It’s been a markontour rule to always make an effort to see the support act, ever since I ill-advisedly bought tickets to see Simply Red (it was about 1988) but was rewarded by being introduced to The La’s. It is an approach to gig-going that reaped rewards again on Friday night, when Sierra Ferrell stole the show at the Teragram Ballroom, Los Angeles.
I have long intended to start a blog site dedicated to reviews of planetariums and observatories. It would have been even more niche than markontour’s usual output, so perhaps it’s just as well it never happened. But if I were to start such a stargazers blog, the Griffith Observatory and park in Los Angeles, which I visited this weekend, would have to be the first entry.
It has always been a markontour rule that while it is clearly wrong to assess a person by their looks, and generally an error to judge a book by its cover, it is completely acceptable to buy music on the basis of the album artwork alone. It is an approach that has stood me in good stead from London Calling to the Stone Roses, and is thoroughly vindicated in the case of the Black Pumas.
This week, courtesy of dark skies, clean air, and panoramic views from our Welsh hideaway, markontour saw the planet Mercury for the first time, and it was magnificent!
markontour 