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As an alternative to using LinkTree, here's a list of links to various bits of my digital life ...
Unexpected sight this evening on my daily constitutional stroll - a badger! And alive, too.
I saw something crossing the road about twenty-five feet ahead of me, the wrong shape for a fox, and as it reached the pavement on my side, it headed towards me. I stopped completely still at the kerb side to see what it would do. It continued trundling along the pavement next to the garden walls, passed me about three feet away, and then trotted off down the alleyway towards the park.
I think that's the closest that I've ever been to one.
All together now ... Badger! Badger! Badger! Badger!
I saw something crossing the road about twenty-five feet ahead of me, the wrong shape for a fox, and as it reached the pavement on my side, it headed towards me. I stopped completely still at the kerb side to see what it would do. It continued trundling along the pavement next to the garden walls, passed me about three feet away, and then trotted off down the alleyway towards the park.
I think that's the closest that I've ever been to one.
All together now ... Badger! Badger! Badger! Badger!
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And back from my second gig in a row, featuring two bands that I never thought I'd get to see.
First time at the venue 229, by Great Portland Street station, and I was surprised to find that there was no queue outside, even with only fifteen minutes to go before the doors opened. Then again, there was a pub directly across the road which was showing the football, and that did seem rather full of old men dressed in black.
The old men were a clue, as tonight's headline band originally split up while my age was still in single digits. Unlike last night, I was definitely some way down the age percentile, and there were a lot of old punks in the room. (And a few second-generation punks.)
First band up were Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, a band who formed in the mid-80s and split up ten years later, famously letting Shirley Manson escape to be in Garbage. But they reformed in 2019, which was excellent news, as it's given me a chance to see them, having picked up an early compilation album before they split up. And I'm very glad that they reformed, because they were excellent live, with a great Cramps cover snuck in among their original material. You may not have heard any of their songs before, but I would recommend seeing them if you can. (I also raided their merch stand and picked up their third and fourth albums.)
A quick interval, and then the headliners entered the stage - in instalments, with the guitarists and drummer turning up to do an instrumental track before the vocalists. The Rezillos formed in 1976, released one excellent album, and then split up in 1978. (They did admittedly reform soon after as The Revillos and kept going for almost a decade after that, and then reformed under their original name in 2001.) This year they supported the B-52s, who have a lot in common with their science fiction/B-movie theme and style. Joint male and female vocals, quirky stage style, driving bouncy rhythms, and songs about flying saucers and ... you can see why they ended up on the same stage.
The set-list bounced about between tracks from their debut album (and those in between) and their most recent album 'Psycho Tornado', which recently charted. The earlier tracks may have gained from familiarity, but the new ones fit well alongside them stylistically. The set included two covers - one their renowned cover of 'Somebody's Going To Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite' (which appeared on the original album and was, somewhat to my surprise, originally by Fleetwood Mac) and the other a cover of the Sweet's 'Ballroom Blitz' - as well as at least one Revillos number. Lots of enthusiasm on the stage and in the crowd, and I'm very glad to have had the chance to finally see them.
(The 'what they did next' list for former Rezillos members is almost more bizarre than the song collection, too.)
First time at the venue 229, by Great Portland Street station, and I was surprised to find that there was no queue outside, even with only fifteen minutes to go before the doors opened. Then again, there was a pub directly across the road which was showing the football, and that did seem rather full of old men dressed in black.
The old men were a clue, as tonight's headline band originally split up while my age was still in single digits. Unlike last night, I was definitely some way down the age percentile, and there were a lot of old punks in the room. (And a few second-generation punks.)
First band up were Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, a band who formed in the mid-80s and split up ten years later, famously letting Shirley Manson escape to be in Garbage. But they reformed in 2019, which was excellent news, as it's given me a chance to see them, having picked up an early compilation album before they split up. And I'm very glad that they reformed, because they were excellent live, with a great Cramps cover snuck in among their original material. You may not have heard any of their songs before, but I would recommend seeing them if you can. (I also raided their merch stand and picked up their third and fourth albums.)
A quick interval, and then the headliners entered the stage - in instalments, with the guitarists and drummer turning up to do an instrumental track before the vocalists. The Rezillos formed in 1976, released one excellent album, and then split up in 1978. (They did admittedly reform soon after as The Revillos and kept going for almost a decade after that, and then reformed under their original name in 2001.) This year they supported the B-52s, who have a lot in common with their science fiction/B-movie theme and style. Joint male and female vocals, quirky stage style, driving bouncy rhythms, and songs about flying saucers and ... you can see why they ended up on the same stage.
The set-list bounced about between tracks from their debut album (and those in between) and their most recent album 'Psycho Tornado', which recently charted. The earlier tracks may have gained from familiarity, but the new ones fit well alongside them stylistically. The set included two covers - one their renowned cover of 'Somebody's Going To Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite' (which appeared on the original album and was, somewhat to my surprise, originally by Fleetwood Mac) and the other a cover of the Sweet's 'Ballroom Blitz' - as well as at least one Revillos number. Lots of enthusiasm on the stage and in the crowd, and I'm very glad to have had the chance to finally see them.
(The 'what they did next' list for former Rezillos members is almost more bizarre than the song collection, too.)
Tags:
And now back from another excellent gig at Brixton Academy.
Tonight's opener was Skáld, a five piece Nordic Folk act, with three percussionists and two stringed-thing players, and a lot of hair, mostly singing in Old Norse. (A bit like Wardruna, but marginally less esoteric.) Combined male and female vocals meshed well atmospherically.
And the headline was Mongolian metal heavyweights The Hu, with eight members on stage (two percussionists, a bassist, a guitarist, three playing Mongolian stringed instruments, and one bloke who occasionally plays a flute (but mostly sings)). They made good use of the projector screen behind the stage for dramatic graphics during each song, with each video starting with the song's title displayed in Mongolian and then English. Another set of impressive songs that went down well with the crowd. One surprise moment when someone managed to avoid front-of-stage security to caper about on stage briefly (including some press-ups), before being impressively tackled by stage security and hustled off, to the confusion of most of the band (and the obvious amusement of one). Generally the band appeared to be having a good time, and played a mix of tracks from their newer albums as well as their breakthrough tracks 'Wolf Totem' and 'Yuve Yuve Yu'. After leaving the stage at the end of their main set, something started to emerge between the two drum kits, revealed when the lights came up as a large inflatable Mongol warrior 'statue' before the band went into a Mongolian-language cover of Iron Maiden's 'The Trooper'. I suppose there's no better way to cover Maiden than with a large inflatable at the back of the stage.
(Also got to catch up with a mate before the gig, and had a good chat about gigs on the train back too.)
However, for some reason I now feel like sacking the cities and churches of Europe ...
Tonight's opener was Skáld, a five piece Nordic Folk act, with three percussionists and two stringed-thing players, and a lot of hair, mostly singing in Old Norse. (A bit like Wardruna, but marginally less esoteric.) Combined male and female vocals meshed well atmospherically.
And the headline was Mongolian metal heavyweights The Hu, with eight members on stage (two percussionists, a bassist, a guitarist, three playing Mongolian stringed instruments, and one bloke who occasionally plays a flute (but mostly sings)). They made good use of the projector screen behind the stage for dramatic graphics during each song, with each video starting with the song's title displayed in Mongolian and then English. Another set of impressive songs that went down well with the crowd. One surprise moment when someone managed to avoid front-of-stage security to caper about on stage briefly (including some press-ups), before being impressively tackled by stage security and hustled off, to the confusion of most of the band (and the obvious amusement of one). Generally the band appeared to be having a good time, and played a mix of tracks from their newer albums as well as their breakthrough tracks 'Wolf Totem' and 'Yuve Yuve Yu'. After leaving the stage at the end of their main set, something started to emerge between the two drum kits, revealed when the lights came up as a large inflatable Mongol warrior 'statue' before the band went into a Mongolian-language cover of Iron Maiden's 'The Trooper'. I suppose there's no better way to cover Maiden than with a large inflatable at the back of the stage.
(Also got to catch up with a mate before the gig, and had a good chat about gigs on the train back too.)
However, for some reason I now feel like sacking the cities and churches of Europe ...
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The other week I ended up checking out the lunch menu at Hera in Stratford with a friend. Have to say, it was rather good. The lunch menu is definitely intended for more rapid, affordable dining, presumably on the basis that "The kitchen's open, so we might as well entice some more folk in." The a la carte menu looks like reasonable London restaurant pricing, although I am told it's possible to end up spending rather more if you end up upselling yourself on the wine list.
Anyway, excellent hummus and pitta bread, followed by, for them, a pitta with tzatziki, chips, beef meatballs, and a tower of salad. I had a similar construction, but with poached salmon instead of the meatballs. More filling than expected!
( Some photos ... )
Anyway, excellent hummus and pitta bread, followed by, for them, a pitta with tzatziki, chips, beef meatballs, and a tower of salad. I had a similar construction, but with poached salmon instead of the meatballs. More filling than expected!
( Some photos ... )
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Just had that depressing moment when a second-hand camera site's email lets you know that your primary DSLR is now worth about £40. Still works for me, though ...
(Although I do regularly have people telling me that it looks impressive/expensive, but I suspect that might be because there's an assumption that 'a proper camera' is expensive.)
(Although I do regularly have people telling me that it looks impressive/expensive, but I suspect that might be because there's an assumption that 'a proper camera' is expensive.)
This evening's score ... one eclipse, two foxes, one possibly-a-bat, fifteen meteors, and at least one mosquito.
Many, many years ago (1992), in my first year at York, I went to a campus gig in my college. The headline act was the rather fine folk/punk act Tansads. I bought their album. Many years later, I have discovered that a large chunk of the band (all but one, I think) has continued as Merry Hell, who are also a rather fine and entertaining folk/punk band, who I saw (for the nth time) a few weeks ago.
This post is not actually about them.
Last year, I saw a punky band called Headsticks supporting Ferocious Dog at the 100 Club. They were really rather good, and I've picked up at least one of their albums from Bandcamp. I've just discovered (as in, today) that they happen to contain a member from a disbanded folk/punk band called Tower Struck Down. Tower Struck Down were the support act at that gig in 1992, and I also bought their album. It turns out that album is now available as a free download from Bandcamp, which means I no longer need to try to rip a thirty-year-old cassette.
This post is not actually about them.
Last year, I saw a punky band called Headsticks supporting Ferocious Dog at the 100 Club. They were really rather good, and I've picked up at least one of their albums from Bandcamp. I've just discovered (as in, today) that they happen to contain a member from a disbanded folk/punk band called Tower Struck Down. Tower Struck Down were the support act at that gig in 1992, and I also bought their album. It turns out that album is now available as a free download from Bandcamp, which means I no longer need to try to rip a thirty-year-old cassette.
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Always a little disconcerting to see, next to one of those yellow combination-locked wall-mounted public defibrillator cases, a similar case, but in red, marked "Bleeding Control Kit". Essential when needed, so it's good they're available, but a slight double-take moment, nonetheless.
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Only a couple of weeks after Whitby, once again behind the decks. The Memepunks were playing a gig at The Cavendish Arms in Stockwell, and had asked me to DJ, with a remit expanding from 'after the bands' to 'before and after the bands' and then 'before, between, and after the bands'.
The bands were ULTRARABBIT, the latest project by Andy and Eva, formerly of Flesh Tetris, and Nothing New, with The Memepunks headlining with their live mashups ('thirty songs, one hour'). All bands linked by a touch of synths and a sense of humour, with The Memepunks joined for a couple of tracks by international violinist and artistic director of the Bach Akademie Australia, Madeleine Easton.
I should also thank some of the DJs who introduced me to some of the tunes I played, including DJ Lee Chaos, DJ Kat, and DJ Charliemouse, as my set wouldn't have sounded like this without them.
( What I played ... )
And, as a bonus (?), this weekend I recreated the setlist as a digital set (I DJ off CDs live), and uploaded it to Mixcloud, here, should anyone want to stream it.
The bands were ULTRARABBIT, the latest project by Andy and Eva, formerly of Flesh Tetris, and Nothing New, with The Memepunks headlining with their live mashups ('thirty songs, one hour'). All bands linked by a touch of synths and a sense of humour, with The Memepunks joined for a couple of tracks by international violinist and artistic director of the Bach Akademie Australia, Madeleine Easton.
I should also thank some of the DJs who introduced me to some of the tunes I played, including DJ Lee Chaos, DJ Kat, and DJ Charliemouse, as my set wouldn't have sounded like this without them.
( What I played ... )
And, as a bonus (?), this weekend I recreated the setlist as a digital set (I DJ off CDs live), and uploaded it to Mixcloud, here, should anyone want to stream it.
Because of the afore-mentioned 'Splitby', we ran a special bonus version of The 80s Night on the following weekend this time. The second night had fewer attendees than the first, but we still had a queue waiting outside when the doors opened, and there were people on the dancefloor all night.
Due to the 'Whurgy' (the famed Whitby lurgy) one of our DJ team wasn't well enough to make it on this second night, and the other DJ wasn't feeling 100%, which may have influenced some of the tune selections, but we still put in a full night's music.
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
We're back again on Sunday 1st November, but with just the one 80s Night ...
Due to the 'Whurgy' (the famed Whitby lurgy) one of our DJ team wasn't well enough to make it on this second night, and the other DJ wasn't feeling 100%, which may have influenced some of the tune selections, but we still put in a full night's music.
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
We're back again on Sunday 1st November, but with just the one 80s Night ...
Back at the Friendship A.R.C. for the third time, but back on a Sunday again, as is only right and proper. The famous queue did us proud again, with twenty folk outside the door before it opened, so the venue filled up a bit faster than we expected. Despite this Whitby being a 'Splitby' (two main promoters running their events on different nights), we got more folk in than last April, and I managed to avoid clearing the dancefloor.
The playlist is below ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
And we'll be back in Whitby on Sunday 1st November ...
The playlist is below ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
And we'll be back in Whitby on Sunday 1st November ...
This time around at Whitby we tried out a new club night - Trust Your DJ - a cross-genre rock/goth/EBM/punk/industrial/alternative night, aiming for the feel of clubbing back in the 90s/00s when our knees still worked reliably.
The playlist is below ...
( Trust Your DJ (1900-2300) )
We'll be back again at the end of October ...
The playlist is below ...
( Trust Your DJ (1900-2300) )
We'll be back again at the end of October ...
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Sad sight seen while walking down the pavement yesterday - broken fragments of chocolate shell on the ground. Looks like someone foolishly decided to open an Easter egg while walking. And worse ... about twenty feet further on, another piece, as if they'd not learnt from the first time!
Tonight's RPG session was cancelled at the last minute because one of the players couldn't make it, so we ended up playing Tales Of The Arthurian Knights. Unlike last time we played, we managed to play through all three ages of the game, with different approaches to gaining renown.
Sir Gawain went all out for the Romance Renown (and managed to end up a king as a result of one of their events) and Sir Percival ended up mad for some time, wandering around the marshes to the east of England. As Sir Palomides I focused on the courtly skill of Diplomacy, with a secondary focus in Piety, focusing on Divinity Renown. And Dame Enid doubled down on the Villainy Renown, taking any underhand option offered, including attempting to sabotage a ritual at the grail castle (and getting mauled by the guardian lions as a result) and as their final act sabotaging the unguent being prepared in Avalon to treat Arthur's mortal wound so that it would be ineffective.
When the final 'Destiny' scores were totalled (which is how the winner is determined), the outcomes were pretty close, with Sir Gawain narrowly in the lead, and then Sir Palomides, Dame Enid, and Sir Percival following fairly closely.
It's a fun game, and the mechanic uses card draws for the encounters, which are then cross-referenced to select a paragraph from the game's big book (like a big choose-your-own-adventure series of sections) to provide the details of the encounter - all of which are fully in line with the Arthurian milieu (there are a lot of ghostly knights in those kingdoms!) and result in each player's knight generating an epic personal legend.
Sir Gawain went all out for the Romance Renown (and managed to end up a king as a result of one of their events) and Sir Percival ended up mad for some time, wandering around the marshes to the east of England. As Sir Palomides I focused on the courtly skill of Diplomacy, with a secondary focus in Piety, focusing on Divinity Renown. And Dame Enid doubled down on the Villainy Renown, taking any underhand option offered, including attempting to sabotage a ritual at the grail castle (and getting mauled by the guardian lions as a result) and as their final act sabotaging the unguent being prepared in Avalon to treat Arthur's mortal wound so that it would be ineffective.
When the final 'Destiny' scores were totalled (which is how the winner is determined), the outcomes were pretty close, with Sir Gawain narrowly in the lead, and then Sir Palomides, Dame Enid, and Sir Percival following fairly closely.
It's a fun game, and the mechanic uses card draws for the encounters, which are then cross-referenced to select a paragraph from the game's big book (like a big choose-your-own-adventure series of sections) to provide the details of the encounter - all of which are fully in line with the Arthurian milieu (there are a lot of ghostly knights in those kingdoms!) and result in each player's knight generating an epic personal legend.
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Meanwhile, I am currently enculturing myself (I'm sure that's a participle) by watching Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker from 2022. I accidentally caught a few minutes of it when it was broadcast on BBC4 in November, and set the box to record it on next showing. The physical portrayal of characterisation is excellent.
Our second time running The 80s Night at the welcoming Friendship A.R.C. and thankfully higher numbers than last time, who seemed to have a good time.
The playlist is below¹ ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
We're back at the Friendship A.R.C. again next time, but also back on Sundays again, on Sunday 26th April 2026. There's also something else as well, but that's a different matter. And probably requires a new usericon.
¹ Yes, I know that there's a song in there that I shouldn't have played, according to our rules - it snuck in while I was unsupervised, as Kat wasn't up this time.
The playlist is below¹ ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
We're back at the Friendship A.R.C. again next time, but also back on Sundays again, on Sunday 26th April 2026. There's also something else as well, but that's a different matter. And probably requires a new usericon.
¹ Yes, I know that there's a song in there that I shouldn't have played, according to our rules - it snuck in while I was unsupervised, as Kat wasn't up this time.
The day after watching Mark Steel in Bromley, I took the Windrush line up to Highbury and Islington to the Garage.
I remember a promoter friend who'd booked Utah Saints quite a few years ago recounting the conversation with them, which could be summarised as them saying "You do know that we're DJs, not a band, don't you?", and him replying "Yes, that's why I've booked you."
This night was also an entirely DJ'd night - which meant much less time to rest before sets. When you have bands, there's obviously a certain amount of time required for changeover, usually at the very least swapping out the snare drum and the cymbals on the kit and possibly shifting some amps off stage. When you have DJs, especially using laptops, it's as quick as swapping from one input lead to another¹ or just selecting a different input on the mixer.
Opening was the chap from St. Etienne, doing a very smooth DJ set that built up steadily as one continuous piece of loops and beds. I didn't recognise any actual tracks, but that might have been due to a lack of familiarity.
He was followed by Richard 23 of Front 242, who performed more of a traditional DJ set, moving from track to track, some of which I'm pretty sure I recognised (including Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano (mostly known now as the tune from two different Italian beer adverts at the same time)).
Next up was billed as a film by Jimmy Cauty (formerly known for being part of the KLF) as Towerblock1, but was much more of an audio-visual experience, with the music and the visuals evolving together (and impressively).
And then it was over to Utah Saints, who did their usual, and put out a storming set. Although, being them, it was almost three sets at once, switching between snatches of recognisable tracks overlaid with samples, loops, and other elements to create a single continuous hole. I recognised a number of the ingredients, but they were then morphed and added to in entirely new ways. And it was excellent.
According to my pedometer, if my steps had been actual paces, I would have done about seven miles that night.
¹ On decks, it can be even more seamless, with one DJ cued up on one deck while the other's final track is still playing on the other.
I remember a promoter friend who'd booked Utah Saints quite a few years ago recounting the conversation with them, which could be summarised as them saying "You do know that we're DJs, not a band, don't you?", and him replying "Yes, that's why I've booked you."
This night was also an entirely DJ'd night - which meant much less time to rest before sets. When you have bands, there's obviously a certain amount of time required for changeover, usually at the very least swapping out the snare drum and the cymbals on the kit and possibly shifting some amps off stage. When you have DJs, especially using laptops, it's as quick as swapping from one input lead to another¹ or just selecting a different input on the mixer.
Opening was the chap from St. Etienne, doing a very smooth DJ set that built up steadily as one continuous piece of loops and beds. I didn't recognise any actual tracks, but that might have been due to a lack of familiarity.
He was followed by Richard 23 of Front 242, who performed more of a traditional DJ set, moving from track to track, some of which I'm pretty sure I recognised (including Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano (mostly known now as the tune from two different Italian beer adverts at the same time)).
Next up was billed as a film by Jimmy Cauty (formerly known for being part of the KLF) as Towerblock1, but was much more of an audio-visual experience, with the music and the visuals evolving together (and impressively).
And then it was over to Utah Saints, who did their usual, and put out a storming set. Although, being them, it was almost three sets at once, switching between snatches of recognisable tracks overlaid with samples, loops, and other elements to create a single continuous hole. I recognised a number of the ingredients, but they were then morphed and added to in entirely new ways. And it was excellent.
According to my pedometer, if my steps had been actual paces, I would have done about seven miles that night.
¹ On decks, it can be even more seamless, with one DJ cued up on one deck while the other's final track is still playing on the other.
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Back from an evening watching Mark Steel on his 'Leopard In The House' tour, about his cancer diagnosis and treatment, presented with his usual humour, and also featuring some of his rather impressive piano playing in the interval, along with a bunch of digressions.
First time at the Churchill Theatre, too - a classic 70s theatre, which, thanks to being built on the side of a hill, features the oddness of the circle entrance being on the entry level, which means down several flights of stairs to get to the stalls.
First time at the Churchill Theatre, too - a classic 70s theatre, which, thanks to being built on the side of a hill, features the oddness of the circle entrance being on the entry level, which means down several flights of stairs to get to the stalls.
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With my weekend plans having changed with about a week's notice, I was reminded (by Jim Bob on the album playthrough on Bandcamp) that there were still a few tickets left for the second album launch on the Saturday. Second album? Yep. Jim was releasing two albums at the same time 'Stick' and 'Automatic'. This isn't a double album, but two completely separate albums. 'Stick' is the punkier number, while 'Automatic' is more of a full-band thing. 'Stick' was launched at the sweaty punkpit that is the Fighting Cocks in Kingston, while 'Automatic' was being launched at Rough Trade East off Brick Lane.
Up to London, some loitering outside chatting to other folks about shared histories of seeing 1990s bands, and then, by way of collecting my copy of the album on the way in, to the space that had been cleared of music racks in front of Rough Trade East's small stage - and then to continue the chatting for most of an hour until the clock ticked around and the band strolled onto the stage. Jim Bob was carrying an electric guitar, backed by a band of electric guitar, bass, drums, and two keyboard players.
And then they set off, playing through the album tracks in order. A couple of tracks featured a slight stumble, as this was the first time these tracks had all been run through live, but it was a good-humoured gig and audience. The songs on the album are the usual Jim Bob mix of whimsy, observation, and biting lyrics. Once the album play-through was completed, there was just enough time for an extra song, with the band managing to play through Carter's Lean On Me, I Won't Fall Over¹ and finish with seconds to spare before the curfew.
And then to join the queue to leave by way of Jim's signing table, with an extended comparing of notes regarding disappeared venues with the guy behind me in the queue, who turned out to have lived in Croydon in the late 80s and early 90s.
A full photo album is here.
¹ One of my favourite Carter songs.
Up to London, some loitering outside chatting to other folks about shared histories of seeing 1990s bands, and then, by way of collecting my copy of the album on the way in, to the space that had been cleared of music racks in front of Rough Trade East's small stage - and then to continue the chatting for most of an hour until the clock ticked around and the band strolled onto the stage. Jim Bob was carrying an electric guitar, backed by a band of electric guitar, bass, drums, and two keyboard players.
And then they set off, playing through the album tracks in order. A couple of tracks featured a slight stumble, as this was the first time these tracks had all been run through live, but it was a good-humoured gig and audience. The songs on the album are the usual Jim Bob mix of whimsy, observation, and biting lyrics. Once the album play-through was completed, there was just enough time for an extra song, with the band managing to play through Carter's Lean On Me, I Won't Fall Over¹ and finish with seconds to spare before the curfew.
And then to join the queue to leave by way of Jim's signing table, with an extended comparing of notes regarding disappeared venues with the guy behind me in the queue, who turned out to have lived in Croydon in the late 80s and early 90s.
A full photo album is here.
¹ One of my favourite Carter songs.