[DJing/Setlist] Karen's Birthday, The Astronomer, Liverpool St, Sat 6th May 2017

DJ traumahound and I were asked to DJ for Karen's 40th birthday party this weekend. We were downstairs at The Astronomer on Middlesex Street, which has undergone rather a change since it was the Shooting Star (final resting place of Club Vagabonds) - they've completely re-arranged everything, and added some rather fine booths around the walls (with separate power points and individual dimmer switches - fancy!). Hooked our decks into the venue's built-in speakers, dimmed the lights, and set to ...

Early sets were intentionally a bit mellower, as people were still arriving, getting food, etc, but later we both had people accusing us of trying to kill them (with a combination of requests, birthday girl picks, and our usual taste), and it seemed like a general success. (With a notable moment when it took one guest six minutes to recognise that we were playing his band's song. And he's the singer.)

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[Books]

Currently reading ... Paul Cornell's 'Shadow Police' series (I've just finished the first, and have pretty immediately started the second).

They're dark, they're scary, and they're gripping. Supernatural police procedurals, but considerably darker than many in that genre seem to aim for. For those familiar with the 'Rivers Of London' books, imagine how terrifying those would have got if Nightingale and the Folly weren't around, and the cops were trying to deal with the occult without any actual knowledge. Or defences. Yeah. [wince]

In London Falling, the first of the books, there's a unit working on a case that's going nowhere, and is rapidly running out of budget and likely to be wound up. And then it gets ... messy.

I'll not say more, to avoid spoilers, but there are a bunch of interesting characters and seriously nasty folk, all well-written in a way that keeps you turning the pages.

(On a scale where 'Dresden Files' are akin to 'Castle', these are more in the line of 'Taggart' or 'Luther'. You have been warned. Damn good, though.)