The Commonwealth Rocks the Empire

Wow. Where to start.

Right now I am aching, bruised, hungover, and have utterly lost my voice. Everything is just as it should be the morning (okay fine, it's 3pm) after INXS blew the fucking roof of the Shepherds Bush Empire.

I posted a few months ago that by the time they got to London they would walk on stage, the whole place would simply combust, and that would be that. And, that is more or less precisely what happened last night. I long ago ran out of new adjectives to describe INXS playing live so apologies for most likely repeating myself: it was superb. My sister, who has never been an INXS fan, and indeed has mercilessly taken the chronic piss out of my obsession for many years now, was dragged along last night, and a few songs in, she turned to me and said "I get it now."

The only word I can use (and indeed did this morning in an ill advised phone call to Hong Kong from my mobile - can't wait until that bill comes in!) to describe the atmosphere in the crowd is feral. It was absolutely wild - the stomping, screaming, singing along and constant moshing (the most cardio I've had in, err, years probably) was phenomenal to be a part of and I was thrilled that London thusly did INXS proud. We just about drowned JD out at points, even during songs not your usual singalong ones - Suicide Blonde stands out, for example - and during Devils Party, Hungry, Never Let You Go and Pretty Vegas off Switch which is not even released in the UK until Monday.

Billions more to say that will have to wait until my brain defragments a bit, but for now - welcome back to Blighty boys, don't be strangers.