Half a percent

Mmm. I've just seen Charlie returning Ken's favour. Laugh? Yes, I did. Quite loudly.

What else? I've been putting posters up and giving leaflets out. Outside Neon I gave one to a young man who asked where it was and then said that he didn't want anything to do with the gay scene. He then clarified that he was, but that the scene is not for him. And then repeated it while I tried to ask in which way that was supposed to be relevant to an indie club . . . I think he might have been drinking. I know that it's a scandalous suggestion that someone you meet outside a nightclub at three in the morning might have had a couple of pints, but I really think it might have been the case.

I hit Goulag Beat and Fast last week, both of which were fun in their respective ways. The main band at Fast - the Gussets - were interesting in an early-eighties kind of way. Gav had been interested in seeing them, but admitted afterwards that he'd been expecting something more polished. I'm sure that somewhere on a post-punk compilation I have something by the band they remind me of, but I can't remember who or on which. Not the Slits - more disjointed than that, but not as far out there as the Pop Group. Regardless of which, they were early-eighties post-punk in an interesting rather than formulaic way. One of them had been at Goulag Beat the night before, and another I used to see around the Ashworth Labs twelve or thirteen years ago, and periodically since at punk concerts. I think Suzie Wiles introduced me to her once, but I remember no more than that. Mr Airbust was there with his sister Laura, which I found disturbing in the usual way I do when I'm forced to admit that a friend I'd always assumed to have been hatched in a jam jar actually has a family in the usual way after all.

Their support were the Pish Dolls. I recommend them.

I came across this page on the benefits of Basingstoke. One or two of you may notice a reference to certain friends of mine, who have been Made Aware. Oddly I had just bumped into Neal - I don't see him around very often. Must remember to get Dave's 4-track off him sometime.

Earlier today I had a chat with Kate. A visit will probably result, which will be good as I haven't been south since the Spring. My folks were over yesterday and today, too, which was good.

It has been brought to my attention by nickys and original_aj that, inexplicably, not everyone has read the scintillating reviews of "Looking For: The very best of David Hasselhoff", which can be found here and also at greater length here.

I'm just back from the post-Beltane beach party. It was exactly what you'd expect from a drunken party on a beach in the middle of nowhere with fire, drums and the red men in attendance . . .