Life, Liberty & London Living

2010-02-03T02:51:00.000-08:00

A few interviews I did waaay back in the day for 'Sup Mag...

http://www.supmag.com/2008/interview-with-akira-the-don/

http://www.supmag.com/2007/interview-with-dan-popplewell-of-ooberman/

http://www.supmag.com/2008/interview-from-the-top-of-the-olympus-mons/

2009-12-28T03:15:00.000-08:00

Well, hasn't it been a while... I'm continuing to write for the CMU Daily(http://www.thecmuwebsite.com/) and Le Cool London (http://lecool.com/cities/london/subscriptions/new) so go and sign up for both of them right away!

Anyhow, today I'm off to volunteer for the Crisis Open Christmas project, something I did 2 years ago (without the support of my ex) and it was extremely rewarding. I hope that it will bring me a bit of perspective. It is a very important project and allows so many people a bit of respite over the Christmas period so I'm very happy to be able to do my bit, even if it is only for a couple of days.

2008-12-28T04:39:00.000-08:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Emmy The Great – First Love

It was only on listening to this album that I remembered the part in Emmy the Great's live show at The Green Man where she played First Love with it's line about “Hallelujah, the original Leonard Cohen version”. This also reminded me that at least two other bands that we saw that weekend actually played Hallelujah, and I hadn't been reminded of that by the two versions that are currently top of the charts. I'm not sure what this says about either my memory or the relevance of the hit parade but I guess maybe the musical world has rallied around after hearing Leonard's money problems leading to his tour last year. Anyway, I digress, and that is unfair because this album is a lovely piece of work, reminiscent of last years Laura Marling debut, a folkified sing song without cockerney stylings. Emmy has performed with the likes of Lightspeed Champion and supported Martha Wainwright in the last year but this record has been self produced, funded and released and deserves a look. From the choral opening of Absentee to the rising plucked march of Bad Things Coming there are some great songs on here. Dylan is a rollicking good time but these songs, as sweet as they sound on first listen, usually have some sex and death in there, the name of the album is apparently from Samuel Beckett's novella about a lover who leaves the woman he impregnates after she meets him on a park bench.

Anyway, I'm expecting this album to grow on me steadily throughout the year to come and hopefully success will go hand in hand.

IM
Release Date: 2 Feb 2009

Press Contact: Freeman PR

2008-12-27T05:12:00.000-08:00

Hey,

So over the last year or so I've been writing for CMU - mainly reviews of Albums and concerts as well as doing previews for Le Cool London - I'm going to post some of that stuff up here now..

November 18 2007

Sale Green Xmas

I know it is hard to believe but Christmas truly is just around the corner and for those of us who don’t fancy the traditional last-second Christmas Eve rush for presents then here is an excellent opportunity to stock up early and support a good cause at the same time. The Green Christmas Fair ticks all the boxes with organic and eco-friendly products on offer and the £2 entrance fee going to the Cambodia Trust. I’ll admit the cause is close to my heart after having visited the country and meeting people who, despite experiencing a genocide as recently as the 1970s and living in one of the poorest countries in SE Asia, remain amazingly positive. So go down, it's a great opportunity to give something to those less fortunate and also grab some fantastic presents and eco-gadgets while you're at it. / Ian Marshall

where

The 20th Century Theatre, 291 Westbourne Grove W11 2QA
020 7229 4179

when

10am - 6pm

how much

Â£2

Gig Duke Special

Duke Special has always approached music in an experimental way; his first album was recorded with egg whisks, cheese graters and an old gramophone, and he will no doubt put on a very unusual show at perhaps the most lavish venue in Piccadilly. The Pigalle certainly has the theatrical feel that will suit the vaudeville theme of the evening. Four London venues will be hosting on consecutive nights with each promising something different, be it a big band night at the Albany on the 21st, the Music Hall night at Bush Hall on the 20th or the “Solo et Lumiere” night at the Roundhouse Studio on the 19th. The shows follow on from his similar and successful Irish tour over the last three weeks and with Duke recently without a record company following the closure of V2 there could be A&R out in force. Prepare for something a bit “special” then… / Ian Marshall

where

The Pigalle Club, 215 Piccadilly, W1J 9HN
020 7287 3834

when

Doors 7pm, Onstage 9pm

how much

Â£12.50 Standing Â£42.50 Show + 3 course Dinne

December 08 2007

Club Lovebox Christmas Party

Groove Armada seem to have morphed over the years from the chill-out background music of At the River to the full on party sound of Superstylin’ and now, ten years on, they seem as busy as club promoters with their Lovebox events going from strength to strength. Their summertime weekender over at Victoria Park has become a regular and welcome date on the London calendar, showing innovation and great music put together by people who are really passionate about these things. So this Saturday marks their winter ball and expect a full on party atmosphere with The Nextmen's 4-deck throw-down, Bestival main-man Rob da Bank, live music from The RGBs and a performance from The Black Ghosts (that’s Simon Lord from Simian and Theo Keating from The Wiseguys in case you didn’t know.) Apparently it all takes place in an amazing subterranean winter wonderland as well, which sounds lovely. / Ian Marshall

where

229 Venue, 229 Great Portland Street

when

8pm - 3am

how much

Â£12

ALBUM REVIEW: Thomas White – I Dream of Black (Drift Records)
As if Thomas White didn't have enough going on with Electric Soft Parade, Brakes, Restlesslist and the rest of the Brighton scene, he has now joined the Devon-based Drift Collective and is set to release this, his debut solo album. Recorded at home on a four track tape machine, with White playing all the instruments himself, this is a lo-fi record described by the man himself as an idea of what ESP's demos might sound like. 'I Dream Of Black' contains several snippets, slightly unformed songs which befit the scratchy home recording style of the whole. It's rewarding in parts, not least the incendiary, swirling My Bloody Valentine-esque 'The Runaround', which is possibly the most impressive and innovative thing on offer and makes you wonder how White would get on with the kind of time and money Kevin Shields had to record 'Loveless'. As it is we can enjoy another album from a prolific artist showing an admirable do-it-yourself ethos. IM
Release Date: 14 Jul
Press Contact: Freeman PR [all]

ALBUM REVIEW: John & Jehn - John & Jehn (Faculty Music Media)
Famous couples in rock performing together aren't as common as you might
think, Sonny and Cher, John and Yoko, Birkin and Gainsbourg, er, Katie and
Peter. I'll no doubt get a list in the post but they are certainly not as
common as siblings. You would think that the energy should spark some
creativity and that can certainly be said for this French pair, now based in
London. This is their eponymous debut of squally indie and sweetly penned
love songs with that introspection and philosophy which only the French can
really do seriously without it appearing trite. There are moments when it
promises to join the new-folk bandwagon but there is more than a hint of
Velvet Underground style raucousness here to intimidate the casual listener
and beguile those with more patience for that sort of thing. This record
exudes cool from its every pore but without being annoying. John & Jehn
exist in a world where photographs are black and white, love is something to
start the day with like coffee and rock and roll is a lifestyle choice.
Release Date: 28 Apr
Press Contact: Scruffy Bird [CP, RP, NP] Nile-On [O]

ALBUM REVIEW: Daedelus – Love to Make Music To (Ninja Tune)
Alfred Darlington, otherwise known as Daedelus, is not your typical Ninja Tune DJ, dressing as he does in a Victorian Dandy style, perhaps better suited to the likes of London's White Mischief night or down at one of Bourne & Hollingsworth's prohibition parties. Anyway, an unlikely looking raver he may be but it was his discovery of the UK hardcore scene in a YMCA fifteen years ago that inspired this record. It's an electronic album, and to be any more genre-specific would probably be doing it a disservice, covering as many bases as it does. Opener 'Fair Weather Friends' has a sexy vocal, glitchy beats and draws you in with a tight hook. 'Make It So (feat Michael Johnson)' is the first single and is one of the more hip hop influenced tracks while 'Hrs:Mins:Secs' was a download-only release and sounds like Cornelius in one of his more aggressive moments. Overall this is a fascinating, endlessly inventive and equally listenable album which would make a rather nice soundtrack to a summer hanging out in beer gardens in Shoreditch. IM
Release Date: 9 Jun
Press Contact: Ninja Tune IH [NP, CP, RP], Cool Badge [NR, CR, RR]

2007-12-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

Music De Beauvoir @ Cafe 1001

I'd heard several tunes from this lot on MySpace and was suitably impressed by the jazzy, funky, hip hop instrumentalists to drag my Girlfriend and one of my mates down to East London for this free gig. I'm glad we went cos I enjoyed it, although they didn't actually come on till about 10 - almost an hour after we expected them to, and then were only on for about 30 minutes.
A shame really because I think they could go far, even with a lack of rehearsals and a turntablist with a broken arm they sounded rather good to me..!
The Cafe was a surprise as well - much bigger and more comfy than I imagined!

2007-11-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Spamalot - Palace Theatre, Joe Allen's Pre-Theatre Dinner

A late birthday present indeed but this was the first occasion Dad could make it to London in order for us to go out. He finally made it though, 5 months late it may have been but we had Spamalot tickets and a dinner booked at Joe Allen's - a place I knew little about but where Dad had been before.
We turned up at the restaurant and it was a stylish little basement eaterie, with theatre posters on the walls and a nice refined atmosphere. There was a three course pre-theatre menu and we chose from that along with a 1/2 litre of house red.
I had goats cheese with rocket and a pecan and cranberry chutney while dad had a nice looking black bean soup. The cheese was nice, but quite filling and my main course was even more so. I went for the stuffed chicken wrapped in pancetta with lentils, it was tasty if rather brown looking and again heavier than I expected. Dad's mullet looked a lot more colourful and lighter and was full of flavour.
We went for dessert, although I would probably have been satisfied with some fruit. He had stilton and I had a mincemeat tart with Amaretto butter which was as rich as it sounds.
So after coffee we took the short walk from Covent Garden through to Charing Cross Road and Cambridge Circus where the theatre sits proudly on the corner. I was delighted to hear that our up in the Gods balcony seats had been upgraded due to poor sales and at first we thought we would be in the dress circle but soon we were in the stalls, Dad even requested an aisle seat without too much difficulty.

The show itself was quite faithful to the holy grail, with Arthur gathering his group of Knights in search of the holy grail and then having adventures on the way to finding it. The Knights who say Ni were present and correct as were Bold Sir Robin's minstrels and the dark Knight guarding the path from Arthur who ends up limbless. No Sir Galahad in the castle of Virgins unfortunately, replaced by a piece about getting to the West End and needing to find some Jews.
Guinevere stole the show really with her excellent singing voice and a part that enabled her to play the diva in a comic manner but at the same time show off her range. Arthur wasn't cast for his singing or dancing but he did put in a decent comic performance, as did his 'umble peasant bag carrier.

The show was a hoot overall, and although maybe a little short at well under two hours kept the entertainment going throughout.

2007-11-20T08:06:00.000-08:00

Green Christmas Fair - Notting Hill

So we went along to this charity event at the 20th Century Theatre on Sunday as an opportunity to a) support a good cause in the Cambodian Trust that the £2 entrance fee went towards, and b) to see whether we could find any ethical Christmas gifts for family or friends.

It was a nice enough little event, in an impressive old building, but there wasn't much on offer that really grabbed our attention. I liked the look of the handmade Cactus lights made of banana leaf thread and old plastic tags, as my other half said though - not sure entirely how eco these were, using presumably fairy lights on the inside.
There were some organic wines, a climate change calendar and eco-knickers as well as Christmas decorations and various other bits and bobs. All very worthy but at the end of the day, overpriced for what you were getting in most cases - which is nearly always the way with this stuff.

Wandering round Notting Hill afterwards though it is a nice area and Portobello road has all sorts of interesting vintage fashion and antique shops even on a Sunday when the market is all packed up.
Sheltering from the rain that swept in later we found ourselves in the Prince Albert, an attractive pub but I wouldn't recommend the roasts, they don't know how to cook roast potatoes apparently...

2007-10-11T08:25:00.001-07:00

Manufacturing Dissent.

This documentary, following the film maker Michael Moore on his 2004 tour around America where he supported the Democratic campaign for president in an attempt to oust George Dubya, is a critique of his work which never really catches upon a strong enough point to denounce his work.

The Canadian film crew behind the film start off as “fans” of Moore's work and politics but as they find it harder to get an interview with the man in question and find out more about him through interviews with people he worked with and people who have come into contact with him in the past, they apparently change their opinion.

Now I have been a fan of Moore since the TV Nation show which was shown on Channel 4 over here and subsequently through his feature documentaries Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, both of which are included in this critique. I have also just seen his new movie, Sicko, questioning why it is that the United States of America is the only western country NOT to have free health care. The thing with Moore is that yes he is a personality, and yes that personality is a big part of his films. His politics are certainly secondary to making an entertaining film and promoting himself as a figure and his career as a film maker. The thing is, I am OK with that, and I understand that certain points in some of his films may not have been entirely accurate or may have had the sequence altered slightly in order to provide greater dramatic effect, or to get the point he is trying to make across in a simpler more effective manner. I'm OK with this because I agree with the majority of his politics and I think it is important that the left have a strong, forthright character to compete with the brash sound bites the right get away with without censure. I was a little concerned going to see this film that I would see a real hatchet job on Moore and we would be shown multiple ways in which he mislead the public in his films and lied as a film maker.

The truth is the “evidence” against Moore is pretty slim. This film concentrates to a large extent on his first movie “Roger and Me” where he is making a story about his home town of Flint Michigan and how General Motors sold the town out essentially because they weren't given enough tax breaks, this led to over 30,000 redundancies in the town and the destruction of a community. Now I think this is a valid subject to make a film about and a worthy cause to draw attention to. The fact that Moore hangs the tale around him personally trying to get an interview with Roger Smith, the CEO of General Motors, when he actually managed to speak to the man on two occasions to me is irrelevant. It is a dramatic construct admittedly but without this added entertainment angle the film would never have gained such publicity and would have disappeared into a mire of other documentaries. They speak to other people who worked with him campaigning in Flint with him against General Motors and it is odd that Moore chose to leave out footage of the grass roots uprising in the town, but I still don't think this distracts essentially from what he was trying to do.

Now I will concede that I think Moore has a persona which is not necessarily the real him. There are numerous interviews with people who suggest that Moore is ungracious, paranoid, megalomaniacal and so on, often from his friends. Again this isn't a great surprise to me, I never expected him to be a “nice guy” all of the time – very few of us can say that we are, this again doesn't necessarily detract from his films, not least because even in his worst moments I am fairly sure Moore is a far “nicer guy” than Bush and his group of religious fundamentalists.

The film moves on to Bowling for Columbine and takes issue first with the scene where he gets a gun for opening a bank account – speaking to the bank tellers it becomes clear that the scene shot when they hand over the gun to him in the branch had been set up for months by the producers and in actual fact the gun would only be handed over through a registered firearms dealer – the bank doesn't usually hold any guns on the premises. This is another example of a dramatic construct with which I am happy for Moore to get away with. Surely the issue here is of a society that is so entrenched in a Military-industrial complex that banks, the source of wealth are linked in so closely with the gun lobby to give a weapon away as a free gift. A society that is so at ease with it's violent nature that this is considered OK. Whether or not you actually get the gun in the branch is surely entirely irrelevant, but showing it in the film just heightens the absurdity.

The second main issue was with the treatment of Charlton Heston, for attending a rally that never actually happened and in general for his support of the NRA. This is harder to defend because it is essentially a wheedling approach from Moore with an uppercut attack on an old man who cannot really defend himself. I thought at the time this sequence was a little unkind and less than chivalrous. Having said that, I totally agree with Moore about guns and I think Heston is totally in the wrong, he is usually protected by money and power that the NRA use to lobby government so why not have to face the music occasionally.

The film that Moore is promoting on the tour the film crew are following is Fahrenheit 9/11 and there aren't many examples of where Moore has been untruthful in this film. There is footage of Bush speaking at a formal dinner “The Haves and the Have Mores”, “Some people call you privileged, I call you my base” and it is revealed that this was at a large gathering of politicians where speakers are encouraged to be self mocking. There are a lot of other points that are not rebuked in this film and it is unclear whether we are meant to do our own research into how Moore is lying to us or if we are just supposed to distrust him in general now because it has been suggested that he isn't such a nice guy and has been known to edit certain sequences in his movies.

There are a couple of moments actually at Moore's rallies where you do begin to wonder a little, the Canadian film crew is thrown out at one point after getting in to the university with fake reporters ID (A trick they borrowed from Moore) and there is footage of them being ejected. The reason given is that “Commercial” filming is not allowed, although as the point is made, a documentary is probably less “Commercial” in nature than one of the news channels. It is difficult to know why this happened or why the Canadians are not allowed to plug into Moore's sound board at another event when other broadcasters are, or why Moore is so difficult to get down to do an interview. It might be that they were hassling him for no particular reason other than that he hassles other people. They show an interview where a film critic is slating his one fiction film and the critic suggests he should be able to take it but is surprised when Moore is offended and looks daggers at him. Frankly the comments made were just rude and to suggest you should be able to dish that sort of treatment out to someone, in a slightly aggressive way, just because that is Moore's approach to people who have generally done something pretty bad, is a bit rich.

The final thing which was hard to reconcile was Moore dropping Ralph Nader, the green party candidate for president who Moore campaigned for in 2000 and it could be said cost Gore the presidency because of the 1 and a half % he gained in Florida. Moore is quite savage about Nader at some of the rallies – although in a comic way, it seems though that despite his previous support he has decided that the Greens are a non starter. It seems a shame that he has given up on this given the fact that John Kerry was hardly a staunch left winger in the election against Bush.

The only way I can reconcile this though is that Moore felt it more important to get Bush out of the White House than to garner support for what is, even more than the Liberal Democrats in this country, a poor third in every way. It is sad to see that America's “Democratic” system only has two parties but unfortunately that is exactly the way it is now and it is hardly Michael Moore's fault.

So in summary, the film was interesting to an extent, but to be honest told me nothing particularly new and nothing I was shocked about. Moore as a public figure is one of those characters that you either love or hate, and this film hasn't changed my opinion in that. All it suggested to me is that perhaps personally he is not a particularly likeable figure, but that isn't really an issue in the scheme of things now is it?

2007-09-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

Chili Crab Tiger Beer Singapore Festival Brick Lane
Ealing Literary Festival Acton Green Common.

So two events took my fancy this weekend - the Singapore festival in Brick Lane, promising amazing South East Asian cuisine, Kung Fu Demonstrations and music; and the Ealing Literary Festival which was just down the road from our house and would have been rude to miss out on - particularly since Nicholas Parsons was on!

So I went down to the common on Saturday and was a little underwhelmed by what was there - but then it is a small patch of land and they probably couldn't have fitted a lot else on there...

Anyway - they had a workshop tent, a couple of food stalls and a bar as well as the "Main Stage" tent which was where I spent most of my time. First on when I got there was Nirpal Singh Dhaliwhal talking about his debut novel Tourism. He seemed a nice bloke, interested in exploring themes and creating something that would really speak to the reader. I was interested in the Q & A to hear his thoughts on how easy it is to get published and that he didn't start writing properly until he was about 28 - which isn't too far different to me - I just need to get my arse in gear now I guess!

Following on from that - and in an entirely different direction was Nicholas Parsons talking about the nonsense writing of Edward Lear.

"How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!"
Who has written such volumes of stuff!
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
But a few think him pleasant enough."

He recited several works from memory, starting off with The Owl and the Pussycat and then introducing me to many other characters like the Jumblies and the Pobble who has no toes. I was impressed with the easy manner that he addressed the audience - I've heard Parsons in interviews and thought he was losing it a little bit - live however, and in difficult circumstances, he was very impressive as a raconteur and really showed why he is one of Britain's treasured figures...
I mention difficult circumstances because he seemed to find it very odd that he was performing in a tent, and told us how he had struggled to even find the park to arrive in time.
One amusing moment was when the sun came out and he thought the lights in the tent had suddenly been turned on!
I was impressed though and he made me want to explore the works of Edward Lear - it sounds like the sort of thing to recant to your kids...

The last thing I stayed for was Adam Zamoyski, a historian who was talking about "The Mad, The Bad and the Unexpected in the Making of History"
An interesting premise - that history is continually affected by the foibles of some of the main characters rather than any grand plan by leaders who take everything into account. I would be interested in reading his book actually although the talk he gave was a little stilted. It felt more like a history lecture - and I guess it was - difficult to follow a professional such as Parsons I suppose - but I lost things part of the way through.

On Sunday we headed over to Brick Lane for the Singapore Chili Crab festival which was extremely disappointing. First of all - What the Hell have they done to Spitalfields Market?
They seem to have taken a historic market and turned it into a shopping centre (or at least are in the process of it..) such a shame really but it seems to be the way of all the London markets.

Anyway - once we got to Brick Lane we were confronted by an enormous queue outside the Vibe Bar for food provided by the Kiasu restaurant - now this was the main reason we had gone down there - I love spicy south east Asian food and I was very disappointed to see that we would have to wait for over an hour to get fed. We walked a little further on to see the Boiler Room at the Truman Brewery where the main festival was taking place - while we were waiting for this we were told that there was another food queue once inside which would also take about 40 minutes. We went for a curry.

We did go back to check out the festival later though and to be honest there was nothing much there. A couple of stalls selling cooking sauces, instant noodles, soy drinks and Tiger Beer memorabilia and a stage where some Singaporean music was starting up. We saw the very end of Terry Tan doing a cooking demonstration - which I would have been interested in seeing actually.
And the Kung Fu display wasn't going to be on for another hour or so.

So we went to 93 Feet East and spent the rest of the afternoon playing Jenga and chilling to the rather cool music they were playing down there. I don't know who the guys organising it were but the girl who got up and played Jolene on the Acoustic guitar was very good and they put us all to shame with their Hula Hoop skills!

2007-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

1-2-3-4 Festival Shoreditch Park

Just got back from this rather excellent little free festival in fashionable Shoreditch today. They were helped by the weather which made everyone happy and meant that the day would always really be a success - outdoor events in England are so affected by the weather - lets face it so one of the best days this year made everything seem OK. The organisation could have been better - we were told to walk around the park to a different entrance by a steward when 10 yards away there were at least twenty people hopping over the little park fence and he was doing nothing to stop it - its a free festival so why be difficult about letting people in?
Also there was a lack of toilets - it was alright for the men who had urinal cubicles (once they had realised that's what they were...) but the queues for the individual portaloos suggested that the organisers had well underestimated the amount of people turning up - either that or everyone there had real bladder problems...

So what about the music? Well there were several stages and some good dance music coming from a couple of them but I'll concentrate on the three acts that we properly saw during the day. The Whip on the main Myspace stage were excellent - on in the afternoon and they just happened to be on as we were looking for something to see but their eighties style electro rhythms immediately got us interested and they played 3 or 4 good tunes before going into an excellent instrumental number which went on for a while and had the crowd jumping and waving arms. They carried on for a while after that and we slightly lost interest but they were great while it lasted.

Secondly Bono Must Die on the XBox360 Stage were a must see because of the name - but turned out to be a good choice anyway - I can't help thinking they are going to struggle to actually get anyway with that moniker and it is a shame because their angular guitar sound and engaging front man had the crowd singing along. We even started clapping along at one point and the singer seemed surprised "That's the first time that has ever happened!"
An excellent cover of Justin Timberlake's SexyBack was a highlight.

Finally, and the reason I went to be fair, was Har Mar Superstar - headlining with Fab Moretti from The Strokes on drums (and he did appear to be playing the rest of the backing track from an iPod..)
What a treat to see such a confident performer - although that could have been all the coke he kept referring to throughout.
It was mainly fucking he talked about though - picking out one girl on shoulders in the crowd "You in the white top - I will fuck you tonight"
"Is that your boyfriend?" - referring to the guy whose shoulders she was on and after receiving the thumbs up "I'm sorry dude but I'm fucking your girlfriend tonight".
His dancing and strip tease act were all present and correct and as usual he ended up dancing around the stage in his pants - during EZ Pass he and Moretti did a Flashdance sequence - running on the spot and turning.
DUI was probably the other big highlight but it was an engaging show throughout and the tunes are really an extra on top of the personality and the comedy of the performance.

2007-08-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Transformers, George Galloway and Fingerprinting

So I went to see Transformers the other day - how good was that?
Entertainment ramped up to ten with the cheesiest of plot lines, the most impressive effects I've seen in a while and some action that was second to none.

Today I watched some footage from parliament TV of George Galloway being kicked out of the house for his defence of the criticism he had faced from the Select Committee looking into the Mariam appeal where he had allegedly used the charity foundation as a front for siphoning off funds. It appears these allegations were groundless but Mr Galloway took offence to the way the investigation was carried out and his usual bullish response left him in contempt and facing temporary expulsion from the house.
I like Galloway - I'm a supporter of most of what he believes in and I do genuinely think most of the time he is fighting for the right side - I'm not so sure he does it in the right way but there you go. The newspapers made out he was ejected after making remarks about the house being corrupt - stating the double standards that led to this report in the first place considering the Cash for Honours scandal which has plagued the commons in recent months. In fact his more outrageous statements were early on and it was after well over an hour that the speaker eventually felt the need to Name Galloway after repeated frustrations meant he went against the rulings of the house one time too many.

I was actually watching to see the debate (if you can call it that with about 3 MPs present) over fingerprinting in schools. The argument against is a strong one for me - I'm naturally averse to this sort of function creep and the idea of a Big Brother style country is far to close for comfort in my view. However I felt the minister responding to the argument made a good case for these algorithmic readers which don't actually store a fingerprint and I can see how they might have their uses. I still think it should be compulsory to gain the permission of parents before this is done in any school though and I am worried that children will see this sort of thing as the norm.

2007-07-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

Live Earth BBC

Now don't get me wrong, I think this concert was a good thing. A very good thing actually, to try and make some sort of change in people's mindsets, to live more ethically, be less wasteful and take more responsibility for our actions. It is, of course, very easy to be cynical about the reasons behind some of the acts on display taking part, and indeed there is an argument that the real fight against Climate Change needs to be done on a corporate level, but if some individuals choose to change their light bulbs, recycle their paper, or only fill the kettle as much as they need as a result then it is a positive thing.

So with that in mind my criticisms here are going to be almost entirely pointed at the way the BBC chose to cover the event.
I'll stress as well that a nine hour live event like this one is going to be difficult to cover and that the presenters (Ross, Norton and Bowman) actually did an admirable job in the circumstances.
My patience was lost throughout though because of some really awful editorial decisions.
Live Earth was obviously a global event - and there was a lot of footage from Sydney, Hamburg and across the world which the Beeb had access to - in fact they had another show for the world highlights after the live Wembley coverage. So why they felt the need amongst all the great music being played at Wembley - where they had a big live crew, to keep cutting to pre-recorded stuff from elsewhere was beyond me. I could understand it as filler between acts but they were consistently missing stuff being played at Wembley for guff like Rihanna elsewhere and they still had guests in the studio filling in between.

I know Auntie has a remit to be even handed with this sort of coverage, although in this case there weren't many dissenting voices to be heard, but surely the main point of them screening the event was to show the music.
They seemed to be more interested in the words of Zac Goldsmith talking to Graham Norton, letting him ramble on before they cut to the middle of John Legend's one and only solo song; just to rub salt in the wound the caption announcing his performance of "Ordinary People" read "Common People" which is one of those mistakes you almost want to take personally.
Captioning was an issue throughout with the wrong song being announced on several occasions - Spinal Tap having an instrumental break in "Stonehenge" obviously confused the poor chap in charge as "Warmer Than Hell" was displayed on screen.

I can almost forgive this though - in a live event it is always possible to miss the start of acts - but cutting away from Metallica as they start to play Enter Sandman to show Crowded House recorded in Sydney, or missing the last Spinal Tap number where they had a stage invasion of the other acts on the bill to show KT Tunstall or some other dross was unforgivable.
The BBC had to accept that this was a music event, and a rock gig - there was going to be some slightly more challenging music on show than James Blunt and unfortunately the director could clearly only cope with middle of the road blandness.

The swearing didn't bother me in the slightest although I mention it because it is linked with one of the funniest moments of the day for me. Jonathan Ross hands over to Edith Bowman who says Chris Moyles has just gone on stage to introduce who is going to introduce the Chili Peppers; cut to Moyles who announces "Chris Rock". Chris Rock appears and almost immediately shouts "Mother Fuckers" at which point we cut back to Ross in the studio. Genius.

The BBC should have kept this simple - show the acts performing at Wembley - show some of the videos that had clearly been ready made for the event rather than the stock Whale song shit that they did show us and make the message as clear as Al Gore's Seven point pledge.

Oh and more Russell Brand

2007-06-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Glastonbury 2007

It was very wet and muddy. In fact it didn't stop raining almost all weekend.we got there early Thursday morning - knowing that the Wednesday had been the busiest they had ever had - and found that the only place we could find to camp was some way back from the action - up near the perimeter fence.We got pitched up though and took a wander round the site.It was overcast but not too bad at this point - with squally bits of rain but the ground was holding up alright.So we checked out the green fields - checking out all the massages and craft workshops that were going on and then went up to the "sacred space" to see Banky's portaloo Stonehenge...there were bits and pieces going on Thursday night but i cant actually remember what we did...

anyway - Friday and the festival started proper - and it started raining proper as well - we saw Mr Hudson and the Library on the Other Stage early onand The View on the Pyramid(main) stage.Mr Hudson showed real diversity with several singers and a steel drum being implemented in their set, meaning a rich and varied sound kept things interesting despite the onset of drizzle. The View on the other hand were a bit average, Indie stodge with a couple of good tunes and an admirable amount of energy for 11.30 in the morning but nothing to rave about.We met up with some mates to see The New Pornographers in the John Peel Tent. Despite poor balance meaning it was difficult to hear the vocals they showcased a warm sound and played an enjoyable set. Then we wandered over to see a bit of the Coral on the other stage - they have a strong back catalogue now and despite being off the scene for a while still showed they can perform on a big stage - Dreaming of You prompted waltzing in the mud - it was the feel good set that we needed.Friday night the Arcade Fire were a bit disappointing for me - despite some good songs they seemed to leave pregnant pauses throughout the set, losing all momentum and my interest. I'm not sure how they got the reputation as one of the best live bands around.We finished off with Spiritualized on the new Park stage, playing late and acoustic, Jason Pierce led a string section through some of his greatest (non) hits - it was a beautiful sound and a fabulous end to the day - Broken Heart, Cool Waves and Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space were highlights of a set that went on and on. I love you Jason!

Saturday morning we saw Brakes on the Other stage and they were fantastic. I've been dying to see them live for a while and the short set here was enough to whet my appetite for a proper gig. Porcupine or Pineapple was preceded by throwing 2 pineapples into the audience and they played Cheney 3 times as well as a large selection off their recent album and a pounding All Night Disco Party. Then we wandered through the mud and rain - which was getting worse by this point, over to the circus and cabaret area.

We saw an energetic and impressive Maximo Park followed by a more subdued Editors Saturday night. Then we caught a bit of the Killers, the mud was horrendous up near the Pyramid stage though - we bought seats and were sitting watching the Killers while people were getting stuck right next to us in the mud wellies were coming off and people were sinking by the minute, it was funny it was also a good workout trying to get back to the tent!
The sound was lousy though so we went and saw a bit of the Twang in the John Peel Tent. I couldn't handle the cheesy banter though, despite some pretty good sounding tunes so we left early.

Sunday - it rained ALL DAY most of the other days were wet in the morning but cleared up in the afternoon/evening, on Sunday - it didn't stop...
We took a mission to take some of the stuff back to the car - it was really heavy carrying bags for about 3k to where we were camped so we thought we would try and ease the pain a little on the way back - which did work but only slightly.Saw the Chemical Brothers Sunday night and they were alright.

Mud was bad coming out though - we got to the car about 8.30 (after the 3k slog - in the rain and mud)but got stuck in a queue trying to get out of the car park - bearing in mind this was just fields.we were in a queue for about 3 hours wondering why we were waiting so long- when we got to the last field we realised...the whole of the middle had been churned into a slippery mess and as cars were coming through the gap in the hedge they were almost immediately getting struck.we reversed through the mud and then had to make several attempts to get across the quagmire - including getting out and pushing.we made it though managing to weave our way through about 20 cars who were all attempting the same maneuver - it was like a big stock car race.Tania's engine was smelling pretty bad at this point though so we had to leave it to cool off for a few minutes. Which gave us opportunity to watch as the cars tried to make it through - there were tractors helping out - giving cars a push with big bales of hay strapped to the front - it was hilarious.

Anyway after getting out and stopping for lunch we got stuck in traffic after an accident near stonehenge and got home about 9.30 Monday night...

It was good but not as good as previous years - purely due to the weather - it didn't flood as bad as last time

2007-06-29T02:54:00.000-07:00

Frank Skinner's Skateboarding Dog

We went to a pilot of Frank Skinners new show last night - didn’t know what to expect as we hadn't had any indication as to what the show would entail.It turns out to be a topical comedy show showcasing Frank introducing clips from the week and making amusing comment, as well as introducing new, and some established comics to put their spin on events. It isn't a particularly original concept, and the remit seemed to be wide enough to cover politics, sport, and pretty much anything else you care to mention. I'm not sure who wrote the scripts for this show but most of the gags elicited little more than groans from the baked TV audience and some of the guests seemed equally out of sorts with random content which seemed neither topical nor amusing.I'm a big fan of Skinner when he uses his quick wit and off the cuff remarks, particularly when interviewing guests, but I don't think he is suited to this format, and he certainly needs to get some new writers.

2007-06-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

Wireless and the White Stripes

The Wireless festival - as I think I wrote last year is less a festival than a big afternoon gig, and aptly enough the headliners tonight blew everything else out of Hyde Park and reeling into the night. It is certainly a better organised event than the similarly commercial V festival but its another one where the music is pretty much the only distraction.

With that in mind, Jack and Meg showed they have mastered the blues as they played an exceptional set of down and dirty rock. The noise Jack squeezes out of his guitar is sensational. A sonic assault that has real power and beauty in equal measures; while his singing is soaked in the tradition of a great many blues men - just dripping with emotion and screaming with sheer energy that the music provokes.
It wass one of the best gigs I have seen in a long long while; visually the purely red and white video screens and the silhouette of Meg and her drum reflected on the backdrop of the stage made a dramatic impact - and you never felt like the two of them were doing anything but filling the stage.

It was a monumental performance, from Hotel Yorba through to the new single Icky Thump, and their profound cover of Jolene. They finished on Seven Nation Army and it became clear that White has possibly sold his soul to the blues - I think he got a good deal.

2007-05-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Cheese Rolling and Woolsack Racing

So a traditional weekend in the country as requested by our Australian friends which would take in such normal bank holiday activities as hurling oneself down a hill chasing after a piece of cheese.

The rolling takes place in the Cotswolds at a place called Coopers Hill on the outskirts of Gloucester.We set off with plenty of time - or so we thought, but after getting stuck in a traffic jam we knew it was going to be a little tight to get up to the rolling route.
We followed the crowd and that was our first mistake - there was a big queue to get through a gate and an even bigger queue through the footpath leading in a roundabout way to the rolling site. We ended up climbing through fences, through a paddock with some rather unhappy looking cows and then squelched our way through a muddy forest just to get to the bottom of the rolling hill. I was nearly dead by that point - so even if it hadn't looked like suicide I wasn't in any state to do it!
So the actual cheese rolling was mental up a ridiculously steep hill this guy in a white coat comes out with a big round lump of cheese - presents it to the crowd, before chucking it down the slope.At which point a bunch of nutters hurl themselves down after it,skidding on their backsides, and head over heels - it looked virtually impossible to get down keeping your feet, although in the last race one guy seemed to just about manage it
Then we went to Tetbury where they had woolsack racing - a relay race where guys run up and down a hill with a 60lb sack of wool on their backs. We were there just in time to catch the final, the whole town seemed to be out and lining the course as commentators placed in various spots down the hill kept us up to date with proceedings.The town also had a fair on with flaming jugglers and Morris Dancers and other traditional fare We bought some fudge, jam and chutney and went home happy.The Australians left having had a fun day - and wanting to go again next year - safe in the knowledge that the English are mad.

2007-05-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

Archipelago Restaurant, Blue Elephant Fulham, Percy Arms, Surrey.

Three meals out in the space of four days - and wildly different in terms of service, food and décor.

First on Wednesday we had a lastminute.com offer - two courses at the exotic restaurant for only £15 each - although as usual extras were added - not least a bottle of wine. A £7,650 bottle on the menu was a bit out of our price range but we settled down in the small and intricately decorated space next to each other. A nice touch is that all of the plates and glasses are different - so a red goblet for wine or a nicely decorated plate will be different for each person. I started with the Crocodile in Vine leaves, served on a block of stone, carved in the centre to hold the chili dipping sauce. Now I have had Crocodile burgers in Australia but this was a different class. Meaty but also slightly fishy they were tender and delicious.Moving on to the main course we had a Caribbean style curry and fish with a Strawberry salsa, both of which were good. The house speciality though is the Love Bug salad, added as an extra, we had fried Crickets and Grasshoppers - the locusts had run out apparently.. They were crunch and tasted of the chili oil and garlic they had been fried in - it was an interesting touch but its not something I would go wild over!We were too full for the Chocolate covered scorpions and a little too tipsy for A Visit From the Doctor - where a tray of rare drinks is brought out for you to sample.More expensive than we planned but overall a very pleasant evening.

Friday it was the Blue Elephant in Fulham for a large group of food lovers to try out some quality Thai cuisine.This is a big restaurant - in fact a lot bigger than you think from outside - it has a stream running through the middle and bridges to take you through the maze of tables. It has a nice atmosphere though, with palms and the water taking you away from the Broadway to a different world.Having said that they did seem to be a little overrun - there was a lot of staff about but we didn't seem to have someone particularly allocated to us and it was a case of grabbing who you could. The buffet dinner that had been ordered was decent quality - but it was somewhat overpriced at £35 per person - especially considering the stingy portions of rice.I always enjoy Thai food though so it was a nice night - I couldn't help thinking that we could have had something very similar a lot cheaper elsewhere.

If I thought the service was a little slack on Friday though it was nothing compared to the disastrous Sunday Lunch we had at the Percy Arms, near Guildford in Surrey.We have been to this place on various occasions and had some excellent meals - the South Africans who manage the place put on an excellent Carvery with a wide selection of meats, served generously and with a help yourself approach to the rest of the dinner it isn't often one goes hungry.I don't know what has happened to the place though. Understaffed, or just badly organised our lunch was a shambles from start to finish.One of our party, as a vegetarian, was not having the lunch - as there was no veggie option, after being given the wrong menus though she was told that she couldn't have the Ploughman's she wanted - the only ones available were meaty. This seemed odd - why it is hard to put some cheese on a plate is beyond me, but she eventually decided on one of the few veggie options - a Mediterranean stack. We waited for our ticket to collect our roasts as we could see the queue getting longer.One of the several girls serving us brought out the stack and asked if we would now like to get our lunch - a bit late really since by the time we had queued up the (starter sized) stack had long gone. The queue itself was a joke - the carver kept getting pulled off to do other jobs - not least by the guy we later discovered was the manager and who should have been organising things. The food was disappointing too, no pork and only the arse end of the gammon left, the lamb was tender but the beef was like leather. The Cauliflower cheese wasn't ready - with grated cheddar unmelted on the top. There were almost no roast potatoes, the peas had been mixed in with an old lot and the gravy was lumpy.The vegetarian complained about not getting served at the same time - this after waiting for half an hour at the bar, and was told she could have her meal for free as an apology.When we eventually came to get the cheque - after asking three times, her meal had not been taken off and the next girl serving us didn't know how to override it. She went looking for the manager but couldn't find it and so brought our card back to us, telling us it would be sorted by someone else.We had just about enough of the passing the buck and so promptly walked out without paying. What a disappointment - we won't be going back.

2007-04-24T03:13:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-04-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-04-23T07:26:00.002-07:00

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.

2007-04-23T07:26:00.001-07:00

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.

2007-04-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-04-16T04:10:00.001-07:00

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.

2007-04-13T04:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-04-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-04-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-03-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Is Art more valuable than Science? - Another Love to Lead question

Another impossible question with a million different interpretations as to what the question even means.
You can take it as - would you rather listen to the Beatles or fly to India.
Would you rather see the Mona Lisa, or understand Relativity.
Would you rather read Ulysses or be immune from Smallpox.

It is fair to say there is a time and place for Art and Science. Art is generally what keeps people happy while science provides tools to make certain tasks easier and can perhaps solve more social problems.
Having said that, if it wasn't for science would the planet be in such a state?
Would we be facing environmental catastrophe if it wasn't for the industrial revolution and the prevalence of cars and planes?
Would the danger of nuclear weapons be hanging over our heads if it wasn't for science?

Art tends to be harmless, and often healing, while science can be the most destructive force known to man.

I'm being vague here because it's a vague question but my heart lies in the Art camp. I think we live in a society where Science is considered to be the answer to everything but if you actually speak to a scientist you realise that the more we uncover, the less we tend to actually know. Science comes with the pretence of being a panacea for the world's problems when actually it is nothing of the sort. Is the world we live in as easy to understand as taking a few readings and calling that empirical? Very little scientific research is flawless and you can usually find someone who can make a counter claim based on their own research so who should we believe?

At least with Art you know where you stand - it is all about feelings and knowing how a piece of music, book, sculpture or painting affects you and makes you look at the world in a different way.

Does the human race really want to take science over art?
Living in a futuristic world with no music or books but with a clean environment, pills instead of food and a life path that is defined at birth based on "research"?

I'd rather take my chances with disease and listen to Abbey Road.

2007-03-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

2007-03-31T04:07:00.000-07:00

Sausage Night 3 - Battersea Arts Centre

A comedy night with a free sausage sandwich thrown in - what could be more appealing?
Tonight was a fundraiser for the BAC, which seems to have been under threat from the local council for as long as I can remember - this is the third in an annual charity series - so at least three years I guess...

The Arts Centre is a funny place, we are shepherded down the side of the building and through a hall resembling somewhere I used to have scout meetings, up back stairs and along corridors which felt like a primary school. The Grand Hall itself had plastic chandeliers and a flat floor with rows of some of the most uncomfortable chairs I have spent time with, perhaps explaining why there were two intervals.

Robin Ince was an affable compere and did a good job of getting the crowd focused after the intervals, he is difficult to dislike without being a must see act. The first section consisted of two sets from Ince and the gay American comic Scott Capuro who had to go to perform elsewhere later that evening.
He was hilarious but incredibly close to the bone, taking in the gamut of racism, sexism, homophobia, paedophila bestiality and anything else in between. "It's a bit too early for me isn't it" he smirked at one point.

The second section introduced Josie Long who did a very brief set, she is another likeable and entirely off beat performer who I felt maybe tried to be too mainstream for the benefit of the audience, which I don't think she needed to do. Disappointing that she wasn't on for longer though, and the same could be said of Never Mind the Buzzcocks host, Simon Amstell, who seemed to be looking for an excuse to get offstage almost as soon as he was on it. He apologised for trying out new material on us and when it ran out scarpered. Now, some of it was funny, but quite why he couldn't have mixed old and new to extend at least for 15 minutes escaped me.

The final section was two powerhouses and two of my favourite comedians.
Stewart Lee told us about his recent endoscopy and explained how Joe Pasquale is a thief, while Mark Thomas told us about his record breaking new hobby of demonstrating in Westminster.
Neither disappointed with excellent, well balanced sets that had the audience rolling. Lee in particular had the crowd from the first sentence and kept them laughing for the whole half hour with his brilliant delivery.

Overall it was a good night although I was particularly disappointed with Amstell and thought the overall organisation could have also done with a bit of work.
Decent Sausage though.

2007-03-29T04:01:00.001-07:00

Just Jack @ Astoria
I wasn't expecting a lot from tonight if I'm honest but what a pleasant surprise. Now I'm a fan of UK Hip Hop and I did like Jack's album, but I tend to prefer the grimier end of the spectrum, the likes of Akira the Don. Jack's sheer excitement and a warm reaction from a packed Astoria made this a gig it was difficult to dislike though.A good set, mostly taken from Overtones, his second album, but with a couple of songs from his first thrown in was well balanced and his banter kept things flowing.New song "Goth in the Disco" was a ripsnorter of a tune, although I'm not entirely sure I agree with the sentiment!Of course he saved his big hit "Starz in their Eyes" for the one song encore and it went down a treat, but the gig had been great up until that point anyway - the single was just the icing on a very tasty cake. Which of course is the way it should be. Oh, and it wasn't Just Jack either - his band were tight, the drummer was very good in particular.

2007-03-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

More Love to Lead debate...

Is Immigration killing National Identity? -- Love to Lead

In the Global society we now live in, I think first the question must be asked - is National Identity even relevant any more. Nation States are after all a construct and one which has constantly changed over history, both in terms of boundaries and also in how they are considered.

I live in London - and there probably isn't a greater melting pot of cultures and backgrounds in all the world. I don't really consider London to be an English City - or even a British one, it is a world city and one which is vibrant, exciting and full of possibilities - not least because of the immigrant population.

I can't help thinking that the real divide between people should be seen as the difference between rich and poor, the haves and have-nots in this world. How many governments really put the best interests of the poor in our society ahead of big corporations or rich individuals? At the high levels of government there is almost always corruption and people looking out for themselves, the needy are blinded by the idea of national pride into following the leader who is screwing them over behind their backs.

Sounding pretty Marxist now aren't I?

Anyway in a nutshell I guess Yes Immigration is killing National Identity - and I kinda see that as a good thing..

2007-03-20T05:19:00.001-07:00

Will copyright pirates kill television?

I think it rather unlikely that Television will be killed by YouTube, although if I'm honest I spend more time watching clips online than I do watching standard TV.For your average person though I think the idea of sitting in front of a computer for their evenings entertainment is not a very positive one. The effort required for getting online content is not something the majority are prepared to undertake at this moment - although I guess the easier it becomes the greater this appeal will become. To say it will kill television though is scaremongering in the extreme. What YouTube in particular offers is the possibility of watching content that is not available on normal television - some of this may infringe copyright but surely if it has already been broadcast and the advertising has already been paid for a show what is the problem with creating a little more interest and buzz by having it popular on the net?Since the Video Cassette was introduced in the '80s it has been possible to copy television content - the only difference now is the medium - it is slightly easier to disseminate the recorded video online but if television survived VCRs, DVDRs and Sky Plus style technology then I can't see how online piracy is going to be any different. If there is inherent value in any piece of work then surely that will bear out in the end. The trouble with the current trend in extending copyright restrictions is that you are restricting who can see works based on a financial gain - in an era when there is so much content being bandied about - surely the whole value of the Internet as a medium is being restricted. I have gone well off topic here but the "will pirates kill television" argument is one which can be extended to all forms of entertainment, and with the overwhelming answer being no. If Television was "killed" by pirates then pirates would have nothing to pirate - so what would happen then? Piracy has not killed video games, cinema, DVDs or any of the other markets that claim to have been threatened in the past - the truth is that if you have a product that is good enough people will buy it - whether it is available pirated or not. In fact pirated copies often just provide the opportunity to try products that would not otherwise have been considered - the argument that it is theft doesn't hold up if you would never have purchased the product in the first place. The other truth is that creative people will always create - musicians will make music and filmmakers will make films - at the end of the day it is the corporate bodies behind them that are trying to recoup costs that lose money.

2007-03-20T05:17:00.000-07:00

Air @ Kentish Town Forum

I've been a fan of Moon Safari, Air's debut album, since it came out in a swell of French music that swept Britain during the late 90's. Daft Punk were the other big electronic band to break at the same time and although the two came from different ends of the dance spectrum they became a movement - at least in the eyes of the music press. Air have released another 5 albums since them but none of them has contained anything as anthemic as Sexy Boy or Kelly Watch the Stars, they may have been good albums, last years Walkie Talkie had its moments, and the new Pocket Symphony has some good collaborations but none have been quite as good as a whole as their debut. With no guest vocalists tonight though, it is easy to drift off slightly during the long instrumental sections that dominate the middle of the set. It is interesting to see the band work, with one of the guys providing what had always previously sounded like female vocals while the other's funky bass lines and use of vocoder on Sexy Boy were a highlight. So technically very nice and competent but for me they needed a bit more sparkle, and maybe a Jarvis Cocker moment to elevate the gig to the next level.

2007-03-13T04:50:00.001-07:00

Mind The Gap @ Roxy Bar and Screen

So another in the Documentary season at the Roxy, and this time ex Mi5 man David Shayler takes a look a the events of July 7th 2005 when London saw suicide bombers detonate bombs on the transport network. I have heard a lot of the conspiracy theory stuff before and think there is a very strong case to be made for at least a public enquiry to be held into the events of that day but I didn't feel this film added much to the debate. Raising more questions than it was able to answer and showing a production quality that was straight off the Internet - which was particularly noticeable on the 4ft screen here, what was lacking was hard evidence. There is no smoking gun, not even a building seven, but a public enquiry does still seem appropriate. An entertaining night but nothing new.

2007-03-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

Ash @ ULU

Now a three piece again after Charlotte left lat year Ash seem to have regressed to their punky beginnings with seemingly half of tonight's set coming from their debut 1977.

Not that this was a bad thing for me - It's the only album of theirs that I own and was one of my favourites back in the Britpop days. It's just a bit worrying for me that a band that is still going ten years after they were formed is heavily relying on their earliest material to get the crowd going and bulk out the set. The sound overall wasn't great either, a muddy mix highlighted the lack of finesse in the band. Now this is the first time I've seen them live so I don't really have a frame of reference but I can imagine they are still in a period of transition after Charlotte leaving - losing a quarter of your line up I guess is going to affect the live performance and I can only think this is why they were playing the smaller venues in the first place - trying to tighten up the act. Maybe this is also the reason for the reliance on early stuff - when of course they were a three piece - certainly its the only reason I can think that they didn't play Shining Light which was one of their more successful later singles.

So I sound disappointed - and in a way I was but having said that to pogo up and down to Girl From Mars and Kung Fu like it was '97 all over again was a bit of a treat and they do still have an energy about them - fitting really since they are actually still younger than some of the Kaiser Chiefs.

2007-03-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

Is Euthanasia fundamental to a civilised society?

Love to Lead gets controversial…

I don't think it is fundamental to a civilised society but I don't think it should be illegal either with certain provisos.

To say "fundamental to a civilised society" brings visions of Soylent Green to mind and the idea of killing off old people because they are past a useful age, or disabled children as the Nazi's did. For the terminally ill who are in constant pain and who are mentally aware enough to be able to request Euthanasia I don't see how anyone can deny them that. It would clearly need to be closely regulated, as state sponsored suicide lends itself rather too well to exaggerated tabloid headlines, but with a doctor's guidance and full consent required it doesn't seem to me like too large a step to take.

2007-03-06T03:57:00.000-08:00

Roxy Bar and Screen - Documentary Season - Empire in the Andes

The first time I have visited the Roxy on Borough High Street but I doubt it will be the last - reminiscent of places in South East Asia where you can sit and watch pirated DVDs over your dinner, this place is a touch classier and shows less mainstream stuff - for obvious copyright reasons that don't bother the populations of Laos or Indonesia. Last night was a documentary about US imperialism in Colombia and the support they have given to the "War on Drugs" in Plan America which has left the country in a state of civil war. The US has had operations in Central and South America for many years and it is well documented, but somehow these actions seem to slip under the radar of the mainstream media and the billions of dollars spent on military aid or on US companies supporting activities in the region are ignored. The list of US contractors spraying coca crops with fumigating chemicals went on and on. These companies are funded and run from the US but because they are not directly government or military they don't get the same level of coverage. These actions destroy other crops in the region and cause peasant farmers to lose their livelihoods and they are forced to move into the cities. The documentary sketched out an overall US plan in the Andean region covering oil pipelines and the dominance they hope to gain in the region. South American politics has started leaning left in the last few years with Hugo Chavez leading the way in Venezuela but also Bolivia and others beginning to take a more socialist route. I hope this continues and the US is scuppered in its schemes which seem to leave the majority of the region in conflict.

2007-03-05T03:28:00.000-08:00

Hot Fuzz After Spaced and Shaun of the Dead Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have a lot to live up to. I'm not convinced that they do with this homage to the cop genre set in a small village in Gloucestershire. It is a stellar cast, including Timothy Dalton as the most blatant arch villain you are ever likely to see. It is surprisingly gory as well, resembling a horror film at times and yes it is all done in the name of pastiche but a head being caved in by falling masonry is difficult to watch even for comic effect...!I enjoyed Hot Fuzz but it wasn't as laugh out loud funny as I was expecting and Edgar Wright's direction borders on the manic at times. It makes for an entertaining ride and one that I think you could get more from subsequent watches. I wonder if the initial problem I have is with Pegg and Frost playing slightly different characters, Frost is not as abrasively useless as in previous encounters and I'm not sure the puppy dog is really him.

2007-03-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Love to Lead - Can Money Buy Happiness?

Money - the root of all evil!

It can no doubt buy a good time, and apart from that, a comfortable time. I think people don't appreciate the value of money until they have a lack of it.Whether it can buy happiness though is another question. How do you define happiness? Is anyone happy all the time? Poor people surely have times when they are ecstatic just as rich people have spells in the doledrums.

It's another vague Love to Lead question which really can't have a sensible answer.

People find happiness in different things - friends and family are important but surely they can't always be there to make you happy. I think being happy and content the whole time is a wholly unlikely proposition regardless of the amount of money you may have. It can mean you have a lot more time to go and get drunk and party - but then there are always the mornings after. It can mean you can do good deeds - and this is probably the crux of where happiness comes in - if you feel what you are doing with your day is worthwhile and rewarding then that must surely be the best way to spend your time. If you have too much money though then maybe the temptations it offers can make you forget the things that are really important to you.

It's all a matter of how you consider money I guess - it is a strange construct in many ways and one which keeps the majority of the population enslaved to its vagaries. The company I work for does it's business with financial institutions but the market within which they work constantly baffles me. The movements of stock which can be seen as a game for stockbrokers and the like can have real tangible effects on people in the real world and yet it is just so many numbers on a screen.

The billions of dollars that the likes of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have are impossible to even visualise for the majority of people. In America, the Federal Reserve, like the Bank of England, is an independent body, not governed by the state. It has the power to set interest rates and print money as it sees fit. Which essentially gives the bankers the power to create money out of nothing. Bank Charges are unfair you say? The whole system of banking is skewed towards the rich - it's like being at a casino - the house always wins.

Unfortunatley this is the world we live in and we can't ignore that - much as I'd like to do a Fight Club scene!

Who amongst us wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be financially independent for the rest of their lives? It begs the question though - what would you spend the money on in order to make you happy?

I've gone off topic a little here but I think the crux of what I'm trying to say is that Money is designed to keep the average man unhappy - or at least preoccupied with the thought of it. Interesting that the first time many people looked at the global warming issue was when the recent financial report containing the amount of damage (in money terms) rising tides and the like would cause!

2007-03-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Accidental Collectors - Aram

I have often walked past the Aram store on Drury Lane, looked in the window and thought that the various trendy bits of furniture looked nice and colourful but no doubt completely out of my price range. £3000 for a slightly uncomfortable chair pretty much reached my expectations. On the third floor at the minute though is an interesting collection of artifacts. Aprons, clothes pegs, gas lights and glassware are among the things that have been collected and put on show here. All very interesting, particularly given the location - found things like these in a shop which makes itself exclusive mainly through price. The exhibition itself is appealing though showing a potted history of design through its pieces but also how design can be based on necessity or lack of resource - the kerosene lamps from India being a key example of this. It attempts to show the different mindset of "collectors", people who are obsessed with finding artifacts that fit their designs. I'm going nowhere fast with this but suffice to say its a nice little collection - worth a look but unless you have money flying out your ears don't be tempted to look at the sofas on the way out!

Noisettes @ Fopp

So a far bigger audience than last time I was down here and despite 3 Drowned in Sound acts being on tonight the Noisettes are by far the biggest pull.Playing an acoustic set, rather than blowing the roof off in this little basement, they sound very different to on the album "What's the Time Mr Wolf?" It's a crowd pleasing set though, LEAD SINGER, has a powerful voice and emotes the songs even more when not competing with the electric guitars. An unexpected cover of I Wanna Dance With Somebody was lovingly performed and you realise that this lot are not quite as serious as first seems. Next big thing? Maybe

2007-02-27T03:11:00.000-08:00

An Inconvenient Truth - Friends of the Earth The Big Ask Event at the Prince Charles Cinema, with David Milliband
So I write this not really as a review of the film - it won Oscars, it's frightening and educational at the same time, you owe it to yourself to see it and spread the message, and in my own small way that's what I'm trying to do.Climate change is happening, and it is happening dramatically and with potentially devastating effects within our lifetimes.This event, sponsored by Friends of the Earth and held at the rather lovely Prince Charles Cinema, just off Leicester Square, combined a screening of the film with a Q & A session with Environment minister David Miliband. Despite my reservations over New Labour and this present government, Miliband seems like a good egg and does seem commited to making a difference, although some of the hardcore asking the questions will never accept the changes as enough. I guess this is quite right - demonstrators should be pushing for big changes as much as possible because otherwise nothing will ever be done.So anyway - a good event, and one that will be running throughout the year as the PCC has commited to showing the film every week in 2007. They have Menzies Campbell coming in a couple of weeks and David Cameron has agreed to come at some point during the year.So anyway - here's some important links!http://www.climatecrisis.net/

2007-02-26T07:16:00.001-08:00

Yet another Love to Lead question vaguely stabbed at...

Is Hate a stronger emotion than Love?
Let's be brutally honest here. There is a fine line between the two. They are two sides of the same emotion and I don't believe can be separated into different categories. If scientists tell us Love is a chemical reaction in the brain then hate is no less a reaction. If emotions can be dissected in terms of chemicals then clearly one is just a different reaction than another.Even if you think emotions are more than chemical reactions - something that cannot be explained away with simple science there is a strong literary tradition that these emotions are closely linked, entwined in the rush of feeling that comes in any intense relationship.
I think the trouble is there are many different interpretations and manifestations of both "Love" and "Hate". To claim one is stronger than the other would be too general a conclusion.

2007-02-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hunter S Thompson - Gonzo.

We went to see this small collection of prints from Hunter Thompson's collection, being sold off by his estate as limited edition pieces, and also as a coffee table book.Thompson's writing is something I have long admired for his style and politics, the Nixon baiting Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail being one of my favourite collections. The prints here contain a selection of shots of the man himself, in various states from wide-eyed peering over the windscreen of his convertible to contemplative with typewriter next to the cliffs of Big Sur. There are also photos taken by Thompson of the Hell's Angels, prowling through the streets but generally showing their more human side, not least the shot "Hell's Angel and Chick".Some nice shots it must be said, showing a light side to people who usually get tarred as being uncontrollably violent, something Thompson could probably relate to.Mind you the price of the prints (and even more so for the Fashion collection downstairs) blew me away. I must get my camera out.

London - A life in Maps - British Library

I had not been to the British Library before but it is somewhere I will be going back to, I think it would be very easy to spend a few hours browsing the works and free exhibitions on offer here. London - A life in Maps charts the history of London by using a collection of detailed street maps and more graphical illustrative works done to show the skyline and how it has changed. I'm fascinated by maps, a good one can make you think of a place in a different way because it gives you a different viewpoint and wider image of somewhere you might know differently. To see how somewhere has changed over time is even more interesting, and London has changed a great deal in it's long history. The effect of the fire is clear to see in some of the maps, and others depicting areas affected by Cholera are also interesting.I think the most fascinating thing is how small London once was and yet was still considered a major world city. To see Southwark as mainly fields, and north of High Holborn as essentially the countryside makes you realise that the sprawling metropolis we know these days once consisted only of the very centre and the surrounding suburbs, if they existed at all, were tiny villages or hamlets. Some of the viewpoints are fascinating as well, I work on the Strand and used to cross the river at Waterloo quite regularly. From the ground it isn't obvious how much of a curve there is in the river at this point with it essentially turning back upon itself. I shall be looking out for this the next time I take a stroll.

Trip Tych Swap Shop - Fred Deakin - Pure Groove Records

Fred Deakin, one half of Lemonjelly(http://www.lemonjelly.ky/), held the mic and the decks at this promotional event for his new Mix album, 3 CDs of random stuff he has collected over the years. I'll post a review of the album when I have had chance to listen to it properly but this event was a lot of fun in it's own right. Following on from a number of swapping nights that seem to have sprung up in London over recent months this event was partly run by the Airwave graphic design collective that Deakin is a part of. So they were swapping T-shirts for Jokes and rare vinyl was being exchanged while sweets were handed out and party tunes were being played. I wasn't expecting Pure Groove to be quite as small I must say but it did lend itself to a fun atmosphere and the black russians they were handing out helped as well.I can't imagine there was more fun to be had in Archway of a Saturday afternoon anywhere else - and going to watch the rugby afterwards pretty much confirmed it!

The Big Chill House - New Orleans Charity event.

Rob da Bank and Joe Driscoll were the pulls for us to this event - although having seen Driscoll the previous Thursday and flagging from Saturday night we didn’t actually stay late enough for him. In fact we didn't see much of the "event" and the only reason I'm writing about it now is to talk about Mama Cherri's Soul food which was being served especially for todays event. We shared a platter of ribs, chicken wings, sweet potato salad, chicken jambalaya, catfish goujons and salad. It was excellent, more than enough for three of us and with an awesome mix of flavours, perhaps not as spicy as I expected although I did avoid the big slices of chilli.
Yum anyway..!

2007-02-23T02:44:00.000-08:00

Joe Driscoll at YoYo - Notting Hill Arts Club
The basement venue and tiny corner stage were the perfect setting for Joe Driscoll's talents. While I have no doubt he could hold a bigger crowd and perform on a bigger stage there are real advantages to an intimate setting. Driscoll performs beatboxing and "live looping" so he will lay down a vocal hook, guitar line or beat and use foot pedals to record and loop back to create the songs - everything you hear is live. In this setting there is no question of this - you can see him doing it, nudging on and off buttons with his feet. It's very impressive to watch and requires perfect timing as well as musicianship, although I thought he probably needed more practice on the didge. He held a varied crowd mostly by himself for the full set and it wasn't the technical achievements that the crowd was most into, it was the funky beats and energy that he puts into the show that made it a real treat. I've seen Imogen Heap do similar looping and it really wasn't the same, not as cool.

2007-02-22T04:55:00.000-08:00

Are computer games a waste of time?

Having wasted a large amount of time playing Championship Manager in my youth I would have to say yes. I'm not even sure I can really say I enjoyed playing it, I was just unable to stop. The addiction of a text based simulation like this is difficult to explain, I think the depth of the experience and the idea that almost anything could happen was what kept me going.I kind of wish I'd spent that time doing other things though.
I still have fun playing first person shooters occasionally, and a multi player game of worms or Fifa is always good fun, and I think fun is the key.
I don't think having a good time is ever a waste of time but how often do gamers persevere when what they are doing is causing them only frustration and stress?
There is an argument that computer games are potentially the new big form of entertainment - overwhelming TV and film as younger people prefer an interactive approach to spending their spare time. Whether this will come to pass will be interesting to see but I think the Wii is probably a step in the right direction - if only because it introduces physical activity and actually getting up off the sofa.

I'm a fan of computer games but are they a waste of time? I think that undoubtedly they can be.

2007-02-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

Fopp unsigned Bands winners Olympus Mons and Morton Valance were in attendance tonight at the Tottenham Court Road branch of the record shop.
I've been a fan of Fopp since my student days in Sheffield - spending the majority of my student loan that didn't go on beer in there creating a many and varied CD collection.

Tonight was the first time I had been to the Tottenham Court Road "Megastore" though - and it's quite a place. The bar downstairs is cosy to say the least, and Olympus Mons front man Aaron made it clear their set might not be quite as bombastic as usual to protect our eardrums.
This three piece came across well, Aaron's shy but likeable persona won the audience over and their angular guitars revealed some good tunes. They won last years 3 student Music award and the young fanbase who appeared to be out in force are obviously taking them to heart. I was going to get through this review without mentioning Bloc Party but there is an obvious similarity: angular guitars and an eloquent black lead singer, I wouldn't go as far as to say that these youngsters are better but they have real potential.

Morton Valance were scuppered by what I believe is known as "technical difficulties", not that suprising considering the two keyboards, trumpet, harmonica, bass and drums set up. Oh and I mustn't forget the highly energetic maraca player - not quite Bez but along the same lines. It's difficult to give a fair review with the sound problems they had - not least the guitar breaking through the set leaving them with no "rock" section. They showed sparks of brilliance not least in opening number "Sailors" but their frontman wasn't as likeable, despite giving out Cherry Bakewells at the beginning and in a venue this small engaging with the audience would seem to be the first thing to do. Again, this may all come down to frustration with the sound issues and I'd like to see them again in a more suitable venue.

2007-02-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

Jarvis at the Astoria

So having only listened to the album twice I wasn't sure how the great man would come across in the live arena. I was expecting a few Pulp songs as well to be honest - but he explained he wasn't playing any because his band wasn't Pulp - and it wouldn't be the same.
Which is fair enough and especially after a gig as good as this one.
Jarvis has always had a presence and an easy way with the crowd and his asides and chattyness with the audience came across wonderfully tonight. The gig was due to finish a little early due to the G-A-Y club featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor being on afterwards and he even managed to tell the Murder on Zidanze-floor joke and get a laugh.

The music was great as well - Black Magic and Don't let him Waste Your Time stood out as well as the fantastic encore of Cunts are still ruling the world and an unexpectedly brilliant cover of Paranoid by Black Sabbath

If only Jarvis was ruling the world - it would be a better place...

2007-02-16T11:14:00.001-08:00

2007-02-13T03:34:00.000-08:00

Headliners Comedy Club Chiswick
Justin John Whitehead,Jim Tavare
It was the first time I had visited the function room of the George - which is fast becoming my local, and it was packed.Saturday night at the comedy club is obviously a popular destination for the Chiswick population, and after tonights acts I can understand why. We were actually expecting to see Paul Zerdin, the puppeteer but he wasnt on tonight for reasons never explained. However we had the special guest of Jim Tavare which made up for it. Well that and the fact that the Canadian Justin John Whitehead was hilarious.
So we were crammed in like sardines - the idea being I guess that we were all sat around tables so that we could indulge in the rather nice looking food platters and get a bottle of wine. Nice idea but it would I think have been better to get a bigger table nearer the back so that we could actually move. However, the minor discomfort didnt really worry us and the show really began with Jim Tavare. He came on with his Double Bass and went through a slapstick routine with microphones and plugs - ending in a small explosion on stage.He then started playing the bass - his Jimmy Hendrix impression was particularly good.
Justin John Whitehead headlined and the hyperactive Canadian soon got the audience onside with his talk about the weather. The whole audience was on his side when he pointed out how this country cant cope with snow, wind or even fog. Coming from Canada I think he thought the talk of London being overwhelmed with snow was a bit of a joke to him - considering we had about an inch.He then flew into one about the olympics and how Britain should aim for the most ridiculous games ever - "lets see the obese trying to run the 100metres and collapsing - that's entertainment."

2007-02-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to communicate with the dead?

After watching Most Haunted with Girls Aloud just after Christmas I'd have to say an emphatic yes.

The show hosted by Yvette Fielding took the girls to several "Haunted" locations one night in North Wales. The girls got more and more petrified as they were taken from location to location. At the points where the girls were getting most scared Fielding would turn off the lights and suggest a seance, or lead them into the more secluded areas. The whole evening was clearly set up to maximise the amount of fear, and the girls were convinced of the existence of spirits by the end even if the only real "activity" was knocking sounds. If that is good enough for Girls Aloud, who after all were actually there, then who am I to argue?

I personally have had one Ouija board experience which was what could be described as successful - my friend set it up and she seemed to know what she was doing. The cup moved around and spelt out a name and gave us answers to our questions. None of the answers could have been particularly memorable as I can't remember anything about it now. I tried to recreate this with some other friends a few months later but with no luck. I guess the spirits weren't so communicative that day - or perhaps I did something wrong.

So this post is going in the "Yes" category but I claim no evidence or even real belief in my reasoning. The ability to communicate with the dead is something which I doubt is as prevalent as the amount of people making a living as "mediums" suggests it is. In fact I think it is probably more likely that the dead can communicate with us rather than the other way around - and even then only in a rudimentary way. So no I don't believe in someone who stands in front of an audience and claims to be channeling the spirit of someone's dead aunt and tells them not to be afraid or whatever.

I do think there is enough unexplained phenomena in this world that could be considered hauntings or at least some other dimension attempting to contact us.

Whether this is the dead, or aliens, or just wind and creaking old buildings would require more research - and is something I think unlikely to be proven one way or another.

For that reason I say - "Yeah, why the hell not?"

Of course saying yes kind of assumes I believe in the concept of Hell, and I guess heaven, and probably some kind of limbo (which I believe even the church decided was a bad idea..)

That is going too deep into this subject I think - so I'm with Yvette and the Girls.

2007-02-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

So last night I went to a nightclub to watch a film about a manic depressive. And it was great!

Cargo - tucked away under the arches of Rivington Street in Shoreditch often shows films on midweek nights when nothing much is going on but this was the first time I've ventured over there - I suspect I will do it more often in future. It's a great little venue - and even better when it's almost empty and you feel like the leather sofas and candles are all there just for you.

The screening room is the back one - where I saw Akira the Don many months ago now...
and we managed to grab a couple of the bean bags down the front.
Coupled with 4 for a tenner Tiger beers we were well away.

Now neither of us could be called big followers of Johnson's music - and the quality of most of the recordings on show didn't exactly make me want to rush out and invest in the back catalogue, but having said that he had a gawky charm and presence that made it difficult to dislike what he was doing.

As the story developed and the tales of him descending into madness increased the sympathy for him waned a little - the story about him causing a woman to jump from her window because he had forced his way into her house and tried to exorcise her demons was a worry.
The best, and most unbelievable tale was that of him returning in his fathers plane from a successful SXSW performance when in a manic episode he pulled the key from the ignition and threw it out the window. The plane had to be crashlanded in a forest and amazingly they survived unscathed.

So an interesting film, but not an amazing one - the novelty of going out to watch it in a nightclub on a Monday though made it an enjoyable experience
Rah!

2007-02-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

So Bird flu is gripping Suffolk as a Bernard Matthews farm is considered off limits and a cull of birds is set to dent profits for the Turkey magnate. Well it's nice to know that real turkeys are involved in Bernard Matthews product, from the slices you can buy I had my doubts.

It's a shame of course, but I can't help thinking this is being blown out of proportion. Bird flu is not a big killer it merely has the potential to be. I was traveling through Vietnam and other parts of South East Asia two years ago when the initial scares were being publicised in the British press and its fair to say that in those countries bird flu wasn't a major worry among the general populace. In Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia it is not uncommon for families to actually share their living quarters with chickens and it is in these sort of environments where the virus has actually spread to humans. Regardless of the quality of British farms - be they battery reared or otherwise the proximity between human and poultry does not compare to the Asian situation. Human Deaths from H5N1 stand at 158 in four years http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_11_13/en/index.html
Hardly a pandemic, these stats also show that almost half of the reported cases actually didn't prove fatal either and considering these are from lesser developed countries it seems to me likely that the threat has been exaggerated.

Super Casinos and a Culture of Gambling

I watched Louis Theroux's new show last night - focusing on gambling in Las Vegas. It was a funny but also a cautionary tale of how easy it can be to get sucked into an addiction.
One of the subjects of last nights show used to be a doctor but now retired spends all of her days in the Hilton Casino - having gambled some $4million dollars in the last seven years. Louis visits her house - not that of a millionaire it must be said, and asks her son what he thinks of her gambling away his inheritance. He is diplomatic, she is unrepentant but watching her sitting in front of the flashing slot machines repeatedly pressing buttons in the hope of a big win is depressing in the extreme. She claims to be having fun - and I'm sure there is a certain rush to gambling but at levels like these it does seem to be a debilitating addiction on a par with hard drugs - only without the out of body experiences and fuzzy feeling..

This week the new SuperCasino license was granted for Manchester. I have a horrible image of Wayne and Colleen alikes losing their hard earned money in moments of madness. Then I think, who am I to judge people in this. The trouble is gambling is addictive and if people can't afford to lose then it is going to create social problems.

As Louis Theroux asked of one of the workers in the Casino who claimed to be a friend of the doctor losing her money - at what point would you step in and suggest she was going too far?

$4 million seems a lot to me...

2007-02-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

So here we are. Sat at home with a day off and writing my first WordPress post.

I’m planning to write about things that I get up to as well as comment on world events, music, politics and the like.

I’m currently listening to Pandora - and some crazy classical guitar action - its not at all my usual thing but suprisingly relaxing…

First thing to write about briefly is Stewart Lee’s What Would Judas Do? which I went to see at the Bush Theatre, Shepherds Bush last weekend. I love Stewart Lee, from the days when he worked with Richard Herring on Fist of Fun and TMWRNG to seeing him in stand up on numerous occasions in the last few years.

I never got to see the controversial Jerry Springer the Opera though - I was out of the country at the time it was on and it is only since I’ve been back that I heard the furore it caused due to it’s alleged blasphemous content. Lee has always criticised the recieved notions taught by the church - the Sunday Heroes section from This Morning with Richard Not Judy being a case in point.

“Consider the Lily”

This show takes a look at the last week of Jesus’ life through the eyes of Judas, one of the less important members of the disciples who despite initially feeling put upon because he always has to carry the bags and do the menial jobs, and is never really taken seriously by the suck ups Matthew and John because occasionally he feels Jesus’s teachings are a little too wishy washy eventually finds himself being given the most important job in the story by giving it a dramatic ending.

It portrays Judas as a bit of an idiot but a revolutionary one who believed Jesus was preaching real change and opposition to the Romans.

Lee likes to involve the audience, and participation is rewarded by the handing out of various bags of nuts throughout the show, this theme continues when the climax of the show involves bringing ten audience members to sit around a table, and bread and wine is passed around to recreate the last supper.

There are no real suprises here, Lee is obviously well read in his subject and quotes from scripture throughout, he is engaging, funny and holds the audience for an hour without too much trouble.