I went to see Mogwai last night. I paid my £12.50 and went there with large amounts of trepidation as the last time I saw Mogwai at the barras was definitely my worst Mogwai gig and the one that temporarily stopped my statement after every Mogwai gig that it was the best I’ve seen them. but thankfully it was not to be like that again and they really were the best I’ve seen them.

It must have been very close to sold out and not as huge a number of neds as last time, definitely an enthusiastic but in the right places audience. they weren’t over-frendly to support band Sophia though who had a fun heckle bout in between every song. I really liked Sophia, absolutely no pretensions to them.

I’d been granted my ten minutes of jostling in the photo pit and after that I got myself a nice vantage point where I could still take photos quietly without flash. I also stole wee Stuart’s bottle of Irn Bru that he’s left behind after watching Sophia. To drink, mind, not to keep as some sick souvenir or to sell on Ebay.

Anyway Mogwai pretty much picked all the songs that make me all tearful. I’m getting to be a right sap now. I thought it was just the overdrinking at Leeds that made me want to cry but no. Stuart’s voice is just getting better and better and that version of Cody is going to be in my top ten highlights of my life. well, maybe not quite that high. I’ve never heard Cody live before but it was all dragged out and Low-like. I’m just so glad Stuart got over his singing embarrassment thing and sings loud now. Chances of me crying at Low next week now stand at 84%.

The only bad bit was Secret Pint which sounded pretty rubbish. Stuart was complaining about something technical but the whole song just sounded out of sync and wrong. and John didn’t stay and break everyone’s hearing at the end of the encore, they just all left the stage and left the noise playing for a good ten minutes during which half the audience left. heh.

Well The Dismemberment Plan were fun. They had tunes and a cute geeky singer with some robotic dance moves. For some reason the audience was mostly made up of crazy american college students who ran down the front, danced wildly, whooped, sang along and heckled. There was a group of them at the front then a foot of space and the all the local crowd standing bemused at such outward displays of enthusiasm over a relatively unknown band. one of the guys was heckling so enthusiastically during one song that the singer kept giggling while trying to sing and ended up inviting the guy onstage to dance to the next song. I like gigs where you spend half the time laughing even when you’re there all on your own [sob etc.]. very funny guys and they seemed to be having a great time too. There seemed to be some people from Fracture there as well but I don’t know who. I’ve spent all morning trying to organise my million of photos and now I think I might wander down to Byres Road and do some shopping before Wil Forbis of Acid Logic webzine arrives.

So, on Tuesday I went to see Trans Am and The Fucking Champs. And one song by Eska, since the 13th Note now seems to open the doors at the time noted on the ticket and not an hour later. Dammit. Eska are really utterly fantastic these days. I mean, they were always utterly fantastic but now they’re utterly ROCK fantastic. If the new EP isn’t deserving of the word ‘awesome’ I’ll be very surprised. I went down the front to take photos of the Champs [actually to eye up Tim Green..ahem..] but after about three songs my ears were aching and my legs wobbling from the shuddering wall of power guitars. R! O! C! K! etc. it was mighty. I watched the rest from a safe retreat at the back of the venue where the floor still vibrated in shock.

After that, Trans Am had to be a disappointment and they kind of were. Some of it was great but mostly when they sounded like Tortoise or Brainiac. when they came back for an encore I was not too happy but they played their best song yet so that cheered me up immensely. And Chris gave me another corporate pen for my collection so another good night all round.

Now I’m off to see The Dismemberment Plan tonight. Does it ever stop? No.

okay, now I can find time to write about the burnt out festival. very timely considering the last few days have involved burning buildings at my place of work. I just went down and took some photos of the burnt botany building. it looks pretty sad with no roof.

the burnt out festival is on all this week in glasgow and they really went to some effort. really nice old-church type venue, slide and film projections and even printing the tickets on fancy cardboard. anyway, I went on the first night for Hood and Very! Special! Guests! Mogwai!

which obviously was wee stuart b dj-ing for well over an hour. he didn’t do his mobile indie disco but instead did a damn good proper dj set with fancy mixing skills and sticking in a whole bunch of stuff from hip hop to electronica to cheesy garage to digital hardcore to heavy metal to sesame street. but I think he mainly likes dj-ing so he can put on a long record every now and again and run about getting another beer and chatting to people. I expect this to get worked in to Mogwai’s set at some point.

Hood were the main band and they were really great. it all just worked together really well. the electronicy stuff, the guitars, the projections and everything. and they did a fantastically loud rock out bit to finish on. I was rather impressed.

Good night altogether. And John from Mogwai bought me a pint! what a guy!

yeah, thursday was les savy fav/enon/econoline in london. i was fashionably late so i missed the start of econoline’s set, but they were splendid, as expected. one day i’ll be early and get to see them from the start. one day. enon were interesting and fun enough, but i wasn’t so into them – i was still giddy from econoline’s set, i expect. les savy fav were excellently insane – plenty loud and wild with lots of hilarious antics. and they’ve so got the tunes. and, as ollie mentioned, a step ladder. must take up a lot of room on the tour bus though.

well, enon didn’t play conjugate the verbs, which made me a bit sad. but les savy fav had a step ladder, which made me happy. so, a fairly balanced evening all in all.

didn’t get to talk to greg and luke much though. ho hum.

I went to see some of my favourite musicians play in Oxford for like the first time EVER last night as the Ninja Tune posse came down to find that the Zodiac had printed up flyers saying the label was called Ninja Tunes and advertsing theri web address as ninjatunes.net, which it isn’t. At least they made the effort, bless. (go to and buy everything, go on) DJ Food were brilliant, although still adjusting – they made a few mistakes which they blamed on it being the first night of the tour, and it took DK a few goes to scratch out the tune to the Addam’s family. But the breadth of music the played and the skill with which they mixed it was incredible. Why can’t all club nights be made this way?

It is Therapy? next week. I expect to behave like an excited child.

just a quick word about j spaceman and his gang. well, they were very very good. it felt like as well as writing a bunch of new songs in that long break, they also perfected a great deal of their old stuff. the sound at the corn exchange is generally noted for its shiteness, but every note seemed absolutely perfect. the new stuff slotted in well with the old blah blah, and it was nice to hear something different, but it was still the old ones like let it flow and the the two spacemen 3 songs that stood out. i went to the gig feeling generally ill, and as there was no support, i struggled with the wait for them to come on, but about ten seconds into cop shoot cop i had been reminded of why i first got into spiritualized in the first place, and as lame it sounds, i felt about fifteen again (ah memories), all wide eyed, completely astounded that that noise up there was being made by some dreary looking thirtysomethings.

they did play for like 2 hours too, which seems to be a very rare thing nowadays. so, er, hats off and all that. i envy stu whos seeing em tonight at the royal albert hall i believe. bet its even more fantastical.

i did also see melt banana on monday, who were as great as everyone else has already said. due to some nasty drunkeness, i gave £4.60 to some sketchy guy for a copy of his bands cd. but! low and behold, its not half bad. the kevorkian solution i think they’re called. sounds like something in between melt banana and dillinger escape plan i would say (but with not as good production).

so there you have it. crappy reviews and pointless obscure music reccomendations. i so rock.

Rock. If you don’t know me I’m the events hadler. Or gig boy. Anyhow might as well let you all know that I’ve been doing some serious events research recently. Last Thusday (27th Oct) was Coventry with the glorius Souvaris. I thought they were great they thought they were crap. Typical huh? If you not familiar with them they have six members and play long instrumental sound scapes that meander a bit, lurch a bit and just generally make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Sunday (30th Oct) was Portsmouth and an all dayer with Hirameka Hi-Fi, Caretaker, Escanna and disoma among others. Caretaker were very late and while I was drunk I just wasn’t impressed. Hirameka were ace however, played some new stuff too all of which sounded wonderful. Escanna were the best I’d ever seen them play and disoma just plain rocked. Anyhow Bristol yesterday for Les Savy Fav, Enon, Kiska and Mountain Men Anonymous. MMA did their heavy instrumental thing well; Kiska did a groovier instrumental thing; Enon were just plain ace and Les Savy Fav were Les Savy Fav. If you’ve not seen them yet you must. Arty-Punk stuff. They even played Paradise City by Guns ‘n’ Roses during a fuck up with the guitarists gear, glorious. Next is Oxford on Monday for Billy Mahonie and Jullander. It’s tough working for Marceline but the job does have it’s good parts. Be back soon and sorry for the shit descriptions and reviews but that ain’t my job. Bye Bye…