20 posts tagged “cardiff”
Wow, I just realised how long it has been since I went to a gig. It would appear the last one was 'Vito' on the 29th may. I am disgusted. That is the longest I have gone without a gig all year.
Well, in an attempt to catch up on a quiet few weeks, this weekend I saw Truckers of Husk in Buffalo's (Friday). They were excellent despite being able to see fuck all due to the crap layout of the venue.
Walking home to Ash's I live streamed a video of our journey (and accompanying conversation/commentary) via qik.com. Due to the delay we had enough time to get home, fire up the computer and watch the tail end of our journey being played out over the internet. Amazing! We then watched it back in its entirety and decided, due to the nature of the content (our drunken conversation/ranting) it was not really fit for public consumption. So I have since taken it down.
As a result, Ash has promised me never EVER to do it again. Probably wise :)
Saturday was carnage. Soph wanted to have a 'blow out' in town. I was more than happy to accompany her. As was Ash, Gareth and eventually Ross, Neil and their crew. Walking home at 4am when its light is never a nice feeling. I always think of my brother at that time who is getting up to milk his cows.
In a real demonstration of stamina, I not only made it to the Darren Hayman instore in spillers (which I streamed live here), I also made it to his gig in the night. Both were ace.
During the afternoon we (ash, daf and me) hung out in the Muchen Du pub with 2 photographers called Joni and Maciej who me an Ash had met first at the ill fated 'Noels House party' a few months ago. You need to go and check out their photos. Especially Maciej's photos of Cardiff St. Mary Street on a Saturday night (which are here and particularly fantastic)
Was meant to go and see the grime king Wiley play at barfly tonight. Everyone has bailed (apart from Daf. Sorry Daf!). I was gonna go too, but fortuately I got stuck in a power nap that over ran. If I had gone, I know I woulda spent the rest of the week in a whole world of pain and regret. Good move to stay in. Lots to do this week.
I am off to catch up on some very much needed sleep now.
Last night I saw, what is really just my best mates' boyfriends' band. A band consisting of a man I have seen in his pants and some other assorted people I know pretty well. :)
But, regardless of the over familiarities, I can honestly say that Vito are one of my most favourite bands to see live. Breathtaking. They make you forget where you are. They were so good that I was frozen for some parts of their set and at one point my eyes actually got a bit damp. Absolutely awesome! Blew me away.
Every band should aspire to be this good.
If your remotely into the likes of Mogwai, Sigur Ros and Godspeed You! Black Emporer...... or if you just like good music in general.....you need to see this band.
I think last night took over from Efterklang as the best gig of the year for me so far.
Get over to their myspace, their new recorded stuff sounds pretty fine! Can't wait for their new album.
http://www.myspace.com/vitotheband
Andrew Hockey, Silver Spurs and The Ash and the Oak in 10ft Tall.
The Ash and the Oak = good. 2nd time I have seen them. Much improved. :)
Silver Spurs = good. Despite being without the use of Eli's arm. Its broken. They played a new song Ellie wrote. It was ace. http://www.myspace.com/silverspursmusic
Andrew Hockey = Good. Despite people talking during his set. Idiots. Would like to see him in a different venue. I liked his song Bunny Boiler Blues. Listen to it on his myspace http://www.myspace.com/andrewhockey
Right, y'all know how much I love my N95. Its the reason I keep this blog.Its part of me. Its as much of my identity as my fly ride and my nose ring :)
Well, imagine my distress when I managed to bite through the screen whilst out on the razz in town on Friday night. Check this:
A vaulable lesson was learnt. Never use your mouth as a handy carrying device for your phone. Use a bag or a pocket. Teeth + Phone = FAIL!
Whilst still is a state of Rum induced confusion I didn't really care. 'Yeah I'll buy another one'. The morning after, I did care! An N95 is about £140 on ebay! Arse. But then, I realised I could buy a new screen for £25. Which I did. Should be delivered on Tuesday, when normal 5 mega pixel photo bloggin will resume. For now I am rolling with a Nokia bl-6p lent to be very kindly by my brother. It is a piece of shit tho. Bunk camera (see above) and my brother has made me promised not to change the wallpaper on it, so now I walk around with a picture of his slurry system in my pocket (no, not his arse) - he is a farmer and very proud of his slurry system. Weirdo :)
So anyway, back to my nite out. We went were meant to go and see Aim in Glo, but as we arsed around in the pub to long we couldnt get in. So resorted for 10ft Tall. Ran into neilcocker.com who was Djin downstairs and then went up stairs and 'monged' on the sofas. The music/people were so appaulling smAsh came out with a classic. Whilst dolly partons 9-5 was playing and some fuckin idiots were buzzin for it, she tuned to me and goes 'I want to glass my own face'... hahaha.... how we laughed. And laughed. And laughed some more. It is great slaggin and bitchin all night. Ace fun.
So, during the course of the evening I hooked up with my old mate Liz who I went to uni with.
Ace it was to see her, over for the rugby from Ireland she was. Didn't hang around cos, to be honest, a Dempseys (pub) rammed with rugby fans isn't my scene, so I quickly legged it over to meet Ash elsewhere. On the way I walked past this fuckin idiot pissin blatantly in the street.
Last night, after loads of whoring herself around town promoting this night, it finally came. smAsh's gig of Sarabeth Tucek, Jacob Golden and The Gentle Good in Clwb. A beautiful sunday evening of music. The quietest gig I have been to for time (as in volume, not as in turn out... there was actually quite alot of people - well done smAsh!)!
SBT's album is ace, and her live set did it justice. I enjoyed Jacob Golden, even if some people thought he was lame. The Gentle Good (Gareth who plays with Ellie in Silver Spurs) was pretty fine. Really lovely songs and astounding guitar skills.
I took these photos. They need some Photoshopping to get to take the redness offa them, but I aint got time for that today.
Howlin Rain/Yellow Moon Band/Zumbar at Clwb.
Our mate Eli plays in Zumbar. They were ace. Yellow Moon Band (featuring Jo and Danny who put on the Green Man Festival) are proper good. Jo, the lady, she plays the guitar in a skirt. Girls playing guitar are ace. She looks cool. I want to be that cool. Maybe I will be that cool if I start playing the bass again. I was rubbish though. But I did look cool. All about the aesthetics.
I heard a line in a
Laurie Anderson song today which went "ethics is the aesthetics of the future"
I don't know what it means, but it is a wicked line!
Howlin Rain were awesome. Did one of the best cover versions I have heard for time. Can't remember for the life of me what it was....it was ace though....... i'll get back to you on that one.
Here is the Yellow Moon Band, complete with lady/guitar and double instrument action..
Here are Howlin Rain (featuring Grace on 'pint)
Here is Zumbar... look at Eli go! Rockin!
We walked back to Ash's in the rain. In our wisdom, Ash and I started jumping in puddles. Regretted that very shortly afterwards.
Here is Jamie looking triumphant on the way home after winning the tickets, but stupid as it is late at night raining and he is in shorts and tshirt! (he is one step away from flip flops.... wrong!)
We found a piece of paper with foot prints on it on the way home... look:
Bed. Its 2:32am. 5 1/2 hours til I have to get up. Thats enough sleep. Who needs sleep anyway. Its over rated. Sleep when i'm dead (theres gonna be no sleep for me in hell though. far to much fun stuff to be doing!!) :)
Last night we headed to Clwb for a marathon ear abuse session courtesy of our mate Will's Pedigree Falcon all dayer. smAsh DJ'd. I hung around her looking cool. Here is a photo of smAsh and Ellie. Ellie doesn't have to hang around Ash to look cool like I do. Ellie is loaded with cool points of her own (which is why I roll with her also... its all about the cool points)
Here is someone else who doesn't need to gain cool points offa no one.... Jon.
The main band I wanted to see most, Right Hand Left Hand, we missed most of. Came in 2 songs from the end :( This was mainly due to Ash's persistent faffin around before we left hers. I spend alot of my time waiting for Ash. I don't care tho. What she lacks in punctuality, she makes up for in many other ways. You put in the effort, the rewards are there :)
Here is Part Chimp, who we we did see. They were rockin'
THEN..... we made our way over to 10 Feet Tall to dance to Spank Rock DJing! What a don! Spinning tunes under the name Pase Rock, he was ace. Played all the hits. Loved it.
I like 10 Feet Tall 'n all... but it doesn't 'arf attract idiots. I came very close to having a fight with a fat, generic blonde valleyite at the bar. She jumped the que and I was having none of it. A few 'no....who the fuck do you think you are?'s later, I had to make a decision on whether I was gonna spark her out or walk away. Tempting as it was, i decided that she wasn't worth getting thrown out and missing Spank Rock for. So I gave her the worst dirty look I could and let it go. Twat. I tell you, I wasn't letting her intimidate me. Who the fuck did SHE thing she is. I know what I thought she was. A fuckin tramp thats what. As she left she goes 'nice talking to you' to which i replied 'FUUUUUUCK OFF'!
What was cool, was that when she went, the guy that was stood next to her starting ranting about what a twat she had been and that I handled it really well. He thought I was gonna spark her out too! Check my street style!
Obviously I loved the whole drama of it all and couldn't wait to get back to ash and tell her!
3 nights on the razz in a row. My insides aint happy with me.
Quiet week this week then is it? Yeah... thats right....
Yesterday parking in Cardiff cost me this much:
So I did this.... see how the thieving bastards like that*
Serves me right for parking legally I know (thats not usual). But after I had been driving like a mental through rush hour traffic... committing many a driving offence in the process (while scaring the shit out of a load of pedestrians with a classic revving engine/horn/shouting obscenities combo.... and one instance of flickin the v's and yelling 'twat!' out the window), I thought it unwise to push my luck with my auto mobiling wrongs.
But £7.70 though. Mental!
I pay more an hour for parking in town than some people's hourly wage.
I would hate to add up how much I have spent parking in cardiff this year so far... lots. No wonder shopping in the city is down so much.
*no it was like that when I got there.... or at least thats what I told the police :)
Just come back from seeing some bands in Chapter. To tired to write really. But i'll have a go....
No Thee No Ess were really good (starring Andy Fung off of Cymbiant). Sang a song about a hotel. It was the best song I have heard about a hotel since Hotel California and Hotel Yorba. I am going to start penning a song called 'Travel Lodge'. I'll get to work on that right after I finish this.
My lovely mate Ellie then played with her band Silver Spurs. As I have said before, I rate them. Check me loving bands with banjo's in them. The shame. You dare tell anyone I do and I'm coming for you. I have to maintain my street image y'kno. Banjo's are not how I roll.....
There was a bluegrass band on afterwards, but I legged it after their first song. Wasn't feeling the bluegrass tonight. Mind was elsewhere....
Here is Ellie, Eli and Gareth..... Silver Spurs to you :)
On the way home I went to Tesco.
This is what I shall mainly be consuming tomorrow:.
Here it is....
This is how I am spending my saturday... . First shift in around 4 years. Loving it. Selling records, while listening to records and talking about records. Dream job!
Here is Chris Rees playing in store to celebrate national Independant record store day. He was really good to be fair.
I'll say it again... dream job! :)
http://www.myspace.com/christopherrees
