Assembly Now and Coconuts

So the first thing for the evening was the world record attempt, led by the cast of Spamalot, for the largest Coconut orchestra ever assembled.

Trafalgar Square had a stage set up and were showing The Holy Grail after the attempt while Terrys Gilliam and Jones were there to celebrate when the record was doubled as over 4000 banged their coconuts in unison.Unfortunately we were a little late and missed it but it looked like a lot of fun.

After this we headed to the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen where a friend of a friend was playing with Assembly Now who had a night organised with various bands and DJs.It was typical indie fare really, apart from the DJ part as there seemed to be a disco leaning for some reason.
The first band - Spires or some such, were probably the pick, with a bassist who looked a bit like Paul Simonon and a guitarist who looked a bit like a goblin there was at least something to look at. The less said about the second band we saw the better - I'm sorry I don't have their name so you could avoid them. Assembly Now have a bass player and lead singer who look like they live the rock and roll lifestyle at least, although I'm not sure if that benefits the performance. They were pretty good I suppose, but this isn't a ringing endorsement because although I knew "Leigh on Sea" and the last song they played tonight, none of the others really grabbed me on a first listen.

Still, it's a Monday night out eh?

CSS / Tilly and the Wall - Astoria


Another night, another gig at the Astoria. This time on a Sunday night where, after a weary weekend standing up the back was about all we could manage. It does provide a good view of the stage from up the top though, and both bands had an impressive light show and hyperactive performers so it was a spectacle. Tilly and the Wall are a 6 piece outfit from Canada with a three tap dancer assault rather than a drummer. Along with the two guitars and Keyboard player they all line up along the front of the stage and form the "wall". There is a fair amount of running around the stage going on in the background, and energy is high throughout the set.It's a shame that the sound is so muddy, and to be honest it doesn't improve that much for CSS later - the Astoria isn't always this bad - Explosions in the Sky had good sound, although the Arctic Monkeys weren't clear either really. Anyway, as a result of the sound quality and not really being that knowledgeable about the Tilly and the Wall back catalogue, I listened to their set wondering what might have been and thinking that the album certainly has the potential to have as big a sound as Arcade Fire or Devendra Banhard. As it was they just sounded a bit Wilson Phillips at times and although that is not necessarily a bad thing, it wasn't what I was expecting.

CSS and lead singer LoveFoxx in particular were an avalanche of energy, bounding onto the stage, around the stage, in and out of her catsuit and during the closing "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" into the crowd.They had similar sound issues to Tilly although the tunes seemed to come through a little better and their mirror ball lighting effects were even more dramatic.They are certainly a band around whom a big buzz has generated and the crowd down below us did seem to be going mad for them - I reckon they have a big potential and some real characters but until I hear them with better sound I'm going to have to reserve judgement.

Saturday Galleries, boating and trainers

So a sunny Saturday deserves a stroll through the centre of some of London's best loved parkland, and this is what we set off to do. First of all though we stopped off at Run and Become, which was packed the day before the Marathon, but where you can find yourself the perfect running shoe. Now I'm by no means an avid runner, in fact I was worn out after the few sample runs which are observed by the young ladies who work at the store. They can tell you if you have any lean in your stride and whether you need trainers with extra support to prevent this, and the potential resulting injuries. As it turns out I do have a pronation in my stride which means I need extra support otherwise I will lean in as I run. After about half an hour of trying trainers and running up and down the street to get a feel for them, I chose a pair and also some padded insoles. So hopefully my jogging regime will now take off in safety.After this we walked past Buckingham Palace and up through Green Park to Piccadilly where we strolled past the Ritz on our way to Objet D'Art, an exhibition of several pieces on sale in a small gallery. My favourites were the Chandeliers made of NHS Glasses and Party Poppers but the fax machine with photosensitive paper creating a time lapsed image. From here a short walk down Piccadilly to Hyde Park Corner and the Park itself, a wander through the Rose Garden and before we knew it we were at the Serpentine. In the Serpentine gallery there was an exhibition called Clamour. It is a bunker which plays a recorded sequence of songs influenced by war, or that have been used in wars, from the likes of the Barney the Dinosaur theme used to torture Guantanamo Bay detainees to 15th Century battle hymns it creates a layered cacophony of noise. At the weekend they have live musicians playing a tuba, trombone, drums and flute out of the slits of the bunker as if they are firing weapons from within. It is an interesting concept and kind of works but it wasn't a particularly conducive location for hanging around and listening, particularly since it was such a nice day and I had promised a ride on the river. We got in the row boat and with barely a push we were away, there we were floundering with barely room to get the oars out and no maneuverability. Having never rowed a boat before I would have benefited from a little instruction. Anyway, once we were away from boats coming in and going out and were in the open water of the Serpentine it was a very pleasant afternoon spent bobbing around.

Explosions in the Sky - Astoria

Explosions on the stage tonight as the American rockers caused one of their amps to overheat and were forced to leave the stage as smoke poured out.Luckily they had a spare and were able to complete the last song with a re-energised crowd buoyed by the sight of such rock and roll excess.Explosions play an instrumental psychedelic rock which whirls and swirls around your head and has at moments beauty and brutality. From the first song the three pronged guitar front were cartwheeling their arms and creating a real spectacle. As we moved into the front of the crowd though, there was a little less to see since there was a fair amount of crouching and altering of effects pedals being done. The sound was good though - something that can't always be said of the Astoria, and while I think the Explosions probably need a small amount of mind altering substances to be completely satisfying the gig was a success and led on to talk of Spiritualized and prog rock we have loved.

Arctic Monkeys - London Astoria

So the second time I have seen the young whippersnappers, and strangely this time in an even smaller venue.It's a fan club gig of sorts - with tickets being released to members first rather than the general public, although the crowd didn't seem quite as mental as at Brixton. Having said that, during Mardy Bum, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and in fact most of the songs from the debut album, the entire crowd it seemed - or certainly the male half, sang along to every word. It was a fine performance by the lads, full of energy and confidence as their biggest hit was thrown away very early.

They kept the momentum going though - at least until the end of the set. They walked off the stage having played everything except their Girls Aloud cover as far as we could tell - and seemingly most of the crowd as there was an exodus despite roadies clearly setting up for an encore. To be honest though it wasn't worth the wait, they came back with Alex on Keyboards and played one pretty dirgy and unmemorable new tune before leaving for good. Next time they must leave on a high - either don't do an encore - or do it properly!

Venice

So I was quite excited about going to Venice. As much as I liked Florence and could have stayed there for weeks I was looking forward to seeing one of the unique cities in the world. We arrived into the train station and jumped on the number 1 Vaporetto which stops everywhere down the Grand Canal and would take us a short walk from our hotel. A beautiful afternoon made the ride very pleasant as we took in the sights of the most remarkable high street in the world. I was expecting filthy water but actually it was shining in the sun a pleasant bluey-green and I would almost have fancied a dip.On arrival at our, small but pretty, hotel we checked in to our "French Bedroom" with padded gold wallpaper and gilt edged wardrobe and were ready for an interesting adventure.

We spent most of our time here wandering amongst the canals, exploring the less touristed areas and enjoying the unique nature of the place. Every time we went to St Marks Square or one of the other busy areas it became a bit of a chore getting through the narrow streets, but away from that it was a pleasure. We did have a nice coffee in Florians on St Marks - a coffee shop that has been there for nearly three hundred years and has served generations of the great and good over the years. Very classy on the velvet seats and gold effect coffee filters. We took in a couple of the less well known churches, which were still rather impressive, and went to the Peggy Guggenheim Gallery of Modern Art which contained numerous Picasso's, Dalis and Pollocks - and made a change from the usual religious art we had been seeing in Florence.

Florence

After Milan I would say Florence was a breath of fresh air, however, considering the slightly whiffy sewerage system this might not be the best turn of phrase..

There is a lot to see in Florence, but for me the town itself was perhaps the biggest draw. Medieval buildings dominate, meaning the city centre is a joy to wander, the walls are mercifully graffiti free and seemingly everywhere you look there is a statue, or a wall ordained with mosaics or shrines. We wandered through the historical centre and across the Ponte Vecchio - the medieval bridge that was the only to survive the war. The Germans spared it as they departed because of its history, it has buildings along either side and a covered walkway along the top which was built for one of the rulers in days gone by to take him from the city hall across the river to his mansion without being at the mercy of assassins. It was at this time that the businesses on the bridge changed from Tanneries and butchers to Jewellers - to reduce the smell. Nowadays the jewellers give the bridge an impressive sheen, wandering across in the daytime and the sparkle comes from all angles.

The following morning we got up early to queue for the Galleria D'Accademia, where Michelangelo's statue of David is kept in a purpose built hall. We got there just before the doors opened at 8.15 and there was already a sizable queue - although nowhere near where it had been the previous afternoon. This can't take that long we thought to ourselves. Almost exactly two hours later we finally got in. There were a lot of tour groups being let in so we found ourselves waiting in the same spots for long periods before moving a little way. The only thing that broke the monotony was when the police turned up and tried to round off the guys selling cheap paintings, electric cars and scarfs. They tried to escape one way, only to realise they were being surrounded and suddenly they seemed to be a horde of them coming from nowhere running down the street and it seemed, mostly escaping.So anyway, once we got inside the gallery wasn't all that big, dominated by David at one end. It is an impressive statue for sure, beautifully crafted from a single block of marble and 5 metres tall. Particularly impressive is how smooth his skin is and the veins on his arms, although we both thought his hands were a bit too big.The queuing pretty much took it out of us for the rest of the afternoon so we rested up and in the evening took a walk across the Arno and up Florence's only hill from where there were stunning views of the town and also a monastery. We arrived and the monks started doing mass, Gregorian chants and all. It was peaceful to stand at the back of the chapel and hear the service.We took the long route back to town, following a map from the Lonely Planet but doing it backwards - which is only ever going to lead to confusion. We found our way though via a lovely apperitivo bar out in the sticks.

We decided queueing at the other big draw, the Uffizi gallery, was a non starter so booked a tour which would guarantee entry at 4.15. We spent the morning taking in some of the many churches and a Pharmacy which had been started by monks and now produces all sorts of oils and tinctures.The Uffizi was impressive, and the tour was worthwhile, taking in the major works from Leonardo, Giotto, Botticelli and Raphael. It was interesting to see how the styles changed in the different periods, although it is clear where the money for these works came from with the vast majority being religious pieces.
I could go on about Florence, there was so much there, and we will have to go back. I'll leave it at that for now though!

Milan & Lakes

First taste of Italy. The Fashion capital of Southern Europe and a vibrant, modern city. Well yes, but it's also busy, dirty and covered in Graffiti. It boasts the third biggest Cathedral in the world, and climbing to the roof of the Duomo is certainly worthwhile, allowing views over the city and an ornate view of the many spires that adorn the roof. We spent time looking at La Scala, the famous opera house, which wasn't much to write home about from the outside, and unfortunately we couldn't get inside while we were there. We had lunch in the dramatic Shopping centre alongside the Duomo, which maintains its grandeur despite having a McDonald's in one corner. Maybe we overdid it but after all this and walking around the Sempione park we browsed through the fashion district and collapsed in another park near our hotel. After an evening of Aperitivo (order a drink and fill yourself on bar snacks - and I'm talking bowls of pasta and risotto rather than a bowl of olives and some crisps) by the canals we came to the conclusion we had seen pretty much all Milan had to offer. We couldn't get Last Supper tickets and there was nothing on at the San Siro so we decided the next day we would take a train to the nearby Lake Como.We got there and it was another sunny day, the boat across the lake came in good time and we cruised across to the resort of Bellagio where we could look around the village. After grabbing a lunch of delicious lasagna we walked up and around the small cobbled streets, looking at the shops and eventually finding a cafe with a "panoramic viewpoint". The selling point of Bellagio is that it sits in the cross point of the y shaped lake, meaning that at the edge you can see two ways and do indeed get an impressive vista. We sat here for a while, chatting to the local ducks and enjoying the serenity. Until it started to get a little chilly. And then the sky turned a nasty blackish colour, and we decided it might be best to head back for the earlier boat.We crossed the lake in the midst of a torrential thunderstorm, but thankfully the catamaran was stable enough so that we weren't seasick!Beautiful countryside though!

The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Hammersmith Palais.
Yet another night out in a condemned building - this time the penultimate night being held at the Palais in Hammersmith - famous for being a mixing ground for Punk and Reggae in the 70's and immortalised in the Clash song White Man in Hammersmith Palais. More recently it has been home to the School Disco night but now that has moved to Kings Cross it would appear that the end is due for the old place.
I'm sad to say that this was actually my first visit (and evidently to be my last...) It was a pretty cool venue though by the looks of it, certainly it had its dodgy past but this just adds to the history of the event. Not least because of Paul Simonon on Bass, prowling the stage looking like a gangster with a Tommy gun. He was the front man tonight for a lot of the act with Damon behind the piano for a good proportion of the album - which they played in full and I think in order. Simon Tong was never a particularly charismatic member of the Verve and he looked almost embarrassed to be on the stage, he's a fine guitarist though so he really shouldn't be.Tony Allen seemed to be enjoying himself on the drums as well - and he was busy tonight as his Afrobeat orchestra were the support act as well. Funky drumming at its finest.
John Cooper Clarke was the compere and spent his time on stage telling poems and jokes about Alzheimer's. It was genius at times and awful at others, but perfect for the night I think in all. With former clash contributor and filmmaker Don Letts DJing it was an eclectic bill
Simonon was the star tonight though - and rightly so since his band were influential in the venue gaining the cult status it had - he attacked the stage at the end so he had something to take with him - and who could deny him that.