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24.5.06 – Zero 7 gig
Last Friday, I went to see Zero 7 in their Tiscali Showcase gig at the teeny-tiny Carling Islington Academy.
The lovely thing about the Academy in Islington is that it is part of the N1 Centre, a delightful little shopping/food/entertainment complex right opposite Angel tube station. So, having first fuelled my face with a wholesome Yo! Sushi dinner, it was with excitement that I took the 15 second walk from the restaurant to the door of the already-packed Academy.
Having missed the first support act (Modern American Science – who I wasn’t too bothered about), I was pleased to be in position for the second support. Paolo Nutini is a Scottish teen singer-songwriter with Strokes-esque looks but a soulful temperament, great voice, and a great-sounding two piece backing band. He rattled through about 7 songs, including the brilliant “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty” (a song about a girl who dumped him when she found out he was 18, and not 23 like he said). That song can be heard via his site – check it out.
Then, the 6-strong group making up the Zero 7 live experience took to the stage. It looked kinda cramped up there – not enough room to fully allow you to reach the peak of creativity I’d say, and something did seem to be stifling them. The sound was poor, the songs were poor, the instruments sounded harsh, the vocals were indistinguishable…it was just terrible. The lush atmospherics that they capture on record were not there to see – just a bare-bones live band who sounded no better than your local noisemakers.
I didn’t even stay for the end of the set – I’d seen Paolo Nutini and that was enough for me. I’ll definitely go see him again.
19.5.06 – Trapped In The Closet
Through listening to the fantastic Adam & Joe Show podcast from Xfm, I have stumbled across a gem – “Trapped In The Closet” - the first “hip-hopera” from the irrepressible R.Kelly. Basically, what he’s done is created 12 short songs (with videos) that play out a soap-opera style story when you listen to the episodes in order. R.Kelly plays the lead character – Sylvester – and voices all of the other characters through the medium of R&B. Like a TV soap, the plot progresses via a series of cliffhangers at the end of each track to make you want to follow the story through all 12 ‘episongs’.
Sounds crap, right? Well, it would be if it weren’t so unintentionally funny and absurd. The opening scenario sees Sylvester trapped in the closet of his latest conquest – an ordinary clichéd drama scenario, and from here it progresses thus…the conquest’s husband comes home with his gay lover, Sylvester discovers his own woman is having an affair by finding a used condom in their sheets, Rosie the Nosey Neighbour walks in on a shooting, a traffic cop’s wife is found to be hiding a midget under her sink – then said midget is found to be the father of the woman’s child. I understand (although I’ve not seen it yet) that the climax has something to do with everyone coming clean about their infidelity following a bout of STD infection. You can’t make this stuff up…it is genuinely unbelievable and brilliant without meaning to be.
You can see watch all 12 episodes through the links on this page here.
19.5.06 – iFridge?
For the last two days I’ve been on a NPDT Commissioning Conference in Heathrow. The venue was the old-fashioned-but-luxurious Radisson Edwardian hotel near Heathrow airport – a superb venue with superb facilities…and the rooms
weren’t half bad either. After I checked in, I went to my room, flicked the telly on and had a scout around to see what goodies I had in my room. On opening the minibar cabinet, I saw this on the fridge door (right):
“Interactive minibar”? Interactive in that I can put my hand in it and take contents out, and then be charged? This is surely grandiose labelling of the highest degree?!? Sounds good though huh? Next time someone wants to look at my work documents I’m gonna ask them to step into my interactive office and help themselves to my interactive files, whilst I sip my interactive tea from my interactive mug…!!!
16.5.06 – Some words, on a blog, about something…
What I like about the internet is the freedom it offers many to air their views, their opinions, their take on things…and I guess this blog is case in point. Some views are interesting, and well presented, some not so. If you call on a big internet content provider, such as Yahoo!, you’re probably going to expect something full of insight, appropriate, concise and well written, right?
Wrong. Have a look at the opening line on this - from Yahoo!, today:
I understand you’ve got to use copyright free images on the net from time to time – but surely the banality of that opening line is ridiculous? It amounts to “this is a picture of nothing in particular, used by no-one in particular at no particular time”. Why they couldn’t have left that line out and just cracked on with the story is beyond me. Made me chuckle though…
15.5.06 – To Stevgog, or not to Stevgog?
I own a Sony Ericsson mobile phone. I like my phone. It does many things. One of the things it does is text messages…and on the whole, it does them very well. However, predictive text (which would actually be better named ‘assumptive text’) is often a bit too clever. My Mum becomes “my nun” (which she could never be – she drinks, smokes, swears and gambles too much), and “I’ll be home by 9” becomes “I’ll be good by 9”. The way it turns “kiss” into “lips” is a cute coincidence, but if I wish to tell someone I’m queuing, what message do I convey?
“I’m stevgog”.
Now I’m no ‘master of the dictionary’, but I’m pretty sure stevgog is not a word. But, it is a pretty funny-sounding word. In fact, I so wanted it to be a word, I looked it up on Google, Answers.com and Dictionary.com; all to no avail.
So I contacted Sony Ericsson through their site, and asked them who comiles their pre-programmed dictionary. Sadly, it’s confidential information…but the good news, I am informed, is that I can add my own words to the dictionary anyway. Until I can come up with a nonsense word as good as stevgog though, I’ll save my allocation of my own words…
15.5.06 – Tickets I Won’t Be Buying…
Everyday when I log into my PC, I have a little lookie at Ents24, a great Music/Theatre/Arts/Comedy/Cinema listings site that I swear by. My daily peep helps me to be sure I’m not missing any newly announced shows by favourite bands, and it has helped me catch a few shows I’d have missed otherwise. It also lets me see which other acts are about as well – in some cases, so I can make sure I dodge them.
Take, for example, this show. Cryptopsy, supported by Garotted and She Said Destroy. Now, I don’t think many bands really live up to the menace in their names (particularly Slipknot – a band named after a boy scout rope-tying manoeuvre), but the power of words has got me here – and these are tickets I definitely won’t be buying.
I think what’s got me here is the splicing of two quite horrific words…Cryptopsy is a word very much in the same vein as Necromurder, Voodooslaughter or Curseblood. Give me Rainbowkitten, or Brightflower, or Dancepuppy and maybe I’ll shell out to go see ‘em!!!
11.5.06 - Fantastic Links
Off the back of my chats with Andrew (below), here are a few links to peruse and amuse:
Beatbox nut:
This is a chap who looks a bit like Yahoo Serious who's put together a stunning beatbox video. Absolutely amazing.
Four Second Fury:
We all love a Flash game to pass the time when we should be working...I know I do. This is a game made up of lots of 4-second micro-games. Play it and weep.
Practical links: This guide and this guide explain how to rip a DVD to your hard drive using DVD Decrypter, and how to convert them to an iPod (or any other pocket device that can play MP4).
Copy, Right?:
A fantastic music blog dedicated to the art of the cover version. Some duds on here, but plenty of cracking, original takes on oldies...
11.5.06 - Blah Blah Blah & John Martyn Gig
From my debut blog (below) you'll already know I shared my evening yesterday with Andrew. Having not seen each other for an age it was nice to return to something that figures largely in our friendship - music. In testament to the fact we're continually educating each other in music, the act we went to see - John Martyn - was an artist I first heard of when Andrew flicked on his 'Serendipity' album when I once visited Andrew in his tiny Finchley flat.Before the gig however, we headed to a fine vegetarian restaurant on the Goldhawk Road, called 'Blah Blah Blah'. With the restaurant seeming very dim inside, we waited outside for opening time - until I eventually realised the door was unlocked and we were just standing there like a pair of plums completely by choice!
This restaurant really is very very good - the service was good, the food was excellent in both taste and presentation. If you're ever in the area, I'd recommend it.
On to the Shepherd's Bush Empire then for the most civilised gig setting I think I've ever encountered. The Empire is a pretty small venue, but once the seats are down it becomes a hyper-quite-and-polite music venue. We took our seats and caught the end of support act John Smith, who had the gravelly voice of Ben Ottewell from Gomez, and guitar playing skills that you just can't learn...his final song 'Winter' saw him using his guitar for fast paced percussion and playing at the same time - really awesome.
John Martin took to the stage shortly after. 30 years in the musical has clearly taken his toll on him...the guy was just a big grizzly bear of a Scotsman. He ambled on with the use of his prosthetic leg, and took his seat from where he'd play us through 90 minutes of material. Most of it sounded quite contemporary, so I presume it was new material. My yearning for the 'classics' was fulfilled when he played 'May You Never', 'Solid Air' and 'Good and Evil'. His voice wasn't the marvel that it is on record - but I'd put that down to the drink...he was clearly worse for wear and I did not understand one word he said between songs!
Nice to see a musical hero in action though, and with no encore we were free to trot away at 10.15 and get home for a pleasingly early post-gig bedtime!
11.5.06 - Ok, ok...I know it's about time
I spent yesterday evening in the company of my good friend Andrew. As always, on the (unfortunately) rare occasions I see him, there is lots to talk about, lots of wisdom to share, and always tons and tons of weblinks to trade. Despite my resistance, Andrew has twisted my arm and encouraged me to start a blog to share all this stuff which I have come across...and this is it!!!
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