GIG: Rage (Sheffield Corporation)

Billed as a co-headliner with Firewind, we struggled to find out all day who was supposed to be closing the show, but in the end it was academic really. We knew the show was to start at 7:00 and end at 10:30, which seemed a bit tight for three bands, and when we arrived to find the support band C.O.P UK still onstage we knew something was amiss...

Closing their set with Journey's 'Separate Ways' C.O.P. UK were a top notch pub band really, with a good singer and a very good guitar player (he looked a bit like Janick Gers). So time was ticking on and clearly the show was not going to be over by 10:30 (or was it?).

It became apparent that Firewind were headlining (hurrah) and Rage took the stage with 'Justify' from the new album, except Peavy wasn't singing... the guitarist was. Eh, what? It transpired that Peavy and the drummer were mega-ill and Peavy couldn't sing at all, so they were going to play a very short set.

It was a disappointment, but better than cancelling their set altogether, and the guitarist really was quite a good singer, especially when they did a bit of Holy Diver and Heaven and Hell, total Dio clone!

We didn't have much interest in Firewind so we tootled off home with all haste. I was quite surprised at the tiny crowd, but then touring in January in England is a terrible idea.

MEAL OUT: The Noel (Whitwell)

A bizarrely empty restaurant, in fact we were the only people in it. Despite that we had a lovely meal that was very reasonably priced. I had a chicken pie which looked like a very rich chicken soup with a croissant balanced on top of it, while Rose had shin of Beef which looked lovely.

We couldn't manage a sticky toffee pudding so we settled on ice cream and sorbet, the toffee ice cream was lovely but one of the sorbets was a bit hard. Overall, very good.

THEATRE: Gasping by Ben Elton (Market Harborough)

A truly disappointing evening of entertainment... well in fact, half an evening as we left at the interval - something we haven't done in a very long time. But it was fully justified as this was painfully laboured and unfunny, despite the guffaws of laughter at every knob gag from the audience of people old enough to know better.

Upon leaving we alighted to the Three Swans for a beverage. It was rather empty, rather cold and rather underwhelming. The barman had all the charisma of a limp carrot and after failing dismally to locate the toilet (we eventually found it upstairs, next to the chaise longue) we took ourselves off home, more determined than ever to visit the Waterfront for a pleasant drinking experience.

MEAL OUT: The Waterfront (Market Harborough)

Our first diary entry for the new year and this time it was a meal out at The Waterfront with Sally, Steve, Kirsty, Susan and Peter. As last time the food was very nice, and very filling. I did manage a chocolate brownie though, which was nice although it came with an ENORMOUS lump of vanilla ice cream which tasted like Mr Whippy but was a bit hard. What I should have done was switched it for the coconut ice cream everyone else seems to be raving about! Ah well, maybe next time...