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zotzAnd already people are saying that it's unpatriotic to disagree or ask questions, because it lets down the soldiers in the field.
Well, yes it does, but I'm afraid that's just how it has to be. Times like these are when it is most important that questions are asked, and we have not just a right but a duty as citizens to ask them. Think of Suez, and think of Vietnam - in both cases people were asked not to ask awkward questions for the sake of "our boys" not feeling undermined. Happily, in both cases the questions were asked (although obviously those doing the asking were pilloried at the time).
Anyway. Last night. Throwing Muses (and Electralane) at the Astoria. I sloped off work a touch early and met Chris and Craig at the station. We didn't want to be late meeting people, so after arriving in London we braved the tube during rush hour, and found that not only were our friends not there, but that nobody else was either - just us and a helpful waiter who'd prepared two tables because he couldn't remember whether it was supposed to be smoking or non-smoking. It was actually about twenty minutes before everyone else turned up, in a sudden rush. I was already onto my first helping of mushrooms by then. Dinner was good, and from there we went to the Astoria - some directly, some by way of a nearby pub. On the way there was the amusing sight of a routemaster reversing across a road junction, having gone the wrong side of a traffic island by mistake. ho ho ho. How we laughed (etc).
We were there by about twenty-past seven, and it turned out that Electralane were only on from 8 until half-eight. When theya rrived they were good, though, in a very indie (as opposed to Oasis/Cast schmindie) kinda way. I'll have to pay some attention to them, I think. It got gradually more crowded during their set, and by the end it was quite packed. And then it just kept getting more so. I slipped out to the toilet and bumped into![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kitty_goth briefly, and only managed to work my way back into the crowd by slipstreaming someone much younger and prettier than myself, who got her own back by standing right behind me a couple of minutes later with her mates and moaning loudly about tall people.
swisstone had reappeared from looking for the pub before Electralane, but the others - zoo_music_girl, ladymoonray and the mysterious "Not that" Tanya - apparently took one look at the crowd packed in downstairs and wisely fled onto the balcony. They'd never have found us anyway.
Throwing Muses came on just after nine and played - including the usual couple of irritating breaks between encores - until half-ten. The sound wasn't as clear as it might have been, and Kristin was particularly unchatty, but I thought they were on form. i've seen them better, but they haven't lost it. They didn't play many of my favourites, and the new stuff was only out on Monday so I don't really know it yet (grouch grouch - whose smart idea was that?), but I always find them a pleasure to watch. Narcizo was, as usual, great. I love watching a drummer actually work for a living. He was worth the price of admission on his own. The set, though . . . the first one that I'd say was likely to be an old favourite of anyone's was Bright Yellow Gun , nearly 45 minutes in. There were hardly any of my favourites - Vicky's Box, yes, and Two-Step was divine (dedicated to Hugh and Chris, I think - somebody in the street outside seemed to be one of them, because he was saying into his SatanPhone that he'd had a song dedicated. "HELLO? HELLO? I'M IN THE STREET OUTSIDE A THROWING MUSES CONCERT!"), and they finished with Pearl, which I've missed greatly.
So yes, I had a great time in spite of the slightly contrary choice of songs. It's good to have them back. Hopefully they'll stay.
Well, yes it does, but I'm afraid that's just how it has to be. Times like these are when it is most important that questions are asked, and we have not just a right but a duty as citizens to ask them. Think of Suez, and think of Vietnam - in both cases people were asked not to ask awkward questions for the sake of "our boys" not feeling undermined. Happily, in both cases the questions were asked (although obviously those doing the asking were pilloried at the time).
Anyway. Last night. Throwing Muses (and Electralane) at the Astoria. I sloped off work a touch early and met Chris and Craig at the station. We didn't want to be late meeting people, so after arriving in London we braved the tube during rush hour, and found that not only were our friends not there, but that nobody else was either - just us and a helpful waiter who'd prepared two tables because he couldn't remember whether it was supposed to be smoking or non-smoking. It was actually about twenty minutes before everyone else turned up, in a sudden rush. I was already onto my first helping of mushrooms by then. Dinner was good, and from there we went to the Astoria - some directly, some by way of a nearby pub. On the way there was the amusing sight of a routemaster reversing across a road junction, having gone the wrong side of a traffic island by mistake. ho ho ho. How we laughed (etc).
We were there by about twenty-past seven, and it turned out that Electralane were only on from 8 until half-eight. When theya rrived they were good, though, in a very indie (as opposed to Oasis/Cast schmindie) kinda way. I'll have to pay some attention to them, I think. It got gradually more crowded during their set, and by the end it was quite packed. And then it just kept getting more so. I slipped out to the toilet and bumped into
kitty_goth briefly, and only managed to work my way back into the crowd by slipstreaming someone much younger and prettier than myself, who got her own back by standing right behind me a couple of minutes later with her mates and moaning loudly about tall people.swisstone had reappeared from looking for the pub before Electralane, but the others - zoo_music_girl, ladymoonray and the mysterious "Not that" Tanya - apparently took one look at the crowd packed in downstairs and wisely fled onto the balcony. They'd never have found us anyway.Throwing Muses came on just after nine and played - including the usual couple of irritating breaks between encores - until half-ten. The sound wasn't as clear as it might have been, and Kristin was particularly unchatty, but I thought they were on form. i've seen them better, but they haven't lost it. They didn't play many of my favourites, and the new stuff was only out on Monday so I don't really know it yet (grouch grouch - whose smart idea was that?), but I always find them a pleasure to watch. Narcizo was, as usual, great. I love watching a drummer actually work for a living. He was worth the price of admission on his own. The set, though . . . the first one that I'd say was likely to be an old favourite of anyone's was Bright Yellow Gun , nearly 45 minutes in. There were hardly any of my favourites - Vicky's Box, yes, and Two-Step was divine (dedicated to Hugh and Chris, I think - somebody in the street outside seemed to be one of them, because he was saying into his SatanPhone that he'd had a song dedicated. "HELLO? HELLO? I'M IN THE STREET OUTSIDE A THROWING MUSES CONCERT!"), and they finished with Pearl, which I've missed greatly.
So yes, I had a great time in spite of the slightly contrary choice of songs. It's good to have them back. Hopefully they'll stay.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-03-21 07:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-03-21 07:19 am (UTC)Incidentally, try going to this Google page - the first hit is the page above. Look at the Description.
Outside my window, the world has gone to war.
Date: 2003-03-21 10:14 am (UTC)I am infuriated!
la ter
no subject
Date: 2003-03-22 02:32 pm (UTC)