This strange and wonderful world cracks on a pace today.

I get to do some really shitty things, some strange things and some wonderful things in my life.....today has had a bizarre combination of all of the above!

I woke this morning to the sound of the alarm, pleased to be out of another of my nightmares. This time our house (and it actually was our house) was burning down. It was full of people and yet no-one seemed to care that a fire was raging. I was charging back and forth with arms full of our belongings onto the front lawn while a houseful of guests was partying…..then the alarm went off!!!!

My day was truly one of a corporate whore, with a full-blooded board meeting this morning as a mainstay of my day. Then I got into my ‘other life’ as a rock chick.

I went to a gig tonight – really at the instigation of Colin, my best buddy of 25 years. He loves Sam Brown and when he realised she was doing a gig in Cornwall he asked if he could come down and we could go and see the gig. I readily agreed, partly because a gig in a cave was certainly something not to be missed and partly because any excuse to see my pal is a good excuse for me. I spent a lot of time (relatively speaking) with him before Christmas, when I was in my darkest hours and he took pity on me and looked after me while I was miserable and away from home. I’ve not seen him since Christmas though.

Seven of us went – another couple of our oldest friends (Alan and Dee), our newest friends (Becks and Iain), Colin, DM and I all went along to see this gig.

I must say, I was completely cynical as to what it would be like seeing a gig in a cave but I’d been assured that the acoustics were fantastic – I’d expected that they’d be er, well, to put it frankly, completely shit. In fact they were superb. Carnglaze Caverns have now surprised me twice – once for being simply and wonderfully fab as an entity and now as a gig venue.

The support act grabbed me by the heartstrings immediately but then I am a complete sucker for great harmonies and they had that in abundance. The Michael Rattray Allstars were ‘simply divine honey’ – Simon and Garfunkel with a huge hit of cynicism! They did an amazing cover of Borderline, that song made famous by ‘Madge’, not to mention a set that was as sweet as a nut and as sour as a lemon all at once. I felt that hard shell of corporate whore being dissolved before the end of their first verse and it hasn’t popped back up all night.

I have NEVER been at a gig when I have watched the singer/songwriter appear to be on fire because his head was steaming ever before. What an experience. That’s because the Rum Store at Carnglaze is a constant 10ºc no matter what is happening outside, rain, hail, snow, sleet or shine.

Sam Brown was cheeky, foxy and all-together sassy. She has one helluva voice. Carnglaze has an intimacy that cannot be imitated elsewhere. When she walked through the audience, playing ukulele and singing un-miked it was as though she was in your sitting room. Very, very cool indeed.

Unfortunately, the venue’s bats didn’t make an appearance tonight – that would have made the whole thing truly complete but it didn’t detract from a wonderful evening all the same.

I have never been to a gig in a cave before and I have been to more gigs than I can count. Some have been truly amazing for other reasons – U2 supporting the Photos in London’s Marquee – 400 people capacity and U2 were the support act…..that was in 1979 or 1980. The Psychedelic Furs playing a 200 capacity venue in London under a pseudonym – Book of Days, Depeche Mode at some grotty pub in east London, whose name I can’t even remember (PS - Friday afternoon and I remember - the Bridge House in Canning Town). I once saw a real band (Circus, Circus, Circus) on a riverboat. I saw Nine Below Zero play actually, really live in the Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street when their ‘Don’t Point Your Finger’ album was released…..I have seen the lot.

Was it the best gig ever – well, no! But it was a very cool evening all the same. What was the best ever – probably the Clash at the Lyceum in 1981. My ‘personal best’ though was having Clive Gregson play in my garden at my 40th birthday party. Yep, my very own garden. Rosie was charging around him while he sat on one of my dining chairs, on an old rug, on the lawn and played while 70 guests looked on. He even did a cover of a Take That number especially for me. That was something else.

Somehow, though, I think that tonight will go down in my history as a memorable evening…….

Cornwall has some corkers and Carnglaze is one of them, without a doubt!

Last year, my world was spicing up....