2024

From the Pit to the Pyro

2024 was an all-out, boots-and-beers blitz. Berlin scorched, Dublin literally burned thanks to Rammstein’s travelling inferno, and Brighton strutted its punk credentials like a seagull with a mohawk and an attitude problem. New Model Army called the faithful, Camden spilled over with noise and regret, and every stage felt like a war zone with a merch table. Somewhere between the fire, the fury, and the feedback, I turned 60 — still pogoing, still deaf, and still pretending the amps owe me money. Ageing disgracefully never looked so loud.


New Model Army – Unbroken Tour (Berlin)

Huxleys Neue Welt, Berlin – 13th March 2024

We could’ve waited for the UK dates… but where’s the fun in that? Berlin called, New Model Army roared, and the memories hit as hard as the music.

Setlist from Huxley’s

New Model Army
  1. Coming or Going
  2. Long Goodbye
  3. First Summer After
  4. Language
  5. Winter
  6. If I Am Still Me
  7. Stormclouds
  8. Do You Really Want to Go There?
  9. No Greater Love
  10. Deserters
  11. 225
  12. Green and Grey
  13. Idumea
  14. Reload
  15. Angry Planet
  16. Purity
  17. Wonderful Way to Go
  18. No Rest
  19. High
  20. Get Me Out
  21. I Love the World

New Model Army – Unbroken Tour (London)

The Roundhouse, Camden Town – 11th May 2024

Berlin was the adventure, but the Roundhouse was the homecoming — New Model Army, still fierce, still vital, and just as spine-tingling the second time around.

Setlist from The Roundhouse

New Model Army
  1. Coming or Going
  2. States Radio
  3. First Summer After
  4. Language
  5. Winter
  6. If I Am Still Me
  7. Stormclouds
  8. Do You Really Want to Go There?
  9. No Greater Love
  10. Cold Wind
  11. 225
  12. Green and Grey
  13. Idumea
  14. Reload
  15. Angry Planet
  16. Purity
  17. Wonderful Way to Go
  18. Bittersweet
  19. No Rest
  20. Get Me Out

Rammstein – World Stadium Tour

RDS Arena, Dublin – 23rd June 2024

Rammstein — quite possibly the greatest show on earth. After a few near misses, I finally made it to the Feuerzone. From here on out, firework displays just feel… underwhelming. Mein Herz Brennt.

Setlist from The RDS Arena

Rammstein
  1. Ramm 4
  2. Links 2 3 4
  3. Keine Lust
  4. Sehnsucht
  5. Asche zu Asche
  6. Mein Herz brennt
  7. Puppe
  8. Wiener Blut
  9. Zeit
  10. Deutschland
  11. Radio
  12. Mein Teil
  13. Du hast
  14. Sonne
  15. Engel
  16. Ausländer
  17. Du riechst so gut
  18. Pussy
  19. Ich will
  20. Rammstein
  21. Adieu

Sucker Punch

One minute it was just an eye op — routine, they said. A tidy little fix for a macular hole. The surgery worked. What they didn’t see coming was chronic fatigue syndrome kicking the door in while I was healing.

I never bounced back. The centuries? Gone. Pogoing? A memory. CFS didn’t just slow me down — it changed the rules. But I’m not done — I’ll still be in the pit. I’ve swapped the saddle and the stage dives for the safety rail. Slower, maybe, but no less fierce. You don’t stop being punk just because your body throws a curveball.

Dave The Punk

Paranoid Visions

Prince Albert, Brighton – 1st November 2024

Berlin for a British band. Dublin for a Berlin band. And now, Brighton for Dublin’s Paranoid Visions. Three cities, three scenes — each one a line drawn in noise, sweat, and purpose.

After months of false starts and gig cancellations thanks to CFS dragging me into its fog, I finally made it back. This wasn’t just another night out — it was my return. Slower, sure. No more pogoing like a maniac. But I stood my ground, boots planted, heart pounding, back where I belong.

Triangle closed. Circle unbroken.

Setlist from The Albert

Paranoid Visions
  1. The Angelus At 6pm
  2. Egomaniac
  3. Braindance
  4. Strange Girl
  5. I Am the One
  6. Across The Holocausts
  7. Politician
  8. No Pasaran
  9. Rough Justice
  10. Sex Kills
  11. Outsider Artist
  12. Asleep At The Wheel

Amyl and the Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness World Tour

The Roundhouse, Camden Town – 14th November 2024

Crawled out of my chronic fatigue bunker and hauled myself up to Camden — getting there was half the battle. Stuck to the edges of the pit for this one, but the energy hit just the same.

Setlist from The Roundhouse

Amyl and the Sniffers
  1. Doing in Me Head
  2. Pigs
  3. Do It Do It
  4. Tiny Bikini
  5. Freaks to the Front
  6. Motorbike Song
  7. Chewing Gum
  8. Security
  9. Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled)
  10. Guided by Angels
  11. Knifey
  12. Jerkin’
  13. Me and The Girls
  14. Balaclava Lover Boogie
  15. Big Dreams
  16. It’s Mine
  17. Got You
  18. U Should Not Be Doing That
  19. Facts
  20. Hertz
  21. Maggot
  22. GFY

Rammlied

The Arch, Brighton – 15th November 2024

Having seen the real Rammstein earlier this year, I can confirm — Rammlied don’t just imitate, they ignite. The UK’s top tribute delivered flames, fury, and full-throttle industrial carnage.

Setlist from The Arch

Rammlied
  1. Rammlied
  2. Tattoo
  3. Links 2 3 4
  4. Mein Herz brennt
  5. Zeig dich
  6. Angst
  7. Keine Lust
  8. Amerika
  9. Feuer frei!
  10. Du riechst so gut
  11. Haifisch
  12. Dicke Titten
  13. Mein Teil
  14. Mein Land
  15. Ausländer
  16. Sehnsucht
  17. Du hast
  18. Ich will
  19. Pussy
  20. Sonne

Flesh Prison & Blood Hex

The Hope & Ruin, Brighton – 17th November 2024

My boy growling for Brighton’s freshest hardcore outfit, Flesh Prison, and then shredding like a beast with Blood Hex.


Sixty, and Zero Sign of Maturity

I turned 60 in December and did what any self-respecting punk with a taste for the theatrical would do: celebrated with blood, chains, and treason. A birthday weekend soaked in London’s macabre history — the London Dungeon, The Clink Museum, and The Gunpowder Plot. Torture devices, plague pits, political unrest… honestly, it felt more like a family reunion.

Some people mark a milestone with cake and a quiet dinner. I chose manacles, executions, and a healthy reminder that things could always be worse. Sixty candles? Nah — I lit the fuse under Parliament instead (virtually, of course… for now).

Dave The Punk

The Skids – Days In Europa 45th Anniversary Tour

Chalk, Brighton – 14th December 2024

Rang in 60 with noise, sweat, and punk rock besties — The Skids brought the fire, Spear of Destiny lit the fuse.

Setlists from Chalk

The Skids
  1. Animation
  2. Thanatos
  3. Charade
  4. Working for the Yankee Dollar
  5. The Olympian
  6. Masquerade
  7. A Day in Europa
  8. Pros and Cons
  9. The Saints Are Coming
  10. Into The Valley
  11. TV Stars
  12. Circus Games
  13. Hurry On Boys
  14. Charles
  15. Complete Control
  16. A Woman in Winter
Spear of Destiny
  1. Land of Shame
  2. Rocket Ship
  3. Rainmaker
  4. Young Men
  5. Into The Rising Sun
  6. Waster
  7. Playground of the Rich
  8. Never Take Me Alive
  9. Prison Planet
  10. Soldier Solidier
  11. World Service
  12. Mickey
  13. Liberator