UK Watercooler 26: I Want More (And More, And More, And More...)

Didn't we miss 26?

Argh! This is supposed to be 26! Pash, could you please please please change that? I am a nidiot. And I am not awake.

What is with this blank white screen after I post anything?

Did the cookies thing work?

Did the New Forrest bike ride on saturday, Your pub recommendation for Yarmouth was top, kate. I got interactive with a crab. Got back to the house about 10 cracked open a beer, saying I'll just have the one, took a sip and was asleep before my head hit the backrest of the chair.

The mystery bike is gone. It went as it arrived, in mystery!

Ah, see, I was wondering if you were actually in IoW or if you were reccomending to a friend! Good lord, I hope you didn't spill beer all down yourself if you fell asleep drinking.

I spent most of the weekend cleaning my flat (oh boy, spring cleaning was needed) and going through the Cupboard of DOOM. So much of my life in boxes under the stairs. Was looking for that Ladyfest single because someone asked if they could buyone (I know it's not for us, it's for the Gossip on the B-side) and found so much stuff I had forgotten about. Various layers of my life. Tons of Lollies stuff. Tons of Dandy Warhols stuff underneath that. (God, I need to get a tape player, I had forgotten about things I had - the very first BJM demo on tape.) Years and years of drawings. The first issue of CTCL. Man...

Friday night was a disaster, though. Proud is a really interesting space - got a psychedelic roof garden on top of the Stables with freight trains running through - though I just wish it wasn't in Camden. Now I remember why I don't go out there. Hoxton may have its hipsters, but Camden is full of WANKERS. Awful support bands, AWFUL crowd, the fuckers wouldn't shut up EVER, talking through Sonic Boom's set to the point where I could barely hear during the quiet bits of "Honey". And the fucker sound man turned Sonic Boom off after FOUR AND A HALF SONGS!!!!

I was outraged. It's not like they were ending the night. The DJs kept going. It was the awful, awful support bands' fault for going on too long - and then committing that terrible sin of leaving the stage and disappearing LEAVING ALL THEIR CRAP SET UP so that Sonic ended up having to move it all aside himself. (And then the support band were talking through his set - I wanted to kill them. I did the folkie SSSSHHHHH hiss and told them I hadn't paid to listen to them talk to their girlfriends.)

Four and a half songs. Bloody hell.

SB was in good form, though. It wasn't E.A.R. wub, he was actually playing songs - we got that Silver Apples homage, a Kraftwerk cover (Hall of Mirrors), and Honey before he was cut off.

Grrrrrrrrr.

Oh, I've had enough of people that never answer their email. I'm offering to do you a favour, if you don't want to help me out, then I can't be bothered to chase you on it.

xpost

That sucks, big time.

Yes IOW was for me, no more than three hours sleep any night last week and 40 miles in the saddle has damned near killed me.

Best bit was cycling up from the pub with no weight on the bike but me. A kilometre uphill in under two minutes is so much fun.

You biking people sound crazy. I'm down on bikes this weekend because my upstairs neighbour's bike actually pulled my kitchen drain away from the wall, so my dishwater went everywhere. I had to ask her to move it somewhere else. :-(

I woke up at 7 today and couldn't get back to sleep so I actually went for a walk up Sunny Hill. Huffed and puffed. Lord knows how, but I've actually lost some weight in the past few days.

No one's listened to our CD - or at least not commented on it. Well, Ian commented to say that he hasn't listened to it yet because his girlfriend's been listening to it, heh. :-)

It's just really hard when you get *no* feedback from anyone. That's harder for me to cope with than negative feedback.

And it's been getting me down lately to go to all these shows lately with men, men, and more men all over the stage, and never a woman, and it makes me feel like we don't have a chance because of gender, before we've even played a note. :-(

You could all hide behind me and then jump out and shout 'surprise' after a couple of songs.

From now on, I shall simply be a mang. Maybe then people will take me seriously.

I think I've just got too much of a sense of humour for dronerock. Seriously.

Sense of humour/fun can often be a dangerous thing in music.

What is music without fun? What is the point?

I don't know. I look at these boys quoting their Stockhausen and everything and it's all... well, yes. But you can't live entirely in your head like a disembodied brain (as much as that appeals to me).

I can't help poking fun at things, even when - *especially* if - I love them.

I kind of understand Chris's old rants about "stupid floppy boys motionless and droning on stage because they're too scared of not looking cool" when I see some bands. (those awful fuckers on Friday night.)

But where is the sense of joy, of abandon? Laughter and giggling, is that too feminine?

Oh, I don't know. It's all sexual display anyway. Those bands in Camden really wound me up, the boys onstage, all in their skinny jeans and their stupid Horrors haircuts and the girls stand round and take photos or just dance, and that's it, that's your role, receptor for male signal.

I approve of fun, but I also stopped reading the wire, nme, etc. many years ago. I also approve of talent on stage of whatever gender, but you are right there seem to be less girls making rock and roll than ten years ago.

But there AREN'T less girls making rock/pop. It's just become so bloody gender segregated!

My sample size is smaller than yours. But you are right, some of the best bands I have seen recently, like TSDOLE, Flowers of Hell, Circulus etc. have been mixed gender bands making music that is evidently of either gender.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42944000/jpg/_42944005_walrus_long.jpg

Ah, OK, this is the explanation from UFO. I'm quite glad I left when I did.

Hello,

just to let everyone know we had nothing to do with Pete having
the plug pulled on his set last night. It was done by the Proud Gallery,
because the live curfew is midnight, (It was 3 minutes past 12.)

Utterly Ridiculous! So overwhelmingly unthoughtful and ignorant.
It astounds me that this place is meant to be like the best venue in
camden, the so called rock'n'roll capital of the world! bullshit!

I'm still in disbelief, Pete has been playing for 20 like years or something.
He said he'd never had anything happen like that before and was understandably
rather angry, as was everyone else. A lot of controversy followed,
a few fists started flying, hippie's clashed!
moccasins flying around everywhere! The result ending in the pete and
his mate getting thrown out by security. (Equipment still on stage)
along with about 12 others.

Absolutely unbelievable...

Quite a few said we should pull the night and leave after this.
I seriously thought about it as I was so angry but then thought it would be unfair
on the people who'd paid £6 of their hard earned money to come to UFO
and were totally oblivious to what had happened if we just packed up our
records and left in protest. Plus by this time people were dancing etc.

maybe I made the wrong decision.

Later on the management told me that "this horrible music" (Release the bats I think
was on at the time) was too hardcore for the venue
and that I'm to start playing pop music. Imagine that.

To make things even worse, Johnny Borrell came. why was he at UFO?
Noel fielding too but he's cool.

Has Klaus left the italics on?

No, Klaus is German and therefore good with technical things. He would never leave the italics on, or misnumber the thread or anything like that.

ROFL, suspicions confirmed about Camden etc. They should just throw up a wall and only let people with NME carling haircuts in (and possibly not let them out)

I hate Camden. I'm never going again, that's for certain. I didn't even know Noel Fielding was there. But then again, pretty much all the boys there were dressed like that. I don't approve.

Pink wine was £15 a bottle, too. Still, it was cheaper than £6 a glass.

...and then I put on some chewy 60s psych and everything is all OK again, and the world seems like a wonderful place.

Wow, that gig sounds bogus. I'd give my eye teeth to support someone like SB, and there's no fukcing way I'd overrun under those circumstances (or any circumstances, actually - I don't think I've ever orverran a support in my life! Fuckers)

They were really, really awful. Like, to the point where I want to make a note of their name so I never ever see them again, even by accident.

It was just bizarre, because it was two total JAMC copyists - right down to the hair. (Except the Jim Reid dude was wearing a Simple Minds t-shirt for no apparent reason.) I mean, seriously - singer dude had just about *memorised* Jim Reid's moves, while William dude just blasted feedback from an untuned guitar.

Best thing in the world, surely, right?

No, because they had this third dude in a german army tank top and geometric haircut like he thought he was in Nitzer Ebb or something, and he was pumping out sub-OOM-TISH-OOM-TISH raver goth beats like a bargain basement NIN.

Like, how could you POSSIBLY make a JAMC copyist band shite? There's a good idea - put all this shite Electro-Bowel-Movement cyberdog crap all over it.

I did not know whether to laugh or cry. They were that bad.

I am still waiting to hear if Plan B will publish my review of Sonic Cathedral last week. Probably they won't because I didn't clear it with anyone before I wrote it, but I really really want them to simply because I got to describe a 20-minute Krautrock epic as "like being fucked within an inch of your life by tantric sex robots from Planet Dusseldorf".

I'm quite proud of that one, really. ;-)

(OK, maybe this kind of thing is why DDBs don't take me seriously. Sigh.)

Hullo

Hey, Kerr.

Who burned down The Cutty Sark? Apparently the fire was started deliberately.

It wasn't me!

There's a shitstorm on TSM board, about the show at the weekend. Half the people are being all "it's 2/3 as good without Benjamin" and the other half are slapping them down for not being positive.

What a weird, weird world. I wish I could have seen either show.

Oh, also got a snarky comment back from the bloke who runs UFO, saying "don't on hate us, hate the venue!"

And I feel like writing back "err, actually as the promoters, if you are aware that there is a live music curfew, it *is* your job to ensure that the bands don't overrun it. And that does mean ensuring that support bands get on and off stage promptly and on time, and if they start to overrun, pull the plug on a support band, rather than the headlining band that people have actually PAID to see."

I mean, what is the venue supposed to do? It's freaking Camden, the council is a bitch! If they overrun their curfew, they would lose their liquor liscence.

Guten Tag Klaus, what does the M in your name stand for? Male?

Munter.

xpost

Who did they get in to replace Benjamin, Kate?

I was kind of non-plussed by the School of Seven Bells single. (Thanks, Kerr.)

hello! from planet swoon

I want a krautrock name

They got two blokes, one on guitar and one on keyboards - and apparently even two people aren't enough to duplicate what Benjamin used to do.

If you don't like SVIIB, you can't be my friend, Mitya. :-P

What are you swooning about now, Emsk? I can't keep track.

And it must be Herman something

Herman Neuname?

i am swooning about the same thing. remarkable, huh?

lol @ herman neuname...

Herman G Neuname!

Ha ha, yes, Herman Neuname is great.

What is going on, Emsk! Email me!

OK, I'm going to give that other thread a wide berth now.

Kate you need to give everyone a krautrock name. Any good ones for Emsk, Ed and Mitya?

Oh and FP too. and and and..

No, wait, I don't everyone to have a krautrock name! Then it will lose its impact! You're all just copying me.

No, seriously, I'm sick of being a girl. Today I want to be a boy so that DDBs will take me seriously. Even while my feminine side is going on all gooey about tantric sex robots from Planet Dusseldorf, I can have a serious male side that is all about the music.

What is going on, Emsk! Email me!

oh, nothing new. i am being phenomenally level-headed and zen but also swoooooooony. but yeah i will mail you in a sec.

ha ha, my friend from TSM board sent me this:

http://www.vintageandrareguitars.com/index.cfm?method=site.image&image_url=images/p_3289_1.jpg

Badgers in your mouth, too?

Something like that.

Kerr, it says I'm unique which I know FOR A BLOODY fact I am not. In my town there's another girl - around the same age- which has the same name as me. Hah!

OMGZ

*** Sonic Cathedral opens for worship at The Legion,
Old Street, London EC1 on Wednesday June 20, with the
frankly amazing line-up of Dean & Britta (Dean Wareham
and Britta Phillips of Galaxie 500 and Luna fame), The
Clientele, The Flowers Of Hell and Le Volume Courbe.
Advance tickets are available from
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/18114

(sorry if this has already bin discussed am busy and av not red thred)

How are Dean and Britta solo? I only saw Luna in the pre-Britta years.

nathalie, it only checks in the UK, I don't exist either.

I figured you had lost so much weight, you turned invisible. ;-)

if only :-(

I am also ruined. I blame Emil.y and her illicit wine! I think badgers died in my hair.

A good weekend. Despite the stress, oh my god, the stress, the panic.

Not at work today. I am skivving and have no way of letting work know as I've only got my boss's number and she is on holiday.

Vlah. The sound of the cappuccino machine in this web cafe is making me so thirsty.

i drink caffe lates. one per day. if i could - can't because i'm pregnant - i would just have a drip (?) beside me.

i think the new roisin murphy is playing on the radio.

Shit, Emsk, I'd LOVE to go to that, but am off to the states on Tuesday.

Hi all. I'm half the man I used to be.

Oh! I have tickets to that, actually. This Wednesday. Yes.

Oh god, I have to go to the supermarket and pick up dish washing liquid and I just want to go home and crawl into bed and die. But my house is overrun with dirty dishes! argh!

No crush action on MySpace :-( but two bits of good news:

-another Shimuras gig looks like it's booked
-Vik from LA is coming to London. He requests London FAP! We must organasise.

The most exciting thing - aside from testing out sewing machine, hating Jane's Addiction bio and watching The Wire (S3) - is the fact our supermarket delivers AT HOME for a very VERY tiny fee. I was so excited! This way we don't need to drag heavy things home. We don't have a car, so this works out purrrfectly. yay.

i'm turning into a bloody boring twit, aren't i?

Not having to go to the supermarket sounds great to me right about now.

Ah, hangover and post-gig comedown. :-(

srsly. i can't decide whether I'm hot or cold, thirsty or hungry, just tired or dying.

I AM ON FIRE

please emsk-magic rub off on me

I am ruined, I am considering blowing SunnO))) of this evening

YOU JUST NEED A BIKE

Cycling in Moscow would be 'exciting' to say the least.

point.

I was wondering about a cargo bike or a trailer for gigging.

People do do it, I'm just not that crazy.

Ek, I just freaked out. My colleague's husband called. She's pregnant and has to go to a specialist. Something in her blood. Now I googled (stupido me!) and I come across CMV and that it's contagious. *sigh* I don't even know if that' what she has. Selfish and stupid me googles. :-(

Hullo. *zzz* Just checking in before a full work day.

Hey all.

YAY I AM GOING TO SUNN O)))

I will see how I feel after I have done my post work errands, currently I feel that if I go I will sleep to SunnO)))

you know you can't land on the sunnO))) rite it has no hard surface plus you'd die

Hey Ed if you don't go you should give your ticket to Kate.

i have a +1 if anyone needs it

is kate still here?

phone her. she has not been o/l all day

gonna eat quickly and head out

yes she has!

anyway i have texted her

She was in an internet cafe earlier she said.

apparently they are meant to be on 8.45

I am fucked. No drinking last night but my oice appears to be gone.

Sunn0))) were magnificent, although I left after an hour as I was just too tired. However I was completely blown away by Chrome Hoof. A massive Prog band who have been to the Sun Ra/Funkadelic/Hawkwind school of being mental bastards. Huge numbers of dancer,s musicians, green glowing eyed giants, mysterious red headed broom wielding loons.

http://a899.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/4/l_adeb46b88d7277daa2ab80e1527491aa.jpg

Hahahaha! Glad you got to go after all that.

Have finally finished book chapter that stopped me coming to ILXorpalooza.

Web caff soundtrack: PSBs, Very.

I nearly fell asleep on the bearded rocker next to me, though. Incidentally the charles darwin beard appears to be coming back into fashion, Also W G Grace.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/368030974_12e475bb63.jpg?v=0

I like Chrome Hoof, I have one of their albums, I think. They are supposed to be great fun live, and yes, those pictures didn't look it.

DAMMIT, I DIDN'T GET THE TEXT ABOUT GOING TO SUNN0))) until 11pm that night. After I'd spent the evening watching bird documentaries and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And wanting a Johnny Depp for my house. Bah.

Nath, do not panic. You will be fine!

Ha ha, my boss's assistant (my boss is still not back) just rang me on my mobile, and was all "hi, Kate, what time are you coming in today?"

I just stood up and waved across the office and said I AM IN ALREADY!!!

Oh dear lord.

I should make a new 'Cooler, huh?

SUNN O))) REARRANGED THE INSIDE OF MY HAED

They do that...

UK Watercooler 27: Let's Get Cool In Der Pool, Let's Get HOTT In Zee Dancing Spot!!!