Creating my own one day festival -ish

Posted by jill on September 22, 2007

While everyone else seems to be at Truck this weekend, I’m making the most of the live music opportunities in London. Way back in April, when Truck was still on for July, I said that I wouldn’t go this year, and conveniently timed my trip abroad so that I couldn’t go back on my word. So now, even though I’m back in the country for the rearranged date, I was determined not to go.

Luckily for me, today was a busy day for live music in London, and for the price of £1 in entrance fee (I’m not going to calculate the amount I spent on booze) I managed to watch 7 bands, and probably saw better quality of bands than what I might have seen at Truck. In the afternoon I finally made it to Rota, the free afternoon show at Notting Hill Arts Centre. With each show, I’m slowly getting This Town Needs Guns. When in the past I thought there was too much going on in their songs, now I see that it is a good thing, the delicate guitar fills contrasting with the otherwise big guitar sounds. House of Brothers and Let Airplanes Circle Overhead were pretty good too, though I felt a little sorry for LACO, because 65daysofstatic are already doing what they are trying to do, and pushing the boundaries a lot more than they are too.

I missed Cats and Cats and Cats to rush back to the other side of London, and to The Old Blue Last. Here I had to pay £1 to get in, but it was worth it for a totally fantastic gig. Even the first band, with an awful name Tom Hatred and the Angry Band, played some really fun music. The reason why I went to this gig was for Fireworks Night and Jonquil. Fireworks Night (or rather their record label) had sent me their album a couple of years ago, but I never had the opportunity to see them live. The live show was great fun, with bowed guitars (surprisingly sounding like a cello), someone playing a saw, and the string section stomping on stage. Jonquil once again performed a fantastic show. It’s amazing to think that, since watching them for the first time a year ago, they can perform so consistently well. I really can’t wait until their album is released. Finishing the night off was Eugene McGuinness. By this point, the room was just too hot, but what I saw of his set was sweet and charming (and especially since I don’t normally like singer songwriters). I won’t mind going to see him play live again, as long as it is somewhere a bit cooler.

Now I’m back in my flat, watching telly with a nice warm bed to go to. Why would I want to spend tonight in a chilly tent in the countryside?

Note to Self:

Posted by jill on September 20, 2007

Some bits of London are still hard to get to.

So, since my last update, I’ve moved to London. I’m living in the boundary between East London and the City, and it’s so great to live somewhere that is so convenient (in Oxford, I was always at least one bus ride away from gigs and pubs). Spitalfield Market (and the Spitz for now) is within 5 minutes walk, Rough Trade and 93 Feet East is only 15 minutes away, and loads of other interesting places are within walking distance too. But what gig did I choose, as my first gig in London? One in North London.

And after a half an hour bus journey, I get to the gig only to narrowly miss the band I was going to see. Whoops.

Now, there is karaoke in the pub across the road from me. I really didn’t need to go out at all to hear some singing.