That Damn Virus!

Well this is all rather strange I must say. As the COVID-19 virus rampages through Europe transforming our towns and cities into deserted landscapes and in doing for the foreseeable future changing our lives….. drastically! For the coming weeks we must adapt to an unfamiliar way of living….. no gigs, no pubs, no external forms of entertainment whatsoever, home working and isolation within the house. Nothing even close to this has occurred in living memory.

Whilst in many ways it has highlighted how self-serving as a society we have become…. Bog rolls and all staple foodstuffs flying off the supermarket shelves and into the trolleys of those that are stupid enough, selfish enough and wealthy enough to not see beyond their own ‘needs’ whilst failing to give a second thought to those who cannot stockpile (even if they had an inclination to do so). Those who are elderly and/or infirm who purchase provisions on a daily basis because of low income, ability to carry a more than a basket of purchases and a whole raft of other reasons have been unable to get the basic supplies that they need. Critical care workers on the front line in our NHS Hospitals who arrive at a supermarket after long back to back shifts only to find the same bare shelves, it is a disgrace.

And yet, in the midst of this madness there are random acts of kindness that abound that restore faith in our ability to empathise. Community pages on social media platforms are striving to help those less able to help themselves. People are connected and looked out for at this time which I think is really great.

This site is all about music. As such I and a lot of visitors to the site have suffered the disappointment of gigs being pulled….. each and every one of them for the next few months. However, bands have taken to the internet to play gigs on-line either free or with the option of charitable donations. Tonight I watched a gig by Attila The Stockbroker (who also appears on this site) live from his home office. Great, it’s all a bit chaotic with IT issues and very DIY…. how punk rock!

I too will making increased use of this site to fill the entertainment void…. So grab a beer (if there is any left following last night’s order to close the nations bars and pubs!) and download to your hearts content.

Stay indoors where possible and heed the advice coming from the epidemiologists…. And above all do your bit to keep yourselves and your families safe.

Cheers,

Adrian.