith, Ralph Molina and Rick Rosas.

There were many highlights but the renditions of Ambulance Blues, The Needle and the Damage Done and Down by the River were amazing. Now I’ve finally seen the guy live, I want to do it again! Anyone got a spare ticket for Manchester?

Neil Young – The Needle and the Damage Done, London 2008 (MP3 3MB)

Neil Young – Hey Hey, My My, London 2008 (MP3 5.04MB)

I was in Belfast last weekend watching the Ospreys take on Ulster in the Heineken Cup. Had a very good weekend, lots of pubs, lots of Guinness and good food. The match itself was a tedious affair, another ruined by the whistle of Malcolm Changleng. The Ospreys now need to win their last two games, preferably picking up a bonus point along the way, if they want to qualify for the quarter finals as one of the best second placed teams.

Belfast was a bit of an eye opener. I had no idea that there were still walls and gates separating the Catholic and Protestant communities in West Belfast.

We went to see Field Music last night. They are as good live as they are on record. Their latest album is highly recommended.

The Iron & Wine performance was in Hall Two at The Sage. This was the first time I’d been to this venue for music. The fantastic sound and intimate atmosphere made for a memorable show. We were literally on top of the band as Rhian’s photos show. The Shepherd’s Dog is a fantastic album, highly recommended, one of my top two or three of 2007.

The Super Furry Animals just keep getting better. Their live show is fantastic if you’re a fan and you haven’t seen them live you really should make the effort.

Next up Field Music at The Cluny in December!

I scored 64 last Saturday against Tynemouth. Should really have gone on and bagged a ton.

She was amused and confused by the The Sage. She referred to it as the “shiny silver peanut”.

We went to see Gruff Rhys last night. It was a fantastic show. Wonderfully inventive and original. I loved the way he performed a couple of the songs by recording the vocals and each instrument separately before looping and layering them. I wasn’t sure whether Skylon would be very good live, fifteen minutes is a long time to hold the attention of an audience, but it worked brilliantly.

Well, I finally saw Bob Dylan for the first time last week at the Metro Radio Arena. We had fantastic seats near the centre eleven rows back. I was very excited before the gig and Bob didn’t let us down, it was an excellent show. His voice was much better than I was expecting and held up really well. Bob even played guitar on the first three or four songs before reverting to the keyboard for the rest of the evening.

The new songs (6 of them) sounded great, especially Rollin’ and Tumblin’ and Nettie Moore. I had a bit of trouble recognising some of the older stuff. Masters Of War passed me by unrecognised and I only spotted Desolation Row half way through. Bob also played House Of The Rising Sun (supposedly as a tribute to The Animals) for only the fifth time in forty five years.

It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) and I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) were my favourites on the night. All in all an amazing show hopefully I’ll get the chance to see him again soon.

Bob Dylan – Cat’s In The Well, Newcastle 2007 (MP3 9.2MB)

Bob Dylan – House Of The Rising Sun, Newcastle 2007 (MP3 7.7MB)

Gruff isn’t the only Welsh singer-songwriter who has released an album recently. Euros Childs’ second record Bore Da is a collection of Welsh language pop tunes and a damn fine collection at that. Euros’ third album, this time in English, is due in the summer. Two of the musicians who appear on Bore Da are from the Welsh band Radio Luxembourg. These guys released their third record, the Diwrnod Efo’r Anifeiliaid (A Day With The Animals) EP, in March. If you’re a fan of SFA and the Gorky’s you should get hold of a copy of this record, it’s excellent. If you’re not a fan of SFA or the Gorky’s you should still buy it, it’s that good. Hopefully an album is in the pipeline.

The Aliens also released their debut album in March. The Aliens were formed from the remnants of one of my favourite bands of the last 10 years, The Beta Band. Astronomy For Dogs is a good first effort and I’m looking forwarding to their rescheduled gig in June. They were excellent when I saw them last November.

Neil Young’s archive series continues to grow. The most recent instalment is a solo performance from Massey Hall in 1971 (Trailers). Every Neil Young fan should own this, it’s a fantastic recording. The sound quality on the DVD is outstanding, almost eerie. Make sure you buy the DVD version, there’s some good stuff on there.

As well as The Aliens and Gruff Rhys gigs I also have King Creosote and James Yorkston lined up. Tomorrow it’s Bob Dylan at the Metro Radio Arena! It’ll be the first time I’ve seen Bob. Excited is an understatement.

I’m currently enjoying Gruff Rhys’ new album Candylion. Looking forward to seeing him live at The Cluny in April.

What I required:

• USB mass storage
• Automatically generated ID3 tag library
• >20GB of disk space

The Archos XS 202s was recommended to me at dapreview. It seemed to tick all the boxes so I ordered myself one.

So far I’m very happy with it. The user interface isn’t as intuitive as Rhian’s Rio Carbon but I soon mastered the controls. It’s a straightforward process to create a playlist and it is possible to browse the library by artist, album, genre and year as on the Carbon.

As I plan to listen to my DAP around the flat as much as when I am on the move I complemented the XS 202s with a pair of Sennheiser HD 201 headphones. For someone who has only used “in ear” phones in the recent past the sound is a revelation. Amazing value too.