So today it was 17th December, and as is traditional and typical we went to the annual Ginger Birthday Gig. Slightly more organised than in previous years, this time round it was The Wildhearts supported by Ginger Wildheart (i.e. the frontman's current solo project). There were basically 3 sets: the Ginger Wildheart band, then The Wildhearts, then the usual loose melee of guests which at one point led to there being 5 guitarists on stage all playing at once. That's five guitarists plus a bassist, in case you were wondering, and something like 6 people who were just singing. It was the sort of gig that's pretty much indescribable to someone who isn't already a fan.

And it had Jef! Jef Streatfield is the poor sod who replaced the very popular guitarist CJ when Ginger sacked him in 1995 in a drug-fuelled rage. (To this day neither CJ nor Ginger can tell you what their argument was about). Jef is a very good singer & guitarist, who could provide the melodic backing vocals that The Wildhearts depend on, but he is Not CJ. When the band got back together, it was always going to be CJ that the fans wanted, because the combination of Ginger & CJ's vocals is divine - and I've always felt a bit sorry for Jef, because he went from being in a really quite famous rock band to being nobody through absolutely no fault of his own. Simply because he was The Replacement. The Wildhearts have had three official drummers plus three official bassists & a couple of temporary ones, but the classic lineup has always included CJ. It was really good to see Jef back for a couple of songs - and it turns out that Ginger, CJ & Jef all singing together is even more divine!

Set list to follow when I'm not on my phone.

It's 6.30am, we've been home nearly 5 hours, and have only just calmed down enough to attempt sleep. Woo! And also Hoo!

Tags: music, wildhearts