Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
November 6, 2009
…and in something of a change to scheduled programmes Ive been on the radio. Twice. BBC Radio 1 with Vic Galloway who plays two hours of undiscovered, under the radar, new scottish music. And I bring along two tracks from two scottish acts that i am digging.
In September I dragged my ass along with the following tracks;
Olympic Swimmers – I Won’t Sleep
Jousting With Dracula – Stag
And then in October, with a HELL YEAH! I laid the line with;
The John Knox Sex Club – John The Revaltor
Patricia Panther – The Darkness
Ill be back on the show on the 19th November with another two tracks that Im digging and you should too.
In the meantime check out my good friend Yvonne of Island Records choices until 12th November here..
Tags:BBC Radio 1, Introducing, jousting with dracula, olympic swimmers, patricia panther, scotland, the john knox sex club, Vic Galloway
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November 5, 2009
The word on the beaten and un-even streets of Glasgow is that Paper Planes & She’s Hit are hot. Hot like an NME front cover waiting to happen. I have seen both bands once. Liked, not loved what was going on but I’m a fucking fickle man. What I do now for certain is that the gents behind Silence Can Break Your Heart are true believers in the art of music and not the sidewalk hype of haircut types. Dae it.
Tags:captains rest, paper planes, she's hit, silence can break your heart, the fnords
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November 5, 2009
every year it is the same. you have a summer filled with festivals and stadium shows and come september you are fucking hating gigs. I call it ‘gigged-oot’. I guess thats why September is a quiet month for shows, October breaks you back in and the November just sticks its fingers down your throat and checks for that gag relex. Nope. Not this rock trooper.
So, get involved in these shows and like the title says; Stop. Listen. Watch.
The Antlers come to Glasgow a week to late to celebrate my birthday but seeing as I’ve fallen for them in the manner of a Cary Grant film (swoon) Ill let them live. 13th Note with Edinburgh’s finest Withered Hand on the 17th November
justs the week before there is a mother-truckin-mind-spilling-fierce-show on at the 13th Note. The legendary gentlman that are 45-a Side records put on one of THE lineups of the year. AND ITS ON MY BIRTHDAY!! WHOOP, Johnny!
I might blog about other gigs if only to show you who I am listening to
Peace
Tags:10th november, 13th note, 45 a side records, aberdeen, barn owl, brother louis collective, edinburgh, meursault, olympic swimmers, radio 1, the antlers, withered hand
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November 5, 2009
Its amazing. After days of drinking, playing, not sleeping, talking and generally being on the edge of your own sanity there is one unifiying element for any group suffering from the effects of the aforementioned tribulations; Tea. FUCKIN TEA!
Tea drank. Plane boarded. Flight home. Prestwick reached (shit hole) and train to Glasgow Central. Already being home is not what any of us really wanted.
In the following days we all deal with being home in different ways. Me, I took a few days off and relaxed though blagging into the Twin Atlantic freshers show and drinking my body weight in vodka & sambuca was not something i was expecting. Party hard mofo’s.
Pictures and shit will be on line the usual places like myspace & flikr. If you cant find them mail me 
Peace
Tags:drinking, ferry, flight, freshers, green tea, prestwick, sambuca, sanity, tea, twin atlantic, vodka
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November 5, 2009
Sunday. I slept in my clothes. In a very warm room. Near a German. Called Elvis. That wasnt his given name, he changed it legally. Yeah, I know.
So we assemble. And the hunt is on for food and to prepare for Cafe Mono. The show we had booked in Oslo City. We found food, Eric Overland, the man who had brought us to Norway kindly took us in and fed & water us. The hospitality of the Norwegian we met was unbelieveable and if they read this they are more than welcome to come stay in my home and enjoy Scotland while they eat my food and drink my booze.
So we head to Cafe Mono, only to find it shut. And we have all the gear we us. So, a coffee shop is found, we set up base camp and drink coffee. The entourage secure themselves touristesque t-shirts.
Into Cafe Mono we get. Dinner is sought and found. Soundchecked and ready to kill em. Bring it.
The gig is devastating, the Bronto boys slay the assembled onlookers with precision and guile. They’ll be video of it at some point. Promises and all that…. especially of Niall killing his guitar.
At this point there are two things I havent mentioned, both important;
1) we found Dave. On friday when we lost him he wandered back to Oslo city and bumped into out friend Olaf whom he had met just that day. Olaf took pity on him and allowed him to crash on his hotel room floor. Daver was reunited with us on the penisular where he was adorded.
2) our flight home on the monday meant we had to be at the bus station (Torp airport is an hour and half from Oslo, Ryan Air dont tell you that) at 6am.
So we stayed within Cafe Mono for as long as possible which meant of course to drink beer and dance to some of Olaf’s DJ choices and talk to locals. Some of us, no names, went Club hunting and found some weird and wonderful sights.
And then we find ourselves politely asked to leave Cafe Mono, thanked for our rock show and money spent on beer. To the bus station where the worlds strongest coffee and hotdogs keep us company while waiting on the bus. Though Buddy & Iain did wrestle for a short period much to the annoyance of a stern Norwegian lady similar in face to Dame Edna.
Bus to airport every mofo in the entourage sleeps, except Niall & Dave who decide that Naomi Campbell is french for fucking houk. Fuck I think the madness is setting in.
Tags:cafe mono, death, elvis, eric overland, german, guitar, norway, olafs balls, oslo, torp, tshirts, wrestle
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November 5, 2009
We are now back on pensiular. We have out belongings and gear. Now we just have to wait. This is an allday festival. We drink coffee. I smoke fags. We talk to the kids who are here to see bands and are also here to play.
Sharon had prior to us coming to Oslo signed me up to sit on a panel talking about music industry and the like. It was fun. Niall had to do the same and even managed to utter the phrase “in a coffin” to some laughter.
At last the time had come for Bronto Skylift to hit the stage, we discovered that the lighting guy was called Elvis. Of course our soundman is called Buddy. You couldn’t make this shit up.
The show is fuckin amazing! The kids love it. The old dudes love it. I sell merch to dudes in the Norwegian Army. WTF?!?!
Then the booze comes and we party through the night with our new Norwegian Friends.
Sunday will bring a new challenge and another show. A special show… HELL YEAH!
Tags:coffee, garage festival, norwegian army, olaf furniss
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November 5, 2009
So, ferry missed and beer to be drunk. Sharon, Niall & I along with our new friend Harald hit one more bar. Dave was with us, though he stopped to take pictures of cool graffity and we didnt see him again. Or did we?
Harald kindly took us to his house, where has made a beautiful home with his wife, daughter & son (though his son was presently in Canada doing Uni styled stuff). Due to the previous evenings snoring issues, Sharon & Niall decided that they would take the basement and I’d get the sofa. Though this was no 0rdinary basement. Hell no.
Harald and I are very alike, we both love to collect and to display and as such I was put to shame in comparing my tiny record collection to the vast collection Harald has assembled. CD’s, Vinyls of the 12 & 7 inch type everywhere, is order. I may have weeped slightly at its glorious site.
We slept.
Breakfast. Meet the family. Walk to the subway, we have to get to a penisular and do a rock show today. Its Saturday.
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November 5, 2009
Having left you on tenterhooks since September, here is the rest of the adventures in word form with occasional photographic bed fellows….
Friday was drinking. Talking. Sharing. We met Harald Fossberg in Cafe Mono, at this point we had no idea what we were letting ourselfs in for. Other than he was the original vocalist from Turbonegro, was now a respected music journolist and has radio show.
Quickly, and I mean within 5 mins discovered that 1) He Loves Scotland, especially Glasgow 2) Is a Glasgow Celtic fan 3) He was our kind of people
We went forth to a very cool bar/cafe called ‘Teddys’, a 50′s themed bar which Sharon was damp for since reading about it on-line. We drank beer and played classic records on the original wurlitzer jukebox. The music played, we drank cold beer and talked music. All sorts of music.
From here we went to ‘Bobs’, apparently the cheapest pint in Oslo, we redevouzed with those of the Bronto entourage that had gone a wandering. To set the scene this pub was in the East of Oslo. And it reminded this Glaswegian of drinking in the East of Glasgow, only i was safe to wear blue. The ‘cheap’ beer flowed, talk of ‘getting interesting’ spread, talk of Harald’s adventures in Glasgow made us laugh and grimice. We are the people who will batter you and then phone the ambulance to make sure you’re alright.
During this extended drinking talk of Kareoke reared it’s head. Sharon & I have previous when it comes to kareoke, Niall & Buddy shone like true popstars at Belladrum doing kareoke to assembled masses. It may have been better if we had never mentioned it…. nah.
We went drinking in some more establishments, Harald really over did the hostpitality with such kindness and determination that we would see & enjoy as much of Oslo on a Friday night as possible.
Kareoke. It happened. In deepest darkest East Oslo. Harald said something, at the point of our decision to do this, that will stay with me for the rest of my life; “There are two kareoke bars, one you will be raped in the toilets, the other is ok”. I actually dont know which one we went to. But no one was raped. As such. No more words on kareoke. There is video, lots of video of it. Though will it ever be seen I dont know.
Due to kareoke, drinking more beer, lithuanian women and drinking. Sharon, Niall & I missed the last ferry to the penisular. Though this was not of concern to us as Harald said we could stay with him. After a few more drinks.
the best record store i visited in oslo
Tags:bronto skylift, harald fossberg, cafe mono, turbonegro, teddys, beer, jukebox, oslo, kareoke, tiger reccords
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