Sugar Free Badger

East Anglian Daily Pirates

2010-09-19T01:45:00.003+01:00

Cycled up to the Water Rats to meet Judge Ed, Mr Adams and Lorraine and see the East Town Pirates - Rikky Flag and Jonny Learjet's new outfit, challenging west country piracy hegemony with unreconstructed tricorn rock and roll. A top night had by all me hearties.

Soup strainer

2010-08-18T13:25:00.004+01:00

This summer I have been mostly occupied with toddler taming and cultivating facial hair. Sadly, the moustache has now gone as apparently it made me look like a serial killer. I thought it had a certain Donald Sutherland/Kurt Vonnegut feel to it, but alas I am now feeling the first hints of autumn on my upper lip once more. Other pics from very enjoyable recent outing to Hastings.

RFH

2010-01-30T20:34:00.001Z

M and her friend Zen at the Royal Festival Hall today.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-28T22:33:00.002Z

I'll disarm those who carry guns, and neutralise their caustic tongues

2009-10-04T23:45:00.002+01:00

Been neglecting the blog for a bit. Here's a couple of pictures from the Thames Festival and one of our Matty on Walberswick beach last Sunday. I currently have Orange Juice and Ken Campbell reading Lewis Carroll on very heavy rotation. Sublime!

The West Country

2009-09-02T23:43:00.005+01:00

Escaped from London for 10 days in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, walking on the beaches, frequenting some brilliant pubs - the Tucker's Grave in Faulkland being a case in point, and visiting Siegried Sassoon's last resting place in Mells, a most quintessentially English village. Bloody marvellous.

Thumb War

2009-08-11T11:13:00.001+01:00

Nearly sliced off the top of my left thumb with a vegetable knife. Anyone sending me a text message in the next couple of weeks may need to be extra patient in waiting for a response.

Soup's up!

2009-08-10T22:03:00.000+01:00

Seizure

2009-08-06T15:15:00.004+01:00

This afternoon Mariella and I visited Roger Hiorns' Seizure: a council flat whose interior is almost entirely coated in crystalised copper sulphate, just round the corner from my doctor's surgery. Apparently they poured in hot copper sulphate solution, sealed the rooms and left them for three weeks to cool and crystalise. It looks amazing. Think I might do the same for our bathroom.

Dunwich Dynamo 2009

2009-07-07T23:34:00.013+01:00

Better late than never - here's my Dunwich Dynamo report for 2009. A depleted Team Badger consisting of just Spratticus and myself made it to this year's ride. We'd both done a lot less training than last year though I was at least buoyed up by the prospect of putting my new bike through its paces. After a mid week pep-talk on the phone we were starting to feel a bit more gung ho and having loaded up on pasta and watched a bit of the prologue at Beho,we set off into the sunny late afternoon for London Fields, feeling positively up for it. In the park we hooked up with fellow Resonancer DJ Original Bear and his team, Clare and Jodie. They were all Dynamo debutants but had put Team Badger to shame by clocking up an impressive amount of miles in training for the ride.

The customary pint of Adnams and last minute fiddling with the bikes attended to, we set off. The increase in numbers on the last couple of years was evident from the get-go and at times the ride out of London had a distinctly Critical Mass atmosphere. As usual this year's ride was a very broad cycling church - a mix of road bikes, hybrids, cyclo crossers (including me!), bromptons, single speeders, tandems, recumbents and a few tricycles, which I don't recall having seen on the ride before. There was even a penny farthing, which I believe should more properly be called an 'ordinary'.

First half of the ride went fairly well and without any major incidents. The sheer number of riders meant that there was never a point at which you couldn't see another bike - it was like a continuous line of cyclists stretching from Hackney to Dunwich. Pretty amazing. As usual we resisted the temptation to stop off at any of the Essex pubs en route but it was interesting to note the increasingly inebriated condition of the locals walking the street in each town we rode through as the night wore on. It must have been about 1.30 when we reached Sudbury and saw a bloke walking though the streets without his trousers on. He was carrying the pantaloons in question in his hands and I imagine that there must have been a point when he thought 'Oh dear, my trousers appear to have come off and I fear I am now too drunk to put them back on. Never mind, it's 1.30am so there's unlikely to be anyone else around so I'll just walk home without them on'. Little did he suspect that he was about to be met by a hundred or so cyclists pedalling down the street. I wonder if he remembered any of it the next morning.

Anyhoo, we reached the feeding station at Great Waldingfield, where the queues for food were stretching out of the village hall. Thankfully, we'd come prepared with our own provisions and spent a very amusing half hour or so discussing the art of the sandwich made from one piece of bread, or the 'bendover' as it is officially known. Then, on into the darkest hour, just before dawn, or the 'suicide hour', as it is apparently also known. This bit of the ride wasn't as bad as I remembered it from previous years, perhaps because it was already getting light - being early July seemed to make that much more difference. Mind you, the knees were starting to ache and the relatively mild hills were beginning to feel decidedly steep. The real misery came in the last couple of hours when the rain set in. It's not so bad when you're riding in it but we were all dreading the prospect of arriving at a rainswept Dunwich with no chance of getting in a cafe packed with earlier arrivals and no other shelter. It looked like I would have to make a call to my Mum and ask her to put the kettle on and some newspaper down in expectation of 5 muddy cyclists turning up on her doorstep first thing on a Sunday morning.

As luck would have it, though, the rain stopped just as we hit Dunwich and I ended up getting sunburnt after falling asleep on the beach. After the customary pint in the Ship, the rest of the newly christened Team Bendover headed off for London by coach and I pedalled back to the ancestral seat up the road for food, a bath, sleep, more food, watching the darts and then more sleep. Bloody marvellous. Woke up fully refreshed the next day and cycled back to Ipswich to get the train for London.

Another great Dynamo, despite the soggy last couple of hours. Brilliant company once again - can't wait for next year's ride.

Farewell Seething Wells

2009-06-25T16:18:00.005+01:00

I saw Steven Wells in his ranting punk poet days as Seething Wells in the early 80's. He went on to become one of the finest writers at the NME, at a time when said publication was actually worth reading, then The Guardian. I was shocked and saddened to learn of his death and moved to tears by his farewell column for the Philadelphia Weekly.

Snappy Snaps Passport Photo Advice

2009-06-24T11:01:00.004+01:00

Just had confirmation that M's first passport is on its way. This came as something of a relief after several failed attempts to produce an acceptable photo, coupled with a fair amount of uncertainty regarding Mrs Badger's place of birth.

The Badger is back

2009-06-16T22:04:00.006+01:00

Inspired by Dailytitlow's recent model aircraft posting, I took my five month old daughter to the Imperial War Museum. In other news, Adam's 40th birthday celebrations featured cakes with his face on them. I wonder if I can get my face printed on some oatcakes for my next birthday?

SE1

2009-05-10T21:35:00.001+01:00

A Soldier Playing a Guitar

2009-04-09T23:37:00.003+01:00

Shelly was working at the National Portrait Gallery today, so me and M went to check out the Constable portraits exhibition, which I liked a lot. Most of the pictures in the exhibition are of people Constable knew well, so it's a bit like a Georgian photo album. The soldier in this drawing, from 1806, is thought to be Constable's cousin, James Gubbins, who was killed nine years later at Waterloo.

White Riot

2009-04-02T12:49:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I had to cycle through the city twice on minor capitalist errands. In the morning this gave me the chance to join a very subdued Stop the City cavalcade of bikes. I suspect that 10am is a tad too early for proper rioters - especially those who have to commute in from the suburbs. The afternoon was a quite different picture. I only hovered around the edges, where the police were very restrained and looked quite bored with the minor skirmishes they had to deal with, but you could feel the tension building up from inside the 'kettling' zone. I was interested to read that city workers were leaning out of their windows attempting to goad protestors by waving £10 notes. £10 notes? Hardly Loadsamoney is it?

S I G N S

2009-03-30T22:51:00.003+01:00

Took M for her first trip out of London to see the grandparents in the old country, which is being menaced by escaped tarantulas if notices in the post office window are to be believed.

Badingham 1972

2009-03-22T11:33:00.004Z

This photo, which at first glance appears to be some sort of Hitler youth rally, was in fact taken at a 1972 Christmas party at Badingham Village Hall, Suffolk, and recently appeared in the East Anglian Daily Times. There are three Dyes here, including yours truly. Can you spot us?

No Business Like Snow Business

2009-02-03T22:05:00.003Z

I was working from home yesterday and took today as paternity leave so couldn't help feeling slightly peeved that the snow meant everyone else got time off work at the same time. To cheer myself up I had my hair cut by a Kosovan kick boxer on Tabard Street and for the first time in my life I had my eyebrows trimmed as part of the service too. I feel that the transition to middle age (which started 10 years ago on Brighton Pier when I said to Shelly 'Look, you can see the car from here'), is now complete.

Dad Rock

2009-02-02T21:49:00.003Z

Not going to bang on about fatherhood etc here. I don't think I'll ever have the time for a start. Suffice to say that nothing can ever prepare you for it. Hats off to the womenfolk - hunting and gathering's a breeze compared to what mother nature puts in their job description.

SE 17

2009-01-13T22:00:00.005Z

All entrances delivered courtesy winter

2009-01-06T22:51:00.002Z

Walked through the cold winter night across Tower Bridge with my sister and niece for dinner at Wagamama with T-Lo and Dr Love. While we were talking after dessert, my niece, who's four years old, wandered off to find the waitress and order more ice cream for herself. The kid will go far.

Hello 2009 Goodbye 2008

2009-01-03T22:48:00.007Z

First show of 2009 kicked off the new year in style with Michael's round up of the cream of the sessions from 2008: Debbie Leggo being his choice for session of the year. James III and the Bi-taliban (complete with Burkah) and BC played excellent live sets, setting a suitably high bar for 2009. Good to see BC using a Korg MS10: a truly classic analogue synth.

Nappy you here

2009-01-02T16:03:00.005Z

Managed to get through the festive season without having to rush to St Thomas's and saw in the New Year over chestnut soup at Beho. We're now on full labour alert.

Leiston Aces

2008-12-29T17:14:00.008Z

Here's a blast from the past. Continuing the theme established by the Francis Bacon painting below, this is a picture from my cycle speedway days, when I used to ride for Leiston Aces. Look at those bikes! This was way back before single speed bikes could ever be considered vaguely fashionable. I remember my bike was given to me by a bloke my dad worked with: check out the straight front forks! I don't recall whether they were supposed to give me any kind of advantage, but I wasn't a great advertisement for their beneficial qualities if they did have any. It was all about gating as I remember and in this picture Dean Freeman, whose Dad was the landlord of the Royal Standard, is making a flying start. To my left is Robert Adams - he was in the Fifth Element you know, and was also the bassist in the band we formed at school, The S-Men, as well as the original line-up of Heave. On the starting line, having just let the tape fly, is the legendary Eric 'The Shout' Cracknell, and one of his sons, I think Mark, is to my right. In the background is another Leiston legend, Skid the window cleaner, recently seen on TV during Leiston Town FC's FA Cup run. I reckon this picture was taken in early '78, which doesn't do much for my punk rock credentials. If you look very carefully though, you can just make out a Stranglers badge on Robert's jacket.

Francis Bike-on

2008-12-28T17:27:00.003Z

Made it to the Francis Bacon exhibition at the Tate in its last few days, and it was well worth it, despite the irksome crowds. I particularly enjoyed his studies of Pope Innocent X, which I find very sinister indeed. I also really like the paintings he did not long before he died, still going strong in his early eighties. If I had to choose an absolute favourite though, it would be this, his portait of George Dyer riding a bicycle (1966).

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T09:51:00.003Z

Saddle up!

2008-12-14T17:59:00.005Z

Cracking live session yesterday from the autoharp wielding Mary Epworth & the Jubilee Band, whose current Wicker Man-esque single 'The Saddle Song', is one of my favourite releases of the year. Here's the video:

They also played a live version of their next single, 'Black Doe', which sounded equally fantastic. Lucy John Paul was also in session and you can see both her and Mary this Thursday, 18th December at the Gladstone in Lant St, SE1.

Last of the Summer Wine

2008-12-10T00:07:00.003Z

The Crops may be closed for business but the Cropsmas social continues. This year's bunfight featured Mark Shaw as guest of honour, making it a men of Heave reunion: a kind of AGM for veterans of the indie wars.

Satan's Little Helpers

2008-12-09T19:50:00.000Z

My bass or yours?

2008-12-08T23:30:00.005Z

Impending fatherhood and mountains of marking have made the Badger a bit slack on the blogging front once again of late, so here, better late than never, are the last two Saturdays. Pub Pop at the Miller was a cornucopia of remarkable bassists, with Georgie from Plug playing the casio with her feet in a most impressive display of multi-tasking. Not to be outdone, Rose Kemp's bass player opted for the over-arm approach to his instrument, to very good effect, it must be said. T-Lo and I were on the brand new wheels of steel, with Ugly Pop not being killed, but unceremoniously resurrected.Ye Gods: Life in a Northern Town, anyone?
Left With Pictures and the Soft were live and direct on last Saturday's show. The Soft are something of a super group, featuring not only the lovely Rich Nuvo once of the Teens but also ex-Bibster, Chris Kaos, now splendidly renamed Chris Kiosk. Champion!

Rose and Pinkie

2008-11-29T18:04:00.006Z

Another corker of a show today with a solo set from Rose Kemp, daughter of Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp from Steeleye Span. She does a very appealing line in doom laden, bass heavy guitar coupled with a truly remarkable voice. If you're reading this on Saturday 29th November, get off your computer and make your way in an orderly fashion down to the Miller in London Bridge to catch her live, along with the equally but differently excellent Plug and Hands on Heads. As well as Rose, Scotland's Pumajaw were also in session, playing some very fine music indeed. Their guitarist Jon once drove my former band, Heave, on one of our several ill-fated tours, contracting pleuresy in the process, as I recall. We all have very fond memories of him and it was great to see him and Pinkie again.

Whales, Plug and Marquez

2008-11-22T23:54:00.002Z

Prints of Whales were at the Gladstone on Thursday in all their glory - you can't beat the sound of twin musical saws...except possibly with a trio of musical saws.

Plug and Ish Marquez were in session today. I was particularly impressed by Georgie from Plug's ability to play the bass while also playing a keyboard with her feet. Now that is multi-tasking! Come and see them play next Saturday, 29th November at the Miller in London Bridge.

Furrowed browse

2008-11-17T08:20:00.003Z

Ventured into the Badlands of Norfolk for the Carleton Rode Ploughing Association Awards on Saturday night, where my dad collected five trophies. The deviation of his winning furrow was one sixteenth of an inch. Sadly, I do not appear to have inherited the family talent for precision.

House Ache Horse

2008-11-08T22:34:00.006Z

A vintage Hello Goodbye show with the incredible Men Diamler playing live - check out the shaky footage of him performing 'House Ache Horse'

Ljubljana's avant-rock finest, Zoambo Zoet Workestrao, also clocked in an excellent live session so a quality show all round.

Curry up Smithy

2008-10-28T22:17:00.005Z

One year on and back to Babur with the Adams boys for Mr Smith's birthday testimonial. Well worth a trip to Brockley for the quite superb food. Thanks to all the extra pedalling the blood sugar seems to be behaving itself again - something of a relief after scaling some rather dizzier heights post-Lefkada. Respect due to Leiston Town FC for beating Lewes and making it to the first round proper of the FA Cup tonight.

Piney

2008-10-26T16:44:00.004Z

Yesterday our favourite daughter of Kansas, Piney Gir (pronounced 'gear') was in session with her band The Age of Reason. And very nice it was too.

The Whole Schebang

2008-10-24T23:02:00.002+01:00

Nice harmonies and basslines from TWS at the Gladstone last Thursday.

My mother was a friend of an enemy of the people

2008-10-14T22:37:00.005+01:00

Just had what was quite possibly the best risotto of my life at Arancia, so all is well with the world. Haven't blogged for a bit partly because of being overworked and partly because Blogger is so crap for uploading pictures. Or maybe it's just my laptop.
Anyhoo, here's some pics from Nunhead cemetery the other week, plus the Whole Schebang, who were quite charming, on the show on Saturday. Went to the One of One gig at a car park in Great Suffolk Street on Saturday night. On the bill were Faust, Lydia Lunch and Blurt. Sadly I only managed to get a couple of shaky shots of Blurt before my camera battery gave up the ghost but it was an amazing night. There were actually more members of Gallon Drunk in Faust than there were original Faust members, but they were still fabulous and I've been on a diet of pure Krautrock ever since. I do wish I'd got a photo of Matthew leading Lydia Lunch by the hand through the crowd though.

Hit the deck

2008-09-28T12:43:00.004+01:00

Busy week at work means I've been slogging rather than blogging so here's a quick catch up on the last 10 days or so. The Rayographs and Charly Morris were in session last Saturday. Ton was in town from Barcelona, which was a good excuse to check out the Jerusalem Tavern - been meaning to go there for ages...fantastic pub. Ed and Jenny from the Mules were in session yesterday and then the full Mules plus the Rayographs and Charly again put in superb performances at Richard's new Pub Pop night at the Miller in Snowsfields. Me and T-lo were on the deck (just the one!) for a spot of proper old-school 1960's youth club dj-ing.

Spanakotiropita

2008-09-14T23:19:00.006+01:00

Back from a fantastic week in Lefkada. Top laughs, brilliant beaches and I even did a spot of windsurfing, if repeatedly falling off the board and getting back on again qualifies as actually windsurfing, that is. Shame we didn't book our flights with XL - we might have got a few extra days in the sun.

Farewell to the Crops

2008-09-07T01:26:00.005+01:00

Fantastic session from Electricity in Our Home son the first Hello Goodbye show after the summer break today - go and see them supporting Wire at the Scala on Monday if you can.
Great night at the Enterprise for the Crops swansong, T-Lo's birthday bash and the launch of 'The Beast Must Die', with a brilliant performance from the Great Blondini, who is best described as Tommy Cooper meets Roger Melly. Sterling work on the wheels of steel from the Wild Man too. A very enjoyable night all round in fact and good to see so many old faces, including all three Heave bassists! Not feeling sad to have finished, but pleased to have gone out on a high note, rather than a bum note (though there were a few of those too!). Off to Greece now for a week of well earned relaxation!

Teens at the Tate

2008-09-06T00:04:00.003+01:00

XX Teens played at late at the Tate last night accompanied by cane-wielding dancers dressed as mummies with birdcages on their heads. And why not?

Que la bête meure

2008-09-05T16:40:00.005+01:00

Final ever Crops rehearsal last night, which went worringly well...hopefully not a bad omen. Tomoland was in attendance to document the historic and rare tri-blogged occasion, and Jolly came along for a private view as he'll be in Wales tomorrow. Picked up copies of the album today...Smell the Glove is here! Come and get one for free tomorrow night at the Enterprise in Haverstock Hill!

Sex Pistols

2008-09-03T08:33:00.004+01:00

When the Pistols split up in 1978, I would never have been able to imagine myself cycling across London at the grand old age of 44 to see them, in their fifties, play live again. But there we were last night - me, T-Lo and former Heaver Gavin, who we bumped into outside the gig. Playing in front of a backdrop of two giant combine harvesters, the band ripped through most of their back catalogue (i.e. the whole of Never Mind the Bollocks, a couple of b-sides, a few covers and 'Belsen was a Gas' reworked as 'Baghdad was a Blast'), with John Lydon camping it up like a chortling punk rock pantomime dame. This is pretty much why the Pistols still work as a live experience - the set is absolutely solid, with no danger of being diluted by new songs (though the encore versions of Silver Machine and Roadrunner were admittedly a bit flabby). The sound was crisp and loud and demolished the myth that the Pistols couldn't play - they could at the time and they still can. I suppose that in a way the gig was like punk rock's answer to 'The Good Old Days', but 'God Save the Queen' blasting out a full volume still sends a shiver down the most cynical of spines and reaffirms the Pistols as national treasures.

Ice Cream For Crow

2008-08-26T23:19:00.004+01:00

Here I am enjoying a delicious diabetic ice cream in sunny Swanage, where we visited Doctor Love for a herbal consultation, poker classes and gallons of red wine. There could be bad news for the diabetic ice cream industry though: scientists claim to have cured diabetic mice by wiping out their defective auto-immune cells and thereby allowing them to produce their own insulin again. Sounds promising, but I imagine it will be a while before the process is approved for humans so in the meantime I'm seeing what Goat's Rue can do for me.

Nueva Cruz

2008-08-22T10:42:00.003+01:00

Pedalled down the Old Kent Road to see Attack! Switch Attack! once again on very fine form, this time at the New Cross Inn. Been a while since I last had a night out in SE14. It didn't look much like the new Shoreditch last night, thank God.

Sit on it, Little Dorrit

2008-08-21T20:34:00.007+01:00

Another Crops rehearsal last night - more work to do before the 6th but we're getting there. The LP has now been retitled 'The Beast Must Die' and will feature The Wenhaston Doom on the cover. Went off to Ilisa's birthday knees-up afterwards, where there was a rather disturbing outbreak of fonzing. The BBC are filming some of Little Dorrit at my work and the squirrels are feasting on the sandwiches discarded by the picky spoilt Victorian extras.

Skinny the Pooh

2008-08-20T07:30:00.006+01:00

Inspired by a post on Callaghan's blog earlier in the summer, I finally got some pictures of the ice cream van at Surrey Keys shopping centre. Is the bear of very little brain suffering from some kind of wasting disease or is this simply an attempt to sidestep copyright? Interestingly, D.Duck seems slightly more resistant to the illness and/or litigation. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for further examples of badly executed Disney characters promoting ice cream.

For good measure, I'm also throwing in a picture of Radar's underpants flying high above a pin the tail on the donkey on Brighton beach last Saturday. Enjoy.

Crops Circle

2008-08-17T09:29:00.005+01:00

The first Crops rehearsal in over a year last Thursday went from very shaky beginnings to passably acceptable interpretations of the songs to a very satisfying session in the Roebuck afterwards, joined by SS and Alfie. The Crops farewell gig is set for 6th September at the Enterprise in Chalk Farm, so we've got a couple of weeks to get ship-shape. The gig will also be the launch of our album, 'Foxes Earth and Badger Sett' (though it's also TV Magick's birthday so perhaps a 45 would have been more appropriate). Anyhoo, everyone who turns up gets a free copy...if we get it all done in time.

Halesworth

2008-08-13T23:07:00.008+01:00

Following Gordon Brown's lead, we've just spent a very relaxing few days in Suffolk, staying at the Tit Low House in Halesworth. Listened to Julian Cope's 'Jehovakill' a lot and also spent a fair amount of time consulting Roger Melly's 'Magna Farta'. When not indulging in these highbrow pursuits, we went rowing on Thorpeness Meare and visited the mysterious ruins at South Elmham Minster. I also bought singles by Sailor, Pilot and the Wombles in a charity shop in the fine old town of Bungay and ate a lot of chips. In many ways it was a good old fashioned English summer holiday, complete with windy beaches, dragonflies and more photo opportunities with cats.

Grindleford Station Cafe

2008-08-06T10:23:00.004+01:00

Made a pilgrimage to the legendary Grindleford Cafe in Derbyshire on Saturday. It's a proper unreconstructed British cafe serving pints of tea and coffee and enormous portions of suitably unhealthy fodder. The interior is festooned with cheerfully grumpy signs in Shrigley-esque handwriting instructing customers not to take too many serviettes or to browse the magazines without buying. Fortunately I'd also taken my bike with me on the trip so was able to offset the lashings of white bread and fat with a bit of pedalling around the Notts/Derbyshire border alps, so no harm done!

Blue Sky Thinking

2008-08-01T16:34:00.003+01:00

It's been a week of balancing the cycling ying with the boozing yang. Had a few pints of Adnams in Chalk Farm with Judge Ed early in the week followed by 3.5 pints of Aspell (staying loyal to Suffolk brands) in Crystal Palace while discussing artwork for the forthcoming Crops LP with Dan and T-Lo in Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Out for a 36 mile post-dynamo tootle around the North Downs with Spratticus yesterday, which was very much like going for a bike ride in the school holidays, but with pub stops! Clocked up another 22 miles today riding from home to dentist to the Moat to home to the barber's and home again. I seem to be getting the balance about right as the old blood sugars are behaving themselves again.

Debbie Leggo/Sleaford Mods

2008-07-29T12:28:00.003+01:00

The last Hello Goodbye show before our summer break brought together an impressive trio of urban wordsmiths: Gerry Mitchell's rants were accompanied to great effect by the youthful Debbie Leggo, Sleaford Mods put in a deceptively smooth performance, no less powerful for avoiding some of his more 'adult' content, and A Man Reading Stories (not pictured) read a great story about walking backwards. Terrific stuff; the show returns on 6th September.

Attack! Switch Attack!

2008-07-29T12:16:00.004+01:00

Made my first visit in quite a while to the Dublin Castle on Sunday to witness ASA play a blistering set, despite (or maybe because of?) Disco Bobby nursing something of a hangover.

Dunwich Dynamo 2008

2008-07-24T18:59:00.022+01:00

Bit of a difference from last year. Almost perfect weather conditions - clear sky and a back wind. Sadly, Nick and Marc weren't able to accompany me this time but I'd managed to swell the ranks of Team Badger with three men good and true: L - R: Iwan, owner of the only pair of calves larger than mine this side of Argentina, with a training regime that had consisted of watching Lord of the Rings: The Musical that very afternoon; Spratticus, a man whose shit is very much ON and who will be well known to regular followers of this blog; Richard, recently returned from two years globetrotting and riding on a borrowed bike with NO training whatsoever but a secret weapon in the form of a giant slab of flapjack from the 99p shop. Richard, Spratticus and I gorged ourselves on pasta in Borough before heading up to Hackney to rendezvous with Iwan and about 500 other masochists.

We also hooked up with Tom (of Merchant and the Courtesan fame) and lady friend Helen,all revved up for their first Dynamo.

Had an hour in London Fields, in which we indulged in a bit of voyeuristic bike porn, ogling other people's machines (and in my case feeling woefully inadequate about my own, but hey, it's not about the bike apparently).There seemed to be fewer recumbents and Bromptons than last year but possibly more single speed/fixed wheel riders. We downed a pint of Adnams to put us on the Suffolk scent and then, lo and behold, the routes are handed out, the toilets are visited, final adjustments made and we're off, cycling out of East London. At one point I was riding behind a girl in high heels, which I thought would be the ultimate fashion statement if she was doing the Dynamo, but she took a left turn after a couple of miles leaving me to ponder the practicality and marketability of combining stilettos with cleats. We started to get a false impression of darkness from the trees in Epping but it was still pretty light when you looked up at the sky and we seemed to zing out of London remarkably quickly.

Then, suddenly, we've left the street lights behind and are riding in the countryside proper, with the moon out and the LED's snaking up ahead of us. With the wind behind us, it seemed particularly quiet, which also gave the impression that we were going a lot faster than we really were for some reason. We stopped at 10:45 for what people who run training sessions invariably and annoyingly call a 'comfort break' - in our case this meant having a slash and breaking into the food stash - in some ways the Team Badger Dynamo is a bit like a mid-life crisis sleepover and midnight feast on 2 wheels. I also tested my blood sugar at this point and it was a pleasingly low 3.8: very unusual for that time in the evening, meaning I could munch away on dried fruit and binanos (which is what Bez calls bananas apparently) with impunity for the rest of the ride. I did, however, have to forego the 'Go' biscuits which Spratticus seemed to have in endless supply.

The first 50 miles or so seemed to fly by pretty quickly and uneventfully but I guess we were ready for a break by the time we hit the food stop at Lavenham, about 70 miles in. The queues were as long as ever but we had enough of our own provisions so only had to line up for hot drinks, which Richard gallantly volunteered to do. I bumped into Jack from the excellent resonance Bike Show and we had a bit of a chat that turned into an interview. Quite a few people took the opportunity to catch up on their sleep at the food stop but I felt wide awake and we were back on the road by 3.00. I'd ridden in short sleeves up to Lavenham but it felt a lot colder when we left so on came the warmer clothes. The rest of the team already had their tights on but the Badger shins remained unfettered for the whole ride.

The cold does make you want to pee more though. Here's Spratticus having a moonlit 'comfort break':

We saw quite a few bats flitting about on the next bit of the ride but then the clear skies meant it seemed to get light a lot earlier than last year and it was a real moment when the sun started to come through. It was a spectacularly beautiful morning as we started to reach what the route called 'Silly Suffolk'. From around midnight through to six we barely saw a car and had the road to ourselves. The first sight of another person on the route came at Coddenham, where there was a bloke fixing the church wall at 5.30 am! This was also where the strain started to tell a bit as well and, like last year, some of the hills seemed a lot less gentle than they might normally feel. I suffered a lot more than the rest of the team here, I think, and it was like a lorry struggling up a hill sometimes. I'm not sure if it's an age thing, or a bike thing, or just a general fitness thing, but I'm definitely not a contender for the King of the Mountains jersey, even in the Suffolk Alps. I like to think of myself as the Mark Cavendish of the Dynamo, though without the sprinting, obviously.

The last 15 miles or so from Framlingham was pretty tough, though our spirits were buoyed by a woman and her toddler cheering riders on in the back lanes behind Sibton Park. Richard and Iwan had shot ahead and missed a turning so Spratticus and I rode into Dunwich on our own with our knees creaking and thighs aching, finally making it to the Lost City at around 7:30, with the rest of Team Badger turning up only 10 minutes later despite having taken a pretty significant detour.

Met up with my folks, who arrived with a flask of coffee and more binanos, and my brother, who cycled over from Leiston in solidarity, perhaps hoping to bask in the reflected glory but looking suspiciously fresh compared to every other cyclist. Also caught up with Tom and Helen again, who were looking a lot more sprightly than I felt, the young swines. Breakfast in the cafe was followed by a quick paddle and a kip on the beach - too cold for swimming, though it didn't put everyone off. Then a swift pint of Adnams before escorting Richard off to Darsham station, where the bastards from National Express were only allowing 5 cycles on each train, forcing Richard to cycle back to Ipswich...into a headwind! That would have been a bridge too far for me, but he made it - 'chapeau' I say. I just about had enough left in my legs to limp back to Yoxford and collapse on the parental sofa.

All in all, then, a great ride. The final reading on my computer when I got to Yoxford was 126.66 miles (from Borough), average speed 13.1 MPH, max speed 29.1 MPH and total cycling time of 9 hrs 37 mins. The weather made it a lot easier and more enjoyable than last year, though the last bit somehow felt harder. A lot of people do the ride on their own, but I couldn't do that, so it was great to have such a good team...cheers lads! Hopefully next year (4th July) we'll be able to combine the veterans from this year and last, as well as a few newbies, to form Team Uber-badger. Tips for 2009? Book a coach ticket - don't rely on getting the train back. I think I'll try to carry less stuff too and who knows, I may even invest in a new bike by then, so I'll only have age to blame for my slow progress on even the mildest gradient.

Check out the ITV news report on the Dynamo, featuring cameo appearances from Team Badger here

D-Day

2008-07-19T09:13:00.002+01:00

Me and Spratticus got some more miles in our legs with another tootle around the North Downs, clocking up 57 miles this time, passing the rather sinister Scientology country retreat on route. So we're now as ready as we'll ever be for tonight's Dunwich Dynamo - 120 miles from Hackney to the Suffolk coast, for the uninitiated. The forecast looks more or less ok, so all that remains for team blaireau is to load up with carbs and smear on the vaseline. Allez!

Teen Wedding

2008-07-14T22:02:00.003+01:00

Anthony from the Teens got married at the weekend and had a lavish knees-up at Wilton's Music Hall, with the Irrepressibles playing a suitably theatrical set. A very good night all round.

Greenwich peninsula

2008-07-11T22:51:00.004+01:00

Limbering up for the Dunwich Dynamo has taken me round the Greenwich Peninsula a couple of times this week. Funny old place, but great for cycling. I also visited the Church of St Nicholas in Deptford, last resting place of Christopher Marlowe and home to an impressive pair of sculpted skull and crossbones.

There Will Be Blood Sugar

2008-07-09T22:48:00.003+01:00

Time for another update on the diabetes front. The blood sugar readings have slowly been creeping up into double figures more regularly than I'd like them to, especially in the evenings. I'm trying to eat earlier and get out on the bike more (especially with fewer than 10 days to go to the dynamo - yikes), but it seems like the badger pancreas is feeling the strain a bit. Last night's reading was 13.2 after dinner, despite a 13 mile pre-dinner ride, and if I can't get the levels back down into more consistent single figures, the doctors are going to be recommending insulin again. Watch this space.

Rudos y Tecnicos

2008-07-06T11:41:00.004+01:00

Me and Spratticus finally got round to getting our shit on for the forthcoming Dunwich Dynamo with a gruelling afternoon clocking up 50 miles up and down (but it felt mostly up) the North Downs. Hard work, but good to get out of London and put some miles in the legs. Went to the Lucha Libre at the Roundhouse on Friday for a fantastic evening of Mexican Wrestling. It's a lot like 70's British wrestling a la Giant Haystacks but with the added spectacles of midgets, masks and 'exoticos'. I got some funny looks cycling home through the night in my newly acquired wrestling mask. The cultural extravanganza continued yesterday with an all day Nick Cave conference at the University of Westminster, with talks featuring Cave and the Presley Myth, Gothic Modalities, 'Ghosts of the Civil Dead', using Cave lyrics to teach poetry, Post Industrial Punk Bohemia and the Murder Ballad Tradition. Sadly, Cave himself didn't carry out his threat to turn up and heckle from the back but it was great stuff nonetheless.

Say it with flowers

2008-07-02T23:59:00.003+01:00

This is part of a quite spectacular floral tribute to a motorcyclist killed in an accident in Deptford a couple of weeks ago. It looks funny here, but among all the other wreaths and messages marking the scene of the crash it's a truly powerful expression of grief.

Summer Solstice

2008-06-22T15:23:00.007+01:00

Richard got into the spirit of all it at the Half Moon with a frankly sinister Morris Man outfit. Excellent sets from Le Shark and The Pepper Cake Melody Orchestra, with a terrific late night oompah version of 'Wipeout'. Me and T-Lo were on the decks as well as making a cameo appearance in the deXter Bentley set with some twin monophonic analogue synth droning to accompany 'Fishtank'. Which was nice.
Knalpot (which is an old Dutch word for exhaust-pipe) put in a top session performance on Saturday's show along with the mighty TV Smith, with me and Richard chiming in on the backing vocals for 'It's Warming Up'. Spent the rest of the afternoon at the Moat, finally putting the Crops recordings to bed - we hope to have the album out in September...stand by for more news!
We adjourned to the pub for a celebratory drink - David was driving, so he only had a small one.

The fruits of Marxism

2008-06-14T19:04:00.014+01:00

Pay no attention to the man in the ginger beard...Someone occasionally leaves bananas at the bottom of the stairs to our flats, presumably as some sort of offering. But to whom? By strange coincidence, following a spot of trouble at mill, I decided to make a pilgrimage to Karl Marx's tomb in Highgate. There I found that someone (else, presumably) had left some oranges for the father of Communism. Could there be a connection? I shall keep my eyes peeled (I thank you) for more fruity offerings. I'm not too sure what significance the tissues had but for some reason Marx's statue kept putting me in mind of the Sean Connery film Zardoz, which wasn't helpful in keeping me in the requisite frame of mind for paying my respects to the great man (KM that is, not SC).

A bit of jiggery-pokey on the interweb reveals that the superbly named Caleb Pink, also interred at Highgate, was a pioneer American socialist and a friend of Walt Wjitman to boot. When not visiting graves of revolutionaries and pondering on fruit and massive stone heads, I found time to catch deXter Bentley play a very intimate show, featuring some great tambourine work from Mr Ravenscroft, at the Perseverance near Lisson Grove - a pub most aptly named as I went there two nights running, having got the date of the gig wrong first time round.

sierras, ovejas y calaveras

2008-06-07T20:27:00.010+01:00

Caught up with Judge Ed again, along with Kate, T-Lo and SS, at the Malkmus Empire gig - a good old fashioned Crops night out but another strangely unsatisfying SM gig: it's really odd how someone whose albums are so top-notch just doesn't seem to cut the live mustard, but there you have it.
Oslo's Thingumajigsaw, on the other hand, are well worth seeing live, if today's marvellous session was anything to go by - the saw and the banjo are a very fine combination indeed and they do a great cover of Daniel Johnson's 'Walking the Cow'.
The calaveras are on a mural opposite a primary school in Lant Street, just down the road from top cantina, El Vergel.

Wet Dog,Ladyboys and Private Trousers

2008-06-05T18:41:00.005+01:00

Been a bit lax on the blog of late so here's a quick catch up. Our old chums Wet Dog made an excellent session appearance on the show a couple of weeks ago accompanied by related outfit Private Trousers brandishing home-made instruments (check out the ukulele made from a baking tin!). We then zipped down to Brighton but despite the helpful signage didn't see any Ladyboys - unless Spratticus in a curly wig counts, which I suspect doesn't. Last week's show featured Skitanja and Brigid Power-Ryce.

Some Came Running

2008-05-20T21:37:00.004+01:00

Double birthday bubble with Jo Bole's cumpleaños barbecue on Sunday (where we caught up with the Pants-Archers) and my 44th yesterday. Me and Shelly went to see Vincente Minelli's 1958 classic Some Came Running featuring Frank Sinatra, Shirley Maclaine and Dean Martin...who gets diabetes in the film! It must be noted, however, that Martin's character, the splendidly named Bama Dillert, doesn't present any symptoms whatsoever...didn't these people do any research, or were they trying to make a subtle point about the big DM being the 'silent killer'? I might start collecting on-screen depictions of diabetes - anyone got any suggestions of good ones? Anyhoo, from the BFI we went on to the Oak to meet up with Judge Ed, Mr Adams, T-Lo and SS and thencely to Simply Indian for some very fine curry indeed.

Culinary Similies and Maritime Metaphors

2008-05-18T13:40:00.007+01:00

Spin Spin the Dogs, Tap Collective and Me Me Me were on the bill at the Half Moon on Friday night; strange bedfellows in a way but an intriguing combination - like a three course meal assembled from different cuisines. Richard's been struck low with a pretty potent virus so wasn't around for the gig or yesterday's show, which also featured Me Me Me and a solo set from Joanne Robertson, with Ean and me at the helm, skirting very close to radiophonic disaster for 90 minutes but just about keeping the ship afloat. Richard did heroically raise himself from his sickbed last night for the dexter Bentley gig at the anti-folk night at the 12 Bar, which was also the launch night for the new dB single 'Killer Kane', and featured excellent performances from Congregation and Hans Blix & the Inspectors too. Annoyingly I forgot my camera.

Mary Jane

2008-05-11T12:42:00.003+01:00

Finally managed to youtube the Dave Cloud vid from the Windmill!

Tap and Gun

2008-05-10T22:11:00.005+01:00

Twin-drummer fuelled blues grungers the Tap Collective and acoustic songstress Alice Gun put in splendid performances in a sultry Resonance studio this lunchtime. I managed to make an unscheduled guest appearance on one of Alice's songs as I fell onto the radiator while closing the window to shut out the sound of a passing police siren. Mercifully, I'm told, the resultant clang was in time.

Hog Night

2008-05-09T20:05:00.004+01:00

Hooked up with T-Lo again on Wednesday night at the Windmill for another Dave Cloud show. Marvellous stuff - I got some great video footage on my camera but technophobe that I am, I haven't managed to get it on youtube yet. Will be playing the interview and a bit of the audio of the gig on the show tomorrow though.
More quintagenarian antics in Hammersmith last night for the Nicholas Edward Cave gig. Not quite as up close and personal as the Dave Cloud nights since we were perched way up in the gods but it was still an amazing show - with a phenomenal version of Stagger Lee at the end.

Cloud and Proud

2008-05-06T23:20:00.004+01:00

Went for a bank holiday spin up to the Angel in Rotherhithe in T-Lo's Spitfire with Alfie in the back seat. Then on to the 12 Bar to see and interview the mighty Dave Cloud, who's flown in from Nashville, via Norway, with the Gospel of Power for a handful of London gigs. They were awesome and entertaining as ever - check them out if you can at the Windmill on Wednesday 7th or the Dirty Water Club on Thursday 8th. You won't regret it. Gerry's new side project Debbie Leggo were also on the 12 Bar bill and very good too - imagine three record players blaring out The Fall, Can and Pink Floyd at the same time while a Scotsman shouts about the devil dipping his horns in his pint and you'll have a pretty close picture.

Universality challenged

2008-05-04T16:20:00.009+01:00

An excellent session from the fresh faced and charmingly named Gentle Friendly helped to lift me somewhat from my post-mayoral election depression. GF make a magnificent noise with some great equipment, including a really nice old Jen organ, which they rescued from an old people's home and which Daniel plays while drumming at the same time. Very impressive. I was also cheered up by Robin's brief but welcome return to the fold, celebrated with a backrub from Ean.

Last night I was on the Chelsea team at Yara El-Sherbini's Universality Challenge at the Chelsea Theatre. There was a routemaster bus parked outside so perhaps I was a little premature in my lack of faith in Bo-Jo. Then again, it didn't move all night so perhaps not. My team-mates were Garry (Chelsea - Rutter!), Layla and a theology student called Patrick, who we hadn't met before, but who turned out to be the star of the team. Our opponents were the actual SOAS team who appeared on University Challenge this year, beating Magdalen College Oxford, so they clearly knew their onions. Just seeing my surname in lights activated by pressing a buzzer was reward enough for me, but we also got £20 and free booze and sandwiches! Yara was a great quizmistress with some very amusing questions and miraculously we even knew the answers to a few of them. Even more unexpectedly we ended up winning somehow, despite not knowing the difference between a shepherd's pie and a cottage pie.

Spent most of today dossing about the flat before finally mustering the energy for a stroll up to the Thames, where the tide was remarkably low...waiting for Boris to command it which way to flow no doubt.

Night-mayor

2008-05-03T09:49:00.006+01:00

London succumbs to the influence of the world's unfunniest comic, the Evening Standard, and votes in Lord Snooty...and Biffer Bacon of the BNP. Boris Johnson wouldn't know how to run a bath, let alone a city, so don't hold your breath waiting for the return of the routemaster or any reduction in the congestion charge or for bendy buses to disappear. Expect the tube to get worse and the city to get clogged up with 4 x 4's. I don't know who's worse - the Italians for voting Berlusconi back in or Londoners for giving a mandate to an over-privileged bigoted clown.

Deconstructing the weekend

2008-04-27T17:35:00.015+01:00

A very busy weekend...

Friday night we were at the South Bank for Pere Ubu's 'Bring Me the Head of Ubu Roi'. It didn't quite hit the mark but did feature a great performance from Sarah Jane Morris and son, as well as some added amusement as avant-garde curmudgeon David Thomas got increasingly exasperated with his under-rehearsed band and crew.

Saturday's 'Hello Goodbye' was an altogether more congenial affair. The show was an Easycome special featuring Post Modern Antiquarian Andy Hankdog along with Jason McNiff & band, Indigo Moss, and Petra Jean Phillipson, all playing separately and then together for a rousing finale of 'Bella Ciao', which it turns out is a revolutionary call to arms and not a tribute to a South London pizzeria. Good to see my old engine room-mate from the Glint days, Mr Steve Brookes, alive and well and playing drums for Jason.

All that live music gives a man a thirst so I then sauntered up the road to the Parquet Mortar to meet T-Lo and Judge Ed for the nearest we get to a Crops rehearsal these days - a fez-wearing five-pintathon.

Worked off the hangover yesterday with a brisk 108 lengths in the pool and a large dose of constructivism at the last day of the Rodchenko exhibition at the Hayward, inspiring stuff indeed. As if that wasn't enough culture for one weekend, we then pedalled up to the Barbican for a screening of 'I Served the King of England', a Czech film based on the novel of the same name by Bohumil Hrabal. There was a Q & A with the director Jiri Menzel (of 'Closely Observed Trains' fame) afterwards, involving a very amusing translator. The film is the story of a waiter in Czechoslovakia before during and after WWII and is showing at the Barbican for a couple of weeks in May and is well worth seeing, though the book (inevitably) is even better.

Mai Lai, Hiroshima, know what I mean?

2008-04-24T19:59:00.005+01:00

Here's the quite extraordinary Iron Pirate at another superb Jlesh Munce at the Windmill last night. Actually, I think that technically the feller at the back on the drums is Iron Pirate, but they were amazing anyway, and perhaps the best band from Norwich since the mighty Higsons. Check out their midi-metal mayhem for yourself.

Jeff Lewis was also on the bill but there are no pictures of him as there were two many earnest young men in glasses in front of the stage while he was playing. He did a great trio of Crass songs - Do They Owe Us A Living/Banned From The Roxy/Big A Little A - they certainly don't write em like that any more.

Blood, Filth & Suicide

2008-04-20T19:22:00.005+01:00

A deXter Bentley triple this week - out for Ric's birthday and a spot of shoegazing at Acoustic Suicide on Thursday, with a special guest appearance from bon viveur par excellence Monsieur Brodie. Then the Half Moon on Friday, with another great set from Captain Blood Blood and the Sea Dogs (pictured) as well as Le Shark and Le Tetsuo (is 'le' the new 'thee' I wonder?). Ex-XX Teen Seb's new project Gypsy Girl Filth were live on Saturday's show and very good too.

Krakow Dawn!

2008-04-16T23:00:00.009+01:00

Back from five days in the land of Po, where soup is served inside a loaf of bread. Did a bit of teaching but mostly mooched around the old town and the Jewish quarter, which is now the location of some very fine drinking establishments. This is a city that hasn't forgotten its past, but which is determined to move on. Na zdrowie!

Spring is in the air

2008-04-06T12:19:00.001+01:00

Dogshit Park, SE1 9:15am

Saw Point

2008-04-05T18:25:00.004+01:00

Corker of a show today. I know I always say it's good, mostly because it almost always is, but today was a particularly good one. Our old friends Fireworks Night played a great set, with the musical saw making a very welcome appearance. Apparently the saws that are best for performing music with are generally not that great for sawing with, so musicians and carpenters don't have to fight it out in the ironmonger's over who gets the best one. Le Tetsuo's four live songs were short sharp songs of blistering energy and wit in equal measure. Their new EP on the excellent Parlour label is well worth investing in and I nearly managed to avoid mentioning that they come from Norwich, which I will no longer hold against them. All this plus a quite beautiful live song from Jason Mcniff made for a quality 90 minutes of music, and you can't say fairer than that.

Spring Forward

2008-03-30T16:44:00.006+01:00

Astrakan and Captain Blood Blood and the Sea Dogs played live on the show. Third time for the Sea Dogs, resplendently in costume for the radio, though for one song only. Still, it's not every day you see a bassist wearing a tricorn hat, is it? Last night T-Lo and I were on the Music for Punks wheels of steel at the Grosvenor in Stockwell. Duncan, our old Suffolk mate from back in the day, was playing a rare acoustic set along with an entertainingly sozzled Frankie Stubbs and fellow punk rock legend TV Smith, who played an epic set. Good to give the old punk vinyl an airing - we would have been happy playing to an empty room but ended up extending our set into the small hours for a select but enthusiastic group of dancers. Not feeling very punk rock today though - I'm missing that hour we were robbed of last night. Curse you British Summer Time!

Brighton Breezy

2008-03-29T10:36:00.010Z

Starting to get in training for this year's Dunwich Dynamo, I spent a couple of days cycling in East Sussex with Spratticus and Ian. The weather was pretty extreme, and on Thursday we went from being pelted by high velocity icy needles of hail to basking in glorious sunshine within 45 minutes. Picked up a discarded baseball bat on the way and stopped in for a couple of marvellous pints at the Harvey's brewery tap in Lewes, just across the road from the brewery itself.It was at this point that the sun started shining, which is as much evidence as I've ever seen for the existence of God. From there we went upwards and onwards in a 40 mile loop before returning to Brighton to claim a magnificent joint 3rd in a pub quiz. For me blood sugar and cycling exist in a carb-on/offsetting relationship so with all those miles under my belt I felt I had licence to indulge a little more than usual. In addition to breaking my usual 3-pint rule this also meant a massive fry-up the next day at the Carat Cafe at Portslade, where we sought refuge from even more horrendous weather. Looks like I just about got the balance right as I'm still registering respectable blood sugar readings. Top laughs too - cheers chaps!

Brown Ale in Brixton

2008-03-26T12:40:00.005Z

Pedalled to the Windmill last night for another of James and Michael's excellent Jlesh Munce nights. This time the line up featured Yeborobo and Breakneck Static, both of whom specialise in sonic mayhem of a very pleasing nature, which went down very well with a few bottles of Newcastle Brown. Yeborobo won bonus points for painting their faces and attempting (albeit unsuccessfully) to steal shoes from the audience.

Easter Eggs

2008-03-24T08:55:00.011Z

Quick catch up on the Easter weekend, which started off with a trip to Old Compton Street to get my hair cut by Paul. He's been tending my locks for over 20 years and more often than not the haircut is followed by a swift pint or three. Several jars later I wobbled down to Acoustic Suicide to catch marvellous sets by Congregation and the Boycott Coca Cola Experience. BCCE were also live on Saturday's show, playing a very entertaining session of quality post-modern blues. Le Shark were live on the show too and equally excellent, with their Frenchified pop antics. The deXter Bentley themed Easter continued on Saturday night at the Half Moon with a line up including Shimmy Rivers And And Canal plus Agaskodo Teliverek, possibly my favourite two bands we've had on the show. Both outfits have relatively new line-ups and were a joy to behold, not least because of their impeccable dress sense - fetching tight shorts for Agaskodo Teliverek and a specially knitted Hello Goodbye jumper being sported by Shimmy's keyboard player. As if all this wasn't fantastic enough, Keith turned up too - turns out he used to live across the road in New York from one of Extradition Order, who were also on the bill.

Eye of the Badger

2008-03-17T15:59:00.006Z

Finally got my manky mince pie sorted out. After another misdiagnosis from my GP, I went along to the opticians, where a very nice pregnant Irish lady shined her little torch into my eye and found a foreign body wedged into my cornea. She sent me off to Moorfields Eye Hospital toute suite and I sat in the waiting room with a loop of Buñuel's 'Un Chien Andalou' running in my head. Mercifully, the offending item was removed expertly and painlessly by a wonderful Filipino nurse with a needle and I am now free of both pain and blurred vision. Hurrah! The picture above is not a pair of peeled tomatoes but the back of my eyes, which I had photographed while at the opticians. Quite beautiful, I think, and also, I'm told, quite healthy. Which is nice.

You don't get a rainbow at the Rainbow.

2008-03-09T17:53:00.013Z

Bit slow on updating ye olde blogge this week as a result of an eye infection that still hasn't gone away. Back to the doctor tomorrow, so fingers crossed I'll stop squinting soon. Things I did manage to see through the stinging haze last week included Agaskodo Teliverek playing live on the show last Saturday. I've always thought they'd be fantastic with a drummer and now they have one. He's called Pharoah, and he's great. Add an animated Japanese keytar-playing vocalist and it's clear that the ante has most definitely been upped. Needless to say, the session was a corker. New album 'Psycho Goulash' is scheduled for release later in the year. Caught the train down to Whitstable that night to meet up with Mr Adams and Mr Smith at a Hugh Cornwell gig. It was a strange affair, with the audience sitting in rows of chairs like a school assembly. To add to the effect, the ex-Strangler was perched on a very narrow stage in a terrible suit, looking like a cross between a maitre de and a headmaster. At one point he even stopped playing a song to tell a couple of blokes off for talking. Good job he didn't catch us running in the corridor earlier or there'd have been hell to pay. Nostalgia eh? It's not what it used to be. He's still my favourite Strangler though.

Iechyd da!

2008-03-01T18:50:00.005Z

More quality sessions for St David's Day, with Serafina Steer and Miss Sills, neither of whom are particularly Welsh, in the studio. Serafina was playing a fantastic mini-harp made by her mum, which sounded amazing. Miss Sills's band were also on top form and coped admirably with the resonance drum kit dismantling itself halfway through one of their songs.

Quails eggs and gingernuts

2008-02-29T20:52:00.008Z

The week thus far:

Out in Soho on Tuesday night to celebrate the birthday of Mr Adams: Sting lookalike, maninblack and king of the gingernuts.

Then Acoustic Suicide last night with songs sung in Roma and Turkish from Thee Intolerable Kid and songs with judicious use of the c-word, as well as a song dedicated to misunderstood diabetics, from Simon Breed. All of this and free quail's eggs too, I kid you not, making for a very fine evening's entertainment.

And tonight we're staying in - Howard Marks is on TV and looking uncannily like this mask Shelly made today.

Converted Barn Dance

2008-02-23T12:58:00.007Z

Tales of the East Midlands nouveau riche set to a mediaeval prog background? That'll be Supreme Vagabond Craftsman again, this time playing a marvelous set at the Hello Goodbye night at the Half Moon in Hernia Hill. Also on the bill were the excellent Hamilton Yarns, whose pastoral English whimsicality might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it gives me the same warm glow I get from Vernon Elliot's music for Noggin the Nog and the Clangers. Special mention also to Keshco for fulfilling their promise to have a band member dressed as a proper old fashioned tramp...fitting in nicely with the vagabond theme.

Where's your caravan?

2008-02-13T23:01:00.006Z

Got some quality time in the Oak with Spratticus and Christina on Sunday. Then down to Selhurst Park with Robert and Tom last night to see the Tractor Boys in action. Every time I've been to a Town game over the last few years they have lost, so it was a bit of a gamble going along to this game just after they'd rediscovered their away form. Fortunately the curse seems to have been lifted and Ipswich romped to a triumphant 1-0 victory. Cracking game, with both players and fans on good form. I'd forgotten how therapeutic it can be to spend a Tuesday evening in a cold stadium shouting 'Blue Army' with a couple of thousand kindred spirits. Wonderful player that Alan Lee is, however, I couldn't quite bring myself to join in singing his praises to the tune of Spandau Ballet's 'Gold'. Be interesting to see how the name of new signing Velice Sumulikoski ('the Macedonian Steven Gerrard') works itself into a chant.

Forest Punk

2008-02-09T18:03:00.000Z

Brilliant session today from the excellent Supreme Vagabond Craftsman, who are arguably the finest grindcore folk outfit ever to come out of South Leicestershire. Also on the show was Denver Colorado's George Inai, who does a very nice line in mariachi flavoured ballads.

Badger's Badge

2008-02-08T19:44:00.002Z

Found by Steph in an Essex Road charity shop. You can't argue with the design or the message really, can you?

Milestones

2008-02-05T22:54:00.001Z

Saturday night in London's oldest restaurant (apparently) for our neighbour Sylvia's 80th birthday bash. Very nice too. Talking of milestones, my trusty Halford's cycle computer tells me I've now ridden 2000 miles since I fitted it on my bike on my last birthday. Not as impressive as Sylvia reaching the big ochenta, I grant you, but still not be sneezed at, I reckon.

Edward Suffolkhands

2008-01-27T21:11:00.000Z

Up the A12 for my Mum's 65th birthday celebrations. Beautiful skies over Walberswick before we left for London tonight. My sister-in-law says that Johnny Depp is looking for a house in the area. Not sure how I feel about that. I think I might prefer Suffolk being known mainly for bird-flu, nuclear power stations and serial killers - it helps keep the crowds away. On the other hand, flocks of mini-goths clogging up the tea-rooms of Thorpeness, desperate for a glimpse of Jack Sparrow would liven the place up a bit.

Jlesh Munce

2008-01-25T08:38:00.000Z

Down to the Windmill in Brixton last night for a marvellous array of bands. Old friends of the radio show, Captain Blood Blood and the Sea Dogs have now expanded from a trio to a quintet and were in very fine fettle indeed. Chips for the Poor did an epic 9 minute set, which included the excellent 'I am warm in my coat' played twice, but the highlight of the night was Spin Spin the Dogs. Proclaimed on the interweb as 'Derby's most hated band' despite, or perhaps because of, being from Nottingham, they're in fact a fantastic blend of Beefheart, Pere Ubu and Stump. Truly fabulous stuff - hoping to get them in for a session very soon.

Worst before...

2008-01-23T20:56:00.000Z

Shocked to discover that Tesco are now stamping their sell-by dates directly onto their houmous. Fortunately I had a jar of Barry Norman's pickled onions at hand to help me get over the trauma.

It ain't the meat it's the motion (that makes your daddy want to rock)

2008-01-20T21:15:00.000Z

Quick recap on the last few days:

Thursday night at Acoustic Suicide to see harpist extraordinaire Serafina Steer playing a sublime version of Morrisey's 'Suedehead'.

Friday night in the Oak with Spratticus for the AGM of the Tony Harrison appreciation society.

The Resonance (no relation) Association were live on Saturday's show, after which there was a brief Crops reunion at the Parquet Mortar.

Then on to the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club to meet up with Adaesi, Rod and Nick for a very pleasant evening of rock and roll. The band were great, as were the lady dj's, who played some fantastically edgy sounding stuff from the fifties. Time to get the fluorescent socks and the Showaddywaddy LP out from under the bed - I can feel a teddy boy phase coming on!

Lionel Richie's Wardrobe

2008-01-14T22:39:00.001Z

To the Priory Arms again last night with Team LRW bolstered by Shelly, Sandra and Tomoland for the pub quiz. Amazingly, and despite Tomo convincing us that Tin Tin's dog was a poodle, we won. We converted our winnings back into booze and celebrated with a hamfisted round of Buckaroo.

If it ain't a mess it'll do til the mess gets here

2008-01-13T13:05:00.000Z

First Hello Goodbye show of 2008 kicked off the new year with great sessions from David Cronenberg's Wife and a solo Jamie Irrepressible. DCW's set included a song about a relationship between a man and a schoolgirl, the lyrics of which they'd thoughtfully typed out for us to vet in advance, in case they were too controversial for a family show. I didn't see anything that could cause offence so gave them the go ahead, secretly hoping that we would get a couple of outraged emails or phone calls from retired colonels in Tunbridge Wells. Sadly, however, it would appear that the self appointed bastions of family values and common decency are not setting their dials to 104.4 fm of a Saturday lunchtime. Which means they would have also missed Jamie's performance too - only one song, but terrific stuff.

Caught up with T-Lo, Tomoland et al in the Parquet Mortar for a couple of swellies, then had a great dahl makani in Simply Indian and went to see No Country for Old Men, the Coen Bros adaptation of the Cormac Mcarthy book. Fabulous stuff, already a candidate for best film of the year I'd say. Classic Coens and nicely dark, like Blood Simple. There's some great business with dogs in the film ('That's a dead dog' 'Yes it is') and a particularly marvellous scene where Josh Brolin is pursued across a river by a hound. Fantastic cast, excellent dialogue, brilliantly shot and a pleasingly ambiguous ending. Go and see it.

Out with the old...

2008-01-01T18:02:00.000Z

So farewell then 2007. On the last afternoon of the year I cycled over Tower Bridge to visit Seething Lane, where Pepys used to live. His house, of course, is long gone - having burned down a few years after surviving the Great Fire. Strangely, the area around his statue smelled quite strongly of vomit. Saw in 2008 at John and Garry's in Camberwell with fireworks provided by their neighbours. Hit the saddle again at mid-day today, cycling up to Hampstead and back, then met up with last night's revellers again for a stroll along the Thames. Can't quite believe it's 2008 already. Still feels like 1994 to me.