bigmouth bikes again

went on a bike ride today, details at the link above. To be honest most of The Smiths references escaped me. I recall a song about cemetery gates, possibly an iron bridge may have been mentioned. I've never heard the Strangeways Here We Come album either. But I do enjoy cycling around manchester, and I can appreciate the social benefits of providing activities for young people in Salford.

Tribute band The Smyths were there, but for me the top special guest was the one and only Frank Sidebottom visible in photo above, on the right wearing a purple shirt

Musically the highlight was a performance by the Levenshulme Bicycle Orchestra. The eycatching percussion instrument at the back of the hall appeared to have been made from a pair of old bicycles, joined by a combination of crude welds and tape. It sounded considerably better than it looked. Two other members of the band were playing rather orthodox instruments: bass guitar and drum kit. The fourth member of the band took vocal duties. The resultant sound was a surprisingly business-like wall of sound. Put me in mind of Nurse With Wound - which is a compliment.

The statistics: Distance = 15.3 miles, maximum speed = 21.1 mph, moving average = 8.5 mph and time moving = 1h 48m 24s