European GP - Not so bad

So, after the potentially most boring Grand Prix I have one thing to say about it:

CAN FERNANDO ALONSO PLEASE SHUT THE **** UP!!!!!!!!!!

I can not deny the man's talent. He is a beast behind the wheel of the Ferrari is dragging the time into the championship hunt without much help from Massa. But he is becoming such a whiney little man, the ultimate driver politician and slowly becoming one of my personal most disliked drivers in the field. His 8th place wasn't as a result of a 'manipulated race' but because Kobayashi and Buemi were just good enough to hold him off.

My star of the race is definitely Kamui Kobayashi. His clever ploy of staying out on the hards for most of the race and then his pace towards the end to nail Alonso at turn 17 on the penultimate lap and Buemi with a stunning move on the last corner of the last lap. He did an excellent job keeping Jenson behind him and the most aggressive driver in F1 is showing why Peter Sauber stuck with him rather than going with Fisichella or Heidfeld.

It was a decent race at the front, ruined by Hamilton's drive through. He and Jenson had good pace between them and proved at most points in the race to be faster than Vettel. That Mclaren is hugely fast and Red Bull really need to look over their shoulders as if this new car at Silverstone work's as well as I think it will it could be a British fight between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

Back on Schumacher's progress he did a good thing with just going on a sort of 'live test' after the safety car went in. He was very fast despite the potentially cooking brakes and his data should prove invaluable. He was nearly amazing and could have got his own 3rd place had he only been in the pits a couple of seconds later. So I say well done on a very responsible drive for him.

However there is only one thing that can be looked at in the overall scheme of this race and as much as I dislike him I am extremely happy that Mark Webber is ok after that horrible crash (which I assume everyone has seen now). The image of his car pointing at the air is one image that will stay with me for a very long time. I was in shock at least until mid-distance and Hamilton's drive through. I think there is some fault on both sides but at least he and Kovalinen are both in one piece.

Overall this has made it interesting for the World Championship. And here is a thought I want to leave you all with:

Sebastian Vettel has only made 1 overtaking move all season. And that was off the start line against Mark Webber in Malaysia.

Nick

I'm glad we're going out of the cup.

Apparently, it is 4-1 with 13 minutes to go in the football as I start to write, I have no doubt it'll be full time by the time I finish this entry.

Anyway, as I have said in my blog, I am happy that the football team are gonna be headed home from South Africa any minute now. Football is not the only thing going on in purely the sporting world and it is in fact the only situation (as is always the case) where the British are actually doing badly:

• In Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have finished in the top 3 together in the last 3 races and lead the World Drivers Championship and Mclaren lead the constructors championship also.
• Andy Murray is doing well at Wimbledon and he has a good chance of a semi-final (which would be a fine achievement).
• The Cricket team is turning into the best limited overs team in the world with what looks like it going to be a series victory of Australia for the first time in 5 years.
• Even the Rugby Union team has beaten Australia twice in a row which hasen't happened in even longer than that.
• We hold more than 10 Olympic and World Championship gold medals with a fine bunch of track and field athletes as well as great swimmers, rowers and other great people.

So why in the name of all that is Winston-bloody-Chruchill when the nearest sniff of a Football match taking place and the (i'm gonna get in real trouble for saying this with football fans reading this but here it goes) REAL SPORTSMEN who put more effort in their craft than their sponsorship and hairdos who are doing the country they are representing really proud and this bunch of arrogant, selfish, uncaring, pampered, whimpish, overpaid people win one game by the skin of their teeth (by that I mean Slovenia) and all of a sudden the good work by the likes of Jenson Button, Paul Collingwood, Rebbecca Adlington, Johnny Wilkinson and Andy Murray (I know he's Scottish, but I support him, because he a great tennis player, who cares) is forgotten.

I am not angry even though I sound that way.

I just genuinely think that people need to stop caring, take down the Sun's England flags, stop treating this bunch of people like heroes and get back on with your ordinary lives as I expect 50% of you reading this blog don't watch football.

Anyone who has a problem with anything I've said, take it up with me on my facebook. Congratulations to Germany as apparently it is full time as I type this.

Coming up next a report on today's European Grand Prix, which was won by Vettel (congrats to him)

Nick

European Grand Prix - How will this turn out?

Firstly I must apologise for this blog. I have only just woken up for the start of this so I might be a little bit dopey when I write this, I promise I will proof read it later on if it is that bad...Please do not judge me.

Time for potentially one of the most boring tracks on the calender the Formula 1.

We are headed to Valencia for the European Grand Prix. This circuit around the port has been outwardly know by the drivers, particularly Adrian Sutil, that despite the obvious challenge of staying out the walls and keeping concentration that is not a race track that is enjoyable to race on as it has no real challenging corners apart from the chicane section at the end of the the lap. If it is unpopular with the drivers just think how the poor fans have felt for two years.

Nevertheless there are some people who are feeling more confident about the race: In particular Martin Brundle who said that the track (which I agree it kind with) has similar characteristics to Montreal, which a fortnight ago produced one of the greatest races I have ever watched. With the drivers being more motivated and more aggressive in recent weeks there does seem to hope that finally the racing reason behind going to Valencia, rather than Bernie cynically making money off the back of Alosno, will be decided.

Before I look at the potential I must look about the two major rule changes for next season:

• People moan about the adjustable rear wings as making the racing fake. I see where they are coming from but it is also about when to use it tactically and intelligently to make the move is a skill the drivers will have to know. And it doesn't mean that overtaking may not take place anyway with the dropping of the contentious double diffuser.
• The 107% qualifying rule is back. Hispania and Virgin started this season just outside the rule so whichever new team turns up (unless they can make a better fist of it that those two) will have a problem of not taking part in very many races due to the speed (or lackthereof) these cars seems to possess.
• Pirelli are the new tire supplier for next year but they want to make bigger tires for the cars. One of the current problems with the tires is that they are too big so hopefully they see sense soon as smaller tires will reduce the overall grip and make the racing more interesting hopefully.

Now for predictions for qualifying and the race, as per usual it will quali on the left and the race on the right, with anyone staying in the same place only having one name and ret. standing for retiring.

1. Hamilton/Alonso
2. Alonso/Webber
3. Webber/Hamilton
4. Rosberg/Button
5. Vettel
6. Kubica/Schumacher
7. Schumacher/Rosberg
8. Button/Kubica
9. Massa
10. Hulkenberg/Sutil
11. Petrov/Algersuari
12. Sutil/Kobayashi
13. Algersuari/Buemi
14. Liuzzi/Barrichello
15. Barrichello/Kovalinen
16. Buemi/Trulli
17. Kobayashi/Liuzzi (ret.)
18. Kovalinen/Chandok (ret.)
19. Trulli/Di Grassi (ret.)
20. Dela Rosa/Glock (ret.)
21. Glock/Senna (ret.)
22. Senna/Dela Rosa (ret.)
23. Di Grassi/ Petrov (ret.)
24. Chandok/Hulkenberg (ret.)

This race traditionally has early retirements and damage so fingers crossed there could be some comeback drives, overtaking and more than one tire stop again please??????

For now I will let you get on with your day. After the race shall be a joint look back on the first week of Wimbeldon, including Mahut and Isner's epic and the World Cup up until England's inevitable penalty exit against the Germans.

Respect to you all, I'll report back when the race is done.

Nick

Post Pay-Per-View and the following stories Blog on the double

Righto, my first drunken post, i'm guessing this'll have to be corrected lots tomorrow but here goes nothing.

First of, a look at Slammiversery.

RVD retained the title due to a Jeff Jarrett interference in the main event. Decent match, shows that Sting's new persona makes better matches and I can't help but love RVD's style in the ring (I always have). Good Jarrett/Sting Rematch on Impact. Looking forward to Hardy vs RVD vs Abyss vs Anderson at Victory Road, should be an excellent Four Way match.

Jay Lethal beat AJ. In recent weeks he has also beaten Wolfe and Kaz, Jay Lethal is good in the ring but I don't think he should be anything more than the X-Division champ (he's be great at that in my view). He is cuting TNA's best promo's apart from possible Mr Anderson and he is a good wrestler on top of that. I have noticed recently that AJ is quite good at selling.

I love the Jeff Hardy/Anderson team, although the 'Enigmatic Assholes' is a rubbish name. They are now going to war over the World Title so there is a chance they could not last very long or stick through it and compete simply for competition. I hope so, I like face Anderson and Jeff Hardy can not be heel.

Samoa Joe, Hernandez and Matt Morgan is an interesting storyline which they should keep developing. Morgan is a bit weird but playing his character well, Joe is still probably one of the top 2 in ring performers and Hernandez just looks like a badass and has some great moves. A Triple Threat Number 1 contenders match between the three would be very good.

I am a fan of Rob Terry, I think he just needs to lose body mass and he could be really good. The Freakbuster is one of my favourite finishing moves. Orlando Jordan is a mess thouough, I have no problem with bi-sexuality. But his portrayal of it just sucks and he needs to do something massive to be taken seriously in my view.

Yay for the potentially ECW style faction with Abyss as the massive heel monster ally. Abyss is so much better heel than the silly face role that he was playing allied with Hogan. Paul Heyman is rumoured to be the stable leader, that would be epic as he can cut a bad-ass promo when wants to. Heyman, Rhino, Raven and Dreamer with Abyss would be a believably epic stable and one day could turn face to rival this Four Horsemen rip off (Fortune).

Great technical match between Kazarian and Kurt Angle, it proves why Kurt is so good and why Kaz is worth something to the wrestling business. That was the best match of the night for me.

On an aside note from the PPV, I am in love with Angelina Love's new violent gimmick, I just hope they don't turn it heel as she is playing the same roll as Randy Orton but it looks like it'll be better overall if she gets the Knockouts belt.

Brian Kendrick is doing well for himself. His development of submission holds looks very convincing and he and Doug Williams will have an excellent 2 out of 3 falls match at Victory Road.

And the beautiful people are hot, I'm just saying that now.

Now onto WWE Fatal Four Way

Wow, Mysterio being champion would not have been my choice for a result but it was something I wasn't expecting. Good match though, I do wonder what they will do with Swagger without the championship and his seeming losing run. Kane and CM Punk will be a good rivalry with Undertaker being in the background as such.

The NXT rookies story is great, I am just hoping that Brain Danielson is still employed by WWE so he can come back and start winning matches and championships ASAP. Barrett cannot face a heel champion so I'm think he'll face a weakened Cena/Orton after a Money in the Bank title match beating Sheamus (who should not have the championship in my view, despite his improvement in recent weeks). Cena will have the title back by Survivor Series I reckon if Edge or Orton don't although Barrett needs a massive title reign to establish himself.

New RAW GM after Bret Hart, It'll have to be a heel GM but no heel GM will be as good as Bischoff was unless he is something special. I reckon he is going to be not quite fully heel but he'll side with the rookies and have Cena, Orton, Bourne, maybe Morrison and R-Truth being targets for abuse (not at the same time though). I hope Michael Cole is the GM as him fully heel would be pretty great and very different idea to what any company has been doing since heel Jerry Lawler back in the attitude era.

It is time for a fairly large push for Miz going after WWE championship (maybe not getting it though).

Drew McIntyre might move onto a feud Mysterio as he has (hopefully) now moved away from the Intercontinental Title story with Kofi Kingston. He is performing well and his look is awesome, I just wish he gave better promo's as they are not interesting and do not match up to the quality of some of his matches. I hope he does go for it sooner rather than later.

Best match from both Pay-Per-Views was for sure Evan Bourne vs Chris Jericho. Bourne is a great little (in stature) talent and the Shooting Star Press is epic, and Jericho is a great performer even if he has slowed down a bit over the years. Either these two will have a massive feud or Bourne might go on an feud with Miz while Jericho goes back towards the main event.

Overall it's all a bit finely balanced. It can either be really good (both companies) or be really shitty and the writers screwing up.

Next up is my Valencia prediction and then the race report, followed by entries on Wimbledon and the World Cup.

Peace out guys

Nick

Fever - A record with split personality

I have been putting this entry off not because I don't want to post it but because other things, including the end of my first year of uni and not being with my laptop for several days at a time. So in this entry is the long awaited entry reviewing 'Fever': The third Album of Welsh Hard Rock titans Bullet For My Valentine.

The important thing about this album is that it does not bear any resemblance to their previous record 'Scream, Aim, Fire' and has a little bit more in common with 'The Poison'. However it is a much more mature effort as I will go on and explain throughout the songs on the album. It features Matt Tuck showing why he is one of the most popular vocalists in this style of music and a band who are comfortable in their own skin, writing what they want.

First up there is 'Your Betrayal', the lead single in America. This is a relatively simple song in it's concept, with the march drum intro creating a mood almost similar to that of their first album 'The Poison'. The song stays simple, drop tune guitars, little bits of screaming and the haunting Whisper's of Matt Tuck in the verse. The second huge chorus gives way to the middle section which is different to most Bullet For My Valentine as it is not a traditional Guitar solo but the almost siren like vocal line over the top of the very heavy guitar shows a maturity in song writing which is not previously present.

'Fever' is more traditional Bullet For My Valentine, a raucous drop C tuned metal number about a night in a club. It's not the fastest song on the album but in the way it is the one with possibly the most raw attitude. The highlight of this song is the vocal harmonies which sort of add to the almost sleezy element.

'The Last Fight' was the first glimpse the UK got of this album as it was the lead single. It's a driving number featuring the album's first guitar solo from Padge. It's also my personal favourite vocal performance as it features good singing as well as the shouting elements in the chorus. This is another very mature song. On an aside note about this song, the video is simple but very cool.

'A Place Where You Belong' is a similar sort of song to 'All These Things I Hate' off their first album. A softer song with heavier bits and pieces, a stereotypical sort of Metal ballad. It's almost quite a boring song until the guitar solo happens when the song picks up.

'Pleasure And Pain' is much more like it. The opening lyric of 'Come take the sacrifice' allied to a powerful opening riff make the song's opening full of impact. The rest of the song continues in a similar vein, making it one of the most intense songs on the record. Although my favourite bit happens just before the last chorus with the quiet yet tortured sounding line "You don't want, to know the truth".

'Alone' starts with the massive tapped guitar pattern and chord sequence which is almost similar to the way 'Your Betrayal' began. The synths in the verse and the string parts in the chorus give this song a real sense of occasion. It's also a catchy number with the guitar solos being at first based on simple melodies and modulating back into the D minor of the chorus. However the occasion is brought to a crashing finale with the slowing down of the intro to crawling pace almost like the epic ending to a film or (as this song possibly should have been) a massive closing track of an album.

'Breaking Out, Breaking Down' has quite a lot to live up to consider what preceded it on the record. It is one ofthe least heavy songs on the album as a whole but it features very good harmonised vocals in the pre-chours and chorus in particular. However the rest of it is quite nice but nothing else really standing out until the 2nd half of the bridge, which is almost painfully simple but effective.

'Bittersweet Memories' is a track that is simple in method and execution. It's a ballad about love gone wrong. This song isn't about one particular bit, rather the overall effect, which is profound for the type of song it is. If this isn't a single I will chop of my middle toe on my left foot and eat it.

'Dignity' is a true hark back to the musical styles utilised more on the first record. The totally harmonised opening riff brings back memories of songs like 'Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow'. It is a bit of a middle finger this song, perhaps not the most mature of lyrics either but what makes this song truly majestic is the tightness of the music allied with the melodies in the voice, particularly in the chorus. Another good thing is well sorted mixture of the Screaming and Singing. This is really by far the best song on the album.

'Begging For Mercy' is quite the beast. The heaviest song on the album after the opener. It is a song which features massive riffs and a very, very clever final chorus. However the chorus could be seen as a bit similar to 'Fever' and 'Pleasure and Pain' but I disagree and see this track as being almost monstrously heavy.

'Pretty On The Outside' is a grooving 6/8 animal featuring the least amount of cleanly sung vocals on the whole album. This song also features (in my view) the best lyrics as I believe everyone knows at least one person somewhat like this and they want to know the person better, to see if a person is quite what they seem, so this song really connected to me personally.

This album I would give around an 8/10. It is a good record, very mature musically with some very nice playing by all concerned and some mostly very good singing. However what the album falls down on is perhaps the more ballad type songs being no-where near as strong as songs like Dignity, The Last Fight, Your Betrayal and Alone which are the 4 best tracks. As mature and un-emo as it is, it is not a good a record overall as The Poison, their first album.

Montreal - OMG!

Righto, having watched Montreal I do not see any reason why it was left of the calendar. There were crashes, overtakes, great driving, naughty driving and a return of proper Strategy. With Hamilton fighting Red Bull for pole and winning it looked set once again for Hamilton to take on the might of the Austrian giants with his team-mate Button in-tow also. He also provided the funniest moment with the car basically running out of petrol and coasting down the back straight celebrating that stunning pole position lap.

First off, the start was classic Montreal, insane and violent with Liuzzi and Massa paying the biggest price to start their race long war. The whole thing was caused with a slow Barrichello start (btw congrats to him on 15,000 racing laps completed) and also saw Petrov slip and whack Dela Rosa. The first lap ended with a good battle with Hulkenberg and Kobayshi ended with the Kamakazie kid riding the curb and hitting the famous champion’s wall, which is either a sign of good fortune in the future or just his accident happy form coming back to life after the strong performance at Turkey.

The 5 cars at the front of the field had a closely matched race. Hamilton, Button, Alonso, Vettel (with his broken car) and Webber were trading fastest laps with a lonely Massa and Rosberg and it was a race where we finally saw Kubica being sort of dropped despite another strong drive with a broken car and his comings together with Schumacher and Sutil (more on those later).

The race had several big moments. The first one was Hamilton vs Alonso in the pits which is almost reminiscent of his crash with Raikonnen in 2008. However he made it work with the big fight with Sebastian Buemi who blocked Alonso (fairly mind) and caused Hamilton to get passed him in a decent move into the chicane. This was nice for several reasons: A) Buemi leading was a nice surprise; B) a clean battle amongst the chaos of the rest of the field and C) Hamilton used his F-Duct plus the tow from the Toro Rosso nicely.

The other big moment was the strategic blunder on Webber's part. He was doing well attemping to be the only person to stop once but as soon as he hit the turbulant air of the epic Hulkenberg, Sutil, Liuzzi, Algersuari and Massa group his tires grained to death and it was inevitable that Hamilton would get him (nice clean move, not often that happens with Hamilton and a Red Bull). He did deserve more than 5th on the quality of his driving but he really just did not have the pace to answer Mclaren or Alonso's Ferrari who were overtaking, lapping quickly and being intelligent on top of that and showed why they are all world champions.

Other good drives include Liuzzi, who masterfully kept his head despite the race long war with Massa and the gaggle with his team-mate. He did well to get in the points and used Schumacher's tire woe's to get probably a deserved result with easily his best drives which could so easily have been 6th without the accident with Massa at the start.

Buemi did a very good job at the start of the race and the timing of his stops and his good pass on Michael Schumacher gave him deserved points and his first big answer to the increase in Algersuari's form. He was also very good when leading the race with 2 world champions on his back he was very composed and hasn't driven better in F1 yet.

Kovalinen has become a bit of beast behind the wheel of the Lotus. His qualifying performance shows that the Lotus on the right track is damned near with the Midfield runners with pace and some of his defensive driving for the half a lap or so he kept Button at bay was excellent. When Lotus get into Q2 he will be dangerous i am sure of it and beating Petrov will be a massive confidence boost for him and the rest of the team.

Montreal has never been clear cut for Kubica. After his massive crash and then his epic win in 07 and 08 few knew what to expect with a Renault which he is keeping kicking and screaming in the World Championship hunt. Once again his race was eventful. Starting the race going for Button and Webber he had a big moment with Schumacher going off the road at turn 3, damaging his front wing and diffuser. He lost pace but kept up the effort. His swerve on Sutil is possibly the dumbest move of his career so far and it ended up giving Sutil quite a nasty puncture (Sutil did well to get 10th btw). It could be seen as dangerous but his late race pace while hunting the anonymous Rosberg showed that the Renault isn't out of this yet. I would love to see a Kubica win for Renault at a race which if it were to happen sooner rather than later (i.e Valencia please) would turn this season even more on it's head.

A big aspect of the race was the sheer overall aggression shown by the field. Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso are known for being homicidal maniacs behind the wheel and everyone knows about Schumacher's previous but the entire field was pushing (and exceeding sometimes) the acceptable boundaries of fair driving. This was amazing, it showed the type of mental stability (or lack thereof) to be a Grand Prix driver is alive and well. There were several moments, including Liuzzi, Sutil, Algersuari and Massa going basically 4 abreast into turn 7 like madmen and Massa's opportunistic move on Liuzzi (who else) while lapping Kovalinen's Lotus showing there is always fun to be had in motorsport.

In a break from the traditional order of my version of the saying, I have looked at the good and the down right bat-shit crazy. Now it is time to look at what wasn't good and as much as this man is still one of my all-time hero's in anything only his name really springs to mind (aside from Petrov basically shooting Dela Rosa with his car even before turn 1):

Schumacher had a stinker of a weekend. While he cleverly profited from the Turn 1 Shenanegins it was downhill from there. Basically breaking 2 thirds of the aero dynamic parts on his car in his clash with Kubica (which the stewards let him off for) his move onto the option tire with half the race remaining left him with a car which (as Martin Brundle said in the race) left the back end like 'the back end of a Donkey'. His move on Massa was outrageous and i am shocked that they didn't penalise him for that after his treatment at Monaco. His tires were so bad that he was caught by Buemi, Liuzzi and Sutil as well and that 11th place just signified a bad end to a bad weekend for Mercedes in a car which is locked in a topsy turvy battle with Kubica, Sutil and Massa to be either 5th or 6th in the championship (a battle he is losing). I am still so happy to see him back and I just hope he can help get Merc to race wins for himself and Rosberg before the season is out.

This has been one of the top 5/6 races of the last 10-15 years, along with Melbourne earlier this year (which for me is still remembered for Hamilton making Rosberg look like a complete amateur in the 'Wall of Death' move at turn 11 and Jenson's great tire call), America 03 (Schumacher demonstrating why the Bridgestone Intermediate around that time was the best tire ever made) and Brazil 06 (Schumacher's amazing charge through the field,08 (the most mental end to a championship to date) and 09 (Jenson's moment of glory).

I am actually looking to the snooze-fest in Valencia in two weeks time as hopefully it will produce a race worthy of note with Red Bull, Mclaren and home favourite Alonso hopefully turning this into a much better event, perhaps finally showing why there it was taken there in the first place.

Next up is the Fever review, followed by the Wrestling update.

Take Care folks

Nick

The Canadian Grand Prix - Welcome slice of Danger

Now for the first of my Formula 1 posts! *Massive balloon parties with fireworks and confetti*

This sport really is my first love and I swear that I know more about it than Jonathan Legard (for those who don't know he is the lead tv commentator on the BBC and a total arse). My knowledge is on a level many people wouldn't know where to begin for questioning me (not boasting, my bad if you think I am).

Now first off my reaction when seeing the Red Bull accident was OMG the title isn't over as this stage! While the accident looked more spectacular than it was it was an important accident in terms of a) the championship race and b) just the sheer spectacle of the sport. It showed us (along with the Hamilton/Button scrap 9 laps from the end) that there is still selfishness and people ready even to screw over fellow employees to be top dog. However it did also prove that Christian Horner has not got the experience of a Ross Brawn or Martin Whitmarsh (who is F1's biggest shit stirrer in my view. Just saying.). In this kind of situation is the true test of a team owners metal and Horner needs to grow a set and tell both drivers to calm down before they ruin the Constructors championship.

Now onto Montreal. How I missed thee last season. The slow technical bends and the massive straights make this one of my favourite tracks along with one of the most accident prone and entraining opening corner sequences of any racing track in world (just as Alex Wurz, Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert and Jarno Trulli what they think after 1998). It is in essence a pure street track while still being a race track with some of the calenders most imposing barriers, making the track (as Robert Kubica found out massively in 2007) incredibly dangerous. While I will agree that the sport should be made safer this circuit is a welcome slice of danger, the kind of squeaky-bum moments which make the sport what it is and shows how good the drivers are and how the can avoid the danger when it is inches away.

Now for one of my un-famous rubbish predictions for qualifying/race:

(By the way ret stands for retired and if there is only one name the driver would finish where they qualifyed)

1) Vettel

2) Hamilton/Webber

3) Schumacher/Hamilton

4) Webber/Button

5) Button/Schumacher

6) Kubica/Alonso

7) Sutil/Kubica

8) Alonso/Sutil

9) Massa/Rosberg

10) Rosberg/Massa

11) Kobayashi

12) Petrov/Algersuari

13) Algersuari/Barrichello

14) Barrichello/Buemi

15) Hulkenberg / Kovalinen

16) Buemi / Petrov (ret)

17) Dela Rosa / Glock (ret)

18) Liuzzi / Trulli (ret)

19) Kovalinen /Senna (ret)

20) Glock/ Hulkenberg (ret)

21) Trulli/ Chandok (ret)

22) Senna/ Dela Rosa (ret)

23) Di Grassi/ Liuzzi (ret)

24) Chandok/Di Grassi (ret)

Should be a good'un hopefully and I do hope that there is another new winner, possibly Mercedes or Kubica but I guess the Red Bull is the car to beat and will be until someone thinks of a better idea than Adrian Neway (who is genius in my view) which is looking tough at this stage.

I'll post again after the race, ta ta for now

Up next (and I mean it this time, I will stick to the plan) a review of Fever and looking back at WWE Fatal Four Way and TNA Slammiversary (third different spelling I know, I think this the right one).

Peace

Nick

Pro-Wrestling - For those who don't care, don't read

Well here comes the first report on a world that most of us were engrossed in at the age of 10 and eventually left.

Yes I am on about Pro-Wrestling.

However in this blog rather than focusing on the company formally known as the WWF I will look at stories on WWE and TNA.

First on the agenda I must say my piece on Dave Batista. His backstage issues with everyone did eventually seeped into his character and the writers did not have a hard job in making him the utter dick-head heel which, in fairness he did a surprisingly good job of playing in my view. His character however did go through several years of not being cared about from after his first comeback from injury 4 years ago (wow a long time ago) until his heel turn in late '09. While he is a hard worker I do doubt he'll be remembered as a legend as much as he might be portrayed as such in the future. On the upside he did have one of the best Spinebuster's in the game.

Secondly, Fatal Four Way. Hmmmm, a good match idea, but an awful pay-per-view concept. It shouldn't be the focus of a pay-per-view, just like TLC and Hell in a Cell shouldn't be either. Anyway I am not Vince I can't do anything about it, so lets see how this ends up.

First of all looking at the Raw main event. Cena vs Edge vs Orton vs Sheamus: Firstly I am yet to be convinced by Sheamus. While he is working damned hard and is over in the arenas I really don't think he is worth very much, not a main eventer anyway. Secondly when will the stop pushing Cena, despite his work rate he really does suck in the ring for the most part and his writers do suck in terms of promos. Only 2 people worth their salt in this match are Edge and Orton as unlike a lot of people I am fan of the basically silent Randy Orton and Edge will always be entertaining for me. Prediction - Cena/Orton, the winner to have the title match with Wade Barrett probably on Raw rather than at a pay-per-view.

Small things - Continue Evan Bourne's Push! I LOVE HIS ENTRANCE THEME! Also get Brian Danielson some kind of massive push so he can show how good he is in the ring.

The Smackdown main event seems decent enough, the match has to bring the Undertaker kayfabe injury into it, perhaps the revealing of who is behind his 'attack'. However for those who don't know Rey Mysterio was a bit stiff on his moves mid match and his 619 broke his orbital bone (eye socket), nose and gave him a concussion so it is possible (but stupid) to bring him into it and i am suspecting that it'll be either a Kane Swerve, Swagger or Big Show. Prediction - Swagger to win and help improve his standing as the World Champion.

Now onto matters TNA: Slamivesery is coming up. I am incredibly looking forward to see this Anderson/Jeff Hardy tag team. Should be really odd and funny if this Anderson face turn doesn't last for only 2-3 weeks and he turns on him. Also intrigued by RVD vs Sting simply because Sting is better than he has been in several years and RVD was always one of my favourties. Prediction - Sting to win and be the best heel champion since Kurt Angle in the Main Event Mafia. I do not like Kurt Angle's current storyline but however I do believe that he is still the best performer on the mainstream circuit and hopefully his match with Kazarian should be excellent.

Small things - GET HALL OUT OF THERE! He has been the biggest waste of space in the business for more than 10 years, when will Dixie Carter realise that and fire him and get rid of the ridiculous NWO-type group as with Waltman's going away it is needless now in my view. And I am glad Hernandez is back.

That is me done on pro wrestling, I will have more once Slammiversery and Fatal Four Way are done and dusted.

Peace and Love

Nick

Slightly behind schedule but...

Good News people! I made it through the week from hell in one piece. :)

To explain in more detail I am quickly approaching the end of my first year at uni and the last week of it reminded back to the dark days of the IB (International Baccalaureate) for those who don't know what i mean) which was 2 years of consistent essays, revision and people being on your back. Ok, so it wasn't quite that bad, but the problem was there were 3 exams to do and revise for as well as 3 assignments to hand in within that same period so it was safe to say that I was a pretty busy bee as such, missed out on sleep and pub time minus Thursday night.

Ok enough about me moaning about exams, enough people have them right now and best of you luck to all those with some still left to do.

The point of this (late) post is not really about university. Well I guess it is as such. It's about Saturday night's antics. Which started with Doctor Who (great episode btw), went via some video games and as such largely involved a rare club outing for me who, as most people will know, is far more at home sitting in a pub chatting, laughing and losing to everyone at pool. However unlike typical club nights this one was a Rock and Metal based night by the name of Big Lick. It is held in Sky Rooms in the centre of Colchester and has all the weird, wonderful and downright epic people who share a love of alternate music and not worrying about 'Bumping and Grinding' or 'Dipping Low'.

Having got there at midnight me and all the folks I was with had possibly missed out on some of the action which included 3 people in Slipknot costumes paying tribute to their late bassist Paul Gray and other interesting outfits. However a few drinks and some amusing conversations later, the dance-floor was calling.

Starting off was some nice Metal songs, some more well known than others before the first proper dance/sing along moment's began when they began to play music by Musicians who had recently died, including Dio, Paul Gray, 'The Rev' Johnny Sullivan and other such greats who have left us. This followed onto the Marmite song of the night 'Killing In The Name', the song which brought the mosh pit to life in a small violent eruption of flying limbs and fists creating good memories and broken bones.

The violence would quite frankly stopped by the police if there was no sign of a heavy guitar riff, massive drum riffs and vocals memorable enough to live till the grave create an atmosphere you certainly wouldn't find in the rest of Colchester's clubs (Liquid, Route, Silk Road, looking at you). There was a real sense of sharing and unity, perfectly displayed by a guy called Pete that I met in the smoking area to the backdrop of Machine Head. He said something which is great but also a theory I didn't want to test out: 'It's like if someone starts at you when you are in here you have the back-up of everyone at this place, everyone for will stand up for you whereas in Liquid would you just get the crap beaten out of you as no-one would help you'.

The end of the night was excellent, a run of songs, including Symphony of Destruction, Fuel, Summer of 69 and Crazy Nights looked set to bring the night to a massive close of cheesy, noisy pomp and ceremony. The last song however let that down, it was a first playing of the song which did not go down well and signalled about a third of the club, myself included exiting the club before the song ended (yes I was rambling on because I don't remember what the damned song actually was).

The one downside was walking from the town centre to my brothers accommodation with a t-shirt wrapped around my head to stop it raining on me. On the plus side I did win a great looking t-shirt from the DJ's simply for knowing that I'm going to see Iron Maiden and Rammstein at Sonisphere. I must have honestly looked a complete Gonk but I am not sure in the slightest that I care.

So thank you those lovely people who I was with that night for your help in making this particular clubbing experience very memorable indeed.

Coming up next, a review of the latest Bullet For My Valentine album, Fever and a look forward to possibly the most dangerous race left in Formula 1, the returning Canadian Grand Prix from Montreal.

Peace out, Nick.

Immersion - My honest to god new favourite album ever.

In this Blog I will be reviewing the new Pendulum record 'Immersion'. But before I do must pay respects to two totally different but very popular people in the Metal scene who have been taken from us. They are of course the Vocal Tower of Power Ronnie James Dio and Slipknot's left handed bassist Paul Gray. Wherever you may be, get a band together up there with The Rev and Dimebag and bring the rock and see you again one day, rest in peace.

Being a big Pendulum fan I already fell in love with Hold Your Colour and In Silico. Immersion's list of collaborations and the quality of the previous to albums taken into account, disappointment was on my mind but not in my heart.

It starts very similarly to Hold Your Colour with the short intro track 'Genesis' leading to 'Salt in the Wounds'. Now quite a few people I have spoken to about think it sounds almost too similar to 'Slam' but I disagree, while they have the same key and the same modulation half way through there the massive impact of the Dubstep style breakdown in the middle and the more fixed ending shows a development in Rob Swire's writing skills as in my view it is just as good as 'Slam' even though there is not the same egotistical strut of opening 16 bars.

'Watercolour' is the most successful single in the band's history and it's not hard to see why. The epic party pumping chorus line 'throw your fists up, come with me' and the simplistic yet jumping instrumental bits make a perfect commercial successor to 'Propane Nightmares'. However the best bit for me is the opening 4 lines which is just Rob Swire's epic harmonised vocals and the beautiful piano part really make the song for me.

'Set Me On Fire' is the biggest departure in terms of they're style up until this point. Not being the biggest Dubstep fan I was worried that this song might disappoint me but it turns out it's a rip roaring dancefloor epic, perfect for getting your booty moving with the only sight of female vocals on the album.

'Crush' is the first proper Rock anthem. This F# Minor based tune crashes around at constant fast pace and features everything that made tracks like 'Granite' and 'Hold Your Colour' rip roaring successes I think they are and a very upbeat general feel alongside a theme this album seems to be producing: MASSIVE choruses big enough to kick the moons arse all the way to Mars and the acoustic end is a bit weird but a nice way to draw the song to a close.

'Under The Waves' is the true chillout track on the album. A chance to catch your breath and pay attention to the detail this band can go into. While done in a similar style to '9000 Miles' but making more use of the growing vocal capabilities of young Mr Swire.

'Immunize' features Prodigy big gun Liam Howett and it shows with not only why Prodigy are so loved but also that (in view) the Drum and Bass torch has been passed to Pendulum. The dischordal nature that Prodigy brought to the forefront has been taken to the next level by this group of strange Australian's.

My one disappointment on this album is The two part dance off that is the 'The Island'. Don't get me wrong, if it came on in a club I would be off my backside instantly and it's one of the best songs in it's style but particularly part one could be attributed to Calvin Harris in a strange way. Part 2 makes everything go weird and enforces the ability to 'move yo ass' and improves the concept as a whole.

'Comprachicos' is a groovy little shit. The shortest track in the bands history there is a lot to fit in less than 3 minutes. With a mixture of dirty sounding keyboards and sampled but heavy sounding guitars gives this song a personality all it's own. All in all a good one but one I would have possibly wanted to hear them get properly 'dutty'.

'The Vulture' features the début of their MC (The Truth). He is a very good rapper for this track despite his disappointing attempt to Tarantula on the Brixton DVD. Another track that is almost Prodigy sounding but can very easily be told as being Pendulum.

'Witchcraft' starts in the same sort of way as Watercolour except the vocals come straight in. However this a full blown rock epic. The live drums at the most to this track for me, giving it that driving hard rock edge with the ever growing vocal prospect of Rob Swire and his harmonies. Despite this being the 4th time F minor has been used as a key in the record he doesn't make the mistake of sounding old and repeated and the massive refrain 'You Gotta Get Out, Go Far Away' could well be one of the soundtracks to a hopefully epic summer since this is the second single confirmed for release.

'Self vs Self' is by far the biggest eye-raiser without even hearing it. Featuring the singer, guitarist and bassist for one of the most influential death metal bands there is, In Flames, there was a mixture of happiness, intrigue and total disgust before the track even surfaced. Pendulum's cover of Master of Puppets show Metal isn't entirely out of their range but it is a big step to take for an electronica group. However this song is sublime. Successfully fusing what makes both bands great with the help of Drop Bb tuned guitars (to non-guitarists the strings, unless set up in correct way, feel like absolute bungee chord) and Rob Swire's vocals blending really well with the In Flames vocalist in the pre chorus and the chorus. One of my top 3 from the album.

'The Fountain', featuring Porcupine Tree vocalist and general Musical Maverick Steve Wilson is more similar to 'Midnight Runner' than anything else in their back catalogue. Some quiet yet very nice guitar lines and the wonderful melody produced by Wilson are what make the song one of the most musically interesting numbers on the album as a whole but due to the high quality of the collaborations it is not the best of them, that honour going to Self vs Self.

Another track I worried about was album closer 'Encoder' and not because of whether it would be a good enough song to bring the album to a close: It's ancestor 'The Tempest' is one of my all time favourite songs and there has not been an album closer this decade in my view that comes close to it's stunning ending. This song is different as the first 3 minutes of the song have a completely different feel to anything on the album so far with proper acoustic guitars and almost minimal keyboard minus the intro. This is nice and shows a band maturing into (fingers crossed) one of the most prolific bands in music today. However it is at 3 minutes where the song kicks into gear with the same key and similar build up to 'The Tempest' but in a very different way. The vocal section can be seen as nice but truly not needed but the last line of 'May as Well let it die' shows how the song ends with gradual fade out with the beautifully simple synth line and just shows a band absolutely on fire in every sense of the word.

Now for the tough question, my favourite song on the album itself. Ever track has strength's and weaknesses but for me there are 3 that stand out: 'Self vs Self', 'Witchcraft', and 'Encoder' show a strength in mixing a commercial type of genre and turning into an album that for me, has already defined my 2010 in such a way that if there is currently one CD I would want to hear in the last 70 minutes of my life it would be this one. All hail Pendulum, hope Milton Keynes and Sonisphere live up to this powerhouse of a record. 10/10, simply brilliant.

Bad timing to start but...

Hey Internet,

I am a man with an afro, so as such I can't be taken seriously in the slightest. I can't force you to keep reading after that silly comment but I promise you I will attempt to give you some insight into the life of another random internet user.

First off, quick introductions

• My Name is Nicholas Alexis-Webb.
• I am 19 years old, 20 in September.
• I smoke - I shouldn't but I do.
• I have a twin brother who knows more about me than i do.
• I study a Music degree at the Colchester Institute.
• I play Bass Guitar and am considered to be quite good (for some odd reason).
• My favourite things in the world are my 6 string LTD bass, cider, Formula One and Top Gear.
• I am both quick to trust and disturst but my trust can always be earned back if lost.
• When i like a girl i find them hard to shake out of my head.
• I watch pro-wrestling. I know it's fake, amount of fuck not being given is unfathomable (directly stolen from facebook group, sorry).
• I'm in a Metal band with my brother that i cannot remember name as of yet.
• Last quick thing, I don't pretend to be normal, I don't try and be ridiculous and what you will see from me is what you will honestly get from here till contact is lost.

Right introductions out of the way I'll let you all in store for what is to come on my blogging career:

• Opinions on stories in Formula 1, Cricket, Pro Wrestling and possibly Tennis if i can catch any. Oh and The World Cup as such
• I will review albums much in the format of ultimate-guitar.com but I will be allowed to swear in my own blog.
• I might tell of especially good nights out (anonymity shall be kept unless in truly specific circumstances).
• I'll let you all have the deepest, most anonymous, probe into my mind you can possibly have.

I won't keep you too long at this stage, as I need to form ideas to what to write and when to write it.

I shall do my next blog on Saturday if I can remember and each one shall have it's own catergory, so 2 blogs in one day could be possible.

Peace and love and stuff like that.

Nick