In the last four weeks, I have taken the train to gigs in London featuring the likes of My Girl The River, Jerry Joseph, Kevin Morby, and others. I am a very lucky man, and recently I have been feeling even luckier. My normal train is the 16.57 from Wellingborough, and I sit at the very front as there is a compartment there with tables and armrests. It used to be first class, but I think that they couldn’t really justify a huge price hike just for armrests and a tiny table, so they ‘decommissioned’ them.
On the Tuesday of the MGTR gig, we sat in our usual spot and had a brilliant night’s entertainment with Kris, Jo, Ru, and the others as she previewed the new album (a must-buy, I think, and also according to a review seen in RnR magazine by one Rick Bayles, who writes for AUK also). Afterwards, we came home in similar fashion, feeling very good.
Three days later, our train ploughed into another one just south of Bedford. A man was killed, and several were injured.
It is a local service and therefore, used by people we know. I personally know four people who were on the train. Two very shaken up, but with no one sitting opposite them and sitting going backwards, they emerged unscathed. One whose leg was broken in places through impact, and another who has had several operations to mend his skull and try to save the sight of one eye.
These events are mercifully rare in the UK, and as always, people have stories about how chance had brought them to the scene or kept them away. For me, these events, and particularly my proximity to this one, have reminded me once again how precious every moment is. It just seems to sharpen the senses for a while, and whilst sharp, my world seems an even more magical and profound place than usual. One, I think, that must be protected with tenacity and love.
So music this week is, of course, My Girl The River, and Kevin Morby. The radio show this week was a sweltering affair that coughed up some wonderful tracks from the likes of Cowboy Junkies, The Felice Brothers, Leeroy Stagger, Rhiannon Giddens, and much more. As ever…
