en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal The Last.fm journal for kitefish. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/09/16/262t2s_circle%2C_triangle%2C_square%3A_end_of_the_road_2008 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:30:02 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/09/16/262t2s_circle%2C_triangle%2C_square%3A_end_of_the_road_2008 Fri 12 Sep – End of the Road Festival

What a super festival! I am glad that I picked this as my first proper weekend festival to go to, or else the horror of camping may have put me off trying again. Although perhaps now the bar will be set too high for future festivals?

After setting up camp right next to the fabled head on a stick, we set off to see our first few bands of the day. First off was Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, who sounded just lovely in the sunshine, and were kind enough to have a chat with Alex and I after their set. It's just a shame they were on so early- they deserved more than the twenty or so people who were actually around to see them! After a short walk we were back to see The Acorn who were really good- interesting rhythmns and textures from all the instruments- and A Hawk and a Hacksaw, whom I was not fond of before the festival, and am still not fond of now. I don't know, they're technically brilliant and should be something that I like, but I just don't. Perhaps because I was annoyed that Jeremy Barnes really seems to believe that he is Eastern European? You are not, Jeremy, so lose the pretend accent!

We unfortunately missed the start of Micah P. Hinson's set due to an emergency footwear/ clothing change back at the tent, but he was pretty entertaining through the rest of it (although not very child friendly...). I am sad that he did not play 'Diggin A Grave', but I did enjoy his death-metal style vocals on the last song, especially as they made the middle-aged woman stood in front of us visibly wince and huddle closer to her husband. Next came Dirty Three, one of my highlights of the weekend- the beauty of their recorded work really came to life in the live setting, and was nicely accompanied by Warren Ellis' ridiculous posing and leg kicks. The perfect music to listen to as the sun went down.

After American Music Club, who were solid although they did not blow me away, it was time for FUN. At the time, I thought I would be lucky to see someone top Dirty Three, but this was managed almost straight after by the fantastic Akron/Family. SO MUCH FUN! Admittedly I did get bored at one point at some extended jamming of theirs, and I did feel sorry for The Acorn for having to spend at least a solid half hour clapping and dancing in the background, but still. I love audience participation, and it doesn't get much better than chanting 'Circle, triangle, square, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah', with hand actions, over and over again. (Except for the whole audience screaming, but I'll get on to that later!) A fabulous end to the night. I'm kind of annoyed that I didn't stay up to see what was going on at the Local or the Bimble Inn- apparently David Thomas Broughton was amazing (we should have trusted the random drunk guy who told us to go see him when we were stood brushing our teeth). But by this point, I was pretty much dead on my feet, and now I'm going to see DTB next week, so no matter.

After a TERRIBLE night- it doesn't get much worse than lying awake, freezing cold, listening to the guy in the tent next to you snoring like a cannon- the day started nicely with Absentee, who I don't actually remember beyond a vague recollection that they were good, and Bowerbirds, who were really lovely. I liked the girl's accordeon, dress and hair, and the frontman had a really cute smile, and the violin-playing man was pretty. They were followed by Devon Sproule who was plain adorable, and was the envy of us all with her amazing sunhat. Noah And The Whale were surprisingly good- nice brass parts, an engaging front man and generally happy, smiley, sunshiney music.

Up next was The Young Republic, who had not impressed me with the few snippets I'd heard before I went, but who were in fact amazing! The frontman was incredibly dynamic (and had very shiny hair), all the musicians top-notch, and the songs just sounded fantastic. Definitely one to watch out for. However, they were followed by my- and many other people's, from what I have heard- favourite performance of the weekend- Bon Iver. Seriously, I nearly cried during their set, it was so, so beautiful. While I had been looking forward to seeing them, as I like the album a lot, I was not expecting anythign particularly special. How wrong I was. The vocal harmonies were perfect, Justin's voice was heavenly, just everything was heavenly. They were also extremely gracious, and I always enjoy an act more when they seem to be enjoying themselves. The mass sing-along to 'The Wolves', followed by our joint howl to the sky, was my favourite moment of the festival. Also it was nice to see Bowerbirds go up to join them- hopefully people who missed their main set saw them then, and will be inspired to check them out properly.

After dinner, it was over to the Big Top in preparation for my most anticipated act of the festival, Sun Kil Moon. We caught all of Kurt Wagner, who was nice to see despite being completely unfamiliar with both him and Lambchop. I enjoyed his little stage set-up with the clothes pegs, although I was concerned that he was going to set some of his songs on fire when he pegged the cigarette to the line. A short wait later, and it was time for SKM- who turned out to be pretty much my only disappointment of the festival. I think I'd psyched them up too much in my mind- I knew my personal fantasy of Mark Kozelek going, "OK everyone, I am going to play some Red House Painters now," was highly unlikely, but they could at least have played a more interesting set. Carry Me Ohio, at least. They were the only band I saw who did not seem pleased to be there, and while I did not think Mark K would be the cheeriest of folk, he barely paid the audience any mind at all. Smelly man. Oh well.

We had a little sit-down during the first half of Two Gallants, who were pretty good from what we heard, then it was over to the Local to see Shearwater. Well, to hear Shearwater- trying to see the low stage from anywhere other than right at the front was nigh-on impossible for one vertically-challened like myself. Still, they sounded fantastic, and were well worth staying awake for, despite how dead our legs were.

A better night's sleep saw me ready and refreshed for the final day, beginning with Sons of Noel and Adrian, who were surprisingly good, with a wide variety of instruments and interesting arrangements. The Wave Pictures were another surprise- I had thought that they would be pretty much by-the-numbers British guitar indie-schmindie- which I guess they were really, but they pulled it off with style, and were super-fun to bop along to. Kimya Dawson was as lovely as I had expected, and it was nice to be right up at the front so I could see her tattoos properly. As ever, I enjoyed the singing along and hand actions (apparently I am actually a five-year old child). Alex went and met her afterwards, but I stuck around at the front for Jason Molina, one of my favourite discoveries of the year. It was a shame we had to see him without the band- meaning no actual Magnolia Electric Co songs, or at least not any that I recognised- but he was still lovely to see live, his vocals haunting, and dressed in a nice suit.

Woodpigeon were a little underwhelming, but I suppose by this time I was a bit music-ed out and was having another little sit-down, so it's probably my fault rather than theirs. Then it was over to the Big Top again to see Darren and Jack play Hefner- a band I got into from their being played at Offbeat in Sheffield (thanks Chris!). Despite not knowing them that well, they were still really fun to see live, and the crowd's enthusiasm really made their set. And it was the third time that we saw a less-popular band (The Wave Pictures) go up and play with a bigger band. I had another little rest during Jeffrey Lewis, who was still nice to listen to- I remember liking a silly poem-y thing he read out- and was then up and ready for The Mountain Goats, who did not disappoint. Even John Darnielle's guitar string breaking on the first strum did not ruin matters, as we were treated to a 5 minute drum solo, with a bit of bass, and an interesting rendition of Regina Spektor's 'Samson' (which had just played on the speakers before the band came on.) With guitar fixed, the band started proper, and played a really engaging, entertaining set, with brilliant sing-along moments. Just fantastic.

Mountain Goats finished, we made our way over to see the second half of Calexico's set. Alex and I were rather annoyed about this clash, as we would have liked to see both bands on full, but we were still able to see a good amount of the latter band- the more brass-y, Mexican-sounding numbers sounded fantastic, and were fun to dance to. After going back to tent to tidy up and put Alex to bed, I then ventured back out on my own to catch what was going on at the Local. I caught the last minute of a.P.A.t.T., who sounded really interesting so I'm annoyed that I didn't see the rest of them. Denis Jones was a great surprise- I'm a sucker for artists who use loop-pedals, and those who mix electronic and more organic sounds, so I was pleased I managed to catch him. Finally- and what a final act to see- were Wildbirds & Peacedrums, who were just incredible. What a voice! What drumming! What magnificent foot stomping/assorted percussion! What false lashes! Their recorded work really cannot do justice to how amazing they sound live, so if you ever get the chance to see them, do not miss out! I really could not have hoped for a better end for the festival.

It really was such a good weekend. My main regret this year is that I didn't spend more time at the smaller tents, seeing more unknown, esoteric acts - the problem with having such an amazing line-up is there was nearly always something I wanted to see elsewhere- so hopefully I can go next year, and see the little things then!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/07/07/224ewv_cancelled_bj%C3%B6rk-_2nd_july%2C_sheffield_city_hall Mon, 7 Jul 2008 22:35:11 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/07/07/224ewv_cancelled_bj%C3%B6rk-_2nd_july%2C_sheffield_city_hall Wed 2 Jul – Björk - CANCELLED

The cancelled Björk concert was really boring. I stayed in my house and played Viva Piñata on my PC into the small hours. It was diverting, but wasn't really anywhere near an equal substitute for the evening's wished-for entertainment.

What did you do?

Björk]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/05/27/1zy6b5_why_i_love_patrick_wolf Tue, 27 May 2008 23:34:18 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/05/27/1zy6b5_why_i_love_patrick_wolf I don’t consider myself a Patrick Wolf fangirl. Not really. OK, so sometimes I will spend an hour or so looking through photos/fanart/videos of him on youtube, but everyone does that, right? Right. The point is, however long I spend drooling over him as a pretty piece of flesh, I spend ten times as long marvelling at his music.

When I heard The Libertine, my first Patrick Wolf song, I didn’t know what to make of it. I wasn’t sure if I even liked it; the strong, stomping beat, the delirious strings and dark nature of the song wasn’t something I’d really heard before. As has happened before with songs I didn’t really understand but was intrigued by (other prime example being Girl Anachronism), I ended up listening to it on repeat, and coming to love it more with every listen. I saw him live for the first time purely on the strength of that one song and the other singles available to view on youtube, and I was completely blown away. I still consider it the best gig I’ve ever been to. The subsequent times I’ve seen him have not quite matched up to that first dizzy encounter, but have still been incredible in their different ways. He just really knows how to work a crowd. And how to sing. And how to play any instrument he sets his mind to, to an awesomely high standard. That he also happens to be six-foot-something of glorious man candy is just fortunate coincidence.

The problem with Patrick Wolf is that some ‘proper’ music fans seem to dismiss him on the grounds that he is too beautiful and scene-y to be considered entirely with respect as a musician. As my mother lovingly said to me a couple of years ago, ‘I’m glad you’re not really pretty, as really pretty people don’t get taken seriously.’ Ta, ma. But really, there is truth in that; have we not all seen Legally Blonde? (Probably not the most impressive example, but it’s fresh in my mind as I watched it again the other day, with two blonde law students, no less…) There will always be some who cannot see much beyond a fine physique, but there will be more who will find appearance irrelevant; the former category may be more vocal, but should not be most listened to. Fair enough if you have listened to Wolf’s music and genuinely think it’s shit, but ignoring it purely on the grounds that lots of screaming adolescents with sweeping fringes want to get in his pants is just silly.

The first time I listened to Lycanthropy- both the album in general, and the song in particular- I was literally left staring open-mouthed at my speakers, thinking ‘WHAT was that?’ I still haven’t found another album quite like it; it’s so varied, with so many different ideas and influences, yet it somehow all manages to hang together. It switches from sweet and melancholic (Pigeon Song) to wild and disturbing (The Childcatcher) to completely manic (Paris) with barely a pause for breath. And I like the story it tells- I see it as being about having the strength to choose your own path through life without being held back or intimidated by those around you and, however cheesy it sounds, I do need to hear that sometimes. Then there’s Wind in the Wires, which took me longer to appreciate, but whose overall feeling of serene, contended solitude makes me yearn for the rugged Cornish coast that inspired it. (I have never actually been to Cornwall, but have been informed that the album really does sound better there; I fully intend to verify this for myself one day.) Finally, The Magic Position- an album that initially disappointed me a little, admittedly- still surprises me with its range, from the handclaps of giddy joy (The Magic Position) to the sinister ukulele of obsession (Augustine). Based on the strength of what he’s come up with so far, there’s not much point in stating how ridiculously excited I am for album 4.

His sometime diva-ish behaviour- ‘OMG, some people from the internet were MEAN about me, I’m going to quit live performances for ever and sit in a corner and sulk’- does grate on me a bit, but really, what do I expect? He’s a pop star- he’s supposed to be a little ludicrous. It would be boring if he was an entirely normal, reasonable person- and it certainly wouldn’t fit with what I would expect from a man who has made such fascinating music.

I love Patrick Wolf for many reasons. Yes, I love his questionable fashion choices, his dazzling smile and his ever-changing hair colour. But most importantly, I love his music, his strength as a performer, and the impact I genuinely feel his songs have made on my life. He is an absolute star. I hope no hand ever holds him down.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/01/21/4y2g_oh%2C_for_a_pair_of_big_fuck-off_headphones Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:52:13 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2008/01/21/4y2g_oh%2C_for_a_pair_of_big_fuck-off_headphones (This is actually stolen from my personal weblog and features no exciting musical insights, but I think it's still kind-of relevant and might be appreciated by people on here.)


Thursday, January 17th, 2008

This is my 2nd last day at home before I bugger off North again to face my doom (ie exams). Then, after a blissful week and a half of rest, it's back to the familiar routine of late nights for no reason, endless procrastination when supposedly doing work, and rushing down to lectures having slept through my alarm.

Although rushing down to lectures is not pleasant in itself, it at least affords me ten-fifteen minutes or so in which to spend quality time with my iriver. I love my iriver. It isn't very big (4GB) but holds enough sweet music to power me down the hill and, as such devices seem adept at doing, seems to bypass the random shuffle feature in order to play exactly the right songs to suit my current state of mind. Seriously, even if the lecture is a complete waste of time, I feel it's worth it just for the journey there and back if the right song is singing in my ears.

The problem here, however, is that there are hundreds of other students all heading down to campus at the same time. Thankfully, most of these are people I don't know and can therefore happily ignore; however, there are also a good handful of people I do know, and may even be friends with, who don't understand that it's iriver and I's private time, and thus engage me in conversation. It's terrible. I'm not the friendliest person in the mornings anyway, and having to interrupt the best-song-in-the-world-ever-at-that-exact-moment does not improve my mood. It's not that I hate people- well, not all people- I just like some private time with my music. It's got to the stage where I'm actually trying to set off for lectures early, so the chances of my bumping into someone and having to talk to them are lowered. I sneak glances both ways as I leave my Halls, so if anyone I know is coming my way, I can adjust my pace and direction in order to avoid them. My people avoidance techniques, unfortunately, are only successful about 50% of the time, meaning I am frequently forced to turn my darling iriver off, swallow my angry words about intruding on a couple's alone time, and act like a normal person who enjoys regular human contact.

This is why I want a pair of Big Fuck-Off Headphones.

Any idiot and his nan can have little wimpy bud earphones, as any idiot and his nan has an ipod these days. (Case in point: my friend's younger brother has one, despite a musical collection consisting only of 'Now That's What I Call Music!' compilations, two Busted albums and charity football singles.) Big Fuck-Off Headphones are on a whole other level. They send a message out to the world that says, 'Do not bother me. I am a serious listener of music with no time for your petty concerns.' People would see me, open their mouths in order to wish me salutations, then see the Big Fuck-Off Headphones. They would then close their mouths, opting instead for a friendly wave, and thus allow me to walk swiftly on by, with a spring in my step and a song in my heart. It would be amazing.

The other week I had the perfect opportunity to allow this beautiful scenario to come to frutition, as my stupid wimpy headphones decided to break. No apparent damage appeared to have befallen them; the right headphone just decided to stop working. That's the 2nd pair of dead headphones in about 6 months, which is a bit annoying, as a decent pair that actually fit on my head are hard to find. (That makes it sound like I have a massive/abnormally-shaped head; I don't, but I do have abnormally-shaped ears. The left ear, anyway: a little bit of flesh is missing such that normal bud earphones just won't stay in. My brother has the same problem and, after scrutinising the ears of our parents, we deduced that my father is the carrier of this defective ear gene. We gave him a right telling off.) I knew I should have ordered a new pair from the 'net, in order that a whole beautiful array of Big Fuck-Off Headphones would be at my fingertips, but I wanted a new pair immediately. I'm a very impatient person. Delivery takes time, and the thought of being without proper usage of my iriver for more than a day makes me twitchy. So, against my better judgement, I set out the next day to see what Oxford city centre would have to offer me.

Oxford city centre is rubbish. I didn't get my pair of Big Fuck-Off Headphones. I ended up with a pair of retarded neck-band headphones that disagree with the size of my head and therefore like to fall off it. I suppose they're slightly better than the ones I had before, but it's just not the same as what I was after. Come term-time, people will still expect me to talk to them as I walk down the hill. I lead a tragic life, and I bring it upon myself.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/11/28/4y2f_patrick_wolf%2C_sheffield_memorial_hall%2C_27.11.07 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:34:28 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/11/28/4y2f_patrick_wolf%2C_sheffield_memorial_hall%2C_27.11.07 Tue 27 Nov – Patrick Wolf, Lightspeed Champion

Anyone who knows me at all well will know I am a little bit in love with this man. (And when I say a little bit in love with, I basically mean I want his children. I'm not a fangirl, really...) So I was really excited about seeing him again- especially after the hugely distressing experience last time I saw him, when my companion and I were forced to leave half way through due to stupid travel arrangements. ARRGH. So yes, much excitement and anticipation for last night was felt, along with a fair amount of curiosity as to how he would manage without a band.

I'm new to Sheffield and had thus not been to the Memorial Hall before, but turns out it's a real nice venue. (Its being a bit posh, however, did not prevent it from opening late- WHY DO PLACES ALWAYS OPEN AFTER THE TIME DOORS IS STATED ON THE TICKETS, IT DRIVES ME INSANE.) As Lightspeed Champion pointed out, it was slightly akin to a lecture theatre, only clean, pretty and actually pleasant to be in. The stately great uncle of your average lecture theatre, perhaps. However, its one major fault was how low the stage was- it must have been fantastic for those on the front row, but for those at the back of the stalls like we were, it was sometimes really hard to see what was going on. Particular sympathy goes out to people on stage right, who Patrick had his back to whenever he was on the piano ie half the time, although he did apologise for this.

A watered-down coke (grrr) and packet of crisps later, it was time for Dev aka Lightspeed Champion. While he has a great voice and his songs are pleasant enough, he really does not do a whole lot for me, although his between-song banter was amusingly disjointed and bizarre. (He was similarly shambolic when Alex went to talk to him/demand he sign things after the set- Dev is a very easily distracted man.) Also, the best song he played, A Girl Whom My Eyes Shine For But My Shoes Run From, is in fact by our favorite new singer-songwriter man Eugene McGuinness, so it bugged me that Dev did not credit him for it. Still, at least it wasn't No Bra again...

After another break, when we were again subjected to incredibly irritating instrumental music, the first few strings were plucked and a Wolf-ish howl came soaring in from backstage. Patrick came stalking in, with purpley-red hair and silly hair extensions, white shirt with the cuffs undone beneath a shimmery charcoal waistcoat, khaki shimmery trousers, a bizarre belt-like thing made out of what looked like those tiny round bells, and a weird brown fuzzy three-quarter-length jacket-y thing. (I could not see his feet at any point, someone please tell me what shoes/socks he was wearing.) Hunched over the viola whilst singing Jacob's Ladder unplugged, it was a literal hairs-standing-up-on-the-back-of-my-neck moment- soon ruined by the woman sat over to the left of us who apparently found it HILARIOUS and kept bursting out laughing. Thanks a lot love.

Stupid-laughing-lady, however, shut up soon enough as Patrick launched into the rest of his set.
I'd been a bit worried having read reports from previous shows on this tour, saying that he'd been really tired and drunk on stage, which would have upset me. None of that last night: he appeared to be in most excellent spirits, smiles and charm the whole way through. He did get slightly annoyed when people kept calling out for Childcatcher, but if he's going to ask what songs we want to hear, what does he expect? He told us little stories behind the songs- frequently interrupting himself a few bars into the song to do so- and other little gems, such as the current rubbishness of his sex life. (A wise thing to say when he must know the room is full of fangirls/boys? Hmm...)

One of the things I love most about him is how different his live performances are from the studio recordings- obviously they had to be different this time as he was playing solo, but this is true even when he does have a band. Yesterday, for example, saw Tristan played on the blues guitar (what happened to you never playing the guitar, eh Patrick?), and Bluebells played on the piano (as in the iCast session). Other instruments he played were a Moog Synthesiser and suitcase accordian for Ghost Song, although we could not see the latter at all as he played it whilst sat on the floor. While his tunings were a little off on starting several songs- such that he had to get Dev up on stage at one point to help him correct them- everything was played beautifully. The violin-version of Pigeon Song was a particular favourite of mine, and as he said he's going to lay that song to rest now, I'm glad I got to see it performed live that way.

Set list:
Jacob's ladder
Bluebells
Black is the Colour(? Anyone know what this actually is?)
Tristan
Pigeon Song
Hard Times (new)
Ghost Song
Get Lost
Wind in the Wires
Augustine
The Days (new)
Souvenirs (with Lightspeed Champion)
Magpie
The Stars

--ENCORE--
The Magic Position (with Lightspeed Champion)
Spice Girls medley/All This Time (with Lightspeed Champion)


New songs: Hard Times is a political song Wolf-style, ie 'Kill the king and crown the witches', which he played on the ukelele/guitar (can't remember which). While it was good, I prefered The Days, a broken-love song he performed on the piano. I like piano.

The encore saw a costume change into the beloved blue tablecloth shirt, and Dev in a shiny purple cape. The Spice Girls medley, incorporating bits of 2 become 1, Viva Forever and Wannabe, ending with a segment from All This Time, the smash hit by everyone's favourite obese former pop idol, was basically Patrick being a prat and climbing on things while Dev strummed along a rough accompaniment. It was fabulous.

I'm rubbish at ending things. PATRICK WOLF IS AMAZING, GO SEE HIM. That'll do.

Patrick Wolf]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/08/03/4y2e_of_montreal%2C_2nd_august_at_the_scala Fri, 3 Aug 2007 22:15:34 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/08/03/4y2e_of_montreal%2C_2nd_august_at_the_scala Thu 2 Aug – of Montreal, Pull Tiger Tail

Going to see of Montreal was less like going to see a band play, and more like going to see some bizarre circus with musical accompaniment. Which is, of course, no bad thing.

The first support, the Wave Machines, gave a gentle introduction to the visual oddity we were to experience later in the evening by wearing masks of themselves. They sounded pretty good to me, and appeared far more interesting live than the tracks on their myspace would have me believe.

The second support, Pull Tiger Tail, were unfortunately a run-of-the-mill indie-schmindie guitar band, even if they did have a number of rather fetching tiger masks to throw out to the crowd, and two rather fetching guitarists at the front. Still, I was there to see weird and delightful things, not bland and attractive things, so was glad when their set came to and end.

From our prime position right at the front on stage-right, directly in front of keyboard lady when she appeared, we could quite easily read the setlist, and so were wondering what the song 'Verdi' could possibly be (I only got into Of Montreal from Hissing Fauna and thus am mostly clueless when it comes to songs from their back catalogue). Turns out that Verdi was not an of Montreal song but was, in fact, a piece of opera- presumably by Verdi, someone name me what it was exactly?- which came soaring out of the speakers as the first sequin-masked putty man took to the stage. This being was soon joined by what looked a bit like a be-winged Elvis impersonator on guitar with the rest of the band, Kevin Barnes resplendant in skinny pink and white jeans, a red shirt with flouncy flower-petal collar, and plenty of glitter.

I can't think of much better jobs than being a player in the of Montreal travelling pantomime; on top of a whole troupe of the sequin-masked putty men, who had an onstage punch-up between themselves as well as a dramatic confrontation with Barnes during Faberge Falls for Shuggie, there was a man with a giant lobster claw (as seen in the Heimdalsgate video), a quiet newspaper-reading businessman whose sole job was to go absolutely ape during the chorus of She's A Rejector, and a reject from a 70s sci-fi show who generously ladled out what looked like red paint into plastic glasses for the eager crowd. At some point during the spectacle, Kevin Barnes even managed a costume change, and appeared in teeny-tiny, very tight blue shorts with matching ankle boots and fishnet tights. (As with Rufus Wainwright, I found myself cursing him for having better legs than me- I really need to stop seeing pretty, cross-dressing men, it's bad for my self esteem.)

The music was great as well, of course, even though I did feel it was secondary to the antics of the characters on stage; The Past is a Grotesque Animal sounded brilliant live and held my attention for all of its 12 minutes, something which it struggles to do on record. The woozy feel of Oslo in the Summertime was ramped right up by playing it at about half the speed and with head-buzzing distortion. While the balance of the vocals bugged me a bit all through the night, I couldn't help just grinning like an idiot at everything, especially when one of the putty men burst a number of glitter-filled balloons over the crowd. When the last song ended, the whole cast came out to bow to the crowd, including the vision of cuteness that is Alabee. Unfortunately we had to leave before the encore, so I don't know what other songs and bizarre happenings we missed out on, but I'd already seen more than enough to make me happy.

While not the best show I've seen musically, this was definitely the funniest and the oddest, which are two equally important things. So, FANTASTIC.

I wish Kevin Barnes were my dad.

(And thank you so much Arabella for coming with me despite the grating effect of Hissing Fauna on your ears!)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/03/20/4y2d_reading_festival%2C_shmeading_festival. Tue, 20 Mar 2007 19:11:47 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/03/20/4y2d_reading_festival%2C_shmeading_festival. I am not going to Reading festival this year. I would have liked to have gone, but other, more important events- ie my brother's wedding reception- take place on that weekend, so it would not be convenient. It's a shame, especially as all of my friends are going and it was going to be our last time all together before we all bugger off to various parts of the country for uni. So that's annoying.

However, this in itself is not the most annoying thing for me. What actually hurts me more is that my friends who are going have rubbish taste in music.

I'm a horrible, snobby person.

I was crying inside as I watched them read down the confirmed acts and get excited about Fall Out Boy, and completely skim over the Arcade Fire. When the question of who The Smashing Pumpkins are is met with shrugs all round. When I am given looks similar to those I would receive were I to suggest murdering a small child, when I question the decision to have Razorlight headlining despite the fact that they have only released two albums.

To be fair, not all of my friends have a rubbish taste in music, exactly (though there are a couple of Panic! lovers in their number). I know and believe that taste is subjective, what I consider good is not universally true and, in fact, what I like SUCKS, and so on. What is the case with most of my friends is, in my eyes, far more frustrating: they are complete slaves to the radio. Unless something is plastered all over the airwaves, it is not considered good; in fact, it is not considered at all. They've given up asking me what I'm listening to because they've never heard of most of it, and they have no interest in hearing for themselves what they're missing out on- it is either weird or old because Jo Whiley hasn't whittered on about it recently. Music does not exist to them unless it is on offer in Tesco for £8.97.

This really grates on me, as I care so much about music and take an active interest in discovering new things to enjoy. Why go to a music festival if you don't care that much about music? I know there's the joys of camping and portaloos and queueing up for 3 hours to get to the cash point but really, shouldn't the music itself be the most important thing? I think it's especially sad considering Reading is supposed to be (or at least used to be considered as) the most edgy of the UK festivals; where the real hardcore kids go who can't be bothered with the hippies at Glastonbury. Now, if the fact that what seems half of my school are going means anything, Reading 2007 will be populated by girls whose last live musical venture was Atomic Kitten at age 13. I'm worried that the genuine music-lovers will be lost amidst a flood of teenagers wishing to try out the 'festival chic' look they saw in last month's CosmoGirl.

Really, I'm just bitter and grumpy. I do love my friends, despite my bitching here, and I honestly hope they have huge amounts of fun- even if it is whilst rocking out to The Feeling. It just pains me to think of all that good music going to waste.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/02/25/4y2c_duke_special-_zodiac%2C_22_feb Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:14:48 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/02/25/4y2c_duke_special-_zodiac%2C_22_feb Thu 22 Feb – Duke Special, Stephanie Dosen

Duke Special is surprisingly short. What with the raggedy dreadlocks, and the eyeliner that even the most tragic emo-girl might deem excessive, I'd imagined him as being tall and imposing in order to complete his completely misleading, scary appearance. But no, he's a midget, and is all the more adorable for that. I wouldn't have thought that I'd ever describe someone with his choice of hair and make-up as cute, but he's an exception. But that's besides the point- much more importantly, he is FANTASTIC live.

The support, Stephanie Dosen, was also lovely to hear as well as entertaining, even though her wackiness did seem a little forced. (Then again, maybe she really is that strange naturally, in which case, I pity those who have to spend vast amounts of time with her...) I'd never have suspected that such an insane potty mouth lurked behind her music- all gently rippling guitar, soft and sweet vocals, with a delicate string accompaniment. Still, her songs were more than good enough to make up for the slight grating that her in-between song ramblings inspired. And she was pretty funny as well- dead orphan jokes always raise a smile, right?

The Duke himself set the mood for a magical evening when the lights dimmed, the crowd hushed and 'The Teddy Bear's Picnic' floated through the speakers. He was spell-binding the whole evening through, from the opening song (don't ask me what that was, I can't remember) right through to the pretend finale, Salvation Tambourine. His band mates were fantastic as well- clarinet is incredibly underused in modern pop music in my opinion. Unfortunately, our position in the room meant we could only see percussionist Chip Bailey with craned necks, but at intervals we could still see him wield his whisk with pride and bash the drums with all the precision and grace of a crazed clockwork robot. I would have loved to have seen the incredible stumpf fiddle action- reserved for the end of the show- more clearly, and his assault on a cheese grater (Chip Bailey-approved grater and whisk available to purchase, only £4!) more clearly, but I don't know if it would have been worth giving up our excellent view of the Duke himself- we were at just the right angle to see his hands skitter and pound across the piano.

I was surprised by just how much better Duke Special's music sounded live than on record. I like Songs from the Deep Forest and all, but had always thought it was a little too glossy, much preferring live/tv performances gleaned from YouTube; seeing for myself that gloss stripped away and the songs played organically, lifted them from being just pretty orchestral pop songs to something completely unique. He managed to make the covers he performed sound completely his own- the only one I knew was Baby Britain (Elliott Smith), but if I hadn't known otherwise, I'd have thought it was his own song. The Duke was a proper showman as well, and really seemed to be loving it on stage- an enthusiasm and appreciation which shined back from the audience. And he said 'thank you' between each song, which always makes me happy- I like politeness.

The encore saw Stephanie Dosen back on stage and singing a hymn as a duet with the Duke, which was absolutely gorgeous, followed by I Let You Down (like a tonne weight). Then, finally, on their way from the stage to out the door, the Duke and his band set up in the middle of the audience for an acoustic sing-along of John Lennon Love. (This was the only point when his height was a problem, as I couldn't see him through the mass of taller people stood in a circle around him- he's not the only midget.) Then, after a tip-off from a Duke Specialist at the merchandise table, we hung around afterwards to get our posters signed by the man himself, our gratitude to him completely reciprocated. He's just such a lovely man, whose music completely matches said loveliness.

I'm going to allow myself a really cheesy conclusion, because I think he deserves it. And cheese is good. 'Angels make their music, and give my spirit wings...' Duke Special, you are one of those angels- thank you.

(And thanks Arabella for being my buddy for the night- last.fm proves itself to have nice members in real-life, again!)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/02/07/4y2b_patrick_wolf-_zodiac%2C_6th_feb Wed, 7 Feb 2007 23:13:27 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/02/07/4y2b_patrick_wolf-_zodiac%2C_6th_feb Tue 6 Feb – Patrick Wolf

LESSONS LEARNED (in chronological order)

1. Nice people from last.fm may in fact turn out to be nice people in real life.

2. Never, ever trust the Zodiac to start a gig at anything approaching a reasonable hour. Having the support act on one hour fifteen minutes after the doors open, so the main act is on an hour after that, is fine by them. They do not care that some patrons may have to leave at a certain hour in order to get public transport home, and thus miss half the gig. They have no souls.

3. No Bra is impossible to describe politely.

4. The Zodiac staff are still doing their best to protect the innocent, by soon stopping No Bra from proving his/her own name. (Yes, I know there were breasts, but I refuse to accept that he/she is an actual woman.)

5. Never feed drugs to ginger midgets. You will risk being taken out by their wildly flailing wee little limbs.

6. Patrick Wolf is a very, very pretty man. Okay, so I already knew that, but he is especially pretty when dressed in sideways hair, a swoosh of glitter over one eye and an amazing electric blue military-style-buttoned tailcoat thing.

7. Patrick Wolf is still an amazing virtuoso violinist, and Overture is a brilliant opener.

8. Virginals are far nicer sounding than harpsichords, and Mr Wolf can play one as nicely as he does the piano. And Bluebells sounds especially brilliant on it.

9. Theramins are fun. I want one.

10. The ukelele on Augustine is still incredibly menacing in the most awesome way imaginable.

11. Patrick Wolf has a friend named Craig who looks like a woman but whose name suggests otherwise (my ability to guess people's genders has been messed with after witnessing No Bra). When drunk, Craig can be persuaded to get on stage with Patrick and sing Larrkin's part on Accident and Emergency.

12. Leaving after only 45 minutes of Patrick Wolf, and hearing Tristan booming from upstairs whilst leaving the building, is very saddening indeed.

Songs we did see, in as much of an order as I can remember, are:
Overture
Let's Get Lost
To the Lighthouse
Bluebells
Jacob's Ladder
Augustine
Don't Say No
Accident & Emergency

What we saw was fantastic, but I'm still really, really annoyed that we only got to see half. Maybe there were technical difficulties or something- we only got there at eight, so we don't know. I'm particularly upset that we didn't see Bloodbeat or A Boy Like Me, as those were probably my favourites from last time.

Anyone care to fill me in on what we missed?

Patrick Wolf]]> http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/01/30/4y2a_the_foolish_wilfulness_of_the_young Tue, 30 Jan 2007 18:08:57 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/kitefish/journal/2007/01/30/4y2a_the_foolish_wilfulness_of_the_young My brother is five years older than me, and we've always got on really well- a lot better than my friends and their siblings did at that time. However, at the age of 8 and for the next few years, I pointedly refused to listen to any of the music that he liked. I was only just getting into pop music through the platform-shoed wonder of the Spice Girls- while I was furiously debating who was the best Spice Girl (Baby, clearly) with my friends, the tall, skinny boy wearing the black 'ZERO' T-shirt was a bit of an embarrassing brother to have. His music was scary and weird and I gave it a wide berth, banning it from the car tape player on long journeys and leaving the room whenever it was played.

10 years later, I am finally listening to The Smashing Pumpkins and you know what, they're bloody fantastic. While setting up my new computer, my brother kindly ripped all of his CDs (which isn't actually all that many) onto it, so I found myself with all the music I'd ignored as a child. I'd say I was missing out, but I don't think I could have coped with this back then- my ears would not have been able to handle such beautiful oddness. It took a bit of adjusting to, even now with my (hopefully) more mature musical palette- Corgan's voice still sets my nerves on edge if I pay it too much attention- but all in all, I am very happy to have the Pumpkins in my musical collection. So far I've only listened to Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie, but at some stage I will move onto the others- though this will take some courage, as they are reportedly not as good and I don't want to risk losing my newfound fondness for the band as a whole.

Has any other younger sibling ever had a similar experience?]]>