THE GREEN BOX OF SHATTERED DREAMS

In the space between my bed and my bedroom door sits a green cardboard box about the size of a case of wine. I trip over it every morning getting out of bed. This box has sat there unopened for over three years.

In this box sits a collection of the British popular music magazine the NME.

There was a time of my life when I went out a lot. And when I say a lot I mean almost every night and I dont mean just going down to the pub, I am referring to the thrill of seeing a live band play a set of songs you know every word to (or think you know every word to). Yes I am talking about going out to gigs. In this period of my life I used to average seeing well over 100 live bands a year. You dont have to be the best in your class at math to work out that is over two gigs a week.

I was living in central Amsterdam just a measly seven minute walk away from their two famous rock concert venues, the Paradiso and the Melkweg.

I was privileged enough to see a lot of up & coming bands play in a room not much bigger than your living room who now fill stadiums around the world. Kings of Leon, Bloc Party, Kasabian and the Killers to name a few.

Life was pretty good.

It was during this time I thought I should write gig reviews. What a cushy job that would be. You get to go out and see all the bands you want for free and then get paid to put your memories into print.

I collected music publications in an effort to help immerse myself in the world of music journalism.

Then reality turned around and bite me on the bum, and I woke up one day with a serious 9 to 5 job, married, 2 kids and a hefty mortgage. I couldnt even remember the last gig I went to, and not because the memory was erased from some alcohol fuelled binge drinking marathon afterwards, but because it had been that long ago.

In an effort to face my new reality and to stop tripping over the box each time I get up in the morning I am now selling this box of hopes and aspirations.

Box contains 58 NMEs ranging from 4 Dec 2004 - 2 Dec 2006.