The ever lovely Spoon River featuring the ever lovely Jason Kent played last night at Club Lambi. I'll post up a few more videos soon, but in the meantime here's the first.

Labels: Bands, friends, gigs, Montreal, videos

Super Furry Daft Punk : Super Furry Animals @ Montreal
Originally uploaded by ultrahi.

Another great gig last night - this time the Super Furry Animals at the Just for Laughs hall. After an interesting couple o' support bands - the monotonal stories of Jeffrey Lewis complete with hand drawn comics, and the wonderful pop punk intensity of Times New Viking - the Super Furries came on with Gruff wearing some kind of space helmet and singing through the eye plate with some great, dark dance beats. It seems they want to be Daft Punk.. but that only lasted for a song before it was helmet off and back to some smashing melodic indie rock. The Furries are on tour right now in the US - so go see them if you can.

Labels: Bands, Cool Stuff, gigs, photos

Just got back in from a splendid night down in the Old Port of Montreal, watching the ever splendid Daedelus. He played an hour set, half an hour less than scheduled for some reason, but what an hour. The beats ranged from mellow hip hop to near techno, with seamless mixing and live playing from a range of film samples and of his own creation. It even snowed a little which just made it seem all the more magical. Thanks again, Mr D.

As usual Daedelus was creating live tracks on his wonderful box of lights 'n buttons, which you can buy now should you so desire. Samples are started via the box on the fly and you can watch the lights moving across in time with them as they play. The samples can then be adjusted, repeated, replayed or played as if on a keyboard all from the same box. It's amazing to watch in action if you get the chance.. oh wait, here's a live clip from youTube so you can see (not Igloofest!)

Go see him if you get the chance - or check out one of his amazing albums. He'll be huge soon, and deservedly so.

Labels: Bands, Dancing, gigs, Montreal, Music

The ever wonderful Daedelus is coming to play Montreal on the 25th January, as part of this year's IglooFest. Plus he has this awesome video out to keep me going till then, splendid.

Maybe I'll try and give him a CD of all the photos from his gig at APT the other year. He seems to like one of them at least, since it's currently his mySpace profile pic. Bless {:).

Labels: gigs, Montreal, Music, Must See

As an addendum to that last post, here's the full set list from tonight's one off Led Zeppelin Reunion Concert:

1. Good Times, Bad Times
2. Ramble On
3. Black Dog
4. In My Time of Dying
5. Trampled Under Foot
6. Nobody's Fault But Mine
7. No Quarter
8. Since I've Been Loving You
9. Dazed and Confused
10. Stairway to Heaven
11. Misty Mountain Hop
12. Kashmir

Then a brief break, followed by an encore of:

1. Whole Lotta Love
2. Rock 'n Roll

A great mix indeed, but of course everyone will be sad that their own faves aren't in there. Fingers crossed they 'sell out' and do a tour...

Labels: Concerts, gigs, Music

Well Led Zeppelin have just finished their one-off gig at the O2 arena in London. From the Radio 6 broadcast I'm listening to the set list was full of classic Zeppelin tracks - Song Remains the Same, Kashmir and Stairway to Heaven all featured. Hopefully soon someone will put some bootleg tracks up and we can all have a jolly good listen to find out how the old rock fogeys have held up. Some of us can't afford £86,000 for a pair of touted tickets y'know.

In related news, the Vicar owner of Bron-Y-Aur, the small cottage in Wales near Machynlleth, has asked that Led Zeppelin fans refrain from doing the pilgrimage to his remote home. Back in my young student days in Birmingham I made that trip as part of an ill fated camping weekend. I hadn't planned on it being a special visit, but as soon as I saw that cottage named on the Ordnance Survey map I had to go. It was dusk when I got there, so I snapped a photo of the wonderfully atmospheric, tree covered driveway then went home - happy to see the place where Page & Plant had spent a weekend creating some amazing songs.

Labels: Brit Stuff, Genius, gigs, London, Music

Last night the Chemical Brothers played McCarren Pool, and since the torrential rain had stopped I wandered down to check them out. After a brief circuit outside I found a great place to watch from the kiddies playground, where the sound was amazing and I could see everything from standing atop a small wall. Splendid! They played all the classics, old and new, and had some great visuals going on behind them as always. Haven't seen them play since Glastonbury many years ago, so it was great to get a chance to dance to them outside again. Thanks brothers!

Oh, and not only did the Chemical Brothers come to play in the 'hood - but apparently the Vice President of Poland came to visit Greenpoint. The local church was cordoned off and surrounded by adoring throngs of local Poles which was highly surreal indeed.

Labels: Bands, Brit Stuff, gigs, williamsburg

Oh my frikkin' lord... I just found out that Eddie Izzard is playing Montreal's Just for Laughs festival this year!! Huzah! Go get tickets now!!

This was also as Arcade Fire suddenly released a few tickets to their New York gigs tonight & tomorrow, but having managed to get one held in TicketMaster's evil clutches I then decided that $15 in fees on a $35 ticket was excessive given I don't really want their children. Eddie on the other hand... well. I think most folks know how I feel about Eddie.

Labels: comedy, gigs, heroes, Montreal

Went out to see the Beta Band last night. They played at the Supper Club, which is generally a swing club with the most amazing ceiling (blue, with scalloped gold shells and lots of recessed lights). Me and the Andy had a laff whilst trying to avoid consuming too many of the weak, overpriced drinks that were on sale. Bless. The set tended to veer more towards the 3 EPs than the other two albums which was fine by me, backed up with bizarro home videos and the occasional live camera angle of them on-stage from the side (which was quite disorientating). Crowd was the usual mix of static New Yorkers in black and Brits who were moving about a lot more.

Meanwhile the subway, specifically the L line, seems to be moving towards an ever less regular service with consequent increase in chock a block full trains. What's up with that? Having said that I always love the days when they decide, normally at my stop, that this train will be an express to Union Square... sweet. And, having said that, it's always infinitely better than the London Tube - which, amongst its flaws, closes at midnight, costs around 3 times as much, is slower (no real express/local lines), more claustrophobic and has no air conditioning. Gotta love them patatas...

Labels: gigs, Music, williamsburg

Oh. Forgot to mention that I went to the Orbital gig at Roseland last night. Amazing concert, danced for the whole set and ended up a complete sweat-fest (for a change). I miss Brit-dance...

Labels: gigs, Music

Went to the most wonderful Bjork concert last night. It was at the Radio City Music hall, which I've never been to before, but is a huge, shell like space that is totally overwhelming. Thanks to the wonderful Paula and Ann I managed to get tickets very close to the front for myself and Alexa. Alexa had never seen Bjork live before so she was especially excited. I was a bit more 'whatever' having seen her a couple of times at festivals, but by the end of the show I was completely in awe. Bjork's voice has developed even further than before and soared against orchestral, electronic and harp backgrounds. Beautiful.

This marks the end of my first week back in New York for a while. I'm now not doing the AccuWx project anymore so won't be making my now regular trips to State College ever Monday and Friday. Part of me already misses the guys up there as they were always amusing and often challenging, which is fun, but another part of me is just glad to be back with everyone in NYC again. Now all I need to do is find out what the future holds... Simple really. First step is major pre-sales work which I'm looking forward to having not done any for a loooooooooong time. Fingers crossed.

Labels: gigs, Music