High for New York

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:37:15 GMT

Sat on the wing, seemingly close to the sun as a hot yellow stripe cuts across the headrests: window-ailse-window. We’re all compelled by bad films and starting new books (“Goal 2:Living the Dream” stole me away from page 1 of Saul Bellow’s ‘Seize the Day’…winner.)
Four hours to New York and I’m thinking back on the London gigs that helped fund all this altitude-wine:
We played in a public toilet under the wet streets of Spittalfields. ‘Public Life’ is a converted public toilet. Real odd spot. Weird entry rules – no entry after 10pm (we played at 10.30) beautiful Victorian black and white mini-check tiled floor. Pitch black down there. Small. Very close, like we’re all in each others cubicles.
Before us is Germlin. Joe (Germlin) is one half of Gay Against You : visceral hi-volt performance art-bitters. I’ve put Gay Against You’s ‘Princess Diana Walkman’ in at least two mixtapes so far. Gremlin and his laptop is Force. Check out his album ‘Youth Pixxel’. Germlin flies, over sound desk, above heads, at feet, upon bar, shoulder, shoulder, floor. Laptop whacks out thick bit storm. Is awesome.

A lead is dead. Probs from wall-bounce the last show. Beer syrup and broken glass all over the gingham floor, I’m on my knees in it trying to magic sound. All is black and my mic is at someone’s ear and I shout in to them, mic and ear. Do they let people out of here? It’s tight on us and we rip and bleed through a quick set, which ends with me underneath matt, his feet pinning both sides of my hair to the floor. Looking up I can only rub feedback on to his crotch until the end. Broken glass clings to guitar leads like sweat beads and I bleed some as I wind them up.

Few days before this we opened a Camden show for San Diego’s The Locust. An honour. Locust sew fire in to a heaving Underworld. They play fast-busy-tight into digital flash after digital flash. Pure sweat buzz.
We were still setting up as the kids were spilling in. We did good. A smart flash.
I urge you to google “JP The Locust Jerry Springer”…it’s amazing.

A final $$raiser was a warehouse party in North London courtesy of the legendary Matt Flag. Good friends Matt, Robin, Conan etc. rallied to make us a show and them a party. So good. We’re a man down, a bass down. We play on with Matt’s and Matt’s Nan’s (75 today) blessing. A quick carnage resulting in me inside drum kit working kick drum with my hand and working noise from bass like some kind of bad busker that just landed from a skyscraper fall. Akiko’s legs are bruise print all over. Really battered.
Before us, Queen of Swords, who roll out supreme noise. Laptop-bass-drum triangle that turns in to bulky prism. A Pale Horse on bass, a Liam Trencher on smart drums and John fires it all. Sweet & sick.
Before them, (LOOK LOOK) Dancing Boys!. Stef and Amelia rule and hang off all your hang ups and always kick the stuffys out of the room. There’s always ‘miserable corners’ at akward gigs and Look Look always tear up the dour faces and put a strobe all over their corners. It’s wicked power.
Ultimately I dance, determined, to Fleetwood Mac (‘Rumours’ in its entirety) then I ‘play’ fight with Patrick until it hurts, again, and then some more until I feel the whole night in a geography of bruises.

And now I feel my ears pop over the Atlantic and I’m surrounded by sleepfaces and I’m anxious for New York.

Daydream Come true

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:24:36 GMT

Now playing: Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth.
It's LOUD filling out my room, can hardly squeeze myself in.

SONIC YOUTH PLAY DAYDREAM NATION IN LONDON TONIGHT

It's the afternoon and i need to have this flowing through me. I need to be soaked in this for it all to be blasted out of me tonight when

SONIC YOUTH PLAY DAYDREAM NATION IN LONDON

Sonic Youth shows are important. Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore & Steve Shelley could walk on stage and make make noise with their hands in their armpits for 2 hours and still bands will be formed on the spot. I know this to be true. Not the armpit thing.

SONIC YOUTH PLAY DAYDREAM NATION IN LONDON TONIGHT

Tonight bands will be formed.
Daydream Nation is one of my favourite records of all time. I hope they amp it up tonight.

MSN Music Blog: The Insider: Travel

High for New York

Daydream Come true