More Acts Announced for Electric Picnic...

We're really looking forward to this now as Santogold and Hercules & Love Affair will be playing too. Here's the press release:

The ever-colourful line up for Electric Picnic continues to blossom and fascinate as more of the most happening acts on the planet hop on board the magic bus to Stradbally this year. From some of the brightest young acts of 2008 such as Santogold, Crystal Castles and Hercules and Love Affair to emotional artrock stalwarts Elbow and the electro elite of Chromeo, Cut Copy and Tiga and the incredible 14- piece afrobeat orchestra Antibalas. From rock right through to dance electro, funk, world, and reggae these acts will provide something to suit all picnickers musical tastes at Stradbally Hall this August.

ACTS JUST ADDED:
Santogold
Crystal Castles
Chromeo
Elbow
Cut Copy
Digital Mystikz
Tiga
Hercules & Love Affair
Antibalas
Gomez
Gemma Hayes
Giveamanakick
Super Extra Bonus Party
The Black Lips
Carbon/Silicon
The Faint
The Presets
Digitalism
The Congos
The Herbaliser

BODYTONIC ACTS ALSO JUST ANNOUNCED:
Modeselektor
Roni Size presents Reprazent Live
The Count & Sinden Live
Rob Hood
Diplo
Toddla T
Trusme Live
Charles Webster Live featuring AtJazz, Emily Chick & Tera Deva
Kerri Chandler Live
Redshape
Sambatuc 20-30 Piece Samba Band
Benga
Prins Thomas & Lindstrom
Aaron Jerome Live
Bodytonic Soundsystem

For more details check www.electricpicnic.ie

This adds to the existing line-up:
Sex Pistols, Sigur Ros, My Bloody Valentine, Franz Ferdinand, George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars, Grinderman, Goldfrapp, Christy Moore, Wilco, The Gossip, Duffy, Underworld, Tinariwen, CSS, Tindersticks, Duffy, New Young Pony Club, Josh Ritter, Lisa Hannigan, Cathy Davey, That Petrol Emotion, The Breeders, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sinead O'Connor, The Waterboys, The Roots, Kila, Micah P Hinson, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Hayseed Dixie, Candi Staton, Juana Molina, Turin Brakes, Faust, Midnight Juggernauts, Tartit, Hadouken!, Silver Apples, Mark Geary, Teitur, Blitzen Trapper, Absentee, Balanescu Quartet, Lou Rhodes, Adrian Crowley, One Day International, The Yard Dogs, Tobias Froberg, Boss Volenti, Dawn Landes, Constantines, Yacht, Lionheart Brothers, Large Mound, Emmy the Great, Foals, Kormac (live show), Jape, Noisettes, Dublin Gospel Choir…plus many more to be announced.

Triplets June 2008...

Yesterday afternoon Mark and I went over to see Saran, Ben and the triplets. We had a lovely lunch, some time to play some games while the kids where napping and then lots of time playing with the kids once they were awake. They are two and a half now so full of energy, talking (some Spanish too) and great fun to be with. Below are some snaps. 

Save Our Soho...

Evil Westminster Council are trying to get outdoor drinking banned in Soho. Sign up to help defeat this ludicrous idea: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaveOurSoho/
[Thanks Popbitch]

A Clockwork Orange...

Stanley Kubrick banned A Clockwork Orange not long after it was released at the cinema in the UK after all the negative publicity in the press. The ban was vigorously pursued during Kubrick's lifetime. The Scala cinema at Kings Cross in London defied the ban in 1993, and was sued and lost. Unable to meet the cost of the defence, the cinema club was forced into receivership. It's now the Scala night club. Shame really as we used to love going to the Scala cinema all-nighters back in the mid-1980s.

Sir Alan picks his new Apprentice...

Season four of the The Apprentice finished at 10pm last night. Lee won. Unfortunately the BBC News web site let the cat out of the bag 1 minute early. Shame on them.

O2 prices up the latest iPhone...

O2 has confirmed its pricing on the new iPhone, and will give away the 3G version of Apple's baby for £45 a month from the 11th of July. Punters who only want to spend £30 a month will have to shell out £99 on the 8GB model, and £159 for 16GB of storage. Even those prepared to spend £45 a month will have to find £59 for 16GB, and only those willing to sign up to £75 a month will get the most storage for 'free'.

Summer Heights High...

Summer Heights High started last night on BBC3. I've seen most of them already on DVD but great to see them again. Very funny. Especially Mr G.

Soft Cell - Heat : The Remixes...

Soft Cell have got a new album out soon:

The first duo of electro pop Soft Cell release a remix album entitled ‘Heat : The Remixes’ through Some Bizzare/Universal on August 4th 2008. The double album includes 26 brand new interpretations of many classic Soft Cell singles, plus key album tracks, b-sides and rarities. All the remixes featured on the album have been reworked by genuine fans of the band, resulting in the respectful updating of a seminal electronic era. A 40 track expanded digital edition, featuring additional bonus remixes and tracks not on the CD will also be available, and some of the key club mixes/dubs will possibly be released on DJ-only vinyl.
Final tracklisting is now confirmed as follows:
CD1 1. Memorabilia – Cicada Remix 2. Bedsitter – Manhattan Clique Remix 3. Tainted Love – Dakeyne Remix 4. Youth – The Memory Band Remix 5. Torch – Manhattan Clique Remix (Edit) 6. Where The Heart Is – Marcas Lancaster Remix 7. Seedy Films – Richard X Remix 8. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye – Marcas Lancaster Remix 9. What – Simon Plastiq Remix 10. Numbers – Spektrum Remix 11. Insecure Me – Trevor Jackson / Playgroup Remix (Edit) 12. Soul Inside – Readers Wives Remix 13. A Man Can Get Lost – Marcello Remix CD2 1. Heat – Yer Man Remix 2. Meet Murder My Angel - Marc Almond & Kinky Roland Remix 3. Sex Dwarf – The Grid Remix 4. Baby Doll – Nitewreckers Remix 5. Secret Life - George Demure Remix 6. Chips On My Shoulder – Mark Moore & Kinky Roland Remix 7. Barriers – Dark Poets Remix 8. Surrender To A Stranger – MHC Remix (Edit) 9. Little Rough Rhinestone – Solvent Remix 10. Frustration – Punx Soundcheck Remix 11. The Art Of Falling Apart – Atomizer Remix 12. Her Imagination – Monkey Farm Frankenstein Remix 13. Martin – Nitewreckers Remix

Also watch out for brand new expanded editions of Soft Cell's classic albums 'Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret', which will also be released on August 4th 2008. 'The Art Of Falling Apart' and 'This Last Night In Sodom' will also be released at a later stage.

Sparks...

Brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals) have been going as the outfit Sparks for thirty-eight years now. And Paul, Mike, Stu and I had the delight to go and see them perform on Saturday night at the Carling Academy Islington. Sparks were performing their seventeenth album Plagiarism, a sort of tribute album out in 1998 and probably the nearest thing they had to a greatest hits collection at the time.

Sparks have influenced many bands over the years - inventing the synth-duo-with-the-antimated-singer-and-the-miserable-keyboardist much copied by the likes of Depeche Mode, New Order, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Soft Cell.

As it was, on Saturday night the boys didn't disappoint; Russ's voice was as good as ever and Ron stood there as stoic as ever. The sound was great too. A string section, a brass section and a lively band gave the electronic sounds a depth and vibrancy. We were treated to the Giorgio Moroder produced Beat The Clock, Something For The Girl With Everything, Popularity, Change, Funny Face, Popularity and the sublime This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us. As an encore they were joined on stage by Jimmy Sommerville to perform The Number One Song In Heaven. Magic.

Gang Rape...

Statistically... 9 out of 10 people enjoy gang rape.

Office Rage...

Probably not real but fun if it was. When office worker goes bonkers.

New contestants enter BB9 house...

Here are some of the texts I got last night:
"Christ fucking Jesus God Almighty wanking shitty Hell!"
"A dancer? He's the BMI of an elephant"
"Nutter. Another shebang. She'll last 5 mins"
"Responsibility dodging racist slut"
"It's between her and Helen Keller"
"Now they're all in I'm not watching for a week, Can't watch attention seeking screamers."

Yes, the ninth series of Big Brother is under way after a record 16 contestants pieces of pond life entered the Channel 4 show's house.

A theme in this year's show is "zero tolerance". Hmm. I wonder how often the producers will bend their own rules for the ones they think are popular (rating whores that they are)?

Shaun Mario Marconi
Lisa Appleton
Luke Marsden
Stephanie McMichael
Rachel Rice
Dale Howard
Sylvia Barrie
Dennis McHugh
Mikey Hughes
Alexandra De-Gale
Rex Newmark
Mohamed Mohamed
Rebecca Shiner
Darnell Swallow
Jennifer Clark
Kathreya Kasisopa

Hercules and Love Affair...

Last night David and I went to see Hercules and Love Affair at the Raymond Soho Revue Bar in the London's glitzy West End.

Sadly no Antony Hegarty on the night but the crowd (and we) didn't seem to mind. It was a great show. We got the whole album done in a segue fashion which I'd not heard done before. It meant the show had a degree of urgency to it and people didn't stop dancing.

Stand out track on the night: Blind
Close run stand out track of the night: cover of Blue Oyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper. Fab.

Santogold...

Last night Ben, Stu and I went to the Scala in London's increasing-upmarket-but-still-a-bit-edgy Kings Cross to see songwriter, producer, and singer from Philadelphia: Santogold.

Santogold's real name is actually Santi White and although she's been around for a while I had only come across her once before when she appeared on Mark Ronson's 2007 album Version, performing on a cover of The Jam's Pretty Green. Santogold was in fact the lead singer of Stiffed, but she was offered a solo contract. Her debut album, Santogold, then followed in April. Santogold’s style has been defined as a mix of dub, electronic, indie rock, new wave, and punk rock. It certainly has many 1980s influences: XTC... Siouxsie... Pixies... Musical Youth... which is a good thing!

Favourite song of the night: L.E.S. Artistes followed closely by Lights Out
Slight niggle of the night: late appearance on stage
Best position of the night: the single depth balcony view that we had

The End of the CD Single?...

According to the BBC Woolworths have announced that they will no longer sell CD singles in their stores because of the "terminal decline" of the format. It could signal the end of the CD single as Woolworths is one of the largest music retailers, selling one in three of the UK's CDs.

Brain Teaser Answer...

40mph. Average speed is total distance/total time = 2 x Distance/((Distance/70mph)+(Distance/28mph))=2/((1/70)+(1/28))= 2/((70+28)/(70x28)) = 2x70x28/98 = 40mph

Hairspray...

Last night Stu and I (and everyone else from my office) went out to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the company I work for.

We had drinks and dinner at the Ritz followed by a show - Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

We had both seen Hairspray before. Twice. Once in New York and once in London. But it was just as good as ever. Leanne Jones was still pumping out the energy as Tracy Turnblad and Michael Ball was still hilarious as Edna Turnblad.

We sang, we laughed, we sang some more.

Giant 'telescope' links London, New York...

The vision of Victorian engineer Alexander Stanhope St. George had finally been realized. No really.

Brain Teaser...

A car covers an outward journey at 70 mph. It returns over exactly the same distance in heavy traffic, at only 28 mph. What is the car's average speed over the entire journey?

Give It 2 Me...

Rather like Madonna's last album Confessions on a Dance Floor where I prefered Sorry to Hung Up on her new album I prefer the second single Give It 2 Me to the first outing 4 minutes from Hard Candy. Very Gwen Stefani. Which is a good thing.

Emma and Carolina's Wedding...

Last Saturday Emma and Carolina held their Civil Partnership at Westminster Town Hall and afterwards upstairs at The Railway Tavern in Liverpool Street. Friends and family joined them on what was a lovely day. Below are some snaps from the day.

Wright Hassall...

Solicitor's can be a Wright Hassall.

Terry's All Gold...

A Streetcar Named...

Now I've finally got rid of Bessie I've joined the car club Streetcar rather than replacing her. Seems far more environmentally friendly for a low user like myself. It was very easy to join - took just five mins. Whatsmore I told them I'd read the Islington pamphlet last year encouraging people to give up their cars that had a five free hours offer on it so the guy gave me £24.75 free on my account as a Member Welcome Credit. Cool. I've got my first trip booked for Sunday so I'll let you know how I get on. They say that car pooling is the future. Well, perhaps for us city mice anyway.

Goodbye Russell, Hello Steven...

As has been widely predicted, after the upcoming four specials Russell T Davies is to step down as executive producer of Doctor Who to be replaced by Steven Moffat. Moffat has written some of the best episodes of Doctor Who in recent years including The Girl in the Fireplace, The Empty Child and the super creepy Blink (for which he picked up the best writer Bafta early this month). So I think that season five in 2010 will be in a safe pair of hands.

Sweden tipped to win Eurovision

It looks like Sweden is going to win Eurovision this year. Well, according to a pre-voting competition anyway. And we'll probably be smiling and waving and coming in second to last.

And Popbitch has a Eurovision guide this year too.

Divert YOUR course...

The following is the transcript of an actual radio conversation in October 1995, between a US Navy ship and the British authorities off the north coast of Scotland. The transcript was released by the MoD on the 10/10/95.

BRITISH: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid collision.

US Navy: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the North to avoid collision

BRITISH: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid collision

US Navy: This is the Captain of US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

BRITISH: Negative I say again divert your course.

US Navy: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER 'USS LINCOLN' THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, THAT'S 15 DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

BRITISH: We are a Lighthouse.- F*ck off !!

If only it were true...

Yazoo on Jonathan Ross...

Yazoo are on tonight's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

Are you British in bed?...

KY have launched an areyoubritishinbed.co.uk web site. I'm 82% French in bed apparently.

Mrs Hleb...

Alexander Hleb was drinking a beer with Arsenal fans at his missus's gym this week,
the Esporta in Swiss Cottage, but saying nothing about his transfer. A gym mole claims Mrs Hleb is leaving the gym. So that's that.
[Thanks Popbitch]

Love letters...

...scrawled on the walls of the toilet. Bless.

Brain Teaser Answer...

The finances are stretched to the limit and the margin between managing
to repay the LENDERS and going under is a SLENDER one.

Brain Teaser...

Replace the blanks in the following sentence with two seven-letter words, the same seven letters must be used for both words. What are they?

The finances are stretched to the limit and the margin between managing
to repay the BLANK and going under is a BLANK one.

Is the earth getting warmer, or cooler?...

This is a really interesting article about the discrepancy between reported global temperatures. I don't think anyone is suggesting that global warming isn't happening - it's just that over the next ten years or so a natural thermal cycle will probably make the world cooler. And it's odd that NASA and the Met Office seem to have disagreed since 1998 on whether we are actually getting warmer or cooler. And NASA seem to be adjusting their old temperature figures down and their recent figures up. Very strange at a time when we need accurate information.

The Beat Goes On...

On Friday we went to the RVT to see Darren DJ at The Beat Goes On. Stu and I both really enjoyed ourselves (Stu loves them there 60s sounds), bumped into loads of people we hadn't seen in a while and got a bit squiffy.

Crushed...

Getting rid of your car isn't as easy as I'd first thought. Actually I'd not really thought about it at all so actually my first thought was that it wouldn't be easy at all. As ever, the action is easy - but bureaucracy trails in it's wake like so much jetsam.

I'd called the scrapyard to arrange collection and they duly turned up on time and towed Bessie away. So far so easy. But a few telephone calls later and I realised that there was more to this than met the eye. How would I get my all important certificate of destruction? Nice name, huh? I'd heard various horror stories of people being hounded by the DVLA when they thought cars were still on the road and the car tax hadn't been paid. Even if they were now in itty bitty pieces. And a friend of mine had her car crushed (or so she thought) only to have the police turn up on her doorstep a couple of weeks later saying it'd been involved in a robbery. She had to persuade them that she no longer owned the car. A certificate of destruction would pretty much clear both these dangers up.

So I wanted to do this right. I did my research on the interwebnet and made a few calls. There were three organisations to contact:

DVLA
Send them sub-form V5C section 9 filled in to say car has been given (OK, sold for a nominal sum) to a scrapyard. And also fill in form V11 and attach the old tax disc to claim back prepaid car tax (full months only mind).

Insurance
Write to Direct Line to notify them that I want my insurance policy and breakdown cover to stop immediately. They rather gleefully informed me on the phone that I'd be liable to pay my premium for the rest of the current month plus one whole extra month cancellation fee. Really? Sounds like daylight robbery to me.

Parking Permit
Islington Council were a dream to deal with. Download a PDF form from their site, sign it and send it back with my existing parking permit and I get full refund plus £200 in vouchers towards a new bicycle or Streetcar car club for being green (or is that Green?)

Job done.

The Beat Goes On...

Miss BeBe Beehive presents THE BEAT GOES ON, a multi media event with tributes to 60's musical movies, then be-bop the night away with DJ JUGGY JONES spinning Rock n’ Roll, Motown, Northern Soul, Doo-Wop, and 60's Girl Groups for Cool Cats, Hep Chicks , Hipsters, Paper Shakers, Hair Hoppers, and Rock n’ Roll Party Queens.

Friday 9th May
8 'til late
Show at 9.30pm

Dress up with 60's flare.

Two Years In...

It's Stu and my second anniversary today. The last two years has flown by.

Laurie Anderson Homeland...

On Friday night Paul and I went to see the truly wonderful Laurie Anderson at the Barbican Theatre. She was performing her new Homeland show. A show that has caused some controversy (does condemnation of the US invasion of Iraq still count as controversy these days?) with some people walking out. Hah! Screw them!

It was an emotional, heartfelt piece; at times angry and biting and at times satirical and witty. So the usual Laurie then. A gifted story teller we were treated to her reflections on memory, history, the stars, the war and billboard underwear models. The songs were beautiful, funny and one or two akin to club anthems. She all but got us dancing at one point. Her tape-bow violin solo as an encore made both Paul and I cry so tender was it.

Last month, Laurie Anderson married long term partner Lou Reed. "I was just walking down a street in California and I was talking to Lou, and we were always talking about getting married, and he said 'how about tomorrow? It was very nice. It was just him and me under a tree." Bless.

On Saturday afternoon Paul and I went to see Laurie again. This time a collection of her short films (including O Superman, Sharkey's Day, Language is a Virus and Beautiful Red Dress) and her new film Hidden Inside Mountains. She also gave a screen talk and took questions from the audience. She is as witty and enigmatic in the flesh as she is on stage or in film.

Arsenal 1-0 Everton...

On Saturday Paul and I went to the last game of the season which was pretty tame. We almost got a pack of cards out. It was nice to see Lehmann play on what was his probable swansong though. It was left to Bendtner's goal to raise the spirits in what was a pretty laid-back fixture. Roll on next season on 16th Aug.

Boris the Buffoon...

So it looks like the capital has voted and we're stuck with a buffoon. 

And a racist.

Lesbians turn on lesbians in battle of Lesbos...

Residents on the Greek island of Lesbos have declared that they alone have the right to call themselves lesbians, and yesterday launched a legal action against the Greek Gay and Lesbian Union (Olke) designed to wrest back control of the word from aficionados of Sapphic luuurv. Local activist Dimitris Lambrou states in his complaint that the "seizure" of the island's name is responsible for the "psychological and moral rape" of true lesbians, and reckons the case will come before an Athens court in June. Olke spokesperson Evangelia Vlam counterattacked with: "This affair is totally ridiculous. But if we are summoned by the courts, we will be heard."

iPlayer on Virgin...

iPlayer has finally come to Virgin. Just hit the red button when viewing a BBC channel and there it is. It works really well and is quick. Well done to all concerned.

Brain Teaser Answer...

40mph. Average speed is total distance/total time = 2 x Distance/((Distance/70mph)+(Distance/28mph))=2/((1/70)+(1/28))= 2/((70+28)/(70x28)) = 2x70x28/98 = 40mph

Vote Early! Vote Often!...

Thanks to Bryan for pointing this Vote Match site out. Look slike I'll be voting for Ken and then taking David's advice and voting Green for the Assembly. Seems sensible to me.

RIP Bessie Boo-Boo...

The garage phoned yesterday. The gearbox trouble that my car was suffering will take £3,105.08 + VAT to repair(!) Or rather, it won't. The car is only worth £500 or so and it's not as if I use it much. So it looks like Bessie Boo-Boo is off to the scrapheap Authorised Treatment Facility after all to be recycled.

Those of you with long memories may remember when I bought Bessie back on 15th October 2002 I had very good reasons not to own a car. I reproduce some of those reasons here (most of which still hold true today) to make myself feel a bit better:

- cars are expensive to buy
- cars depreciate quickly
- cars are expensive to run #1 car tax
- cars are expensive to run #2 insurance in London is ridiculously high
- cars are expensive to run #3 need a parking permit to park outside own front door
- cars are expensive to run #4 petrol is expensive - working in oil I should know!
- cars are expensive to run #5 congestion charge
- cars are expensive to run #6 car parking / parking meters for very expensive
- cars are expensive to run #7 annual MOT
- cars are expensive to run #8 regular servicing costs
- I don't have a garage
- cars get scratched by yobs
- I can't drink and drive
- I can't drive a car to work
- there is very good public transport in London (taxis, buses, tubes and rail)
- I'm always too tired to drive after work or at weekends to drive
- I can never find anywhere to park a car anyway
- I rarely go out of London
- driving a car is dangerous (to me and to other people on the road)
- cars cause pollution
- London is one big traffic jam (and not just during rush hour)
- the new traffic calming schemes slow things even more
- London has road works aplenty
- bus lanes slow traffic to a stand still
- red routes mean you can't park cars outside shops anymore
- cars bring on road rage

Mayor Of London...

Tomorrow it's the 2008 elections for the Mayor of London. And I'm really torn as to who to vote for; I admire the old Left, I'd like to be more Green, recently I've been more New Labour, I think Boris is funny (he used to live opposite me) and the Lib-Dems have a gay.

Choices, choices, choices.

And then there's the London Assembly to vote for too.

Anyone got any advice?

Derby 2-6 Arsenal...

It was a great game last night. We thrashed them. But questions do need to be asked as to how we let in two goals. It does still leave us with a possible (but let's face it not a probably) chance at the Premiership title.

Blake's 7: The Return

According to the BBC a new remake of sci-fi series Blake's 7 could soon return to television screens.

Elaine Pyke, commissioning editor for drama for Sky One, Two and Three, said the broadcaster was making the largest commitment to UK drama in its history, spending more than £10m - all on high definition productions - in 2008/9. She said of the Blake project: "At a time when science fiction shows often discard good story-telling for overblown visual effects - and following the lead of Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica - the time is ripe for a revival of a show that represents the best traditions of the genre, not to mention one of the best-loved and most successful dramas of all time."

Pub Quiz...

We were back at the Hemingford Arms last night with Andrew, Tim, Sam el al for another bash at their weekly pub quiz. We'd been there before (and won) but this time we weren't so lucky. Or to be more honest we were beaten fair and square. We got twenty-four right out of thrity. The winner got twenty-eight and the fifty-six pound cash prize.

The questions were as varied and random as ever. We were given a drink and had to say what two fruit juices had been mixed together. We were asked what is tuber melanosporum? The Hawaiian alphabet has only twelve letters: five vowels and seven consonants. Name at least four of the consonants. And the how many number ones did the Beatles have in a row, how many chromosome pairs does the normal human have and how old was the boy left home alone in Home Alone? All good stuff.

Brain Teaser Answers...

The answer is "ice"

Allspice
Diced
Licence

Brain Teaser...

Replace each group of crosses with the same three letter word. Words must be formed to fit the clues given.

A) _ _ _ _ _ X X X Clue: PIMENTO
B) _ X X X _ Clue: CUBED
C) _ X X X _ _ _ Clue: GIVE PERMISSION

Happy St George's Day...

Today is St George's Day. The patron saint of England.

As you may know he wasn't actually English (in fact England didn't really come into being for another 700 years after St George death). No, St George was actually born in Turkey in 3rd century AD. His parents were Christian, he later lived in Palestine where he became a Roman soldier but protested against Rome's persecution of Christians. He was then imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith, before being beheaded at Lydda in Palestine. The 23rd April was named as Saint George's day way back in 1222.

He is patron saint not only of England but also of Aragon, Canada, Catalonia, China, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Montenegro, Palestine, Portugal, Russia, and Serbia, as well as the cities of Amersfoort, Beirut, Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Istanbul, Ljubljana, Moscow and Venice (second to Saint Mark). He's also patron saint of soldiers, archers, cavalry and chivalry, farmers and field workers, riders and saddlers, and he helps those suffering from leprosy, plague and syphilis(!) In recent years he has been adopted as patron saint of Scouts. Also isn't St George the patron saint of ASDA?

Arsenal 2-0 Reading...

Paul and I went with rather heavy hearts to the Emirates on Saturday to watch the penultimate home games of this our third silverware-free season in a row. We've not been playing very well recently and didn;t really have high hopes. Surprisingly the Gunners played quite well lifting our mood considerably. We should have scored more of course but we would say that, wouldn't we? We left happy though.

Oh Brother...

Last Friday Drew, David and met up with Sas and his goodlooking Icelandic friend for a spot of bar hoping around Hoxtonia. We started off in the George and Dragon, then to play table football at Kick (where we had our hides tanned by a couple of French women) and finally on to the Joiners Arms where we played pool until kicking out time. We also bumped into Chris and David from Duckie and also Liam which was nice. When I eventualy got home I struggled to open my front door. My brother was staying over and he'd left the key in the lock so I couldn't get in. An hour and twenty minutes of ringing on the doorbell, ringing both home and mobile phones and hammering on the door was all to no avail. Eventually I did wake him but only after leaving twenty different types of cussing on his voicemail. Brothers!

Update: I had a dream about my brother last night. We were on a train and he was drunk and he was crying so I hugged him and told him I loved him.

Top Ten Ways to Commit Suicide...

What with Mackenzie Crook's new film causing a stir and the recent suicide cluster in Wales what better way to cheer us all up on a Friday than: Top Ten Ways to Commit Suicide

10. Drowning
09. Electric Shock
08. Exsanguination
07. Jumping
06. Suffocation
05. Carbon Monoxide Inhalation
04. Poisoning
03. Hanging
02. Drug / Alcohol Overdose
01. Gun Shot

Read the gory details (and the price of failure here).

PS: Suicide is never a solution. There is no problem so great that it can not be resolved with time and care. This list is meant not as an instruction guide, but a description of the most common forms of suicide. Please remember, no matter how bad things get, someone, somewhere is able to listen to you and help you through. The Samaritans UK

Leaked Clone Wars Trailer...

Leaked Clone Wars trailer is the new force hotness. I guess the three prequels were all pretty much CGI so having the next one animated doesn't really feel much different.

Eurovision Comes To London...

You don't have to go to Belgrade to get a taste of Eurovision. Many of the acts are coming to London! Hurrah! Meet Ukraine, Romania, Malta and more. The Scala, Friday 25th April. You don't even have to be gay to go. Book tickets here: http://www.ukeurovision.com
[Thanks Popbitch]

Brain Teaser Answer...

3. First column plus second colum equals third column. Third column minus fourth column equals fifth column.

Brain Teaser...

What's the missing number?

4 3 7 1 6
7 2 9 5 4
3 0 3 2 1
1 4 5 3 2
2 6 8 5 ?

Yazoo News: Don't Go (8 times), Only You (6 times)...

In Your Room, the highly anticipated Yazoo 4 disc box set is to be released in the UK/Europe on 26th May 2008. The box set features remastered and 5.1 mixes of both Yazoo's classic albums Upstairs At Eric's and You And Me Both, b-sides and remixes. In addition the DVD features classic Yazoo television performances from the BBC, promotional videos and a new short film containing exclusive new interviews with Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet. This will be proceeded by a 12" vinyl release of 'Nobodys Diary' on the 12 May 2008. Record Store will be doing a 12" and digital bundle offer including an exclusive mix - "Nobody’s Diary – Soil In The Synth Remix".

- In Your Room Track Listing -
Disc 1 (CD): Upstairs at Eric's (Remastered)
01) Don't Go
02) Too Pieces
03) Bad Connection
04) I Before E Except After C
05) Midnight
06) In My Room
07) Only You
08) Goodbye '70s
09) Tuesday
10) Winter Kills
11) Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)

Disc 2 (CD): You And Me Both (Remastered)
01) Nobody's Diary
02) Softly Over
03) Sweet Thing
04) Mr Blue
05) Good Times
06) Walk Away From Love
07) Ode To Boy
08) Unmarked
09) Anyone
10) Happy People
11) And On

Disc 3 (CD): B-Sides and Remixes
01) Situation
02) Situation (Extended Version)
03) Don't Go (Re-mix)
04) Don't Go (Re-re-mix)
05) Situation (US 12" Mix)
06) Situation (US 12" Dub)
07) The Other Side Of Love
08) The Other Side Of Love (12" Remix)
09) State Farm
10) Nobody's Diary (Extended)
11) State Farm (Extended)
12) Situation (Re-recorded)

Disc 4 (DVD)
- "2 albums, 4 singles and that was it..." -
A short film featuring new interviews with Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet, and exclusive archive footage.

- Promotional Videos -
01) Don't Go
02) The Other Side Of Love
03) Nobody's Diary
04) Situation (1990)
05) Situation - Alternative Version (1990)
06) Only You (1999)

- Yazoo At The BBC -
01) Only You (Top Of The Pops) - 29 Apr 1982
02) Only You (Cheggers Plays Pop) - 24 May 1982
03) Don't Go (Top Of The Pops) - 15 Jul 1982
04) Don't Go (Saturday Live) - 24 Jul 1982
05) Don't Go (Top Of The Pops) - 12 Aug 1982
06) The Other Side Of Love (Top Of The Pops) - 25 Nov 1982
07) The Other Side Of Love (Top Of The Pops) - 09 Dec 1982
08) Nobody's Diary (Top Of The Pops) - 19 May 1983
09) Nobody's Diary (Top Of The Pops) - 02 Jun 1983

- 5:1 And Stereo Mixes -
Upstairs At Erics
You and Me Both

Yazoo Audio Clips (free!)...

Yazoo have remastered and are rereleasing Nobody's Diary as an EP on 12th May. There are some audio clips of the new versions available on their official web site. These seem to be free which is nice of them. I hope that was intentional! Nobody's Diary (remastered original version) and Nobody's Diary (remix by Andy Bell and JC)

Mario Kart Wii...

It's here! The day has finally arrived! Mario Kart for the Wii hits the shops in 90 minutes time. We've all got the day off work so Mark, Drew and I heading down to Game in N1 at 9am sharp. Wii wheel, worldwide racing, Mario Kart channel, new wheels and courses and motorbikes! Can't wait!

Brain Teaser Answer...

Forget BODMAS for a moment...

3 x 5 - 9 / 6 + 2 = 3

3 + 5 x 9 - 6 / 2 = 33

iPlayer on Wii...

Its getting everywhere; the BBC's iPlayer turns up on Wii. It'll be on Virgin Media soon too apparently.

Brain Teaser...

Assume you are using a basic calculator and press the numbers in the order shown, replacing each question mark with a mathematical sign.

You can use the plus, minus, multiply and divide keys but each once only.

3 ? 5 ? 9 ? 6 ? 2 =

In which order should they be used to score 3 ?

and in which order should they be used to score 33 ?

Pansy Division - Life In A Gay Rock Band...

Last night Andy treated Stu and I to a night at the cinema. We went to the
22nd London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival at the NFT2 to see Pansy Division - Life In A Gay Rock Band which as its name suggests is an insight into Pansy Division one of the defining bands of the queercore movement.

Pansy Division are a soft punk rock band that in the early 90s made the radical decision to form a band but also be what they were; gay and out. They toured with Green Day, they had a member of Metallica play on their records and they had Judas Priest perform with them on stage. Yet despite all of this they are remain very likeable people with a keen sense of who they are and what they want.

The film itself was a documentary about the lineup changes of the band and their ups and downs recording and touring. It was really very funny. They have a fun line in song titles too. Here is an idea of the songs that Pansy Division perform (taken from The Essential Pansy Division available in all good record stores): 1 Who Treats You Right / 2 Fem In A Black Leather Jacket / 3 ANTHEM / 4 I'm Gonna Be A Slut /5 Horny In The Morning / 6 Dick Of Death / 7 Bad Boyfriend / 8 The Summer You Let Your Hair Grow Out / 9 Spiral / 10 Denny (Naked) /11 Boyfriend Wanted / 12 Luv Luv Luv / 13 James Bondage /14 Vanilla / 15 Alpine Skiing / 16 Bunnies / 17 Groovy Underwear / 18 No Protection / 19 Sweet Insecurity / 20 Deep Water / 21 You're Gonna Need Your Friends / 22 The Best Revenge / 23 Negative Queen (Stripped Bare) / 24 Headbanger / 25 Political Asshole / 26 I Can't Sleep 27 I Really Wanted You / 28 The Cocksucker Club / 29 Homo Christmas / 30 He Whipped My Ass In Tennis (Then I Fucked His Ass In Bed) / 31 Two Way Ass (unlisted bonus track)

Dr Who Off to a Great Start...

Watching the start of series thirty four of Dr Who on Saturday we were a little nervous. Excited and nervous in fact. Excited that the show was back for another thirteen week run but nervous as to whether new assistant... sorry, companion (Catherine Tate's Donna Noble) would actually be any good. Tate's comedic characters are so strong in her eponymous named show that we couldn't believe that we'd be able to get them out of our heads and be able to take her seriously. Because the actors really have to take sci-fi drama seriously otherwise is just doesn't work (OK HHGTTG and Red Dwarf aside).

The diet pills story itself was a tad lacklustre to be honest (the Russell T Davis penned stories so often are). Alien babies made of fat? But we were suitably wowed at the right points, we laughed at the script (sorry, with the script) pretty much throughout and we were suitable impressed by the special effects (didn't we see that space ship in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind?) So with a mixture of relief and indeed more than a little joy... we have to say... we loved it. It was great. Catherine Tate was a bit of a revelation. And it looks like at least 8.4 million other people agreed with us.

And a nice little twist at the end too. We spent a lot of time at various birthday parties and other events over the weekend discussing the significance of the final few seconds of the episode. Hmmm...

Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool...

Earlier today Paul and I were at our second confrontation with Liverpool in seven days and what a miserable affair it was. Very poor. And there go our title changes for sure.

The Other Side of the Coin...

Now I'm not really precious about coins; they just sit in your pocket, sit on your bedside table and occasionally get exchanged for goods or services, right? But surely they could have come up with something better than this? When are you ever going to lay them out as a partial ('partial' mind you) shield? And in a very tourist unfriendly step they will have no numbers on them. You'll have to be able to read English to tell what they are.

Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool...

Last night Paul and I went to see the first of three Liverpool ties in a single week. The first of these games was the Champions League quarter-final, first leg at The Emirates. We started well. After 23 minutes Van Persie's short corner was crossed for Adebayor to rise high and head in. It was a well deserved goal. 1-0. Then despite good possession we gave away a sloppy goal when Gerrard powered into the box and crossed for Kuyt to bundle home to draw the scores level. Arsenal then dominated the second half and were only kept from scoring by bad luck and bad decisions. The Gunners had a clear penalty appeal turned down after the break when Kuyt hauled back Alexander Hleb in the area. Roll on the next game on Saturday lunchtime.

Brain Teaser Answer...

Time Lord changes time...

Doctor Who is back this Saturday. Yay! However series thirty four starts at 6:20pm though rather than it's usual 7pm slot. Funny time to start. They must be using it as bait for the rest of the Saturday night schedule (which is a shame as it shows a lack of respect that is what ultimately lead to Dr Who being canned back in 1989).

Brain Teaser...

Can you connect all the dots with just 4 straight, connected lines without lifting your pen from the paper? (Please don't write on your screen though!)

Spam, Spam, Spam...

Thirty years down the line and today nearly 90% of all email is spam according to Spamhaus. Spam, as I am sure you are aware, is Unsolicited Bulk E-mail ("UBE"). Unsolicited means that the Recipient has not granted verifiable permission for the message to be sent. Bulk means that the message is sent as part of a larger collection of messages, all having substantively identical content.

SPAM® however (note the capital letters please) is the famous canned meat product consisting of mainly chopped pork and ham. Not being too happy with the bad press the word 'spam' has been getting the marketing guys are fighting back: Great in sandwiches, salads or mac & cheese, or with eggs, cheese, or pineapples, or sliced, diced, baked or fried. The name derives from "sp(iced h)am". SPAM is a registered trademark of Hormel Foods Corporation. The product name "SPAM" (used always in uppercase) has nothing to do with the internet jargon word "spam" meaning unsolicited bulk email. While "spam" (junk email) is bad for internet users, SPAM (Chopped Pork and Ham) is good for internet users. If you have never tasted SPAM, try it today!

The Goldfrapp Scale...

It's hard being a woman in the music business. Keep quiet and you get walked on, speak your mind and you're a bitch. Still, sound and lighting technicians in the Bristol area use one woman as a reference point for all others. When faced with a new artist they ask: “How difficult to work with is she on a scale from 0 to Goldfrapp?”
[From Popbitch / Darren]

Electric Picnic 2008...

Stu and I are going to go to Electric Picnic this summer. It'll be the first proper festival either of us has gone to. Clodagh first put the idea in our heads when we were over in Cork last year and to be honest we didn't need much more encouragement than that. The tickets go on sale at 9am today and the lineup looks OK. Maybe not as fantastic as some of the other big festivals but it'll do us nicely.

The line-up so far announced is: Sex Pistols, Sigur Ros, Grinderman, Franz Ferdinand, George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars, My Bloody Valentine, Goldfrapp, Christy Moore, Wilco, The Gossip, Duffy, Underworld, Tinariwen, CSS, Tindersticks, New Young Pony Club, Josh Ritter, Lisa Hannigan, Cathy Davey, That Petrol Emotion, The Breeders, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Sinead O'Connor, Henry Rollins, The Waterboys, The Roots, Kila, Micah P Hinson, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Hayseed Dixie, Candi Staton, Juana Molina, Turin Brakes, Faust, Midnight Juggernauts, Tartit, Hadouken!, Silver Apples, Mark Geary, Teitur, Blitzen Trapper, Absentee, Balanescu Quartet, Lou Rhodes, Adrian Crowley, One Day International, The Yard Dogs, Tobias Froberg, Boss Volenti, Dawn Landes, Constantines, Yacht, Lionheart Brothers, Large Mound, Emmy the Great, Foals, Kormac & the BSQ Band, Jape, Noisettes, Dublin Gospel Choir.

Arsenal TV (finally) on Virgin Media...

Virgin Media have finally announced the launch of Arsenal TV on its TV platform on Channel 542. The new channel was available from Tuesday 18th March, free for all Virgin Media’s XL TV customers, and included as part of the Setanta Sports pack for TV customers on M or L packages. About bloody time! I've only caught the odd glimse of it so far so I'll have to wait until 5pm to get a proper look and find out if it was worth the wait.

Pictures from Dublin...

Here are a few snaps from our trip to Dublin.

Pictures from Belfast...

Here are a few snaps from our trip to Belfast.

Pictures from Jude and Gavin's Wedding...

Here are a few snaps from Jude and Gavin's Wedding.

The Gayest Songs Of All Time...

A fun little chart run down of the gayest songs of all time.

Dublin...

Having barely recovered from the previous night's partying we rather gingerly made our way into town yesterday to join Helen on the Dublin Bus City Tour. And let me tell you there is no better way to clear the head than sitting on a a windy open-top bus.

The bus tour itself was great. A suitably witty local tour guide talked us through the history of Dublin including Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol and dropped us off at the highlight of the trip, the Guinness Storehouse for a queue-jumping tour. Word to the wise, book online to walk to the front of the hour long line - even if you book the tickets in the queue like we did! The Guinness 'Experience' was fine; the free pint in the Gravity Bar on the seventh floor being the best bit though.

We then rejoined the bus tour to be dropped off in town. There we had a bite to eat before meeting Jenny in John Kehoe's for a pint or three.

Today we are just packing up and getting ready to head off to Dublin airport. Jenny has very kindly offered to give us a lift.

Dublin is a lovely city and well worth a visit. In fact all of Ireland is a great holiday destination. We've had to pack in a lot in the last week as there was just so much to see. My liver could do with a rest though!

St Patrick's Day...

Dublin being *the* place to do it, it just had to be done here; celebrating St Patrick's Day with the locals. Well, the locals and 650,000 other tourists. The parade was great fun. The theme was 'Energy' and more resembled a carnival parade. It was bitterly cold but we didn't seem to care.

Once the parade was over Helen, Stu and I headed to the Market Bar where we stayed for the next nine hours. Fran, Nicola and Jenny joined us until we were swept out with the rest of the rubbish and started our bar crawl in earnest. At some point Stu got chatting to some radio DJ. We eventually made it back to our hotel about 3am: one of our earlier nights so far on the Sceptre Isle.

Jude and Gavin's Wedding...

We woke up early on Saturday morning. Earlier than perhaps we should have, for we both had slightly dulled heads from the previous night's festivities in the bar. But we were excited. Excited because today was the big day. The reason for our trip to Ireland. Today was Jude and Gavin's wedding and nothing, not even a woolly head, was going to quell our excitement.

We raced down to join Gavin in his last meal as a condemned.. er.. single man - a sumptuous full English breakfast. He seemed quite calm. Unlike both his and Jude's sets of parents who's were as excited as school children.

We all had a few hours to kill before getting suited and booted so Stu, I and a bunch of other guests headed across to the country club attached to the hotel for a swim, spa and sauna. Which was a lovely way to detox and prepare for the twelve hours of retoxing to come.

We then had a quick bite to eat in the bar before donning our new M&S suits (their machine washable range is to be highly recommended) and joining the hundred or so other wedding guests for a pre-service G&T in the bar (as the more observant reader might have noticed the bar is playing a pivotal role in our wedding preparations).

Just before three o'clock we all followed (an increasingly nervous) Gavin into the room where the service was to take place. Beautiful flowers were everywhere as we took our seats and waited for Jude to arrive.

And when she did it bought a tear to my eye. Jude looked stunning in her magnificent ivory dress and flowers in her hair. She all but floated down the aisle to be at Gavin's side.

The service was relaxed and informal with Oscar the page boy performing his ring bearing duties with aplomb. We sang, we heard poetry and we heard the vows. The priest even found time to inject some humour into the proceedings. And before we knew it Jude and Gavin were signing the register and it was all over.

Back at the bar we all agreed at how lovely everything was and got down to serious task of drinking the place dry. After the official photography was done we filed down the wedding line into the ballroom to enjoy a handsome five (or was it six?) course meal as the wedding 'breakfast'. Just before the meal began however we had the speeches. Unusually perhaps, but completely understandably, none of the speakers wanted the fear of public speaking to ruin their meals so we toasted and listened with stomachs half rumbling. The speeches were equally moving, funny and entertaining with perhaps Gavin's being the standing out. But of course it's best men do have the best stories - something about swimming trunks and a train, was it?

The meal itself was totally delicious and before we knew it we were all back in the bar waiting for the ballroom to be reset for the further drinking, dancing and céilidh still to come.

Now fast forward eight hours and we were collapsed in armchairs in the bar having one last beer for the road. We had disco danced our little socks off, Irish danced like locals and drank half the Irish Sea in booze. Not to mention laughing like drains throughout. Such fun. And we have the pictures to prove it!

The next day, as Helen was driving Stu and I down to Dublin, we were all reflecting on what made the wedding such a success. Yes, it was seeing Jude and Gavin tying the knot in such a romantic fashion and, yes, it was the brilliant planning and relaxed atmosphere of the day but what really made it for us was that Jude and Gavin's family and friends were just so... well... familiar and friendly. We were made to feel so welcome at every point of the day by everyone. We really couldn't help but enjoy ourselves from start to finish.

Giant's Causeway...

On Friday we drove up the Northern Irish coastal route weaving in and out of small fishing villages en route to the Giant's Causeway. Pile of rubble really... but a 60 million year old pile of rubble!. Apparently it was fast cooling lava that produced all those stached hexagons. After that we headed off to Londonderry for a climb on the city walls before returning Belfast for nosh, a pint in The Spaniard and then to the Dunadry Hotel to join the rapidly congregating wedding guests.

Belfast...

We arrived safely yesterday at George Best City Belfast airport, hired a car (they only had a BMW, honest guv!) and headed out to our hotel - the rather posh Dunadry Hotel & Country Club. Great venue for a wedding. After having a bite in the bar we popped back into town and took a fun open top bus city tour. We took in the Titantic shipyard, and both the Shankhill Road and Falls Road areas including an intersection known locally as the Killing Fields. Quite scary to think what used to go on there such a short time ago.

Off to Ireland...

Stu and I are off today to Ireland for a week. First to Belfast for Jude and Gavin's wedding and a spot of sightseeing and then on to Dublin for St Patrick's Day. Should be fun. We currently waiting for our Ryan scare flight from Stansted.

Thanks Darling...

Today's budget:

·         Delay 2p rise in fuel duty for six months

·         6% increase in alcohol tax - with 2% annual rise for next four years

·         4p on pint of beer, 3p on cider, 14p on wine, 55p on spirits

·         11p on packet on 20 cigarettes, 4p on five cigars

·         Higher first year rate of road tax for most polluting cars

·         Increase in green tax on flights

·         Winter fuel payment up to £250m for over-60s and to £400 for over-80s

·         Require supermarkets to charge for plastic bags if they do not scrap them

·         More cash to tackle child poverty

·         Help with rising energy costs for poorer families

Normal for Norfolk...

Apparently the doctors euphemism for slightly crazy or odd patients is NFN. Which stands for "Normal for Norfolk".

Roisin Murphy at the Roundhouse...

Stu, Tim, Andy and I went to glitzy Camden's Roundhouse on Saturday to see the rather wonderful Roisin Murphy perform. We preceded the event by meeting Andrew and Grant for a beer at the Black Cap. I'd never been to the Roundhouse before and I was quite impressed. It looked as if it had been recently made-over. Good facilities (except the woefully small gents loos) and great sight-lines. The support act was Hercules and Love Affair doing a DJ set so we in the perfect mood when Roisin finally took to the stage. Ostensibly promoting last year's Overpowered CD we were treated to much of that album (stand out track for me being Movie Star) as well as the impossibly catchy You Know Me Better. Overpowered is Roisin Murphy's (formerly of Moloko) second album. A mix of electronic dance, pop and darker funk. And all of that came out on stage. We had extended versions of the songs pretty much seamlessly running one musical opus into the next. We were treated to 90 minutes of great music, great stage presence and hats aplenty. For yes, she was in and out of that dressing-up box for every song. We loved it. Thanks to Darren for suggesting we go.

Uncle David...

My Uncle David passed away recently so today I'm going up to Birmingham for the funeral. A very sad day as he was a lovely man.

The Green Has Ceased Trading...

Dear Loyal Customers, We are very sorry to report that The Green has ceased trading - temporarily, we hope. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you – I mean, where else are you going to go? Thank you for all your custom and for helping to make the Green what it was. We hope we may be able to rise from the ashes soon – to be servicing Islington’s finest gay men and women and their friends in the manner to which they have become accustomed.
All our best, The Green Team

ActiveSync on Apple...
One of my main beefs about the iPhone is the fact that you can't run Exchange ActiveSync on it. Basically that means I wouldn't be able to get my work email, calendar and contacts pushed to it automagically. Well soon, I'll be able to. Apple have now agreed to licence Microsoft’s ActiveSync. Cool. Now if only they can get 3G on it too (coming soon I hear).

TENS...
I've been suffering from lower back pain on and off since I was a teenager (I damaged it back then and also have ducks disease i.e. a long body and short legs which doesn't seem to help things). Over the years I've been to doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors, masseurs, physiotherapists, so far avoided acupuncturists and mainly resorted to anti-inflammatory drugs.

Last November whilst sorting out my attic (i.e. lifting heavy boxes at odd angles) I knackered my back yet again and have been hobbling around ever since. Gentle excercise and buckets of painkillers have helped but not cured the problem.

Then on Sunday Myrtle gave me a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) and it's done wonders for me. The TENS is a small electrical device that delivers electrical impulses across the skin. The device is about the size of a personal stereo and has pad you put on the skin - in this case my lower back. It gives pain relief that is rapid and lasts for days. It works in one of two ways; by selectively stimulating certain 'non-pain' nerve fibres to send signals to the brain that block other nerve signals carrying pain messages i.e. it gives you pins and needles and also by stimulating the production of endorphins, natural pain-relieving hormones. Unlike many pain-relieving drugs, TENS isn't addictive and seems to have few side-effects. And I love it. It may not be a cure but I can sleep at night again now.

Of course the long term cure is excercise. It's widely acknoldedged that exercise will strengthen the core muscles surrounding the spine and ease the tension in the lower back. But in the meantime I can get on with my life.

Goldfrapp at the Union Chapel
Last night Paul, Simon, Darren, David, Stu and myself went to see Goldfrapp perform at the Union Chapel. More seasoned readers may remember that way back in 2001 I'd seen Goldfrapp perform there and it had been one of the best concerts I had ever seen. That claim still remains true so expectations were high. And by some bizarre queue rearranging we'd managed to get quite near the front so an excellent view only heightened the excitement.

Just prior to the start of the gig they played some of the soundtrack to the classic 70s horror film from The Wicker Man - apparently a big influence on the current album Seventh Tree which was being showcased last night. It set the scene rather well for things to come.

The band (fulsome string section, harp, keyboards, drums, bass, guitar and electric violin) all appeared wearing white whereas Alison apparition ed right before us in a short pink smock. It was really happeneing. The show was about to begin.

And what a show it was. Quite sublime. They played the entire new album interspaced with tracks from the previous three; Felt Mountain, Black Cherry and Supernature. Alison's voice was note perfect throughout and the band just sounded great. The sound was spot on in fact. Couldn't fault it. The lighting was suitably moody too - apart from the odd psychodelic wig-out.

Tracks we were treated to included Clowns (about plastic surgery apparently), Number 1, Little Bird, Utopia, Road To Somewhere, Eat Yourself, Some People, Cologne Cerrone Houdini, Caravan Girl, Happiness, Monster Love and of course the current single A&E. Each was great with raptuous applause.

Seventh Tree is Goldfrapp's fourth studio album and a return to the more ethereal Felt Mountain rather than the glam Supernature. Throughout their career Goldfrapp have spanned the music of the 70s; folk, glam, rock, prog, disco and plain old good melodic pop songs. But here they are mainly using the elements of folk and ambient music. And to great effect. The results are magnificent. They have been likened to bands such as Air, Serge Gainsbourg, Jethro Tull, St Etienne, Kate Bush, Roxy Music, Cocteau Twins and Joni Mitchell. All of which I see but to me they have a style all of their own.

Of course the gig was over all too soon. Just 80 minutes. But what a gig. Fab.

The Shining - A Romantic Comedy...
Horror classic The Shining recut as a romantic comedy. Excellent.

"You want the block? Come get the blocks, and don't f*ck with me!"...
A great advert for 275 to 300 8x8x16 Cement blocks. $1 each. Just don't ask him for any advice.