Possible Upcoming Gigs:

Last.fm have had this lovely upcoming gigs feature for a couple of months now. They use the data you give them to suggest gigs you might enjoy in your area.

Looking at December, I’m tempted by the following:

The Tiger Lillies 2nd/3rd The Old Truman Brewery
Levellers – 10th, Shepherd’s Bush Empire
The Pipettes – 23rd, The Roundhouse

(I’m tempted by more than that, but those are the ones I might actually spend money on…)

Is anyone planning on going to any of the above?

[Gig review] The Pipettes

Londonist loves the Pipettes, and who wouldn’t? With their Spector-influenced indie-pop and fifties/sixties school prom aestheic, and their modern cynicism, it’s not a surprise that they packed Koko to the rafters on Friday night.

What is a surprise is how quickly they’ve done it. In less that six months, they’ve gone from playing moderately sized student unions, to packing out a large venue as indie-pop darlings of the moment. And if we’re honest, it shows just a little. They’re the hot thing right now, and making the most of it, but you can tell they’re not entirely used to venue where the audience don’t have the room to move like their songs demand, or a gig where half the audience only respond to the singles, because that’s all they really know – there was a bit more urging the audience to move then there needed to be early on, which had them looking a little uncertain of themselves when they really, really don’t need to be…

Was it a bad gig? Not by any stretch – the girls delivered the uptempo pop wit that their records promise and looked marvellous in their new polka-dot dresses and if it took them a little longer than normal to get the audience fully on side, well, they did it in the end, judging by the roof-raising cheers for the encore. One suspects they just need a little time to adjust to their well-deserved new status, that’s all.

And if you missed them, well, they’re still fantastic, and you should catch them next time round. At this rate, they’ll be playing Wembley some time early next year, and you’ll be surrounded by people saying “yeah, I saw them when…”

Fruit/Music Interface.

Innocent drinks, known mostly around these parts for the endless phonecalls my former colleagues and I used to get for “Hannah from Innnocent Smoothies”, while I was working at Sanctuary, are throwing the same free music festival that they have for the last couple of years again this year. (Thus, perhaps justifying the music-related telephonic confusion.) You’d have been forgiven for not noticing the last couple of years, since there was no-one that thrilling on the line-up.

This year, the Saturday (5th August) sees the Puppini Sisters, Nouvelle Vague, Norman Jay and Arrested Development all on the same stage (plus the promising-sounding Whisky Cats). For free. And Carluccios are doing some tasty-sounding (but sadly not free) hampers to be picked up on the day, if you order in advance. It’s in Regent’s Park.

Anyone else think that this sounds like a civilised way to spend a Saturday afternoon? (More details on the fruitstock website. And yes, that name is fucking awful.)

Three Things (free Depeche Mode ticket)

Firstly: Free Depeche Mode/Goldfrapp ticket

I have a ticket for the O2 Wireless Festival on Sunday, that, even if I have the time to use it, suspect I won’t have the energy. It’s free to anyone willing to come collect it from wherever I am over the weekend. (Tooting/Battersea Park/Angel being the likely options.) First come, first served.

Secondly: Art: Strandbeest

Strandbeest are in London, in the Traf Square area. Depending on time, I may try and go see them this weekend, with camera in hand.

Thirdly: Upcoming gigs:

So I don’t forget:

Gogol Bordello, 6th July, KOKO
Alabama 3, 13th July, KOKO
Flogging Molly, 25 July, Mean Fiddler

Fourthly: I would like to sleep now.

Date for your diaries

April 2nd, Jason Webley is playing South London Pacific. If you get there before 9, it will only cost you a fiver to get in, for an evening of cocktails and cabaret.

Jason, as you’ve all heard me say before, is really very very good. Sufficiently good in fact, that if you turn up before nine, and really seriously don’t enjoy your night out, I will refund your money personally, I am that sure you’ll enjoy it. No-one, no-one I know that has seen him has thought him anything less that bloody good fun, and over half the people I’ve dragged to see him have bought his albums.

London has historically not been good for Jason, gig wise – bad venues, tiny crowds, last minute cancellations, etc. I (and I’m sure, he) would really like to change that. He’s playing a reasonably central venue, and I would really like to try and fill the place.

Jason’s act is a klezma-punk cabaret. If you like Kurt Weil, The Dresden Dolls, Tom Waits, Gogol Bordello, or just bloody good, different, live acts then I’m sure he’ll blow you away.

And since I’m offering to refund your money if you don’t enjoy your night out, the very least you’ll get is a chance to drink cocktails in a tiki lounge. When was the last time you did that, eh?

So, if you’re in London, help me help a mate out and turn up on the 2nd of April. You’ll have fun. I promise.