So Cat Power surprised pretty much no-one by being really inconsistent last night (at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire). Parts of it were gorgeous, notably a couple of what I presume are new songs, and versions of ‘Metal Heart’ and ‘I Don’t Blame You’. For reasons best known to her, she decided to turn up the house lights and sit looking at her illuminated audience for the last ten minutes while she smoked a fag and muttered things into the microphone. There wasn’t even the payback of a triumphant final song, just: ‘You all have to go now, or the government will attack’. Possibly the most anticlimactic end to a gig I’ve ever seen, but then you’d expect nothing less infuriating from Ms. Marshall. Having said that, it was wonderful to see her with a (mostly) attentive audience in relatively-civilised seated conditions, punctuated by a constant stream of stewards telling people to stop smoking, and a stream of people slinking off to smoke guiltily by the bar. And I still love her.

Of course, Chris is neglecting to tell you that he missed Uzeda too. So that’s only the two best bands of the weekend then.

(Sorry Chris)

Most drunken person there eh? WALK A MILE IN MY FUCKING SHOES! I MISSED SHELLAC.

anyway.

Highlights:

LUNGFISH

PART CHIMP

JAMES ORR COMPLEX

I’m quite interested by the fact that no pain was caused by being in close contact with Lightning Bolt, Mogwai, Boredoms etc. but a 50 minute plane journey from London has broken my ears. Certainly I am getting old. But WOOO, best ATP ever! My top highlight was Lightning Bolt. Don’t listen to anyone who says they were crap, they’re just sulking about the playing on the floor thing. I couldn’t see them but they were still astonishingly great. So good I went next door and impulse bought the DVD. Also brilliant were Boredoms, Shellac, old skool Mogwai set and little old Chris Mack on that big stage. Tortoise, Papa M, Cat Power would have been great if I hadn’t shouted to people constantly over the former or been able to hear the latter two. I spent a lot of time being extremely un hardcore, sitting down during bands and hanging out at the chalet and thus had a 100% excellent band percentage by Saturday afternoon. My drinking antics were pathetic thanks to damaging my throat within 10 seconds of arriving in London. Most drunken person there – a tie between Chris Summerlin and Colin Kearney. Addition of the gambling area was a stroke of genius also. Yay, ATP. I’m off to have a bath now, despite spending half the weekend moaning about how our chalet had a bath instead of a shower. Go figure.

Shellac were AMAZING at my birthday party on Thursday also. I love that band. Hello to everyone I met and thanks to the kittens for my birthday pie, of which I ate 2/3rds. Mmmm, pie.

Everybody I met or spoke to at ATP – new friends or old – are great people. Seriously. Thank you all

Still too tired and confused to work out my musical highlights so far, due to not being able to take alcohol any more without getting a week-long hangover.

glad to hear people had fun at atp (although not entirely surprised). i won’t dwell on that too much in an attempt to cheer myself up for having missed so much fun recently, but one thing; stu! that was two years ago! time is indeed flying by though, i will turn 40 next year etc.

some considerable time after everyone else, we have finally come to appreciate the joys of curb your enthusiasm. having heard many people rave on about it, we finally caught bits of a couple of episodes on tv, and it seemed ok, but not really anything astounding. then, gradually, we saw more and more of it, and it seemed to get a little funnier each time. then last week we bought season one on dvd, which has finally caused us to share the common opinion that this show is a work of fucking genius. last night we watched the dermatologist one, and by the time larry was doing his “norman! not on the weekend!” speech in the car, we were both verging on delirious. lovely stuff.

i’m still half kidding myself that we could go to atp next weekend, despite the fact that a) it’s 3000 miles away, b) we don’t have any money and c) it’s sold out. a boy can hope though. failing that, there is the prospect of sun city girls in louisville next month, or possibly hair police/prurient/kites/wolf eyes in michigan, although on the way back from there last week i lead us on a somewhat unnecessary 120 mile detour, so i’m not even sure kim will ever let me be in a car with her again, let alone drive us back there. we were there to see the ever horrible khanate, who were spectacular as you would expect. i was very drunk which didn’t help with the whole “GGGRRRUUUUUURRGGGHHHHH-CCZZZZKKKKKIIIIINNNNNNTTTHHHHH-RRRRAAAAAAAAGGAAAWWWWWWAAAAAAA” aspect of the evening, in fact by the time khanate had played i could feel the fear rapidly approaching, but thankfully i managed to keep it together till the end. bought a fucking amazing shirt, so nice that i feel the need to show it off.

Hi all. I’m now returned from All Tomorrows Parties, as I’d imagine most of the other web-hackers on this computer site are. Suffice to say, it was great. I’m not going to write much because my eyes are about to bleed from exhausation, but what I will say is this-

– Trans Am, Boredoms and Uzeda were my favourite three bands of the weekend.

– Everybody in attendance was equally nice and friendly, barring the sub-moronic, chest-beating neanderthal who kicked me as I tried to get past him during Shellac (performance #2). He should be killed.

– If one more person excitedly taps me on the shoulder to tell me Lightning Bolt are playing an impromptu gig in a toilet/cupboard/suitcase, I will vomit hard and long.

– I lost 40 pounds somewhere on the beach.

– ‘Western Train’ is the most unusal arcade amusement I am ever likely to experience in my lifetime. ‘Players enjoy to control our train directly’, and that’s a fact.

– ‘Festabulous’ isn’t a popular word.

Now sleep.

Evening,

I was going to post about how I went to see Hella play their first ever gig in the UK tonight. And indeed I went. Unfortunately, see them I did not, for there were approximately 139 other people in the way crowding around them. I was lucky enough to catch a couple of glimpses of Zach the guitarist’s beard and also the odd flash of the bicep of a pummeling arm that belonged to the GREEK GOD manifesting itself as Spencer the drummer. That was it. Oddly disconcerting. Oh well, they’ll be back with a “proper” tour in August/September, and hopefully then they’ll BLOODY WELL PLAY ON A STAGE SO MORE THAN A DOZEN PEOPLE CAN SEE THEM.

If this happens when I see Lightning Bolt next week, I shall be upset. Though their propensity for volume may be a compensating factor.

Oh, and listen-to is great, unless you use a record player. So I’m currently listening to Charalambides – IN CR EA SE, and wondering why they can’t play any other UK dates apart from ATP weekend 2.

Went to my first gig of 2004 on Thursday to see diskant friends Hookers Green No1 despite the pouring rain and general miserableness of a late January Glasgow evening. Although intending to be fashionably late, we were actually the first people to arrive downstairs which meant a nice sit down and some James Orr Complex on the speakers. Then the hordes of student TopShop hipsters arrived and things got going. The first band (no idea what they were called, sorry) were not very interesting at all with their mishmash of postrock and 90s indie and the stage presence of a band that practices ever Saturday afternoon in their mum’s garage followed by egg and chips.

Hookers Green, however, are no egg and chips band. Shuffling about onstage with their brass section they looked slightly surprised to be there, as if they’d just woken up to find themselves onstage. The recorded HG stuff has an air of woozy dreaminess but live the songs became much louder and faster which was both a good and a bad thing. When the dual drumming kicked in on one song it sounded brilliant but the trombone often got drowned out by the general clamour. I’d like to see them mid afternoon or at about 3am with time to slow things down and let the songs drag themselves out to whatever end. They have much promise, probably my Band To Look Out For in 2004. So, look out for them (and somebody release their damn record!)

I have just finished punching myself in the face for 45 mins as punishment for letting The Ex avoid my attention for 24 years. Wow. Just saw them play and I haven’t seen such joyful intensity since erm…Saturday with Black Eyes but before that, years maybe. Christ. Deerhoof supported and were almost equally as great and the closest thing to the Magic Band I’ve ever seen (the Magic Band included). But The Ex, somebody kick my ass. Put the Shellac records in the damn cupboard.