On Returning

Hats off to Hugh Cornwell, a damn fine songwriter
I just returned from
"A fine place in the southern reaches"
A day or two in a motor ride.

The sun roasted me lobster red,
but I was not sorry. Meanwhile nert nerds back home got down to 'Bitching.'

"Why don't they all go get screwed?"

On Returning I had three hours to kill in London and during that period it was possible to ride the tube to Camden where Obits rocked the Underworld. Obits is the great new band fronted by Rick Froberg of Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu. Support was Tropics and I ran into my old friend Steve from Ricky Spontane who I hadn't seen since Wire played three gigs at the Garage prior to instigating the "Read and Burn" EP series. Carla Bozulich's band Evangelista were also playing in E8 but I had no idea where the venue was. I'd missed their gig at Islington Mill (http://www.islingtonmill.com/) as it was the same day I left El Puerto de Santa Maria, but it turns out she does a desperate vocal on the bargain Barry Adamson CD I acquired at Notting Hill exchange.

The Fifteenth:Rambled across Plattfields Park to the Corner in Fallowfield to hear three damn fine post-rock ensembles roll out the jams. FTSE 100 supported tour partners Souvaris and Sincabeza (from France) who both played the best sets I've heard them do.

I helped hand out leaflets against the ID cards the British government is trying to con the populace into buying...

http://www.no2id.com/

http://www.idcardcon.org/

We burned a large fake ID card of our beloved unelected Scottish leader outside Manchester Town Hall and got filmed by a local news TV crew.

That evening I went to see TV Smith and Gold Blade and gave most of the people at the gig an anti-ID card leaflet. I only had one person tell me that he seriously thought ID cards were a good idea and he was a bus conductor on Oldham Street. Hopefully some of the Gold Blade fans might do a bit more to stop this crazy evil intrusion on our civil liberties. It's things like this that make me want to leave Britain!

Still at least we have the excellent Charles Hayward who was on stunning form at Tiger Lounge on the Eighteenth. Dalek were not happy with the PA that didn't deliver the noise levels they needed, but Action Beat proved themselves awesome and Boanthrope were the best I've heard them.

Keep on rockin!