Farhin's Balti Tandoori

For a fabulous Balti Tandoori

After being a customer for over five years now (and satisfied every time), I feel the time is right for me to dedicate an entire post to Farhin's Indian takeaway in Carmarthen, rather than giving them a mere mention in random articles. They deserve it, they really do. And if you happen to be in the area and fancy a curry, drop in and taste what im yakking on about. Those tastebuds will thank you.
You will find them in Priory street (opposite Lidl) and are open 5pm to 11pm monday to sunday.
Farhin's use fresh ingredients in their dishes and each is individually prepared, so the chefs are able to cook them to exact requirements should you have any. They are vegetarian friendly too with an extensive menu to suit everyone. Take it from me, this is a gem of a takeaway with a friendly service and wallet friendly prices. Im a fussy eater and if Farhin's can keep even me coming back every weekend, they are doing something great.
I usually have lamb vindaloo, special fried rice with chips & free poppadums and boy I wish I had their vindaloo recipe. Its always mouth wateringly good and I can honestly say ive never had a bad curry there. I can also recommend the milder lamb curry and chicken korma with mushroom rice. Very tasty.
Don't fancy a Balti meal? No problem as Farhin's also make great kebabs which are always handy on the way home from the pub. This place is one of the reasons im happy I moved to Carmarthen years ago because it beats the places I was used to in Burry Port hands down. If you happen to be a curry fan then you simply need to visit Farhin's. Im hungry now.


Special fried rice and vindaloo

Pantera in Newport

My ticket

The Pantera concert I saw at the Newport Center way back in September 1994 was one of the best moshing events ive been to. And ive been to quite a few! The metal world had recently been stunned by Kurt Cobain's suicide a few months earlier and this gig provided for much needed relief after the sad news.
The band had just released their Far Beyond Driven album, which was getting a LOT of play on my sound system at the time. Hey theres no faulting it, its a great f**king heavy record! And I was stoked to see them touring it. I would'nt spend a night in Newport for any old band. Laughs.
A cool thing I remember about this gig is while we were having a few drinks outside the venue, Pantera's head roadie Jeff 'Mayhem' Thompson came out and joined us Welsh headbangers for a bit. It added to what was a fantasic bloody night of good tunes and shredding guitar licks from Dimebag Darrell. I can't f**king believe these two awesome dudes are no longer with us. Such a b@stard shame.
And know this; to this very day I count myself not just lucky but BLESSED to have gotten to hear Dime play live. One of the best guitarists EVER!
Everyone had a blast in this gig, and I must have sweated the alcohol clean out of my system in the pits. (Don't worry, I put it all back in at the bar later). Ive seen some heavy bands in the Newport Center, including a brutal gig from Suicidal Tendancies, but I can safely say the Pantera guys DELIVERED the goods to Wales. F**king epic concert!

Pantera were supported by Downset.

Noodle Biz

Present and correct

First Four

An epic beginning...

First off, nobody but NOBODY will ever remember their first music download or MP3 like we older headbangers remember our first album on cassette/vinyl. Its just not going to happen. There is a 'romance' about those music formats that newer ways of listening to music just cannot touch. A case of technology creating, but also killing.
Ive been in love with heavy metal since the first time I heard it way baaaack in 1981. And the first albums I ever bought (after many pleas to my mother for more pocket money) you can see right there in the above picture. Those are the actual cassettes too, bought in WHSmiths of all places.

Iron Maiden ~ Iron Maiden
Kiss ~ Destroyer
Ozzy Osbourne ~ Bark At The Moon
AC/DC ~ High Voltage

Now before any eagle eyed moshers comment on the Ozzy cassette, yes that is the Talk Of The Devil album in the photograph because sadly due to a house move I lost my Bark At The Moon vinyl *Sad F**king Face* I also lost the So Tired EP too, as well as a bunch of Misfits & Samhain coloured vinyls so I was extra bastard gutted.
With the sheer fistbanging quality in this quartet of albums its little wonder I have remained a Metalhead ever since, and my pedigree in the music is f**king FLAWLESS!! See you at the pit \m/

F**kin' Slayer!!

Gig and Promo disc

2004 saw Slayer's Unholy Alliance tour roll into Cardiff, bringing with them the likes of Slipknot, Mastodon & Hatebreed. Was I there? Does Rob Halford shit in the woods? Of course I bloody was, I would have been there only for Kerry King & Co being the lifelong Slayer that I am. Great gig, apart from the few idiots who decided to have a brawl. Some reports in metal mags said it was a Slayer fans Vs Slipknot fans deal but I was there and it wasn't. More like Cardiff vs Swansea if it was anything. So there.
The cd in the pic is a Eyes Of The Insane promo single that I got my sweaty paws on. Cool eh?

Boozy Pie!

For the win!

The Fray Bentos (or Frayed Bentos as I like to call them) Boozy Steak & Ale pie! Lovely with a side order of chips/fries and a spalsh of vinegar. Go easy on the brown sauce if you happen to be a sauce fiend because you'll end up killing the tang of Ale thats in the gravy which would be an utter disaster. I love HP Brown sauce as much as the next mosher but prefer the taste of booze.
Come to think about it, this steak pie would be ideal to take with you to a festival as a more 'complete' meal than sticking to chesseburgers (not thats theres anything wrong with burgers) but due to the fiddly nature of the tin (a drunk man's nightmare) and need for an oven it will sadly get left on the shelf. Unless of course you cook it before leaving.
Nevertheless this is an excellent pie from Team Bentos. I heartily recommend it. Like Napalm Death & Pork scratchings.

Hellalive

Live f**kin' METAAAAL!

Machine Head are an awesome metal band. Hows that for an undisputable opening? Ever since their brilliant Burn My Eyes debut in 1994 (where the frig does time go?) I knew this band were destined for great things. Their live cd, Hellalive (released March 11th 2003) is one of my favourite f**king live records EVER! im listenng to it right now as I type and hell's teeth, I would have readily given a body part to have been there in London when most of it was recorded. It sounds heavier than getting teabagged by King Kong and if you happen to be new to the mosh pits then by all that is Metal and Holy you simply MUST buy this album! As each track rolls on, it takes supreme effort to just stop myself from bouncing off the walls. Its one melodious, brutal, shitstorm which kicks those wimpy assed 'Unplugged' affairs straight outta town. Unplugged? Unf**ked more like. Who in the name of Lucifer's shot glass wants to listen to shit thats unplugged? PLUG IT IN NIMBLEDICK! LET THE DECIBELS POUND LIKE A B@STARD WAR HAMMER!
The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears, Ten Ton Hammer, Davidian, Supercharger. The songs roll like a steamroller fuelled with amphetamine, on a warpath headed straight for your f**king earholes! Its one helluva blast!
Phil Demmel, ex Vio-Lence guitarist plays on None But My Own and The Burning Red as these tracks were pulled from the Full Force festival (in 2002) when Ahrue Luster had left the band.
Anyway ive said enough, this cd is 10/10 all the way, so pour some drinks, wind up the volume and MOSH LIKE A TEN TON SUPERCHARGED B@STARD!!