Bank holidays are great, even if you don’t work in a bank as you still get the day off work. The most recent one coincided with the second Specks in the Sky night organised by my friend David at the Wilmington Arms so off we went to fancy London…

Me and my man in the pub before the gig. Refreshing alcopoppy cider was drunk.

As the tubes tend to hibernate at the weekends due to the endless repair work we had to drive into town which turned out to be quite kerfuffle-free. Parking the car is always the hardest part of this but we found a spot near the pub and met our pretend adopted daughter Cheryl for a drink and exploration of the journey to the toilets. The pub had a collection of indie rock style free papers which made me remember my London-living era of the 90′s when I would end up with piles of those things after going out and about.

Signage about signs.

There was a slight delay in the opening of the venue part of the building but that meant we could walk off some of the drink  by wandering about and then getting rained on.

This is a montage sequence

What about the actual gig? Well… there was refreshing ginger beer, Jonny Cola (formerly Alex of Luxembourg and currently the named man in Jonny Cola and the A-Grades) DJing on decks that included and old fashioned telephone as part of the equipment and playing Lucky Soul, Belle & Sebastian and more,  Owen Duff doing the opening set with a bit of guitar and then a bit of piano… and then a Melting Ice Caps ‘turn.’

One man, a Discman and a woman with flip chart sheets.

This was a more back to basics version of the ‘band’ with David accompanied by his backing tracks that were prepared earlier and played by the handy CD Walkman which sat on the stool. We got a couple of the old songs (available for free on the website) and a bunch of new material which I assume is from the forthcoming album (arriving soon). A mixed range of styles, speeds and tones including some that could be described as love song style numbers but still with the familiar sense of humour and that English thing of not taking yourself too seriously which I admire in my songwriters.  I have no song titles to rave about but the addition of Ice Caps guitarist Aurore with lyrics on flip chart sheets for two of the numbers definitely added to the entertainment value, especially when it was hard for her to keep up with the speed of what was being sung.

All these songs, on the floor

Key words for this performance: Witty, Arch, Thoughtful, Piano, Discman, Charm, Indie, Synthpop, Flipchart, Pop. Fantastic!

Not from the night but this post needs music so here are Tell Me I’m Wrong and Pavlovian Boy:

Souvenir, with Cheryl

What am I going to do with my flip chart sheet? I love my souvenirs. We ended up being rather hungry after David’s Ice Caps performance so it was off to the pub part of the building for grub, including a marvellous Pint Of Chips. Kind of a potatoey knickerbocker glory once I added the mayonnaise.

For more information on the Specks in the Sky nights there is a page on ruddy Facebook.

I’ve become a bit hermitty recently so blogging about making exciting pasta bakes or filing enormous amounts of post-Warners Prince songs onto discs is not really exciting material. I do have a lot of ‘pop videos’ to share though, with waffle of course…

Sam Sparro is almost back! His second album is out in June and this song is a rather excellent funky pop number. I detect a hint of an early 90s dance pop influence in there along with the straightforward catchy song writing which certainly appeals to these old ears.

Ronika’s excellent Automatic single is out now and is another hit (my vote anyway) from her. I knew it contained a Rodgers/Edwards sample but when I heard the Odyssey track Together (1982) that she used i was surprised to see/hear how much came from there. Anyway, it’s very now with its old sound, if that makes sense. You can buy it from her site.

In the running for my Tunes Of 2012 shortlist is the new colaborative threeway between Mark Foster (of The People), Kimbra (whose album really needs a proper UK release) and A-Trak (who I had not heard of until now but seems popular with the young folks). Energetic, catchy and synthy so how can anyone not love it? It’s got the kind of video you’d expect from something that Foster is involved in, i.e. rather exciting stuff and can be downloaded for absolutely nothing if you like that sort of thing.

Garbage are back!

I like the song and I also like the video but I don’t think they do together all that well. The album is out mid-May and the obligatory deluxe edition with four extra songs has been pre-ordered.
Who else is back? Well…


Rufus Wainwright’s new ‘pop’ album (it’s not cheesy throwaway nonsense though, of course) is out next week, which is nice. The Obligatory Deluxe Edition comes with a DVD with, er, some things on it.
Like Kimbra, Uh Huh Her are on my UK CD Release Please list. They have another single from their second album which is all rather lovely:

I love a good romantic sci-fi radio rock and horses moment so of course I adore that video. It’s good when videos make an effort, like this new Keane one:

Great visuals and I love the illustrated title sequence at the end. I hate it when Keane get lumped in with Coldplay Patrol in the Uncool Bands range. Who wants to be cool, anyway? You can buy their forthcoming album in an Obligatory Deluxe Edition with extra tracks or Super Duper Deluxe Edition hardback A4 size coffee table book, CD with extra tracks and DVD with stuff on it. I’m so extravagant. Their other video is less filmy but also rather good:

Here’s one that Husband Jamie got me into:

Bearcraft is/are (man or band? I should check) getting more electropop which is great for me. This song starts off like a quiz show noise, is addictive and available from the official site for zero pence. Go on.
And finally, just for fun:

This occasionally suffers from mashup key clash syndrome but it’s the pop music equivalent of a very cakey cake. Like the Bearcraft, it can also be downloaded if you click the link.

This week’s real life photographs with new music video product is about the day I met up with my school friend Simon and we ‘explored’ Brentwood High Street like we used to back in the late 80s and early 90s. Needless to say this made me feel old.

This coffee shop used to be part of the old shopping arcade. Freaky.

On the other side of the table: my lovely husband!

The new video for new Bright Light Bright Light single is here and Rod has got his 90′s groove on (what do I mean? I have almost no idea)! It’s out soon as an EP and the long (verrrry long) awaited album is out on 4th of June. This single has seemlesly blended into my listening of way too much early 90′s pop dance this week and I’m imagining it with added Morales & Knuckles bass lines and plinky plonky house piano. Love the blend of old but retro sounds with a bright fun video. That video has been analysed, maybe a bit too hard,  by Paul Fizzypop. My friend Vinny Vero has done a remix of this but I’ve been allergic to those night clubs since the last century so not heard it. Talking of him (handy), he posted the following video on Facebook and made me realise that I didn’t know how much I loved Sneaky Sound System:

Yes it’s the 90′s (once again) but with added CG treadmills for the once popular ‘treadmill dance’. I bought their latest album on the strength of this.

We used to spend ages in all the record shops. Now the only places to buy records are charity shops .

If you need a new song to fall in love with then may I suggest Ren Harvieu’s new one?

Mmmmmm… The marvellous Middle Eight blog covers this, of course. I heard the song via that site’s owner who knows a thing or two about tunes.

'Rescued' from the loft of my brother's house. How did they get missed before?

Another photographs and new music hybrid blog! This time is when we went to a flooded lead mine in the Derbyshire Dales, as you would:

Speedwell Cavern

I saw two new black and white female solo artist music videos today. The one from Madonna was so sexy sexy sexy and left me cold (I am my now Dad watching Top of the Pops in 1982 but all that sexy palava when she did Erotica was not alluring to me at all so maybe it’s just me) but the new old Lana Del Rey video for Blue Jeans has something of the sensual about it. With crocodiles!

Interesting choice to release this single again, although I can totally see why. Maybe one of the more uptempo numbers next time to show she has got the range?

Hard hats: very necessary!

It’s Black & White Video week as Thomas J Speight has a new one too:

I should go and order this EP once I post the blog. His previous one was very nice in an Englishman Does A Bit Of Americana way.

This wonky photo best illustrates the Low Ceilng, Tiny Boat aspect of the experience.

An oldie but goodie, found via Phil on Facebook:

Not that Phil. This Phil!

I survived! Lots of interesting wet cracks and crevices to look at. Recommended.

There’s a new Paul Weller album out and it’s very good. Less Dad Rock , more energetic and interesting with the funny sounds complimenting the songs well. The deluxe edition includes Startlite which was the song that some people went a bit mad over a while back…

In recent weeks we’ve had the lovely Cardinal bloke calling gay marriage “grotesque” and comparing it to slavery and then the Pope got involved and used his “Think Of The Children” card. What fun. The last few days have seen the Daily Mail Big Big Cheese tell all his flying monkeys to knock out a piece to help their cause of willful ignorance and I thought it would be interesting to blog about them all… but there were just too many! Here are some ‘highlights’ to illustrate how the country’s second most popular newspaper wants its readers to think what it’s thinking:

Won’t somebody think of the documents! Steve Doughty has done loads of these pieces recently, very eco-friendly in his recycling habits:

Blah blah blah Outrage! Panic!

“Reforms to allow same-sex marriage will see the words husband and wife removed from official forms, it was revealed last night. Tax and benefits guidance and immigration documents must be rewritten so they no longer assume a married couple is a man and a woman. And private companies will be told to overhaul paperwork and computer databases containing the words. Marriage certificates could even be affected by the Coalition proposals, with rules possibly axing terms such as bride and bridegroom.”

Now our forms are not safe from The Gays! All these proposed things that could happen are keeping him awake at night. What does the Daily Mail itself think?

It's ruddy equality you rotters. Not hard to understand.

Yeah who wants equality anyway?  

“Is being doubtful about gay marriage really the same as being anti-gay? This legislation – which not even Stonewall the most persistent gay rights group was agitating for – is not just about allowing homosexual couples to have a wedding rather than a civil partnership. It is about redefining an ancient and precious institution and recalibrating the entire way we speak about it.”

Or it could be about making it the same for everyone, including Mail readers’ children, parents, friends, etc….

“The Mail passionately supports the principle that everyone should be equal before the law, regardless of race, creed, or sexuality and has consistently backed civil partnerships for gay couples. Everyone deserves the right to have their commitment to a relationship legally recognised, with the security and inheritance tax advantages that brings. But would gay marriage confer any more legal rights than civil partnership, and is there really a genuine demand for it?”

You wouldn’t have thought that if you had been reading the Mail when civil partnerships were being planned and introduced.

Don't use common sense! They'll bring out the red arrows of disapproval.

What does Steve Doughty think? I know we already know as he loves writing about this but it must be time for another one from him, right?

Plate of illogical with a side order of fantasy

“The Incredibles had a great catchphrase: if everybody’s special, then nobody is.”

Oh dear, I can see where this one is going…

“The words came irresistibly to mind this week when I saw what Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone had to say about same-sex marriage. Here it is: ‘Marriage is a celebration of love and should be open to everyone.’ So, according to all evidence, married couples tend to stay together and they are healthier and better off than other people…”

He does the Mel Phillips marriage speech bit which we all know by heart now…

“It’s actually nothing to do with the gay lobby, although no activist worth his or her salt is going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It’s not about gays, it’s about marriage, and the thinking goes like this: if everybody is married, then nobody is.”

WHAAAA???

“You will have noticed the implications of same-sex marriage legislation already. It starts with the spending of millions on removing the words husband and wife from the legal lexicon. We haven’t been told officially yet, but my bet is when the new law appears couples getting married in register offices or approved premises like hotels and stately homes will no longer be pledging their future to their wedded husband or wedded wife. It’s going to be wedded partner from now on, and if you don’t think that language has much resonance, comfort yourself with the thought that you are no longer being homophobic.”

This man can see into the future.

My brain hurts

Loads of Mail columnists had their obligatory Marriage Equality Do Not Want pieces this week but here are a few of the more famous ones:

Ironic as I grew up in a Mail reading house with Heffer's toxic gay hate columns, which was nice.

Oh Heffer! The headline is excellent here but the article is more reserved.
“My opposition to homosexual ‘marriage’ is straightforward. The phrase is simply illogical — and no change in the law can make it otherwise.”

“I can find no evidence that the majority of people support same-sex marriages. My homosexual friends tell me that many of them are opposed to the planned law change, for much the same reasons as I am. One told me he thought they were ‘silly’, ‘patronising’ and ‘just designed to make a political point’.”

“My Gay Friends” klaxon alert!

Therefore the majority of people — mostly silent — are being asked to accept a policy advocated by a minority, but which would have a serious effect on the nature of marriage.”

“Silent Majority” klaxon. Yawn.

There’s more:

Won't somebody think of the dames?

“To ensure full equality, the Government will either have to grant courtesy titles to the partners of married gay peers and knights – or remove them from the wives of their heterosexual counterparts. That could cause considerable anger: many male peers and knights say the main reason they accepted the honour was to enable their wives to call themselves a ‘Lady’. ”

I am getting angry just thinking about this.

Then there is the issue of lesbian married couples, where one is a baroness or dame.

Aghast.

Mr Slippery is not his penis. Right?

This is about Cameron, who he loves to get upset about:  “But he knows that driving homosexual marriage through Parliament will enrage the suburban voters he despises. He longs to be assailed by them, because it will make him look good among the Guardian-reading metropolitans he wants to win over.”

Yes, that is exactly what marriage equality is all about. Bravo!

We went to Cheshire last week as I am old and enjoy pretending to be a posh person from The North. Here are some photographs of some things that we saw, along with some new music for that truly multimedia stylee….

In the orangey tinted-due-to-no-flash posho hotel room. facebook comments on this included "this is SO MAGNIFICENTLY BLEAK."

Here’s the new single from Uh Huh Her.

Oh I like that.

'Special' stuff for the special people in Cheshire Life.

Nneka’s new single is rather lovely:

The Joe Goddard remix is a stonking great tune of awesomeness:

Why do I not have this view every morning? Eh?

Jonny Cola & The A Grades have done something good with this Erasure song:

James has new cats. New cats are very friendly and only made me do one sneeze.

Earworm of the fortnight has to be this disco-funk-pop offering from Ronika:

I don’t really notice that Doctor Who is off the telly as much as some geeks as I have the other supply of new Doctor Who stories to keep me busy: yes those full cast (except for the ones that are not) plays from Big Finish are pretty special most  of the time. They may have done some questionable things like bringing Adric back as a crazy old man played by Andrew Sachs (which I actually enjoyed) and that time they did a Sontaran ‘comedy’ story but the range of good new stuff means I have a super-organised typed list of when my various subscriptions run out because yes I am that type of man. Anyway, I sense ramblings. What have I been enjoying in their Classic Doctor Who range these last few months, I hear you ask in my imaginary dialogue…

The biggest new exciting thing in years for a fan of a certain age must be the return of Tom Baker as The Doctor in a bumper selection of cool new stuff. First up was January’s Lost Stories box set which contains two stories that were not made for TV and ended up in drawers for a very long time until they were jazzed-up for audio by two of the best Big Finish writers. The Foe From The Future wins my top score due to several factors: an original idea and plot by Robert Banks Stewart (who did some of the best Tom Baker episodes plus some Avengers and then created Bergerac amongst other things) which has been finished off by the most excellent writer John Dorney, a perfect feel of 1977 with Tom Baker and Louise Jameson in their TV roles, and an impressive guest cast that includes Louise Brealey aka Molly From Sherlock. The whole production is so spot on with the adventure, wit and fun of the TV era it never made an appearance in. The Valley Of Death is the other story in this box and while it’s enjoyable throughout it seems slightly off for a recreation of the era and loses some impact due to being paired up with such a classic. All in all it’s well worth your drogna pounds.

I'm going for the 'handmade' approach with this blog so here are some discs in the bath.

The main Doctor Who range rotates with three months of one Doctor in what you could mostly call trilogies and the latest stars Colin Baker as The Doctor and Lisa Greenwood as new companion Flip. Greenwood’s character was initially a guest part a year ago but she impressed the team enough for a more meaty return and she does not disappoint with a new type of companion character that will mostly be described as feisty, Essex and young. Story one is The Curse of Davros by Jonathan Morris (who also wrote The Valley of Death) which unsurprisingly features that wrinkly shouty Dalek-creating git Davros. It also features some new ideas that mostly work well, making this is a fun start to a new trilogy. Story two is The Fourth Wall which again is a title that hints heavily at what you’ll get. It’s written by John Dorney but this repeated use of the same writers is a spooky coincidence. A bit of an odd one as it’s equal parts dark and comic but just like its predecessor the overall impression left on me is an interesting story full of good characterisation that also asks serious questions. Baker and Greenwood have great chemistry and this Doctor-Companion era is off to a strong start.

The older Doctors whose actors are no longer with us are represented by the Companion Chronicles range, in plays performed by a former companion actor plus usually one other voice. My January and February examples don’t stick to that format at all and are all the better for it! The Anachronauts by Simon Guerrier is another audio tale set in the middle of The Daleks’ Master Plan (straight after the Christmas episode in this case) and as with his past work set in the 1966 series it’s a hit with me. With Jean Marsh as Sara and Peter Purves as Steven, along with Purves doing his Hartnell Doctor voice, we have something more like a standard play than most of this range and it features a relative dimensional kerfuffle, a planet and a historical setting. Guerrier has never written a bad play and his past efforts account for a big part of the reason I subscribed to this range. Luckily, the February release carries on the good work and The Selachian Gambit by Steve Lyons is your classic Troughton Doctor base under siege tale. This is performed by Frazer Hines as Jamie with guest appearances by Anneke Wills as Polly but Hines also portrays many other characters including The Doctor, a snooty posh woman and the titular monsters. The good tight writing and Hines’ performance(s) make this a joy to listen to.

Tom Baker also has a monthly series on the go so January was a Baker-heavy month. February was Baker-lite in comparison. Desination: Nerva (by Nicholas Briggs) literally (and I mean that) carries on from classic TV story The Talons of Weng-Chiang and involves, unsurprisingly, a trip into space to Nerva. Cue all the usual drama, corridors and funny lines that you’d expect from a fourth Doctor story. The notable guest star in this one is Racquel Cassidy who was in Party Animals, Teachers and that recent Doctor Who two parter with the gloopy people that wasn’t one of the better ones. February’s The Renaissance Man (by Justin Richards) also guest stars someone from the TV show: Ian ‘Churchill’ McNeice. It’s jolly good fun but I’m not sure that all of these two part stories are long enough to recreate the era in question. Some of the later releases in this range appear to have recurring characters so we’ll have to wait and see. Regardless of the length issue the monthly Tom Baker series is off to a good start.

It’s my birthday today so I went out on Saturday and saw some bad geek things. Here they are:

Daleks In Soho

The Invasion has been cancelled

Tissue Compression Eliminator not included.

Still on that feckin' island.

No. Just no.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to blog every single record I buy this year, I’m  not insane! (besides, I have an Excel spreadsheet for that sort of thing now). I do like to share sounds and rambles though, such as after about a dozen plays of That Lana Del Rey Sound I’ve decided the tracks done with The Songwriter Rick Nowells are the best (Dark Paradise and Lucky Ones especially) due to their calming-yet-also-melodramatic aspects, ridiculously self important lyrics, Twin Peaks-y musical glares and general catchiness.

Overall I really love this album and the whole Name/Lips/Father/Background/Live nonsense is not registering with me as the music says it all. It mostly says things about red dresses but that’s alright with me. Talking of that sort of thing, my friend Bert did a blog about it which is marvelous…

Yes.

Most of my CDs from 2012 so far are releases from the past. Foxy Shazam‘s new one is a rare exception, and ironically they sound like they ate a whole load of the past when making it. We loved their previous album and this was eagerly awaited, with no disppointment involved. It’s all hooks and riffs:


I do indeed Like It.

You know what else is great? Sam Sparro’s return. Big happy poppy joy and a snappy new image:

2012 should be the year of the Sparro. Love the disco noises.

Talking of disco noises there are some on this too:

This may sound and look familiar due to the De La Soul sound of two members of that Daisy Age group. It’s a good choice for a debut single: very radio friendly, poppy and with a colourful video. There’s also a remix for people who like that sort of thing:

Mr Stephen ‘Taste Maker XO London’ Sears (to give him his full name)  blogged about Jessie Ware and was totally correct to love her new song:

This is how you do downtempo! It’s lovely and not boring or ‘beige’ unlike some of the current popular tunes. There is also a remix as everyone loves a remix:

I think that’ll do for now.

The Daily Mail as a collective consciousness of bullshit opinions and bile spends more time thinking  about all things gaywise than I do, which would be at least a bit creepy if they weren’t so bloody unpleasant about it. For example, this is what Melanie Phillips spewed out last year during one of her ‘funny turns’ : “Mad as this may seem, schoolchildren are to be bombarded with homosexual references in maths, geography and ­science lessons as part of a Government-backed drive to promote the gay agenda.” Apparently this was “all part of the ruthless campaign by the gay rights lobby to destroy the very ­concept of normal sexual behaviour.” Such a way with words, but maybe she was right all along? This is what caused the ‘silent majority’ to spit out their tea on Saturday:

Now anyone with a functioning brain could see that this is not as straightforward as the ‘outrage klaxon’ headline implies if they read the article so let’s have a look…

Gay rights activists are campaigning to have the words ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ erased from the statute book as part of a bill to legalise same-sex marriage. Pressure group Stonewall yesterday released a draft bill, intended as a ‘model’ for the Marriage Bill due later this year, calling for spouses to be known as ‘parties to a marriage’ to avoid confusion for homosexual couples.

So it’s a wording matter in a draft bill’s paperwork due to the impracticalities of having two people called Husband or two people called Wife when the participants are of the same gender,  yes?

The move provoked protests from critics, who say the aim of a new law would be to destroy the traditional understanding of marriage.

Or is it just a case of those uppity horse’s hooves wanting to eradicate marriage and destroy the very concept of normal sexual behaviour? Tell me what to think, Daily Mail!

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘The proposal to wipe the terms husband and wife out of the law at the stroke of a pen underlines the far-reaching implications of redefining marriage.’ He said gay rights activists wanted ‘to impose their agenda on every married couple by force of law’.

Stonewall, a group which has been influential in Whitehall thinking since the late 1990s, said the necessary legal changes could be made in a Bill of five clauses. Its chief Ben Summerskill said ‘It is a model for legislation and in some clauses you have to replace the words husband and wife because you cannot have two husbands or two wives.’

So it was a matter of semantics all along! That would have made a very boring story though. I wonder how the Mail’s pearl-clutchers interpreted it?

Judging humanity on  this small sample I believe we may be doomed.

Monday’s Mail had the inevitable George “I used to be an Archbishop” Carey brainfart opinion piece in it:

Ex-Arch-Bishop is bascially selling marriage as more slicey than sliced bread for society, which is all lovely nice :

“Academic study after academic study has shown that adults, children and the wider community all prosper because of marriage. A report recently published by researchers at the University of British Columbia found that cultures where monogamy is the norm are safer, while countries in which other arrangements are more common have higher levels of serious crime… Marriage is the glue that binds our country together. When a couple marries, they are not just joining with one individual, but connecting two families – and in doing so creating a support network far better than anything the state can supply.”

Excellent news, Ex-Arch-Bish! I love it when society prospers, is safe and families have a support network. This seems very sensible.

“Because of this, I believe the general public will oppose the present attempt to fundamentally alter – and undermine – the institution. This is not because we oppose gay couples, but because we simply don’t accept the mantra of the equalities industry – that being equal means being the same. Marriage and civil partnerships have been defined for two different types of relationship and should be kept distinct – it is not and should not be ‘one size fits all’. Civil partnerships were brought in to give same-sex couples the rights that they said they badly needed. These rights are virtually identical to those of married couples.”

Locic… fail… ouch…. my … brain…. hurts.

“I am so pleased that a new organisation, the Coalition For Marriage, has been formed with the aim of forcing the Government to hold a proper debate on this issue. I have added my name to their petition for marriage – in the hope of safeguarding an institution which is a vital part of British life – and I would encourage you to do likewise.”

I would encourage you to kindly bugger off out of my marriage.

“If marriage is redefined, those who believe in traditional marriage will be sidelined. People’s careers could be harmed, couples seeking to adopt or foster could be excluded, and schools would inevitably have to teach the new definition to children.”

I couldn’t read any more of it for fear of catching the stupid.