The Go! Team @ Oxford Brookes
I saw The Go! Team at Oxford Brookes last night, and by the time I got out my face ached from the perpetual grinning. Seriously, both the Go! Team and the two support acts (Smoosh and The Grates) were the type of music that you cannot help but smile at. I am stunned to discover that the two girls in Smoosh are literally that, girls - one had their thirteenth birthday yesterday. Granted, their songs are structurally simple, but nevertheless pretty impressive for their age (especially 'Rad', which is the only one I'd heard previously due to it being on the latest Rough Trade 'Counter Culture' compilation). The Go! Team were awesome (obviously), but there were a lot more vocals than on the album (they have to give Ninja something to do, after all, I suppose). Highlights for me were probably my favourites from the album, 'Bottle Rocket' and 'Everyone's A V.I.P. To Someone'.
I have that sinking feeling that work is about to get very busy for me if all the in-the-pipeline things come through. I'm facing the possibility of five days' work in London, plus Paul is talking about a large chunk of development work that he thinks I'd be "perfectly suited to" (whatever that means), plus Tony just mentioned some company that wants a website put together (or something along those lines, he was pretty vague). If all this happens at once, expect some groans of resignation from my direction as I fall into a complete-lack-of-social-life pattern.
I have a new musical obsession (almost, but not quite, displacing Rogue Wave's "March" which is still seeing heavy play). The band is Matson Jones, who have coshed me over the head with their indie-rock sound. Drums, bass, and two cellos. Who needs guitars anyway? The song that I'm playing a lot at the moment is 'New York City Fuck Off', to which I can barely make out some of the lyrics but nevertheless find quite captivating in a "must... listen... again..." way. This is another song I found on the Rough Trade compilation, but I have since bought everything else of theirs I can find (via audio lunchbox, which sells 192kbps MP3s nice-and-legally).
It's all-quiet on the gig front for the first half of this week (but I might go to see Jel and Fuck Off Machete at the Wheatsheaf on Wednesday if I'm not having to get up early for London the next day). The latter half of the week is busier though - there's the possibility of a revamped The Rock Of Travolta at the Cellar on Thursday (although I'm a bit unsure about this since the original lineup/songs seem a hard act to follow), and then Gemma Hayes at the Zodiac on Friday (going with Tim and Katie), and finally Death Cab For Cutie on the Saturday at Brookes (going with Vicky).
On a final note, 'Mogwai Fear Satan' is a fantastic track.
I have that sinking feeling that work is about to get very busy for me if all the in-the-pipeline things come through. I'm facing the possibility of five days' work in London, plus Paul is talking about a large chunk of development work that he thinks I'd be "perfectly suited to" (whatever that means), plus Tony just mentioned some company that wants a website put together (or something along those lines, he was pretty vague). If all this happens at once, expect some groans of resignation from my direction as I fall into a complete-lack-of-social-life pattern.
I have a new musical obsession (almost, but not quite, displacing Rogue Wave's "March" which is still seeing heavy play). The band is Matson Jones, who have coshed me over the head with their indie-rock sound. Drums, bass, and two cellos. Who needs guitars anyway? The song that I'm playing a lot at the moment is 'New York City Fuck Off', to which I can barely make out some of the lyrics but nevertheless find quite captivating in a "must... listen... again..." way. This is another song I found on the Rough Trade compilation, but I have since bought everything else of theirs I can find (via audio lunchbox, which sells 192kbps MP3s nice-and-legally).
It's all-quiet on the gig front for the first half of this week (but I might go to see Jel and Fuck Off Machete at the Wheatsheaf on Wednesday if I'm not having to get up early for London the next day). The latter half of the week is busier though - there's the possibility of a revamped The Rock Of Travolta at the Cellar on Thursday (although I'm a bit unsure about this since the original lineup/songs seem a hard act to follow), and then Gemma Hayes at the Zodiac on Friday (going with Tim and Katie), and finally Death Cab For Cutie on the Saturday at Brookes (going with Vicky).
On a final note, 'Mogwai Fear Satan' is a fantastic track.