January Gigs

Stereolab at the RFH on the 30th (I think). Usually I resent sit down gigs, but the illicit thrill of smoking a fag in a no smoking venue gets me every time.

i missed stereolab just before christmas for the first time since i was 16. this is a big event for me, but it has been such a long time since i enjoyed one of their new records (1996), that i couldn't face a set made up largely of things i do not like. hate sit down venues too. so i won't be at the RFH!

gareth, rephresh is on the 18th, not the 19th. i am despearate to go but probably wont.

want to see dmx krew play somewhere that poepl will actually dance! ie not the fukkin ICA/

cylob in sheffield early febuary! (not january but nearly.....got to get started with the publicity!)

janek schaeffer on the 10th....maybe

at sprawl.

I'm singing in the chorus for the Mozart Requiem in two weeks. Does that count?

I'm going to see Dressy Bessy on Wednesday, who I don't really know anything about but who I'm assured will be good.

St Thomas is/are playing on the 16th at the Borderline, which will be brilliant cos he is a genius. Unfortunately, the Zephyrs are also playing that night and they are also very good.

I should hopefully be going to see Brian Wilson at the end of January, which should be interesting if nothing else.

At the start of February I'm going to see Oasis and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Albert Hall which will be amazing - unfortunately my excitement about this has now been tempered by the fact that Elliott Smith is playing the Festival Hall on the same night. Boo.

Have January got any gigs this January?

Gig of the month in January is my dear friends Fractured and I Ludicrous at the good old Bull n Gate in Kentish Town on January 12th (Saturday).

Do any ILX-ers want to meet me there for a pint and some splendid Fall-esque garage punk? It's about time I met some of you lot!

hey, supposedly Hood are playing the ocean rooms, london on 17th too

Punktronix superstars in the making, Riviera begin their residency at The Fanclub at the Verge in Kentish Town on Saturday 5th (tomorrow) then follow it with a gig at the Bull & Gate on Wednesday. Fosca are playing at the Verge a week later on Saturday the 12th.

Apart from that, I have know idea what's going on this month

Just got back from Herbert, saw Stanton Warriors just over a week ago, hoping to see Labradford and/or Low in the next week or so. Looking forward to Basement Jaxx, as well as various peoples at Big Day Out fest, both at the end of January. Contemplating whether or not to go to Vibes On A Summer's Day to see Layo & Bushwacka! at the beginning of Feb (points against: Jamiroquai will be there).

Gareth - DO go to the RFH (on 1st Feb). Not for Stereolab, who will shine at this venue I'm sure but are for dancing to really, go for their special guest, reported to be Brigitte Fontaine. She was amazing when I saw her a few months back. This may well be your one and only chance to catch her in UK.

Brian Wilson! Wahoo!

I'm such an old man these days, that I only like to sit down at gigs, I mean concerts.

Tim, for what it's worth I heard very bad reports about Layo and Bushwackas gig here on New Years Eve. I'm not going to any gigs this month cos there doesn't seem to be any. However if last night is anything to go by the club night I go to on thursdays is going to be even better than usual over the next few weeks.

Saving my pennies for Cecil Taylor, John Zorn and All Tomorrow's Parties.

beta band are on at ocean this month too. got my tix.

Brazen Hussies 18 January at the Firkin in Camden, which is brightly lit like a mental hospital so it'll work!

so, is anybody going to any gigs in january
Me and my friends will be shaking to the sounds of 4Hero and Gilles Peterson in a couple of weeks. Woohooo!

Brian Wilson on the 25th! Hoping not to be disappointed at £42 for my ticket.

At that price, will it be like Vegas and I'll get dinner and table service. Sadly, I think not...

i think stars of the lid are playing twice (26th and 31st??), i am considering this, perhaps they will prove me wrong (and will make up for my missing the american analog set)

Went to Dave Dobbyn, Stellar, Muttonbirds (reunion) on the weekend. Free gig on stage floating in harbour. Excellent sound = more gigs should be on water.

has anyone ever seen hood live? any good?

saw them twice in leeds circa 96/7. one was great, the other drab. very different material even though both gigs were quite close together...

Saw Hood supporting GYBE abt a year and half ago. Very very average post-rock slintisms complete with ho-hum feedback finale freakout. I heard a bit of their most recent alb and it sounded much better - perhaps they have come on a bit recently?

hmmm.. i'm tempted to go. i have The Cycle of Days and Seasons, and that is lovely, but everything i've heard from them since, on randomly released 7"s and compilations, have just sounded like recordings of radiators being bled.

do minimalist soundscapes equal creative laziness?

Bleeding radiators is a pain in the arse, as anyone knows. I suggest that Hood's project is far from lackadaisical.

you're entirely right. i've been a damn fool. domestic soundscapes are where it's at.

the hood show on thursday at ocean seems to be free. anyone got time out to verify this?

I have an email from the Hood list saying it is.

can you get tickets in advance?

Details as posted:

Subject: Mixing It live - Thursday 17 January
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 17:25:10 -0000

BBC RADIO 3's MIXING IT
HOOD
BEN CHRISTOPHERS
SPACEHEADS AND MAX EASTLEY

at OCEAN 2, Hackney, London on Thursday 17th January 2002 Doors 7:30pm - first band 8:00pm, order: Spaceheads and Max Eastley; Ben Christophers (9:00pm); Hood (10:00pm)

Highlights will be broadcast in Mixing It on Sunday 20th January on BBC Radio 3, 11:00pm - midnight

Entry is free by ticket. For more information phone the venue on 020 8533 0111. Tickets should be collected from the venue beforehand if possible. Licensed venue - over 18's only

Ocean 2 is at 270 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 The venue is served by Hackney Downs and Hackney Central railway stations or any of the following buses: 26 30 38 48 55 106 236 242 276 277 D6

What did you think of Herbert, Tim?

did anyone make it to Hood in the end? i am stupid and didn't go. or to the rephlex thing. a w/e of failure it would seem.

fuxa and stars of the lid are playing kosmische on saturday. not sure if its worth going to or not. anyone sway me either way? and k-regs thing is on sunday.

I too am going to see Brian Wilson at the RFH on 30/1. I'm a bit scared to be honest. What if it's really awful?

I've been soaking up Surf's Up of late and, aside from the obvious Mike Love abomination, it's sublime. The consensus with Beach Boys material of the period seems to be to go no further than this one - but those cheap 70s 2-for-1 re-issues are so darned tempting.

I think Sunflower is as good, if not better (only one clunker : At My Window, vs 3 clunkers on Surf's Up : Take A Load Off Your Feet/Student Demonstration Time/A Day In The Life Of A Tree)

don't listen to dr.c. he is so wrong about 'at my window'. it is ace! tweeting and all! take a load off your feet and a day in the life of a tree are great too! mind you, not even i can stomach student demonstraation time

i don't much like "add some music to your day" (but agree w/ the sentiment!). Apart from that you're both right!, er...

Sunflower is boring except for 'Forever'. 'A Day In The Life Of A Tree' is a beautiful thing. Don't listen to me, though - I like What's Going On.

But hold on... "Sunflower" precedes "Surf's Up" anyway, doesn't it?

Of the post-"Surf's Up" 70s LPs I've heard, most (even LA - The Light Album) have at least one decent tune to recommend them. "Love You" is an underrated treat, but a strange record. I've never heard "15 Big Ones" or "MIU", or the live LPs. Suggest you borrow my Holland / Carl and the Passions 2CD, Jonesy. I suspect a cull of the better tracks will suit your purpose rather better than buying the whole thing. Also, don't be scared, Brian will be fine.

I don't think Mike necessarily meant 'go no further chronologically'.

You'll need to cull approx 50% of Holland IMHO. CATP-ST is under- appreciated, but still not great.

As evidenced by this thread, 'cull' is one of those words that can mean two diametrically opposed things, as we were talking about on another thread I CAN'T FIND.

I like the way that BB fans can agree abt 'the bigger picture' - eg. some of their post-'Smile' recs are GRATE - and then quibble over the finer details. Soooo - 'Surf's Up' better than 'Sunflower' ('Feel Flows' just abt the only tune I can tolerate w/ a flute solo, 'A Day In The Life Of A Tree' beautiful and bizarre, 'Long Promised Road', 'Til I Die', the title track - gulp, I even like the guitar playing at the start of 'Student Demonstration Time' and the 'megaphone' vocals...)

Dr. C is, sorry Gareth, OTM abt the wretched 'At My Window' (virtually Al Jardine's only BB writing credit - and you can see why...)

Take A Load Off Your Feet from Surf's Up is Jardine, too.

Points takem, C&N. I suppose I went through the BBs 70s output more or less chronologically, and dumbly assumed others might too. I might add that, as a rule of thumb, each successive LP *looks* like it's likely to be less of a winner than the last.

On topic, I went along to an anti-landmine benefit last week: Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Nanci Griffith, John Prine and Steve Earle sharing a stage. Not what you'd call edgy entertainment but definitely worth the bother. I really wanted to see Emmylou, and the chance to see her without the variously rocky bands she seems to have been touring with over the last few years was too good a chance to miss.

I'm off to the Brian Wilson show with Mike, and am really quite excited about it. I went to see the Beach Boys on one of their early '90s tours, and it was mostly horrible. It had enough magical moments to justify itself, though. I'm delighted to be able to say I've watched Carl sing "God Only Knows".

I don't think Mike necessarily meant 'go no further chronologically'

I sort of did, actually. Although I'm well aware that this line of thinking means I'm semi-consciously subscribing to the Boring Received Opinion that Pet Sounds and Smile are the peaks, and the further you get away from them in time, the worse things are. It's much more jumbled up than that, I'm sure.

I'm very fond of Friends and 20/20, feel Sunflower is the one LP that genuinely deserves the oft-used epithet (with regard to this period BBs) 'patchy' and am completely blown away by Surf's Up. Now that I've given up buying records for, erm, Pre-Lent, I can just listen to me old vinyl and these four BB albums for a month or two. Sort me 'ead out, like.