Thursday 28 February 2008

Transport of delight


I'm having a bit of rant about public tranport over at my darker blog! In writing this I found this (cheers to S for the link) its a strangely appealing map of Finnish bus movements.


I also feel a great deal of hope for the world in that there's wikipedia page dedicated to New Cross station!

Wednesday 27 February 2008

Wednesday wonders!

A rag bag of stuff for your perusal!
Spam email arty novel title of the week:
"Agree to be sick Norway! By Geraldine Paxion (out now in paperback) "

Things you hear as you flick through the radio dial:
“pass me grog, where’s me Noggin shirt, where’s me Noggin shirt”.


Nice sleeve shame about the songs.
Sadly these two lovelies are a little ropey so here’s the just sleeve.






























Swedish Blue Grass:
On Monty Don’s world tour of gardens I got to see some real blue grass the other day growing in prairie! As with most blue plants it looks more kinda grey. Anyway a bit of blue grass never did any harm and while we wait for the next Gillian Welch LP, I found this here “Would you cry” by the Blue Eyed Blondes what’s so great is the female singer stunning beautiful voice, the lyrics are a patch ropey but they show promise.


This is simply a good thing to do:
I saw this on the news the art gallery owner Anthony d'Offay's has sold at cost price 725 picture to us. Which is really good idea the super rich in Britain have given up paying taxes , squirrel their money aboard so it’s good to see some doing something positive, apparently they are going to available to see across Britain which is also great.


Nikon we have problem!



I found these excellent messed up pics on flickr next time your camera messes up keep it and post it!






Has there ever been a bad version of Louie Louie?
If you like 60’s Seattle garage listen to Mark Lamar programme on listen again load of big dumb garage bands. Do your self a favour and buy a Sonics compilation you won’t regret it.

Monday 25 February 2008

Monday with Sauce and sprinkles

Mr Whippy in Soho....

I do like these I must be into double figures by now with them. If you fancy a lick and you're in the centre of town this ones at the bottom of Charing Cross road!


I think the old lady I saw in Gaby's went there after her meal to cool off, she finished off her falafel and then polished off the dish very hot chillie sauce like it was tomato soup, hardcore!
UPDATE:
I set up a Flickr group featuring pics of Plastic Ice cream cones here. Join if you want to and post your own pics.








The boy looked at Johnny
!

I relaxed my fatwa against taking pictures inside gigs to take this rubbish picture of Johnny Marr playing with the Cribs on friday night at Brixton Academy! He really lifted their set, mainly because everyone can sing "Hang the DJ" and they can't sing anything by the Cribs or the rest of groups playing! It was a good gig except we where in the balcony and not only can't you stand up, you have strange cut off view of the stage.


Sunday 24 February 2008

Sunday supplement

Museum of Street semiotics:
It's so funny how we don't talk anymore #1:
When street lamps fall out?
Wasted street names:

This idea came up the other day on the radio and crystallized somethings I'd be musing about. That sometimes streets have fantastic dramatic, or poignant names but usually they seem to be given to lanes or cul de sacs that are barely worth naming. The example the chap on the radio gave was one I'd seen which is Orpheus st in Camberwell, which is little more than a bus turn around in the one way system.I'v e ony been through it on the bus but it doesn't look like the gateway to hell (add joke about appropriate south London district). The one pleasing thing is it's across the road from the Dionysus Off licence. Although I think most offies are run by old one eye himself, this bit of Camberwell is rarely Bacchanalian.


Which brings me on to two locals examples:

the first is

which is a short back street notable for having a mound of grass in middle presumably a bomb site or collapsed old building.
Ironically for such a floral bucolic name it's next to Elgar Close which is like most South London a long way from the Malvern hills.


Speewell leads onto Comet st which is little more than a bend in the road and an alley leading on to the high st. Shouldn't Comet st, be something out a children's story; 57 Comet st should be where adventures start.

I don't know maybe I listened to too many Lloyd Cole records but Comet st should be were doe eyed long limbed young things live who smoke foreign fags and pretend to read poetry, may be they do I just haven't seen them coming back from Iceland ( the supermarket that is)


Does anyone have any other suggestions?

and which streets could do with a new glamorous poetic name?

La infanta....


Pavement Art: gallery lost and found # Cinco!
Barcelona Doll Sept 9th 2001.

All this talk (sorry shows about Spain and pictures that are in Spain) has made me a little wistful. With the police sirens wailing off along the south circular, my ropey fridge rumbling away in the background, it would be nice to be sat in warm Spanish square, the swifts flying over head, your table in the harsh (goya black shadows), the grumpy patron bringing out a cool beaded glass of Estrella and putting it down on a mat on the slightly wonky table, you've a plate of pata Negra (well you're on your holidays)and some olives (that always taste better abroad). You let the beer stand sweating for a moment and then lift it up and take a good swig. A swift swoops down after a fly and all you can do is smile at whomever you are with (or just to yourself ).......

Now of course I'm even more wistful, obviously the revere above wouldn't be possible in the Placa Reial just off the ramblas where I found the doll above. Apart from the other tourists your morning (or in this case night time) beer would interupted by some drug and drink addled lost soul or just a passing busker. That said it would be nice and maybe later you could wander up to Gracia for some Absinthe or maybe or maybe or ....

Spain!


Just watched the last episode of the Andrew Graham Dixon's Art of Spain on BBC4 I-play. The whole series was excellent, with obvious problem of having to cover Goya, Picasso, Miro, Dali and Brunel in one hour long programme aside, the last show was full his usual thoughtful engaging passionate stories.

The section about Luis Brunel reminded me that although Feb is my year anniversary over here at chez blogger I had another blog in another life over at casa yahoo. (it was a pain to use, the whole structure was annoying comentators had to sign up to yahoo etc).

Being a pretentious git or just at loss what to write my first ever blog post was a review of Brunel's most famous film 1960 Viridiana.
here's what I wrote. I seem to have not liked it which isn't what I remember which is the good thing about diaries I suppose.

It contains description of the plot not sure I'd heard of SPOILER at the time! Oh and bad joke to start with.

"Entry for November 02, 2005
did ya hear the one about the dyslexic pimp who bought a ware house?

Just got back from seeing a Luis Brunuel film "Viridiana".
It was a dark satire ie it wasn't very funny. I think if you were a very devote catholic in1961 you would be really shocked but it is less striking now. Basically it is parable about how trying to do good can prove the undoing of even the most pure of heart. The main character is trainee nun sent home on the eve of her marriage to Christ to see her Uncle. He is obsessed by her and after drugging her and attempting to rape her, tops himself . She along with her cousin inherit the uncle's estate and she sets about turning it into her own religous comunity, peopled by the local down and outs.
In the end her good intentions come to nought in an orgy of violence, booze, sex and custard (all to the tune of Handel's Messiah).There are allsorts of codes and messages in the film as well as the general onslaught against organised religion. Scenes where you get to see a nuns legs must have been totally new in 1961 , but are now the stuff of bad light entertainment. Even socialism doesn't get off lightly the poor and the oppressed are shown to be offish, venial and amoral not your upstanding chiselled saints pictured in soviet art. In fact all humans are shown in pretty poor light."
Ps . I included Goya's May 3rd at the top as it was conspicuous by it's absence from the programme. Goya's "black paintings " are great and weird but I found this as moving, although it was included in the excellent secret life of masterpiece series from year ago, so we'll let Andrew off.

Friday 22 February 2008

The Light (switch) of the Lord

I can't start to count the ways this is just wrong.

Thanks to S for pointing me to this Jesus light switch.

Wouldn't it be good to sneek one into Grand designs and let kevin and the Snooty posh women have to deal with it. (I'm fairly surely it's not a spoof)

Gin and Orange Juice


What to watch tonight.
I’m off to a gig but if you’re in there is 2-3 hours of programmes about Post card records and Edwynn Collins/Orange Juice which should be good. It’s on BBC4 so you can avoid Jonathon Ross talking about sex toys on BBC 1.

What we learnt from last nights tv.
I was right about the other Jonathon (Meades) his programme North about Northern Europe was really good. It surprisingly good on food, in the space of 3 minutes he said more about Belgium Beer than I’ve heard in years. To celebrate his championing of the herring and fermented grain spirit (gin) I had a little soused roll mop with some of last year’s sloe gin (over ice) which was delish. Just as stimulating was learning more about one of my favourite artist Roger Van Weyden, as well as “stepped gables” and of course the Hanseatic league.

As I did “social” history at school, the foundation of TUC, the flying shuttle, Joseph Arkwright etc my knowledge of the corn laws, the French revolution and Hanseatic Empire is patchy and so a whole world opened up for me along with some excellent long words, big ideas and the occasional outrageously contentious broad statements. He goes further north next week catch it on BBC4 or Iplay.

As usual I would encourage anyone who’s near the Prado, to of course see the Goyas and Mr V but head downstairs to see the Van Weyden “descent of Christ from the cross”; even for non believers it’s a very moving and intense picture, also the times I’ve been you generally have it yourself unlike the Bosches or el grecos...

Thursday 21 February 2008

Hit the North


Watch this tonight?
Jonathon Meades has got a new programme about the " Northern European" sensibilty on at 9pm BBC4 tonight. (you can watch Ashes to Ashes later or tape it never watch it and then buy the DVD).
I only say this because his programme are great, yes he uses big words but he knows what he's on about and always throws light on his subjects. It's good to have programme for adults who can and do read.
Also the Guardian today calls him "smug" this probably because he does use big words and doesn't only talk about celebrities or shopping. I have suspicion it was this person....
I wonder if he'll cover Northern Soul or why a hint of Swedish melancholia makes ABBA so great?

In Galaxy quite close actually


This wasn’t the way the future was meant to be....


When it came out Star Wars was mostly benign, the worst it offered for the future was being forced to eat the odd tentacle in the cantina, share an escape pod with a Wookey or loose at cards to a Hut.

But then came Ja Ja Binks and it’s all been downhill since then until the sorry state of affairs today when Star Wars technology is being used by:
Fergie to avoid admitting his team were rubbish.

By the Americans as form of territorial micturation with the Chinese.
If only it was more like this most of the time.
or this!


Oh and why was there never an Emmerdale episode called the “Revenge of the Seth”

“The Woolpack is too remote to prove a useful demonstration of our power......”

“there’s a strange disturbance in the force” or as Seth would have it “it’s dark over our Bill’s mother’s”.......

Tuesday 19 February 2008

gettng a bit Miffy on the buses

TFL have got a new campaign to get people to nice to each other on public transport , turn your music down, give up your seat to those who really need it, called all in it together, a laudable aim.

Although maybe the British Transport Police should arrest TFL's graphic designer for ripping of the Dutch master draughtsman Dick Bruna for the design of their little protest characters.

Today's news

Customers for more trenchant views please change platforms:
I've decided to keep my more bilious stuff here (it's good to get it off my chest) and keep the positive stuff here at LFPA. So here goes..

The biggest record collection in the world!
But has he got the 2nd Shop Assistants single?
Or that Starfleet 10 inch Brain May put out?
Probably yes
.
I've got a few records and cd's in the mid hundreds but this guy well this guy is truly inspiring, yours for a cool 50 Mill!

Liverpool1 Barnsley 2 (that goal)

Allez les Rouge pardon Allez les Creme et Bleus....

I'm sorry I'm getting cable or satellite, owt that let's me watch the Tykes with french commentary. Even non-football fans will enjoy this and the pictures are better than the BBC! Bring of Chelsea!

Monday 18 February 2008

Blue Sky thinking


It was lovely day yesterday so I made a film. Part of my one a week plan.
You can see it here over at Post Industrial Light & Magic. Even If you are not a fan of parks and Hawksmoore chruches you'll like the Epic 45 tune that goes with it.
If you've not heard Epic 45 give yourself a treat and go here they are ace, send 'em a cheque and they'll send you a disc. So enjoy both.!

Saturday 16 February 2008

Liverpool 1 Barnsley 2





WE WON..... Jimmy Tarbuck your boys took a hell of beating.... football the worse game in world, few things outside your private life can drive you to distraction like football. During the Tykes heroic defeat of d'Reds ,just as our final goal went in the BBC broadband broadcast went down leaving thousands of Tykes scrambling for the Tv remote.




Anyway enjoy this vintage stuff (football programme) I found from the last time we met. All I can remember of the game was that we went on coach to Anfield (on a school night) and my Mum and Dad came which was unheard of . It took us hours in the fog on M62, listening to "Don't you want me baby" .We got to the match late and we held them to draw. They stuffed us on the return to Oakwell but we won this time. You'll notice award winning author Ian Banks use to turn out for Town.






film of the match

Juno a good film, I do it's Juno....


Juno (2007) Jason Reitman.

Off to London's fashionable London with E&R to see new "indie smash" Juno at Curzon Shaftsbury avenue.


Putting aside the pale and interesting types in the bar with their hair and knowing clothes, who seem to come for the coffee rather than the celluloid (the Curzon does have a fair number of older culutre fans, the legion who keep the theatres full) and of course bitter misanthrops like me, I quite like the curzon. I've never known why the theatres are so far underground, but they show good films and that's the point really.


May contain spoilers: if you don't want to know anything about the film stop here.


So Juno, I was interested to see this because it's been raved about . I was wary at first because I'd read that the kids in film spoke in a procious way and they do but it's not annoying. I think we are all too obsessed with "realism" in film and a realist film about teen pregnancy would be a silent film punctuated by five minutes of shouting and a load of texts messages. So the lead character's (played really well by Ellen Page) easy and snappy eloquence is engaging and brings you into the film.


The films set in a small (northern)American over the period 9 months well (7ish) and seems to be based in retro nowish , the kids don't have mobiles, listen to cd's, they look stuff in free newspapers. The film (and this was one of my only quibbles) had a slightly overdone 70's air which it didn't need, it had a look of the kids of Degrassi St. Some of the sets seemed to have been croqueted (sic). It was similary in tone to Ghost world (2001 Terry Zwigoff) if not as bleak.

This aside the film is well paced, is funny (I laughed a number of times) and touching without being mawkish. Ellen Page is a compeling lead and plays the balance to between adult/child in most 16 year olds really well. Fortunately the High School scenes are more Gregory's girl than the usual teen film fare, do you think there will be another good British school film sometime soon?

So a really good film with excellent supporting acting by Allison Janney and JK Simmons as Juno's parent, Michael Cera as her boyfriend and even a painfully gaunt looking Jennifer Garner is good as a desperate adoptive mother.

My only other caveat would be that the indie rock sound track it a little heavy handed, sadly a lot of this music (much as I love it) is being spoilt by use in phone ads etc and I just thought the film didn't need to be so achingly cool, it has enough going for it already. But being gauchely over the top is a teenage phase so may be it's suitable after all, also it seems to be selling by the shed load, so what do I know!

In conclusion Juno a good, funny, touching film well acted and written, well worth your £10.

I wanted to post a tune to go with Juno, the soundtrack is full songs by and like Belle Sebastian so why not check out current faves Los Campesinos particularly "it started with a Mixx" which is apt for the film as there are scenes about making compilation cd's in Juno.
Oh and here's the Degrassi st theme.

Friday 15 February 2008

News Round up!

Booze Britain: According to one paper today "Britian is being destroyed from within by drunken teenagers" and I thought it was Al-Quaida and single mums.

The Olympics: The Chinese are whingeing that people are making the games political; they always where! For some reason the Olympics is the most political sporting event going, more so than even the World cup. If it wasn't a huge polictical event the Chinese Government wouldn't be spending billions supporting it. It's shameful of us all that so much support is being given to such corrupt totalitarian government.

Consumer update: Tescos et al aren't cheaper because you always buy more than you went for, they are really slow at serving you, horrible places to be and if you don't have a car they couldn't give fig for your custom.

Transport news: Still no improvement to my morning train; overcrowded and stopping randomly (slow) the same goes for every other one in Britain.

Thursday 14 February 2008

New Film!


Have a look at my new film that I shot in the Cabinet War rooms!

film here
post on cabinet wars rooms

Sleeve face

It's not a new idea but it's jolly.
Here's my first stab!
See what started it off here!

Monday 11 February 2008

Long live Los Campesinos!


Astoria
Feb 10th
Les Savy Fav
Future of the Left
Los Campesinos!
Lo-Fi Culture scene







The show was part of the NME Awards show .


First up.

The Lo-Fi Culture scene: they all seemed to be less than 17 years old with excellent public schoolboy hair (as long s you like as long as it doesn't touch your collar boy), good swirling guitars, lyrics need working on, oh and they have really rubbish name.


Best song: The one that went " read the script and learn your lines"

Third on where "Future of the Left", the “angry sound of young Wales” a 3 piece power rock trio they were all very upset (those extra shifts at the warehouse probably did it) most of the were songs about war (probably), the bassist seemed to be embarrassed about wearing a “Slits” t shirt.




Best song: the one I missed heard as " the best way to get them is sucking coal"

The main attractions were Les Savy Fav, who I knew nothing about and were largely saved by their singer. Their music is slightly arty shouty punk metal. Most of the band look like Microsoft middle management. The lead singer however is a barrel chested chap who spent the entire gig amusing the crowd. Mainly by running around the stalls and at one point riding a member of the crowd.


My favourite bit was were he donned a pith helmet and safari suit and ended up looking like the bastard son of Prof. Wilf Lunn and Viv Stanshall. Their songs did leave me a little cold.

Best song:apparently they played Debaser by the Pixies after we left doh!

Best of the night (for me) were the second on Los Campesinos “ the happy sound of young Cardiff” a Belle and Sebastian like gang of girls and boys who play jangling shouty indie (so good they could be from Sweden). They have that excellent quality of looking like the best gang in town. Also some quality toy xylophone playing some starange jumping dancing and duelling lead guitarist (who should get a room).


They did however introduce one song as being about “misogyny in the mainstream music press” that’ll be the NME then (who sponsored the shows!). They were really good their album is out soon and I think shall be getting a copy. Google their name and check out their songs the BBCWales ste has several good tracks.

Best song : Death to Los Campesinos! all though they were all good.

Lastly two questions:
What’s the most bizarre on stage introduction you’ve heard?
Does anyone know the future of the Astoria; wasn’t it being sold for flats?

Saturday 9 February 2008

My 365th post!

Just been down the market for some bits.
In the bakers they had real car crash sarnie chicken fajitas foccacia ! Less a meal rather a global culinary skip.
It’s strange because the rest of the stuff is normal honest cake shop fare. The baked goods were cheerily rated by an excited, tiny but precocious black girl (with the neatest corn rows) she ran in pointed and counted at all the cakes; apparently only iced doughnuts and éclairs are any “good” everything else including the Eccles cake are “bad”. The Observer food monthly should sign her up.

Sad news for bacon lovers:
Kennedy’s sausages has close

It’s not entirely surprising as all the time I’ve lived in south London they have never been a go ahead firm. Whenever I’ve tried to buy their stuff they seem to be closing. That being said their bacon was good and the pies were tasty if idiosyncratic.
All's not lost as I noticed a shop stocking “head cheese” sausage (Polish?) so although Kennedys won’t be selling brawn any more we can still get it. Now is there anywhere to get Pease pudding?

Lastly ideas for broccoli as the guy wouldn’t sell me one head of so I’ve enough for the Green party annual!
Now where did I put those singles… rustling in bags (I know I know I should get a fabric one)!

An excellent tribute to kennedy’s

Quick, quick wake up it's our stop

Can you move down abit?

Last week I dug up quite a lot of new (“old”) singles and got round to ripping them. Here’s one I hadn’t heard before. It’s by Bad Manners who I think got unfairly tainted with being a novelty band. It’s from the B side of “Lip up fatty” and it’s “Night bus to Dalston” which is a very good joke and a nice friendly pop at Madness too boot.





Is this the only song about night buses? Tom Waits and the Blue Nile have written about late night trains any tunes about N453?

I know the night buses don’t have the greatest reputation, although other than a bit of wait now and then, I’ve never had any problem on them. The worse that can happen is some loud lass tries to force a bit of kebab on you or the time I was a bit worse for wear and missed my stop on the outward journey and on the way back and went to Morden and back twice!



Anyway here’s some stuff about night buses

A delightful bus spotting page.
The start for this ad for Edinburgh night buses completely contradicts the message that they are safe by a dodgy tie in to a local attraction.
Of course you often do have kebab yourself on the night bus these chaps are having it large






So may be you want to make your own well go here or here for the most pointless food gadget ever.
I’ve not seen this but here’s an excellent film of Delia making a Doner.




ps don't read too much of the paper you'll have none left for the mornning!

Wednesday 6 February 2008

Coming to a cinema near you....

The Fool’s Gold Mine
(alt title: Fool’s gold diggers)

Imagine the scene.
.
A sodium lit tunnel the camera view is low down close to the road in the distance a pair of head lights are getting closer, as is the roar of a highly tuned sports engine. In an instant the car speeds up to and over the camera.

Cut to reverse shot as the car roars away down the tunnel

Cut to medium shot, the car is a red Alfa Romeo Spider driven by a young dark hair man in dark glasses wearing a pale blue polo shirt and driving gloves.

Close in POV on the driver’s hands on the wooden wheel the exit of tunnel bright before him.

He looks down at the passenger seat; there is attaché case on it.

A surge of engine noise and the dials sweep up to a 100.

Then blinding light as he bursts from the tunnel, it’s a coastal road and then dark again as he hits another tunnel (the sound rises and falls).

Music starts EL Bimbo by Bimbo Jet

Cut to Interior: a young woman is hurriedly collecting some things into a bag, she’s attractive wearing a bikini as she turns to us she to puts on sunglasses.

The woman leaves the room and we see she’s on a luxury motor yacht.

Cut to the Driver he roars out from the final tunnel and a Riviera town is before him, down a winding switch back road, the Girl’s yacht is anchored in the distance.

The girl still in a swim suit throws a bag into a speed boat and climbs in, casts off and powers away.

The guy’s car is in town now; he narrowly misses some school children being led by a cowled nun, the child laugh as he blows her a kiss leaving her blushing.

We see the town from the speed boat, the girl is smiling.

The guy pulls onto the sea front, waved on by a traffic gendarme.

The boat is coming into the harbour

He parks at the end of the jetty, gets out with the case, walks the length of the jetty, puts the case down as the girl’s head appears at the head of the pier steps.

He offers her his hand she leaps up the last rungs; they remove their sun glasses and embrace laughing.

In the distance the motor yacht explodes.
The music stops.

I Prefer the Instrumental version of this 70's disco oddity.
El Bimbo by Bimbo Jet





The vocal side is edging towards cheese but is still groovy, I know very little about the band apart from this being a Europe wide hit in 1970’s ,see the marvellous footage below.











Tuesday 5 February 2008

The Cornershop cook


Gnocchi A la Deptford (via Austria).

Thought I'd share me tea with you!
One good blog I found lately is "Dinner for One" which is written by Gerda (?) who lives in Austria (but posts in excellent English). It's a good food blog chatty with excellent pictures, anyway she made some gnocchi and they looked good, so here's my attempt.

They are not as pretty as her's they should be finger sized and Gerda has finer fingers than me! I won't repeat the recipe here as her's works fine, mine where lovely and fluffy and I had them with some tomato and basil sauce, the basil a frozen remnant of last summer's crop!

One trick when making the gnocchi add the egg before any water to stop them getting too sloppy and you then having to add any more flour. The recipe makes stacks so I froze them on a baking sheet and then bagged them up for later (oh get me domestic Goddess sorry God!).
Anyway give them a go!

Today's news

Spam of the day
Spam being apt for this one as I missread the following “Win a One-Week Stay in Czech Spa for two”
as SPAR NOT SPA, the thought of spending any length of time in a branch of the grim supermarket was bad enough but an eastern European one....

Like father like son?

The disgraceful chanting by Spanish F1 fans of racist insults at Lewis Hamilton is terrible. Richard William’s article covers most of the issues.

One of my concerns is that F1's controlling bodies haven’t stamped on this quickly and my concerns in this are deepened by the fact that the guy in charge is Max Mosley, whose dad was ......

Monday 4 February 2008

close to the hedge....

Pavement Art: the Gallery of the lost and found #4

There might be something in this "street musician" thing the other day a guitar and today I found the chords.

I'm afraid I don't know what tune it is I found it in the street in London's fashionable Shoreditch so it might be a Babyshambles song!






Sunday 3 February 2008

I should Koko more often.....


British Sea Power
Koko
Camden
31st Jan












At least 9 Good things.

1. I love the inside of KoKo: the hyper gold and red colour scheme is great and the velvet and light panels bar area is very dramatic and glamorous makes a change from the usual London rock pits. The sounds good too, as is the world's biggest mirror ball.

2. Value for money: When people are paying the thick end of £40 quid to see the Portishead in a shed in West London. It’s good to go to gig for around £16 quid where you get 4 acts all worth seeing.



Supports were:
Jon & Jehn
(French organ driven, Velvets tinged, yelping boy girl duo)
Best song: “Make your mum proud”


Eamon (muscly shouty bald BSP affiliate singer song writer)
Best songs: “comma comma comma full stop.”

These New Puritans: Who tick all the usually Neo post punk boxes i.e. most of them look like Franz Ferdinand, they sound like Wire and the Fall sort of.
Big bonus the lead singer was for some reason wearing some plate mail armour like the bastard son of Tenpole Tudor and Sam Gamges!
Best song: Well actually they all sounded a bit like “ ‘ello John got a new motor” by Alexi Sayle

3. Cheek bones: Bonus points to the keyboard/weird electronic noise purveyor from “These New Puritans” who was a striking young women with excellent cheek bones and a frosty glare, which she kept studiously for the entire set. A look so archly sour there wasn’t a fresh pint of milk in all of Camden.

4. Big chords: Then on came British Sea Power, the stage was already set with branches of fresh laurel, flags maritime and other. Straight into 'Lights Out for Darker Skies', the drama and dynamics of Sea powers records perfectly come over live and they play most of their new LP. In fact recent single Waving Flags goes down well as does Atom.

5. Light and shade: The sets not all anthemic crowd pleasers and obscure terms of references, half way through the set out comes “The Great Skua”. This largely instrumental piece gave a striking break mid gig. The song was backed by stunning film of the sea, Albatrosses nesting and just like “Blue Planet” a huge shoal of sardines. This could have been cheesy but if anyone can pull of maritime imagery its BSP!

6. Masks and uniforms: a mix of British military garb, flags, Ian Hamilton Finlay and also a weird form of 1920’s art school fauvism. Their films etc involve weird human animal hybrids, sort of Wicker man meets that Bunny man thing from “Sexy Beast “.

7. Noble: The lead guitarist the one who isn’t a brother is a striking stage presence looking like a young Stanley Baker, in the films he would be a steely Para NCO, tonight we got an impressive traverse across Koko’s equally impressively camp gilded rococo plaster work and some excellent crowd surviving oh and bear wrestling.

8.Easy, Easy, Easy: Speaking of wrestling tonight’s one of highlights was the appearance of a muscly shouty bloke wearing a white helmet wrestling belt and some strident tight briefs for what is becoming a live classic “No Lucifer “with it’s Big Daddy Chant of “easy. Easy. Easy” (it’s surprising that no one has used it in terrace chant pop song before.)

9. Lastly the gigs not over until the man in the bear suit dances. If you are going to end a gig, end it with more flag draped wrestlers, weird domino masks and a 10ft Ursine-homosapien monster.

Best songs: oh I can’t decided they were all excellent:
'Lights Out For Darker Skies''Atom''Fear Of Drowning''Remember Me''Canvey Island''Down On The Ground''Leaving Here''Blackout''Waving Flags''The Great Skua''Please Stand Up''Favours In The Beetroot Fields''The Spirit of St Louis''A Trip Out''No Lucifer''True Adventures''Carrion''Rock In A'

One last bad thing: having to queue for 20 minutes to get out, up some tight stairs and tunnel. It makes you nervous if you had to get out quickly, sort it out koko please.