…nothing to see here. Sorry it’s been a bit quiet, but then you see nothing’s really happened. The weather’s been hideous, I’ve been to work, liverpool have been far from mighty, blah de blah de blah. Normalcy reigns.
It being the end of january, though, does mean another month has bitten the dust. The current score for those following The Plan™ is, therefore: 26 down, 14 to go.
w00t.
Here we are again, then, for the badly-advertised and luckily-spotted return of the bluetones to this parish. One of my favourite bands on record or live, the boys never fail to please, from the opening bars of Autophilia to the closing rendition of If… they were on as fine form as ever.
They’d made a return to the sartorial preference of yesteryear, too, mainly sporting suits and ties, and in Mark’s case, a nice jumper too, to protect himself from the harsh northern weather. Bless. To my shame I haven’t got round to buying their most recent album (but they’re in good company on that score in that I have been super-slack in record-buying terms lately), but the newer stuff sounded really good. They played some of my personal faves as well including the rather fab Fast Boy and Emily’s Pine. Noice.
Here they are in all their fuzzy glory:
In a vaguely Tap way, their banner at the back was clearly made for slightly larger venues than this, for only ‘the bluetone’ could be seen. I had wondered if they were only going to come on one at a time. Or something.
Anyway, we heart the bluetones. My only complaint? The audience, who were rubbish. Clearly appreciative at the end of each number, they were bizarrely aloof and too cool to clap/dance for the most part. There was more noise coming from our old person’s section near the back than from further forward. This, I should point out, is most unusual for this band. Never seen it so quiet before. The band themselves looked a little bemused at times. Hopefully it won’t put them off making the effort to keep coming back. Great band, great venue. Nuff said.
Last night I went to see foxgang at a slightly odd but friendly place on leith walk called the meridian. I say slightly odd because it looks bigger from the outside than it seems on the inside, like some sort of inverted tardis. Or something. Anyway, the boys have been gigging a fair bit lately and, technical glitches aside (i.e. joe kicking out everyone else’s plugs) they were pretty tight. I confess to being quite jealous of Pawel’s drumming in particular. The boy can play. Luke manfully made up for the absence of their bass player Allen (who is off being an oil baron in the gulf – true story) by handling the bass lines as well as his keyboard parts. The other slightly odd thing about the venue, which is the scene of the ‘gang’s monthly residency, is that the gig room, upstairs, is rather like being in someone’s lounge – sofas and all. The giveaway, fortunately, is the bar in the corner, inconveniently to the right of the stage, but still.
It was a fun gig, and everyone, band and audience, seemed to enjoy themselves. Ryan was on form too – his response to joe muscling in on lead vocals at one point? Nip off to the loo, then come back to save joe from himself, gently bopping him on the forehead with the mic. Class.
Great stuff. Go see them if you get the chance (dates listed on their myspace page – next edinburgh date valentine’s day @ cabaret voltaire). Easyjet for christmas No.1 single. You heard it here first.
ps – I did take a couple of (phone) pics, but they’re shit, so you’re missing nowt.
I learned yesterday that sugar passed away last tuesday. Sugar was Jean’s – our – cat and had lived at my folks’ house since about 1991, I’m guessing. She was part Persian and part Turkish Van (sp?) and was lovely. Temperamental, but then duh, that === cat. Anyway, she was 17 and frankly, worn out, but even so it’s still a loss. The place is, apparently, somewhat quieter. On the plus side, she, along with her sibling, spice, was rescued by the cat protection league from human vermin who should have been dragged into the streets and flogged, and then subsequently given the best cat life I can imagine by Jean, who should probably be patron saint of cats, imho.
My attitude to that piece on the edinburgh tattoo has been somewhat altered. I know, I know – contrary soul that I am. I prefer complex, though. Ahem.
Anyway, whatever, those of you who have been paying attention may remember that I struggled somewhat to pluck up the courage to submit my first ever piece of writing for consideration by another human being. Well, last friday evening when I got home from work and checked my email, I had the most pleasant of surprises. There, in my rtwl.com inbox, was an email from a very dear and, I thought, long lost friend whom I haven’t seen or heard from in, ooh, fifteen years or so. And how did she find me? By googling that first travel article and joining a few dots. How ace is that? I do declare, therefore, my first profit from writing. It absolutely made my weekend, I can tell you 
Also, at a stroke, she takes the title of my farthest-flung friend, having moved to new zealand in the intervening years. And so, let me introduce you: everyone, Jane; Jane, everyone. Play nicely now 
For those of you who don’t frequent b3ta (why not?), this is the bestest thing ever this week.
As the saying goes, you may just get it. Wtf am I on about now? Well, I had been silently bemoaning to myself the almost total lack of reaction, from almost anyone, to the articles I’ve thus far contributed. Early doors I know, and it’s not put me off at all, but indifference really is the worst thing EVER. The thing we always used to say in my forst band, the candles, was that if the audience (if we had one…) loved us, great, if they hated us, fine, but no reaction, silent unmoved indifference is the worst. To have no impact at all. Ugh. Still makes me, erm, smart. Ahem.
So anyway, every month they send me an email which has a list of their top ten featured articles for the month. And what do you know:
yep, in with a bullet at no.6, the one I’m least happy with, to the point where I didn’t bother asking to see the edit and then they went and changed the bloody title for one that is (a) rubbish and (b) ruined a perfectly good gag. Lesson learned there anyway.
Oh well. If one more person reads it I guess that’s good. Ever onward. I am in the final throes of a short piece on surviving Indian traffic which is better I think. Funnier and, crucially, quite short
Another victim of birthday-adjacent-to-new-year-ness is adele, whose birthday it is today. Good luck with the LOTR marathon, and many happy returns:
After a fun and thankfully less-mental-than-usual evening round the strachans’ for new year’s eve (for which, thanks guys!) I’m feeling much better than expected. I never have, and never will, get involved in resolutions. And that’s a promise. Erm…
Anyway, good luck everyone. Here we go again
