Kékélé

kekele7
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Last night went to the Pavilion Theatre to see African band Kékélé. They must have started on the dot of 8pm, cos they were in full flow when I arrived at 20.05! Three singers, backed by a very laid-back pair of guitarists (using acoustic guitars), a conga player, tenor saxist, drummer and electric bass. As predicted, we couldn't keep still, and a couple of lady stage invasions livened up the proceedings! The Pav served Dark Star at £2.90 a pint, which was a nice surprise, and it was all over, with one encore, by 9.45! If you want to have a great night out and be home in time for cocoa, you can't beat a rumba band from the Congo!

Bulleid weekend at the Bluebell

bluebell21oct07_11
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Last Sunday I cycled down to Pool Valley to jump on a vintage bus taking me to Sheffield Park and the Bluebell Railway. It was their 'Giants of steam' weekend, to celebrate 40 years since the end of Southern steam. It could have been called Bulleid weekend because there were four of his pacifics in attendance: three Spamcans and one rebuilt West Country class loco, plus assorted others. Arriving on my not-so-vintage bus, the train at the staion I jumped on was being pulled by BR tank 80151, ah well. But then a train double-headed by West Country class 34028 Eddystone and visitor streamlined West Country class 34007 Wadebridge thundered in. Whoopee! I travelled 3rd class to Horsted Keynes, where the idea was to get a pint of Harvey's and check out the trains! First was 21C123 Blackmoor Vale in Southern Railway Malachite Green and Sunshine Yellow livery heading back to Sheffield Park, followed by SR U-class 2-6-0 1638 (no name). Terrier 55 Stepney running as a Brighton Works shunter in Stroudley's famous 'Improved Engine Green' (aka baby-shit brown), was tootling up and down pulling a guard's van. The Harvey's had run out and there was a queue at the bar so I hopped aboard the double-header to Kingscote, the end of the line, saw the engines change ends and came back to Sheffield Park, where I had a wander round the sheds. The 4th Bulleid pacific, visiting Battle of Britain class 34081 92 Squadron, in British Railways Brunswick Green livery with orange and black lining, was in the yard but didn't seem to be in steam. All around were other locos, silent and at rest. I watched Wadebridge go out again, on its own this time, and saw Blackmoor Vale come in, noticing that on the other side the nameplate said O.V.S. Bulleid, then it was off home on a proper red vintage bus. Next weekend I'm off to the East Lancs Railway at Bury for their steam gala.

Where has our tree gone?

tree_gone
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

One of the delights of living where I do are the trees lining Clyde Road and Ditchling Rise. OK they drop leaves (and conkers) and disrupt the pavements, but as a devout tree-hugger, I worship them. But what happened to a younger tree outside the Duke of York's cinema? Marks around the base seem to imply it was a Council job, but why?

Millais

millais
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Londoners! How do you put up with it? I've done my time in the Big Smoke, having lived there four years and commuted there and back for many more. But I'm glad I only have to endure it rarely these days. Yesterday I had to go see my publisher Laurence King at Angel Islington. Getting there was fairly straightforward: the Thameslink to Kings Cross then a bus. The 10.04 (the first train I could use my railcard on) was rammed and I felt sorry for the American family with two kids, a baby and huge amounts of luggage who got on at Gatwick and detrained, like me, at Kings X Thameslink, a station with lots of steps and no lift. I don't know their ultimate destination, but could hear them given much misinformation from other passengers. After the meeting I headed south to see the Millais exhibition at Tate Britain. I was laden down with heavy books so decided to take the bus all the way to Victoria. Big mistake - on Theobald's Road the driver advised us it'd be quicker to walk! What with roadworks and selfish drivers blocking junctions, the whole of the Holborn area was in gridlock. I had to walk all the way to Centre Point on the Tottenham Court Road before I could rebus. At Victoria I grabbed a sandwich from M&S and headed to the Tate on the C10. Millais is my least favourite Pre-Raphaelite, and this was confirmed by this exhibition. Apart from his early paintings, they look overworked and murky, the faces sometimes seem like porcelain plaques collaged onto the freer painted canvas. Even the later Scottish landscapes look better in reproduction than in the flesh. It was worth seeing, however, and I got in free thanks to Amanda's friend of Friend card. Great to see the drawings - and his palette and brushes - and how some of the paintings, ie The North-West Passage, are enormous! Roll on the Holman Hunt show! I had a quick look at the Turner Prize Retrospective show and Hockney on Turner, but by then was cultured out! Bought a couple of badges: one by Jake and Dinos Chapman saying 'I've been bad' and one by Sara Fanelli saying 'Future artist'. Back on the C10 to Victoria and a fast train home, covered in aches and pains.

The Curst Sons

curst_sons3
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Sorry Pog I missed the gig last night - too cream crackered from the Clarion bike ride to Worthing and back. But looking at your MySpace site I see it was cancelled, so I don't feel so bad! I did go see the excellent Asbo Derek and The Curst Sons, a hillbilly threesome of banjo, guitar and rhythm stick/washboard, at the City Gate Centre on Saturday night. There was a different sort of clientele that night, a little less dapper, a little more crusty! But a yee-har dancin' good time was had by all. Hear them here. They were joined by a very competent father/daughter country/folk duo in need of a fashion makeover called The Joneses (from Wales). Then I trod the familiar path to the Duke of York's for a screening of the 1921 silent film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari accompanied by the Radio Reverb Orchestra, starring my old celebrity chum Gus Garside. I'd not seen the film before and loved the amazing Expressionist sets and titles, but the arts of acting and storytelling have improved somewhat since it was made! And I got a free badge from Anna Moulescoomb! I wasn't going to bother - and I needed an early night - but it was free and just round the corner, so what the hell. This week I shall be staying in a bit more.

Brighton Live

road_roller_3
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

This blog was only ever meant as an aide memoire pour moi, so please don't expect any detail or critique! It's been a busy week what with the wonderful Brighton Live putting on free gigs all over the place, and often nearby. Last Tuesday I popped down to Audio (formerly the Escape) to catch The Fuck You Planet Earth (aka Mark's band) who are a lot less frantic than they used to be, in fact quite mellow! Just Mark on acoustic, a Jack Black-lookalike electric guitarist and drummer. It was an early gig so I got back home in time for Holby City and Silent Witness. No mySpace yet. Wednesday was the NUJ Brighton Branch AGM at the bland Brighthelm (but pub after) and I thought I'd catch Peggy Sue and The Pirates at Barfly (formerly the Gloucester) but there was a long queue so I didn't bother. Thursday was the monthly Brighton Illustrator Group meeting at Castor and Pollux (on the subject of Agents), but it was late when it ended so went home. Friday aftrenoon I popped down to the Corn Exchange for the Brighton Art Fair, had a bottle of Harvey's and a natter with some old mates, then home. I'd filmed the road-roller printmaking in Pavilion Gardens on the Monday - see photo above (and spent most of last week trying to improve the video on YouTube to no avail!) and the finished prints looked great. After my tea, I popped down to the City Gate Centre above Blockbusters and caught the end of a set by Los Piratas, a jolly South American style band with accordian and ukulele. I'd come to see The Ukes of Hazzard, 3 ukes and a bass, 3 blokes and a gal, but they were disappointing and only came alive during the last number.Don't get me wrong I love Django-style jazz numbers but more variety would have been nice. By this time the quasi-religious hall was filling with 50s throwbacks and rockabilly joungsters awaiting the jumpin' jivin' sounds of the Fat 45s (hear 'em here) - there were hundreds of them and they were great - doing a mixture of Louis Jordan and rock 'n' roll - any band with a honkin' baritone sax is OK by me! Well, the joint was still jumpin' as a pedalled up the road to the grand old Duke of York's for David Bramwell's Oddfellows Casino: David on piano, sounding a cross between Paul McCartney and Victoria Wood, singing wistful Northern songs accompanied by a lovely lady flautist (Eliza?), an electric guitarist and another bloke on trumpet (it was getting late!). David's website is a bit out of date; so is the MySpace! This was followed by a screening of the 1932 film Freaks - amazingly I stayed awake throughout! Aiming to see Asbo Derek and The Curst Sons tonight, but I do need an early night. Well done, Brighton Live - I just wish I had more stamina!

Howe Gelb

howe_gelb_1
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Howe Gelb was a delight last night at the newly redecorated and de-privatised club The Hanbury Ballroom in Kemp Town. I'm not yet familiar with Mr Gelb's oeuvre - I confess the only song I recognised was Ketty Lester's lovely 'Love letters', but he was a class act, accompanying himself on guitar and grand piano along with Swedish bass player Thoger Lund and - thanks to the enthusiastic audience - doing a long encore with various members of the bands of the supports. Who were: Kate Maki from Canada, who stood in for a choir during the encores, and Lonna Kelley from Arizona (with a great electric guitarist, heavy on the tremolo). It's a wonderful venue and as intimate as it gets, but be warned there's no proper beer at the bar!

I like trains

Of course, I didn't actually see anyone die on Saturday - I saw a chain of events that led me to believe no-one could have survived. And that has been confirmed since: Brian Brown of Doncaster crashed Hawker Hurricane BD707 from Duxford into a field near Lancing College during a simulated dogfight involving Spitfires, Hurricanes and Messerschmitts during Shoreham Airshow. That shocking and tragic event has rather reset my memory. I was going to blog that Thursday and Friday nights were ideal for the elderly gentleman about town. Thursday's Catalyst Club [when is Cheeky David going to update his website?] provided four talks for four quid, plus a slideshow on the World Moustache and Beard Championships of which David Bramwell was a judge. The talks were: Astrology (boring), Pierrepoint (by Ross Gurney-Randall who had a play called 'Follow me' on the subject at Edinburgh), cunnilingus (rather puerile), and finally and aptly Hitler's moustache (apparently he had bits sticking out each side in the first world war but his sister in law in Dublin told him to cut them off - later she said 'I think he's gone too far'! A white supremacist website say it was the minimum necessary to purify the air going up his nostrils...). Friday night , I popped into the MA illustration show PV briefly but it was a pay bar so resolved to go back when it's less busy. Onwards to the seafront and the Jonny Hannah PV at Castor and Pollux. The show is entitled 'Hot dogs and rocket fuel' and Jonny does gorgeous linocuts and silkscreened prints (usually at BIP) and has painted several 'oilcans' (great value at £120 each). Whenever I see a book cover I like these days, it's usually by Jonny - so he's getting the respect he deserves. Mike Levy was very generous with the 'red plonk' so I was quite merry when I set off along the beachfront (past a huge queue to see Maximo Park at a new nightclub called Digital) to Barfly (formerly The Gloucester) to see iLiKETRAiNS. Any band with that name I've got to like, especially as they issue Railcards and have an enamel badge to buy with iLiKETRAiNS written in a British Railways totem. I used my former to buy the latter at the merchandise stall and received a free button badge and poster! They were excellent live, albeit very sombre and downbeat, a bit like British Sea Power. And it was all over by 11pm so I could get home to my pipe, slippers and wee dram of whatever is on special offer at Sainsbury's this week. Many thanks to Anna Moulescombe of Melting Vinyl for getting me in. Train spotters will see from my Flickr website that I was at the Bluebell Railway yesterday with the Clarion cycling club (Horsted Keynes buffet does a lovely pint of Harvey's). Tonight it's Howe Gelb at the newly refurbished and private-members club The Hanbury Ballroom in Kemp Town. Wonder if it's proper beer there or will I have to resort to the old standby of lime 'n' soda again?

Pilot Is Named

The pilot of Hurricane BD707 has been named: Tragic Airshow Pilot Is Named (from The Argus): "Moving tributes have been paid to a Hawker Hurricane pilot killed when his historic fighter aircraft nose-dived into a field at Shoreham Airshow. Brian Brown, an experienced airman from Yorkshire, was killed instantly when the plane, which was taking part in a Battle of Britain dogfight display, crashed at 3.20pm on Saturday."

Shoreham Air Show

shoreham_crash_1
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

I saw someone die today. It was horrible. At first I thought it was a stunt: plane dives behind trees followed by a big bang, just like in the Battle of Britain films. Only it was real, surreal because it was during a simulated World War II dogfight complete with 'anti-aircraft guns' and fireball bombs going off on the runway of Shoreham airport. Then I spotted a plane near Lancing College going straight down towards the ground. I waited for it to reappear but there was an ominous pause, then the explosion I photographed from Rick and Krysia's Velux window! I always used to joke that I carried a camera around in case of a plane crash - now I've actually seen one and it wasn't funny. It was a Hurricane apparently and the show carried on, 'because that was what he would have wanted' so they said on the Tannoy. I need a drink.

The Monkey's Paw Club

I haven't been out much lately so - thanks to a Facebook aside from socialite Peter Chrisp - last night popped down to the Komedia for the inaugral meeting of The Monkey's Paw Club: 'a literary evening inspired by the legendary Hellfire Clubs, Tales of the Unexpected, Ripping Yarns and Gothic Horror! An opportunity for Louche Libertines, Dapper Dilettantes and Cunning Courtesans to convene in leisurely fashion over fine wine and shady conversation'. Well, no David Devant unfortunately, but an evening of storytelling, burlesque and physical theatre staged by Vavavavoom's Stella Starr and Mr World Moustache Championships Michael 'Atters' Attree. The Monkey's Paw is a three-wishes gothic horror story by WW Jacobs and we were treated to a reading of it by Guy Venables from the throne. This was after erotic stories from Stella and some Sherlock Holmes. In the second half things got more physical: a deadpan clown with bubble skills called Mr Ed, lots of saucy vampiresses, and finally a magic lantern show and 'seance' by Atters, with ectoplasm everywhere! Top night out for the more discerning (and elderly) punter (seated, and all over by 11pm), despite the price of Komedia beer! This morning around 6.50am I was woken up by 8 or 10 bangs that sounded like gun shots! Eek!

Statue stolen for scrap

Police Piece Together Statues Last Moments (from The Argus): it's surely the end of civilisation as we know it when a bronze statue is hacksawed to bits for an estimated 100 quid's worth of scrap! A Henry Moore statue was stolen in 2005 (presumably for scrap) from the courtyard of the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green, Much Hadham in Hertfordshire. Nearer home, the bronze statue of Olympic gold medallist Steve Ovett was stolen from Preston Park, Brighton last weekend. Police have since recovered pieces of it across the London Road from a bonfire near a tree protest camp. A 44-year old woman was arrested and later cautioned. That's it! Sculptor Peter Webster, then a teacher at Cardinal Newman School, spent four years creating the £25,000 piece some 20 years ago. He was also responsible for the statue of Max Miller on New Road. Peter lives across the road from me!

Tangmere

Tangmere
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

It's not often that Brighton is visited by a steam loco - and even rarer for such a beautiful beast as 'Spam-can' Battle of Britain class 34067 Tangmere (built at Brighton in 1947) to steam through my local station, London Road. So I dragged myself up at the crackle of the dawn at 8.55am to cop the train to Faversham Hop Festival belching out filthy smoke along the Lewes line. I knew it was coming back to Brighton at 10.12pm so thought I'd watch it steam over the viaduct. That would have made a fantastic photo in daylight! Tangmere will be this way again, passing through Preston Park, Hove and Worthing, for a trip to Bath and Bristol on 22 September. The rest of the day? A 22-mile bike circular from Berwick (not -on-Tweed!) with the Clarion.

Kent & East Sussex Railway

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Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

The joy of being semi-retired is that you can take your Bank Holiday any old time! On Monday, I went against the flow cycling out of Brighton to go foraging for blackberries and sloes in Patcham. I'd wanted to visit the Kent and East Sussex Railway Open Day but discovered the country buses didn't run on Sundays and Bank Holidays. So, it was Bank Holiday Tuesday then. Once upon a time you'd make for the busiest interchanges, like Crewe, to spot trains, now you have to get to the deepest countryside. I used to be sniffy about light railways (and still am a bit about narrow gauge railways) but this is a delightful 11-mile track from leafy Tenterden to Bodiam Castle, through the Rother valley. I got the train to Hastings and planned to get the two-hourly 349 to Bodiam (trying to find bus info on the web is a nightmare - sites like Traveline take you all round the houses!). When I arrived at Hastings station, however, I noticed a 340 already in heading for Tenterden, so hopped on and my bus pass took me into Kent! The route took me twice past the railway - at Northiam and Rolvenden - and eventually at tenterden it was a short walk down Station Road to the ticket office. I'd just missed the 13.15 (pulled by a WD 'Bucket' saddle tank) so went for a cup of tea and a toasted teacake and caught the 14.20 pulled by a little Wainwright P class tank no. 753, in the livery of the S E & C R. I had a 3rd class compartment to myself and was able to enjoy the sulphurous fumes and cinders in my face, jumping from side to side of the non-corridor compartment with each bend! Oh what joy! I decided not to get off at the shed at Rolvenden as the logistics of catching my last bus were too tight. Spotted 2 other WD saddle tanks and an ugly USA class loco in grey with WD1960 painted on the tank. [Full list of locos can be found on the Wikipedia page.] The other train passed us (without stopping, as we did on the way back) at Wittersham Road. Then it was on to Bodiam and a fine view of a proper castle, ie one with battlements and a moat! On the way back I was joined by a family of mum, two kids, and 'Steve', who'd been to visit it. Back at Tenterden I had an hour to kill so visited the Colonel Stephens museum (an extra £1.50!). Therein I discovered a fascinating coincidence. Holman Fred Stephens, who built this and other light railways, was the son of Pre-Raphaelite Frederic George Stephens, and godson of William Holman Hunt! Inside the museum was another loco - Gazelle, an 0-4-2 from the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway, described as the smallest preserved [standard gauge] locomotive in the world. Great day out: I'd seen three castles (we passed Pevensey Castle and Hastings Castle on the train), lots of wildlife, including a fox by the tracks just outside Hastings station, and seen a beautiful old loco built in 1909 still in steam. Bliss.

It's Ecofriendly Up North

It's Ecofriendly Up North (from The Argus): my letter to the Argus!

Edinburgh Festival 2007

Edinburgh Festival 2007
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Apologies that this is more like a list than a blog! It's my annual pilgrimage to Edinburgh.

Thursday 9 August: travel up to Edinburgh on GNER up the east coast. Spotted 6225 Duchess of Hamilton (or was it 6233 Duchess of Sutherland visiting? a tea trolly got in the way) outside York Railway Museum, possible the most beautiful loco ever built. Child playing with Thomas the Tank Engine toys doesn't even look up. Customary pint of 80/- at the Cally Bar at Haymarket, followed by walk to Sam's, then walk to Pleasance courtyard for a few more pints.

Friday 10 Aug: Hangover, vow to 'never again'. Visit Warhol exhibition at the Mound. Sam is a 'friend' so we get to the front of the queue and free entry. Play with the silver balloons (I take an illegal photo!), liked the children's room with the robot paintings. Walk to Fruitmarket to see the Alex Hartley exhibition (he who climbs buildings) and have a sit down. Up to Halfway House on Fleshmarket Close for a pint. Took in a couple of galleries on Fopp Street, notably John Stezaker's montages at Stills and a comic book thing I couldn't see the point of at Collective. Free comedy at Canon's Gate - inc. the whole of Peter Buckley Hill's one-man show. Sam and his friend Kenny sneaked out. Off to Udderbelly for more pints - spotted Nicholas Parsons in the queue.

Saturday 11 Aug: Art Bus to the Modern Art Museum to see the Richard Long exhibition - lots of mud, mud, glorious mud! Shame they didn't sell souvenir pots of ... mud! Met Paul at Guildford Arms then bus to pub near Queen's Hall, thence to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. They did a great 1.5 hour set, but didn't do 'Smells like Teen Spirit'. I had an early night (watched miserable Mike Leigh film 'All or Nohing' on TV with a wee dram).

Sunday 12 August: Festival Sunday on the Meadows, just behind Sam's flat. Saw (heard) some comedy: Paul Sinha, Josie Long and Al Pitcher, all very funny. I'd just about pushed my way to the front and a view, when an American woman with guitar came on and cleared the tent. Sat outside the Speigeltent in the rain for a bit then went for a meal at Kushies and then to the Bow Bar and met Nick. Up to the Underbelly (I asked Sam what this building was used for when the festival wasn't on - he said nothing, it was too dangerous!). In the Belly Dancer we saw Fisher King Leven, of which Jackie Leven was the star. Didn't really work - they were all good, but each sat and waited for his turn.

Monday 13 Aug: day trip to Newcastle. I've been through Newcastle on the train for the past 11 years and always wondered what it looked like so got up at the crack of dawn for a day oot on the toon. Got metro to Monument and walked to the Laing Gallery. I love Victorian art and this is a gem. It has a lovely room of 1930s paintings too, all beautifully captioned. Star is Holman-Hunt's 'Pot of Basil' but there is a whole wall of John Martins and a Burne-Jones. I was delighted by an exhibition of watercolours by the Richardsons, and the Thomas Bewick collection of wood engravings. Had lunch with old friend Yvette and she told us aboot the electric bus. My tip: forget about the metro, etc - get a £1.50 day saver and use the electric bus (Quaylink) - it goes everywhere you want to go (except Seven Stories and the Biscuit Factory). So I got one across the swing bridge and into Gateshead to the Baltic, went up in the lift and walked down (Beryl Cook show was on, plus Dazed & Confused vs. Warhol, with silver balloons you could photograph, but weren't allowed to touch!), across the Millennium eyelash bridge for a lovely pint of Gladiator at the Crown Posada - no idea where that name comes from! Back on the bus to the Sage for a coffee then back to the station via the Bigg Market (didn't spot the Fat Slags tho). Train was running 40 minutes late so thought I might miss Stewart Lee (the 41st best stand-up ever) at the Udderbelly. Got cab and they kindly let me in! He was great and did a very brave Josie Long silent surreal ending! Spotted him the next day with a bag of chips in his hand but forgot to shout 'Weightwatchers' at him!

Tuesday 14 Aug: bus to Talbot Rice Gallery (outside which I spotted the above Stewart Lee!) to see David Batchelor's show Unplugged, basically totem poles of pound-shop objects ordered by colour. There were some geodesic spheres made from sunglasses that Nick Sayers would have liked, but the drawings were disappointing. Windows have mysteriously been revealed in one wall! Walked down to the City Arts Centre and got a concessionary admission with my bus pass to see the huge 'Hand Heart and Soul' arts and crafts exhibition. Some beautiful objects and paintings, I particularly liked Basil Spence's perspective of a church complete with comical figure mowing the lawn. Met Nick at the Stand for our annual trip to Simon Munnery's AGM, always good value. After a one-hour show we were led down to Arthur Smith's art gallery for another hour and half of chess-pool, motions and various pieces of Sherlock Holmes and Germaine Greer. Lost my brolly while going to loo so got taxi to Pleasance and Andrew Lawrence's show 'Socal leprosy for beginners and improvers'. I'd never seen him before. He was young and edgy, both nervous and offensive in a very funny fast way. Nick and Sam both got picked on (we were on the front row) but he left me alone!

Wednesday 15 Aug: home. Dumpling business lunch with Sam and Rob at Chop Chop then on the 12.58 from Haymarket to Euston, changing at Crewe! It was a ridiculously cheap ticket and I've always wanted to change at Crewe so went for it. Never again. The journey was along the west coast was pretty at first, through mountains and the lake district, but tedium soon set in and on the penultimate leg on Thameslink I was squashed in by a bloke with laptop! It took 9.25 hours to get home - not recommended! Thanks to Toni my courgette survived my absence and there weren't too many phone messages or emails either. Now I need a rest!

Uke can't be serious

Uke can't be serious: the 'bonsai' guitar is back: yes indeed!

Mia Riddle at the Albert

Mia Riddle at the Albert
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Went to see Mia Riddle and her band last night at the Albert, the first time I'd been there since the smoking ban - a great gig marred slightly by a dodgy pint of Harvey's (the first ever)! There was a small barrel on the bar downstairs and the first pint tasted like nectar. The next pint from upstairs, dredged from the bottom of the barrel, was just not up to scratch and I left half of it! First on was a guitar duo called Tandy Hard - great voice, but the miserablist songs made Leonard Cohen sound like George Formby. We needed cheering up and Pog never fail to deliver, tho most of the songs were about nightmare relationships! Kerry was off in Mongolia looking after orphan babies, so bass stand-in was Simon. After a rousing 'In Heaven' we were taken there again by Mia's angelic voice. She was with full band, including a dishy banjo player, Laurel Wells, who must be a bit of a model/fashion designer judging from her MySpace site. Had to rush home for a glass of Soberano to wash away the bad Harvey's taste... Took some truly atrocious photos - just can't get the settings right for low-lighting.

Micro-frog

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Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

My garden is a jungle at the moment, what with all the rain, but I'm reluctant to do anything about it, cos my pond has spawned millions of micro-frogs! I have to be careful stepping out of the back door as they like to congregate there! This one would have fitted on my little finger nail, had I been able to catch it! Boy, can they jump!

Pog at The Sanctuary

Pog at The Sanctuary
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

I'm sure the 'Cella' at The Sanctuary in Hove has shrunk - or rather the bar has expanded. Only Continental-style lagers I'm afraid, but I'm there for the launch of Pog's 59th album 'Finding hope in unlikely places'. It's their best so far, with great tracks they've been playing live for a while, such as 'Because it's football' (a brave critique on the new-build Seagulls' stadium plannned for a green field on the edge of the South Downs), 'In Heaven' (the la la song), 'London's Grand Parade' and 'Phone in well'. The setlist was the album, straight through, tho Deacon, Wob, Paul and Kerry didn't have time to do the penultimate track. The lighting wasn't conducive to good photos (Kerry was in shadow most of the set) - well, that's my excuse anyway! And the set was punctuated by power cuts activated by the noise limiter! Supports were Spalien Acecraft (who missed a rhyming opportunity with 'cemetery' in their song about the Vogue Gyratory), and the multi-media minidisc-powered Project Adorno doing a psychogeographic essay on London (the Central line used to be longer when it went to Ongar). Top night out, and only a fiver (including a free CD!) Catch Pog at their next gig on Wednesday at the Albert with Mia Riddle.