So much choice last night. I wanted to go and see The Incredible String Band, Kate Rusby and the Radio Sweethearts. And I decided to… stay in and listen to my new records instead. I was tired.

Best thing I learnt last week was that Stina Nordenstam isn’t mad or dead (Dynamite had me worried, it was morbid as) and she still writes songs. It felt like she’d been gone for ages. The new album (This Is…) is more pop than before, it’s got a Motown style 3-minute rule going on and some happy songs, but it’s still the same Stina and it feels like a logical progression. The jazz influences are almost entirely gone and there’s less space, fewer pauses but the lyrics and the singing are still exquisite. (And that’s not a word I bring myself to use easily, too precious.) There isn’t anyone else who can make “standing in the fucking rain” sound sweet so naturally. I love the album and it’s great to have her back (maybe she didn’t go anywhere and I just was looking the other way but hey). Tour please.

Here I was going to write about going to see Glasgow’s finest purveyors of good time Rock (that’s The Cherrykicks, by the way). BUT I’m not in the mood. Some evil chav who must live in the same building as me has took half my bike from the landing outside my door while I slept, never mind the security door or anything.

I hope the seat gives you piles and the wheels burst on a corner.

And if I find out you are who I think you are I’m going to superglue your front door closed.

On the plus side, my U -lock obviously works but has anyone got any ideas what to do with a naked bike frame? I think I’m going to turn it into a voodoo doll.

This isn’t music related, BUT I’m posting it because I don’t whether to laugh or cry. An article at GNN links to websites called activistcash.com and consumerfreedom.com. I feel so much safer after learning that they are standing up for my rights against nannies funded by big businesses. Such shocking revelations as: Ben&Jerry’s gave some activists $100k to deface billboards! PETA are vegans! Some people are on the board of more than one group! Greenpeace have offices! And of course the ELF are the American al-Qaeda. (It stops getting funny there)

Also follow the link to the original article and see businesses described as “powerful” (her quotes not mine, like it’s only allegedly true).

I don’t really have to say who funds these websites, do I?

Except I got a big bad noisy hifi box that looks like it could power an infrasonic weapon. And more Velvet Underground than is good for me. 3 versions of Sister Ray, mmmm…

Saturday I went on the Anti War (try this site, they were there) march in Glasgow. It was OK but I’m very much not a fan of the ritualised shouting that these things can get stuck into (see bits of “face it, your politics..” in the Reading Library section here for why). Especially when the woman with the megaphone is right behind me. Some of the speakers were more interesting than I’d thought, though. And it was a good mix of people who probably wouldn’t have agreed on much else.

But then it was enough Hippy Peacenik nonsense and after some shopping (CAPITALIST!) I went to 6 Hours of HATE! at the 13th Note. It was closer to 8 really. Some good bands and beside that there was a lot of bands doing slow chunky metal with a singer with shaved head and goatee beard thing who were OK. Esp. good were In Decades Decline (formerly Unique Freak) and their mates Divide, they were on the more punk side of things. Also liked the silly fast metal bands Evidence of Trauma (short songs and old skool metal haircuts) and Regorge (? – re-something anyway, technical thrash but better than that sounds).

I survived (the folk there were actually friendlier than usual, I’m sure) and at 10 I left to go home and listen to John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano.

Hello. Fun weekend I had, with Instal on sunday just been covered well enough. Friday I went to Alec Empire followed by the 555 Records Extravaganza with Kid606.

Got attacked by Alec Empire when he invited me to mosh and I told him “actually Mr. Empire I think overall your Hypermodern Jazz album is ultimately a more rewarding experience than your enjoyable but slightly overblown for 8:30pm gabber”. “Riot!” he replied, “destroy 2000 years of culture!”

The 555 records folk are dead nice. They put out an album to celebrate their wedding. Aaaaah. Steward is the pair of them playing guitars and throwing rockstar shapes over borrowed beats from tunes like “Hey Micky, ” by Toni Basil. Can’t dislike that. Joan of Ass did similar stuff but without the guitars and a bit screechier. Amusing as all that was it did seem like Kid606 was the only one doing it properly, but he was well worth the wait. It’s somewhere between DJing and playing live and it’s fantastic he should be playing to much bigger crowds. But I can’t convince people of this so I’ll just have to console myself with saying “I told you so..” when he opens for Madonna in a couple of years time. Or she opens for him.