Dog days are over

Have you ever been in the position where you chase after someone, knowing all along that your love would not be requited? Well so it has been with me and Florence. I remember first coming across her sometime early last year...maybe even the tail end of the year before. She was the new 'hot young thing' with everyone wanting to tango with her. To start with I stood back, aloof and disinterested, but one day I accidentally caught her singing and was lost. I had to have her. But no matter what I did, I just didn't get to see her. Four times she managed to avoid our date together. I'm sure she was just teasing me.

The boy's always loved music...like many youngsters he would sway and swing away whilst listening to the radio, and I always encouraged him. He has eclectic tastes, driven by my own choices...from Andy Williams through to the Stereophonics...though I've never persuaded him to enjoy Cilla Black. I remember the first time I took him to a gig...Turin Brakes at Somerset House. When I told him he didn't believe me...just as if I had said we were going to meet Father Christmas. But we did go, and he loved every minute of it. As he was just 8, we stood as near to the stage as we could so that he could see....after all you're not that tall at that age! And since then we've gone to dozens of gigs...and even to V Festival a couple of years ago. Every time finding a way of standing right up front, even though he's now almost as tall as me (actually he's taller, but that's not something I ever intend to admit.

But this year, we've already reached May, and not a single gig have we been to. Although I think there's been some brilliant music around nothing has really appealed. Not sure why; it just hasn't. Apart from one. Florence and The Machine. I have tried and tried and tried to get tickets, but just failed miserably. Which is odd because I'm normally lightening quick off the mark and have even managed to get impossible to get tickets such as George Michael, Kings of Leon and the Foo Fighters. But Florence had eluded me. Evidently her popularity is too great for the venues she's been playing.

I've always avoided touts, but there's now a new generation of 'ticket swap' web sites which as far as I can see have legitimised the tout game. So earlier this week I visited Seatwave, and remarkably found some tickets for last night. The cost was high...an initial price of £40ish actually turned into over £60 by the time all the add-ons had been added on. But I was pretty desperate so I paid up. And the tickets duly arrived. I was in seventh heaven. until Friday night when I had an e-mail from Seatwave saying my tickets were forgeries and I should contact them on Saturday. I had been right royally ripped off by a dodgy website and I would lose the £300 the five tickets had cost. It was not a good Friday night.

I rang on Saturday morning, and the first surprise was that I got straight through. A helpful lady said they would refund the money. Disappointed I made plans for seeing robin Hood. Then my mobile rang...they'd managed to get me new tickets. Wow...what superb customer service...



Spot the fake...and the real thing

So we all trooped off to see Florence....stood at the front and danced and shouted the night away. She's one hell of a performer...one of the best gigs ever....