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London, baby
Jan. 12th, 2008 12:58 amJust back from seeing Monkey Swallows the Universe play one of their last gigs before going "on hiatus", whatever that means, dammit *mutter*. They were fab. Went along with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
miss_mcq, and a good time was had by all. They closed with Ice Cream Man and Jimmy, which couldn't have pleased me more, and did stonking versions of several numbers, including Martin and Sheffield Shanty. Cool as fuck. Oh, and the support, Champion Kickboxer, were good enough for us to want to buy an EP each.
Note to self, and anyone else who might be in Shepherd's Bush for a gig at Bush Hall: the restaurant just down on the other side of the road, the Nepalese Tandoori (that's actually its name) does good food and is really friendly.
Anyway. It's nearly 1am, so I'm off to bed now, but if anyone fancies maybe meeting for lunch in London tomorrow before I head back, I can hang around; am currently in Pimlico.
ETA: Now off for breakfast probably followed by the Tate Modern :)
miss_mcq, and a good time was had by all. They closed with Ice Cream Man and Jimmy, which couldn't have pleased me more, and did stonking versions of several numbers, including Martin and Sheffield Shanty. Cool as fuck. Oh, and the support, Champion Kickboxer, were good enough for us to want to buy an EP each.Note to self, and anyone else who might be in Shepherd's Bush for a gig at Bush Hall: the restaurant just down on the other side of the road, the Nepalese Tandoori (that's actually its name) does good food and is really friendly.
Anyway. It's nearly 1am, so I'm off to bed now, but if anyone fancies maybe meeting for lunch in London tomorrow before I head back, I can hang around; am currently in Pimlico.
ETA: Now off for breakfast probably followed by the Tate Modern :)
Westonbirt
Mar. 25th, 2007 05:07 pmWent around (a small part of) Westonbirt Arboretum yesterday morning. Very cool place, with very cool trees, as you might expect. Unfortunately Caro only had the morning off, so we didn't get to do the whole thing, but we're definitely going back. Maybe when it's a bit warmer!
My photos from the day are here for anyone who wants to see them. I got a few good ones, and threw many others away because the light wasn't quite good enough for my little snappy camera and my not-so-steady hands :)
My photos from the day are here for anyone who wants to see them. I got a few good ones, and threw many others away because the light wasn't quite good enough for my little snappy camera and my not-so-steady hands :)
Mmmm. FAO: Bristolians, or anyone visiting Bristo, I can heartily recommend Yum Yum Thai on Park Street. Really gorgeous food. I had a red curry with crispy duck, pineapple and cherry tomatoes, and it was lush.
I probably wouldn't ever have made it there, what with my local Thai, the Siam Harbourside, being equally gorgeous and only five minutes away, but it was a work do, so Yum Yum was more convenient. And if I'm ever near Park Street, I probably won't bother walking all the way back to the Siam from now on :)
I probably wouldn't ever have made it there, what with my local Thai, the Siam Harbourside, being equally gorgeous and only five minutes away, but it was a work do, so Yum Yum was more convenient. And if I'm ever near Park Street, I probably won't bother walking all the way back to the Siam from now on :)
Whoooooooooooo-hhooooooooooooooooo!
Just back from a stonkingly amazing Thea Gilmore gig at the Fleece in Bristol. I'd forgotten that she was preggers; I haven't seen a woman that pregnant on a stage since Neneh Cherry :) "I'm growing a new roadie." "Just one!?" "I bloody hope so..."
Brilliant set, lots of new stuff, plenty of old stuff, brilliantly together and charming as usual. Lots of full-band songs, with a lovely little section in the middle of just-Thea and just-Thea-and-Nigel. And a lovely crowd; nattered to lots of random people, and met up with a guy I used to work with at NatWest, too.
So. On a bit of a high, now. God knows how long it's going to take me to get to sleep.
Just back from a stonkingly amazing Thea Gilmore gig at the Fleece in Bristol. I'd forgotten that she was preggers; I haven't seen a woman that pregnant on a stage since Neneh Cherry :) "I'm growing a new roadie." "Just one!?" "I bloody hope so..."
Brilliant set, lots of new stuff, plenty of old stuff, brilliantly together and charming as usual. Lots of full-band songs, with a lovely little section in the middle of just-Thea and just-Thea-and-Nigel. And a lovely crowd; nattered to lots of random people, and met up with a guy I used to work with at NatWest, too.
So. On a bit of a high, now. God knows how long it's going to take me to get to sleep.
(no subject)
Apr. 8th, 2006 10:35 pm |
Brunel 200 Cool. Just back from the switching-on of the new Suspension Bridge lights, accompanied by a really long and lovely firework display. This kicks of the Brunel 200 celebrations in Bristol; I dare say I'll have a few more events to post about in the next few months. At some point I'll go up to the bridge for a nighttime shoot of the new lights; they look pretty spectacular, but I couldn't get a good shot tonight because there were several thousand people in the way... |
Another Saturday, Another Hangover
Oct. 29th, 2005 12:32 pmBut there are two good things about this hangover. Firstly, it's quite mild, and secondly, this week, I didn't have to go to the optician first thing in the morning and have lights shone into my eyes and my contacts prodded about.
I did go to the optician, as it happens, but only at about midday, and only to pick up six months' supply of contact lenses, because the trial ones turned out to work pretty damn' well once the left one had been changed for a different shape.
Hangover was from the company quiz night last night, which was fun.
So. Now all I have to do is to work off the calories from five pints of beer and the fish & chips I just had to have on the way home, and everything'll be fine. Hmm. Oh! And also the calories from the "identify the ice cream" round, which gets my award for "most splendid quiz round idea ever."
( medical stuff )
I did go to the optician, as it happens, but only at about midday, and only to pick up six months' supply of contact lenses, because the trial ones turned out to work pretty damn' well once the left one had been changed for a different shape.
Hangover was from the company quiz night last night, which was fun.
So. Now all I have to do is to work off the calories from five pints of beer and the fish & chips I just had to have on the way home, and everything'll be fine. Hmm. Oh! And also the calories from the "identify the ice cream" round, which gets my award for "most splendid quiz round idea ever."
( medical stuff )
Went to the launch of Claire Williamson's new poetry book, Ride On last night, at the Arnolfini.
The turnout was great, with the best part of a hundred people pitching up, much more than the average book launch around here. The event itself was great, with Claire doing several readings, but also including film poems and live Spanish guitar to mix things up a bit.
Claire's poetry is superb. She can do light and fluffy stuff, but also really gets to you with the rawer, more personal poems. Her upbringing wasn't exactly conventional, and her brother committed suicide, and Ride On is very much an autobiographical account in poetry of key events in her life. Real heart-wrenching stuff.
The only shame was that the event was dogged by technical problems -- amplifiers which sounded like someone was making popcorn in the background, film cueing problems, and an intermittent microphone. Which was a great shame, because the atmosphere at these things is always kind of fragile, and it doesn't take a lot to break it.
Still, she carried on with dignity, and blew people away, basically. They must have been pretty impressed, because she sold 80 books after the show. She was signing for ages!
Anyway. Saw lots of people I knew at least peripherally from other events, plus Nicola from the Word Boat events and Nicki, one of the poets at the last Word Boat1. Nicki's invited me over to her place at the weekend for some food; I've said we should take in the RWA Autumn Exhibition launch, too.
Summary: Pretty cool evening.
1A review by Yours Truly!
The turnout was great, with the best part of a hundred people pitching up, much more than the average book launch around here. The event itself was great, with Claire doing several readings, but also including film poems and live Spanish guitar to mix things up a bit.
Claire's poetry is superb. She can do light and fluffy stuff, but also really gets to you with the rawer, more personal poems. Her upbringing wasn't exactly conventional, and her brother committed suicide, and Ride On is very much an autobiographical account in poetry of key events in her life. Real heart-wrenching stuff.
The only shame was that the event was dogged by technical problems -- amplifiers which sounded like someone was making popcorn in the background, film cueing problems, and an intermittent microphone. Which was a great shame, because the atmosphere at these things is always kind of fragile, and it doesn't take a lot to break it.
Still, she carried on with dignity, and blew people away, basically. They must have been pretty impressed, because she sold 80 books after the show. She was signing for ages!
Anyway. Saw lots of people I knew at least peripherally from other events, plus Nicola from the Word Boat events and Nicki, one of the poets at the last Word Boat1. Nicki's invited me over to her place at the weekend for some food; I've said we should take in the RWA Autumn Exhibition launch, too.
Summary: Pretty cool evening.
1A review by Yours Truly!
