Hep Cafe (Wayback Moved to Wordpress)

Moved to Wordpress

2010-03-25T16:28:00.002Z

This is a blog for the Wayback Machine. We've moved to wordpress.
http://hepcafe.wordpress.com/

Wordpress Versus Blogger

2010-03-24T17:14:00.002Z

Moving to a wordpress? Perhaps but then again perhaps not.
We'll have to see after tonight's proceedings.

The problem with multi identities

2010-03-09T15:50:00.000Z

The Hep Cat has been out of action for a bit.
I've been consolidating blogs. I've found 6 that I currently run.

THE SIX:

1) The Hep Cafe (this one).
2) Theatre503 (I used to work there and apparently set up a blog).
3) Caffeine Rushes - Caffeine Rush was taken.
4) Retro Reviews (one for reviewing shows in the guise of a famous past historian).
5) Little Baby Nothing (should have been little baby everything - but what can you do).
6) Christina Nott (but that's really a Rashbre creation).

And don''t get me started on the amount of Twitter accounts I have. That's plain scary.

So before I do any more podcasting / blogging / reviewing / film directing and or editing I am going to streamline my blogs into one. This one.

The Hep Cafe. Because lets be fair this is where they should be.

Be posting news on the films soon

Rock and / or Roll

Melanie x

Theatre Lights are dimming

2010-03-05T12:36:00.000Z

Remember Buddy Holly in London? Well it's gone now.
But I remember the buses.

Melanie

Confused & Bemused

2010-02-04T19:37:00.000Z

This is my state of mind. Most days.
I prefer to laugh at the 'bombasticness' if possible.
Better to laugh.
Otherwise you'll cry.

Or cry so hard you laugh.
Either way you'll end up laughing.

*Now that's a groovy new word.

It's as groovy as a smoothy.

Over and out. Radio broadcast. END.

Bubble & Squeek

2010-01-23T18:01:00.003Z

Today I've been designing logos for Bubble & Squeek.
We now have a colour logo and a black and white sketch version.

Listening to the Velvets on repeat.

Skin Tight (A Very Overdue Review)

2010-01-22T15:04:00.008Z

Photography credit: Tom Jewett

I've been meaning to write this review for a long time now.
In fact I already wrote it once but it just didn't seem to convey my feelings correctly. I hope this new one does.
Distance I find from a theatre show, a film, a piece of art or whatever it is that you're reviewing can be and often is a very good thing. It helps you get your thoughts in order. It also helps you sift out the 'very good' from the 'good at the time you saw it' shows. Which afterword, unfortunately, you don't remember. So without further ado here is the Skin Tight review

SKIN TIGHT
@PLEASANCE (Now transferred to Riverside, Hammersmith)
Written by Gary Henderson
Directed by Stella Duffy

Cast:-
Tom - Sam Webster
Elizabeth - Emma Deakin
Original music composed and performed by Katie Brayben

Lighting design - Scotty Stewart
Costume design - Kate Lane
Recorded music by Andrew Paine
Set design - Louie Whitemore

Skin Tight by Gary Henderson is a script that I'd read...I read it when it was submitted to the Theatre503 script vaults. I remember thinking when I read it; someone, somewhere must put this show on. Thankfully someone did; Shaky Isles Theatre. They obviously felt the same connection I did to Gary's words. Their production of Skin Tight truly encapsulates his haunting and tender love story. They carried it out better than I had hoped and for that I thank them.

I must, at this point, confess that the other reason I went along to see the show at the Pleasance in London was to see Stella Duffy direct.* I'd been carrying a book of hers around in my bag for ages which I hadn't at this point read; I have now. It's brilliant. Now there's always a slight pressure when you arrive at a theatre and the director is there (and you give them a box of chocolates at the start of the show) to think: 'crumbs, I better say something lovely even if it's not lovely'. The very good news is that these chocolates were deserved a thousand times over.

Hep Cat fans I am pleased to say that Stella's directing was stella. The design and the lighting were inspired. In fact the whole kitten-kabodoole was rather breath taking. The water in the bath that trickled even when untouched. The careful lit actors whose's shadows eerily extended up the wall all helped to create an atmosphere that was immensely intimate and intense. Not forgetting to mention the knife blade used by Sam. The apples playfully picked up by Emma. All was thought out and seamless.

This is ensemble theatre at it's best. The chemistry between Emma Deakin (founder of Shaky Isles) and Sam Webster is electrifying, sensual and harrowing. The love these two share is intense. With gorgeous original music played live by Katie Brayen this show will make the hairs on your arms stick up and your pulse tense. Their is also some very haunting pre-recorded music played at the beginning of the show which is written by Andrew Paine.

Skin Tight is about love. It's about two people who love and who at times are tried and tested but in the end they always hold on to one thing their love of each other.

There is a lot more I could write about this show. I could write the classic review which talks about the plot and the fact that it's incredible that three people on stage can captivate your attention for just over an hour (with no interval). These are things I could write. But I'm sure another reviewer somewhere else will write these things. So I have written the above instead.

The last thing to write Hep Cafe fans before I shorten this and it get butchered down for other online zines is:

Any show that means you have to take the lime out of your Corona (beer) and suck on it to prevent tears is a show worth seeing.

*So don't delay get your tickets for Sight Tight now. It's on until Sunday @ Hammersmith.

Call: 020 8237 1111 to secure your tickets.

Stay beautiful,

Melanie x

Faster than jetlag

2010-01-21T21:42:00.002Z

I am faster than jetlag.
However I'll leave posting till tomorrow.
Tonight I'll relax. Drink tea (oh how British).
And sleep.

Tomorrow is a good day for sorting and writing up everything that happened.

A lot happened.

D&D NYC baby.

@keyholesurgery is ahead of the game.
He's already posted the night owl.

Mind The _____

2010-01-12T06:44:00.003Z

Torvill & Dean loved my flowers

2010-01-09T11:42:00.005Z

Well T&D seem to be everywhere at the moment. AND I mean everywhere.

I feel bad (now) about the time I was their flower girl at Basingstoke ice rink.
I think I tripped. I think I sprayed ice on Jayne and Chris.

My flowers were lovely though.
And they did say 'Thank you. Aren't you lovely'.

But then again I was 7 or 8 years old.
I probably did look lovely in a sparkly all in one.

Coffee & Cabaret

2010-01-03T11:32:00.004Z

What was it I saw in New York? Belle and Sebastian just said. What appropriate timing.

So the countdown begins.

Another one.

Not the 2010 one.

That one's over.

Now we count down:

flying high,

Soho blues,

Noodles in China Town,

Doughnuts with holes,

Coffee poured from glass pots,

Yellow cabs instead of Black ones,

Jazz and American Whiskey (not Scottish),

Serious art conversations and not so serious ones,

friends who travel from the Mid West just to say 'hey ya'.

One week and a bit to go.

Enough time to unpack from Christmas / New Year and repack for ventures New.

Triangles, Squares and the Trafalgar

2009-12-20T08:30:00.002Z

... oh and other stuff.

Well when I say stuff, I mean, Jacqui & Phil.

What a fab-u-lous pair of hep cats they are. Travelled down to London from...North. Somewhere North. Somewhere in the UK.

Arrived. L-O-N-D-O-N. Sloane. Drink. Trafalgar.

What a place. What a city.

Ate in an Italian. 'Made in Italy'. GO THERE. WHAT A FRIGGIN' AWESOME PLACE. Go there. Now. *

*If you fancy Italian. And getting served at 9:30pm. And being served wine and having very very lovely people pamper you.

Ended the night well. Rather early. Still under the weather I'm afraid travellers. Still under the weather.

But remember I don't work on clock time. I work well...whenever I'm needed (which isn't very often I assure you).

Am 'I' strong? Am I FASTER?

2009-12-18T11:44:00.004Z

I am an architect

They call me a butcher.

I am a pioneer

They call me primitive

I am purity

They call me perverted

Holding you. But I only miss these things when they

leave.

'I' am stronger than Mensa.

Miller & Mailer.

'I' spat out Plath and Pinter.

'I' am all the things that you regret.

A truth that washes.

A truth that learnt how to spell.

...

"Self disgust is self obsession, Honey". And I do as I please.

Slept like a Snowman

2009-12-18T09:31:00.007Z

Slept the whole night through. Feel refreshed like a snowman (who doesn't melt).

Last night was a good one. A very good one.

@improbable1 & BAC Christmas fete. GIANT Jenga! I have the photos. I have the movie. It fell. It fell a lot! It will be up soon. Very soon.

Today's a day for doing all those Admin things. Tidy the flat (listen to some t-u-n-e-s) and get some last minute Christmas presents. Shhh - don't tell anyone!

Also catch up on all the X-Mas cards I need to write and dispatch them before Santa does his rounds.

Can I do it. Yes I most certainly can.

Santa Sightings | Whiskey Soaked

2009-12-15T18:06:00.005Z

A late start today.

Headed back to the old lands; Hook.

Via Clapham. Via Woking.

A brisk dash to the empty Doctors surgery. John chatting beautifully.

Bing. My name's on the board. Into see the Nurse who, with a jovial smile, laid me down.

We chatted merrily about Christmas and the Amazon present her husband had bought her (she'd seen the parcels arrive).

My eyes shut. Wide shut. Deep breaths.

In (1, 2, 3) Out (1, 2, 3).

All over.

Plastered up.

Then -

- off to book another appointment to see 'my' Doctor next week.

On Wednesday.

We wandered through Hook. We eye-spied a Santa dinging a bell outside The W(h)ite Hart pub (It's sign currently missing the letter 'h'. Maybe Santa stole it?). Then a spot of lunch at Wild Herons.

Then back to the smoke.

London. S-w-e-e-t. London.

A detour to the fancy dress shop. John bought a monocle and a comedy mustache for (all) tomorrows part(ies). He's an Edwardian Apothecary.

Then home. The good old 123.

Whiskey.

Moody lighting.

Sea Shanties curtesy of Paz (Andrew Paine) and a book. Tonight's read The Divine Comedy.

"Midway along the journey of our life

I woke to find myself in a dark wood,

for I had wandered off from the straight path".

The Wise. Book it. Charge it.

2009-12-11T18:36:00.002Z

The wise: Book it. Charge it.

They're cats. They land on their feet.

Always and forever.

Making Honey (A bit of Cockney Rhyming slang)

2009-12-11T18:05:00.005Z

You've got the talent. You've got the looks.

I've got the plan. The brains. The books.

We can be funny.

So, let's make lots of honey.

Everything / Everyone

2009-12-11T17:49:00.003Z

You put yourself in stupid places. Yes. It's true.

Places / situations.

You make it easy to look down on you.

You try to be everything to everyone.

You jump through the big hoops.

You work how you play.

You try to be everything to everyone.

Spin / turn

do it again.

Happy & Free; Sunflowers in your room.

2009-12-11T16:37:00.004Z

I can still see sunflowers in your room.

So happy. So free.

All I want to remember is sunflowers in your room.

I remember you happy. I remember it all.

I remember the sunflowers in your room.

Don't Panic

2009-12-09T11:42:00.003Z

Ford: Don't panic... don't panic...
Arthur: So this is it. We're gonna die.
Ford: Yeah. We're gonna die.
[pauses]
Ford: No... no! What's this?
[goes over to control panel]

-----------

Trillian: Let's go somewhere.
Arthur: Where did you have in mind?
Trillian: Madagascar.
Arthur: That new club on Dean Street?
Trillian: No, it's a country. Off the coast of Africa.

T-SHIRT IDEA (take one)

2009-12-08T11:10:00.002Z

A T-Shirt with:

'What would Jim Sweeney do?'

Now who makes T-shirts.

Spag Bol (aka. Melanie Jayne)

2009-12-08T04:18:00.005Z

Spag Bol
by M. J. Rashbrooke (& a little help from A. A. Milne)

What the matter Melanie Jayne?
She's crying with might
She's crying with pain
She's not eating her dinner - spag bol again.
What's the matter Melanie Jayne?

I've promised her love, fairy lights too
I've promised her toads and a Donkey in a zoo.
You can have the Polar Bear and a man in tights.
But just make sure he doesn't bite.

She's perfectly well? She hasn't any pain.
But, look at her, now she's beginning all over again!

Please now: what's the matter Melanie Jayne?

I've promised her alphabet letters
A ride in a train
I've begged her to stop for a bit and explain

She's well, now?
She hasn't pain?

It's lovely spag bol for dinner again!
What's the matter?

MJ.

Adapted Dillie

2009-12-08T01:54:00.004Z

PART 1:-

Remember the fair Gran?
The two of us there Gran?
On the merry go round!

I stood there entranced.

The bright horses danced.

To an erie sound -

Round and around.

'Only one quid for pleasure' we're told.
So, I rode on a horse made of green and of gold

Look Gran! No hands. I'm riding the round-a-bout. All by myself!
Look Gran! No hands. I called as I past her. Faster. Faster!

'Hold tight my love' she cried out in fear.

I laughed and pretended.

But I could hear.

-----
How careless we are when we're young

-----

Mum remember the years? All the sulks; all the tears?

Do you recall?

I hated you when you said: 'be home by ten'.

- I thought I knew it all.

You always wanted to know what I'd done

but as far as I knew I was just having fun.

Look Mummy. No hands.

I know how to take good care of myself.

Look Mummy. No hands.

Please don't be a bore.
I know the score.

She tried to warn me. But I won't listen.

-------

How careless we are when we're young
-------

Dad, remember the daughter?
And all that you've taught her
She's grown up at last.

She struggles alone

No-one's at home
As the years all rush past.

But you and Mum are still there to answer her calls

You're not there to catch her when she stumbles and falls

-----------

How careless

----------

Look Lover. No hands. I'm having to do it all by myself.
Look Lover. No hands. I used to dismiss you but now I just miss you.

As my Love grows away. I can feel my heart sinking. I look back. Smile.

Then I find myself thinking...

How careless we are when we're young.

Gold Dust is Precious

2009-12-08T01:47:00.002Z

Fed up and fancy free?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Summary: Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes, it obstructs your vision.

Current mood: A little bit woo a little bit way.

Jim Sweeney

2009-12-06T19:09:00.008Z

I've just had the privilege of seeing The Life & Work of Jim Sweeney (or rather Michael James Dominic Sweeney).

LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA43e6V-J1c

This is the most life affirming, inspiring, incredible film I have seen (for a long time: A VERY LONG TIME). It must get distributed. It must be given air time.

This is a film about a great UK(/worldwide) comic: his work, his friends and estemed colleagues. To name a few (in no particular order / an incredibly random order): Steve Steen, Lee Simpson, Mike McShane, Josie Lawrence, Eddie Izzard, Barbara (Comedy Store Manager), Greg Proops, Andy Smart, Neil Mullarkey...and many more inspiring comics, theatre makers, writers, directors, radio DJs & dreamers besides.

I'd suggest the following - if you'd like to see this film and laugh a lot:

* Go to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA43e6V-J1c

* Watch the trailer / or don't

* Think? Would I like to laugh, learn be inspired and think gee maybe I could do this (or oh dear: I'd never do that!) then post a comment and / or give it a rating and / or click a thumb. We're all Romans now - bring back Togas I say.

* This will help get this film onto a TV, Cinema Screen, Outing near you.

Do it. Do it now.

...If you'd like to that is.

Bubbles Squeeeeek & Film Screenings

2009-12-06T07:03:00.003Z

Rise and shine.

After a chilled out Saturday it's now time to get back on it. Today is going to be a good day I can feel it.

Film screening at 3pm this afternoon. Can't wait. A film about Jim Sweeney (a UK Comedian).

Please view the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA43e6V-J1c

So it's been a mad one. A very mad one. My week thus far.

2009-12-05T16:08:00.009Z

Bedshow rehearsal / PlayDoh sculptures / Night Off / Jiggery Pokery @ BAC in London (WOW. What a show! Check it out if you can) / Curry / A Festive Happening (review below) /

ENO / Post-its / D&D Madness / (again if you can) / Pizza / A few hours of Zzzzzzzzzzz /Off to Jerwood / Pirates Yarr! / Meeting D&D5 / D&D NYC / Fete / Work / Darted to see 1984 @ BAC (Battersea Arts Centre) Go check it out! / Sleep / Work / Play / Home / Sneeze / Sleep /

Saturday...rest.

D&D5 The Count Down Begins

2009-12-04T01:57:00.000Z

Don't Google Me / A Festive Happening @RVT

2009-12-03T06:13:00.043Z

HEALTH WARNING: YOU MAY COME AWAY WITH AN IRRATIONAL FEAR OF SANTA CLAUS AND WRAPPING PAPER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Photograph (c) Ellis Scott
[left/right: Scottee, Bourgeois, Maurice, Jonny Woo.]

After a quick Dopiaza and a pint of Kingfisher at The Coriander we headed to the RVT [that's the Royal Vauxhall Tavern for the uninitiated] for some early December festive frivolity with Georgeois & Maurice, Jonny Woo and Scottee.

We got stamped up to give us easy in/out access to the venue. Then we bagged ourselves a good spot [thanks to Alan]. Got some drinks; a mix of JD, Beer and wine (un-mulled - we're not that festive yet) and awaited the entrance of the neo-cabaret quartet who were providing us with: A Festive Happening.

10PM and we're off to a bang. Wow these guys can perform and I'm feeling a bit...festive. Yes, you heard it. Festive. Even if it is in a twisted kind-of-a-way. Think Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas on S-p-e-e-d with glitter, eye lashes (oh the eye lashes!) and fab-U-lous costumes. Darling.

This isn't a show for the faint of heart. There are moments which might make you go: 'Ewww'. Per example when Scottee 'bursts' during his rendition of a Fat Girl in the Corner at the X-Mas Office Party. Brilliant but Ewwwwww! But there's a Santa's sack full of laughs to counter every: 'did they really just do that' moment.

If I had to pick some highlights I'd say Jonny's mime/dance to Beyonce's number one hit Halo...featuring a certain Presidents' face (and not the one you're thinking of, I bet). And of course the ever glamourous and wax-lyical Bourgeois & Maurice. They don't just have really good, funny and relevant lyrics. No. These guys can sing. And they sing good! Real good.

Maurice also jams on keys and holds the songs together with jazzy wailings and bluesy tones. And Bourgeois well he's got the best eyelashes in the whole of London. Well in South London anyway. He's witty, pretty, fierce and (again much like his partner in crime Maurice) sings like a dynamo.

So before I feel the need to entitle this posting to the Hep Cafe with a 'Health Warning' or 'Spoiler Alert' [I have in fact now added one but hey that's the power of the re-edit] I'm going to sign off.

All that's really left to say is that the group I was with and, in fact, everyone in the RVT last night had a blast. It might only be the 3rd Dec (now) but I for one feel far more festive thanks to a little help from B&M, Jonny and Scottee.

Love and eyelashes,

Melanie x

P.S. Omm Pah Pah. Albert Square Knows.

A FESTIVE HAPPENING
@RVT
Doors 8pm / Show Starts 9pm
FOR TICKETS CLICK HERE
(you'll need to book)
ONLY on for two more nights (3rd & 4th).
Your Christmas (depending on your tastes) should start here.

waitress

2007-10-11T23:48:00.001+01:00

"I used to have dreams about a wall of people trying to get in. [nods her head] And we're trying to seat them all, get them menus, take their order...

...It's stressful. I have to meditate before I come into work."

--Waitress at Pastis

Enos the waiter cat

2007-10-08T21:03:00.001+01:00

Enos the cat - the best waiter in Mykonos!

As T.S.Elliot once claimed 'the naming of cats is a difficult matter it isn't just one of your holiday games'. However I'd have to disagree with Mr Elliot. The naming of cats is actually a rather simple matter as we proved when we recently went to Mykonos and met 'Enos' the waiter cat. As I think you'll agree it's a name most fitting.

Enos is the best waiter cat you'll find in Mykonos. He can be found entertaining patrons at the 'Elias' a lively scenic beach bar/restaurant situated on Elias beach. If you'll lucky he'll even give you a free shot of Ouzo!

spaced

2007-10-08T15:17:00.000+01:00

flashfetish

2007-10-07T19:46:00.000+01:00

Some amazing Jazz Improv electronica from another melanie - alerted via rashbre.

free burma london march today

2007-10-06T17:29:00.000+01:00

kate

2007-10-05T15:06:00.000+01:00

Rashbre seems to have Kate Walsh as a car CD fairly often and I'm pleased to see Kate is about to do a UK tour of mainly small venues.

Kate started with home assembly recording, made an exceptional album and performs spellbindingly with an acoustic guitar. I see she is also performing at the Union Chapel in a few days (thats where the above video was filmed) and I couldn't resist getting some tickets. I suspect various rashbre central associates will be present!

free burma

2007-10-04T15:08:00.000+01:00

Union Chapel Little Noise

2007-10-03T15:08:00.000+01:00

I've mentioned the various other uses for churches and chapels in my area. The Polar Bear gig was in an ex church now a museum and performance space and the late lunch a few weeks ago was in a converted chapel.

Now I'm on the trail of the Little Noise gigs, which are in November and due to be held in Union Chapel, Islington. The plan is to run around nine nights of acoustic sets by some of the great and good on the indie and pop circuit, hosted (curated?) by Jo Whiley and in aid of the Mencap charity.

And this chapel? It is still used as a church, as well as being a London venue and a homelessness project.

tudor

2007-10-02T15:09:00.000+01:00

An Evanescence soundtrack to a story about Henry VIII, being played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers?

Actually its the American Trailer, which is somewhat longer than the BBC2 sting for the same show. I believe the series was made by Canadians, so it will be interesting to see how it develops. And the website is like something from The Sopranos

I gather a few character names like the many Marys have been adapted to (eg) Margaret to lessen plot confusion. So stand by your text books. I can't find the BBC2 45 second trailer online, but its more like this...

desert

2007-09-16T15:10:00.000+01:00

The i-sense music I've been listening to evokes prior mystic moments. Whether travelling, being at one with the living desert or looking at a thousand stars there are wonders under these infinite skies.

I've visited deserts of the middle east and deserts in america; they are quite, quite different. Heres some slightly old mobile phone blogging from the middle east. You can tell it was a blast.

leafcutter john's forester

2007-09-15T15:11:00.000+01:00

From yesterday's gig, here's one of the pieces of software that leafcutter john was using to make the ambient effects. This version is a free version for the Mac. His live version had a playstation controller to operate some effects, too.

i-sense

2007-09-15T15:10:00.000+01:00

One of the main people that got me into creating music with synths and voices was the person behind the formidable i-sense. The new album is released on 24th September, but I was lucky enough to get a preview copy.

Several of us sat together in Chelsea today to unveil it and it lived up to promise. A shorter recording than the last couple, but highly evocative of the middle east and mysticism. There will be unknown messages wrapped in the braids of the music and it may take a time to unravel.

Mixing spoken vocals with strong bass, sweeping and combed synthesizers and emphemeral effects, this is a fine work and one which I've already listened to about four times. John even flipped on his Fender and jammed some eastern accompaniment when we'd had the first listen through.

So jump across to myspace and be swept off to the beautiful deserts of the middle east. More when I've iTuned it.

Ronnie Scott's

2007-09-11T15:45:00.000+01:00

Not my typical venue, but a very famous club in Frith Street, nonetheless. I was asked to go there on Monday to get some tickets for a forthcoming event, in the knowledge that the tix went on sale at 12:00. Only thing was, they actually went on sale at 10:30 and by 12:00, they had all sold out. Ronnie Scott's has 300 seats and were absolutely deluged with requests for the gig which is taking place on the 23rd September. I wasn't even trying to buy the tickets for myself, but lets just say that Julie is rather disappointed that she won't be seeing her pop icon.

another invader

2007-09-09T15:12:00.001+01:00

This is not just any brick wall, this brick wall has another one of those space invaders half way up it.

I spotted it a few days ago during my travels around London.

You may have to look carefully to see it as well as to wonder how it got there in the first place.

hope

2007-09-09T15:12:00.000+01:00

Last night was 'The Last Night of the Proms' in London. This is a traditional night at the end of the series of inexpensive concerts put on throughout the summer at the Royal Albert Hall. They are rooted in classical music, though the definition becomes broader every year.

On the last night everyone attending dresses up and takes flags, streamers and similar and there is always a conclusion with stirring British music comprising sea shanties, "land of hope and glory" and "Jerusalem".

Tickets for the Alb are like duck's teeth, so along with several hundred thousand others, we ambled to the Park to watch it on the big television screens. Actually there's a full show also from Hyde Park and we managed to get very close to the main stage and also near to one of the big screens, so it was easy to see everything.

Whilst the main performance from the Royal Albert Hall comprises classical music, the Park has a mixture and this year included Lesley Garrett, Juan Diego Florez, a T-Rex tribute band and Julie and Andrea's favourite, Will Young. More of that later when I can load some mobile phone video.

Great evening, with much flag waving as well as various sporting victories for England along the way, winning the soccer against Israel, the cricket and then beating the USA at rugby. Not bad!

babble

2007-09-08T15:46:00.000+01:00

Lunch today in Sloane Square with friends. We had a great laugh and a few too many cocktails. Imagine my surprise afterwards when I found this picture on my phone. Its us leaving Oriel's! I've no idea how I took it.

OTA : Wordless Wednesday

2007-09-05T15:13:00.000+01:00

New London Parking Penalty
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iTouch

2007-09-04T15:14:00.000+01:00

Well, my post about the new iPod was speculative and slightly wrong, but not that wrong, really. Here's the real thing. To my surprise, the initial capacity is the same as the last Nano. I'd have expected a disk based system with maybe 10 times the capacity at launch. Oh well.

iPod 6?

2007-09-02T15:15:00.000+01:00

iPod 6th generation preview?

...or just more speculation.

You decide.

dome vs wembley

2007-09-01T15:16:00.000+01:00

A minor comparison of the Dome vs Wembley as a venue. Not a "Sports" comparison, but for audience care and facilities. The Dome crushes Wembley in a moment. Better transport access, better entry logistics, better free space areas, better range of on site facilities, better restaurants and cafes, better food. And as a venue for live, 20,000 seats at the dome still seems fairly intimate whereas 50,000 seats at Wembley creates distant dots.

And an £8 disgustoburger at Wembley is no match for the £7 chinese at the Dome.

C'mon Wembley, fix it.

purple

2007-09-01T15:15:00.000+01:00

I never meant 2 cause u any sorrow

I never meant 2 cause u any pain

I only wanted 2 one time see u laughing

I only wanted 2 see u laughing in the purple rain

Purple rain purple rain

Purple rain purple rain

Purple rain purple rain

I only wanted 2 see u bathing in the purple rain

A great gig with Prince keeping the whole Dome on its feet from the opening chord to the very, very, very end of the show. Consumate performer, robust band, great dancers, many great tunes mixin it up between soul, jazz, funk, fusion, blues, rock, pop. The Prince threw a great party for London.

strictly no cameras allowed, so you'll have to imagine the rest

Brick Lane

2007-08-28T15:17:00.000+01:00

Strolling onward to Brick Lane, nowadays nicknamed "Bangla Town" by the locals. Originally an area for the manufacture of bricks, then a Jewish neighbourhood and nowadays the centre of the Bangladeshi community. Ask a Londoner about Brick Lane and they'll talk about the excellent curry restaurants (bring your own beer- the restaurants are mainly Muslim). There's also the markets in the middle part of the Lane and at night its a clubbing area with the Vibe and others open till very late. The 24 hour Beigel Bakery does good trade around the clock.

The Bangladeshis first came here as seamen in the 1920s and expanded a wide range of trading in the area. The signage is often in Bangladeshi and as well as items likw saris from the indian sub-continent there's designer fashion from the Laden Shop or vintage clothes from Rokit.

Around the middle of the Lane is the tall chimneyed Truman's Black Eagle Brewery with origins in the 1700s. Nowadays its been converted to a tourist, cafe and shopping area, although part is still open for guided tours.

The area was one of the most densely populated in the middle of the 19th century and at that time was known for slums, narrow alleyways, poor water supplies and no proper sewage facilities.

Brick Lane today is a bustling and multi-cultural area. Off to each side are other small roads with fame of their own. Chicksand Street is reputed to be where Bram Stocker stayed on his return to Transylvania. Flower and Dean Street was the address of most of Jack the Ripper's victims at some stage in their lives and Hanbury Steet was the site of one of the murders. I'm not sure about Bacon Street.

And any spare flat surface will have been postered or display some form of graphic. This varies from mindless tagging to the street art of Banksy or sometimes installation pieces that have somehow made it onto the street.

Brick Lane may have converted to being more be halal than kosher, but the area continues to cast a vivid image into east London.

...then Hackney Hoxton and Shoreditch

2007-08-27T15:17:00.000+01:00

Emm, this was supposed to be the Saturday post after team rashbre had entered another one of those Shoot Experience photo walkabout competitions. Unfortunately it all went a bit pear shaped. We had tickets and were kind of prepared. The last one we did was, for us, an anytime start and this suited us just fine. This one had an un-noticed 'be there at eleven am' message in the email.

oops.

So turning up at two o' clock in the afternoon wasn't a bright idea. Then being told the clues took around 30 minutes each and that everyone had to be back at four thirty to upload the finished items.

So dutifully taking the team rashbre materials, including the team badges with 'I love Hackney' written on them it was time to go outside Cargo to plan the rescue operation.

That's when the pub came into view. After a Grolsch, this became a 'cut the losses' situation. So instead of hammering around the circuit snapping wildly and producing some ill-planned entries, it became more fun to abandon the competition and to simply wander around 'the area formerly known as Hackney' now called Hoxton, Shoreditch and Brick Lane.

Hoxton itself has become one of the gentrification areas in London and the small grassy Hoxton Square was filled with people chilling out for the afternoon, overlooked by various trendy restaurants and art galleries.

Indicatively, around the square, with graffiti like stencilling onto the pavement, was a series of signs for the "Cereal Killer", either advertising an Australian rock band or Kellogg's breakfast foods.

The nature of the area creates a fusion between street culture typified by graffiti at one end and posh art galleries at the other. As an example, there's a shop which has been converted into an advertisement for the recent Chemical Brothers album.

So there's a balance required here to interpret the difference between substance, pretence with perhaps a little wry humour. I'd need to spend more time in this finely delineated area to be able to make the necessary judgement. ShoHo (Shoreditch/Hoxton) is less clear-cut than the SoHo of Manhattan, yet shares some of the characteristics.

and the Hoxton snaps were on the way to Brick Lane...

time in the garden

2007-08-26T15:18:00.000+01:00

...well not my garden. And not really a garden, as such.

Covent Garden.

An area often featured in 'Lies Londoners tell Tourists' (because its not a garden), along with 'The Mall as a great shopping area'. And as a place to visit, for a quick buzz of lots happening, Covent Garden has it all from smart cafes, street entertainers, boutique shops and little craft market stands.

For much of its existence Covent Garden served as a fruit and vegetable market covering the whole of the square. Back in the 1600s the land belonged to Westminster Abbey and was a Convent garden, hence the name.

It emerged in its current form out of an experiment in London of town planning as the creation of a public square, developed by the Earl of Bedford, Charles I and architect Inigo Jones. It also introduced Italian style Palladian columns, some smart houses and a grids for streets instead of London's random twists and turns.

The original public square ultimately caused the residential well-heeled toffs to leave the area for Bloomsbury to escape the riff-raff and lack of privacy.

Then the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed the major markets in the City and the fruit market moved to this area where it remained for around 300 years, evolving in the late 1800s to a covering of the area with a train station style roof.

The final closure of the extensive fruit market in the 1970s was an effect of London road congestion and became the reason for the market to move to South of the river to its current Nine Elms location.

Unimaginative developers wanted to knock down the market and build a conference centre but local opposition was so strong that a renovation plan ensued creating what is, today, a major magnet for tourists and Londoners at rest. Street performers ply their amusements on every corner and there is always a big crowd by the Punch and Judy pub looking out to the end of the square where a high wire act, jugglers or a stand-up will be working the crowd (or sometimes one person doing all three together).

The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the Covent Garden Opera House also operate in the area and it has a 'one way' tube station at certain times of the year (exit only) and this encourages tourists to wander the area and then find a different way back from Leicester Square or Embankment.

And of course, the spirits from many a yesteryear still inhabit the whole area.

Close your eyes, listen to the noise and you can imagine any time from the past in this vibrant part of London.

But I only took these snaps as I passed through on my way to Shoreditch.

Nikon D300

2007-08-24T15:19:00.000+01:00

Nikon sent me their publicity for their new D300 camera. I frequently use Nikon cameras and think they are excellent; even the base-line D40 is a very good piece of kit. As the cameras get bigger numbers they get more expensive, except for the ones with only one number which are REALLY expensive.

I think the D300 is really the souped-up D200 with a new wibbulator to shake dust off the sensor when lenses are changed and better waterproofing than the cling-film that I sometimes use on my Nikons. There's some new LiveView preview technology for when the mirror is up, though I'm so used to SLRs that I'm not sure whether this is slightly like a consumer feature. They have also added an HDMI output for links to HD televisions, though I don't think I'd use one of the HDMI slots on my television for an SLR feed.

They also announced an eye-watering D3 (one digit, so pricey), which is really for folk of the press. To be honest, I find the intermediate cameras more useful for my type of photography. The really expensive ones have big built in battery compartments and bulk which equates to weight. Not as easy to wrap up in a T-shirt and chuck into a backpack.

I see that DX and FX are now the designations for the size of the capture areas in SLRs. DX is the smaller size used by most digital and FX is a bigger format like 35mm film. Of course there needs to be a bigger and bulkier lens for the FX format, so I guess thats where the press end of the market is headed.

The dichotomy is that sometimes its better not to look too professional when out with a camera, because it can either put people off or even prevent entry to some things (has happened to me). On other occasions, a super-duper camera is what's needed to 'look the part' like when were hyping the Warhol production in Edinburgh. Big lenses equated to 'press interest'.

I still believe its finding the shot rather than the camera, and there are some excellent people on flickr who prove this time and again.

tags technorati : rashbre D300 D200 D40 D80 D3 D2 Nikon Canon

Technorati Tags: Canon, D2, D200, D3, D300, D40, D80, Nikon, rashbre

17 and rising

2007-08-24T15:18:00.000+01:00

17 teenage gun deaths in London this year, most recently Brixton this month. A gun killing of a biker on the M40 a few days ago and now an 11 year old killed in Liverpool by a BMX teen cyclist with a shotgun.

Gang culture is ascribed as a form of belonging, often with violence as entry price. Social deprivation, petty crime and the spiral to drugs and organized crime become the challenges for the projects trying to stabilize and turn the tide. A family is supposed to teach independence, but a gang seems to drive dependence.

Ethnicity is in the debate but only a few days ago a white male gang leader was sent to prison following violence based rule of Nottingham. The Krays have gone, but there is still organized money making at the edge of the law.

Pop Culture also features; number one on Billboard is Underground Kingz with lyrics about 44's, glocks and Ks (guns) and 454's (shot gun cartridges). Teens of all types face gory Playstation options as influences.

Intellectualising about missing context and cultural references being replaced by Americana doesn't do it for me. The 'only amongst themselves' arguments also seem rather convenient. Near enough to where I live we've had both a drive by shooting at a petrol station and a gang related murder (years apart but in memory).

So what to do? Socializing, Governance, Education? All have price tags and timescale implications. Heavy policing? Risks of escalation. The thing for sure is to bring this into the agenda. We all need it to be better.

137 - bus of champions

2007-08-20T15:20:00.000+01:00

Meetings in central London today, with Oyster card to the fore.

Main journey was on the bus of champions, the 137. Lets face it, the number 25 and the number 10 get lots of press for the areas they visit and are part of prime tourist London, but the 137 knows a thing or two also. From crossing the River Thames, to meandering through Sloane Square, past King's Road and all along Sloane Street, through Knightsbridge, Park Lane, Mayfair and finally to Oxford Street, it can show a sight or two.

And some of them seem to be new generation buses, too. Extra wide-windows and most of the cameras and general high-tech pieces look as if they were designed in, rather than added as afterthoughts. And they seem to be called Enviro, which presumably means they are good for the smog.

And the windows make it easier to take pictures, too. Here's a few snaps from the journey.

Older version of the same bus

Oxford Street specializes in buses and taxis.

and tourist shoppers

mainly buying Man U and Arsenal soccer shirts

Sometimes its best to know when to leave

who

2007-08-18T15:47:00.000+01:00

Another upload from the crowd at Glastonbury during the Who. Its taken a while to get these out of the phone and converted for the web. I shall have to try .mac sharing instead of continuing to scrounge space from rashbre. Wooo!

mash can be a comfort

2007-08-18T15:46:00.000+01:00

Some say mash is a comfort food. I decided to listen to a few today. Here's the Rolling Stones vs Rhinocerose jumping in a cubicle.
jumping in a cubicle
And some dire straights vs the sex pistols avec un petit drumbeat.
money for the queen
Thanks to the moule.

trapped in iphone

2007-08-14T15:47:00.000+01:00

" title="Photo Sharing">These iphones seem to catch people unawares.

Nitin at the Proms

2007-08-10T15:48:00.000+01:00

A rather blurry picture from the end of the Nitin Sawhney concert. The camera we were using seems to have a mind of its own and kept destroying the pictures.

Nitin Sawhney is a remarkably versatile artist and this concert showed some of the breadth, from simple acoustic pieces, through voice only effects to full symphony orchestra sized pieces, by way of sitar-based Indian fusion. Quite an evening, with an astonishing amount packed in. Listen to Prophesy.

another evening without makeup

2007-08-09T15:48:00.000+01:00

We found the missing tiny stills camera and I've started to offload some of the material from Glastonbury. Here's a rain drenched moment from the Long Blondes with Kate singing about makeup (or the lack of it). Spot the umbrellas.

A few London concerts

2007-08-07T15:49:00.000+01:00

I've managed to get tickets for a few London shows in the next few weeks.

This Friday its Nitin Sawhney at the Albert Hall as part of the Proms.

I'll also be doing Proms in the Park which is a bit more poppy and at the end of August it's Prince. These will be some good gigs to look forward to.

As well as a side visit to Birmingham at some point to see Rufus.

The picture is the Royal Albert Hall from the top of a 452 bus and if you look closely you can also see the reflection of the Albert Memorial, which is on the other side of the road in the park.

Concert for Diana

2007-07-02T17:30:00.000+01:00

After a week of wellies and mud at Glasto, the prospect of seating to watch some pop acts was really quite good. We met at Edgware Road and tubed it to Wembley Park, then making our way into the stadium in time for the start.

There were a huge number of acts for this concert, started with Elton singing "Your Song" and then the two princes coming on to the stage for a right royal welcome to the crowd plus the estimated global audience of 500 million. Some of the acts had a clear linkage to the Princess and some of those that didn't had made an effort to find something special or appropriate to perform.

At some points it was clear that the acts were backing up, because there seemed to be quite a few cuts from say two songs to one (Will Young, Natasha Bedingfield as examples) and some of the longer acts were also commenting in away that suggested they were being asked to cut back.

I enjoyed Lily Allen singing about London, the Status Quo doing a reprise of Rockin all over the world and getting an audible sigh from the crowd that they were only allowed one song, Tom Jones in a venue like this was well-judged, Will Young with his troupe of dancers stood out in their brilliant white. Nelly Furtado also drove a strong performance. I also liked the P.Diddy rap with funky violinists which had been specially written for the occasion.

Overall a strong way to catch up on mainstream pop and a lot less muddy than Glastonbury, although the food at Wembley was awful compared with anything on offer at Glastonbury with £8 at Wembley purchasing any variety of inedible option.

Here's the view from the seats we started in before I discovered we were in the wrong block and we moved to right underneath the Princes!

...Oh and the Spice Girls were there, with Beckham, but not performing!

Concert for Diana

2007-07-01T17:31:00.000+01:00

After a week in welleys and mud at lastonbury, the prospec

Spice Girls rumour

2007-06-30T17:31:00.000+01:00

I shall be at the Diana Concert on Sunday. I've even studied the tube map to figure a route that may be less mad. No chance.

I'm guessing that there will be a special act at the show.

I'm guessing that David Beckham will introduce it and I'm guessing that it will be the Spice Girls.

If there are conflicting stories about them not doing it, I guess they won't be ready -however, it would be too good a global promo opportunity to miss for a relaunch.

UPDATE: already seeing denial stories!

bomb the bass

2007-06-29T17:32:00.000+01:00

I'd arranged to meet Roger at Canary Wharf yesterday evening. We were outside one of the wine bars looking at the water.

Roger was bass player for the Bomb, a band which is now defunct, but at the time were noted for their shiny red guitars (we both thought that maybe the guitars were a bit better than some of the music!)

Anyway, it was a fun evening, comparing notes on various folk we both knew and extending some of our contacts. In fact we stayed there until pretty much the last trains, then he headed away to Essex, and me back to Chelsea.

Glastonbury 12

2007-06-26T17:32:00.000+01:00

I will start posting about other topics again, but I thought there were a couple of aspects of the journey back to London worth a comment.

The coach was fine; all of the seats had special seat covers as protection from the mud. Actually there was quite a lot of banter about the gigs and so forth, but also a surprisingly long discussion about the different types of mud we had encountered; we all seemed to have developed a full vocabulary to describe the gloppy, the see-through, the slow-sink, the stinking, the mainly hay - and so the list went on - and got ruder.

The journey was stopped part way at a services and it was entertaining to see the spontaneous response of normal folk to a bus load of grimy revellers descending on the Service station. I think they worked out where we were from.

It was also strange walking on normal surfaces again. I've got so used to the mud and wellington boots effect and the services were a sort of return to normal walking. Most of us had a strange zombie like shuffle - a combination of sleep deprivation, having to stand for the last 4 or 5 days and the strange support provided by Wellies.

The next interesting part of the journey was arriving at Earls Court. Ten o'clock in the morning in central London, yet the overwhelming impression was of how quiet it was. This is the post Glastonbury noise effect, because nothing ever really stopped at the festival. People,. music, chatter, happenings twenty four hours a day.

And then on the tube - people pointing "they've been at Glastonbury". And surfacing at Sloane Square. It was as if the entire Square stopped to look at us as we walked to a 137 for the last stage.

Proper photos and some short video of the Long Blondes and the Who, to follow - but probably at the weekend.

Update...here's another Glastoblog

moblog : Glastonbury 11

2007-06-25T17:33:00.000+01:00

Sunday continued to rain, but our spirits were lifted by some great shows. Surprisingly, at this point the Shirley Bassey and The Who were both amazingly good. Shirley Bassey performed mid afternoon and showed us what 'show-biz' can be like. Warmly received.

The Who were later and it was raining quite hard. Still a great gig. Finished with a quick tropp around some of the late clubs but decdied to get back to the tent rather tahn see the dawn.

Actually the Vango has survived really well. No leaks and hardly any mud, unlike some of the others. Picking a spot away from the main areas helped.

I'm writing this on the coach back to Earl's Court. Managed to get one at 5.30 in the morning instead of 6. We've brought just about everything back, and because of the waterproofs, there is far less mud on clothes than one might expect.

moblog : Glastonbury 9

2007-06-24T17:34:00.000+01:00

A bit of a night yesterday.

Didn't finish until around 7.

Just going for coffee.

Saw Kate on stage with Pete in the Babyshambles gig.

Leather.

More l8r as the text says.

moblog: Glastonbury 10

2007-06-24T17:33:00.000+01:00

Refreshed with a couple of bands this afternoon, I've just paused for a large fruit drink. Last night became this morning without really any gap. The time seemed to go very quickly, by the time we had checked out a few of the dance tents and the strange attractions of Trash City.

There seem to be several new areas here this year although it is possible that I just missed them before. There were definitely Dance tents last time, but not on the scale of this year's Dance East and the nearby Dance West. We also spotted a Wild West area called the Pussy Parlour with some rockabilly type band at full speed.

And as for the New York area, the burlesque clubs, pagoda shaped opium den and the pole dancing ballerinas - or maybe I just imagined some of it. A lot to handle in a single evening. I'm also conscious that there's still several of the main tents that I havn't really visited.

Still there's another night.

moblog : Glastonbury 5

2007-06-23T17:38:00.001+01:00

The only reason this is so early is because of camping. I'm now drinking a fruit smoothie as a kind of breakfast preparation. I was near the front for Bjork. Fantastic with a set that was like someone had landed from outer space and then progressively took control of our minds. By the end there was so much light and strange pulses that we could have been beamed to a space-ship. I also sense that I have changed into a proper festival goer by this point because it is now quite easy to spot the people who arrived late on friday and still look slightly shiny.

moblog : Glastonbury 6

2007-06-23T17:38:00.000+01:00

>

Better weather at the moment. I've decided to build today around the Long Blondes (of course), plus Lily Allan and Babyshambles. Then I'll catch one of the main acts later, but in between I'll browse some of the smaller gigs and other shows. The mud makes it take twice as long to get from one place to another, plus the sudden surges of crowds as various sets finish and people have plans to get to another stage. Last night's Russian tank commander sweatshirt purchase has been surprisingly useful.

moblog : Glastonbury 7

2007-06-23T17:37:00.001+01:00

Forget what I said about the weather- it must have been a few minutes of sun, then back to full sweeping rain. The orange cagoule, Millets finest waterproof trousers and wellies make me invincible though.

Still. The Long Blondes rocked at a rather early time for their music and of course I could sing all of the words to every track.

Then I managed to catch part of the Dirty Pretty Things - from a distance - positioning for Lily. I hadn't realised that I sort of knew the DPT album off by heart. Already feels like a great day and its not even the evening yet. More pics on the way for rashbre to post.

UPDATE: adding pix to the moblog posts: rashbre

moblog : Glastonbury 8

2007-06-23T17:37:00.000+01:00

Some people are a bit snobby about Lily, but I thought the gig was a great afternoon festival set. Bouncing around in luminous pink with a cigarette and a really strong ska reggae band, it was a real spirit lifter. Rain? What rain?

Now sitting with a drink. Need it after working our way to the front for the last set. We had to start whilst the previous band were still on. John had brought a small camera with a good lens so we've got some quite good Lily pictures and I'm going to see whether I can send them from my phone.

moblog : Glastonbury 3

2007-06-22T17:40:00.000+01:00

Wet. Muddy. Who cares.

I linked up with Ben today although I had to go back outside. Ben was supposed to have been included when we bought the tickets, but his pre-registration had not been accepted because his photo was so bad. Instead of fixing it, he left it so when we eventually got the tickets, we couldn't include him.

So back at the mad Sunday when all of the tickets sold out in two hours, we did eventually get through and get coach tickets (an extra £42 each). Despite the transport delays it was still better for the journey.

Ever resourceful, Ben then applied for car parking duties and actually has Friday night shot until Saturday morning. He's not allowed into the site though until after his duties have finished. At least he made it.

janie gets dry

2007-06-22T17:39:00.001+01:00

- Flash Player Installation&MMplayerType=PlugIn&MMredirectURL=http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=4186319815&adVars=site=bebo&area=userhomepages&vl=gb&va=null&vg=null&pa=43&pg=f&channel=music&wmode=window&autoPlay=false&file=http://download.videoegg.com/gid329/cid1124/43/NH/1182530106jIMle8DeWHdVtwnjVMGa&rootUrl=http://update.videoegg.com/flash/player&swfpath=http://update.videoegg.com/flash/proxy.swf?jsver=1.4" quality="high" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" scale="noscale" wmode="window" width="400" height="299" name="VE_Player" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

moblog : Glastonbury 4

2007-06-22T17:39:00.000+01:00

I've seen some bands now: the jaunty Fratellis, fabulous Rufus Wainwright, happy Coral, intense Arcade Fire and a very wet Automatic set amongst others. I didn;t see Bloc Party. All great, but its a bit difficult to write a review on a mobile phone keyboard. Actually I brought a spare old Nokia phone because that way I had two batteries fully charged. The Nokia doesn't have a camera but is a good standby. Just sending some pictures to rashbre central to get uploaded.

Waiting for Bjork.

moblog Glastonbury 2

2007-06-21T17:40:00.000+01:00

A chilled day although i can't believe how busy it has become already. Last time, a lot of people arrived late on Friday but this year everyone seems to be taking extra time. A lot of people I've spoke to seem to have been using the coaches, I think the way the tickets were allocated made it easier to to get coach tickets and most to them seem to have been for Wednesday and Thursday. There's been a steady stream of people and the media circus seems to be starting early as well. Loads of food choices, but they've already run out of wellington boots once.

moblog Glastonbury 1

2007-06-20T17:41:00.000+01:00

No technology at the moment, so its emails from my phone to the blog. rashbre can access it too, so I may ask for some uploads if I can send some pictures to rashbre central. The coach from Earl's Court was around 4pm, but it was really about 10 o clock before we were here. Damp weather but not a disaster and we have a good camping area. Its already getting fairly busy because a lot of the coaches have been arriving today.

river

2007-06-12T00:13:00.000+01:00

Wandered back along the South Bank, with a good view across to Parliament. We stopped at the Japanese place by County Hall and then to the bar which overlooks Westminster Bridge and Big Ben. Its a good secret place because most tourists walk along 30 metres below without realizing its there.

agent lynch

2007-06-12T00:10:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I was out East in Bethnal Green. Suze had suggested this and I was going to a rather unusual and inappropriate club to see, amongst other things, Agent Lynch doing a burlesque take-off of Barbarella.

Agent Lynch is an amusing performer and this was a good interlude in an evening which also allowed me to meet a few more of Suze’s friends. They seem to be linked into the local area quite well, although this bizarro workingmans' club venue was a little off piste for me on a daily basis.

shoot portobello

2007-02-04T00:11:00.000Z

After the excitement of the morning trying to buy tickets for Glastonbury, it was time to meet up in Notting Hill for the Portobello photo-shoot.

We met by the answer to the clue that was closest to Notting Hill Gate and then worked our way along the clues ina more or less straight line.

There were quite a few others doing the same and I decided to take some photos of other participants as well as of the answers to the quiz.
Luckily it was a beautiful day with sunshine and warmth, and so the walk along the portobello Road, interspersed with coffe and finally a pizza, made for an enjoyable afternoon.

I've no idea how we will do in the competition, but the main point was to have some fun. It was also facinating to see the house where Thom Yorke recorded Eraser; it has a complete copy of the CD cover painted on the wall.

We also met a friend of the artist who painted it!