This year has been a big one for the Big Day Out. The event has sold out in all states(and New Zeland, which everyone knows is just an extenstion of Australia really) and an etra show has been added in Sydney for only the second time the festival’s history. Many people were expecting a big second announcement and there were rumours of bands such as Phoenix and Vampire Weekend.

Instead, the actual  second line-up is looking a little bit crap. I mean Jet. Seriously. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for boring bogan rock but does anybody actually care about them anymore?

Not so boring are the annoucements of Passion Pit, Devandra Barnhart and The Middle East.

The full line-up is:

Jet

Sasha

Devendra Barnhart

Passion Pit

Simian Mobile Disco DJs

Beenie Man

Silent Disco

Hilltop Hoods

Decoder Ring

Itch-E and Scratch-E

Maya Jupiter

Miami Horror

MDX

Sugar Army

DJ Sam La More

The Scare

The Middle East

Wagons

Phrase

Grrilla Step

img_1976, première mise en ligne par montie_j.

Moment d’extense et de communion musicale, en silence. Si, c’est possible.

Rolou no dia 05/09 uma dança sem música dentro dos metrôs no Rio de Janeiro, o Silent

Disco.

A idéia era viajar 5 estações (Central à Saens Pena), trocando de trem em todas as estações. Sem ritmo, música, estilo nem nada definido. O ‘puxador’ comecou a dançar e contagiou geral.

Veja o vídeo, que foi gravado escondido de todos, do Flash Mob.

Organizadora/Via: Flash Mob RJ

My Electric Picnic? So kind of you to ask.

But first, a little on how I ‘do’ festivals. I wish I cared more about the Art element of Electric Picnic but it’s lost on me. I appreciate the sculptures, the Body & Soul area, Mindfield and the fact that the comedy tent exists – averse as I am to live comedy – but I don’t engage with that part of the festival as best I could. I began my festival-going with nowt but music to entertain me; perhaps this explains my reluctance to reduce music intake in favour of the other. Next year I’ll try harder.

Friday

Traffic, lots of. I didn’t have my heart set on seeing anyone in particular on Friday so missing one or two due to the traffic wasn’t nearly as annoying as it could have been. I missed The Temper Trap and Lykke Li. The former are returning to Ireland soon and I saw the latter last year. When I eventually made it into the arena (a moment please for the TWO ‘throw in the air’ tents I had to pitch, they were small but EASY) I was completely disoriented. I left  my companions to enjoy MGMT - something I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to do  - and got lost. There was no moon, no light in the sky and the powers that be forgot to scatter a few lamps about. When I finally orientated myself I forgot I wanted to see Dinosaur Jr and by then it was too late. So I ended my night in Poptopia, missing Neosupervital who I’ve always enjoyed, dancing to whatever the DJ played and planning my escape back to the hotel. Yes, I stayed in a hotel one night. Rosemary hooked me up and who am I to refuse a bed, a breakfast and the undeniable allure of indoor plumbing? So, yeah, Friday was sort of lost on me.

Saturday

Saturday began in a much improved fashion. The road to Stradbally was traffic-free and the sky above delightfully devoid of rain. I started the day with The XX who I think I might like, but live I was underwhelmed. After that was the extraordinarily pretty and amazing Marina and the Diamonds. I forsee a Florence and the Machine-like appearance in her EP future. As Ian – who took the photo below – can attest, I’m adore ‘Obsessions’ which was the highlight of the show for me. That, her look and her deadly moves.

Marina Diamond, Electric Picnic '09 © Ian Finnerty

After Marina, after the fuzzy warm festival feeling had finally made itself known in my tummy, I learned that Bat for Lashes had cancelled. Oh, Bat. It hurt. But these things happen and I saw her once this year already; it’s not enough but it’ll have to do. When Cakeface and I recovered from the hurt we went to Whitest Boy Alive. They were great, the kind of band you can’t help but move to which was precisely what we did. These are the moments that make festivals for me: losing yourself in the music without caring about the rain, the mud, the person behind you recording everything on their iphone or what precisely it is you’re dancing to.

The plan after WBA was sketchy. I wanted to catch some Explosions in the Sky, was interested in Madness and decided that I needed to get over my previous reservations about Brian Wilson and go see. Wilson was amazing. The man himself was all but stationary behind his keyboard but the people around him more than made up for it. If you ever see the making of Smile you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that there was so much love on that stage. The band around Wilson surround him, cocoon-like, and their love for him and his music somehow makes its way into the audience. The music of the Beach Boys is in your blood and it’s not until you’re there, singing and dancing along to Good Vibrations, that you realise just how much a  part of you this sunsoaked music is.

After Brian Wilson I caught ten minutes of Explosions in the Sky, who were predictably loud and epic and loud. Would’ve liked to spend more time but things got in the way and after spending fifteen minutes of my life that I’ll never get back being bored by Madness I had to return to base camp and control an illness that was not self induced in any way.

Sunday

Okkervil River day! When I finally made it out of my coffin-like tent and through the rain I caught half of Villagers‘ set. They’re really, really good. Sort of like Bright Eyes but happier, nicer and, if possible, more poetic. I was charmed. After Villagers we plodded through the mud to J. Tillman in the Body and Soul area. Tillman’s album is one of my favourites this year and I so happy to catch him, despite the rain, in such a charming setting. He didn’t seem so convinced though, and apologised for his lack of showmanship on one occasion. I can’t say I’d be so enthused if faced with a rainy stage on a windy Sunday morning either. After stopping by the LittleBigStage to see the opening two songs of the very enthusuastic Hypnotic Brass Ensemble’s set we went to Crawdaddy for Southern Comfort cocktails and OKKERVIL RIVER. Excited? Yes.

They were everything I could ask for but not all I hoped for. Going to see my favourite band play a 45 minute set was always going to be lacking something. In this case it was the songs. Though they played one of my favourite songs ‘The Plus Ones’ (sample lyric: “what’s new pussycat is you were once a lioness, they took your claws out”) and ended with ‘Unless it’s Kicks’ the set lacked something and that something was music. It wasn’t their fault; the set was far too short and they seemed plagued by technical problems. Before I knew it they were walking off stage and it was over. Though I would’ve had it another way I was not disappointed, I just need to see them headline their own show. Like, now.

After Okkervil River things were complicated. I had no desire to see Lisa Hannigan stare in constant surprise at the musicians behind her, Florence and the Machine was going to be jammed and though I like some Echo and the Bunnymen songs I wasn’t feeling the love. The solution: learning to operate Cakeface’s poi, gaining multiple bruises in the process while listening to Florence (who sounded like she was killing it, in a good sense) from afar.

The last two acts of the weekend were Royksopp and The Flaming Lips. Royksopp were fine; we danced and were happy. Some nu-rave kids behind us brought whistles, not harming them was the greatest test of my strength EVER. After Royksopp we ran to the front of the Electric Arena in order to be as close to Wayne Coyne as is humanly possible. The Flaming Lips were amazing, I left in a daze. Coyne was above me in a giant bubble at one point, there was confetti, lazers, bunny costumes…a show made for the ending of a festival. (Nialler9 has videos here) They ended with ‘Do You Realize?’, one of the most beautifully tragic songs I know. It’s the human condition to song, everything you need to know about life, love and everything in between in a song.

Leaving in a smiling daze I stumbled from Poptopia to Body & Soul where, rumour had it, Noel Gallagher was watching Amorphous Androgynous perform. Last stop was the Silent Disco where two rather insane Dutch DJs battled it out for our affection. Watching people dance silently to Iggy Pop and Bonnie Tyler simultaneously  is a surreal experience.

The more festivals I go to, the different places and acts I experience the more I wonder why we do it. Then I stand under a bubble with Wayne Coyne in it, or sing about Obsessions in a field surrounded by trees adorned with recycled CDs catching every light and I remember why: festivals are deadly.

I missed (dammit):

Michael Nyman Orchestra (AGAIN!)

The Temper Trap (playing here supporting Florence and The Machine in the Olympia on 7 December)

Billy Bragg (the gods are against me and Billy being in the same room, ever)

Two Door Cinema Club (just wanted to hear this song, but failed)

Ronan Casey reading from his biography of Joe Dolan (you can take the girl out of Mullingar…)

Food:

Best: The Clonakilty Bus serving fresh rolls with delicious sausages, rashers, black and white pudding with Folláin relish: YUM

Worst: Wok ‘n’ Roll’s Thai Red Chicken Curry: meh. Some burger joint who charged €7 for a burger I threw away. Organic or not, it was crap.

I went to a festival in Laois. I ate nut burgers, red curry, Clonakilty pudding and sausages and toasted sandwiches.  I drank lemonade, Coors and discovered the deliciousness of Southern Comfort and Ginger Ale mixed with fresh lime. I wore wellies and layers of clothing. I fell for three bass players and one drummer. I went to the Silent Disco for the first time and I can’t wait to go back. I’m tired now but I’ll post more about my adventures at the picnic of electricity tomorrow. For now I leave you with Okkervil River, who helped make my weekend worthwhile.

So there it was, another summer over, signaled by the carnage that is Reading Festival weekend. I missed last year so a lot seemed new to me, some good some bad.

The changes to the layout, broadly seemed to work, apart from moving the entrance; having carried crates of beer to what used to be an entrance and is now only an exit I was not my happiest. The silent disco is in a much more accessible place than it used to be and the closed tent sides made for a far better atmosphere – though a little hot.

Another big change was the banning of flags/banners in the arena – which I’m a fan of as a result of the number of times I’ve got stuck behind a massive Cornwall/Ireland/Tanzania flag and not been able to see for toffee.

So on to the music.

Friday
Tim Minchin was top draw and brought out new tracks to show he doesn’t rely on the established classics like ‘Inflatable you’.

Little Boots was OK, but seemed really overwhelmed by the occasion and perhaps got a little lost in front of such a big crowd.

Florence and the Machine killed it on her birthday. There’s loads of extended coverage of both her set and an extra appearance she did on the BBC site. Highlight ‘Kiss With A Fist’.

Friendly Fires were a big surprise for me. I like their album but they really stepped up their live show to another level. A real breakthrough band.

Jamie T followed up a good performance two years ago on NME with a superb one this time out. So much so that Kaiser Chiefs would have been quite disappointed with the size of their crowd. Having seen the coverage since I massively regret leaving early for the Kings of Leon.

Kings of Leon, what a shame. Enough has been written about it already so I won’t go on about it. The wind was bad and the sound was quiet. However a lot of people at that festival, particularly those who just went on Friday were there mainly to see the Kings of Leon. The crowd was making a fair amount of noise from the stage to the barrier but a lot of it was being blown away by the wind. If my memory serves the sound quality wasn’t great in 2007 either.

However that doesn’t excuse the fucking disgusting rant and storm off stage though. People pay good money to see you and they don’t want to be treated like that, if the crowd isn’t up for it then shouldn’t you be trying to do something about it rather than getting negative and criticising? The wind has always been a problem and bigger bands have dealt with it and gone on to have great Reading sets.

For me that outburst has relegated K.O.L. from a band ready to take the next step to global heavy-hitters back down two rungs. They’re now a good band with a number of good albums behind them with a massively tarnished live-reputation and a shit temperament. A bit like Oasis…

Saturday
Maximo Park are a top live band and everytime I’ve seen them (06′ Top of NME, 07′ 4th on Main) they have been brilliant. Paul Smith is a showman who knows just how to hold a crowd.

The Prodigy were a highlight for everyone I have spoken to. This set shook off the disappointment of the previous nights headliner and kicked the punters into a state of readyness for the coming one.

Here’s a crowd perspective of Breath;

The Arctic Monkeys own Reading festival. Their epic 2005 Carling stage set where everyone knew all the songs without them having officially released anything (we love the sheriff) was a shift that the music industry still hasn’t quite worked out how to deal with and their 2007 show proved to the world they weren’t a one album wonder.

It surprised me slightly that they dropped some of their normal live ‘bankers’ which they rose to fame on like A Certain Romance and Mardy Bum but it was a ballsy decision that paid off. I came away from the set thinking not ‘that was like 2007 with a few new songs’ but ‘that’s the Arctic Monkeys really evolving into something new and more mature. Opening with three new songs is a massive call in a headline slot but they had the confidence to pull it off and carried the crowd with them (take note KOL) playing only three songs from their first album. Alex only uttered ‘are you still with us Reading’ a two or three times – far less than in 2007 when they seemed a little baffled by the lack of crowd noise (they could hear) and the crowd became equally baffled at his continuing attempts to develop an atmosphere which was already huge.

Like I have said in my previous blog they are becoming more intense with a far richer sound. There are big influences from Last of the Shadow Puppets and this lends itself to an atmospheric live show, leaning towards Muse levels of epic.

All this lent itself to a new, different kind of Arctic Monkeys show; just as entertaining but slightly less sweaty.

Before I move on to Sunday I want to consider a wider point about ‘cool’ bands becoming mainstream. If it is their aim to reach the top they have to accept that some people coming to see them at Festivals won’t know every b-side or demo they have ever released like they may have at previous shows, they may not even know all of their old albums. It happened for Arctic Monkeys in 2007, they dealt with it. To a point it happened for the Kings of Leon in 2009, they didn’t. It appeared that they were getting sick of everyone just waiting for tracks from ‘Only By The Night’ but that was a small portion of the crowd – but an important portion if the band want to continue to grow. They fucked that up didn’t they.

Sunday
Sunday had a quiet start due to a few too many drinkies and the Silent Disco on Saturday night; perfectly bizarre fun.

Lethal Bizzle surprised a few new faces with a top set mixing classic rock samples just as he did a few years back. He also showed he’s got some new classics coming up and used them to really get the crowd involved.

Then as a result of some wierd movements with the Dance Stage line up we saw ‘headliners’ Deadmau5 in the middle of the afternoon. He was brilliant regardless. Absolute highlight. Find out more about this guy if you have the chance. He has the whole online presence, mysterious brand thing down to a tee as well as producing top notch dance/house/drum and bass/where-ever you categorise him.

Check out STROBE.

Later on Sunday I saw Vampire Weekend and was hugely impressed again by how they stepped up and transformed a good album into a very good live set, throwing in some new tracks without upsetting the balance.

YeahYeahYeahs gave a solid performance without ever really inspiring, perhaps struggling to top Vampire Weekend.

Bloc Party seemed a completely different band to my previous experience of them in 2007 were they seemed miserable, indifferent to the crowd and a bit pissed off. But perhaps this is a little harsh, perhaps they were simply intimidated because (as they love to go on about) they formed at Reading and call it ‘home’.

This time they were energetic and enthusiastic from the start. Even the slower songs carried such energy that even the cynics amongst my group left feeling impressed.

And so, after one final trip to the Silent Disco and innumerable slightly dodgy drinks we trudged back to the car park and began the long journey back to Suffolk – fully satisfied with a years worth of festival related banter, damaged ears and sleep to catch up on.

So Buffalo Bar (Cardiff) wanted a little bit of a shake up as far as their artwork went… Here’s my visual two (three) cents…

Musica… per le nostre orecchie! Dal sito di Mojotic:

Il New Musical Express l’ha definito “il migliore afterparty possibile… eccezionale… la più grande invenzione al mondo!”. Noi ci limitiamo a definirla come una esperienza indimenticabile per chi l’ha vissuta. Imperdibile per chi ancora non la conosce.

Video di cri78m13b.

Puntate precedenti

Mojotic a Sestri Levante: Easy Star, silent disco, Macchiavello

Domani riparte il festival:

Non potevano mancare all’evento estivo in Riviera. Stiamo parlando degli Easy Star All – Stars, probabilmente in questo momento la più importante reggae/dub band al Mondo. Con l’uscita del terzo album “Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band”, rivisitazione dello storico disco dei Beatles “Sgt.Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”, e il lancio del primo singolo estratto “With a little help from my friends”, la band newyorkese specializzata nel rivisitare i classici della musica pop rock presenterà uno spettacolo unico nel suo genere. [...]

Mojotic è orgogliosa di presentare, a chi ancora non lo conoscesse, il Silent Disco Afterparty. Un migliaio di cuffie senza fili, due d.j., due musiche diverse, un pulsante per scegliere la preferita.

Ma anche illustrazione e fotografia, con Enrico Macchiavello e Luigi Copello.

Birthday today. Traveling down. Soooo much traffic. Long day, not much eaten. Silent Disco was ledge though.

Het zit er weer op. Over een jaar kan ik pas weer gaan genieten van ArtQuake Open Air. Jammer. Want het was echt zo ontzettend leuk. Zaterdag werd ik wakker en ik had er gewoon echt zo’n zin in. Kleren uitgezocht (lees: duurde bijna 2 uur), tas gepakt en camera-kaartje leeggemaakt.

En toen was het zo ver: ArtQuake Open Air. Waarschijnlijk een van de kleinste en onbekendste festivals van Nederland. Maarja, ik woon in Hoofddorp, dus dan ken je ArtQuake natuurlijk. ArtQuake Open Air is het festival van ArtQuake dat één keer in het jaar gehouden wordt in het Haarlemmermeerse Bos. Ooit begonnen met en één tent en inmiddels is dat zelfs verdubbeld! ; ) Anyways, voorgaande jaren waren er altijd leuke bandjes en verrassende acts te zien. Dit jaar kende ik één band van het hele programma. En alleen maar omdat ik een keer een interview las met de zangeres, waarna ik gelijk vond dat haar muziek niet leuk kon zijn, omdat zij me ook niet leuk leek. #vivalafete

Anyways, voor de muziek zou ik niet gaan, dat was in april al duidelijk. Maar: ArtQuake Open Air is inmiddels traditie samen met mijn beste vriendinnetje die eigenlijk in Verwegistan woont. En de sfeer is altijd leuk en gezellig. De drank en het eten is nog redelijk goedkoop er lopen altijd grappige en bijzondere mensen rond EN we hopen ieder jaar weer op de ongelofelijk lekker pannekoekenkraam van 4 jaar geleden. Helaas, is die nooit meer terug gekomen.

Dit jaar was ArtQuake wel een beetje anders dan voorgaande jaren. Want hoewel ik de vorige edities afliep met beste vriendinnetje, zou ik dit jaar vriendjelief + vriendengroepje meesleuren. En daarnaast ging ik dit jaar niet echt muziek luisteren maar een kleedje meenemen en lekker ”hangen”. Zo gezegd, zo gedaan. Veel muziek heb ik wel gehoord, maar niet echt waarvan ik dacht: leuk.. Dus ArtQuake was dit jaar voor mij vooral relaxt : )

Extra leuk: dit jaar was de Silent Disco. Aangekomen op het festivalterrein zie je binnen een laag hek allemaal mensen met hoofdtelefoons helemaal uit hun dak gaan. Maar bedenk wel: je hoort geen muziek. En je ziet die mensen maar gek doen. En dat geeft toch zo’n ongelofelijk leuk gezicht.. : ) Aan het einde van de avond zijn wij natuurlijk ook even de Silent Disco in geweest en zijn heel stilletjes compleet uit ons dak gegaan! : )

Ook leuk dit jaar bij ArtQuake: Precies om 11 uur (een uur voordat het festival afgelopen zou zijn) regelde mijn lief voor vriendin 1, vriendin 2 en voor mij een VIP-bandje! Hoe cool is dat! : ) We liepen helemaal trots rond! De bedoeling was dat ik er weken mee rond zou lopen, maar ik irriteer me nogal snel aan dingen aan me pols, helemaal als ze pijn-doent-aan-je-ogen-fluorescerend roze zijn. Dus sinds maandag ben ik weer ArtQuake VIP-bandje-loos. Volgend jaar maar weer opnieuw een poging doen.. ; )

Minor detail: ’s Ochtends maak ik mijn hele camera-kaartje leeg. Helemaal voorbereid om vet veel foto’s te maken op ArtQuake Open Air stop ik mijn camera in mijn tas. Komen we aan op ArtQuake en wil ik een foto maken: blijkt batterij leeg. Dus ik heb serieus, welgeteld: 0 foto’s gemaakt. (Een primeur voor een festival als ArtQuake waar de teller normaal op ongeveer 200 staat). Gelukkig heb ik vrienden met camera’s en net zo’n fot0-maak-drang als ik, dus de foto’s zijn wel gemaakt, maar nog niet in mijn bezit.

glastonbury 2009. we were there.

pam and i packed up to enjoy four days of rain, mud, heat, music, ethnic food and meditation tents out at the glastonbury music festival grounds last weekend. it was a phenomenal time. the energy there was pretty powerfully transformative.

***

after a late night of packing, an early morning for pam at wimbledon (3 am!), and a pit stop at a pub, we were on our way to glasto. neither of us remember who came up with the brilliant idea of packing together in one bag, but it was not so brill.  the backpack was not only awkwardly huge, it was like a fifth person in chris’ extremely small, yet eco-friendly four person car.

at least we could still see the sommerset sunset out of the windows.

people say you have to really be there a week to see it all, but i have to say, pam and i saw it all. don’t get me wrong, the grounds are absolutely gigantic (it would typically take us an hour to get back to the tent from our nightly outings).  AND i would have LOVED to stay a month to truly experience it all, but we still managed to cover some serious ground. we walked our bums off and found some amazingly cool things while exploring.

okay, so somehow at the end of every long day of exploring, soaking in the sun, rain and music, we would end up in the same tiny tent at the edge of the grounds. it was actually pretty comparable to a living room/house party. there were three couches on each side of the tent and on the fourth a small ipod dj table. the dj would play hits and we were given instruments to play (horribly) along with it. it was out of this world. pam was able to manhandle the cowbell for me (and it obv made me ecstatic) and her instrument of choice: tambourine (always a crowd pleaser).

i actually think that this should be a regular occurrence at parties outside of the festival scene. (hint hint to any readers) it’s really a fab time.

ideal festival food: beans.

yes, i realize that i’m a constant advocate for british beans as an ideal food in general (mom and pat), BUT this was seriously the most convenient thing ever. they are canned, delicious and can be mixed with anything.  just to prove my point, the first image was me heating these babies up in the rain for dinner on night one. AND what did we have morning number two?! another can with an egg and bread! SUCH a satisfying “breakie” (thanks for the lingo, chris).

oh, the fleet foxes. a great great show after our morning with regina spektor.

day two was really an amazing day of music and mud, even though it was a scorcher.

[oh and RIP rainboots. i had a hole in them by the last night. sad to see them go.]

so there’s this phenomenon, i have yet to find out if it’s at other festivals, just english festivals or just glastonbury, BUT it’s called a “silent disco.”

the idea is that you go into a tent, on the way in pay a small deposit for some cordless headphones and in these headphones is whatever the dj is playing at the front turntables. in the bigger dance tents, there are multiple djs and you can choose what you listen to.

this whole idea is hilarious to onlookers because it’s completely silent (with the minor exception of people singing along and the sound of feet moving).  we went to a small outdoor silent disco on the way home our second night. we just had to try it out. and it was SO worth it. (rachael and dan even went to the loo with the headphones on!)

[please note: i was dancing with my ceramic snowman/candycane "to-go" mug of organic chai. delish.]

i don’t even know what day these two pictures were taken or why they were taken, but i think they are hilarious. before we left, darren was asking us if the air mattress was a double. pam assured him that it was. we were going to use it instead of those foam sleeping pads to keep us off the cold ground at night.

once we arrived the first night, pam and i unrolled and blew it up. it blew up to the size of a single. well, hell.

we talked about switching off each night, but neither of us had one of those pads, so we shared. it was a tight fit, us both on our sides for most of the night. but it worked (not to mention, it was warm in the middle of the cold nights).

there was always more room in the morning because of the stagnant humidity and hot hot sun. we would typically both be out of our sleeping bags and half on it–feet out the door. ah, mornings.

breakfast the last morning before the terry reid gig. it may look disgusting, but pb&j on carr’s melts crackers is a pretty decadent treat in the morning.

just a tip.

to celebrate a quick escape from the glasto traffic, we stopped at beer garden in a small english town on the way home. we decided to find an outdoor area because, well, we hadn’t properly showered in 4 days. they were so sweet to feed us some fantastic grub and let us use their REAL, FLUSHING toilet.

so we made it back. happier, stinkier and more musically enlightened.

Tonight at Kin Lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in Downtown SD they will be a hosting San Diego’s first Silent Disco party!!

What the EFF is that!?

Instead of going to a party that depends on a traditional speaker system this party relies on the use of individual headphones and an FM transmitter. Each person will get their own headphones and the DJs will be spinning music that will solely transmit to those headphones!

RAD!!!

There will also be free hors d’oeuvres and cheap wine so there is no reason not to check out an event that is by far the wackiest I have come across in a while. And last night I went to Prom with the theme “Prom in a recession.” I know what’s up with the wacky, so this idea surprises even me!!! 

YES/NO/MAYBE?:

The Call: LET’S EFFING DO THIS!!!!

PLAN A: HFICLSI, Fing, Sugr n Bttr with Jorge Luna & DJ Disc-O @ Beauty Bar–You’re going to come out of this show with either one or all of these things: 1.) A bloody nose, 2.) an STD, or 3.) a huge desire to keep shaking your ass and fist at the same time. PLAN B: “Silent Disco” at Kin Lounge–We’re reluctant to recommend anything remotely affiliated with the Manchester Grand Hyatt since the owner of the hotel is a raging homophobe, but this is something unique. All the rage in parts of Europe, but not seen much in the U.S., patrons wear wireless headphones to listen to the DJ. Could be trendsetting, could be a bust, but we’re definitely checking it out. PLAN C: Citizen Video Local Film Fest Volume 5 @ Whistle Stop or FilmOut San Diego 11th LGBT Film Festival @ Birch North Park Theatre–Make up for the fact that you’re going to the Kin Lounge by going to the latter. Support the coolest video store in town by going to the other. Hell, go to both. Backup Plan: Modern Day Moonshine @ House of Blues–Despite having a name that makes me think of some really bad Skynyrd cover band, these local cats are a welcome addition to what already seems to be a thriving local alt-country scene. They seem to have a more, melodic folky sound so it you’re into Fleet Foxes or Cat Stevens definitely give em a listen.

Quick Picks (in order of awesomeness):

The Death Eaters, The Moviegoers @ Bar Pink 

DJ AM and DJ Jazzy Jeff @ On Broadway–The super DJ and that other guy from the rap group that did “Parents Just Don’t Understand” join forces to raise money for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

Riverboat Gamblers, Revenge Club, Braaiins! @ The Casbah 

DJ Artistic & Cros 1 @ U-31 

Parker & Numberman, Makeshift, Pac 10, Santos @ Canes 

Leisure Suit, Echo Revolution, Fudge House Trunk Baby@ Ken Club

Lady Sovereign, Chester French, Hollywood Holt @ House of Blues

There aren’t many things as lovely as long weekends and we celebrated the Sunday of May bank holiday weekend with a Silent Disco at the Metropolitan in Westbourne Park.  A roof terrace, tunes, headsets and lots of vodka made for a lovely afternoon and evening.

Sunshiney Sunday - Bec & Tommy

Dan the DJ Man

Me, James and Matt

Bahareh, party organiser extroadinaire

The pace was just too much for some

Eddie Party Animal

Natalie and Adam

Gav, Chris and Sarah

Me, James and Anna