Futurology

New Manic Street Preachers album out today. Not heard it yet, but ... I must say I am really looking forward to hearing it. Sounds pretty interesting.

Hopefully they do those Holy Bible shows they've hinted at later this year.

Expressions

I don't know why I've started writing here again. I just feel the need to write. Not really for an audience, although I'm sure no-one really reads this blog anyway.

Sometimes there is so much going on ... that words on a page somehow feel calming.

Nick Zinner: 41 Strings

Went to the UK premiere of 41 Strings, a 'four-part, classical piece featuring an army of electric and acoustic strings including guitars, violins, violas, cellos and bass, as well as three drummers and synths' composed by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the other week. Had seen it advertised a while back, but ... given I was away from London for the first two weeks of June I hadn't really given much consideration to going. Saw an offer for cheap tickets on Time Out a couple of days before the show. Seemed no good reason not to check it out.

Nick Zinner is definitely one of my heroes. I don't really go in for the whole starstruck thing, but ... there's definitely a few guitarists that I admire. Suppose I first discovered the Yeah Yeah Yeahs during sixth form. Think Miles Away was on the NME's New Rock Revolution compilation, if I remember correctly. Listened to the Master EP a lot when I finally managed to pick it up. And even saw them play at Manchester University (in February 2003) shortly before Fever To Tell was released. Right at the front in a small sweaty room after driving up with some close friends. Good memories. Getting crushed trying to watch them in the tent at Leeds Festival in August 2003 was memorable for less positive reasons. Seeing them back at Manchester Academy in April 2004 was better as Nick stood next to me whilst watching the support band. The guitar playing on those first couple of releases was so inventive. A lot different to what I was otherwise listening to around that time. I think I've spoke about my excessively large man-crush enough for a picture to be painted, ... I believe this guy is seriously talented.

So back to the show. First up was a composition called IIII, a rhythmic composition (performed by four drummers) based on 'the changing of the four season'. It was immensely powerful stuff. The crowd was pretty stunned after it was over.

And then 41 Strings. I made some notes as soon as it finished. I wanted to share my feelings with one friend. A fellow music geek. Music can be so life affirming at times. And this performance just made me feel elated. I described it as 'the sort of music that makes you want to laugh, cry, drink JD and get laid'. And I stand by that - the fact that Nick Zinner favourited my tweet saying something to similar effect also made me geek out quite a bit too. It's sounds kinda stupid, but ... sometimes you just need to indulge yourself as a music junkie. And the simplest pleasures are the most satisfying, of course. Ah, the final movement was just stunning.

Apparently you can stream the whole piece here. I'm not even sure I want to though, as I doubt it could live up to the expectations created by my memory. Maybe one day soon.

Event:	Nick Zinner: 41 Strings
Further details:	Part of James Lavelle's Meltdown. UK Premiere.
Venue:	Royal Festival Hall, London
Date:	Friday, 20 June 2014

I did also see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs play twice last July. To complete the full history of the, um ... five times that I have seen them. Managed to get tickets for a Latitude Festival warm-up gig at Islington Academy in the pre-sale. Somehow! It was incredible. An 800 capacity venue. I kept it together mostly, but ... I think I was dancing like a loon by the time they finished with Date With The Night. A couple of songs from the Master EP too. Art Star was awesome.

Unfortunately the person I dragged along with me just doesn't seem to get the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She liked that one bit of that one song. Feel like giving her the ticket was such a waste. [sigh]

Setlist, as taken from setlist.fm.

• Bang
• Black Tongue
• Under the Earth
• Gold Lion
• Slave
• Cheated Hearts
• Subway
• Wedding Song
• Zero
• Turn Into
• Despair
• Art Star
• Sacrilege
• Heads Will Roll

Encore

• Maps
• Date With the Night

Event:	Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Latitude Festival warm-up show
Further details:	Supported by The Bots.
Venue:	Islington Academy, London
Date:	Monday, 15 July 2013

The second time was at Latitude Festival a few days later. Was actually standing quite far back, so definitely not the same experience. But they played Miles Away! I definitely lost it then. That song is quite important in my musical development for sure. Pin was also a massive highlight.

Setlist, as taken from setlist.fm.

• Zero
• Gold Lion
• Sacrilege
• Mosquito
• Under the Earth
• Heads Will Roll
• Cheated Hearts
• Maps
• Despair
• Pin
• Miles Away
• Date With the Night

Event:	Latitude Festival 2013: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Further details:	Third on the bill. Performed before Hot Chip and Kraftwerk.
Venue:	Henham Park, Suffolk
Date:	Saturday, 20 July 2013

Sinking

You know those times when you just feel an overwhelming sadness. Was just listening to Ready to Start by Arcade Fire. A friend posted it to Facebook. I always found it to be a rather moving song. But I'm not sure I've ever really listened to it before. Not properly. It's like the first time now. I suppose it's about making a big decision. Having the courage to do so. Not doing what is expected of you. But what you need to. That probably makes absolutely no sense. It stuck a chord at this particular moment though.

For some reason it just made me think about all the changes that may/may not be about to happen. Maybe I'm entering a period of melancholy. Been so busy recently. Just keeping my head above water. And filling my spare time with 'stuff' whilst I still have the opportunity. Avoiding reality. For a moment or two.

Eventually you have to decide what you want, right. Then go for it. Perhaps I should actually deal with all those issues that I previously chose to avoid.

Ha. It was probably a bad time to listen to this song.

Next Week

Am determined that next week is going to be awesome. Definitely seeing Tricot. Japanese all-girl math rock. Was quite shocked to see they were playing London. Pretty excited about that actually. Possibly seeing NYPC. Then another day at Hyde Park on Saturday. Before the Cat Empire at Somerset House on Sunday. I may just collapse after all that.

Still love the Cat Empire!

Sunday

Let's be honest, I'm not altogether happy about how today went. Mostly it was fun. Except when I wasn't losing my mind due to seizures of random stupidity. I managed to go two weeks in Singapore without getting even the slightest sunburn. Three hours in London, I'm a tomato. Added to other careless moments. And random updates. It has been a little disheartening.

The past few days seemed to go so well. Cinema. Gig. Positive life developments. Survived work (for another week). Pleasant drinks. Bands in Hyde Park. Met interesting people. All pretty good. Think I probably got overtired with all the stressful situations happening and managed to lose all semblance of social aptitude by today though.

[sigh]

It has been nice to see old friends over the past few days. And not awkward. Big plus.

Maybe I should write an emo song about my day. Has anyone ever addressed the relationship between emo side fringes and sunburn. I know the truth. Only half my forehead is still white, ...

Oh, well. It is now Monday. I can just move on. And perhaps not look in any mirrors for a few days.

Tron Legacy: Redux II

Best quote of the film

You're really messing with my zen-thing, man.

Think I'm done with the Jeff Bridges love-in for this evening. Although perhaps I could watch the Big Lebowski tomorrow.

Tron Legacy: Redux

And now we have arrived at the nightclub scene. Michael Sheen channelling David Bowie is a sight to behold. A wonderful, glorious sight to behold. Beautiful work.

And the Daft Punk cameo!

I am rather glad that my flatmates decided to watch Tron Legacy this evening.

Tron Legacy

Just watching Tron Legacy. At the dinner scene where we meet old Jeff Bridges for the first time:

We were jamming man. Building utopia.

Such a cool flick. This scene is pure exposition, but ... it's all about that 'biodigital jazz, man'.

Quite possibly the best film score ever made too. Could Daft Punk soundtrack my life already. Parts of it, at least. Maybe not today. It hasn't really been a cool day. Atmospheric post-rock would definitely sum up my state of mind better. Best find a film scored by Mogwai to watch next.

Labyrinth

Apparently some twenty-somethings out there have never seen Labyrinth. This makes me sad.

The film has to be David Bowie's finest hour. Dance Magic Dance is incredible. As is the way he pronounces Sa-rah. I was always a big fan of Sir Didymus too.

Hello Again

It's been quite a while since I updated this blog. Something I always mean to do perhaps, but ... never quite find the time. Been to some rather exciting events recently. Going to try and write about a few of them over the next week or so.

Planning to start a second blog, as I've had some pretty big news recently. Just waiting for it to be fully confirmed though.

Let's see how long I can keep this up, ...

British Sea Power: Machineries of Joy

Was listening to the new British Sea Power album last night. Think it came out back at the start of April, although I only picked it up a few weeks ago ... and issues with transferring music to my iPod means that I've only listened to it once or twice in my room.

Actually saw BSP at Shepherd's Bush Empire back in April. Think it must have been the fourth time I've seen them, after:

• Glastonbury 2004, notable for people bringing tree branches for added 'crowd foliage' and Eamon (sadly long since departed) coming down into the crowd with his chest drum;
• supporting the Manic Street Preachers at Manchester Apollo during their Autumn 2010 tour; and
• Transmission 001 at Jodrell Bank in July 2011, notable for a dramatic improvement during the second half of the set and Ursine Ultra fighting a giant robot at the end.

It was pretty cool. They played a short acoustic-style set at the start of the gig. Support was provided by Toy, although I wasn't so keen on them. Then BSP played their headline set. Lot's of energy! Plus, Ursine Ultra had a fight with Bi-polar Bear!!

Highlights would probably include the crashing opening threesome of Remember Me, Apologies To Insect Life and K Hole. A great version of No Lucifer. Waving Flags and Machineries of Joy. And obviously, Carrion.

Going back to the album, Machineries of Joy is a great start and first single. Rather relaxing, yet extremely uplifting. It also has a really cool video!

Another early highlight is K Hole. Punky awesomeness in the vein of Stunde Null or Mongk II from Valhalla Dancehall. Definite future live highlight.

Probably need more time to digest the rest of the album properly. It definitely isn't as immediate as Valhalla Dancehall or as anthemic as Do You Like Rock Music. There are some great slices of mildly disconcerting pop music though, notably Loving Animals and What You Need The Most. And Monsters of Sunderland is pretty chaotic like some of the truly classic BSP tracks.

Full setlist from the Shepherd's Bush Empire gig, as taken from setlist.fm:

Acoustic Set

• The Land Beyond
• Come Wander With Me
• Blackout
• Salty Water
• What You Need the Most

Electric Set

• Remember Me
• Apologies To Insect Life
• K Hole
• Bear
• Spring Has Sprung
• No Lucifer
• Mongk II
• When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Grass
• Machineries of Joy
• Waving Flags
• The Great Skua
• Please Stand Up
• Radio Goddard
• St. Louis
• A Light Above Descending
• Carrion
• All In It

Encore

• Loving Animals
• Lately

Event:	British Sea Power: Machineries of Joy tour
Further details:	Support by Toy.
Venue:	Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Date:	Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Monsters University

Back towards the start of June, I attended a special preview screening of Pixar's latest at the British Film Institute.

Let's be honest, Monsters Inc is a modern classic. I doubt anyone who saw that film will be unhappy about another chance to see those characters on the big screen. Whilst Monsters University doesn't come close to those heights, it's still a really entertaining film. I laughed. A lot.

If I were to be slightly critical, there's nowhere near enough Randall and it doesn't quite have the 'heart' of the original ... but seriously, just go and see it. You'll have a great time.

Event:	Monster's University 3D + Q&A
Further details:	Special early preview of Monsters University followed by Q&A with director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae.
Venue:	BFI Southbank, London
Date:	Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Many musings on the first weekend of June

At the start of June. Well, actually. Backing up slightly further. Me and my sister had previously discussed whether we should go to see Muse at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. [Slight tangent: I really hate that, the Etihad Stadium. Could just about accept Eastlands, but shouldn't it be referred to as the City of Manchester Stadium. It was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, after all. I know Manchester council get a significant amount of money, but ... still. Sorry, slightly off topic.] As it turns out, my sister had to work. So I mentioned it to a couple of old school friends via text/facebook on the Monday evening before the gig who were all rather keen.

In the meantime, Muse had announced a free (via a mailing list code) gig to be held on Horse Guard's Parade. On Tuesday morning I bagged a couple of tickets to that. On Wednesday I got four tickets to the Manchester gig. As it was such a last minute decision, we decided to get cheap tickets. In the heavens. Or the third tier of the Colin Bell stand, as it's officially known.

On Saturday morning, I travelled up to Leek. Had some lunch. Then drove up to Manchester with two of my friends. [Second slight tangent: I say drove. Obviously I didn't drive. That would be massively illegal as I don't have a licence. Should probably do something about that.] We parked. Collected tickets. Met the fourth member of our group. And ascended to the heavens.

The seats weren't actually that bad. Considering they were £20 cheaper than standing and a whole £50 cheaper than the most expensive seats, I was pretty comfortable with where we ended up. The view was really good. And these days Muse are such a visual band.

Last time I saw Muse play their own gig (i.e. not a festival) was at Wembley Stadium in 2007. Support was provided by:

• Shy Child, very good;
• Biffy Clyro, excellent; and
• My Chemical Romance, god-awful suicide music for emo-teenagers.

So, this time. Bastille, I could understand. They may not be the most exciting band, but they've got a couple of reasonably decent tunes and they were pretty energetic. Most of their songs are rather forgettable ... but I've been told to give them a chance, so will probably listen to their album on Spotify at some point.

And, then. Dizzee Rascal!? Obviously. Who else would be supporting Muse? Actually, he wasn't too bad. I even liked some of the songs. Bassline Junkie and Bonkers were particularly good. What annoyed me though is that he didn't really play to his audience. Families with fairly young children always go to big outdoor gigs. So why did he have to swear so much. I know it's a small thing, but ... it just got to me.

And so, onto the main attraction. Muse definitely started with a bang!

Or should that be explosion! It was pretty darn loud. I felt it. Even from the cheap seats. Found this video on YouTube that seems to give a decent impressive of the force that those by the barrier must have felt.

Love that video. Part of me is glad I wasn't THAT close to the B-stage. The pyrotechnics were pretty impressive all night, but ... that first explosion was just crazy.

So the gig. Muse were really good. Always forget just how good they are live. It was a pretty extensive setlist. Obviously certain songs that I'd love to see (Sunburn, Citizen Erased, Space Dementia, etc), but ... guess I've seen all of them before, and you can't have everything.

They played some great songs though. I really like the 2nd Law as an album. Panic Station was funky. The visuals for that song was pretty cool too. Cartoon world leaders dancing. Follow Me, Liquid State (with Chris on vocals) and Survival were also pretty fantastic. Obviously, Bliss was awesome. Resistance worked really well live. A particular highlight for most people seemed to be Dead Star.

Seems fairly understandable. Such a great song. [Released as a Double A-Side with In Your World. Also a fantastic song.] Been working out how to play a decent sounding version of Dead Star on my acoustic guitar. Maybe I'll upload a video to YouTube I've done. Struggling with the verses a little at the moment. Would rather use proper chords, but they're going to be pretty obscure. Anyway. Will keep working at that.

One of the things that is quite cool about a big stadium gig in the summer is the transition from day to night. Seeing a band play outdoors at dusk is never a bad thing.

Of course, the fading light brings the light show even more into focus. This show was completely over the top, although all the fancy pyrotechnics and dazzling lights never really detracted from the music too much fortunately.

The multiple encores all worked pretty well.

Really enjoyed the slower songs on the B-Stage, accompanied by acrobatics courtesy of a girl who descended from the light bulb. Unintended was the only song played from Showbiz unfortunately. Blackout is cool. And I love Undisclosed Desires, a lot.

The appearance of Charles, the Giant Robot, was a lot of fun! Let's be honest, 13 foot tall robots are never going to make things worse.

Plug in Baby was suitably epic, as ever. And despite my reservations about that particular song, Starlight closed the set pretty well.

And then it was over, alas.

Full setlist, as taken from setlist.fm:

The 2nd Law: Unsustainable (First verse dialogue only, sound only)

• Supremacy (Extended intro)
• Supermassive Black Hole
• Panic Station
• Bliss (Extended outro)
• Resistance
• Animals
• Knights of Cydonia (Man with a Harmonica intro)
• Dracula Mountain (Lightning Bolt cover) (Drum and bass jam)
• United States of Eurasia
• Dead Star
• Monty Jam
• Feeling Good
• Follow Me
• Liquid State
• Madness
• Time Is Running Out (House of the Rising Sun intro)
• Stockholm Syndrome (Rage Against the Machine's Freedom outro)

B-Stage

• Unintended
• Blackout
• Guiding Light
• Undisclosed Desires

Encore

• The 2nd Law: Unsustainable (with Charles, the Robot)
• Plug In Baby
• Survival

Encore 2:

• The 2nd Law: Isolated System (Extended version)
• Uprising (Extended outro)
• Starlight

Chop Suey! (System of a Down song) (Richard Cheese cover) (Sound only)

Have to say, I really enjoyed the Manchester gig. After arriving back in Leek at half past midnight, I even stayed up until four chatting to random strangers on twitter about the gig. Much fun.

Event:	Muse: Summer 2013 'Unsustainable' Stadium Tour
Further details:	Support by Dizzee Rascal and Bastille.
Venue:	Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Date:	Saturday, 1 June 2013

So, after a few hours sleep ... had some lunch with my family on the Sunday and set off back for London. Arrived back at my flat around half five and set off for central London with a friend around six. Obviously we were towards the back of the queue when we arrived just before seven. Apparently 15,000 tickets were given away. Once we got inside, it was just a matter of waiting.

Could have lived without the repeated trailers for World War Z. It looks pretty bad.

Even so I'm kinda intrigued, the event was arranged to coincide with the Leicester Square premiere as Muse are on the soundtrack ... so it'll be interesting to see how the music is used. But whether that means I'll go to the cinema, I'm not sure. [Having subsequently read a couple of reviews, perhaps it won't be as bad as I originally feared. We shall see.] A glimpse of Brad Pitt didn't really mean too much to me either.

Finally, the music started around 9.30 pm.

To be honest, this gig didn't quite have the energy of the previous night in Manchester. Then again, Manchester crowds are generally better than London crowds. Not always. But generally. All the songs had been performed the previous evening, so perhaps that took away a little of the excitement for me too. Maybe the few hours of sleep could have been an issue too.





Saying that, it was still a lot of fun. The light show and the pyrotechnics were very impressive again. Especially when you consider that there probably wasn't as much time to set up on Horse Guard's Parade as for one of the stadium shows. Couldn't really fault any of the songs. And Time Is Running Out was probably better than the previous night. Great version of Knights of Cydonia too. Not my favourite song, but ... rather enjoyable nonetheless.

Setlist, as taken from setlist.fm.

The 2nd Law: Isolated System

• Supremacy
• Supermassive Black Hole
• Follow Me
• Starlight
• Madness
• Uprising (Extended outro)
• Knights of Cydonia (Man with a Harmonica intro)

Encore

• Time Is Running Out ('Spontaneous' encore having … more)

Chop Suey! (System of a Down song) (Richard Cheese cover)

Event:	Muse: World War Z World Premiere Event
Further details:	Special promotional event for World War Z. Free to fans via the mailing list.
Venue:	Horse Guards Parade, London
Date:	Sunday, 2 June 2013

So, two pretty epic gigs in two nights. My sixth and seventh times seeing Muse. Hopefully the next time will be fairly soon. If you've managed to read this entire post, please feel free to comment.

Spring Bank Holiday, Part Two: Flaming Lips

For the end of my rather pathetic bank holiday weekend, I decided to do something cool ... so mid-afternoon on Monday I brought a ticket for the rescheduled Flaming Lips gig at the Roundhouse. I had intended to go the previous Tuesday, but half an hour of migraine induced blurred version at work convinced me that maybe I wasn't quite up to attending a gig that day. Nevermind.

Rolled over to Camden to collect ticket and spent an hour dossing around before the gig.

It was pretty busy. The markets were packed. Decided to head into the venue when it open at seven. Found a good spot. Sat down. And read my book for a while. Yup, rock 'n' roll all the way. It was a manga called Bunny Drop. Can't remember how I came across it. Kinda slice of life (although a bit too plot heavy to accurately fit that description) about a thirty year old bachelor who takes in his grandfather's illegitimate six year old. Really good book. Read the first two volumes, so far. Need to pick up the next couple.

Anyway, support was provided by Black Books. They were from Texas. I don't want to say that's all I remember about them, but ... that wouldn't be far from the truth. They were reasonably good. Not sure I'll be rushing out to buy their album though.

The crowd seemed pretty chilled, although I did end up standing next to some fairly idiotic students ... alas it's likely that I sounded idiotic when I was 18/19 and I'm probably just jealous that I'm no longer a student. Nothing will beat the crowd from the Jodrell Bank gig in July 2011. So friendly. Especially remember the bumble bee who was seeing them for the third night running. I was only on my second night. And the two guys who wore massive dog costumes all days (despite the searing heat) and were always happy to stick their heads on for photos. The Soft Bulletin gig at Alexandra Palace was pretty special too.

Back to 2013. The stage set they used was pretty interested. Wayne microphone stand was linked to the back of the stage via ... umbilical cords, which shimmered with light in time to the music. He was also on a podium. The rest of the band faded into the background a little.

The histrionics have also being toned down. Alas, no space ball to start the set with. To be honest, it did make sense. The Terror isn't really an optimistic album. It's quite downbeat at times. Even the confetti was black! There sure was lots of it though. I've been finding that confetti about my room, bag and person for nearly two weeks now. Seriously, there was some in the bathroom yesterday.

During the gig, the focus was firmly placed on Wayne ... backed up by a spectacular use of lighting.

Not sure he'd completely recovered from his illness the previous week, but he's such a magnetic stage presence that it was fairly irrelevant. His voice seemed to hold up fine.

The set list focussed on songs from The Terror. Some old songs from the 90's were thrown in, although I wasn't so familiar with those. Race For The Prize was slowed right down, until the final chorus. There were also a couple of songs from Yoshimi. All We Have Is Now was a particular highlight. The songs from The Terror stood up really well though. Try To Explain is a masterpiece.

If the gig lacked the euphoria of the previous two times I've seen them, it still packed an emotional punch. The Flaming Lips are definitely a band that aren't content to rest on their laurels. The light show was pretty spectacular. Wayne stopped the gig for five to ten minutes to allow one girl to receive medical assistance. Presumably a reaction. I saw another person getting treatment as I left the venue. I'm not sure that's an endorsement, as such.

So, the setlist ... as taken from setlist.fm:

* Look...The Sun Is Rising (The Terror)
* The Terror (The Terror)
* The W.A.N.D. (At War With The Mystics)
* Unconsciously Screamin' (In a Priest Driven Ambulance)
* Try to Explain (The Terror)
* Race for the Prize (The Soft Bulletin)
* Moth in the Incubator (Transmissions from the Satellite Heart)
* Butterfly, How Long It Takes to Die (The Terror)
* Heroes (David Bowie cover)
* Turning Violent (The Terror)
* Do You Realize?? (Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots)

 Encore:

* Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast (Embryonic)
* Silver Trembling Hands (Embryonic)
* All We Have Is Now (Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots)
* Always There, ... In Our Hearts (The Terror)

Obviously, I'd always love to see more songs from the Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. Yoshimi is the first Flaming Lips album I brought. It'll probably always be my favourite. It was good to see songs from The Terror performed live.

This is the rather cool poster that I brought at the gig. It even has Wayne scribbles on it.

Ah, naked guitar women. You are so very cool.

Will definitely go to see the Flaming Lips next time they're in town, although don't think I'll make it to Bestival in September ... probably not.

Spring Bank Holiday, Part One: Films

So, last weekend was the spring bank holiday. Three days with no great plans. Shining sun. London to explore. Alas, I finished work on Friday with a fever. Awesome timing. Still, managed to do a couple of cool things ... despite spending most of the 3 days chilling in my room.

Decided to head out on Saturday afternoon to see Star Trek Into Darkness. I really liked the 2009 reboot. It was a great blockbuster film. Not so sure about Into Darkness. Suppose my expectations were much higher. Although there was lots to like and I did enjoy it, ... upon leaving the cinema it just all felt a bit stupid. Characters didn't really develop. Any actions felt like they were taken to further the plot, as opposed to having a logical basis in terms of the individual character. Consequences lasted for a matter of moments, before everything was kind of okay again.

In the evening I watched Baseketball with my flatmates. Late 90's film, starring Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame. It's pretty funny. Most importantly, Reel Big Fish are the half-time band:

Never used to be fussed about ska-punk, ... but the influence of others and seeing Reel Big Fish live a total of three times now has converted me. Beer is probably up there with my favourite songs. If you ever get chance to see them play, do it. So much fun.

um, hello [waves]

Okay, so I say this every few months or so ... but I really intend to start updating this blog more often. Maybe once a week or so. Probably. At least, so that I can mention some cool things that I've been up to. This seems like a good week to start.

Technological woes, resolved

Finally brought a new laptop a few weeks ago. It's a HP Envy ultrabook. Seems pretty nice. Plus, I'm writing this post on the iPad 4 I received for Christmas! Liking it a lot so far. Hopefully this means I can achieve a belated New Year's resolution to update this blog more often. Did see some cool stuff during the month of January.

Let my lazy Saturday afternoon continue...

Zipangu film festival

So, ... this year's Zipangu Fest (ジパング・フェスト), a UK-wide Japanese film festival, was held between Friday 14 and Sunday 16 September at the Cinema Museum in Kennington, near Elephant & Castle.

On a side note (despite the fact I've hardly started), the Cinema Museum is a really interesting place. It's the former Lambeth Workhouse, better known as the childhood residence of Charlie Caplin. Appears to be some really interesting memorabilia there and the volunteers seem pretty invested in the place. I should definitely keep an eye on upcoming event. Only problem, it's slightly out of the way.

Last year, I saw We Don't Care About Music Anyway when the Zipangu Fest was held at the ICA. I loved it so much, as can be seen by this handy blog entry from back in May. This year I figured I would attend a couple of segments, the Beyond Anime section (returning for its third year and featuring two mid-length works ... and a bonus short film, due to technical problems on the opening night) and the closing film (Saudade).

[Note: It is around seven weeks since I attending these screenings. If my memories of details are vague, ... please forgive me. Thanks.]

Encounters (エンカウンターズ)
An exuberant one-man labour-of-love defies all expectations!

[Takashi Iitsuka - 30 minutes - HD - 2011 - Action, Animation]

Puppets. Action figures. Childhood memories, right. I had a Thunderbirds duvet and received a Captain Scarlet airbase for Christmas when I was a kid. Even made a paper-mache Tracey Island. Ah, Blue Peter. Iitsuka takes those childhood memories and uses them (with his 'Super Organic Battle Action' technique) to make a wonderfully inventive 30 minutes action flick. Soon you'll forget that you're watching action figures and puppets moving around on wires, as the nuances of this big hearted story of two guys, their adopted pooch, monsters and the obligatory evil scientist takes over. I won't say much more about the plot, as it's definitely worth trying to watch this film without knowing too much. Just enjoy the mad ride.

Takashi Iitsuka introduced the film and stayed for a question and answer session following the Beyond Anime screenings.

Review:
* Nishikata Film Review

The Great Rabbit (グレートラビット)
A magical hand-drawn animation that is also a profound conundrum.

[Atsushi Wada - 7 minutes - HD - 2012 - Animation]

"If you believe in the Rabbit, you'll believe in anything. If you don't believe in the Rabbit, it means that you wouldn't believe anything."

Apparently the Great Rabbit won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. It really didn't do much for me. It's surreal, sure ... but it didn't make me feel anything.

Review:
* Nishikata Film Review

Midori-ko (緑子)
A university researcher protects a human/vegetable hybrid in a dystopic dark fantasy that took ten years to complete.

[Keita Kurosaka - 55 minutes - HD - 2010 - Animation]

It's the dystopian future. That place belonging to Orwell and Huxley. That time when disaster or greed has taken humanity to the edge. That canvas upon which we pour all of our deepest fears. In Midori-ko, the world is facing chronic food shortages. A group of scientists strive to create the perfect super-food. They create an edible creature. It escapes from the laboratory and is rescued by a young researcher named Midori.

This film is truly beautiful. Brightly coloured crayon drawings introduce us to a child called Midori, who decides that she cannot eat animals. She grows up. The world changes. The bright colours are replaced by shadows. Yet more beautiful hand-drawn artwork. Monsters strive to save humanity, as you can imagine ... this film questions whether that humanity is worth saving or whether it has already consumed itself.

Midori-ko is a really interesting film. Slow paced, ... it's a film that washes over you and leaves you with deep questions. The relationship between Midori and the creature develops slowly, yet conflicts remain within the girl ... despite her best efforts to protect the creature.

The best description I've seen describes this film as a 'paranoid fairy-tale'. I honestly can't better that, as it's a beautiful phase for our times - our world, where everyone watches their backs and cameras watch the backs of everyone.

Reviews:
* J-film pow-wow
* Nishikata Film Review

Saudade (サウダーヂ)
A vivid and often vivacious portrait of small-town dreams and prejudices in the provincial multi-ethnic melting pot of Kofu.

[Katsuya Tomita - 167 minutes - 35mm - 2011 - Drama]

Saudade was another interesting choice to close the 2012 Zipangu Fest. It captures the nuances of small town life perfectly, although (at two and a half hours plus) it feels a little too unfocussed for its own good at times.

Katsuya Tomita (director) and Toranosuke Aizawa (scriptwriter) introduced the film and stayed for a question and answer session.

Reviews:
* Hollywood Reporter

Festival reviews:
* Mostly Film
* Rhythm Circus
* International Review

My Zipangu Fest poster, signed by Takashi Iitsuka (Encounters), Katsuya Tomita and Toranosuke Aizawa (Saudade)

Time flies by ... and I WILL SUUURVI-VE, ... LIGHT THE FUUU-SE, ... NEVER LOOO-SE

Will use this quiet Saturday evening spent listening to Muse updating my blog with some interesting events that I've attended over the past month or so, ... until I get bored or sleepy or both.

Oh, it's the Olympic song now. I like the Prelude. Perhaps more than the song. Heard this so many times during the summer. I attended a lot of events.

Okay, I don't do patriotism. I don't really care about Great Britain or England all that much. I'm glad I was born here. I'm glad I grew up here. I'm glad I live here. We're very lucky, ... but I don't immediately feel attached to other people because we share nationally. I'm quite proud of my German and Polish anchestry, sure. It's all fairly irrelevant though. Despite all that, who can't watch this video and think ... god-dammit, we rocked this whole Olympics/Paralympics hosting business. Seriously. London ruled for a few short weeks in summer 2012. People were happy. They spoke to each other on the tube. It was totally weird, ... but pretty great.

Perhaps I will write a proper blog entry about all my Olympic experiences at some point. Bit late. Would be kind of nice to look back though.