Ebbw Vale 13 Swansea 23

Ebbw Vale's dreadful Cup record against the Whites continued with another defeat to the men from St Helen's - we've only beaten them once in 9 attempts, back in 'Final' year 1998.

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And to be blunt we didn't look like winning this. Outmuscled up front, and lacking shape and direction behind, Vale are in a trough at the moment, devoid of leadership, defensive hardness and 2nd row forwards.

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We're heading for a very ordinary end of season run in, with only the challenge of staying clear of the drop zone to inspire us, and survival still isn't certain as, on form, we're probably playing as badly as any side in the Division.

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Judas Priest - Cardiff International Arena - 20/02/09

It goes without saying how good the Priest were last night in Cardiff - 35 years plus at the top of their game. (All pics by me)
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The backbone of Judas Priest: KK Downing and Glenn Tipton @ the CIA.

For the record, Judas Priest played:
01. Intro: Dawn of Creation

02. Prophecy

03. Metal Gods

04. Eat Me Alive

05. Between the Hammer and the Anvil

06. Devil's Child

07. Breaking The Law

08. Hell Patrol

09. Death

10. Dissident Aggressor

11. Angel

12. The Hellion / Electric Eye

13. Rock Hard, Ride Free

14. Sinner

15. Painkiller

16. Hell Bent for Leather

17. The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)

18. You've Got Another Thing Coming

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Megadeth turned in a great set, combining old classics and newer stuff, lasting best part of an hour. Highlight for me was "Peace Sells". Also good was "Wake Up Dead" and "In My Darkest Hour".

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Check out Take No Prisoners and Symphony Of Destruction.

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To me they just lack that final killer punch that would have put them in the big league over all these years.

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Megadeth's Dave Mustaine

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Testament opened up the evening with a 35 minute set. I first saw them as a support band back in 1988. They weren't much cop then, and things hadn't changed much - not for me.

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Swansea in the Cup tomorrow

I'll be glad to see some real live rugby tomorrow at ECP.

The team is up here.

Iron Maiden - Best Live Act at the Brits 2009

Really, not a surprise, given that it's voted for by fans rather than so called music 'experts'.

Check it out here.

Judas Priest - tonight in Cardiff

Should be good!

Shambles in Antigua!!

What a complete and utter farce in the West Indies, where at the Sir Viv Stadium in Antigua they appear to have throw some grass seed over a sandy beach.

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I feel sorry for Viv - an Antiguan (and Glamorgan legend) - whose name is now associated with this debacle.

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I see the game is being switched to the Rec - not the one in Tredegar, but the one in St John's - and they hope to start on Sunday, seemingly surrounded by semi-derelict stands.

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Mind you, we shouldn't say too much or chuckle just yet. The outfield turf has yet to be laid at Cardiff due to the bad weather, and the Ashes Test is just over 4 months away. Perhaps they'll have to switch that game to Eugene Cross Park.

Wales v England - Today

I don't normally get too excited about Internationals, but it is something special when we play England.

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The press and various pundits are predicting an easy ride for Wales. Don't believe it - it'll be tight, very tight - and Stephen Jones had better have his kicking boots on. It might be the difference [Sunday morning edit - it was]

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Good luck boys!

Judas Priest - 20/02/09

...only 6 days until the mighty Judas Priest roll into South Wales to play at the CIA next Friday.

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They were interviewed on Bruce Dickinson's show on 6 Music last night. Check it out here.

Deep Purple - UK dates November 2009

Deep Purple, probably the greatest band to ever walk the face of the earth, have announced 4 UK dates in November at London, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham with the expectation of a few more to come - go on play Newport Centre!

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Well, I'm off to Hammersmith Odeon with tickets safely purchased for the stalls.

Purple in Cardiff 25/04/07

I hope they don't fill up the bill with 2 support acts as on recent tours. It just reduces the stage time for Purple. A 2 hour set including some lesser heard tracks would be good.

They ain't youngsters anymore - the band formed in 1967/8 - but we should continue to enjoy Deep Purple whilst we can. They are still masters of the art.

Deep Purple's Ian Gillan rocks the CIA in 2007

Incidently, this must be one of their longest tours in support of an album. The excellent Rapture Of The Deep was released in 2005 and they're still touring with it, which just shows that live music is keeping us all going these days.

Powis's 40th - Pics

A grown man dressed as a schoolboy?

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A naked bass guitarist?

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Loads of booze and food?

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It could only be Powis's 40th birthday party; the highlight of which was a great turn from veteran South Wales pub rock outfit S.E.X.

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Anyway, here's the pics:

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The band

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The people (well some of them anyway)

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Newport 37 Ebbw Vale 7

A dreadful result at the hands of our Gwent rivals.

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Just glad I wasn't there to see it.