Val di Funes / Villnoesstal (first of three photo posts)

Val di Funes / Villnoesstal

Val Di Funes / Villnoesstal

Back to magnificent South Tyrol, the bit of Tyrol that's already in Italy. I've been there a few times when i was younger with my parents, a long time ago. We were staying in a little flat on a farm, cows outside our door sometimes. Most of the time the weather was very good, and a great time to be there, the autumn colours! on one day we did most of the Adolf Munkel Weg, a relatively easy but spectacular hike directly underneath th Geissler Gruppe peaks that you can see all along the valley. When it started to cloud over a different atmosphere emerged, more mysterious in some ways but intriguing nonetheless.

Asolo

some photos in and around Asolo...

basement trust

i slide through dust, always hanging on your words, the ones i spoke earlier are scattered into corners and brushed down the stairs, so it's easy for me to see absolutely nothing there, even if i wanted to look. just ghostly traces of dust trailing all the way here. you mean, when the washing and cleaning was still going. and the roof was still there. i don't trust this room, it's been cleaned too many times, but of what? i think it was a car factory, but all transport has left us here, too early to get away. i found you breathing heavily into the basement floor. what was there apart from the dust? a tunnel further? sliding away, you can't hold onto it. it could be anything that was once too close for comfort.

hiding by the chair with the velvet connection still sticking out its behind. a funfair memory invades your room and won't let you go, even in this heat, even when i touched you so simply i couldn't understand. when you follow it through it won't be so bad. long gone whispering over gentle acoustic shapes. the legs of the chair walk all over your imaginary body, long spindly legs, leading you to a clearing where the band starts playing immediately. i knew it would be right for you, right here. but it's not what i wanted for you, my child. look at your eyes, it won't be gone for long. before another master ascends. sit down


the trust i invested never paid off, but i just couldn't stop it. as the stairs descend, rolling down into infinity, i need to raise my face a bit to see clearly through the little slits. madness boils over, as you show me little trickles of blood, a hairy chest, a nipple, everything erased immediately as the magic marker strikes contact. there's an empty stage where the signs live, usually tucked away in boxes. secrets wander aimlessly until a contact point is hit. this i where we live.

you've got to follow the smells first. there's more to it than you think. as if you could jump out of the box and say it and then everything would be alright. i trail behind a bad box and slide into some bones salad, colours flash, and the ghost train runs all over me. i've left out all the bad marks and everything is spring green blossom. until it collapses back into the old basement.

valuable downtime deleted, so ghosts can come closer. i need to prepare for this somehow, but it's too loose and too close in the foreground. dragging it all over the ground like a deranged guitar motive. getting scratchy on the wrong end, as the chorus hoovers you up. my delayed reaction will speed into your mouth. we will band together before the music cuts out. it's in the basement, you know. you need to go there too. we could do it then.

sour edges creeping in. i told you i was stuck in a corridor. blessing different doors, all leading to a square from which you exit. i'm stuck where this went, and i think i need to reload now. go back down the stairs again, learn to trust again. i feel the ghosts are waiting, but it's not my fault. i just played some music on the tube. i went along where they sung and off i went, speeding through the corridors. i want to say something maybe. can i see you now? where are you hiding? is this screen not blank and new enough for you? is there a history to this?

the blade dances on the chest. when they found you they said they had no choice. your hood doesn't fit, obviously, but there's nothing i can do about that now. your speech is slurred. i can't hear you. i'm trying to record you, after i earned you trust, down there in the basement, but all you do is getting all zoomed to extraordinary sizes and then blanking out altogether. the focus is gone, but then the hand reaches out and leads you back into the triangle. i try to clean the air with spit but you don't let me do that for very long. your voice stretches my body into impossible shapes. i get really long before i space out and you get clearer, almost human. my voice sounds weird, like a kiddy voice that's floating through my head, something from the screen inside me. going down the stairs with me. i told you to clean the glass, i can't see anything through that, limbs, muscles, hair, then a soft focus on socks, pants, more screens in the background, a humming sound, then a cat jumps into the foreground and all over you, the camera doesn't turn but there's a sense it's ended right before your eyes. if you could only let it go...if it would only go away...there's nothing i can do about it now.

i fork into a different direction and pick up vague melodies that relate to me when i'm smiley enough. i want to reach them with my hands before the sound fades out and i'm left alone again. turquoise beer bottles follow me and nod before they overtake me, and blow up into gigantic cloud-like shapes, forming things i'd rather not want to signify right now. anything but a smile into the right direction. but as the blood trickles on the basement floor i've lost the connection and swerve into the corner. where were you? did i catch your eye for a second? did you start this noise? i'm no longer married to volume, i've gone over that hill in my head, but were you trying to seduce me once more? i don't know, as you always say.

leave the trail running into the house again and start the car. we're zooming off to find some contrasts. it's for the slideshow later. this house is empty but honest so don't spit now. don't move too much. the house will tell you when to move, it won't be too long. make your face more presentable. don't touch me too much. if you need to do that be careful and don't let it go in too deep. if i can feel it before the time is right i will need to rewind it. and we don't want that right now. can you hear me?

empty heated exchange, meaning nothing, just another wheel rolling over a body. underneath the lucky seat there's a number that morphs into a variety of keys and colours. but only if you know the code. can i trust you? will i colour over later? will i be transparent? will you recognize me? when i lift the stained sheet you will smile right through it before the dog drags it down into the basement.

violent humming over a grey morning, as you slide into bed. have you seen the dust over everything? the spots? this is where you belong. a mountain of dirt. don't feel too bad about it too. if you want to get to the bottom, you need to trust the voice. steps leading upstairs are blocked. windows closing. only a faded melody holds you still. something hairy comes closer. when you ... realize the claws opening up and redesigning your face step out of the enclosure, follow the stream to another nest. be yourself for once. terror holds you still until you realize. it was during a trip like this that you lost your previous reality. but now as it comes back and you feed it back to life it's changed again. you're not so there anymore as if it really was a big bite, and not just a nibble taken out.

the room clears to ancient white, but maybe that's just another way to drape it, push it into druggy confidence. another flight of fancy. nothing so much as a prison in itself. another sip of the wine confirms what you've lost. you need to get out and breathe again, but you've lost the key, you've lost trust in that room that will lead you out when it's still possible. words express deep, dark regrets, though only shallow little lies hide beneath, it's dark and primal greed when it comes down to it. touching you all over now, especially from behind where you can't face it. slowly the knives come out.

as blood streams all over your body and cleanses the flesh the tv goes on and advertises endless abstract lines holding onto a hope that goes ever further to disguise the miserable facts. the subway opens and swallows you. as you go to work, someone whispers in your sleep to switch off the lamp now. let darkness begin, or something. alien sounds wake you up as you progress through the corridor. some production facility. you wave and point to the points of entry and they shake their heads. it's nothing to do with me, they say. it's war but not as you know it.

shake off the sweat too and reach out into the steam. the knife has finally vanished now but you're still downstairs, chained to the wall, with no light in sight, and it feels like you're never going to get out again. "beware of the beast", the advert sings, "it's watching you" then the radio cuts in, and someone finds the right prison frequency to lull you into thinking that the revolution is near. the hands encircle the tree in the middle foreground that will sprout and bounce up through the surface. i want to imagine it getting greener, cleaner, better but all it does is cut out the light further. it confuses you. it will bring confusion.

come back to what you know. you've never been there before, so all it does is giving you a voice that is different to what you've heard before. another layer, another room, morphing into flesh but never realizing its ambition. give back the knives, the claws, the hunger, and all the nervous dances you devised. give back all that you trusted. as i boom ever closer you collapse, and finally we're enlightened.

La Regina Cornaro in Asolo

The queen arrives in Asolo. a monk (?) is describing every single movement in his amplified camp Italian voice. fierce tribal drumming. for a moment i'm on a filmset.

you can just about feel the tension in the air.

an old lady watches from a balcony.

usually this place is very sleepy.

this happens here every year to reenact the arrival of the Regina Cornaro in the beautiful hilltop town of Asolo. i think she's taking it over from Venice, this is 500 or so years ago. it all really happened.


Asolo is surrounded by grand old villas, some of them a bit faded, gardens, vineyards, and there's a castle ruin high above it from where you can already see the Alps.

the wine is very good around here, and pretty cheap. there's a great little wine bar in town, could almost be a gay bar. loungey music. no smoking everywhere.

another grappa please!

The Raspberries - Go all the way

I heard this song in my head ALL DAY LONG, after playing it at breakfast, very addictive, huh, and what a beautiful day it was, going to the heath for the second time in a row. I think very soon i will "go all the way" and declare myself a newborn fan of these obscure and slightly moldy old fruits i found at a basket at the back of the goodie shop...it might happen soon...

Smokefree Music Venues in London

OK, there's a few choices for people in London who want to see live music but don't want to stand in the smoke. I find gigs particularly bad on second hand smoke as they're often packed and smoking still seems to be largely accepted. I just want to see the show and the smoke often spoils it for me, if i bother to turn up at all. I've really cut down on gig going because of this, they're just such unhealthy environments unfortunately. I have excellent earplugs that make me hear clearly while controlling often dangerous volume levels, but I can't turn up in an oxygen mask as well, as someone helpfully suggested. When we were in NYC in Dec 2004 we saw three shows in a row at Irving Plaza and I wouldn't have lasted if smoking would have been allowed there. To me, cigarettes and rock'n'roll (or whatever you might like to call it) just don't go together like for some people. It's such a (dangerous) cliche. Anyway, there's some choices now, and with the smoking ban due next year there's something on the horizon too:


The Roundhouse in Camden: it's completely smokefree inside the venue, there's a large outdoor terrace for smokers. It's a legendary venue in a former rail depot, hosted many famous shows in the 60s and in the punk era, was supposed to become a library at some stage, but recently reopened after an extensive facelift and now hosts gigs, theatre, dance and other things :

http://www1.roundhouse.org.uk/

The South Bank: The Royal Festival Hall is being refurbished right now but Queen Elizabeth Hall (& the Purcell Room), right next to it, is still open, the whole building is now non smoking, including the foyer bar, (open to the public every day til 10 pm) that also sometimes hosts free gigs, there's a small stage there. The great thing about the South Bank is that they sometimes host really eclectic, unusual gigs, occasionally really big rock acts too, in a fairly uncommercial, informal, and *smokefree* environment, not as stuffy and conservative as one might suspect(Same goes for the Barbican too):

http://www.rfh.org.uk


Bush Hall: small old music hall in Shepherd's Bush. The concert space is completely non smoking and there are very visible signs everywhere advising punters of this. The front bar is smoking, but it's separated from the concert hall. Really great little place, beautiful ornate ceilings with chandeliers, very different to usual music venues. Last time I was there, for the great Yo La Tengo, it was a sold out all-standing show and noone smoked! I should go there more often...

http://www.bushhallmusic.co.uk/

I hear the (new) Vortex in Dalston is non smoking too, famous for hosting jazz concerts, we used to go to the old one in Stoke Newington quite a bit for Keith Tippett (and that scene) etc concerts, but it was always smokey in there, time to go back and check out the new venue:

http://www.vortexja zz.co.uk/

I've read this on a blog, The Inn on the Green in Ladbroke Grove is apparently a smoke-free venue/club. I haven't been there but it sounds interesting:

Inn on the Green 3 Thorpe Close
Ladbroke Grove London W10

Union Chapel: old church with a beautiful round interior in Islington, quite a famous venue, recently reopened after some time. You sit in church benches and you have to leave the church to go to the bar where you can smoke. Great Syd Barrett tribute the other day (see below)




That's all I can think of right now, but there are probably a few more. Anyone want to comment/ add anything?

Clovelly in Devon

Back in the summer from our West Country trip with my parents just after my birthday: on the way from Boscastle in Cornwall and Lynton in Exmoor we stopped for the day and walked along stunning dramatic coastline and extensive woods to Clovelly, a small, steep, very touristy, and I guess kitschy old town that's a bit like a museum, no cars, just one steep old street leading down to an old harbour, surrounded by serene coastal woods for miles. We arrived in the harbour from our walk and later walked that one street up very slowly, so we walked through the place just once, it was a total trip on that day, despite the tourists and all that, I guess having walked there made it more impressive when we got there ... sometimes it's best to be in between destinations, cos that was my favourite walk of that week ...

Syd Barrett Tribute at the Union Chapel

The Mystery Jets are an odd band, and i'm still not convinced what to think of them. When i first saw them on MTV 2 i thought they were kinda annoying, some young dudes prancing around in a vaguely burlesque style apparently trying to be next cool thing, and I didn't get the song. I shouldn't watch so much MTV2, and in fact, i don't anymore, it doesn't always do the bands justice, though there's good stuff on there too occasionally. once you get past all that terrible stuff. So when I later read that they were based in the vaguely mythical location of Eel Pie Island, featured a father and a son, and loved old psych and prog music I thought, hmm who are they? ...Anyway, i'm still not so sure about the music, though it's not as bad as i first thought, but i'll give them full kudos for putting on a lovely Syd tribute on Monday at the wonderful, recently reopened Union Chapel in Islington. Bathed in appropriately psychedelic floating lava lamp lights, but ornate enough even without those, it's a great venue for a night like this, the longer i was there the more i liked being in that room, sitting in the back on church benches, meeting some lovely people back there too, including a real Syd obsessive (I mean, really...). I'm not sure who everyone was but there was a constant stream of acts doing short sets, Lupen Crook, quite driven and manic, Kid Harpoon, good presence, nice clear voice, some awesome syd covers, a very young guy singing two Syd songs in an artfully smudged voice, sounding almost like Scott Walker (!), some guys from Babyshambes doing a surprisingly modest and lovely 'It's no good trying'. there was some very special surprise guest mentioned before the event but i guess the real surprise was that The Television Personalities managed to turn up for once and just about managed to play a set. Dan Treacy is a very volatile performer but his band just about held it together, at times it almost seemed like a rerun of the way some of the later Syd Barrett material must have been recorded, flashes of brilliant, lovely songs then distortion, chaos, ranting etc. He even played 'I know where Syd Barrett lives', but not without making it clear that the Mystery Jets "twisted his arm" to play it. Followed by a very passionate rendition of 'I've got a bike...you can ride it if you like" Fascinating and a bit sad at the same time. the more syd songs got played the better the evening got, these songs are meant to be played live. It wasn't even that sad and sombre, there was a sense of celebration and musical magic in the air, or something like that. And maybe a bit of lofi school production too, mostly in a charming way though. So...the Mystery Jets. In their boat at Eel Pie Island they have a portrait of Syd ringed by a lifebelt, it's hanging from the altar today. They start with an ace cover of Lucifer Sam, goosebumps, really, it sounds so full and overwhelming when played by such an efficient live band. Later they also play the Gnome, another favourite of mine from Piper. Their own material still doesn't grab me too much, i think it's the songs that is the problem but it does sound alright tonight, nice harmonising, maybe if they'd loosen up a bit and got a bit wilder, that could work. They are planning an acoustic tour for October that could be interesting and make people see them in a different light. maybe. Impressive that such a young band (apart from the white haired dad on keyboards who sometimes seems to secretly drive the whole operation) spearheaded this tribute too. Another one please, maybe next year! I want to do that walk in Grantchester Meadows that i was trying to do the other day. . .

RIP

Guided By Voices - Titus & Strident Wet Nurse (live)

this song has ... mysterious powers. a fairy tale? a childhood snapshot?

Psychic Dancehall: The Fall in Cricklewood

so, we've lived within walking distance of Cricklewood for almost two years but until yesterday i hadn't been there, I guess there was no need to. Cricklewood Broadway is basically the same road as Kilburns main drag, you just have to follow it up the nicely named Shoot Up Hill and eventually you get there. It kinda looks like Kilburn too...though the pubs look just a little bit smarter than Kilburn I guess. Though generally too smokey for me, Kilburn has some good places these days, well, mainly The Luminaire, an old Irish dance hall that has quietly morphed into a well loved indie hole that reminds me of other real favourites of the past, say, the old Concorde in Brighton. I think it's definitely haunted too, but updated for the 21st century in a way that seems to work well at the moment. I love the fact that even in this relatively uncool corner of London you can still leave the house and wander down the road to see some shows. So The Fall were taking it up the road to The Galtymore, a big Irish music hall, that still mainly hosts Irish country music, and hasn't changed much since the fifties or so. There's a slightly nasty edge to the room that works incredibly well with The Fall I have to say. I mean, the small bar is hopelessly overwhelmed by the demand of the hard drinking Fall fans, the place has a stale, slightly depressive air, but it's still comfortable, an old fashioned Friday night at the dancehall. The Mancunian punk poet and comedian John Cooper Clarke in his pink specs and what Simon reckons is a (punk rock) wig is a superb opening act for the occasion, then The Fall come on, relatively punctual, MES looking really quite incredible, his hair immaculately coiffed and wearing an old fashioned black and white jumper, i'm not sure who is in the band these days, obviously his wife Elena on kyeboards, but i'm not sure whether some of the players have returned to the band after the US tour when they had a big fight or not. I'm really not a completist when it comes to the records either, but I actually know a few songs played yesterday night, namely Mr Pharmacist, the first song of the encore. But with The Fall it's hypnotic and immediate as always, whatever they play. Very speedy, dancy, repetetive and deranged, though it could have been wilder and probably would have been, had they played a bit longer than their customary one hour set. Some hipsters wiggin out on the balcony over the stage. MES in fairly good form i reckon. I loved it when he played around with the amps of his band. They played really well, I think. Not the best Fall show ever (for me that was ATP 2002, still, one of my favourite concert memories) A good old fashioned night out then, but also a warped and deranged version of an old fashioned night out, with the surrounding seeping into the atmosphere of the gig in a subtle and interesting way for me. What happened? I feel rough today though...and I've finally been to Crickleweood...

Simon, Matsuko and Richard in Hay-on-Wye

After the Green Man Festival we decamped to Hay-on-Wye, a famous small town with about 38 second hand bookshops, right on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, there's a superb remote valley nearby and quite spectacular scenery, though in Hay you don't really see that yet, it's all very bucolic and charming still, lush green meadows and rolling hills, but you only have to drive a few miles and you're in the wide open spaces of the Black Mountains leading over a pass into the Llanthony valley (and you don't want to get stuck in there with a flat tyre as happened to us). So we went hillwalking during the day and bookshopping when not...and on the last evening we ran into an old friend of mine, Richard, and his lovely Japanese girlfriend Matsuko. He lives in Japan now, in a city in a fairly remote southern japanese island, and he's only been back for a little while before returning there again. So quite a surprise, he was a housefriend back in the old days in Brighton. While in the pub I forgot to take photos even though i took gazillions of photos of hills earlier in the day, so when we ran into them again the next morning we had to take a photo. this is in the grounds of the castle ruins in the middle of the town, where there's the so called "Honesty bookshop" - it's open 24/7, and there's lots of trashy books for next to nothing. The choice in that town is somewhat overwhelming but the more time you spend there the more you appreciate its unique atmosphere and all the things it has to offer, there's specialist shops and sections, and even a poetry bookshop, the town is so small and tranquil, and the pervading literary, eccentric, borderline atmosphere makes it slightly different from both England and Wales. And you never know who you might run into there...

below are some photos from earlier in the afternoon, walking up Hays Bluff and, ermm, Lord Herefords Knob (that's the name of the mountain though it's got a celtic sounding name too, to use for official occasions i think, a visit of the Queen?), the evening sun came out and made this a pretty special walk. The Brecon Beacons are really gorgeous, i'm glad we lingered in the area after the festival.

Green Man Festival Sunday Afternoon

mucho mellow... on Sunday afternoon the Green Man Festival really started to fall into place for me. We discovered the top terrace overlooking the entire valley with superb views of the surrounding hills. Juana Molinas was playing, more in the background i'm afraid, apparently about geometrical shapes. It fitted it all rather well. . .

The Lantern procession at the Green Man Festival

though a kid friendly festival, there were moments when it was quite hard work to be there, even for hardened adults like us, not having slept at all, rain, and all that folk music ;-) but on Sunday night the lantern procession showed that this festival is a lot of fun for kids too...i wish i'd filmed a bit more of it actually but it's a lovely little snapshot anyway...

Vegetarian Bacon

Michelle at the Green Man festival...

some links

second try....

U.S. Immigration Law Inhumane to Same-Sex Couples

Family, Unvalued
Discrimination, Denial, and the Fate of Binational Same-Sex Couples under U.S. Law


i'm having trouble creating clickable links for these. both are very interesting articles from 'Human Rights Watch' about the plight of thousands of same sex binational couples and US immigration law...

"Going to hell again": Bauhaus at the Forum

Wow...i'd never seen them before. My first Bauhuas record was 'The Sky's gone out', sometimes in 84 and it was so weird and schizophrenic and intense, so 80s. It just really suited me. okay, at the Forum, very hot again, very claustrophobic again even though it wasn't sold out, was a bit of a weird one but i would'nt really want to have it any other way.

- the second of two nights, the first one apparently triumphant, this was one was cut short by guitar problems. Still they finished the night with 'Ziggy Stardust', and if there was ever any doubt, they still are the missing link between glam-era Bowie and the more gothically inclined. And lots of leftfield rocknroll basically, oddly textured, and always a hint of chaos. No 'Bela Lugosi' though and maybe that's a good thing, why should they play it every night?

- Pete Murphy is a fantastic front man. they came on and just stood there with bright lights shining into everyones faces. You could hardly see them it was so blinding but they were all looking at us, especially the Murphy who

- soon came alive on stage. that face, that voice still has that nervy edge, so expressive and weird. and so much precision...

- Silent Hedges, goosebumps, "going to hell again", brought me right back to my teenage bedroom. I lost it during that song for some reason, everything else was at least adequately fabulous but that was something else

- guitar problems, and suddenly Mr Murphy alone on stage, threatening solo material, instead he strapped a guitar on and played 'all...we ever wanted... is everything...get up ...eat jelly....', followed by a wonderful, intense rendition Bowies 'Bewlay Brother'...

- outside i buy a Bela Lugosis Dead poster for a quid, you know, that classic image. I'm still a goth teenager at heart. My bedroom is still UNDEAD UNDEAD UNDEAD

- my mate Steve who was also present gave me a copy of their live album, 'Gotham', it is fantastic, i'm not sure whether i've got anything else by them in the flat (field) but it does a nice job reminding me why i loved them so much for a while back in the 80s...

flower

Admiring the flowers on the West Heath...

Plus by the tractor

Chris sitting on a tractor at Ferretstock, our friend Emmas birthday party in a field/large garden behind her grandparents house in Essex just outside London. It was a lovely Sunday morning, too hot though, Chris had singled out that tractor for a while, he just needed to sit on it and I brought him his guitar. He's playing a new Plus tune called Antlers, with some weedy singing from me. It's kinda lofi-lovely though. Simon's taking over the 'camerawork' halfway through. Here's the video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pBy49lthL4

follow the teenagers

See my band Plus live!'Steamrise' and 'Teenager' from a gig last year at the first birthday party of the rampART, a squat/community centre in the East End. Most of the gig was a bit shambolic, I was drunk and a bit off (into the clouds), we couldn't soundcheck, just plugged in and played, but, whoaaa, i mentioned before that that song 'Teenager' needs to be 100 %, well here it is slightly more than that, it's my favourite recorded live version, it's how we first conceived it, a real headfxxx. It's the second track here, starts at about 3.37 min. Anyway, it's intense, the rest of the gig is mixed, a bit too screamy. John filmed it and put it up a while ago, though i would have probably chosen it slightly differently, anyway, looks like people have watched it (!) but they should watch this part, by far the best of the gig. Part 4 is great too, "Electric Germany/Silhouette". Maybe better avoid the rest :-)

Steamrise & Teenager
Electric Germany/Silhouette

Singalong The Sound of Music

Me and Simon's family dressed as nuns after all three hours of last Fridays Singalong The Sound of Music at the Prince Charles. I had heard about this for years, just found out it's happening all over the world, and I wasn't disappointed, lots of nuns, Austrians, nazis, and a lot of singing, booing, hissing, miaowing, mooohing, etc. hosted by the great Candy Floss who kept Simon's mum on stage to judge the next lot of fancy dressers.

The Bevis Frond and Teenage Fanclub: Ain't That Enough?

London is still so hot, and up until last Monday there was something almost every day or evening keeping me creeping through the soupy hot air for hours, tubes stopping in tunnels, train drivers who sound like they'd rather be stoned, not being able to move out of the wrong pubs, starting far too long walks that otherwise would have been refreshing, last Sunday it took us almost four hours to get to a family barbecue, where everything was already burnt black by the time we arrived. And then last Monday, courtesy of a spare ticket, Vanessa had pulled out again, the hottest gig of the year. And also definitely A Gig Of The Year. Considering that Teenage Fanclub seem to have mostly the sort of fans who will sing along to every line and know every song backwards it was weird to know most of The Bevis Fronds material, and not much of The Fannies. I've seen them quite a few times, mostly at festivals, but I don't own any of their records, and somehow on these occasions they passed me by a bit, they were fine but not that engaging for me. However here, in the sweaty, smokey, blokey, and unbelievably thick air of The Forum, after two hours, two sets, the first being a full playback of their Bandwagonesque album (I need to get that btw!), hands in the air, they gradually morphed into a really great band, with one wonderful song after another, it slowly crept up on me, but by the end, dancing with strangers, sweating like pigs, drunk, riding a time machine to a place I hadn't been to, it dawned on me that this was a really proper legendary gig. It took a while and I almost left, but kept bumping into people, getting another drink, washing my hands, running around, and then towards the end, a revelation. I'm sure my experience of this gig is fairly unique though as the hall was rammed with twenty and thirty somethings reminiscing a particular point in the early 90s (i love early 90s nostalgia too btw, special time for me too) where sunkissed sixties US pop styles caught up with a loved up, raved up UK indie scene and opened a window that apparently still hasn't shut. I loved the way all this crept up on me slowly and didn't hit me over the head, it was very gradual and the greatest hits set in the second half was actually a bit more happening than the playback of that legendary album which most of the fans from near and far who had gathered here had come to see.

But initially me and Gavin were really excited to see The Bevis Frond open up, since they rarely play in London. I own their excellent Live in San Francisco album from 1997, and, having also seen them recently at ATP, seem to know most of the material played for this brief "greatest (non) hits" set ("This is my biggest hit .... that wasn't actually a hit"). Main man and songwriter Nick Solomon is hilarious between songs, like an English middle aged Lou Barlow, very endearing and self deprecating, wearing the same T-shirt in which he is pictured on that 97 live album (!) but just a little bit older, a benevolent obscure stoner rock god floating through his own little universe, friendly, laid back and happy to connect, but not afraid of taking the piss out of himself and everyone around him. The lineup has since explanded to a five piece, and just as at ATP, they sounded really big and made some good expansive guitar noise, starting with an apparently customary jam but then went straight in to the songs. They are big, wonderful, haunting songs and they sound good in a big room on a loud sound system, Maybe, Hole Song No 2, Stoned Train Driver, Lights Are Changing, etc. and seem to gradually connect with the not so teenage fans of the Fannies. I mean there's some puzzled faces too, but it's not hostile. They're playing their annual three hour show at their local beer hall in Walthamstow in October, I hope I can make that one. Beautiful.

Ten Tips for Surviving Summer Sun

I spent most of the hot day yesterday in a field in Essex, where we were camping for the night, a birthday party, the sun came out at 7, the roosters were waking everyone up anyway, though thankfully our tent had shade till about 9. just getting ready and packing up took hours, it was very nice out there but there was little shade and the little there was wasn't all that effective, there was a tree but not all trees give proper shade, and a marquee, but again they are bit dodgy in my book when it's as hot as this. I did a brief walk through the baking countryside and came across a car full of half naked young guys sitting in a small lane in the shade, they were just 'cooling down' one of them explained as he let me pass through. . Anyway, i'm really feeling the heat and it's not so nice, headache seems to have just about receded, and i don't want to feel like i did yesterday evening again. So for the next few days I'll follow the common sense guidelines issued by the Department of Health...


The Department of Health advises people to take the following action:
Stay in the shade or indoors.The sun is at its most dangerous between 11am and 3pm. Find shade under umbrellas, trees or canopies. It is worth remembering that the temperature is at least a couple of degrees cooler if you are by water.
Use sunscreen and cover up.If you can't avoid being out in the sun apply sunscreen (factor 15+) and wear a t-shirt, hat and sunglasses.
Increase your fluid intake.The normal recommended daily intake of fluid is 2.5 litres or 8 glasses per day. In extreme heat experts recommend you drink more and include a range of different fluids.
Ventilate your home.Keep some windows open all day and all night and use fans. This is particularly important at night, when the body cools down. However, be careful because burglars are opportunist and will use open windows to get in. Close downstairs or easily accessible windows at night, or when you are in the garden.
Look after the elderly.Older people are more prone to the effects of heat. If you have older relatives or neighbours you can help simply by checking on them and reminding them to drink plenty and often. They should have a mixture of drinks including tea, fruit juice and water. Also help them to keep their house as cool as possible, using a fan if necessary.
Protect childrenKeep a close eye on young children, who need plenty of fluids. A good way to check if they are drinking enough is that they are passing urine regularly and that it is not too dark. You should check nappies regularly. Babies and the very young must be kept out of the sun.
Avoid excessive physical exertionIf you are taking physical exercise you need to drink half a litre of fluid at least half an hour beforehand and continue to replenish your fluids after exercising.
Know the perils of outdoor eating.Warm summer weather is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria so it is especially important to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold until you are ready to eat them. When barbecuing always make sure you cook meat until it is piping hot, none of it is pink and all juices run clear.
Be sensible with alcoholHot weather speeds up the effects of alcohol so extra care should be taken when drinking. Alcohol will lead to dehydration so make sure that you alternate alcoholic drinks with water or fruit juice.
Keep cool at workThe office is often the coolest place to be in a heatwave. Ask your boss for air-conditioning or fans and open windows where possible. Keep windows shaded with blinds and if possible move your working position out of direct sunlight. Have plenty of breaks during the day to get cold drinks and cool down.
These precautionary measures will help increase protection from heat exhaustion and sunstroke as well as food poisoning and skin cancer.
A Department of Health spokesperson said:
"This week's temperatures are unusually high and people need to take extra care. The tips issued today are common sense precautions and will help people enjoy the weather whilst protecting themselves from the dangerous, and potentially fatal, effects of these temperatures

RIP Syd Barrett

there was a vague sense that somehow, miraculously, while and as he was still alive, he could have reappeared and issued another madcap sign of life, however frail or fragile. i know this notion is/was as crazy as any ... crazy old diamond. It was still somehow intriguing to know there was this reclusive legend living somewhere in Cambridge, someone who once communicated very vivid and enduring messages and who was now seemingly lost to distortion, withdrawal and enduring silence. I couldn't help being intrigued by that, and that's that. At least he was still alive, where he wanted to be, apparently, and being left alone.

Last time I was in Cambridge, not so long ago, I wanted to do a walk from Shelford through Grantchester Meadows into Cambridge, but it started to rain heavily, and I had to abandon it halfway through and get a cab into Cambridge where it continued to rain for hours. What did I expect to see or experience there? I don't know... but it was around a time when Pink Floyds first album was on heavy rotation on my headphones. Grantchester Meadows is still there though, and I should go back and do that walk now.

'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' sounds very vivid and colourful today ...

"Alone in the clouds all blue
Lying on an eiderdown.
Yippee! You can't see me
But I can you."

basement rush

I hear tense, complicated drones coming from the entrance,
pushing it open
lights guide you through corridors,
my voice gets weak and fades out,
leaves me sluggish, alone with the scream, the hunger, the thirst,
the hole gets more insistent
as you slide down, speaking sense for once,
commanding a stage, whispers from another life
lift up the curtains, screams from the other side
direct the madness
but underneath it all
there's no real number
on your back
as you go in
to talk back
and fight
the rush
below
where i rest
inside a conversation

the boy with the birthday cake hat

he's a fool, but we knew that all along...;-)

i was wearing this charmingly colourful outfit, chosen and put together by various enthusiastic members of our respective families, all afternoon at our summer party, i even walked down the road to the off licence with it...and I was dressed quite modestly to start with...

some more photos here courtesy of 'photographer of the stars' Vanessa Robertson:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/45373348@N00/sets/72157594181379901/

40 golden fogbanks and one awesome avatar, or maybe the other way round?

the GbV rune, entirely made up of DTS avatars, this awesome t-shirt or poster idea comes from the amazing barthatronic...


(I'm pleased to see my newest one, the rather plain beige cover of 'The Best of Tocotronic' somehow made it on there a couple of times...)








hey i'm turning 40 tomorrow, if you're in the west hampstead area just follow the sounds'n'smells of football and barbecue ;-))

foggy gold

dial another colour
fade from sight but don't forget
it's all deceptive
discover for real
what that noise can do
for you
while laughter still resides
in the foreground
i'm not what you think
but i don't know how to say it right
still
lonely lanes feel quieter
and distant
discoveries
stutter through mainline exposure
distorted sights lead to
nothing, maybe an explosion.
soft tunnels
sunshine drifters what you want is
floored, agreed, but
i've got other plans now
drifting though last orders
and new beginnings
i'm all over these
foggy golden buildings
shine strange sights
for love to share and hills to climb
4ever
type faster
build an escape route
follow me
enlightened hills
reversed shapes
all you backwards procession markers
i'll wrap you all around me
as i stare ahead to lose control
flattering thoughts vanish into these grounds
like water leaking through
for safety nets to gain
a power to survive
i kneel for space
and handle more suspense
though through these eyes i see nothing
but grey walls
occasionally another map sprawls further
and leads me into gardens
out of step
whatever you see
it's real to me
i fear i'm swallowed by the tide
to see you through and bite it off
sombre clear dividers build a picture
and fight back
through moist tunnels
and reversed options
i shall say yes to you

shoot me stranger
become clearer as the wave collapses into
familiar patterns
wave through to the content edge
exploring the rest as if it was
a neverending present
feel good when black edges turn up
for it is here
that you will slip through
confidence kills
the other side
but i remain a willing survivor
of the rage for meaning
control
deliver a parcel
a birthday cake
or wave another direction
you're free

Frances McKee & Eugene Kelly: The Vaselines play an encore

I discovered The Vaselines not so long ago, as part of my random journey , and am still listening, they just had some great, warped pop songs. We were all really into it playing some Vaselines stuff in our chalet at ATP. Apparently 'Rory Ride Me Raw' is about a bicycle saddle, I learned, haha...

So yesterday was the first night of a short tour billed as Frances McKee and Eugene Kelly, where they were both playing solo sets, and then some Vaselines stuff was promised to follow. In the end that meant only about five songs, and despite it sounding more acousticy and a little underrehearsed it was still super sweet and affecting. They played Mollys Lips, You think you're a man (originally sung by Divine), Jesus wants me for a sunbeam (not originally sung by Nirvana :-), (I think) Son of a Gun, Monsterpussy (?) and/or The Day I was a Horse (Love these titles..). The first three were tacked on at the end of Frances set which was low key, quite nice, her all female band included a cello player and her own daughter as backing vocalist, you could hear a certain tone familiar from the Vaselines in there just about but it was more acoustic, and didn't have the same kind of bite and synergy, I guess as in all great bands the sum is more than its parts. We were lounging around in the corner when she finally asked Mr Eugene Kelly on to the stage which created a bit of rush and excitement in the audience, I guess most people were excited about the Vaselines reunion of sorts. It wasn't really much, some false starts ("twenty years in the business..."), didn't sound as mad and maybe seemed a little half hearted, as if they were doing it more to promote their solo records rather than reuniting but as I said, it just made you smile, it was sweet and a little magic. I wish they'd played a full rehearsed set, but this little gesture made it all the more precious i guess. 'Jesus wants me for a sunbeam' was astonishing, probably the highlight. After the last two songs of the encore (and they'd never done an encore in the old days before apparently) Mr Kelly mumbled 'Please forgive us for we have sinned', and stumbled off. Followed by a playback of Velvet Underground's entire 'Loaded' album, which a member of our party knew line by line by heart. Cue drunken, low key dancing. A lovely evening, and I even dreamt about it (and that went on for hours in my dreams, haha)!

some of them are art collectors...

so Bob's original artwork for 'Mag Earwhig' is being sold on ebay
, well, all 5 1/8” x 5 1/8” of it (most of his artwork is rumoured to be very small, he's a master of miniatures after all...a lot of his songs play like miniature rock operas) . It's safe to say 'Astral City Slickers' is one of his most famous and distinctive collages. While people's opinions about the album and its status within the GBV canon are somewhat divided (it is still quite a mysterious record, and in some ways a transitional record too) it's always been said that the cover art for ME is especially good (recently the album's received a bit of a critical renaissance as well, and quite a few tracks from it have been added to the live set). Most of Guided by Voices and Fading Captain releases feature Bobs artwork, and while some are more successful than others, they are striking additions to the music, and there has been talk about putting together an exhibition for some time. I'm a little sad that this is being auctioned without being shown beforehand, but hopefully an exhibition will happen at some point and if it does, the new owner can be persuaded to loan it for all fans to see...well, I'd love to see this and a full exhibition exploring Bob's visual art (even though it's not likely to come anywhere near me) , it would just be such an awesome thing to happen and would probably help market the artwork too. Anyway I won't be bidding here, it starts at $ 5.000. While that figure might shock some, it wouldn't surprise me too much if it reaches at least that target...happy bidding (or not)!

Dublin

part of my 40th birhday celebrations (still coming up)

John, Carmel, Darren, Simon

another lost weekend

so you have these really old pubs in Dublin, where nothing has changed, you even have old cigarette adverts on the walls, and still they're no smoking, definitely haunted and haunted by smoke too, but still... pretty amazing (apologies, smokers, but yeah....)

just outside Dublin, Howth peninsula. We went for an epic walk all around it

Two Men on a MISSION

our chalet, Sunday afternoon, me and Trev, i'm wearing a 'Mission of Burma' shirt, Trev wears his 'Mission Accomplished' one from the GBV Electrifying Conclusion tour. Some bad singing to follow...

All aboard for planet ATP

Simon, Trev and Pete facing the beach















the kitesurfers, Sunday morning.

















get higher, baby!
















Dungen

they played two grand wigged out sets, on the Saturday and the Sunday, no need to skip anything if you're in such willing and capable hands... simply wonderful


















Gavin on the (very windy) beach

grizzly bear

are keeping a nice tour blog . i'm very tempted to see them tonight, hope it isn't sold out.

now playing is: grizzly bear _horn of plenty_ (which is a type of funghi - i found out through the Guardian's trippy "funghi" poster, which adorned our window as you approached our chalet at ATP, hehe) a lovely record, lofi psych, warm glitchy vibes, a convincing and engrossing urban folk feel. i picked it up in NYC in Dec 2004, it was my token random local purchase after reading a little recommendation note tacked next to it in Other Music. The guy behind the counter was very enthusiastic about all the polaroids of customers animals displayed on the wall by the cash desk, i said they should rename themselves 'Pet Sounds', hahaha...

bears, bears, bears keep swinging

"And I'm haunted by the freakish size of Nancy Reagans head": Mission of Burma

So, ATP...wow, again. Good sets from Dungen (twice, best I've seen them so far, really stoked to be there), Elf Power (finishing their set with a cover from Eno's 'Here come the warm Jets', yay!), Mission of Burma, Dead Meadow, Boredoms, Destroyer (I got into them after about ten minutes, spiky and warped, interesting), New P@rnos (superb as usual), Bevis Frond (it was so great to finally get to see them) , The Shins (of course), Brian Jonestown Massacre (despite some long breaks very entertaining and, uh, dare I say it, professional) Lightning Bolt (the media circus around them is getting a bit much though, all I could see was people trying to hold their camera over the crowd, sounded great though), Dino Jr on fire as well, though by that point I could only manage about twenty minutes, even with earplugs. The Dino Jr day was superb, had a real stoner/psych/shoegazer vibe. . .but being hungover from going to see oAH and The Lilys the night before with the whole crew didn't help, plus it took ages to get there, signal failure in Ashford, yuck...when we finally got there things fell into place very quickly...

Overall it was not quite as manic and excessive as previous years but that was deliberate on my part. An all blowfish (or at least ex-blowfish) chalet so plenty of GBV and other good music on the ipod shuffle, also impromptu renditions of GBV songs at inappropriate points (sorry, anyone, actually the best bits happened in the chalet...) . I went to the beach all the time, even with sandstorms, thunderstorms, rain, etc., it was my favourite place. Sunday morning I spent a good two hours, when it was relatively calm, on the beach to the left towards the lighthouse in Dungeness, where you can watch the kitesurfers hang out, it was so beautiful, and the fresh sea air totally amazing. My chaletmates managed to go to the beach just once in the whole weekend, which happened to be during the worst sandstorm of the weekend, but it was my tonic after the far too smokey main rooms of the festival, a counterbalance to the cramped, manic noisefests and freakouts.

Best deal in the brilliant buzzy merch room was this: ten pounds for the brand new Mission of Burma album, featuring a bonus live DVD, plus a free MOB t-shirt (from their 2004 tour), and a free handshake from Clint Conley. Pretty amazing deal in my book! He was really friendly, told me to spread the word a bit here in the UK, I wasn't sure whether that was really necessary, though he insisted, so I'll do my little bit here by saying that after a few spins I love this new Mission of Burma album. 'The Obliterati' is noisy, raw, heavy, paranoid, trippy, haunting/haunted, anthemic, beautiful, their sound is very peculiar as ever, seems to express all sorts of complex interior half states and feelings beyond the abrasive surface. The title of the last song 'Nancy Reagans Head' seems to point towards their 80s roots, and the album sounds just as tremendous as what they were doing in the early 80s. But it's timely too and most importantly, it sounds like they still mean it, there's a passion and integrity there. Their show at ATP was fierce, almost confrontational, very passionate. The old ones got reshuffled or thrown out, and they played a lot of new stuff. I remember whooping as I heard the opening chords for 'That's When I Reach For My Revolver' early in the set and Roger Miller whooping right back into his mic. Then they played the song...WOOOO! The new album has an interesting wikipedia style website that anyone can edit.

Chris Corsano / BARR at the Luminaire

We first saw Chris Corsano at the Sonic Youth curated day at ATP '04, doing his stunning free jazz inspired drumming with Thurston Moore, Jim O'Rourke, and a veteran avant jazz player whose name i can't recall. Billed as Dream/Aktion Unit, they were playing a high intensity jam/noise set that stood out even on this brilliant day (more highlights in no particular order: Sonic Youth themselves, Lightning Bolt straight after SY in the other corner of the room, Erase Errata, etc...) He's a very young and accomplished player who seems comfortable playing with all sorts of people and in all sorts of contexts. So yesterday I saw him at the Luminaire with this dude
who was rapping frantic and direct streams of his, erm, consciousness to vaguely textured beats from his boombox. Some of the drumming went along with the rhythms of the songs, and at other times he went a little bit wild and it was almost like two separate things at once, though there was always some connection, and it was intense even though i didn't get all of it. I guess they had rehearsed a bit beforehand but a lot of it seemed of the moment, one-off, and it was interesting to see how a semi-improvised set like that can really work. (Corsano I think was rumoured to be playing with Jandek at the Scala that evening, which was cancelled). I would have stayed for most of Magic Markers set afterwards if it wasn't so smokey and the problems they had on stage getting it together were getting a bit annoying. J Mascis was in the audience!

Another good gig at the Luminaire coming up tomorrow: The Lilys and of Arrowe Hill who emerge after some absence and following the release last Halloween of their splendid 'Hexadelica' record. Raw, spooky, 60s inspired psychedelic rock nodding towards both early Pink Floyd and GBV. They coined the immortal line 'On a daytrip to Nighton', hehe, and GBV are certainly fans too! It should be a good evening...

followed swiftly by ATP from Friday (god, gigs gigs gigs), which I'm planning to do very relaxed this year, go to the beach and watch some bands, no big ambitions... we'll see. It'll probably be the usual full on noise rock beach party. It'll be my sixth time in Camber Sands. I love it down there, I love the actual place. Actually, my one ambition is to make the trek to Dymchurch, an old place in the opposite direction to Rye. I read this ghost novel set around the area, we picked it up in a Rye bookshop the last time, it's mostly set there and made me curious. The area has an eerie vibe, Derek Jarman had his famous house nearby, and the beaches are amazing, especially when the tide is out. >>>>>>>>

and finally a great live photo from the Rhythm Factory by Vanessa Robertson...

now playing: joy zipper _the heartlight set_ perfect for the lovely springtime

turning on (the plus signs)

i guess i should write a bit about the Plus gig last week since it was a good night, and raised some questions about where we're at. It got a pretty good response, thanks for coming out, sounded good apparently, and to me felt alright, even though towards the second half I managed to miss getting the lyrics right, i had rehearsed them fairly thoroughly but then got lost in the song and missed the right points of entry, and through that lost the momentum a bit, but managed to find it again by going a bit mental at strategic points ;-) That's how i usually do it in rehearsals, recordings even, go right into bits of lyrics, change them around, find new lines, scare myself even, change the emphasis, do a trip into private language. That's what plus gigs used to be like, messy, a bit anarchic, with sudden shifts in intensity, and never quite the same. i guess people like it though when i'm singing lyrics and am more in control so i'm reasonably happy to try and oblige, i actually quite like some of these lyrics now, the way they put some weight behind the songs is powerful to me too. thing is though, about halfway through we played a brand new number, and i went straight back into wild man mode, and couldn't shake it off afterwards. i actually thought that new number was one of the best of the set, and new ones don't always work for me the first time we play them. so there was a weird balance between rehearsed and improvised, and i think it's okay to do that now, to suddenly let rip, to switch modes, to surprise etc. Whenever we play a set i never quite know which songs will work and which will not, it's like a lottery so i will say the first half was strong and then there was a bit where we lost the momentum a bit but Plus Today, the only old one, was magnificent and brought us back again. I'm getting a bit bored with the old stuff but this one felt alright, was really beautiful, intense and over the top as per usual. Overall i think there was a lot of control even though some of it was loose, maybe because of it, and it had a slow burning, complex, introspective, shoegazerish vibe, where there were several things going on at once and not everything worked equally well.

Here's the setlist:

Shades of Green
Pink City
Tired Eyes
Cold in Summer/When I'm Pretty/? (The new one...)
Seeing Time
Ephedrine Daddy
Plus Today
Teenager

Teenager, a sometimes total monster track, i screwed up a bit unfortunately, it wasn't bad but nowhere near 100 %, but the track before redeemed it, i guess. Wayne, the promoter, played a Virgin Prunes track 'Walls of Jericho' from the live bit of Heresy for me while we came on (he played the rest of it after the set), The Phobics were fantastic, full on garage punk, and GNA did their global noise attack thing for an enthusiastic crowd, so a fun evening out. I'd like us to play at the Rhythm Factory again, nice venue and crowd...good people!