Day 2530: Six ways to Sunday.

Yesterday evening I having a look at the new style profiles that facebook have recently introduced. I noted that 5 of the musicians I 'like' have their photo displayed in my profile 'info' section. It is possible to choose which 5 are selected so I spent a few minutes swapping them around and ended up with Tori Amos, Strange Devotion, De Brassers, Cocteau Twins and Joanna Newsom.

Devoid of much else to do I clicked on the Tori Amos picture and saw mention of some free live MP3's that could be downloaded by clicking on a link. I clicked away and found myself on a page offering a special limited edition Tori Amos box set

Tori Amos Limited Edition Box Set

This got me quite excited as it contained a CD signed by Tori herself, but as it was limited to only 2,000 copies I expected it to be sold out. But it had actually only just been made available and seemed not to have sold out yet, so I ordered one without really looking too much at what else was included. As far as I was concerned it had a live CD, was signed by Tori and also included a photo, which I could frame and put in my lounge. That was good enough for me. The fact that it also included a camera was neither here nor there - especially as it looked to be made of plastic.

That could have been then end of it, but the next day I kept thinking about this cheap plastic camera and wondering why it was included. I looked at the advert again and saw it was called a Diana camera. Could this be something to do with Lady Di?

I was curious now, so I looked it up and saw that a Diana was a very cheap camera produced in the 1960s that a number of professional photographers used to occasionally use as it had quite a few quirks that could produce some very good results. One such quirk was the fact that the cameras are often not completely light proof and the light leaking in can have some interesting effects. That reminded me of some of the photos I used to take with my old analogue SLR where I used to quickly open the back of my camera, after taking a photo, to let a bit of light leak onto the picture.

This is one of my examples from around 1980.

The light poured out of me.

I read a bit of the history of the Diana camera, which I now realised had nothing to do with Lady Di, and saw the one included in the Tori Amos package was actually a Diana F+ and on further inspection I found these cameras have all sorts of features that enable you to get very creative with them - such as interchangeable lenses (made of plastic!), double exposure and the ability to keep the shutter open as long as you like.

By now I was more than a little excited and further searching led me to a special group for these cameras on Flickr.

In fact I had now discovered there was a whole world of lo-fi photography out there and the name Lomography seemed to crop up quite a bit. As well as being a trademark it also seemed to refer to a form of casual snapshot photography characterised by such things as over-saturated colours, off-kilter exposure, blurring and "happy accidents".

I looked through some of the photos on the Flickr group and was immediately reminded of one of my favourite photos of all time: the cover form the Hagnesta Hill album by Swedish band, Kent.

One of my all time favourite photos of all time, by Jonas Linell
I tried to find out if this photo was taken with such a camera, but I could find no mention of it, and, on reflection, I imagine it is probably taken with a far more advanced camera. But the main thing is I am now inspired to get out there with my new lo-fi analogue camera and try and recreate the feel of this photo.

I am now just as excited about the arrival of my camera as I am of the signed Tori Amos Cd and photo (which was taken with one of these cameras).

Any female subjects wishing to get involved in my new project, let me know.

Day 1886: There's no patrol like snow patrol!

They say a week in politics is a long time, but over the last few weeks I have found that a week has been an even longer time when it comes to whats going on, in and around my life!

It probably started a few days before I went to London/Brighton to see Magazine/stay with Adrian. I stumbled onto some sort of fast track conveyor belt and it is going so quickly I have been unable to get off. But then I don't actually want to get off, so that is fine!

So I had just got a nice new phone with some birthday money so I made use of the train journey to London getting used to it as well as listening to some music on it. I found the sound is definitely superior to my iPod so this means my iPod is no longer getting used much and my last.fm page is no longer keeping up to date with my listening habits. I managed to work out how to get onto the dreaded facebook using the phone, so the jourmey flew by.

I was met off the train by Adrian and after a quick look around the new St Pancreas station, we headed off to The Bull and Gate, near The Forum, to meet up with Ashley and Jonny.

The Light Pours Out Of Me

The gig opened with the stage hidden behind a black curtain while the strains of In The Thin Air made the hairs on the backs of our necks stand up. Then followed a short monologue, where Howard Devoto gave us a few of the reasons for them getting back together for these gigs. The main one seemed to be that there was this girl he wanted to impress.

Then they started playing and we were transported back in time. The playing was just as tight as it always was and the sound through the PA was superb. I hear they will now be recording a new album and playing some more dates over the summer. I will definitely be seeing them again.

Following the gig we had a nightmare train journey down to Brighton. crowded train, no free seats and over 2 hours for, what should have been, a 50 minute journey.

So - I slept well and we had a good walk around Brighton the next day with valentines day lunch out in a nice restaurant. I asked for a table for 4 instinctively, then when we sat down wondered why there was an empty seat. The fact that I was single had reared its ugly head again - and on valentine's day too of all days!

For Valentines evening Adrian and I met up with Julian for a quiet drink in a local pub. It was quiet until I decided the evening would not be complete without us getting heavily involved with some absinthe. So after drinking all they had left in the pub we wondered the streets of Brighton on a quest for more. Unfortunately we did find more and after staggering back to Adrian's at the end of the evening, barely able to stand up, I spent the next 4 days regretting I had even had the stuff and vowing never to touch another drop for the rest of my life.

So I got back to Leeds on Sunday and had to go straight into work - not much fun feeling how I was, but it passed the time.

Then it was back to work on Monday - and this is where I seemed to inadvertently step on that conveyor belt.

The days have flown by and I wasn't fully aware what was going on, but I do seem to have increased the rate at which I am turning back into the real me, so it can only be a good thing.

Before I knew it I had arrived at the day I was supposed to be going to see Snow Patrol. I had bought 2 tickets before christmas and felt sure I would have found someone to go with, but ended up going with my Dad (familiar story) but he really enjoyed it so that was great.

I break, you don't

The show opened with If There's A Rocket Tie Me To It, which is what I was thinking they might open with, and it was a fantastic start to a superb show. The sound was amazing. as where the visuals which should have made it enjoyable even for those at the very back.

All the songs were taken from the most recent 3 albums so I knew everyone and all the ones people would have expected where in there. The encore began with the 15 minute The lightening Strike, which was definitely a highlight, though the whole show was fantastic.

What if this storm ends, and I don't see you?

It is quite strange that I even ended up going to this as it is only recently that I have begun to open up a bit to new bands (ok I know they aren't that new) rather than being stuck in the late 70s/early 80s.

I felt inspired to, not only get more involved in the music scene, but also to learn to play Run on my acoustic guitar - watch this space!

Day 1805: Happy Christmas to all our reader

So with the yule log season upon us once again it falls on my humble hands to provide the official 2008 Christmas message and final quarter summary.

I'll do my scientific best........to look like Alice Glass

This year in the lead up to Christmas I have been mostly playing:
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (Crystalcastlitious)
Kate Bush - Aerial (Warblitious)
Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi (Boardering on the Georgous)
Snow Patrol - Final Staw (Terminalitious)
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden (Bra musik)
Joanna Newsom - Ys (My picture window produced a half-word)


Boosh Boosh, stronger than a moose

At the beginning of December I went to see The Mighty Boosh. I had bought 2 tickets when they went on sale a year earlier and as December drew close I was feeling confident that I would be able to find a like minded soul to go along with to it with.

Still, it was nice having an empty seat next to me to put my coat and computer bag on. And the show was even funnier than I thought it was going to be.


The wrong type of snow

Hope you have a nice Christmas and New Year!

Dag 1687: A day in the life of an explorer

I decided to spend this Bank Holiday monday doing a bit of exploring. Specifically I decided it would be a good idea to try an find a new species of caterpiller.

So, after many hours of dedicated exploring in extremely difficult and dangerous terrain, I finally came upon that elusive new species I had been dedicating my whole life to finding.

I had brought my collection of scientific instruments with me so I was able to photograph and take full measurments of the specimin I had tracked down. As can be seen, this is, to date, the largest caterpiller ever found.

The specimum is over 6 and a half inches long

As I journeyed further into the wilderness I found an even larger one eating a small tree.

I had to move on quickly after taking this in case I was attacked!

Based on my calculations this caterpiller will most likely turn into a new giant species of butterfly with a wingspan of at least 3 feet. It will feed on medium sized mammals, such as dogs and cats, and it will also be poisonous. In fact the entire nation could well be wiped out before the end of the year.

So be afraid, be very afraid.

But don't have nightmares.

Dag 1640: I've seen things that you'll never see

A quick music update:

I've spent a fair bit of the last year working towards a show called Carnival Of Legends that was put on at the, newly refurbished, Royal Hall in Harrogate on Saturday 5th July 2008. The show was performed by a local Youth Theatre Group called Theatre Box and it was written specially for them by Terry Deary (author of the Horrible Histories amongst others).

I was initially involved in preparing the music scores for some of the songs, but once I found out that Crazy Horses was in the show I thought it really needed a synth part in it, so I offered up my services as synth player and managed to worm my way into the heart if the crowd (I mean band).

By the time we had the dress and technical rehersal in the hall the night before, things seemed to be falling into place and the 2 performances on the Saturday went really well. The cast contained around 180 children and teenagers aged between 4 and 19 and all proceeds went to Martin House Hospice.

The show itself was fantastic and would, I feel, rival many professional shows.

The band consisted mainly of music teachers but the guitarist is also in a band called The Birdman Rallies so when I found they were playing at The Blues Bar in Harrogate the week after the show I decided I would try and go along and see them. I didn't manage to russell up any friends to go with so ended up going on my own, but the place was pretty busy so I didn't end up feeling like I stuck out like a sore thumb, despite the fact that I had a sore thumb.

Some Birdmen Rallying at The Blues Bar

The gig was great, with the singer/guitarist doing a short improvisational solo set first followed the band playing tracks from their self titled CD.

This year looks like it might end up being one of my busiest for gigs for a while. It started off pretty quietly with me ending up not being able to see The Cure at Wembley, but I shall be seeing a number of bands (including Golfrapp and Sigur Ros) at the Hydro Connect Festival in Scotland, Sigur Ros again in Blackpool and The Mighty Boosh in December. I will hopefully get chance to see Ashley Reaks at the Blues Bar in October aswell.

Then to cap it all off I have just heard that Magazine will be playing some gigs in February 2009. I have been hoping for some years that they might get together for a few gigs and it has finally happened. Of all the groups that have reformed recently this is, without doubt, the one I would see above all others. The last time I saw them was in 1979 at Leeds University and I can still remember how good it was.

I have also heard uncomfirmed rumours that Strange Devotion may also be cashing in on the reunion band wagon and playing a few gigs at some point in the future. No doubt they want to earn a few million before retiring.

Remember you read it here first folks.

Dag 1637: It's That Time Of Year Again

Yes that's right, it is the season where most (if not all) of the British Minimal Synth Societies have their annual conferences and social get togethers.

So last Wedneasday members of the Harrogate Outlying Villages Minimal Synth Society descended on Blackpool for a short meeting followed by the rest of the afternoon free at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.



Yet again, we had a 100% member turnout, which was fantastic to see and just goes to show how populer this musical genre is becoming in the UK.

Dag 1589: The Missing Boy

Some time in the 1970s

As had happened on so many recent occasions he found his morning car journey to the train station was taking too long and he was in danger of missing the train. He had only missed it once in the last few weeks, resulting in an hour wait for the next one, but if it had been on time every day he would have missed it more often than he made it.

The journey was generally mostly free flowing but there were 2 potential bottlenecks that would determine whether his stress levels were going to rise or whether it would just be a forgetful journey where he could think of other things.

The first was a set of traffic lights near the start of the journey. Some days they would be on green when he arrived and he would sail through, other days the queue would be so long that it would take up to five sets of green lights before he got through and he would need to really put his foot down to get to the next one.

The second was a set of traffic lights near the station and, again, some days the queue of traffic here was as minimal as good synth music and on others it wasn't. The big stress inducer at this set of lights was the fact that if the driver looked back over his right shoulder he could see the railway track gently curving round on the magnificent viaduct. If the train should appear on this bridge he knew he had about 5 minutes to get through the lights, park the car and get onto the platform.

Viaduct obscured by taps - 1982

The journey on this particular morning started badly as the queue at the first set of traffic lights was longer than it had been for a long time. When he finally got through it was twenty past eight, which meant he had 18 minutes to get to the station. If there was no queue at the last set of lights he might just make it, but he didn't feel hopeful. The only hope was that the train would be late again.

He drove flat out and arrived at the back of the queue at the final lights with 5 minutes to spare. The queue was longer than it had been for a while, but there was no sign of the train so it looked like it was late and he had a chance.

Each time the lights changed about 4 or 5 cars got though and he inched closer to the front of the queue. By the time he got to the front the train still hadn't appeared on the viaduct and he could relax a bit as he knew he would make it. He switched from listening to Radio 4 to the cd player and listened to the track he was currently trying to write some lyrics for. He had recorded the basic backing tack and need to finish making up some lyrics for it. The song had originally been called On The Other Side, but once the chorus lyrics had been written it had to be renamed Half Life. All that was left to write was the second verse, but this was proving stubborn so this track was getting played alot during the daily car journeys.

As he drove into the car park his mind was still a blank and as he walked down the path to the platform he was relieved to see a fair number of people waiting so he knew the train had not managed to sneak across the viaduct when he had been looking the other way.

Most people on the platform seemed to congregate around the shelter in the middle of the platform so the extremities were usually empty. His habit had always been to walk to the far end of the platform and enter the train at the door nearest the front. He was usually the only person entering through this door and would usually find a free seat with ease, though lately the train had been more full and he more often found himself having to share a seat.

The day before he had entered through this door as usual and as he walked down the carriage he saw that there was not a single free seat. He had walked through the next, and only other, carriage and found it had many free seats so he had picked one and wondered if he would have been better getting in through the back door of the train in future.

So this morning when he noticed to his surprise that there was quite a crown of people at the far end of the platform he remembered what had happened the day before and decided to wait at the other end of the platform.

After a few minutes wait he entered through the back door of the train and was the only passenger to do so. He looked up the length of the carriage but didn't see any free double seats. He walked slowly up the carriage trying to scan for a free seat while also trying to think which of the partially occupied seats he would take. He stopped by a group of 4 seats facing a table on his right, noticing that the seat facing backwards nearest the window was taken but the other free were empty so he could take the one facing forwards nearest the central aisle without having to jockey for foot space with anybody else. He almost sat straight down, but instead spent some further moments standing by the seat while looking to see if there was a better seat further down the carriage.

He didn't see one and as his eyes worked their way back over the seats he suddenly realised he was looking at someone from his past sitting in the group of 4 seats on the left side of the carriage. She was sitting in the seat facing backwards by the window and was looking down into a book.

A ghost from 1982?

He realised that he wasn't sure what to do next. As he had been standing by that seat for so long a) she must have noticed him and b) it would look a bit strange if he suddenly walked off to find another seat. So he sat down in the seat he had been standing next to and took out his iPod, while deciding what, if anything, he should do next. It took him a lot longer than usual to decide what he was going to listen to. He knew he wanted to listen to something from that era, but he also wanted it to be something that reflected how he felt at this moment. He chose The Durutti Column live in Bruxelles and as the journey progressed and the music flowed into his ears it exactly complimented the way he felt at that time.

He then took out his PSP so he had something to focus on and played that while making sure that the only time he looked up was to look out of the window on his left side.

As the live version of The Missing Boy flowed into his mind the train began slowing down as it approached Leeds station and the sun suddenly broke through the clouds. A feelling came over him that at that moment all was right with the world.

As the train had filled up, as it stopped at each of the stations on its way to Leeds, he had needed to move to the window seat to make room for someone to sit next to him and when it finally stopped it was completely full of passengers.

He decided to wait until everyone else from his immediate area had left before he stood up and as he walked down the passageway towards the exit he got the impression someone was standing on the platform by the door as if waiting for somebody to the get off. He hurried a bit as he went, but then he came to a bottleneck of passengers. Someone was struggling to get an over sized suitcase down from the rack and it had become jammed. After a few agonisingly slow moments the suitcase became free and the passengers began moving again.

He was the last one to get off the train and as he turned his head and looked to the left and save for the people who had just got off the train in front of him, the platform was empty.

The end of the line

He wondered if she had any idea that a band she had once played with had released their debut single a few days earlier or that is was available for sale here.