February Folly and the Months Ahead

Right, the month of February. Along with the ever-hanging threat that snow might just re-visit Dublin for a last hurrah of sorts, the month is also known to me as one of the busiest in terms of work. But, all work and no play makes yours truly an awfully grumpy fella so, a bit of entertainment wouldn’t do any harm.

First up, there’s KNUKE’s 2011 UK and Eire Tour with a certain Altimet headlining supported by former Butterfingers’ guitarist gone solo, monoloQue. That’s on tomorrow night at the Twisted Pepper in Dublin. While I’d be all for supporting Malaysian acts especially when they’ve travelled halfway across the globe, I can foresee myself feeling slightly lost at the gig. Having grown-up on guitar music with only a dash of the odd Cypress Hill and House of Pain, I wouldn’t know how to enjoy a live hip-hop gig. My worst fear is that I end up going with the flow but because of my lack of hip-hop coolness, end up embarrassing myself with some dad dancing routine that even Bolo Zenden would be proud of!

Cue monoloQue to the rescue. So, if monoloQue was meant to balance out Altimet’s hip-hop, I certainly didn’t get any assurance from his more popular efforts – his duet thingy for a Malaysian TV drama can only be described as cringe worthy and that’s me being polite. Of course, that’s not being fair on the man because this sentimental fool’s expectations of monoloQue would be more circa 1996 (I think) at the height of grunge (in Malaysia at least) in a very smoky, yellow Pyramid near Pusat Bandar Damansara where I watched Butterfingers play live for the first time. As far as I can remember, they weren’t that great but they were as close as most in attendance would get to Seattle.

At the time of writing this, there was still some uncertainty as to whether I should spend my hard-earned €12 for the gig. Hmmm...

Anyway, if that doesn’t go well, I could always consider February a write-off and focus on the months ahead. There’s always the 2011 edition of the Irish Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the start of March. And, if I get depressed after looking at all the loud, bright, and shiny things that I won't be able to afford any time soon, Bo's Egg Run (or the re-labelled Our Ladys Hospital Crumlin Easter Egg Run 2011) would just be around the corner on 16 April 2011. If I don't get to cheer myself up, at least there'll be a few more happy kids after the day.

Then, at the risk of tempting fate, the Europa League Final 2011 will actually be held in Dublin. Some might say I'm over-confident while some might also say that I'm depriving some regular match-going fan a chance to attend the final but being from Malaysia, it's not every day I get a chance to watch a major (OK, maybe not that major) European cup final literally, at my doorstep. So, even if the final consist of Aris Thessaloniki FC and FC BATE Borisov, I won't mind and if all goes well with the draw, I'll actually be there on the night.

I just wouldn't be able to able to forgive myself if I had missed out on a final of Istanbul or Dortmund proportions while I was only a stone's throw away from all the action.