Friday, December 26, 2008

WE'VE MOVED

That's what the sign says.

I have decided to MAKE TIME to start blogging again so we're here now:

www.redpenguin.net

Hope to see you soon ....

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Gestir

It's a long way from the Faroe Islands to the Hope and Anchor. One of London's seminal venues, its 70s pub rock and punk pedigree is legendary. The list of bands who have played there is endless .. Madness, U2, The Damned, XTC, The Stranglers, Spandau Ballet ... it's pretty much the smallest venue with the smallest stage I can think of still hosting regular shows. If you get 50 people in there, they're shoulder to shoulder.



I found out about Gestir about a year ago when some of the very learned music fans on the forum of West Ham's fans website Knees Up Mother Brown. To the lazy and uninitiated it would be easy to compare them to Iceland's Sigur Ros, as they both create beautiful landscapes of sound and soft vocal harmonies. But there is more than a bit of Radiohead involved and I am sure I can detect a bit of early 90s shoegaze too, although no one else in the small but appreciative crowd would admit it (possibly because they're too young to remember ...)



The band played a shortish set of six songs, including two new compositions in English, It's Over and Crashing. A new album is planned and will feature more songs in English rather than their native Faroese.

Recommended listening: Gestir's one album to date, Burtur Frá Toftunum, with the stand out tracks being Sum Urt, Mitt Í Verðini and Dogg. You can see them at www.myspace.com/gestir.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Bloc Party - Mercury (new single)

Bloody hell, where's the guitars?

 

New single premiered for the first time on some BBC station today.  It's "out" on 11 August.  Hope I manage to get it after a few plays because I haven't got it so far ... it's a good song but a bit different to the first time I heard Little Thoughts playing.

 

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/8011212/bloc_party_-_mercury.mp3

Friday, July 04, 2008

Glam Chops (Art Brut / David Devant spin-off) live on BBC 6music

It sounds good on paper and it sounds good on, erm, digital ones and zeroes so far too.  This is an "indie supergroup" whose main proponents are two not-quite-so-super superstars in the terms of record sales a la U2 or Coldplay, but we still have nine of them including the wonderful Eddie Argos from Art Brut and The Vessel from David Devant And His Spirit Wife (or Mr Solo or whatever madness he calls himself these days). 

 

Both bands are great live and I'm sure that this lot, a PROPER GLAM ROCK outfit apparently, will offer more of the same - I should be finding out at the Offset Festival in Hainault, Essex at the end of August.  For now here's the three tracks they played for Marc Riley last night on the BBC.

 

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/363813/glam_chops_6_music_session.rar

 

Other links:

 

Splendidly-titled official Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/paranoiddogbark

http://the-eddie-argos-resource.blogspot.com/ (not sure if this is official or not, but it's clearly got a lot of insider knowledge)

 

 

 

Monday, June 30, 2008

British Sea Power at Glastonbury 2008

Only four of the eight song set I'm afraid - the BBC thought that Kings of
Leon and Amy Winehouse were a better bet. I'm seriously thinking of not
renewing my licence fee. (Actually, that's not true. I love the Beeb).

And unlike the NME's coverage, I've accompanied this little storyette with a
picture of British Sea Power, and not one of Crowded House. (No, I don't
either). And I missed their reported epic version of No Flags. (No, I
don't, etc).

Songs included here:
Waving Flags
The Great Skua
No Lucifer
Down On The Ground

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/3195267/british_sea_power_glastonbury_2008.rar

NME coverage link: http://www.nme.com/news/british-sea-power/37700

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Young Knives at Glastonbury 2008

Looking forward to seeing this lot at the Upload Festival in Hainault Forest
on 30 or 31 August (not sure which one yet). The festival is organised by a
group that used to run the TMF Festival in Orsett, Essex and they have a
pretty eclectic line up - anyone that can put Young Knives with bands like
Chrome Hoof have obviously looked the word up in the dictionary. Saw them
at Chinnery's in Southend in March and they were absolutely fantastic.

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/8738895/young_knives_glastonbury_2008_part_1.rar
http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/2253337/young_knives_glastonbury_2008_part_2.rar

Ting Tings at Glastonbury 2008

Set:
We Walk
Great DJ
Shut Up And Let Me Go
Be The One
We Started Nothing
That's Not My Name

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/8858304/ting_tings_glastonbury_2008_part_1.rar
http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/2058918/ting_tings_glastonbury_2008_part_2.rar

Foals at Glastonbury 2008

A few sets which I have ripped from digital TV so they should be better
quality than the ones available on various "listen again" web places.

I'm also using uploadjockey to host the files, which seems to be able to log
into rapidshare, something I can't do about 18 hours a day due to it being
very crashy. If it doesn't work, or the popups and ads annoy you,
apologies.

Foles r grate tho. Didn't play Olympic Airways which is my favourite track
off Antidotes right now but good enough.

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/3503470/foals_glastonbury_2008_part_1.rar
http://www.uploadjockey.com/download/6200440/foals_glastonbury_2008_part_2.rar

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Radiohead cover Portishead's "The Rip"

Just love this video, the fact that such a big band can cover such a song and then post a lo-fi version of it up on the net.



First post in months? Surely not ....

Monday, October 29, 2007

Dan le Sac, Scroobius Pip and I Shouted Gun

Firstly .. I am on the lookout for a new digital camera that takes good audio in very loud places. My Fuji F700 was awesome at this - but it broke after many years' use, and my Fuji E900 is somewhat pony by comparison.

Secondly .. why does it always piss down whenever I go to Southend?

I Shouted Gun feat Scroobius Pip - Heston



Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Letter From God (the one that nicked the Radiohead riff)

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Sohodolls in Southend

Yeah I decided to post something again, big whoop!

Filmed last night in Chinnery's, Southend on Sea, on the edge of the world. (That's why the crowd is always on the low side).

The audio is OK, not GREAT. I'm now filming with a Fuji 900 which is nowehere near as good as the 700 I used for years. But then the sound system at Chinnery's always makes your ears bleed anyway, so what can you do?


Sohodolls - My Vampire




Sohodolls - Right And Right Again


Support was from two local bands, 586 and Weirdgear. Worth checking out for different reasons. One is a punk band that lives in a fairground. The other is firmly bolted into 1981 like no other band on earth.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Want to work for MTV?

Want to write the funny captions on MTV2?

Do you have the reading and spelling ability of a five year old?



Sorry, you're overqualified

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Brit Awards - the list of winners in full

British Male Solo Artist: M J Hibbett

British Female Solo Artist: Kate Bush

British Group: Art Brut

British Single: New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream

British Album: Long Blondes - Someone To Drive You Home

British Breakthrough Act: Hot Puppies

British Live Act: The Others

International Male Solo Artist: Simple Kid

International Female Solo Artist: Joan As Policewoman

International Group: The Blood Arm

International Album: Couse and the Impossible - The World Should Know

International Breakthrough Act: The Grates

Outstanding Contribution to Music: Sultans of Ping

There are lists circulating in other places (BBC, NME, etc) showing a different list of winners, such as Amy Winehouse, Orson, Oasis, etc etc. Please ignore that list, it was a first draft and not the intended one for publication.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The f***ing Brits

If there's one thing that makes me angry every February it's the Brits.

1. I have to watch ITV for 2 hours. That's as much ITV as I am going to watch in any one year.
2. I thought Mastercard had produced the worst adverts possible during Euro 2006, but oh no, they're excelling themselves now!
3. There's a horrible constant squeal all the way through the show. (It's the audience).
4. Corinne Bailey Rae.
5. Tom Baker on voiceovers. Well done, that's really encapsulated the fucking zeitgeist, hasn't it.

Plus a load of people who are terrible win prizes, the live performances are horrible, yadda yadda.

My 3 year old loved the Scissor Sisters routine. "Look, they've got no bodies! They're flying!" Says it all really. I sent him to bed straight after that.

Oh Jesus, the Arctic Monkeys have not only won an award, they've dressed up as the Wizard of Oz. (walks off to kick cat)

So what's good about it?

Russell Brand - who I love for this reason alone: words, moving pictures. Half of his routine seemed to be in this morning's Daily Mirror - nice to get paid twice for one bit of work, innit?

As ever, XRRF provided a great running commentary, explaining with wit what I can only spit out angered abuse.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Dude, Garry Kasparov is left-handed!

I told this joke to 10 people and not one of them thought it was funny. Is it me, or is it them?

A guy gets on a long-distance flight. He's just getting comfortable when somebody sits down next to him. He looks up and wow, it's Garry Kasparov. Kasparov basks for a moment in the recognition.

Some way into the flight, the meals are cleared away and Garry produces an elegant little wooden travel chess set. He begins to play. After a while Kasparov asks the guy whether he would like to play chess to kill time. The guy replies, 'Hey Garry, You think I don't know who you are? I can't compete with a world champion.'

Kasparov - 'How about if I play left handed ?'

The guy thinks about this for a minute, then agrees. He is demolished in 8 moves, and is inconsolable for the rest of the journey. On landing he meets his friend, who asks him how the flight was. 'It was terrible,' he says. 'Completely humiliating. I played chess with Garry Kasparov and he beat me in spite of him playing left-handed!'

His friend replies - 'Ha! You were swindled! Dude, Garry Kasparov is left-handed!!'

If you didn't enjoy that, you won't enjoy these six songs that I am liking a lot at the moment.

Bird And The Bee - Again And Again.mp3
Charlotte Hatherley - Behave.mp3
CSS - Off The Hook.mp3
Hadouken! - That Boy That Girl.mp3
Maximo Park - Our Velocity.mp3
Metric - Empty.mp3

More of my stuff

• Red Penguin bandphotos
• Brentwood's Only Alternative
• My Audioscrobbler stats
• Gigs I Can Remember

Other good stuff to read

• Good Weather For Airstrikes
• Like Flies On Sherbert
• No Rock & Roll Fun
• Obscure Sound
• Silence Is A Rhythm Too
• Take Your Medicine
• The Torture Garden
• Unarocks
• Whatever's Left

Previous Posts

• WE'VE MOVED
• Gestir
• Bloc Party - Mercury (new single)
• Glam Chops (Art Brut / David Devant spin-off) live...
• British Sea Power at Glastonbury 2008
• Young Knives at Glastonbury 2008
• Ting Tings at Glastonbury 2008
• Foals at Glastonbury 2008
• Radiohead cover Portishead's "The Rip"
• Dan le Sac, Scroobius Pip and I Shouted Gun

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