Summer Solstice

Richard got into the spirit of all it at the Half Moon with a frankly sinister Morris Man outfit. Excellent sets from Le Shark and The Pepper Cake Melody Orchestra, with a terrific late night oompah version of 'Wipeout'. Me and T-Lo were on the decks as well as making a cameo appearance in the deXter Bentley set with some twin monophonic analogue synth droning to accompany 'Fishtank'. Which was nice.
Knalpot (which is an old Dutch word for exhaust-pipe) put in a top session performance on Saturday's show along with the mighty TV Smith, with me and Richard chiming in on the backing vocals for 'It's Warming Up'. Spent the rest of the afternoon at the Moat, finally putting the Crops recordings to bed - we hope to have the album out in September...stand by for more news!
We adjourned to the pub for a celebratory drink - David was driving, so he only had a small one.

The fruits of Marxism

Pay no attention to the man in the ginger beard...Someone occasionally leaves bananas at the bottom of the stairs to our flats, presumably as some sort of offering. But to whom? By strange coincidence, following a spot of trouble at mill, I decided to make a pilgrimage to Karl Marx's tomb in Highgate. There I found that someone (else, presumably) had left some oranges for the father of Communism. Could there be a connection? I shall keep my eyes peeled (I thank you) for more fruity offerings. I'm not too sure what significance the tissues had but for some reason Marx's statue kept putting me in mind of the Sean Connery film Zardoz, which wasn't helpful in keeping me in the requisite frame of mind for paying my respects to the great man (KM that is, not SC).

A bit of jiggery-pokey on the interweb reveals that the superbly named Caleb Pink, also interred at Highgate, was a pioneer American socialist and a friend of Walt Wjitman to boot. When not visiting graves of revolutionaries and pondering on fruit and massive stone heads, I found time to catch deXter Bentley play a very intimate show, featuring some great tambourine work from Mr Ravenscroft, at the Perseverance near Lisson Grove - a pub most aptly named as I went there two nights running, having got the date of the gig wrong first time round.

sierras, ovejas y calaveras

Caught up with Judge Ed again, along with Kate, T-Lo and SS, at the Malkmus Empire gig - a good old fashioned Crops night out but another strangely unsatisfying SM gig: it's really odd how someone whose albums are so top-notch just doesn't seem to cut the live mustard, but there you have it.
Oslo's Thingumajigsaw, on the other hand, are well worth seeing live, if today's marvellous session was anything to go by - the saw and the banjo are a very fine combination indeed and they do a great cover of Daniel Johnson's 'Walking the Cow'.
The calaveras are on a mural opposite a primary school in Lant Street, just down the road from top cantina, El Vergel.

Wet Dog,Ladyboys and Private Trousers

Been a bit lax on the blog of late so here's a quick catch up. Our old chums Wet Dog made an excellent session appearance on the show a couple of weeks ago accompanied by related outfit Private Trousers brandishing home-made instruments (check out the ukulele made from a baking tin!). We then zipped down to Brighton but despite the helpful signage didn't see any Ladyboys - unless Spratticus in a curly wig counts, which I suspect doesn't. Last week's show featured Skitanja and Brigid Power-Ryce.

Some Came Running

Double birthday bubble with Jo Bole's cumpleaños barbecue on Sunday (where we caught up with the Pants-Archers) and my 44th yesterday. Me and Shelly went to see Vincente Minelli's 1958 classic Some Came Running featuring Frank Sinatra, Shirley Maclaine and Dean Martin...who gets diabetes in the film! It must be noted, however, that Martin's character, the splendidly named Bama Dillert, doesn't present any symptoms whatsoever...didn't these people do any research, or were they trying to make a subtle point about the big DM being the 'silent killer'? I might start collecting on-screen depictions of diabetes - anyone got any suggestions of good ones? Anyhoo, from the BFI we went on to the Oak to meet up with Judge Ed, Mr Adams, T-Lo and SS and thencely to Simply Indian for some very fine curry indeed.

Culinary Similies and Maritime Metaphors

Spin Spin the Dogs, Tap Collective and Me Me Me were on the bill at the Half Moon on Friday night; strange bedfellows in a way but an intriguing combination - like a three course meal assembled from different cuisines. Richard's been struck low with a pretty potent virus so wasn't around for the gig or yesterday's show, which also featured Me Me Me and a solo set from Joanne Robertson, with Ean and me at the helm, skirting very close to radiophonic disaster for 90 minutes but just about keeping the ship afloat. Richard did heroically raise himself from his sickbed last night for the dexter Bentley gig at the anti-folk night at the 12 Bar, which was also the launch night for the new dB single 'Killer Kane', and featured excellent performances from Congregation and Hans Blix & the Inspectors too. Annoyingly I forgot my camera.

Mary Jane

Finally managed to youtube the Dave Cloud vid from the Windmill!

Tap and Gun

Twin-drummer fuelled blues grungers the Tap Collective and acoustic songstress Alice Gun put in splendid performances in a sultry Resonance studio this lunchtime. I managed to make an unscheduled guest appearance on one of Alice's songs as I fell onto the radiator while closing the window to shut out the sound of a passing police siren. Mercifully, I'm told, the resultant clang was in time.

Hog Night

Hooked up with T-Lo again on Wednesday night at the Windmill for another Dave Cloud show. Marvellous stuff - I got some great video footage on my camera but technophobe that I am, I haven't managed to get it on youtube yet. Will be playing the interview and a bit of the audio of the gig on the show tomorrow though.
More quintagenarian antics in Hammersmith last night for the Nicholas Edward Cave gig. Not quite as up close and personal as the Dave Cloud nights since we were perched way up in the gods but it was still an amazing show - with a phenomenal version of Stagger Lee at the end.

Cloud and Proud

Went for a bank holiday spin up to the Angel in Rotherhithe in T-Lo's Spitfire with Alfie in the back seat. Then on to the 12 Bar to see and interview the mighty Dave Cloud, who's flown in from Nashville, via Norway, with the Gospel of Power for a handful of London gigs. They were awesome and entertaining as ever - check them out if you can at the Windmill on Wednesday 7th or the Dirty Water Club on Thursday 8th. You won't regret it. Gerry's new side project Debbie Leggo were also on the 12 Bar bill and very good too - imagine three record players blaring out The Fall, Can and Pink Floyd at the same time while a Scotsman shouts about the devil dipping his horns in his pint and you'll have a pretty close picture.