Sunday, December 31, 2006

2006 Movie Haiku Index

Here's my handy index to all the films (132 - count 'em!) that I saw on the big screen in 2006, alongside my star rating for each film. Click on the individual film title to read my movie haiku.
I actually saw a total of 140 films at the cinema this year, easily beating 2005's total of 116; the eight films that I saw twice were Art Of The Devil 2, Children Of Men, Ghost Of Mae Nak, The Host, Hostel, Pan's Labyrinth, Reeker and Severance.

Of the films listed, thirty of them were foreign language films, fifteen of them were sequels and ten of them were remakes. Only seven films attained the coveted five star rating, although in hindsight Hard Candy should probably have been awarded one less star. Looking back over the list I don't think I've been too harsh on any one film, but there are certainly others which have benefited from some overly generous ratings - notably An American Haunting, Cars, Invisible Waves, Mission: Impossible III and The Omen. I only walked out of one film this year and that was a retro screening of The Raven (and only because I wanted to socialise in the bar at the time) but I came very close to giving up with Marie Antoinette and Snoop Dogg's Hood Of Horror - and I also slept through most of Reeker on its first viewing due to excessive drinking!

Saturday, December 30, 2006

2006 Review - Films of the Year

Right, I'm all tied-up later tonight so thought I'd better get this one posted bright and early. My final list is going to cover my favourite - and least favourite - films from the past twelve months... And I've had a lot of films to choose from this year, even more than in 2005!

(2005 Winner - DiG!)

Best films of 2006:
  1. Children Of Men
  2. Pan's Labyrinth
  3. The Departed
  4. Severance
  5. Sheitan
  6. Pirates Of The Carribean: Dead Man's Chest
  7. Clerks 2
  8. The Host
  9. Lady Vengeance
  10. Art Of The Devil 2

Worst films of 2006:
  1. The Wicker Man
  2. Ultraviolet
  3. Basic Instinct II
  4. Snoop Dogg's Hood Of Horror
  5. The Black Dahlia
Tomorrow: I'm going to publish a handy index of all the movie haikus for the films that I've seen at the cinema this year.

Friday, December 29, 2006

2006 Review - Albums of the Year

Okay, following on from yesterday's Songs of the Year, here's my list of favourite albums from the past twelve months.

(2005 Winner - The Duke Spirit - Cuts Across The Land)

Best albums of 2006:
  1. Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther
  2. CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy
  3. Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer
  4. The Sleepy Jackson - Personality: One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird
  5. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
  6. Bat For Lashes - Fur And Gold
  7. The Kooks - Inside In/Inside Out
  8. Lily Allen - Alright, Still
  9. Keane - Under The Iron Sea
  10. The Upper Room - Other People's Problems

Tomorrow: Films of the Year

Thursday, December 28, 2006

2006 Review - Songs of the Year

Moving on from yesterday's Gigs of the Year, here's my list of favourite songs from the past twelve months. As per last year, only two of the artists in this list have also made it onto my Albums of the Year shortlist, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out who they are!

(2005 Winner - Gorillaz - Dare)

Best songs of 2006:
  1. The Automatic - Monster
  2. Brakes - All Night Disco Party
  3. Midlake - Roscoe
  4. Serena Maneesh - Drain Cosmetics
  5. CSS - Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above
  6. Hot Chip - Over And Over
  7. Madonna - Jump
  8. Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends
  9. The Like - What I Say And What I Mean
  10. All Saints - Rock Steady

Tomorrow: Albums of the Year

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

2006 Review - Gigs of the Year

It's that time of the year when everyone looks back over the past year and publishes lots of lists, so in keeping with my 2005 Review from last year I'm going to start today with my favourite gigs that I've been to this year.

(2005 Winner - Soulwax at Brighton Concorde 2)

Best gigs of 2006:
  1. The Dandy Warhols at Islington Academy
  2. Imogen Heap at Brighton Komedia
  3. Scritti Politti at Brighton Concorde 2
  4. The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Brighton Concorde 2
  5. Radio 1 Chart Show Live at Brighton Dome

Tomorrow: Songs of the Year

More Stuff On My Cat

Steve & Chrissy bought me the Stuff On My Cat book for Christmas. Steve also gave me a Jessica Alba action figure (from the Fantastic 4 film) with '28 separate points of articulation' so I thought the most fitting way to show my appreciation was to create another Stuff On My Cat scenario using said figure - Pepper the cat happily (or rather, wearily) obliged.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas everyone!

I'm currently staying in Newcastle with my family and will hopefully be back online by Friday 29th December.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Reflections on 2006

It's fast approaching the end of another year so - in the same manner that I did last year - I thought I'd take a few moments to look back and reflect on the past twelve months.

1) Was 2006 a good year for you?

It was okay. 2006 certainly got off to a good start with an extended holiday in South East Asia, and this year I made a lot of firm friends which has been rewarding. On the downside work continued to stagnate a bit and towards the end of the year I was feeling rundown - just committing to too many things and not giving myself any time to rest.

2) What was your favourite moment of the year?

Probably my day trip to Hong Kong island with Dave when we caught a bus down to one of the remote beaches - it was so peaceful there and such a contrast to the rest of Hong Kong. And it felt wonderful basking on a beach in the sunshine in the middle of February!

3) What was your least favourite moment of the year?

Getting glandular fever in April, that wasn't much fun.

4) Where will you be when 2006 ends?

More than likely I will be at home in my flat in Brighton. I have to work on New Year's Day so I'm not planning on doing anything much to celebrate, I'll probably just have a bottle of wine and dance around the living room like I did last year.

5) Who will you be with when 2006 ends?

I will probably be on my own but I guess it depends what other friends are doing. As I keep saying every year, New Year's Eve is no big deal to me, I'm quite happy staying in. I hate all this pressure to go out somewhere, spend a lot of money and have a good time.

6) Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions from 2006?

My New Year's resolutions from last year consisted of a rather vague call to drink more water and eat more fruit and vegetables. I wouldn't say it was a great success, but nor was it a total disaster.

7) Do you have any New Year's resolutions for 2007?

I really want to contribute more reviews to Eat My Brains as I provided so little material for them this year. I would also like to stop mixing beer and wine on a night out as it inevitably ends badly for me!

8) Did you fall in love in 2006?

No, there have been a few crushes during the year but nothing major.

9) Do you regret it?

No, of course not. I always love the thrill of the chase even if it gets me nowhere in the end. Maybe next year will have a happy ending?

10) Did you break up with anyone in 2006?

No, not unless you include my 'blind date' with V in Oxford when she dumped me after two hours. Actually, perhaps that ought to be my least favourite moment of the year!

11) Did you make any new friends in 2006?

Yes, the FrightFest scene has been getting more and more social over the past eighteen months or so, but this year it really became an integral part of the event and I made a number of good friends as a result, friends that I've met up with outside of the FrightFest calendar. In particular I'd like to single out Alex, Lauren, Dolores and Thurein but there are many others. In February I made friends with Clare at the BKKIFF, my one allay in a strange land, and I'm hoping we'll hook up again soon when she moves down to London in the New Year. Closer to home there's Hannah who's been out to a few gigs with me in Brighton recently and I hope that our friendship will continue to flourish into 2007.

12) What was your favourite month of 2006?

February - I spent most of the month abroad, visiting Hong Kong for the first time and then enjoying three weeks in Thailand culminating in me covering the BKKIFF in Bangkok. I had so many good experiences at the festival and I was in my element seeing loads of new films and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tadanobu Asano, Rufus Sewell, Terry Gilliam and Willem Dafoe.

13) Did you travel outside of the UK in 2006?

Yes, to Hong Kong and Thailand, as detailed above!

14) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2006?

No.

15) Did you miss anybody in the past year?

A few people I guess. My cousin Paul who I'd met up with in 2005 for an Everton game - we ought to have made that a regular date but it just didn't happen. My good friend Stephen who got married in 2005 and became a father this year - I can't believe that I haven't seen him since January of this year, that's just terrible. And finally Gary the Fruit who really became a close friend as the year went on - and then he buggered off to Thailand to become a teacher at the end of September. We still keep in contact via email but I miss having him around Brighton.

16) What was your favourite movie that you saw in 2006?

It's a close call but Children Of Men shades it. I'll post my full list of favourite movies later in the week.

17) What was your favourite song from 2006?

I haven't finished ironing out my top ten tunes as yet but I think Monster by The Automatic probably just takes the title ahead of All Night Disco Party by Brakes. And thanks to Lauren I can't hear the winning song without thinking, "What's that coming over the hill, is it a lobster, is it a lobster?" now!

18) What was your favourite record from 2006?

For me the most rewarding and consistent album this year was The Trials Of Van Occupanther by Midlake.

19) How many concerts did you see in 2006?

Forty-three, plus a scattering of comedy and literary events.

20) Did you have a favourite concert in 2006?

Yes, despite it being the 8th time I'd seen them in concert, The Dandy Warhols played an absolute blinder at London's Islington Academy at the end of their European tour. It was also good seeing Imogen Heap and Scritti Politti for the first time this year.

21) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2006?

Yes, a fair amount, but probably no more or no less than last year. Magners cider was a bit hit over the Summer and I seem to have developed a fondness for JD & Coke in these last few months.

22) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2006?

None. Don't think I even smoked a cigarette this year.

23) How many people did you sleep with in 2006?

Five.

24) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?

Exchanging emails with a female friend of a male friend without first telling my male friend. Needless to say he wasn't too happy when he found out and thought we'd been plotting against him, which we hadn't. But it would have been so much simpler if I'd just been upfront to begin with.

25) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2006?

Hmmmm, that's a tricky question! I got very frustrated when two of my best friends started their own little war earlier in the year after a massive argument - both of them had totally differing accounts of what happened that fateful night so I know that one of them was blatantly lying, but to this day I don't know which one. Thankfully they've made up again now.

26) What was the best practical joke that you played in 2006?

I guess it would have to be one of the many office pranks we played this year. Eating Cotton's 'special' jam and photographing the evidence got 2006 off to a good start, and then there was convincing Bev that one of the bands performing on the NME Tour was really called The Angry Wasps, to the point that she was telling customers this. More recently repeatedly hiding all the envelopes in the office so that Polly had to keep going down into the basement to get new stock was funny, and finally turning Darren into a dancing elf also amused me no end!

27) What was your proudest moment of 2006?

You know, I think I'd have to say when James got his moment in the spotlight at the Severance premiere in August. I was just so thrilled to see him up on stage, answering questions and taking the applause from the crowd - very richly deserved too!

28) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2006?

Mixing wine with beer and getting absolutely trolleyed at the Severance aftershow party. I don't remember much about the Arts Club that night but I don't think anyone else who was there will forget my antics in a hurry. Sadly I do remember setting off a car alarm with my umbrella afterwards, then throwing up and trying to sleep on the pavement on Oxford Street. Not my finest moment.

29) If you could go back in time to one moment in time in 2006 and change something what would it be?

I would ask Mamee about her role in the excellent Art Of The Devil 2 rather than question her about Dangerous Flowers, a film which she wasn't in. Whoops.

30) What are your plans for 2007?

I really want to focus more on my passion for film and get back into writing more original reviews and features for Eat My Brains. I'd also like to attend another international film festival as a member of the Press if I can blag it, perhaps Toronto in September, or maybe the BKKIFF again next July.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Grindhouse - The Most Anticipated Film of 2007?

Grindhouse - theatre standee

Grindhouse:

Directors - Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino

Cast - Naveen Andrews, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Jeff Fahey, Carlos Gallardo, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Michael Parks, Freddy Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Kurt Russell, Tom Savini, Marley Shelton, Quentin Tarantino, Danny Trejo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Trailer - now available for viewing here!

The Most Anticipated Film of 2007? Without a doubt.

Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror - lobby card

Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof - lobby card

Another Christmas Party!

Thursday was our office Christmas meal at Thai Connection in Hove. Cotton, Bennett, Dom, Darren & I dodged the Burning The Clocks parade and caught a cab to The Station in Hove where we had a few liveners and found a pub quiz machine. After a sneaky Tuaca along George Street we met up with Bev, Debbie & Polly then settled down for some quality Thai nosh. We exchanged our Secret Santa presents (I got some coffee for hangovers and gave Bev a very limited edition single by The Angry Wasps) and Darren finally got the new mug that Bev had been promising him. The funniest thing happened as we walked back to the pub afterwards... Darren's bag suddenly split open, spilling its contents onto the road and smashing his brand new mug! More drinks at The Station and a few more rounds on the quiz machine before it was last orders and time to drag Dom away from the Hangman game he'd got addicted to. A good night out, and good to get away from our usual haunts for a change.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Christmas Party!

It's the Christmas party season and last night was my first one as I went along to the bash at the Concorde, courtesy of the lovely staff down there who allow me to come and see lots of their shows during the year. There was a few familiar faces from the local music scene, in fact it was like going to a Brighton gig - minus the band and the paying customers! Dave and I enjoyed a few pints and nibbles and then the evening really took off... we got snapped by The Argus photographer... pretty girls played Twister... I won a CD on the slot car racing... Matt baffled us with some close up card tricks... I found a glowstick... I danced and danced... and eventually stumbled home on a cushion of spilled marshmallows. It was a good party!

Monday, December 18, 2006

Tenacious D at Brighton Centre

The festive season is a time for pantomimes so what better band to see in the week leading up to Christmas than Tenacious D, the comedy/rock beast created by actor Jack Black and his partner Kyle Gass. This isn't perhaps the type of music I'd play at home, but as a piece of musical theatre, as a proper stage show, it's unbeatable - and miles more entertaining than their recent movie The Pick Of Destiny. The show follows a plot, of sorts, opening with JB and Rage-Cage playing a few acoustic numbers in Kyle's living room, with a fleeting appearance from Lee, their number one fan. When JB convinces Kyle to try his electric guitar the duo are electrocuted and end up in hell, where they recruit a backing band made up of The Antichrist, Charlie Chaplin and Colonel Sanders! Having already given us the origin of Tenacious D we now skate through some moments from the film involving Kyle leaving (and quickly rejoining) the band, JB getting high on mushrooms, and eventually culminating with a "rock off" against Satan himself. It's all nonsense of course, but hugely enjoyable nonsense, carried along by the endless enthusiasm and wit of Black and the amiable Gass as his straight man. I was also impressed with the production and lighting which really adds to experience. As for the music, well, having seen Jack Black perform in School Of Rock it's no surprise to see that he really can cut it up on stage in front of an audience of thousands... and it was a pleasant surprise (since we're in Brighton) to see the band finish the show with a medley of songs by The Who!

The Dome Sessions

The Go! Team as pictured by Grant Scott

Brighton Dome has teamed up with award-winning portrait photographer, Grant Scott to create a photographic archive of performers appearing at the venue over the course of one year. Grant, who has exhibited and been published internationally, is based in Brighton and is hoping to capture the vibrant artistic programme of the city's most celebrated venue and its unique architecture. The project will culminate with a major exhibition held at Brighton Dome at the end of 2007.

Check out The Dome Sessions to see images of your favourite artists taken within the historic surroundings of the Brighton Dome and gain a glimpse of Grant's experiences through his personal photographic blog.

To see more of Grant Scott's work visit www.grantscott.com.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Play It Cool in December

It's my last music round-up before Christmas, so here's what I've been playing over the last few weeks. Look out for my picks of 2006 which I'll try and post before the end of the year! Okay, here's my favourite five for this month:
  • Princess Superstar - My Machine (!K7)
  • CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy (Sub Pop)
  • Act - Laughter Tears And Rage - The Anthology (ZTT)
  • Arcade Fire - Funeral (Rough Trade)
  • Revl9n - Walking Machine (Because) single

Movie Haiku - Deja Vu

www.bvimovies.com/uk/deja_vu


Dir: Tony Scott


Cast: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Paula Patton, Bruce Greenwood


Blows up a ferry

he could go back and save her

seen it all before


soulmining rating: ***

Thursday, December 14, 2006

The Duke Spirit at the ICA

At long last, I finally got to see The Duke Spirit live! A one-off Christmas show at the ICA in London provided an ideal opportunity to see the band, and was a good choice of venue too - nice and intimate (about the size of the Pavilion Theatre) with good visibility to the stage, although to be fair I was standing pretty close to the front! The band played a 75 minute set comprising of old, new and obscure tracks. One new song (This Ship Was Built To Last I think it was called) was especially strong and could easily have come off the Cuts Across The Land album, but for me the highlight was Red Weather, one of my favourite album tracks which really rocked out. Leila proved to be an engaging front person, grabbing her microphone stand and reaching skywards, and during several songs the band was swelled by the addition of a brass section, viola player and a couple of lovely backing singers. I caught up with Leila in the bar afterwards and she admitted they haven't played Brighton as much as they should, so fingers crossed for 2007 - "It's all about next year!"

The Kooks at Brighton Dome

More gigs this week! Tuesday night was the highly anticipated Brighton gig by The Kooks, postponed from September. I certainly haven't heard an audience sound quite so excited in a long time. Hannah & I skipped Larrakin Love in favour of the Waggon - they were described as very good or a bit dodgy depending on which friends I talked to - then negotiated the Dome bar and picked a good spot at the back of the standing area just as The Kooks finished their first song, Seaside. It was a brief set, little more than an hour, but I guess they've only got one album's worth of material to choose from. The singles went down a storm, Ooh La and Naive in particular sounding good, but there was very little rapport between the band and the audience, aside from an occasional mumble from singer Luke. Not bad, but they desperately need to work on their stage personas, and a few new songs wouldn't go amiss either. And so back to the pub!

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Brakes at the Pavilion Theatre

Another night, another gig! I finished work, caught a glimpse of Mitchell & Webb in the Dome, then dashed round the corner to the Pavilion Theatre to catch Brighton's muso collective, Brakes. Last year's Give Blood was a cracking debut album and All Night Disco Party is surely a contender for single of the year. You can't really pigeonhole this band, they'll follow a three minute punky-pop tune with a ten second rant or a country-tinged ballad... but whatever they come up with, you can bet it's laced with feeling and good humour. Witness new songs Spring Chicken or Porcupine or Pineapple? (complete with fruit tossed into the crowd), this is a band having fun with the music that they make. It was a really enjoyable set topped off by special guests The Pipettes who joined the band for a cover of JAMC's Sometimes Always. Any chance of an early night soon dissipated when I bumped into a few family members who I know (thanks to Gary the fruit) and I got invited to the aftershow party at The Gloucester. (Cue flashbacks to my student days...) The club hasn't changed much since I was last there, but I was glad to see that Fridays are now devoted to indie music, and I had a fun time chatting to Eamon and Gwenno at the bar while I was there. It did however mean that I overslept (again) and had to buy pies for everyone at work the next morning.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Bat For Lashes at St George's Church

Dave & I went to church on Thursday. And we sat in the pews and drank beer. There was good reason for this; we came to see Bat For Lashes, aka Natasha Khan, Brighton's very own quirky female singer/songwriter, backed by Ginger & Abi (from Dom's band) and Lizzie who I used to work with a couple of years back. St George's Church was the perfect venue to see this band - all crisp vocals and a multitude of instruments and sounds (guitar, viola, bass drum, keyboards, staff, handclaps...) which the girls traded in between songs. Add to which Josh T. Pierson ambled on to lend his backing vocals to current single Trophy. The band played the majority of debut album Fur And Gold and finished with my favourite track Prescilla - magical. Apparently Bjork checked out their recent London show and it's no surprise to discover she's a fan... I'll certainly be in the audience again next time they play.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Revl9n at Sumo

Three new bands and a new live venue for me last night as Andy, Julie, Justin and I headed down to Sumo to see Revl9n. I haven't been to Sumo for ages; it's quite compact as a live venue and with large sofas dominating one corner of the room it's more akin to watching a live show in your own lounge. Very intimate, and kinda nice! Support came from I Say Marvin whose brand of new rave indie music quickly grabbed the attention. Very much in the same vein as The Automatic I thought, their songs were punchy and tight - they've certainly got the potential to go onto much bigger things. Brighton's own Waxed Apple were next, whose madcap electro sound had Justin describing them as "psycho-clangers"! I'd been a little apprehensive about seeing Revl9n since hearing Ana had left the group a couple of weeks ago, but I needn't have panicked - Maria and Nandor adapted perfectly well as a duo and their songs sounded immediate and exciting. Musically they spanned the electro spectrum from an industrial Nine Inch Nails sound right through to the pure pop of the Pet Shop Boys. Walking Machine especially got everyone moving (not least Maria, whirling into the audience) and the band finished with a fitting encore of their other single Someone Like You.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Movie Haiku - Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny

www.tenaciousdmovie.com


Dir: Liam Lynch


Cast: Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Jason Reed, Tim Robbins


Tits or destiny

they practice their power slides

rock off with Satan


soulmining rating: ***

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

FrightFest (Black) Christmas Party

The Arts Club (photo by Alex Kidd)

I had a great night out in London yesterday meeting up with all the FrightFest regulars for a bit of a party. The night began with a preview screening of Black Christmas at Soho House along with Paul McEvoy, Steve, Rachael, Richard, Lauren, Alex, Dolores and Martin. I was expecting the worst after a one star review in Empire, but the film was fun, albeit trashy fun. We then moved onto the Phoenix Club where we met up with Ian Rattray and Alan Jones, and more of the usual suspects like Mike, James, Giles, Paul, Ian and Jake. I finally got to sit down and talk to Sian and Sarah (check out her new blog Sarah Hates Your Movie) and then Paul introduced Sarah and I to the lovely Richard Aoyade (from Man To Man With Dean Learner and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace) so we chatted to him for a moment. The evening took another surreal turn when we moved onto the Arts Club around 11pm as we arrived just in time to see Keith Allen on stage singing Anarachy In The UK! Ian and friends then took over the decks and spun some quality tunes for the next four hours and the rest of us continued drinking and dancing until we could drink and dance no more. It was good to experience the Arts Club in a rather more sober state than last time (the legendary post-Severance aftershow party) and I'm pleased to report there was no sleeping on pavements this time and I managed to catch the 4am train back to Brighton without incident.

Movie Haiku - Black Christmas

www.blackchristmasmovie.co.uk


Dir: Glen Morgan


Cast: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Hudson


Girls wrap their presents

killer has eyeball fetish

they won't see christmas


soulmining rating: ***

Monday, December 04, 2006

Movie Haiku - Black Book

www.zwartboekdefilm.nl


Dir: Paul Verhoeven


Cast: Carice Van Houten, Sebastien Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn


Jewish woman flees

becomes spy for Resistance

what's in that black book?


soulmining rating: ****

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Coming Soon?



This week I was approached by an internet marketing company to see if I'd like to write a review of The Devil Wears Prada on my blog to tie in with the forthcoming DVD release. They send me the DVD, I write my review. Simple. I saw the film at the cinema (check out my movie haiku here) and liked it, so look out for my review in due course. And just to whet your appetite, here's an exclusive clip from the film:


I'm hoping this will lead onto further opportunities, but of course I can (and indeed should) always submit more reviews to Eat My Brains website. I'm acutely aware that new boy Sean Cockwell has already reviewed more films in the last month than I've managed all year, and I've got a couple of screeners in my DVD pile (for Broken and Vampire Diary) which I really ought to review. I'm keen to get back into writing about films again, it's just my hectic work schedule (64 hours overtime clocked up last month) and social life that limits my free time at the moment... but hey, the passion is there, so fingers crossed - there will be more film reviews coming soon.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Legends (l-r): Me, Justin, Paul, Andy and Dave

It's that time of year again (otherwise known as Winter) when half of my friends piss off to warmer climes for a few months. Gary was first to go at the end of September, then Sean went in October... and now it's Justin's turn as he flies off to Thailand next week for five months spent with his girlfriend up in Chiang Mai. So, needless to say we had a big leaving bash for him on Friday night, beginning in the (abnormally busy) William IV pub at 6pm. We stayed in there until closing time and then Justin, Andy, Julie, Dave, Paul, Becca and I moved on to Fitz's for a couple and then decided to go clubbing. This proved harder than we'd imagined as the Funky Buddha Lounge wouldn't let us in (for being too drunk!) and all the other clubs we tried were just about to close... in the end we ended up in Legends where we stayed until 4am. Yes, visiting gay clubs again and I wonder why certain people question my sexuality? And thanks to Darren for subsequently signing me up to their mailing list, very funny!

So, with Justin jetting off next week and Dave soon to follow at the end of the month, the burning question is when am I heading off? Well, in all honesty I've no firm holiday plans as yet. I'm aiming to take some time off towards the end of January and I've made some tentative enquiries about attending the 2007 BKKIFF but nothing concrete yet... watch this space.

Friday, December 01, 2006

December Live

Before 2006 draws to a close there's still a whole month full of exciting shows to catch. Here's some of the local highlights, as selected by yours truly:

06/12 - First up this month we have Swedish electro-clash band Revl9n at Sumo. Haven't done a gig at Sumo yet, so will be interested to see how it goes. Liked the band's singles... not sure how they'll come across live, especially since co-vocalist Ana left the group last month.

07/12 - Missed their recent Komedia gig, so am determined to see Brighton's own Bat For Lashes at St George's Church this time. Loving their Fur And Gold album, and am excited about seeing them live after discovering that my friend Lizzie has joined the band.

08/12 - Brighton supergroup Brakes play at the Pavilion Theatre in support of their new The Beatific Visions album - expect an all night disco party! Meanwhile if you missed Mitchell & Webb during the recent comedy festival then they're back for another show round the corner at the Dome. A bit hit-and-miss live I thought, too many sketches lifted straight out of their recent BBC2 series.

09/12 - Another Pavilion Theatre gig, this time I'm keen to check out Silvermaker who are supporting The Stirring.

12/12 - After cancelling their September date due to illness, keep your fingers crossed that The Kooks will be fighting fit for their rescheduled date at the Dome.

13/12 - I've been wanting to see The Duke Spirit live for nearly two years now so tonight's finally gonna be the night - I'm up to London for their special christmas show at the ICA where they'll be debuting new songs as well as playing old favourites.

16/12 - Kasabian and The Fratellis at Brighton Centre.

17/12 - Still haven't seen the movie yet, but Tenacious D live on stage ought to be a hoot - Jack Black & Kyle Gass bring the pick of destiny to our very own Brighton Centre.

18/12 - What is it with all these sick rockstars at the moment? Another recent cancellation, this time we're hoping The Zutons will be well enough for their rescheduled show at the Dome.

19/12 - At last I should be able to check out Euchrid Eucrow live as they play in the back room of the newly revamped Komedia; Euchrid Eucrow is the new band formed by my good mate Dom (Good Morning Captain) featuring Ginger Lee & Abi Fry (both from Bat For Lashes).

23/12 - An early Christmas present for everyone as new dad and Songfactor winner (Spring Heeled) Jim reforms his old band The Dirty Tricks for a one-off gig at the Providence.