Archives
When I started this website it was more of my personal blog or online diary, as your aware I haven’t bloged since the March 2011 and I really wanted to focas this page on my musical escapdes. So I thought I’d archive my old stuff and star from almost scratch. I say almost ’cos I’ve kept some of the original pages and stuff! Anyhows I couldn’t delete it so I have retired them to the archives…. Enjoy
ZEBEDY RAYS my new fave band
Posted: March 5, 2011 by punkmicky in Gigs
Last night I had the less than joyfull experiance of seeing a reformed Terrorvison. Who confirmed once and for all that I was always a Wildhearts kinda guy. On the plus side tho there support band the Zebedy Rays we’re, to quote my other half “one of those rare things in rock, completely unselfconscious” and as the title of this review hints at , they are my band of the moment.
They are a band that shouldn’t work with a drummer whose limbs are clearly too long for his body and a singer/guitarist that pranced about on stage, shirtless like James Blunt in the throes of crack psychosis. When they burst on to the stage I had no idea what was going on the bassest and drummer made a wall of noise while the sinnger loomed around the stage hitting a snare drum. They started as they ment to go on, balls out and randon as hell! Every song sounded completely different from the next with flavours of grunge and bluesy folk thrown in. It certainly wasn’t a beautiful sound but it was fucking cool, anything that ends with the singer climbing the scaffolding has to be.
Check ‘em out @ http://www.myspace.com/zebedyrays
Sid James – The old letch everyone wants to be!
Posted: March 2, 2011 by punkmicky in Random
Born Soloman Joel Cohen in 1913, he was Jewish South African. Based in Johannesburg, he was already a bit of a rough diamond, claiming to work in various high esteemed jobs, such as a boxer a dance tutor and a diamond cutter, in reality he was a trained hairdresser. He enlisted in the South African army during WW2, where he then took up acting in the entertainment unit, by the end of the war he was on his way to Blighty to seek out a career in showbiz.
Spotted by the British post war film industry he got several acting roles, notably beginning with smaller parts in more serious films, with his first major role coming in 1951′s The Lavender Hill Mob with Alec Guinness – which is still a rather cracking film even today, with more clever twists and turns than Tarantino. He soon forged a long term partnership and friendship with Tony Hancock, starting out on the radio before being moved to the small screen where they were then largely referred to as a double act in one of the most popular shows on telly at that time.
I personally love the old bawdy sixties and seventies British comedies, the Carry Ons, Steptoe, On the Buses, I’m not going to lie, you probably won’t find me rolling on the floor beside myself with laughter at the gags and double entendres, tits falling out with a sneeze, people taking a tumble and landing in some cleavage, it’s not really that funny, sometimes it’s silly, but sometimes genius, really, it’s just great. I find them funny, I do, but more than anything I just like them, they are of their time, picture postcard as they often say, silly, farcical, naughty yet innocent. I love the Tom Foolery of it all. I’ve got original posters on my wall, they take me back to easy innocent Saturday afternoons as a child when the Carry On’s were on their various re-runs in the 80s, you’d see tits at two in the afternoon uncensored, I didn’t really get them then but I liked them, not the tits, the films in general, though I remember not liking the opening credits, they went on and on as if it was actually going off, I just wanted them to start. I love that about old films now, especially the Rank gong man who always makes me double take if the telly’s on in the background.
Putting the Great into Great Britain, that’s what Sid did best, that’s what followed with all the old lecherous leads like Sid of course and the likes of Connor, Scott, Askwith, Douglas, then Varney and his pal Jack in On The Buses, ugly, well weathered old faces, with big teeth, shit hair and cackly laughter constantly chasing skirt, little skirts with buxom breasts – most of the time getting it too, with much younger women, don’t tell me that’s not great. The general gist of most of those films were indeed these old men trying to get a shag, whilst usually all hell breaks loose around them…. But, there’s always a happy ending, that’s what I like, if I feel like shit then on goes Carry On Camping, seen it about sixty three times, some of the gags are predictable some still hilarious, I’ve seen Bab’s tits fall out loads of times, even paused it, ha ha, it’s all good fun. Heroes.
He then embarked on a career as the leading man in the Carry On series, the star of the show alongside the familiar team – such faces as Terry Scott, Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Butterworth, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey and Hattie Jaques, but only reported to be taking around five grand a film, it never made him wealthy. His characters ranged from pretty much anything as the series lampooned it’s way through history, yet he still more often than not he bore the name Sid whilst in character. He also worked on television in Citizen James and later Bless this House as the put upon family man Sid Abbott.
Anything but a Toby, Sid’s face fittingly ended up on Jugs.
Short rare interview from the set of Carry On up the Jungle with Terry Scott and Bernard Bresslaw.
Sid singing The Ooter song, Our House, and Bermondsey.
I’d like to preface this by pleading that I have tried to like Steampunk. I really have. I recently attended SFX Weekender (watch out for a blog about that and the wonder that is Pontins later!!) I watched in wonder at the many Steampunk proponents wandering around in their elegant outfits, looking like they fell through a worm hole in 1840′s metropolitan England. I spent time chatting to them and attended a few talks by Steampunk authors and cartoonists while I was there, and even though the whole “movement” is technically just beginning, I am officially done. I hate Steampunk.
I do not hate the concepts behind Steampunk – rather, I find them quite interesting. Steampunk, for you odd few innocents, examines a world where either the invention of electricity and modern mechanics have not occurred yet, or an alternative present or future where electricity has been skipped entirely and the gap simply covered by earlier-found means such as steam power or clockwork mechanicals. Steam power, of course, tends to be the most prevalent, hence the name. It has also been frequently compared to “Cyberpunk”, in the sense that although the technological background is different, it covers many of the same themes as Cyberpunk does, such as rebellion towards authority. The original inspiration for Steampunk can be traced back to a handful of earlier fiction works, such as H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine and the works of Jules Verne. Verne’s works were set in Victorian times, and may partly have inspired the Victorian aesthetic sensibilities surrounding Steampunk, but since they were created by an author living in Victorian times, readers most likely took it as being set in the present. Other works employed Steampunk principles throughout the last century, and the term itself was coined for a specific few writers in the late 1970’s, however, the novel that really cemented the reputation of Steampunk as a distinct genre was The Difference Engine, published in 1990 by William Gibson — yep, same fellow of Neuromancer fame. His novel, set in an alternate 1855, shows a timeline changed by the invention of the mechanical computer (the “difference engine” of the title) almost a century ahead of schedule, thanks to Charles Babbage. As a result, London commenced through its Industrial Age and Information Age simultaneously. Welcome to dirigible platoons, early-edition credit cards, and “clackers” – hackers, give or take a few consonants.
Steampunk, or at least the basic principles thereof, has been both unobtrusive and omnipresent throughout the last century. Everyone has had some small amount of exposure. If you’re a fan of the old, old, OLD school, you might have read the adventures of Tom Swift and his fantastic inventions. If you prefer to get your Nihon on, you’ve probably been exposed to a wide range of Steampunk riffs from a variety of anime-based sources. The most popular that come to mind are Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Cannon Fodder” and “Steamboy”, as well as Hiyao Miyazaki’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” or his misunderstood-badly-in-Spanish opus, “Laputa, the Castle in the Sky.” And even if you’re content with the here and now, odds are you’ve at least heard of “Wild, Wild West” — both the 60′s TV show and the 1999 movie. While employing an American western theme rather than Victorian, both are firmly entrenched in the genre of Steampunk.
There’s a lot more to Steampunk than I’ve even mentioned, and the more research you do, the more ace stuff you’ll find. Still, this gives a good basic view of the idea – which is all it really is, you know? An idea, and an idea, really, is nothing but a toy. It’s something you play with and toss it around in your brain. While an idea can be good or bad depending on context, when all is said and done, I can’t hate an idea. What I can hate oh so much, is a movement, as well as the specific people who comprise it. To quote dear John Lydon “The Sex Pistols were great, till the punks came along and ruined everything”.
I can hate the people who attempt to project their own ideas about anything that ISN’T Steampunk, onto Steampunk. This can range from people who like to dress up in Victorian garb and arbitrarily declare themselves Steampunk, to people who suddenly display an intense interest in Steampunk ideas or scenes because it’s getting popular, to the cadre of complete morons telling a panel at a recent crafts-and-invention fair that they love Steampunk because it’s so open-minded and gay friendly. (Thanks to the quick reflexes and cool head of my compatriot, they did not end up covered in soda. Steam-operated machinery does not care what you have sex with.) I can hate a band that effectively turned Steampunk, apparently not due to any great love of the ideas or literary history, but because they weren’t cutting it as a basic rock band and needed to appeal to a niche market. A band made up entirely of electric guitars and violins, an electric drum machine and a synthesizer – oh yeah, that’s titing Steampunk! Certainly, I can hate every time one of you opens your mouth and begins blabbing about air ships and gears and sky pirates with absolutely no background on what you think you are talking about, other than that bloody awful Sky Captain film.
But in the end, I can rest easy. You know why? The joke’s on you. People who have always been genuinely interested in Steampunk will continue to be, in their own quiet way. They’ll be reading and writing and trying to recreate the engine room of Captain Nemo’s Nautilus in their basement, and they will still be here when this shit blows over. As for you good folks, who are simply amped by being on the crest of the latest thing? Be proud, you are officially cool for the moment. You’ve got scenes all over, articles in Rolling Stone and other glossy mags, your own fashion marketplace and all that jazz. But consider this goth was only taken seriously for maybe half as long as punk was, and emo didn’t stay legit a quarter as long as goth, if that. How long do you suppose it’ll be before you see an illiterate 15-year-old girl in Croydon High Street wearing a watch necklace with exposed gears, for all the reasons you’d never own up to? Until “airship” aviation goggles are sold in Primark? Until you realize that the only smart people in all this are the ones you are handing your money to, in one way or another, and that you’ve just fallen for everything, the way you always do, again and again, and have learned nothing?
Congratulations. You’re part of the next big thing. Take a taste of that, savour it, lick it and suck it down and swallow it. Because, in a couple of figurative seconds, it’s going to be gone. And the taste that follows is going to be bitter…. OLD MAN RANT OVER!!!
With thanks to Sci-Fi Magazine’s ace Steampunk article in the Timewarp section of their website and my mate Mike who has a greater knowledge and hatred than me… Ta for the info!!
How to sculpt the perfect quiff
Posted: January 13, 2011 by punkmicky in Fashion
Well its been a month now, a month of trial and error on the quiff front. But I think I’ve now come up with a winning fomular! For those of you thinking about a hair change in the coming months this may come in handy!!
First off be prepared, a quiff hairstyle required lots of styling products to hold the quiff in place… by this i mean, bucket loads of hair spray
Once you have this you have to create two sections of your hair.
Start with wet hair! Create two sections of hair means it include a front and back section.
Bush the front side of hair from the backside section. Twist the backside of the quiff as quietly pushing it ahead to attain that puffed out look.
Use a barell brush for curling and for holding the quiff into position and dry
Use a hard hold hair spray like shockwaves which is glue really after you back comb every part for strong hold…
Then add a pair of NHS specs for a real geeky look, Talking of which, check out www.retrospecs.co.uk for your geeky glasses needs!
Most Anticipated Albums for January?
Posted: January 11, 2011 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
So, a week or so into 2011 and I’m assuming everyone’s shunded their New Year’s Resolutions by now. Let’s face it, as good as it may have sounded in the dying mulled-wine soaked days of 2010, there is realistically bugger all chance of you actually running a marathon, getting a six-pack or writing a novel this year so you might as well stop going on about it!!
However its not all gloom! The first month of the new year could be the best for album releases in all of 2011. I think you will find something to enjoy on my list of Most Anticipated Albums for January. If we left a band out that you feel deserves to be on me list please let me know and we’ll argue the toss!!
1. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead, out 18/1/11
2. British Sea Power – Valhalla Dancehall 11/1/11
3. The Get Up Kids – There Are Rules 11/1/11
4. Gang of Four – Content 25/1/11
5. Cage The Elephant – Thank You Happy Birthday 11/1/11
6. The Go! Team – Rolling Blackouts 31/1/11
7. Wire – Red Barked Tree 11/1/11
8. White Lies – Ritual 17/1/11
9. Cake – Showroom Of Compassion 11/1/11
10. Social Distortion – Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes 18/1/11
Tails of Joining a New Band
Posted: January 6, 2011 by punkmicky in Band, Life
Well as readers of the blog will know ever since I moved to London and left Essex noisesters ”Ethereal Fire” I’ve been looking on and off to join or start a new band. I have to say this has met with mixed results!
Where to start I thought? I mean its London!! Punk and Britpop alike were born here and every other pub is stuffed with effortlessy cool indie sorts. I thought I’d start with a add asI’m far to lazy to pimp myself around Shoredicth! My add (under the suedo name “Colin Zeal”) is as follows….
Fopish, unhinged, well gigged and well recorded and committed bass player available!
Left my last band a while ago and have the itch to play again I’m looking for people who are starting a original off the wall sounding band rather than to join an established one. My influences include. The Smiths, The Cure, Billy Talent (best chorus band ever?? but Canadian punk/ hard-core really is ace! AOF, DFA1979 and cancer bats woo yeah) Suede, Smashing pumpkins, Blur, Therapy? … I could go on! Any hows get in touch!
Initially responses were light and annoyingly from lots of covers band. There must be a shortage of bassists in the covers band world. Now I’m not anti covers band I’ve sat and got lost in with Who’s Who and The Smiths Indeed! But the idea of playing in one is repellant.. “I’m a creator not a imitator” to quote dear Noel Coward! One thing that did peek my interest was a chap named “TexMex” who was looking to form a Blur b-sides esq cover band. He sent me a few tracks and said he had some other musicians interested. I thought ace! and said I’d meet him for a drink. When I meet him it transpired he was 40-year-old chap and his band were a figment of his imagination! It was like a bad Match.com date or worse like I’d been groomed on facebook! Needless to say I was put off the idea of meeting anyone else for a while and put joining a band on the back burner!
After a few weeks my hunger to play came back and I reposted my add! This time I got a great response and went along to a few jams but nothing really took my fancy. Joining means investing lots of time, emotion and energy so it has to be the right band! Take “The New Street adventure” ace band, very mod, looked sharp, a bit like the soulful side of the Jam where as I’m more the punk side of the Jam. I wanna Jump not bop around.
So after 4 months odd months of browsing I’ve found my band “Drag Your Heels” who describe their sound as “Glamorous new wave inspired rock ‘n’ roll pie. Served on a bed of meaty guitar riffs and delicious girl vocals.” tasty!
Watch This Space!!!
Was buying me a Xbox a good idea?
Over christmas i had the good fortune of receiving a Xbox! The last game console I had was a mighty N64 and even then i only played Golden Eye and Mario Kart and completed nether. Due in no small part to this being around time I discovered alco pops and how to pleasure myself! But I’m a little older and wiser and thought I’d have the atention span to play platform and first person games! Plus with gaming now days there’s ability to download more levels, weapons etc . So it’s quite impossible to get bored with a game!
I told myself and Abbi, who kept using the phrase ”Console Widow” every time uttered a word about my new toy. I was getting it to play DVD’s on and that I could move all our music onto it and of my clapped out lap top. But her words were born out. 15 out of the 48 hours after I received it was spent playing “Wolfenstein”
My Gaming experience since the fabled N64 was limited to turn based strategy games such as the Civilisation series and Red Alert games where you more or less play God, maybe that says something about my personality… “no you can’t build a castle in your city i am king said I!” But now have my Xbox I can kill Nazis and dismember Zombies when ever I feel like it! My Xbox is hear to stay!
Currently Playing ~ Left for Dead 2
2010 ~ A Retrospective
Posted: January 3, 2011 by punkmicky in Life
Well 2010 was a year of change, and I’m not just taking about my hair! Even tho that changed 3 times. I started the year single, living with my folks in Essex splitting my time between work, the odd binge drink and a crappy band I had just joined! I ended the year Engaged, living in swinging london with a great job that gives me free clothes. It also saw a few of my friends Marry and have babies! I finally feel like a adult! So bring on 2011…Marrage to the loverly Abbi, a holiday outside Europe, a new band and whatever else life decides to throw at me!
A Round Up…..
Best Newish Band: Two Door cinema Club & Pulled Apart by Horses (I must say totally different bands but still both ace and I cant chose!)
Best Album: Tras-Continental Hustle by Gogol Bordello
Best Single: Not In Love – Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith
Best Gig: Foals ~November at Brixton Acadamy
Best Club Night ~ We Are The Pigs at The Purple Turtle Camden
Best Movie: Kick Ass
Best TV Show: Sherlock and How Not To Live Your Life
Happy New Year x
The Unveiling of the quiff and the Smiths Indeed!
Posted: January 2, 2011 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
Any ways I thought what better way to unveil my new do than at a Smiths tribute band gig! On principle I kind of hate covers bands, a waste of talent! why spend all your time learning someone elses stuff when you could write your own! Well I am way to young to have seen the smiths in their hayday so this is the closet thing, apart from seeing Morrissey but he wont play the whole of the Meat is Murder album then every other Smiths song you wanna hear!
So to Shepherds Bush Empire we go! The first thing that stuck me was that i was standing in a 2000 capacity venue with about 18 other people, which didn’t bother me no que for the bar or bog or people knocking into me or sloshing their pints on me! It did fill up and come stage time there were enough Mozza look a likes floating around with flowers to make this a great gig!!
BUT, forget my moaning about the venue size
If you closed your eyes, it could have been Morrissey and Marr up there. All four of the guys were very good, but particularly the ‘Marr’ who did a great copy of Marr’s style, and ‘Morrissey’ who really captured the voice and affectations, even if he only bore a passing resemblance to Mozza. They produced a really nice rich sound that was well mixed and sounded a lot better than many bigger gigs I have been to recently. It was great to hear the whole of Meat is Murder not to mention a slew of hits! The only criticism would be there rendition of “How Soon is Now” not even the Smiths could nail this live, but they made a bold attempt!
Edit this entry.
Mixtape – December 2010
Posted: December 9, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
well well last one of the yeah, i was going to do a best of 2010 one but i think I’ll leave that and do a huge retro spective on the 31st when I will be shunning New Year
1. We are the Pigs by Suede – I had the great fortune of seeing Suede recently and they were on form, if fact that makes them sound OK when in fact they were ace! They really took me by surprise by playing this mid set. Next to the ”The Wild Ones” it’s the best track of “DogManStar”
2. There’s no Secret this Year by The Silversun Pickups – They haven’t had a thing out since 2009 so maybe I’m a bit late to the party with this band! The New smashing Pumpkins?? I think so. This track reminds me of Siamese dream!!
3. Rooting for the Bad Guy by The Wildhearts - If you like guitar riffs then this is the track for you 10min long with more riffs and solos I care to count, with a great chorus to give you a welcome break from the riff.
4. The more you Ignore me the Closer I Get By The Smith - The Best bittersweet love song ever written and my token smiths track of the month!
5. Oh My God by Ida Maria – Ida suffers from sinosesure which means she sees sound hence Oh my God!!
6. The Big AC by The New Street Adventure – This is a great pop song, its how pop music should sound very catchy, knows when to stop and its soulful! this Brighton based band have just moved to london so watch out for them!!
7. Chemical World by Blur – tis my fourth happy month in London and “modern life is rubbish” along with suede’s first album and dear Morrissey’s “Vauxhall and I” remain my sound track!
8. Blood to Bleed by Rise Against - For the bad times!!
Edit this entry.
Dan Dare and The Birth of High Tech Britain
Posted: November 24, 2010 by punkmicky in Life, Random
Saturday saw me at the Science museum, a place I haven’t visited since a school trip in 1996. I have fond memory’s of playing with Van Der Graf generators and such. But this time I was hear to see the museums ”Dan Dare and The Birth of High Tech Britain” exhibition.
As you can probebly work out from the title of the exhibiton. It was about the technologhy of the 5o’s and there idea of the future, by that i mean what Harrold Wilson “white heat” technological revolution was ment to deliver but in reality built god awful tower blocks and developed the A-bomb.
The high light was they built a replica “The Bloodhound” the UK’s first SAM Missile next to the first Hoover vacum cleaners and fridges! Both cutting edge and both changed the way we live our lifes. Not to mention all these 50′s techno mavevers mixed with classic strips from the comic it is there for another few weeks! I would advise any one who is into sci fi or history (or both like me) to pop along after all it is free!!
Edit this entry.
NaNoWriMo – Its harder than it sounds you know!
Posted: November 24, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
Yes it is harder than it looks! I’m not ashamed to admit after a strong start I have faltered some what, I think this is due to my constant need to research as I become stupidly obsessed with little facts which goes against the head first kind of writing style that is really needed to do NaNoWriMo!! Read this essay below, It stands alone from the book!! It is the best example of why im so behind !
“This excellent 1991 report about the media perception of the Protect and Survive by Andrew Rilstone it appeared on the cybertrn.demon.co.uk site, This really sums up that this approach was out of touch then! How was it relevent in 2010?”
When the Protect and Survive leaflet was released in 1980 its contents shocked many people and added to the general air of nuclear paranoia that peaked in the mid 80s. The fact that the government were actually preparing leaflets for distribution in the event of nuclear war made it obvious that they saw it as a real possibility. This inevitably influenced British culture of the time, including films, music and comedy.
Protect and Survive was a major influence for Raymond Briggs’ superb cartoon book and film “When the Wind Blows” (1986) the title for which was taken from the introduction to the leaflet.
“When the Wind Blows” tells the story of an elderly British couple building a shelter and preparing for an impending nuclear attack with the help of a government-issued Protect and Survive pamphlet. They are totally unaware that the nature of war has changed from their romantic memories of World War II.
Threads was a horrifyingly realistic film made in 1984 about how nuclear war affects two families from Sheffield. It includes references to Protect and Survive and extracts from some of the Public Information Films. A detailed synopsis of the film, including stills can be found on Patrick Beans’ Threads site.
Several bands were influenced by these UK civil defence campaigns, most notably Jethro Tull who included a track called “Protect and Survive” on their 1980 album “A”. The interesting lyrics to this song can be found on The Annotated Jethro Tull Lyrics Page.
The group Big Country also made reference to Protect and Survive on their track “1000 Stars” (1983).
Frankie goes to Hollywood included the voice of Patrick Allen who narrated the Action After Warnings and Casualties Public Information Films, on their track “Two Tribes” (1984). This includes the following lines:
“If any member of the family should die whilst in the shelter from contamination,
Put them outside, but remember to tag them first for identification purposes.
Mine is the last voice that you will ever hear, do not be alarmed.”
The elements of black-humour in Protect and Survive are not hard to find and these supplied many 80s alternative comedians with the material for some of their cold-war political humour. The Young Ones episode “Bomb” written by Ben Elton includes the casts following responses to a nuclear Bomb appearing in the kitchen:
NEIL: Seriously, we ought to do something about this bomb! I’m going upstairs to get the incredibly helpful and informative “Protect and Survive” manual! Nobody better touch this while I’m gone!
RICK: What are you doing?
[Neil is reading his survival manual while painting himself white with a paintbrush]
NEIL: Oh, painting myself white to deflect the blast!
RICK: That’s great, isn’t it, Racial discrimination, even in death! What are these? [indicates a few lunchbags on the table]
NEIL: Oh, sandbags!
[The table now has a drape over it saying, 'KEEP OUT, FALLOUT'. Mike enters carrying food in both hands]
MIKE: Neil, where’s the table?
NEIL: Oh, good. You got the provisions.
MIKE: Yeah
NEIL: No, not on the roof man!, put it in the food zone! Anyway, it’s got to be tinned if it’s going to survive ten years of fallout!
Reading Protect and Survive as a teenager in the 80s filled me with a feeling of cold dread, and I wonder what could have been going through the minds of the people who created it? It’s hard to believe that less than twenty years ago this seemed like an all to realistic picture of our imminent future:
The overall effect of this booklet is very disturbing. Did the government believe a nuclear war was survivable when they produced these booklets and plans? Did that make nuclear war more likely by upsetting the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) balance between East and West?
Here are some more disquieting highlights:
“Even the safest room in your home is not safe enough” – ah, I see, so, er….what am I supposed to do then?
Where am I supposed to get a box of dry sand for my survival kit from (my local DIY store has had a bit of a run on sand and boxes since the end-of the world was announced), and supposing I do get hold of the specified materials how on Earth do I use them to wash plates?
There is nothing in the book about how to defend your shelter from the rampaging hordes without sand-boxes, in fact you are told “If there is time, help neighbours in need…”, oh yes, a very British a apocalypse was being planned for us.
We are constantly told to “Keep the radio tuned for Government advice and instructions.”
“DO NOT GO OUTSIDE until the radio tells you it is safe to do so.” – what if my radio never tells me anything ever again?
“You should receive radio instructions on what to do next.” – if you don’t then civilisation has collapsed, government is no more, you are now on your own, good luck!
Finally we are given a little reassurance: “When you hear the ALL-CLEAR this means there is no longer an immediate danger from air attack and fall-out and you may resume normal activities.” – if you consider stepping over piles of rubble and bodies whilst searching for uncontaminated tinned food normal!
So with this in mind should we keep calm and carry on?? Have faith in the goverment (a goverment no one to my knowlage liked) or was it time to get naked and join the revolution loot and live of our ill gotten gains? Was it time to painc and turn to canabalism?? Well with people eating each other any way we were closer to that than any thing else!
Edit this entry.
Foals – Brixton Acadamy 12/11/10
Posted: November 15, 2010 by punkmicky in Gigs
This was my third time seeing geeky math punk band (oh i should write for NME with a musical tag like that!) Foals, who are on tour to support their new, well latest single “Blue Blood”. Last time I saw them was in Hyde park last year when they supported Blur (this happens to be the best gig I’ve ever been too) Tonight finds me at Brixton academy, now there’s a reason Brixton Academy is constantly voted one of the best venues in the UK, The sounds always ace, the light shows always mind blowing for a venue its size, they do Guinness on tap and when things really get going the balconies sway! tonight’s support came from the ace “Pulled apart by Horses” annoyingly i missed them but i have it on good authority they were great, which and can belive after seeing them support the mighty Biffy last year.
So on to the main act, opening in true rock n roll form with “Blue Blood”, from then on the applied a simple formula of song from “Total Life Forever” song from “antidotes” repeat twice then play bside or non album track like “mathematics” a winning formulae i fear! especially when you think they are the type of band that could on a wimb shun there more popular side and play a experimental set! But it really was anything but! They really got the crowd going even the laid back keyboard player stood on top of the speaker stack getting the crowd going during “Two Steps Twice”. I think there’s a common misconception that Foals a quite a ambient band, this is simply not true, exciting, energetic and very anthemic!!
Track of the Night: Electric Bloom
Edit this entry.
Alexisonfire @ The Forum Kentish Town 11/10/2010
Posted: November 12, 2010 by punkmicky in Gigs
Last time i was at the Forum was to see Elastica in 1999 in complete contrast tonight! I was hear for some Hardcore Canada’s Alexisonfire (hence forth AOF for typing purposes!!) supported by Chickenhawk and a fave of mine The Computers.
Annoyingly I got there half way through The Computers set, all clad in white, jumping and shouting their way around the stage with there 50′s tinged rock and roll punk! luckily I caught the signature tune “Love the music, Hate the kids” which i thought would ring true, but AOF gigs attracted a your beardy alternative chap rather than waif like Aiden fans! The Forum is huge but the lead singer still managed to find his way to the back of the venue screaming at people. This is a hardcore trait I love no matter how big the venue they want to engage the audience head on, break down the barrier between them so the audience really feel part of it. It’s a extension of the stage dive only you perform half the song in the crowd! I’ve seen it from The Bronx to Black Flag! Any how i digress, I was a bit miffed I missed there set because there from Exeter they seldom play in London!!
Next up were a band that have had a lot of hype the oddly named “Chicken Hawk” who hail from Leeds. I think there’s something about bands from Leeds having odd names, It must be a joke in the Leed alt scene, The Wedding Present Forward, Russia! and the less said about Chumbawamba the better. Despite this I thought they were ace!! My cuppa tea, I say that because if i was in a hardcore band it would be like this! lots of annoying riffs that stop and start and make you wanna jump around, very bass heavey leaving the guitar to make interesting noises! My only criticism would be if you’re gonna get on the drum riser, star jump off dont step off all nicely its a a massive anti climax!! Thanks a silly criticism really and I’m defo gonna grab the album!!
Alexisonfire got a lot of flak on the back of the last album, mainly from metal hammer, saying they’d mellowed and sold out! I think they’ve just grow and if their new ”Dogs Blood” EP is anything to go by there far from Mellow!! Tonight they were on fine form kicking of with the title track of the last album “Young Cardinal” which set the tone for the gig! If you’re a big AOF fan it really was a greatest hits (for want of a better term) set they played an ace selection of tracks from across the 4 albums. The crown went metal from the off with a partially hectic circle pit during “Control”. AOF are a great band, Three front men that don’t seem to have egos and really play on there strengths, “Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints” is a jaw dropping example of this all taking control at different parts of the songs while bassist Chris Steele did laps of the stage! The set ended with George Petet ripping his t-shirt off during “The could be anywhere in the world” while the rest of band went ape with Dalles Green in the middle holding it all together! ACE
Track of the night – We Are the Sound
Edit this entry.
Silk Scarfs and such…
Posted: November 11, 2010 by punkmicky in Fashion
November has seen me come into possession of a number of Peckham Rye Scarfs, curtsey of my employer! Now I’m a fan of the scarf, wooly that is i really think it can make a plain coat rock, I’ve never been to keen on the silk dress scarf or cravat I always kind of think it makes a out fit to busy. As people have noted my style has moved away from my summer grunge look, in favour of a sharper Mod infuenced look. This look is all about big bold colours with sharp jackets and shoes, turned up trousers showing a bit of scok that matchs you top, what i’m saying is colour cordination is key. In complete contrast to to the odd shoes mismached cuncky cardi and top!
The silk scarf does following…. makes a casual out fit look unbelivabley smart, so much so you feel like The Kinks “Dedicated follower of fashion” is about you! My green Parka with a red paisly scarf outfit springs to mind, my mates had to tell me to stop swagering a number of times! To sum up it finishes the out fit and taps into the dandyness of Mods which so oftern over looked and replaced by yobishness! Have the best of both be a “Sweet and Tender Hooligan” (i think i’ll get that inked on me before the summer on my lower leg!!)
http://www.peckhamryelondon.com – They do some ace skinny ties too, plus a little tit bit, Peckham Rye is slang for tie! wooo yeah!
Random but to continue with the Peckham theme, the drink in my hand is called a Del Boy!!
Edit this entry.
NaNoWriMo – Progress and Paranoia
Posted: November 8, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
Wooo yeah so its been a week since i started my NaNoWriMo book “Essex, Zombies and Me”, it’s a working title and yes i know it sounds like an auto biography title. Like George A Romero’s would have been “Pittsburg, Zombies and Me”. But mine has turned into something kind of biographical get to know your self in a crisis thing. I know it is vain to write your first novel about your self but hey ho this is about speed and i know me very well!
My word could on Sunday was a handsome 10350 words! I must say I’ve enjoyed the ad hoc reasearch I’ve been doing while I write! hence the paranoia bit in the blog title cult obssesd news website are scary enough but reading the protect and survive civil defence guide leaves you sleepless knowing in a extinction level event crisis we’re all fucked for the want of a better word!
Well, if you fancy a nose at my book so far follow the link…. I will stress its unedited and is full of mistakes!!
http://punkmicky.wordpress.com/nanowrimo-write-one-book-in-one-month/
Edit this entry.
Mix Tape – November 2010
Posted: November 2, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
This is just a quick one as I’d hate to miss a month of mix tape madness.. But all my energy is being ploughed into my Zombie book!! While doing this it struck me there is only one song that is post 1998 on hear and then only 3 bands that don’t hail from the north-west.. Working for a Northern Mod fashion brand is really rubbing of on me!!
1. So Young by Suede
2. Love is Noise by The Verve
3. Cast No Shadow by Oasis
4. Feelin’ by The La’s
5. Catch the Sun By The Doves
6. THe More Ignore You the Closer I Get By Morrissey
7. Kaiser Chiefs – Every do I Love you less and less
8. Bank Holiday By Blur
9. Lola By The Kinks
10. Going Underground by the Jam
Edit this entry.
Zombie Book Prep!
Posted: October 30, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
With me starting my Zombie book I’ve been amusing myself with “when the zombies come” scenarios. I think most apocalyptic films and books are fun experiments, but they go for big and shiny when what we are facing is survival which in my mind is dull and slow and involves a lot of hiding!
What I’ve been thinking about lately is what the ideal zombie scenario would be. Most post-apocalyptic things work on the unrealistic premise that our heroes are extremely lucky and un naturally good-looking! That is, they get all the good stuff and everything goes mostly their way – they weren’t near the hospital when the infection hit. They had a genius on hand to fend off disaster by figuring out something no one else could have. They are smart enough to respond immediately – they never think “well what if the power comes back on, we’ll be embarrassed that we went straight to cannibalism and bumming in leiu of TV.” Unlike the slew of “red shirt” characters(I should explain this insular star trek ref, the guy that always dies is usually a security guard in a red uniform!) invented to die horribly, Our heros they get to live, and usually there’s some kind of happy ending.
I’ve become more interested with very small mundane day-to-day issues, like sanitation, would I be worrying about saving the world or worrying about the lack of bog roll. Which in turn can make the difference between leading a mostly happy and plucky band of survivors and saying “fuck it, I’m joining the cannibals.
Any how, the very best case scenario for me would be
1. The zombies have to come ashore somewhere else, ideally somewhere inhabited only by the only grizzled old Lumberjacks who actually know zombies of old, who then recognizes them for what they are, and raise the alarm. This will give me time to get my zombie-preps ready. This is particularly important if they come in the middle of the night, since I’m not a fast waker. I need a few minutes and a cup of tea and potter around in my dressing gown..
2. I want there to be a 12 hour period where I know the disaster is occurring, but most people don’t, where the power is still on and the shops are still taking credit cards that will never be paid off (assuming, of course, that the bank managers are already zombies). Then I can get one of those “shopping for the end of the world” scenes that pervades every single apocalyptic book or film – the super market bit in 28 days later springs to mind!.
3. I would like to discover a secret talent for marksmanship that I never knew I had and that dispite the fact i live in the UK I would happen upon a pile of Guns and enough ammo to invade France!
4. I want the special gift for meeting exactly the right people. It must just happen that wandering down my rural street is an expert in zombie demolitions, or a doctor who has previously treated the zombie plague. It seems much more likely that on my street, we’d run into a couple of City gents who had read World War Z and maybe a hairdresser who definitely saw Night of the living dead,
5 . Morressy will not be killed by the zombies, but will live and write awesome songs about the heroic resistance.
6. Some say “That which does not kill us will make us stronger”. I’m hoping that that which doesn’t kill me also makes me thinner, more organized, less irritable and more heroic.
NaNoWriMo – Write One Book in One Month
Posted: October 28, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, kamikaze approach to novel writing. Participants (that’s me) begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/whatisnano
As the old saying goes write what you know! So I’m going to write a book called “How I survived the Zombie Apocalypse” from my persective, in Chelmsford, Essex. Yes yes and yes, Zombieland meets World War Z…. Its going to be quite light-hearted as its going to be done in a month!! My first thought was to do a parallel universe second world war story about Oswold Mosley and wanting to reconquer the lands lost in France in the Hundred Years war takes power here and the counter factuals of that! Bit heavy yeah…. any way i’ll be pubishing the days unedited results here…
http://punkmicky.wordpress.com/nanowrimo-write-one-book-in-one-month/
Edit this entry.
Chapter Sweetheart @ The Old Blue Last
Posted: October 26, 2010 by punkmicky in Gigs
This is an odd review because I’m in two minds about it! Shoreditch indie is something that’s a bit insular and “in crowd” for my liking. In fact i think no one likes it. Its just everyone so obsessed with looking cool there afraid to speak out and say you know this is not great it’s just noise! In case all of a sudden there not cool!
Any how “Chapter Sweetheart” happen to be my friend Kevin’s band, and I must say after the appalling first act and crowd drenched from head to foot in ill matching flee market clothes I was expecting the worse ! But come stage time I plesantly surprised.
I must say the were moments of brilliance, I love odd set ups and with Kev running all his vocals through a delay pedal and playing ad hoc bits of brass there sound really feel into this category! It was like listening to a set of Blur B-sides circa 1993! I would advise you to check them out www.myspace.com/chaptersweetheart
On the whole its was a bit left field for me but worth a watch, Plus it was great to catch up with an old friend!
Edit this entry.
Saying Good bye to my Drain Pipes
Posted: October 25, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
First the perfectly sculpted, straitened hair and now my drain pipe jeans!! What next I hear you say?? Turn my back on Morrissey?? Start liking bananas?? Well none of these things are going to happen. Like my curly hair I have practical and personal reasons for this denim turn around!
I’ve been wearing ball bitingly tight jeans since 2006, during the emo heyday where topman didn’t sell them and you had to buy girls ones and I’ve always loved wearing them, I am now 27 and have left my emo days behind and reverted to my beloved britpop roots in fact io feel closer to the pre 2000 me musically and personally now more than ever! As we all know when it comes to me, clothes tend reflect how im feeling maybe turning my back on the skinninys means I no longer feel tight, constricted and wound up!!
Edit this entry.
New My Chem Video….. Some thoughts!!
Posted: October 19, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
My Chemical Romance are back and more cartoonish than ever, with their fist pumping song NaNaNaNa (NaNaNaNa), im sure I’ve missed a Na or two out there. At a first glance it very “Vanishing Point”, the cuting edge of cool yeah!!?? Opening with a CB operator narrating much like Supersoul from the film, not to mention the car (a vintage dodge) that My Chem seem to be ragging around in!! This comparison falls down very quickly as they start running around shooting lasers in a Mad Max esq post apocalyptic thing….
At this point my other half was drawn to Gerard’s new red hair and for some god awful reason it reminded Her of Ginger spice . More precisely Ginger spice in the “Say you’ll be there” video. On further thought it looks like My Chem have borrowed a lot from that vid…… Clad in leather shooting lasers in the desert, fighting cartoon villains in a Power Rangers meets Smokey and the Bandit kind of way!! Even down to the bit where they name every one in the band in 70′s TV show way, Have a watch and tell me I’m wrong!!! All that said I love!!!
My Chem – NaNaNaNaNaNa http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egG7fiE89IU
Spice Girls – Say you’ll be there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynBtZqurKaQ
Edit this entry.
Kate Nash @ Shepherds Bush Empire
Posted: October 19, 2010 by punkmicky in Gigs
Really?? I hear you say… well I was a sshocked as you to find myself at this gig and I must add blown away, I love going to gigs and being pleasantly surprised!
Why so good then?? Most people’s knowledge of Kate Nash, myself included is. She had a single called “Foundations” on the coat tails of Lilly Allen and she dates Ryan from “The Cribs” These heat esq facts do her a mis justice! She seems to have turned her back on her first album in favour of a more Riot Girl sound and at some points in the show it was more like watching the “Yeah Yeah Yeahs”, including a 5min inner monerlog esq song with lyrics like “You fall hard, cut quick and it’s an STD, a cut knee, You’re a side of stage grasp, a laugh, An aftershow party in a bath, Fucked and expected to be fucked” which I’m sure aged the 16year old “Foundations” fans a few years, as Kate shouted the lyrics as if she was tapping her inner Suzie Sioux! All this said the set was full on show with tickertate raining down at the end during “Kiss that Boy” as she literally jumped up and down on her keyboard!
The only down side was the laughable support act “Bridget Aphrodite” my god, talk about missing the point…. shout shout fuck fuck *insert popular culture reference” shout shout then repeat!! I really though she needed to be put on a exclusion diet to see what made her act like that, not parading her on stage!!
Any hows if a hard core ”Cancer Bats” fan like me can be won over so can you I urge you to check out Kate Nash’s latest album!!
Edit this entry.
The Social Network aka Facebook the Movie!!!
Posted: October 18, 2010 by punkmicky in Life, Random
At a first glance i thought an entire film on the origins of Facebook seemed like a rather boring subject. But i really should have known better from past experience, When I was going through my Douglas Coupland phase i avoided reading ”Microserfs” a story about a group of programmers in the early days of Microsoft and the internet and after reading all he had to offer that became my fave, any how after some particularly good reviews, and some badgering from my other half, I decided The Social Network was worth a watch. Read Abbi’s review below or check out her blog @ http://wherethewildthingsare14.wordpress.com/
The film focuses on the two lawsuits facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg of Zombieland fame, he also reminds me of a poor mans Michael Cera), and how he became involved in in 2007 with Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (Armie Hammer playing both twins) who claimed that Zuckerberg stole the idea of facebook from them and separately with Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), Zuckerberg’s former best friend and co-founder who was effectively neutralised out of the business. While the story of facebook’s world social network domination is told through a series of flashbacks the focus is not on facebook as a business or a web phenomenon but rather on Zuckerburg’s own social connections and behaviour and the irony in the fact that the world’s largest “friend network” was created by someone so socially inept. This is particularly highlighted by his first foray into social networking through facemash a hot or not style revenge attack against his ex-girlfriend as we as his interaction with Napster founder, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake, who stole the show). The story is surprisingly riveting and clever pacing and occasional bursts of situational humour make The Social Network a really rewarding watch likely to make even the most passionate facebook advocate feel slightly uncomfortable and all of us ask the question, is having a billion dollars worth it if you have to screw over everyone you care about to get to it?
Edit this entry.
Dog is Dead & Stagecoach @ The Hoxton Bar & Grill
Posted: October 12, 2010 by punkmicky in Gigs
Monday night saw myself and Abb’s at East London’s trendyist indie spot, so trendy in fact i hadn’t even heard of half the draft larger! Any how they had Red Stripe so I soldered on!
Opening the night we’re Suttons ”Stagecoach”. Who we happened to pass on the way into the venue busking outside which was a treat!! The first thing that struck me about them was the mad bald mandolin player! Not a bad thing at all I love strange-looking people playing odd instruments, like Lee Thompson of Madness fame! The Song reminded me of Los Campesinos on speed! They had a great song about sitting in your room listening to death metal which i the 14 year old in me loved!! there set ended with the guitarist and mandolin player leaping into the audiance and acosting people with the instraments!!
Next Up were Nottingham’s “Dog is Dead” they started with a gospel style build up before launching into a saxophone lead indie stomp! I found them very original, which is saying something in this day and age! Diping into electo noise fest type thing one sec and back into perfectly harmonised singing the next!! Again like “Stagecoach” the employed a variety of instruments outside the indie norm such as saxophones and xylophones which really make you listen!! Without sounding to sickafantic i would defo see them again!!
Edit this entry.
The Tweed Jacket – Retro Fashions Unsung Hero
Posted: October 7, 2010 by punkmicky in Fashion
Since the weathers turned and a cardi won’t cut the cold any more, I’ve found myself wearing my tweed jackets over my denim and baseball jackets! Why you ask… They go with more and and look wondefly scruffy and sharp at the same time!!!
Unlike a Baseball jacket that is worn as a statement over your clothes and speaks volume on its own the tweed jacket is something you can blend and complement your with out fit, i mean try adding a checked scarf or your fave Blur badge to an already busy jacket, and more importantly as tweed is natural it lets your body breath so you can keep it on in doors without sweating balls.
For the some inspiring jackets go to http://www.rokit.co.uk,
This is my fave, the patterns a classic!!
Edit this entry.
As Jean Luc Picard would say ENGAGE….cos i quite literally am!!
Posted: October 6, 2010 by punkmicky in Life
Well my other half Abbi has been back in South Africa for the past week and as the old saying goes “distance makes the heart grow stronger” so i did something I’ve been meaning to do for months now….. I popped the question…
When she got off the plane at Heathrow yesterday morning, after 10 hours or so on a jumbo she must have been shattered, sweaty and wanting more sleep than i care to think about, I decided to meet her holding this sign tacky sign…
The flip side being….
after the shock edlook and the “what really” she said yes!!! So ACE. For those who want to know, there will be two weddings, an informal UK-based reception and a more traditional South African formal wedding. All that awaits now is the resizing of Abbi’s family heirloom ring as well as a mountain of planning…
Edit this entry.
Mix Tape – October 2010
Posted: October 1, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
Manic Street Preachers – (It’s Not War) Just the End of Love – New single, new album, brill!!
Crashland - Karaoke Ballard – back in 2000 along with a few bands like Absent Kid and The Warmjets they ruled the NME, well for a month any ways. I was having a sort through my old 7inch’s (hehehe) and this leapt out at me!!
Smashing Pumpkins – Bullet With Butterfly wings – Classic!!
Jarvis Cocker – Fat Children – Describes walking through any town center at night, and i must say i hum it when i walk past gangs of youths huddled in doorways texting each other cos they’ve lost the ability to talk….. mmm how middle england of me!
Echo and the Bunnymen - The Disease – People have been on at me to give them a listen for ages. I must say after being dragged along to see them back in 97 when they reformed i was less than impressed… But now older and a tad wiser I gave them another chance and there early stuff is edgy and ace!!
Flashguns - Racing Race – My find of the month, very indie dance but no up and coming gigs darn it!!
Death From above 1979 – Romantic Rights – The Band is a Rythem section and this song really makes me swagger!!
The Answering Machine – Its over!! Its over!! Its over!! – I can’t put their album down since i came across them last month!! Check them out… Bittersweet indie pop at its best.
Ten City Nation – TDK90 - Love this song, i think it mirrors a part of my life I’ve left behind… “I’ve got a pocket full of loose change and one less guitar, still my puke stained fingers still cling to the bar”
Blur – All Your Life – My fave Blur Bside, but i can understand why it didn’t make it onto 13, way to optimistic!!
The Smiths – Sheila Take a Bow – Token Smiths track, one of their last singles, I think it’s a near perfect 3min pop song!! Up there with “Please Please Please”
Robin Hoods Ville – Nottingham
Posted: September 28, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
Over the past few weeks, since i started my new job, I’ve been traveling up to Nottingham for training with Mod/ Terrace brand One True Saxon. Nottingham is not a place I expected to like, but I’m really quite taken with the place!!
I only really knew two things about it, First of is obviously Robin Hood and the second is the “This is England” was set there and there both fictional!! Robin hood is a thing I thought a place would shun or ignore as tacky, but to my delight Nottingham embraces it! Everything that provides a pubic service is green, from post boxes to taxis to the aptly named “Arrow Express train” plus the odd statue or two of this fictious gent!! As for The “This is England” thing, Well it’s not the 80′s any more!! But mod fashion lives on there, I spotted a number of barbers shops and bars with fred perry clad mods knocking about! outside!
Right why did i like it is really the Crux of why i like the place is, its steeped in its past but looks to its future. Cobbled streets lined with modernistic art galleys, trams mixed with high-speed trains! I love forward thinking that don’t ignore the past! Plus every pub I went into was playing indie stuff its rare you get to hear Weezer in a cocktail bar. Nottingham, I’ll be back…. but next time it wont be business
Edit this entry.
UPside Exhibition
Posted: September 23, 2010 by punkmicky in Life
Me?? Art?? the whiff of a free booze?? Count me in!!
Last night Abbi and Myself attended the first night of the UPside exhibition at the Metcalf Galley in Islington. UPside is a collection of illustrators, designers and printmakers that have come together to celebrate reasons to be cheerful. I ask you what better way to spend a Tuesday night!! We went there for quite a vain reason, a cartoon version of Abbi was featured as part of her friend, Paul Shins work. He had illustrated a wide selection of his face book friends faces, i really reminded me of “Guess Who”… the theme being “friends make your cheerful” See below
Noodling around the exhibition with a rather generous helping of wine we chatted and admired the other work, a fave of mine (after Paul’s work of course) were by Aine Cassidy. What i can only describe as a “collection of lost memories, a faded post card, a day-dream, which I really wanted to own!!
So if you, like me, always look for the upside, or, unlike me, you need a damn good cheering up, then head down to the UPside exhibition at the Medcalf Gallery this month.
Edit this entry.
Protest the Pope – 10,000 people can’t be wrong!
Posted: September 19, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
Yesterday saw my self, my other half and a few friends attend the Protest the Pope march in central London, controversal?? Yeah i think so! First off I want to say that I’m not anti anyone’s religion. People have the right to believe what they want. I feel strongly about what I believe in and therefore I can imagine just how strongly others feel about their beliefs. However, I don’t want to partake in or pay for anyone else’s religion and I have a problem with the preaching of harmful and abusive doctrine to vulnerable people.
So under this fair banner we marched!!
So this is why did I protest:
The Pope’s visit has cost British taxpayers £12m. We’re cutting vital public services, we don’t have £12m for this. I don’t care if he’s the head of a tiny little state.
While the Catholic Church was starting to make a move to more modern liberal views Benedict has done a U-Turn on this personally and returned to antiquated doctrine that is no longer relevant in today’s society. Next stop… witch burning!
The Pope is pro-homophobia, pro-Christian fundamentalist, anti-women’s rights and anti-birth control meaning that, most frighteningly, he does not support the use of condoms in the fight against HIV.
After the hideous scandal involving sexual abuse within the Catholic Church by the clergy the Pope chose to “deal” with those involved through secret Vatican measures rather than handing over those involved to the authorities.
In his recent address to the Queen at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the Pope likened Atheists to Nazis, showing that “tolerance” that the Christian Church preaches obviously does not apply to Popes.
In the words of my other half’s friend, Helen, who said it better than I possibly could:
Dear Pope
I don’t believe in your God. I don’t believe in the Muslims’ God, Hindus’ Gods or any other religions’ God either, for that matter. I am an equal opportunity atheist who tends to call herself an agnostic – I do believe that there is something out there. Not vengeful, or wrathful, or inspiring wars in his (or hers or its) name.
But until you can prove to me that YOUR God exists without a shadow of a doubt, you cannot tell me I am wrong, or liken me to a Nazi. Doing so only strengthens my (non) belief.
Not yours,
Helen
Edit this entry.
Fashion – Autumn 2010
Posted: September 15, 2010 by punkmicky in Fashion
Spring saw me rock some spectacularly bad tank tops and chunky knit wear, summer saw me in drain pipe shorts and massively baggy grunge T-shirts harking back to my younger days. Now autumn looms and i feel my self attracted to chinos, desert boots and a general cod 50′s seaside look, I know this was all very me circa 2008 but it’s a look I love and feel very comfy in!
I think its a mix of three things…… one I’ve started working for “One True Saxon” a mod/ terrace northern soul style company and this has no doubt rubbed off! Two my other half has discovered a rockabilly shop called “Get Cutie” and is slowly replacing her whole wardrobes and again this must have had an effect on me at some level! and Three, ex Ordinary Boy, Preston is back in the public eye and is looking sharp as ever! I love the mix of tattoos sharp clobber and uncool which some how = cool thing!
Icon = Graham Coxon
Edit this entry.
Mix Tape – September 2010
Posted: September 14, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
1. Wide Open Space by Mansun - I’ve been on a lot of trains recently, traveling to Nottingham, Hull and other glam places and nothing sums up the rolling northern landscape unfolding better than this song
2. Dress to Kill by Preston - I don’t care what people say about this guy, I like his style!!
3. Disconcerts by Human Figure In Motion - One of my new fave bands, very joy division, very sparse and discordant!
4. Bank Holiday by Blur – i was jumping round the flat cleaning to this the other day, i think this song is over looked as it’s between Parklife and Badhead which kind of over shadow it.
5. The Answering Machine by Lightbulbs - another new find! cant wait to see them in October!
6. Ian Brown by My Star - this came on through a last FM mix and was surprised when i found out it was Ian Brown, I remember hating this song back in 1998 but I hated the Smiths back then to… oh if I could sit my younger self down!!
7. The world was a mess but his hair was perfect by The Rakes – kind of my new anthem!
8. Come on by Jesus and Mary Chain – this is from their poppy side a million miles away from Just like Honey!
9. I’d Rather be a Doll by Fungus – an old one but I love it, I wonder what ever happened to these Swedish indie punks! Probs went the way of the Warmjets
10. Your The on for me Fatty by Morrissey – Token Morrissey song, the live one from Beethoven was Deaf is the best version
Edit this entry.
Brighton – Junk Shop Chic
Posted: September 14, 2010 by punkmicky in Life
Saturday saw my self and my better half in Brighton, to shop, dine and generally do sea side esq. things like jam £10 worth of 2p’s into the slot machines or stand on a weather beaten sea front eating ice cream! This is the second time we have visited Brighton this year and we both agree at some point we’d like to live there for a year or two. The buildings and general European vibe I love and its very unique, especially for the south coast. Where the architecture lends its self to Edwardian style with a dash of post war concrete! So we donned our best 50’s sea side clothes and headed down!!
Our day began in the North lanes which is my fave part of the City. Home of upteen retro, second hand clothes shops, loads of coffie shops and pubs and not to mention GAK, the best music store in the south of England! I bought 2 of 3 of my guitars there! Lack of money restricted our spending, which was a blessing in disguise as we would have come away with so much stuff we wouldn’t have worn or used!! Instead my hall consisted of a ace leather belt and a Spastic Society badge all for £5.50, Abb’s spent a modest £55 on some ace cowboy boots… I did spot some brogues I’m going back for and a few other bits and bobs for the flat!! If your ever in Brighton here are my fave shops…. To be Worn again (they have two branches, both equally good one has a music shop above it), Daves Book shop (one of the best comic book shops I’ve been in!!) and Dirty Harry’s (another great retro clothes shop) and Snoopers Paradise (everything from old records to NES games!! I love it!)
No trip to the seaside would be complete without a trip to the pier! Dispite the gail force winds and vulture like sea gulls we changed up a load of coins and I set about playing “house of the dead” while abb’s became queen of the 2p machines!! From there we noodled to the nearest bog standard indie pub and knocked back the red stripes till it was time to grab our train home….. thanks to Southern trains deals we got or return tickets for a tenner!!
Brighton I’ll be back!!
Edit this entry.
Wedding Bells and Such!
Posted: September 12, 2010 by punkmicky in Life
The last part of last week was taken up with my best mates wedding, This rather drunken affair took place in Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. Wisbech really is the back of beyond, no train station and a town center that boasts less than 2 chain shops! some might say, “great, its retained it rural charm” I’d say “no this place had no charm to start with!” Lots of Travel agents tho, I can only assume people a clambering over each other to get away!!
The wedding from my point of view spanned three days, being an Usher and witness I had to be there for the practice a day before. So Matt, the best man and myself set off early on thursday and checked into our hotel. The Rose and Crown of Hotel inspectors fame. The place is 400 years old and a listed building so you can forgive the cracks in the wall and the crooked house vibe it had, I love stuff like that. What I couldn’t forgive was the pigeons in the roof, staff who look genuinely surprised that they had guests and breakfast not being included in the price of the room!! Any how the practice went off with out a hitch so my self and Matt retired to the local weatherspoons to play on the quiz machine and numb ourself’s before we went back to our lodgings
The wedding day was on us before we knew it! Pre wedding bacon sandwiches were the order of the day and a cheeky pre church beer, Greg’s last as a single man we told ourselves as we guzzeled our Fosters in our wedding suits!!! The ceremony went off without any Peepshow esq hitches and we de camped to Tara’s mum and days house where a marquee had been erected (hehehehe) where we were all photographed and treated to champers and pimms!! and did the usual things of shaking lots of hands, saying how nice Tara looked and how lucky Greg is (both true). After this things start to become hazy and blur into one! Dinner was ace and I got to know my friend Rod’s baby Dexter.
After the speeches, I got two mentions and i must say i have never been referred to as “a brother from another mother” before let alone hear it in the grooms speech, ta Greg!! Then there was dancing, fire works, falling asleep on the toilet and more booze than I care to count, like I say my memory has so many black spots, which was ok because so did everyone elses!!
To sum up this was legendary!!!!
Edit this entry.
The View from Millbank tower and other Friday night misadventures
Posted: September 5, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
Friday night was a surprise night for me, my other half Abbi had remained tight lipped for 2 weeks or so about what this surprise was or wasn’t despite my best efforts to guess and coerce her into telling me what was in store for me! As you the reader my have guessed, we went up the Millbank tower to lap up the view, we also had some Moet and had there was a comedian-cum-historian on hand to talk visitors through the sights. But as i left work on Friday i was clueless!!
My night started in the Bricklayers Arms just of Tottenham Court Road, a pub still set out in the traditional way, by this i mean a bar area (for the poor folk) and a lounge area (for the considerably richer chaps) add to this lots of dusty sofas and only classic Samuel Adams beer, I’ll defo be returning and could have stayed there all night….. By the time we finished our drinks and headed to Pimlico I’d fingered out my surprise involved the 60′s icon and seat of New Labours rise to power that is the Millbank tower. Before we entered the tower food was in order and it just so happens Pizza Express has a branch underneath so we popped in. When it comes to restaurants I’m a creature of habit, if i go for a Indian I’ll always have a tandorri mixed grill for example. Well on Friday i broke my own rule i had a Piccante, (Not for the faint hearted – Cavatappi pasta with pepperoni, hot spiced beef with green peppers, mozzarella, mushrooms and onions in a creamy tomato and béchamel sauce finished with parsley, oregano, grana padano and rocket), Not for the faint heated is a understatement, my god i love spicy food but my eyes were streaming after two bites, so my dinner became a challenge which was kind of fun! Then to the tower!!When we got to the viewing gallery it was daylight and we watched and the moon rose and the light blinked on, it was really something and is hard to not be cheesy when describing it!! from there you could see everything from Wembley to the OXO tower to the streets of Belgravia, I’ve made no bones about my love of London and my love architecture and history. So this was the perfect surprise. The viewing gallery its self was also something to behold, it was like a Bond villains conference room with bubble chairs over looking the MI5 HQ and every thing!! The tour was fantastic to funny and i learnt a few things, like red phone boxes a grade 2 listed building!!
We ended the night at the Falcon in Clapham, its a horrible pub full of tramps but Abb’s and i had our first date there so i like to revisit ground zero so to speak!!
Edit this entry.
To Hull and Back
Posted: August 31, 2010 by punkmicky in Life, Psychogeography
Over this windswept bank holiday weekend myself and my other half took a trip to Hull in Yorkshire. When i told most people where we were going they looked a me with a puzzled WTF look on there faces, I mean the place has, in the past been voted the worse place to live in England! The reason for our visit is simple, we went toad hunting! Hull’s most celebrated poet Phillip Larkin wrote a fantastic poem called Toads and later Toad (revisited) and to make 25 years of Larkin there are 42 theamed toads dotted about the city, its meant to be a fun way to discover Hull and boy did we discover Hull and oh for more info on the toad hunt and for Larkin in general go to… http://www.larkin25.co.uk/
The trip to Hull from London takes 3 hours, 3 hours watching the landscape change and grow around you is one of my fave things, my personal high light was the collection of power stations around Sellby, these are the 1960′s coal fired type power stations, products of Harrold Wilsons white heat revoluton that promised so much but delivered so little which is reflected in the buildings witch seem make industrial architecture worse and more faceless than there Victorian and pre war counterparts! these things make Battersea power station look like a thing of beauty!! But none the less you cant help but being in awe of these power houses, relentlessly pumping out electricity and pollution. Once these were passed it was the turn of the Humber bridge and the endless docks of Humberside which seemed to suit the brown drudge of the Humber and the gray Yorkshire Sky!!
On arriving in the City once again we were confronted with even more concrete and what i can only describe as, alot of filthy looks! Which really put me on edge and i thought is a artistic expedition really worth suffering filthy looks that i thought would at any moment turn it punches, this really isn’t a exaggeration and i should stress i am in no way being regionalist, last week took me to Preston and Blackburn and i found there post industrial towns charming and the people very welcoming!! The best way to describe the Hull is ex Empire, there are some great Victorian parks and buildings, William Wilberforse hailed from there and it docks and marina were really something, just the people i couldn’t understand!! The old part of Hull like i say boasts some great buildings and the new part has been through a mass regeneration program and they don’t seem to appreciate it at all!! maybe Michael Palin was right you can’t polish a turd!!
All that said we did have fun! We found a pub that played the whole of “Only Revolutions” by the mighty Biffy, ate actual Yorkshire puddings from Yorkshire and the toads were fantastic (we also found out there are lions in Bath) see below,
As Del Boy said of Hull” lets get out of hear or we’ll be sayin eh up and breeding whippets before long” now I’ve blessed Hull with my presence i think there’s something in this statement!
Edit this entry.
From Essex to the End of the Earth (Part 2)
Posted: August 31, 2010 by punkmicky in Uncategorized
Now I’ve moved away from Chelmsford i feel like i can objectify it in a fair way! When your used to a place and see it when your a melancholy mood on the way to work you just tend to see the negative aspects…… From a history point of view Chelmsford’s quite interesting, birth place of radio the only place in England that has a cathedral that’s not a city etc etc and is also the 8th nicest place to live in the UK. A statement i actually wont contest, i like Chelmsford, but it is a place where right wing thinking is encouraged, and to borrow a phrase from Seymour from Miss Black America is full of “curtain twitching arm chair Nazis.”. I’ve always been shocked at peoples casual indifference to it or that being over run mentality! UKIP’s headquarters is in Chelmsford, need i say anymore!! On the plus side Chelmo has a great band scene (Fei Commodo, The Brights and The Dead Formats to name a few) and is a town you can walk round with some great Edwardian architecture the 1920′s were obviously the places heyday!!!
Me being me i usually judge a place on its pubs and Chelmsford’s pubs range from the city boy chain pubs with logos in the foam (thank you Super Hans) to dark hovels boasting they are the oldest pub in Essex! I’m a big fan of two pubs in Chelmsford and i think both sum up living in Chelmo!! First up The Railway Tavern, its a low lit classic old man pub! Its also laid out like a train carriage. The place is full of old men that never leave and if i think about it I’m there youngest customer!! I like the idea of being stuck somewhere in some thing that’s meant to move, plus they serve my fave beer Red Stripe! The other pub is the Kings Head its a bit of the beaten track but is great, no big brand lagers no music post 1970 no idiots hammering after shock, like weatherspoons, of which Chelmsford has 2 (at the height of spoon maina there were 3) this pub to me sums up the sublime side of the place, the part of Chelmsford that is resisting the commuter belt!
I spent 20 odd years in rock n roll Chelmsford and it defo left its mark on me, my not quite posh yet unquestionably Essex accent being the one thing that springs to mind!!
V Fest 2010….. Bin Liner Chic anyone???
Posted: August 25, 2010 by punkmicky in Gigs, Life
Now i like to think of myself as a positive person but one day at the V fest can really sap your faith in humanity! I am some what of a V veteran, 15 fair years ago when i was a slip of a teenager i donned my fave Fred Perry and got rather merry on a pint before jumping around like a loon to Pulp….. Gone are the days of innocence! Every time i seem to go it gets worse, not in a line up being to commercial way, its always been that way, 2 years ago for example i stood soppy as a sack weeping to Will Young. Its more the people! I’m a people person but my god did these people missed the point.
I am in no way under any delusion that festivals are about peace and love but V seems to attract people that have stupidly aggressive personalities… i mean is it fun to poor beer over strangers… NO is it fun to push around 14 year old indie kids NO…. i mean i saw a pregnant woman smoking! that’s the kind of class I’m talking!! No wonder i felt like i had to get drunk, it really was the only way to cope with overly annoying Pixie Lott look alikes!!!
Saying all that i saw some fantastic bands that I’ve wanted to see four ages!! First up Skunk Anansie….. way back in my first band we used to cover “Weak” so i was really looking forward to them! They surpassed my expectations, coming on to the rock opera Esq “Charlie Big Potato” with Skin bouncing around like a evil aerobics instructor once they played there 3rd song ”Weep” the had the crowd by the balls and kept them engaged throughout the rather short set. Next up the heavy heavy monster sound of Madness. Without sounding really clique are a band for generations, so much so Suggs and Chaz Smash kept saying “ooohh so many young faces” Kicking of with “One Step Beyond” i started as i ment to go on and skanked mt ass off! They played all the hits but my highlight was “Night Boat to Cairo” my fave Ska song, i ached alot after and briefly considered going home thinking how the hell can any one top that!!
After a 2hour interlude in the rain where i perfected the bin liner chic look to a tee! its up there with Zoolanders cool ice! Then Faithless! i’ve seen Faithless about 5 times before, there always on the bill some summer festival or another, there not the sort of band I would usually listen to but there something about the synth riff that really make me wanna move. I also love the fact there a real band making real sounds by this point I was quite drunk and my dancing resembled a coma victim being shock by a cattle prod! The came the swaggering Kasabian who really pulled out the stops playing like madness every song i wanted to hear!
so to sum up! atmosphere 3/10 and Bands 8/10
Edit this entry.
Mix Tape ~ August 2010
Posted: August 24, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
Mathematics by Foals ~ the “lost” pre antidotes single!! Had a Foals day a few weeks ago and this was my re discovery!!!
LSF by Kasabian ~ Saw them at V (a full review will follow) and like the Foals re discovery above couldn’t belive I’d forgotten this gem!! So anthemic without being massively arrogant!!
Back to the Fuck Yeah by Pulled Apart by Horses ~ so punk yet so “party on dude” I LOVE IT!!
Gang of Lust by Infant Sorrow ~ Odd one i know as it’s a comedy song! as im a strong belive that hummer and music, well rock music don’t mix that well, when it works, its ace like Spinal Tap for example but for the most part it awful! This song is ridiculous really but it sums up what a boozy august its been!
Colin Zeal by Blur ~ This is currently the alarm on my phone and have driven my self and Abbi nuts putting it on snooze and then having the annoying bass line play very 5mins till i get up!
Hand in Glove by The Smiths ~ for the harmonica solo!
Weak by Skunk Anansie ~ another 90s band that s back and as i never got to see them in there hey day i didnt know what to expect! i was blown away Skin’s enthusiasm is infectious and after they played this song at V they had the crowd by the balls! Plus I think they we the heaviest band on the bill!!
Edit this entry.
Musing from a Stag Do
Posted: August 23, 2010 by punkmicky in Life, Random
On saturday i had the honor of attending one of my longest serving friends stag! it was organised by best man Matt, who along with Greg was in my first band! in fact every one in attendance at the stag had ether been to school together or known each other for 10 years plus! this kind of means we have all already seen each other in ridiculously undignified and compromising situations so none of us really felt self conusous and none of us had any doubts in our minds that it was going to sober or calm night!!
The day started at 9am sharp, for paint ball! Yes paint ball, and having prepared my self by watching 4 episodes of Band of Brothers i was in fine spirits! this kind of ment throughout the game I was quoting from Capt Winters throughout…. “pour it on ‘em let them have it!!” i also got to use my fave all time quote from a war film…. “up the Ox and Bucks” from the Longest Day, when Maj. John Howard is charging the Orne River Bridge! i should note I did take and hold the brigde….”hold untill relived!” no one else got it but I had fun!!
When we got there we were given or fatigues and bought 700 paint balls each, which i used all off!! in fact we all did, we all such bad shots, so we made up for it with rapid fire!! We were also split into different teams wich added the “kill your friends” element and made for some amusing stores at the inevitable post paint drink!
After paintball we all retired to our respective homes to clean the paint up and tend to any wounds! we all meet up later for lots of clique stag fun, curry, boobs and a lot of beer, so much so that i felt bloated for days! the night ended in the worse club we could find (Dukes in Chelmsford) with us all feeling rather alien with all the thumping garage beats!!!
Still much fun had by all!! Bring on the Wedding!!
Edit this entry.
From Essex to the End of the Earth (Part 1)
Posted: August 9, 2010 by punkmicky in Life, Psychogeography
So I’m in my final week of living in Rock ‘n’ Roll Essex, I must say that I have felt like I’ve been living in limbo for a few weeks now, nether hear nor there! all my worldly goods are in London and I’m in Chelmsford!
Essex is a place i have a love – hate relationship with, a place I can feel charmed yet at total odds with in the same day. so i’m going to try and come to terms with this with a blog or 3. The negatives are easy to high light and pull apart, Essex is a very white very conservative voting, daily mail reading kind of place with chavs lurking by overcrowed McDonalds over priced public transport and oversized shopping centres!! Then again that could be any where in the home counties!!
(Learn the lingo!!! www.essexdialect.co.uk)
Half of the County is very urban and is more or less part of Greater london (tube stations ‘n’ all) and the other is deeply rural! It’s this contrast that I love! The best place this is high lighted is if you take the central line out to Chigwell, once you get out past Leyton its like a different world and its had to belive your on the tube still! This is where east end folk who made there cash and have decided to move to “the sticks” live, Ray Winstone being the prime example! so beneath its rural charm is quite a geezerish under tone which makes drinking in pubs round there a rather interesting right of passage!! at least if you head out in Romford or Basildon you know its horrible and you can take things at face value!
Apart form from the urban/rural clash there’s the Sea Side… now i was born in South end on the Sea and lived on a made island with one of the worse beaches in the UK! If you ignore the “sea” part of Southend its kind of cool! some great places to hang out the Railway and the Sunrooms being to of them. Clacton is the only place on the Essex coast that resembles a resort! it is the antithesis of a tatty sea side town but does some great fish and chips and has the best mirror maze ive ever had the pleasure to get lost in!
look out for part 2….. Braintree, Headingham, Colchester and Chelmsford of course!
Edit this entry.
Top 10 Star Trek Voyager episodes
Posted: August 9, 2010 by punkmicky in SCI FI
well well last list, i was quite was hard to pick 10 alot of ‘em bleed into one!!
1. BLINK OF A EYE – voyager gets trapped in orbit of a planet where a month for them is a minite for voyager they watch the planet evolve tis ace
2. LIFE LINE – the doctor gets sent to cure his creator back in the Alpha quadrent
3. TINKER, TENOR, DOCTOR, SPY – a alian confuses the doctors daydreams as reality!
4. MELD – tovock meld with a murder and his dark vulcan side surfaces
5. THE KILLING GAME – Nazis, klingons and the Hyrogens hehehe
6. TIMELESS – set fifteen year in the future harry has destroyed voyage and he trys to put it right, cameo role from Geordi he also directs it!!
7. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE- the doctor and andy dick battle the romulans
8. DISPLACED – one by one the crew are swaping place with another race
9. DEADLOCK – to voyagers one power source go figer lol
10. TWISTED – the ships layout gets all jumbled up by a anomaly which is atually alians trying to exchagne info
Edit this entry.
Bonkers vision Becomes reality!!!
Posted: August 4, 2010 by punkmicky in Life, Random
For a while now me and my long-standing friend and Manic Street Preachers enthusast, Mike have been hatching plans for our very own club night. Well as the title says our bonkers vision has become a reality! We have a name “Disco for the Departed” a manifesto, a venue, The Cavendish Arms in Stockwell (there are a lack of any kind of indie nights in South West London) and more importantly a bitchin’ flyer!!
having a combined MP3 collection of about 20.000 songs we’re gonna be spoiled for choice, saying that I know that both our dj sets will include MSP anthems, The Smiths, Blur Bsides and other high brow indie tunes!!! There will be more blogs, facebook page etc on this im sure!!
Watch this Space!
Edit this entry.
Top 10 Star Trek Enterprise Episodes
Posted: August 4, 2010 by punkmicky in SCI FI
My love for Star Trek is quite unconditional i must say! I mean I even like the Data as Sherlock Homes trapped in the holodeck episodes!! But Star Trek Enterprise, that last series with Rick Berman and Brendan Braga at the helm was disappointing to say the least! with only 2 vaguely likable characters and off the wall story arcs that go full against the syndicated ethos of star trek!!
It must be said that the series started of fantastically, first contact with the Klingons. This I thought would be the basic format for the shows, lots of first contact with established aliens from the previous seasons and exploiting rich pre TOS history which had been established but not explained in very much detail….Like the origin of the prime directive, the Romulan war, recovery from the eugenics wars and like I say first contact with ESTABLISHED civilisations. Most of these things were side stepped around in favour of a time war story arc with the Suliban and then the Xindi story arc with earth in danger of total destruction from them?? why were these thing never bought up in any of the previous series?? I can understand Voyager constantly making up new alien races as its set in another part of the galaxy!! but why did enterprise???
so after that rant this is going to be a top 5 rather than 10
1. “The Andorian Incident” ~ Archer, Trip, and T’Pol are taken hostage by Andorians in the Vulcan monastery of P’jem. First Andorian episode since TOS “journey to babal” and establishes them as a force to be reconded with in the new series as they are a founding member of the federation! Jeffery Clombs from DS9 is class as the Andorian commander
2. “Regeneration” ~ A group of Borg (from Star Trek: First Contact) are revived after a century frozen in Arctic ice. Ties up First contact nicely and set up why the Borg attack in 24th Century
3. “The Augments” ~ Dr. Arik Soong (Brent Spiner!!!) finds himself overthrown as “father” of the Augments, genetically enhanced humans. As a result of his dashed hopes of enhancing humans, Soong turns in a new direction of research which leads to his son creating TNG’s Data. This also explains why the Klingon’s loose the head ridges!!
4. “The Communicator” ~ After a short trip by Archer and Malcolm on a planet, Reed discovers he lost his communicator on the pre-warp planet and they are captured while trying to retrieve it.
5. “Broken Bow” ~ oh i had so much hope when i saw this episode! First contact with the Klingon’s!
Edit this entry.
Top 10 Star Trek DS9 Episodes
Posted: August 3, 2010 by punkmicky in SCI FI
1. PAST TENSE – i think this is the best star trek time travel episode, Mid 2020′s tale of things to come???
2. CIVIL DEFENCE – bit like TNG episode Disaster but better!!!
3. DRAMATIS PERSONAE – the crew start to play out a mutiny from a klingon ship, sisko plays a great bad guy
4. THE HOUSE OF QUARK – quark lies and leads a klingon house and actually makes a noble gesture, im a sucker for quark
5. DEFIANT – Rikers double from TNG episode second chances nicks the defiant and cops off with kira
6. LITTLE GREEN MEN – tis a light-hearted one where quarks and family course the infamous Roswell
7. TO THE DEATH – the Crew team up with the Jem Hadar to kick some serious arse!! this is a 5th season ep, season five was brutal!!
8. EMPOK NOR – Garak (the best supporting character in star trek history!) goes nuts and kills a load of star fleet personnel, ties nog up and O’brian has to hunt him down!!
9. CROSSOVER – first parallel universe one since Mirror Mirror!! plus Bashier kills odo hehehe
10. WHISPER – o’brian thinks hes going mad turns out hes not who he thinks he is
Edit this entry.
Lost and Found and soon to be lost again!
Posted: August 3, 2010 by punkmicky in Life, Random
As avid readers will know I’m in the process of relocating to London. I’ve learned a fair few things in the past few days, like when assembling flat pack furniture, your hand is not a suitable substitute for a hammer! Or that it’s not a great idea to get tipsy on a bottle of white wine before you go food shopping! My biggest discovery has been that I’m a hoarder. Why on earth do I own so much crap? Like, 6 pairs of sunglasses and about 25 cardigansand at my last count 300+ DVD’s. I have books on everything from “military uniforms of world war 2″! Why did I hoard this stuff?? The same reason anyone does… it may come in handy some day!
As I’m a fan of the list, here are some of my fave finds from my room, where I got the same buzz I get when noodling around retro clothes shops and flee markets!!
1. Star Trek Pez…
This wasn’t the only bit of Star Trek memorabilia I came across but it is my fave!! I also came across a Next generation replica Tri-Corder and some Micromachine model ships. This also reminded me of a conversation my self and my cousin were having a few weeks ago about what a nostalgic and “forever clinging to our childhood” kinda generation we are! His point was reinforced because I was wearing a Benny Hill style sailor’s hat and he was wearing a Thundercats t-shirt!
2. Official Nazi invasion plans 1940 and German Phrase book
I love history, FACT but what on earth did I think was going to happen?? A weird time warp parallel dimension jump that found me in Nazi occupied England where I’d have to fight alongside the Essex resistance???
3. Assorted tops with wolves on them
Maybe this was a fashion craze I got a tad carried away with in the spring! Desperately hideous things but I love them. Pair them with a garish cardi and your onto a winner!!
4. Classic Polaroid camera
I bought this back in the dark days of pre digital cameras! Both myself and my good friend, Shian, had one each and they were always ace on a night out cos you could see your drunken self immediately! Novel back in 1999 and something we take for granted in 2010. I still don’t wanna get rid of this despite the fact you can only get the film on eBay and I have a rather impressive digital camera that doubles as a video camera and has a million and one functions!
5. Light up globe of the World
This is something that really belongs in a child’s room! At the age of 27 you should only have a globe if it opens at the equator and reveals that it is in fact a drinks cabinet! That said, I love this bit of tat!! In fact i love maps. I love the possibilities they paint and the way they seem to make the world seem so accessible!!
Edit this entry.
Top 10 Star Trek TOS Episodes
Posted: August 2, 2010 by punkmicky in SCI FI
2. PATTERNS OF FORCE – kirk looks a bit to comfortable as a nazi
3. THE ENEMY WITHIN – good kirk bad kirk hehehe and he looks kinda hot with the eye shadow on as evil kirk!!
4. A PIECE OF THE ACTION – Gangsters, tommy guns and kirk drives a car badly and gets taken prisoner about 6 times. Also he finds time to invent a card game called Fizz pin!
5. THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKLION - kirk force to fight again teaches a alien about love and space currany quatloo in introduced
6. JOURNEY TO BABEL – we meet spocks dad and the andorians for the first time wooo
7. AMOK TIME – spock gets the horn and kirk gets his shirt ripped again! first episode with the vulcan hand sign thing
8. A TASTE OF ARMAGEDDON – war with computers
9. SPACE SEED – the episode the introduce khan and have a really bad body double fight!!
10. SHORE LEAVE – “fight me jimmy fight me!!” ENOUGH SAID LOL
Edit this entry.
Redfest ~ Backstage Red Stripe fueled adventures!!
Posted: July 30, 2010 by punkmicky in Gigs, Life
So this time last weekend I was at a two mini festival in Redhill, Surrey aptly named Redfest…I was there in a official capacity to take pictures for a review my other half, Abbi, was doing for Gigjunkie (click hear to read the “formal review” also her personal blog of the festival is very amusing have a nose and a read @ http://wherethewildthingsare14.wordpress.com/) but ended up backstage sharing can after can of Red Stripe with various bands and industry types!! Got some ace photos too though I must say!!
Day1 ~ Enter Shikari, Twin Atlantic, Floors And Walls, Little Fish
The pair of us arrived at Redfest rather pathetically hungover from my last gig with my own band (see previous posts, cue the worlds smallest violin). We discovered that there was no “press area” let alone the “press pass” we had been promised! In fact we were duly handed two full backstage passes. Gobsmacked at our luck, we couldn’t initially bring ourselves to go back stage thinking someone would snatch our passes back and usher us out telling us in a patronising voice “that we don’t belong!”
So with that in mind we noodled around for a bit and checked out the selection of food stalls (well 4 food stalls) and caught our first band of the day, Oxford’s own “Little Fish”. Nice female fronted indie punk outfit, which kinda reminded me of “Lush” and “Sleeper”. Unfortunately they were chronically misbilled amongst all the bands that could have been on the soundtrack to C4 youth orientated program, “Skins” and on that note the crowd seem to be made up of the most drunken ill-dressed 15-17 year olds I have ever seen…. Why didn’t I know about this when I was 17 darn it? I would have loved it. All we got in Essex was the Chelmsford Spectacular and Status Quo boooo!!!!! After watching “Little Fish” we ventured backstage!
We sat around for a while drinking cans of Red Stripe (50% cheaper than the public bar, ah the jet set life!!) for a bit and relaxing into the backstage vibe, watching the comings and goings of the bands setting up etc. It was not long before we were joined by Sam McTrusty of “Twin Atlantic” who Abbi has meet umpteen times and we soon got chatting and boozing with. From there the afternoon took a bizarre turn. At this point, to quote Abbi, we realised that “knowing one of the bands means that everyone assumes you’re important and one of the “gang” that includes journos, photographers, brand reps, crew and of course musicians”. With Sam sitting with us we got chatting to everyone from the festival organisers to the head of marketing for Fender to eventually Chris from Enter Shikari. And once they started treating us like one of them, we just acted like we belonged which dispelled our previous anxieties!! “
After two hours of backstage merriment we realised we were meant to be reviewing and photographing things!! Luckily Floors And Walls were about to take to the stage! Not my cuppa tea I must say although I rather enjoyed the mix of MC’ing and hard rock! It was also at this point I also realised that I could get on stag.. in front of the stage and under the stage if need be to take pictures!! This boded well for Twin Atlantic who were up next. After chatting to the band for most of the afternoon I felt very comfortable jumping around taking pictures. Their Set included all the singles off the Vivarium album and about 300 pictures taken on my part!!!
Next up were, Enter Shikari, who didn’t disappoint. Most of the “kids” were there to see them and the place exploded. I couldn’t help but jump around like a loon, to the displeasure of security!! A good night was had by all! It was at that point we realised we’d have to do it all again tomorrow!! *Clap Clap Clap*
Day 2 ~ Hadouken! Sunshine Underground, Little Comets, Camera Club, Paris Riots
Day 2 had a different feel and was significantly more subdued. Enter Shikari we definitely the pull of the weekend and epic hangovers were in evidence throughout the pubescent crowd. I think I fared slightly better than Abbi did, chatting pretty much every band that played on the day, including the ridiculously cool, Little Comets, who won my heart by playing with a length of rope across the stage that had saucepans and other bits and bobs attached to it which they hit for percussion throughout the set!! Hadouken! were ace and like Enter Shikari most of the crowd for that day reserved their energy for them, going mental to the nu rave anthems!!
I will sign off this blog the same way Abbi did hers…. “by the end we were both agreed, beyond a shadow of a doubt that backstage is where we’re meant to be…”
Edit this entry.
Mix Tape July 2010
Posted: July 29, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
I’ve just recently discovered the joys of last FM, the joys being listening to long forgotten bands like Strangelove and Marion. This discovery has taken some of the fun out off doing mixtape lists tho, and my god I didn’t know I listed to Blur so much or why I though listening to Buffalo Stance 7 times on the 17th july was a good idea!! But hey ho heres this months mix
1) Wrong Number ~ The Cure
Ive been listening to a lot of the Cure over the past month a kind of rediscovery!! Anyhow this is my fave track at the mo! It was nearly “Fascination Street”
2) One Night In October ~ Little Comets
One of the best “unknown” bands I’ve seen in a long time, they play ‘kitchen sink indie’ music, citing Debussy, Roald Dahl, Ella Fitzgerald and Paul Simon as influences. Saw them at Redfest, they were plagued with sound difficulties but shone throgh! They come to London in September!!
3) 4hours from Dallas ~ Smokers In Love
I think this band are American equivalent to the Editors, so much so I was taken back when I saw the were from Hollywood!
4) Miami ~ Foals
2nd single of Total life forever and has become my BBQ anthem!
5) Get Smashed Gate Crash ~ Hadukaen!
I feel old every time I listen to this song! I felt even older when I saw them at redfest I’ve never seen so many 16year olds go mad!
6) Great Expectations ~ Gaslight Anthem
I was really disappointed when I saw these guys live last month so much so I left before the end! But I still love this song, such a catchy chorus!!!
7) God Kicks ~ Therapy?
Think this is there darkest song, have been listing to “suicide pact – you first” this is such a sobering song! As andy drools the lyrics “god kicks with both feet” over and over
8) I Hate Seagulls ~ Kate Nash
Her new albums got such bad press, but I love it such a u turn on the first and I love the Riiiot girl angle!
Edit this entry.
Top Ten Star Trek TNG episodes
Posted: July 29, 2010 by punkmicky in SCI FI
4. Conundrum…. they all lose there memorys, Riker cops of With Ro and worf thinks he’s captain.
Edit this entry.
Musings on moving to back London …..
Posted: July 29, 2010 by punkmicky in Life
Musings on moving to back London …..
London is a city that I have romanticised about since my early teens. The place names that seem to tell so many stories, idolised time and time again in song and film so much so that you’re lead to believe that even Elephant and Castle has charm….. Michael Caine grew up there as did Chaplin and it’s home to one of my fave museums but in reality its an architect’s nightmare and Jim Davison was born there! GRIM! My last aborted attempt to move to the big smoke shattered so many of my romantic pre-conceptions of the swinging city that I was glad when I finally found my self back in Essex, dealing with my now diagnosed manic depression!
Why on earth would I want to move back??? Well the answer is not very complex. When you move to a city on your own its easy to get lost, not in a physical way I love public transport in with a “I collect tube maps” enthusiasm. I mean lost in a hedonistic booze for breakfast, strung out on endless cans of red bull rubbing your red eyes thinking your ripped red jeans are cool (which they are) way. Over the past six months I’ve fallen in love with city again, because I have someone to share all that London has to offer with….. this still includes the hedonism of course, which is best not done alone in you room in Balham, but in a sweaty indie dives dancing and snogging your way through the Britpop classics or chatting to Twin Atlantic outside Brixton Academy and having some one to go OMG with hehehe. That aside it’s more about noodling hand in hand through Hyde Park wondering where the city went or enjoying the food stalls at Greenwich Market (free samples woooo) or getting excited about living by a tram stop!!
So to sum up London is best shared and I can’t wait to get back!!
Edit this entry.
a sorry…..
Posted: July 29, 2010 by punkmicky in Random
Ok so my first consistent attempt to write a blog over the past 4months have failed I must say…. Not through a lack of things to write about, quite the opposite. Ive been in and left my band (my leaving notes below lol) spent a crazy week in Brighton, been to more gig than I can count, found myself enjoying the world cup and have turned my back on hair strainers and at the end of the day ive been to shattered or lethargic to write! I know my other half’s blog as suffered to so think of this as a mid new years resolution
“I promise I will keep this up to date”
Edit this entry.
A Open Leaving letter to ethereal fire enthusiasts………
Posted: July 29, 2010 by punkmicky in Band
Okay, Guys and Gals, this message is going to be a real kick in the teeth but I doubt it will come as no surprise! Due to a combination of personal and professional reasons I have decided to leave the band. This was a painful decision for me to make and was not taken lightly. I wish the band the best of luck in his future endeavors and expect you all to do the same as I’m sure they’ll rock on without me.
I’m moving, well have more or less moved to London and am starting a new job. Sadly I neither have the time or money to commit to half the practices on our busy schedule let alone mid-week adventures to Brighton to play!! The bottom line is that I want to make a home for myself and focus on reviewing and photographing gigs and jam with a band that plays the occasional live show and hangs out wearing horrid cardigans!
I have really enjoyed the live shows we have played, personal high light was our Water Rats gig back in June, and as I kinda parting gift I will be putting up Contraption of Action on iTunes as a single to close my chapter of the band.
Love and fishes
Paul
Edit this entry.
Ethereal Fire – Oh i do like to be beside the Seaside oh i do like to be beside the sea
Posted: May 4, 2010 by punkmicky in Band, Life
In my experience second gigs are always a let down, usually half the amount of people turn up with half the amount of enthusiasm and all the mistakes you make then seem to amplified by 20 and the reality of playing in a dodgy little pub really kicks you! On this occasion I was wrong! Well not about the dodgy little pub bit. The Papillion (meaning butter fly) in Southend is slap bag on the sea front opposite an adventure play ground and next to an even dodgier looking pub and I was advised against wearing my sailor out fit! Undeterred we thought we’d rock the whole set for the first time and to be honest as we have two new songs we are working on and plan to debut in Camden on the 6th may I shall rephrase that to the whole set so far!!
The Stage was a curious affair right in front of the toilets so the brave members of the audience, or those driven by desperation had to dodge past the band for the toilet. I counted only one such sole while we played but do correct me if I’m wrong. The other thing that coursed a hazard was the amount of leads on the floor and hanging from the ceiling, I did get caught up once or twice during the last song but I don’t think any one noticed!! The act on before us was a bizarre cowboy singing in about chips in German, Italian and some other languages I couldn’t quite decipher!!
So Stage time and one big problem dawned on us, one mic, three singers?? That’s some bad maths!! But we seemed to cope! We opened with “The Explorer” a nice mellow build up till lee shouted “we are Ethereal Fire” then into the full on guitar/ bass attack of the verse! Once again every one really liked “Contraption of Action” which I think will now be the recorded on the demo. It was also the first outing of our dirty blues number “Tomorrows Legacy” which really changes the mood of the set, especially after the insane high of “Impulsion” it seems only right to go low! Other high lights included lee doing solo vocals on “Actions Speak Louder” and people being amazed at Kirstys ability to play the drums like the butchest of beef cakes!!!
Soooooo our next outing is a all dayer Chelmsford which should be fun as it’s the day after our demo, come down and share a cider with us!!
Edit this entry.
Mix Tape – April 2010
Posted: May 4, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
1) Everybody Wants to Rule The World – Tears For Fear….. This was the sound track (amoungst other songs) to abbi getting her tattoo, ive always had a soft spot for TFF i love the mix of bitter sweet and obviously very personal lyics and perfect 80s pop!!
2) Lightspeed – Twin Atlantic…. Abbs has introduced me to this band this is the last single from there debut album! i love the fact they dont shy away from there scottich acsents
3) Love is a a deserter – The Kills….. this is the sexyest song in the mix! FACT!
4) Marlon J.D – Manic Street Preachers….. about the love hate relation ship between James dean and Marlon Brando the lyrics are fantastic and about how there rivelry kept them beutiful which is why marlon let him self go after the death of james dean
5) Elysium -Lost Alone…. this is off there first album “say no to the world” they just got signed to epic so there next album is gonnab be huge
6) Doing the Unstuck - The Cure…. my fave song off the Wish LP im going though a Cure phase at the mo, i thought you had your cure phase when you were 17 not 26
7) In Bloom – Nirvana
The Exiles – Therapy?…… best song of the current album and it was a pleasure to see and mee them at the live album recording.
9) The Greatest Lie – Circa Survive
10) When I Arguee i See Shapes – Idlewild
Edit this entry.
Ethereal Fire – First Gig
Posted: April 16, 2010 by punkmicky in Random
Following my Finding My Inner Alex James posts ive gone one stage further and found him! So, Thursday 7th April saw us play our first gig at the Kings Head in Rochford. Quite a ad-hoc affair as we only decided to do it a week or so ago! The Kinds head is a peculiar kinda place. Perched on a town square populated by more hoddies than I cared to count while wearing purple jeans and a bizarre mix inside the pub too! Locals who were probs born there looking baffled by the young folk who had turned up for some live music! The plus point was a large stage to mince about on and Holston Pils on tap, good times!!
The gig its self was a unexpected triumph considering we had been treating it as a low key affair! From the opening notes of “Actions Speak Louder” we knew this wasn’t a low key affair! The assembled crowd were a) amazed at how hard Kirsty actually played and b) that we were about a million time better that the vids of us hung over at practice!!! Set high lights included “The Explorer” which we weren’t going to play but went down a treat being the newest song in our repertoire we had no idea how people would react! and also playing “Stars Evolve” which we played as a encore which is once again why this low key affair seemed to explode! Also Andy my self found in almost impossible not to put our feet on the monitors and head bang like the worst kind of Maiden fans!!!
So after so more Holston we all agreed it was ace and we should keep ding these ad-hoc gigs in-between our main gigs! So look out for us at an open mic or acoustic night near you!
Edit this entry.
Sorry for the lack of Updatedness
Posted: April 16, 2010 by punkmicky in Life
as the title may hint at this is an open SORRY for being a lack lust blogger! not through lack of things to blog about but lack of time to blog!!! So last half of March and April till now have been hectic but in a great way… i seem to get smitten with my better half every day, my band seems to be going from strength to strength and ive stared learning to drive again after a four year break! Not to mention a score of great gigs and a withnail and i esq trip to devon! i will be playing catch up on the blog this weekend!!
Love and fishes for now xxx
Finding My Inner Alex James – Part 2
Posted: March 19, 2010 by punkmicky in Band, Life
We a quick(ish) updae on my bass duties with my mates band Dirty for 8. Well things couldnt have gone more swimmingly! Theyve re christened them selfs or should i say our selfs Etheral Fire and have set about writting a hole new set! i can honistly say ive never felt chemisty like this in a band so quickly, which made me feel right at home groving away with my battered old bass which belongs to my day from the 70′s. i think ive matersed the Alex Jame hair flick and the Nicky Wire scissor kick no to mention the Krist Novosenic bounce on the spot thing!!
The name Ethereal fire is a term the victorians cooked up for the mediall use of electricity! Yes electric shock therapy! The music kinda lives up to this its quite dirty and fractured, punky like early Queens of the Stone age or Alice in Chains… emotional and heavey but tounge in check at the right moments!! We now have four gigs booked around Essex and London and feel quite invincable at the mo!! if it sounds like your cupa tea have a nose at our My Space Page… www.myspace.com /etherealfireuk
Edit this entry.
Mix Tape – March 2010
Posted: March 2, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
- Stabbing Backwards By The Beautiful Mistake – from there seminal 2002 album Light a Match, for I Deserve to Burn, which every one thought was way over dramatic but it appealed to my dark side hehe!!
- In Between Days by The Cure – an ode to how much i miss abbs when im not with her and it just so happens to be my fave cure song!!
- Vlad the Impailer by Kasabian - they have re realised this and why not i say! its ace and makes you swagger through town, or is that just me!!! well all i know is its been stuck in me head for days
- Destruction By Cold In Berlin – ultra catchy X Ray Spex esq stuff! Really this band are great they make wanna robot dance
- Fantasy Bag By Therapy? – this from there 1989 mini album pleasure death it dark and twisted and reminds me of will self’s My idea of fun
- BlockHeads by Ian Dury and The Blockheads – the keyboard in this alone is amazing and your guaranteed by the end to be singing blockheads
- 1979 -by The Smashing Pumpkins – for the lazy Sundays
- Ghostfaced Killer By Dead 60s – Classic clash esq ska its brill pity they have now split!!
- Caught by the Fuzz by Supergrass – a ode to last weekends trip into Camden, ive never seen Camden like it Blog to follow!!
- Stand and Deliver by Adam Ant – This is for my friend and co-worker rich who had to put up with me screaming at him when he admitted he didnt know who adam ant was!!!
Edit this entry.
oh i do like to be beside the Seaside oh i do like to be beside the Sea
Posted: February 23, 2010 by punkmicky in Life
this weekend i subjected my better half to the joys of Southend-on-Sea, now to those of you who have been there this may sound like the most unromantic day out ever! But three facts elude you my friends, one, I was born there so it holds a certain place in my heart. Second, abbi (my better half) is from rock n roll south africa and only experience of a english sea side town is brighton which doesnt count cos its way to cosmopolitan and has retained its charm as has most of the south coast where as Essex’s coast line is dotted with half towns like Gt Yarmouth, Clacton and Maldon where the sea has eroded this charm into tacky ness!! and Three, well there’s nothing more fun than bumper cars in sub arctic temperatures!!!
Southend started on a sad note tho as I discovered the comic book shop in the victoria shopping center had closed, which I guess is a good thing cos I would have spent all my money and time pottering around in the looking at their vintage spider man comics! so to the sea front we go!! First we frequent Chinnerys on the sea front a unremarkable bar but we enjoy our cider as I convince abbi getting into a bumper car with me will be safe, bear in mine i cant even ride a bike! from there we visit a english sea side staple, the arcade! a few penny slot machines later and a gun games (Sega’s ghost squad, which ive found out you can by on Wii) we are well and truly satisfied…. what can top that?? yes a trip into peter pans play ground, southends perky named theme park!! Fun was had pottering around wondering who would want a particularly scary looking cuddly animal plus we now both have bruises on our legs through my reckless bumper car driving skills!! Home ward we go where i introduce dear abbs to my closest friends and another Essex fixture, the drunken doner kebab! and enough said hehehehe
abbs enjoying the exciting rides
me not so enjoying the rides
Edit this entry.
Finding My Inner Alex James – Part 1
Posted: February 16, 2010 by punkmicky in Band, Life
I think this is a setting the scene kinda post….. ive been in and out of bands since ive been 15 some good, some god awful but fun and some plain crap! Well as my last projet “Last Stand Grenade” a band born out of our collective unemployment and various personal woes and burning desire to play loud music, LsG was a bit of a throw back to the heady days of Naked Twister( my “successful band” we had a single that bombed) but sadly with lots of gigs booked and cancelled and girly tantrums in barren practice rooms we’ve called it a day and LsG will prob remain my best kept musical secret!
Right the sceane is now well and truly set…. after this body blow and lack of band my good friend Lee of Dirty for 8 is with out a bassist and being a sucker for any thing loud, odd and most of all fun i offered my services! Now ive played bass before with a band called Yeah those animals but that didnt last and im still annoyed i wasted such a good band name on such crap project, but i loved it cos i was doing something different, playing bass and writting in a different way! its a totally different vibe to guitar much more groove less angular and more circular for want of a better word! so as this Wednesday studio session is looming and now I am desperately trying to find my inner Alex James!!
TOP 5 Bassist
1. Alex James – Blur
2. Nicky Wire – Manic
3. Duff Mckagan – GnR
4. Strove – Mansun
5. Boosty Collins – Hes got the funk!
Edit this entry.
Fashion – Horrid Knitwear and such
Posted: February 9, 2010 by punkmicky in Fashion
Chunky cardi’s and tank tops made a massive comeback over christmas, river island being the best place outside your local flea market or thrift store to purchase one of these works of art. The big plus for them is you dont need to accessorize you immediately have the oh what the hell are you wearing factor!! below are me 3 faves for feb……
Edit this entry.
Mixtape – 02/2010
Posted: February 9, 2010 by punkmicky in Mixtapes
- Body Rot by Antihero – a redescovered gem from there 2007 This Is An Emergency album which came out after they broke up which was annoying
- Tightrope Walker by Therapy? – this is them at there best, one of there most underated songs infact the whole semi detatced album is! any way this is a great traveling song!!
- Christopher’s River By Biffy Clyro – very very athemic and as i have flu at the mo it matches my somber mood!
- In One Ear by Cage the Elephant - another redescovery! this was such a summer song and with me holiday booked for march it seemed apt!!
- Sing by Blur – ive had the bass line for this in my head for days! one of the best songs of lesure!
- Little Miss Pinpoint Eyes By Menswear – for Richy at we are pigs
- My Insatiable One By Suede – see above
- Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints By Alexisonfire – this is another song that got cought in my head, like sing it became the screensaver of my mind!
- 59 Rope By The Junket – heard this by chance the other day when my ipod was on random took me back to 2001! Read the rest of this entry »
Edit this entry.
We are Pigs @ The Purple Turtle
Posted: February 9, 2010 by punkmicky in Random
We are Pigs is a club night ive been dying and trying to get to for a few months. The night promised The Smiths, but not this Charming Man, lost of Suede and other britpoptastic delights such as Supergrass and Menswe@r (they played Little Miss Pinpoint Eyes but more of that later).The venue is the Purple Turtle opposite KoKo in Camden, from the outside it looks like a horrid chain bar , like a tacky Yates but once inside it oozes that stick floor dimly lit charm that every indie bar should have!
So the scene is set and theres nothing like a bow tie to make the evening to go with a swing! I meet my drinking chums for the evening in the Dublin Castle (in homage to the indieness of the night) the party consists of by bi specled cousen Marc, my animal print obsessed girl friend abbi and her multi ethnic house mates! Now the DC is a Skinhead pub and i must admit i did feel rather uncomfortable rubbing shoulders with the rude boys until i had a pint spilled down my back and head skinhead woman said sorry a lot and wiped my back clean! then i felt at ease! right so off to the club we go already a tad pissed but hey ho!! so into the club we go and it sure didnt disappoint i barely had enough time to sip my pint before Mansun’s stripper vicar came on and i was on the dance floor wiggling my bum! Highlights included Trash By Suede and abbi dragging me onto the stage to dance to it, Standing with my fist in the air to the Manic’s a design for life, sexy dancing to Blur’s girls and boys and dropping abbi when she jumped on me during Girl From Mars!!!
Fun was had by all and the next day was spent eating toast and watching the twilight zone in full recovery mode!!
If you wanna know more go to http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=247585825360&ref=search&sid=1223089080.516474621..1
a bow tietastic combo!xx
Edit this entry.
The Virgin Post – a introduction
Posted: January 30, 2010 by punkmicky in Random
Well hello im Micky….
a introduction to these ramblings of a madman! Well these blogs will dip through subjects such as “Geek Chic Fashion tips” my pre occupation with writing Lists and Psycho geography also my life long obsession with Sci Fi and Music (playing, watching and listening too) well enjoy!!!
Chin Chin xx
