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zotzFriday - The Dickies, and then the pub with Glen. After meeting up with Spish and Joyce (and the slightly unexpected Glen) in the Holyrood, we realised that the doors had (theoretically) open almost two hours earlier. Glen decided to come along, and we got there in time to have missed Oi Polloi (Oi Polloi on before the Gin Goblins?). The Gin Goblins (now minus Big John for several years) opened with an underwhelming song called Horrorshow but improved rapidly after that. One song (Safe Area) was decidated to "the polar bear that's done 25 years solitary in Edinburgh Zoo". Energy and attack.
Or so I thought, until the Dickies came on. Now the first thing I noticed was that one of the guitarists is seriously big. As in wide. But then I stopped noticing this because their bassist looked like Mike Croning wearing a fur-fabric teddybear suit. And Graves had pink tennis shoes and an entirely unnecessarily clingy pair of leggings (he introduced the other guitarist as the best guitarist in punk . . . well, OK, the best Hispanic guitarist in punk . . . OK, the best bisexual hispanic guitarist in punk - at which he sreplied that that was good coming from the guy in tights and pink tennis shoes). They sounded great right from the off (except for Graves - we couldn't hear him well through the monitors, and obviously neither could he, but as far as I could tell he was staying as close to in-tune as you need to be in a punk band) - fast, powerful and still even quite tuneful.
I have the set list at home, but yes they did do Eve of Destruction, and finished with the Banana Splits theme (at which - thankfully as I was right down the front - the audience did not go as wild as they did the last time I saw them). Stuart made the usual entirely-unnecessary appearance too, of course.
We then went to a pub on Abbeyhill. Glen had been headed for the place over the road, which seems to have closed, but a lot of the clientele seemed to have moved over too, judging by the gay-oriented flyers and a couple of TVs failing to raise any of the locals' eyebrows.
Saturday. Festival Theatre for Rory Bremner (and Dave Fulton), which was very good. Someone asked about Michael Howard being the next Bond villain, which prompted a worryingly convinving little impression. Blair's hurried adaptation of one of Bush's autocued speeches was very good also. Had a very nice pint of No 3 in the Captain's with my folks afterwards, and then went along to Ascension, partly to flyer for Gigantor on Saturday. I got to exercise my morbid facination with people who live in the overlap between shameless exhibitionism and complete ineptitude . . . of which there were a couple present. Seth likened one to Max Wall, which I'm sure isn't the impression she would have wanted. Slightly later, I may have been heard reacting to her and a friend trying to do the alluring lesbian-innuendo entwined-dancing thing by saying that it was like watching Nicole Kidman getting off with Norah Batty. I was drunk, OK? It was only her posture that was awful. If she'd learn to stand in those shoes, or wear lower heels, things would have been fine. Apart from that . . . another Saturday, another load of bleep. I ended up singing along with Lara to something that turned out not to be VNV but (I think) Pride and fall. "We are in Scunthorpe as plumbers . . . fixing ballcocks with spanners . . ."
Sunday. Stayed in fiddling with stuff. PLayed a bit of Civ. Won a game, although it was only against the AIs, set to "amoeba" level. Washed the dishes listening to the Durutti Column, which was quite pleasant.
Further to the Half Man Half Biscuit gig, Depressed Beyond Tablets mentions Neubauten, and Shit Arm, Bad Tattoo is indeed all about the second Libertines album (and its cover picture).
Young Gods last night, after seeing Ed briefly. Very good. The slightly more wibbly stuff mostly ealier in the set, and the heavier punchier stuff more towards the end. No Longue Route, but they did play September Song, which was just wonderful (and quite unexpected). They look a bit older then they did, but otherwise haven't changed much. An actual electric guitar appeared at one point, which threatened to be a very unYoungGodslike moment, until it became apparent that Franz wasn't going to anything as mundane with it as play any notes.
The support had been Pylot, who were very rock indeed. Solid and fairly well done (very good bassist), but not inspiring.
The Guardian this week is giving away the REM Album Reckoning, which is very good and includes what for my money's their best song, Rockville. You have to get four "Guardian" masthead strips off the front page, out of the five from yesterday to Friday.
Kenny Richey's back on Death Row. Officially this time, as the Supremes have thrown the case back to the local court. The BBC's article (alightly more informative, unsurprisingly) is here.
I was meaning to point out this nice article about John Maynard Keynes. He had a life, apparently.
El Reg is running (or maybe was running, by now) a poll on the worst sorporate anthems of recent years here. So you'll know what you're voting on, there are links to three of the worst offenders, including the infamous KPMG song. Go on, give it a listen - it really is shockingly awful. I assume this is real, but frankly is worth hearing regardless.
The Guardian also ran an article on the reaction of Austria's liberals to Irving's imprisonment.
More locally, El Barrio and KJ's are set to be demolished.
Or so I thought, until the Dickies came on. Now the first thing I noticed was that one of the guitarists is seriously big. As in wide. But then I stopped noticing this because their bassist looked like Mike Croning wearing a fur-fabric teddybear suit. And Graves had pink tennis shoes and an entirely unnecessarily clingy pair of leggings (he introduced the other guitarist as the best guitarist in punk . . . well, OK, the best Hispanic guitarist in punk . . . OK, the best bisexual hispanic guitarist in punk - at which he sreplied that that was good coming from the guy in tights and pink tennis shoes). They sounded great right from the off (except for Graves - we couldn't hear him well through the monitors, and obviously neither could he, but as far as I could tell he was staying as close to in-tune as you need to be in a punk band) - fast, powerful and still even quite tuneful.
I have the set list at home, but yes they did do Eve of Destruction, and finished with the Banana Splits theme (at which - thankfully as I was right down the front - the audience did not go as wild as they did the last time I saw them). Stuart made the usual entirely-unnecessary appearance too, of course.
We then went to a pub on Abbeyhill. Glen had been headed for the place over the road, which seems to have closed, but a lot of the clientele seemed to have moved over too, judging by the gay-oriented flyers and a couple of TVs failing to raise any of the locals' eyebrows.
Saturday. Festival Theatre for Rory Bremner (and Dave Fulton), which was very good. Someone asked about Michael Howard being the next Bond villain, which prompted a worryingly convinving little impression. Blair's hurried adaptation of one of Bush's autocued speeches was very good also. Had a very nice pint of No 3 in the Captain's with my folks afterwards, and then went along to Ascension, partly to flyer for Gigantor on Saturday. I got to exercise my morbid facination with people who live in the overlap between shameless exhibitionism and complete ineptitude . . . of which there were a couple present. Seth likened one to Max Wall, which I'm sure isn't the impression she would have wanted. Slightly later, I may have been heard reacting to her and a friend trying to do the alluring lesbian-innuendo entwined-dancing thing by saying that it was like watching Nicole Kidman getting off with Norah Batty. I was drunk, OK? It was only her posture that was awful. If she'd learn to stand in those shoes, or wear lower heels, things would have been fine. Apart from that . . . another Saturday, another load of bleep. I ended up singing along with Lara to something that turned out not to be VNV but (I think) Pride and fall. "We are in Scunthorpe as plumbers . . . fixing ballcocks with spanners . . ."
Sunday. Stayed in fiddling with stuff. PLayed a bit of Civ. Won a game, although it was only against the AIs, set to "amoeba" level. Washed the dishes listening to the Durutti Column, which was quite pleasant.
Further to the Half Man Half Biscuit gig, Depressed Beyond Tablets mentions Neubauten, and Shit Arm, Bad Tattoo is indeed all about the second Libertines album (and its cover picture).
Young Gods last night, after seeing Ed briefly. Very good. The slightly more wibbly stuff mostly ealier in the set, and the heavier punchier stuff more towards the end. No Longue Route, but they did play September Song, which was just wonderful (and quite unexpected). They look a bit older then they did, but otherwise haven't changed much. An actual electric guitar appeared at one point, which threatened to be a very unYoungGodslike moment, until it became apparent that Franz wasn't going to anything as mundane with it as play any notes.
The support had been Pylot, who were very rock indeed. Solid and fairly well done (very good bassist), but not inspiring.
The Guardian this week is giving away the REM Album Reckoning, which is very good and includes what for my money's their best song, Rockville. You have to get four "Guardian" masthead strips off the front page, out of the five from yesterday to Friday.
Kenny Richey's back on Death Row. Officially this time, as the Supremes have thrown the case back to the local court. The BBC's article (alightly more informative, unsurprisingly) is here.
I was meaning to point out this nice article about John Maynard Keynes. He had a life, apparently.
El Reg is running (or maybe was running, by now) a poll on the worst sorporate anthems of recent years here. So you'll know what you're voting on, there are links to three of the worst offenders, including the infamous KPMG song. Go on, give it a listen - it really is shockingly awful. I assume this is real, but frankly is worth hearing regardless.
The Guardian also ran an article on the reaction of Austria's liberals to Irving's imprisonment.
More locally, El Barrio and KJ's are set to be demolished.
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Young Gods
Date: 2005-11-29 12:30 pm (UTC)We didn't get September Song, but we did get Charlotte and Fais La Mouette, and Gasoline Man and Skinflowers. Didn't recognise anything else.
Are you going to see Kid Congo Powers in Glasgow? I love the new album. I'm just trying to work out if I'm even vaguely healthy enough to go to the gig tonight.
Re: Young Gods
Date: 2005-11-29 12:39 pm (UTC)If you look at Congo's website links page, his "favourite place" is run by a friend of CJ's. Sunday . . . it's tempting, because I've been meaning to make it to Optimo, but on the other hand it's a Neon night . . . I am undecided.
Re: Young Gods
Date: 2005-11-29 12:44 pm (UTC)That's cool about his favourite place.
BTW, somewhat unrelated, but have you seen the new (it's new to me anyway) Don Letts' film is out on DVD? Punk:Attitude.
Re: Young Gods
Date: 2005-11-29 02:12 pm (UTC)Letts' film sounds excellent, but then I shouldn't be surprised by that. No, I hadn't come across it before - thanks!
Re: Young Gods
Date: 2005-11-29 02:27 pm (UTC)Re: Young Gods
Date: 2005-11-29 02:37 pm (UTC)Re: Young Gods
Date: 2005-11-29 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-29 01:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-29 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-29 01:34 pm (UTC)ramblings thoughts about buildings
Date: 2005-11-29 01:42 pm (UTC)That said, the PO building is grim. But why wouldn't they put 2 replacement pubs in the new uilding? Also, did you notice how the article goes on about how grim the strip clubs are but they'll be left standing with this plan?
Basically, it makes no sense.
Re: ramblings thoughts about buildings
Date: 2005-11-29 02:10 pm (UTC)No, it makes no sense. I suspect it's just a developer with lots of time and no current project trying to keep busy.
Re: ramblings thoughts about buildings
Date: 2005-11-29 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-29 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-29 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-29 03:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-30 08:52 am (UTC)I too have lived on the West Port. Fine place. Although my car had to be parked up near Marchmont Baths!
Getting rid of the LRC building on George IV Bridge sounds like a great idea though.
Shame they didn't decide to reinstall the canal basin BEFORE they let The Widows near the orginal sight. We always suggested it, but hey, they missed their chance. Can you image houseboats off Lothian Road??!
no subject
Date: 2005-11-30 01:12 pm (UTC)Having said which, I believe the guy who wants to do this also ants to buy up loads of other big pubs, so it's not necessarily uneconomic to be the Cameo at the moment. There was a meeting last night that I didn't make it to, so perhaps someone'll post a precis.
Getting rid of the LRC building on George IV Bridge sounds like a great idea though.
I'll agree with that when I'm sure they won't replace it with something worse. Presumably they'll block off the tunnel under the road there, which will be a shame.
Shame they didn't decide to reinstall the canal basin
The old basin's still there. It's been drained and dredged and everything. It's be nice if it went a little further to one of the main roads, though.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 11:05 am (UTC)Things change. I enjoyed learning about all the canal history and cycling along the towpath for many years out to work. But life moves on and things change. So what will be will be.
I would feel very bored or frustrated if things didn't change with time actually. I know I still hate Mill Road in Cambridge cos it still had the same effect on me last time I walked up it. Like walking in Gorgy/Dalry. It just wasn't my territory.
But Edin. Well, I do enjoy seeing new things and changes each time I go there. Even if I don't like them all. It is alive, a true living city... but still too cold for me in the winter :)
no subject
Date: 2005-12-01 01:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-29 07:55 pm (UTC)In a two-worlds-colliding moment, I should tell you that the Gin Goblins' guitarist Dave was a very good friend of mine when I lived in Edinburgh, and I don't think we ever missed a Green Banana Club.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-30 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-30 01:15 pm (UTC)