by Macaroon 5th November 2018

Turning the Screw.

For the second time in six days, Celtic outclassed the diets  to record a seventh straight domestic win.

Striker Odsonne Edouard netted either side of a Filip Benkovic header, all before half-time.

James Forrest then rifled in a fourth, with Ryan Christie adding a fifth.

Celtic, having scored just seven goals in their opening seven league games, have now scored 20 in their last four and are just one behind Hearts with a game in hand.

In truth, it was far too easy for Celtic, who peppered the diets goal with further efforts. They eased up a gear to make it 4-0 after 65 minutes as Edouard turned provider for Forrest to lash home in the box.

And there was sparkle in the build up to the penalty award for their fifth, Celtic sweeping forward before Forrest was brought down as he ran across goal. Ryan Christie dispatched the spot kick. In general, Celtic were in cruise control.

Special mention for the Celtic support including the Green Brigade who made it a day to remember.

Flat Beer moment: Craig Levine giving no credit to Celtic and blaming the performance on injuries.

By Macaroon 28th October 2018

Celtic Take Charge.

A tight fought first half with both teams being very cagey.  No team seem to be able to hold or pass the ball properly.

Rodgers made a second injury-enforced change at half-time, when Christie replaced Ntcham, and he soon drew a foul from Oliver Bozanic in the box. A penalty all day long Willie Collum was in no doubt and Sinclair sent Zlamal the wrong way with the spot-kick.  Michael Stewart was letting his emotions run away with himself, saying it’s never a penalty which seems to grow arms and legs in the opinions of the Hearts supporters and they’re friends from the west.  We watch it from every angle and it would be a free-kick all day long if it had been outside the box.

The game then seems to open up as Hearts now have to push forward. This suits Celtic and allows us to playing our creative football.

Ryan Christie has a shot from the edge of the box was well hit but looked straightforward for Zlamal, yet he spilt it and the ball spun behind him over the line before he could scoop it away, Forrest following up to make sure.  The ball had crossed the line and it’s interesting to think of it would have been given in this instance.

Christie then produced a wonderful piece of technique to cap an impressive performance, as he side-footed high past Zlamal from outside the box after Edouard’s knockdown.

Forrest and Kieran Tierney both had stinging goal-bound efforts saved by Zlamal as Celtic threatened to run riot late on, while Sinclair had two shots cleared off the goal-line by desperate last-ditch Hearts defending.

A well earned win and you’d like to think Celtic are hitting form domestically with a lot of changes in the team.

Flat Beer moment:  Hertz ball grabbers and Leveine trying to deflect blame.

By Macaroon December 2019

Staying with our music and terrace section. Holywell Street pays tribute to another band and classic album.

Screamadelica

The album is important in many ways to our crowd.  Released in September 1991 at perhaps the peak of the club-scene, it is safe to say if Andy Weatherall had not stepped in, it would never have become the album of the club-scene generation.  It had an influence for a young dance crowd, and much like Oasis getting them looking at bands again as well as the club scene dance beats.

Drawing  inspiration from the house music and the acid house scene (and associated drugs such as LSD and MDMA) which was blossoming at the time of its production. The band enlisted house DJs Andy Weatherall and Terry Farley on producing duties, although the album also contains a wide range of other influences including gospel and dub.

Weatherall was, naturally, on the bus when Primal Scream toured Screamadelica, as much part of the Scream gang as any musician or dealer.

‘We wanna be free to do what we wanna do/…And we wanna get loaded.”

It is important also for us as the band have a good sense of politics; the working class and of course follow Celtic. I met Bobby Gillespie in London in the early 90’s, he embraced the club scene himself and you would see him in the middle of a dance floor even at the height of the bands success.  I also met him properly when he was spinning some tunes at Heavenly Social around 1996, in London. He was playing a Northern Soul set and I managed to get a decent chat with him on music, Celtic, Tommy Burns and politics. He pointed out Fergus McCann and his naming of Celtic fans as ‘customers’ instead of supporters.

Loaded

By far one of the best tracks on the album, it is a proper anthem, Gillespie’s reedy voice suits the track perfectly. This was also a track that they told Weatherall to, ‘just wreck it’ and although Weatherall has probably as much to do with the album as any of the band, it is our opinion that Terry Farley gives us the best mixed version. ‘Loaded’ had precedent much like ‘Fools’ Gold’ but it’s main status was set after what came next, Primal Scream wasn’t the only indie band to find themselves in a new groove, and the summer of 1990 produced dance tracks from The Farm, The Soup Dragons and The Beloved to name a few.

Personally, I held back from getting to like the band and album, it was that pre-football scene and although there was overlaps with dance music linked to the terrace culture, I didn’t want to take to a rock/psychedelic front-man looking like a modern day Mick Jagger. I suppose listening to Loaded and Come Together more often certainly changed my view on things this was the start of getting lost in music more than ever before.

“Loaded”, “Movin’ On Up”, “Don’t Fight It, Feel It” are still immense dance-rock singles and Screamadelica is one of alternative music’s greatest discoveries. Dance music threw open doors for the indie scene and they took full advantage.

PSG v Celtic 1995

Gillespie and Innes were out in Paris hanging out with Kate Moss and Helena Christensen in 1995, the two models asked them to go to a party the following evening the reply was, “sorry hen we’re gonnae see the Celts”

We have this album framed on the wall at Holywell Street Towers.

 

By Macaroon 24th October 2018

Our good friends and comrades from the Football Lads Against Fascism visited London recently to counter act a demonstration and march by the DFLA.  A  good report on the day out here by Lee.

FLAF

Saturday 13th October was a good day for anti-fascism and the working class. The DFLA had forecast that tens of thousands would march behind their banner from the West End into Whitehall and rallying outside Downing Street. While we were sceptical about their predicted numbers, we did not expect the collapse of the DFLA into disarray so soon after the emergence of FLAF. However, we take no credit for their collapse, the cracks were already apparent.

On Saturday, ours was a small part in an overall demonstration of anti-fascist unity that saw us organise separately, but strike together. FLAF liaised with AFN who were, with others, organising the blockade of the march at Trafalgar Square in order to prevent the DFLA getting into Whitehall & Downing Street. We also communicated with RMT stewards at the other end of Whitehall who were stewarding the SUTR demonstration. There were 1800 labour movement activists at the SUTR demo and 1200 at the AFN blockade.

The ‘black bloc’ style tactics of the AFN & Women’s Strike worked beautifully and the police decided that the risk to public order was too great for them to try to push the DFLA march through to Whitehall. Respect to the organisers of the blockade. An old slogan that all too easily trips off the tongues of the left was made a reality again on Saturday. We said ‘They Shall Not Pass’ and they did not pass. Being so close to the anniversary of Cable Street it was also a fitting moment for such a blockade.

FLAF met at a location that had to be kept tight only to those we knew and trusted and those that they knew and trusted… Based on that method of primitive communication, we gathered around 200. Others that we didn’t know so well were directed to the AFN assembly point, however, our plan to pick people up from there along the way was scuppered by a mix of impatience and a lack of leadership from us. We hold our hands up. Lessons have been learned and people will be kept aware of what is going on and how long we wait at certain points until we make a move. A bit of patience on Saturday might have produced an even more spectacular result. We apologize to those that we had arranged to meet at the AFN assembly point, we should have had a contingency plan to get word to you if plans changed. As a result we will review our organisation and expand our steering group and communications network.

Applied on a smaller scale than expected on Saturday, our strategy worked. Groups of FLAF were able to work in the area between the two demos at either end of Whitehall. DFLA and fascists were confronted at several locations. In Whitehall, some of the London firms were in the pubs. As one tweeter put it, “FLAF called them out on Whitehall and they didn’t want to know.” A handful emerged from one of the pubs and then regretted not leaving the door open for their retreat. It was only after the police corralled FLAF in Whitehall that more emerged from the pubs to do a bit of shouting for “Tommy Tommy Knobinson,” whoever he is?

Towards the end of the day, the main group of FLAF decided to wait at Parliament Square, it was a nice day, we blended in with the tourists and spread out on the square. Schoolboy error, no spotters on the corners, we got too relaxed. Some of us were almost sunbathing when a big firm of Tottenham old boys, armed with bottles, strolled into the square and took us by surprise. A few of ours got digs from behind and side-on before they could get on their feet. Once we’d recovered composure the other FLAF lads had joined from either side and more blows were exchanged, with Tottenham backing off and having a go again only after the police had cordoned us. A bit of blood on both sides but little more than a couple of black eyes for us. No-one among the FLAF contingent was carrying a weapon, a glass or a bottle. The other mob all had bottles and still couldn’t do the job.

If this all sounds a bit too macho for some, I apologise, but we know what they’re about and we choose to fight them on their terms. We are the working class firm. We are the multi-ethnic firm. We fight for our clubs and our class. You will never beat us because we are about UNITY, but you – the DFLA – are about division.

One visible and very noticeable contrast was the difference in age between the anti-fascist fans and our opponents from the far-right. The DFLA are old, they should be a forgotten blob of fat old men trying to relive the NF glory days – and they weren’t that glorious then either. They might be from our class, but everything they do breaks the unity of our class and our communities. Enoch Powell is dead, you wankers. Give it up!

While there was more than a few old heads on the FLAF side, our firm on the day was predominantly young English working class lads and they were committed and fearless and they know what they’re fighting for… It’s not just about ‘the row’ for us, in fact it’s not even about the row. This is about our communities and the poison that these fascists and racists bring to them. We will oppose them wherever we find them.

We appeal to the firms looking on, who are undecided – JOIN US!

If you want to help and support the vitims of rape and grooming gangs – JOIN US.

If you’re against fascism and racism, sectarianism and terrorism – JOIN US.

If you want to build a better and united community for all working class people – JOIN US.

We are the future; those old nationalist bigots posing as false patriots are the past – JOIN US.

JOIN #FLAF IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE FAR-RIGHT – FOR A UNITED WORKING CLASS

 

by Macaroon Sat 20 Oct 2018

Back to winning the Celtic way.

Goals from Tom Rogic and Olivier Ntcham fired Celtic ahead in the first-half and, although Hibs fought back after the break, an Odsonne Edouard double ensured all three points remained at Paradise.

The match was a great spectacle and Celtic perhaps should have been out of sight in the first-half;  but Hibernian kept coming back into it.  What was good about today is I think Celtic have advanced and finding the form that’s required to take us on.

 

 

 

 

 

By HWS 11th March 2022.

An influential album of ours here at Holywell Towers.  Personally at a push the best album of all time, it is a mood piece; timeless and certainly has a ‘dream’ to it.  It is one of those albums you can lose yourself in what was an exciting time in the 80’s post punk era.  Simple Minds are also a Scottish band much like Altered Images.  They all came from the Southside of Glasgow.

Released in September 1982, the album generated a handful of singles: “Promised You a Miracle” (released in April 1982), “Glittering Prize” (August 1982) and “Someone Somewhere in Summertime” (November 1982).  This was the fifth some say ‘sixth’ studio album.

The title track New Gold Dream (or New Gold Dream 81-82-83-84 if you’re being pedantic) is far and away a lyrical genius.

New gold dream

She is the one in front of me, the siren and the ecstasy
New gold dream
Crashing beats and fantasy, setting sun in front of me
New gold dream
And the world goes hot
And the cities take
And the beat goes crashing
All along the way

In a 2012 interview, singer Jim Kerr recalled the production of the album as a wonderful time during the late spring and early summer of 1982 in which “everything we tried worked,” adding: “There were no arguments.  We were in love with what we were doing, playing it, listening to it. You don’t get many periods in your life when it all goes your way.”

I’ve since heard it be said that this is the last decent Simple Minds album.  They had reached their peak some might say, in this much maligned decade that was the 80s.  If so, that is interesting, because while you can already see the traits that soon made the band unbearable – overblown melodies, a yearning for pop success, the essential absurdity of Jim Kerr – on this occasion the result is transcendent beauty.  Majestic and Triumphant.

The equal best on the album with Someone, Somewhere in Summertime.  As well as deeply cryptic lyrics, both songs are underpinned by the band’s then-trademark metronomic-yet-fluid rhythm.

The tracks, Big Sleep and Hunter and the Hunted are anthems to the 80s generation.  Simple Minds ultimately performed at Live Aid in front of 100,000 people in the USA in 1985; to raise funds for the Ethiopian famine disaster.  Broadcast across the world via one of the largest satellite link-ups of all time.  Not bad for a band from Glasgow. 

The album is also connected to our beloved Celtic Football Club from the 1980s. I’ve always found it challenging to explain why. Perhaps it’s because we understand the group’s allegiances and the references to the streets of Glasgow in many of the tracks. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind us calling it an ’80s Celtic theme album. For us, Celtic, music, and community are all intertwined.

We plan to cover all aspects of eighties fan culture at Celtic, this could include players, away days, music and terrace culture. We also have dialogue with political groups at certain stages of that time and casuals. We agree that casuals were a big part of the eighties and that should be included.