Tuesday 27 December 2011

No pain, no gain



The Christmas party circuit is one synonymous with binge drinking, memory loss and acute embarrassment. All three are a total given. Year after year I've limped back to see my parents for a couple of days at Christmas with a sore gut, a red face and a long list of apologies. Doing daft, cringeworthy shit while being out of yer gourd on beers is, at this time of year, how you say, standard.

However, this December I managed to push this 'feeling' onto a whole new level by consuming enough red wine to brain myself on the steps of Bank Tube station. I managed to knock myself out and subsequently woke up in A&E. I didn't stir until the morning after the night before, only to find myself in a ward full of elderly, crying types in Whitechapel hospital. I was down to me pants, hooked up to a drip and incapable of remembering how I ended up there. Whoops? Whoops indeed.



Props to any well wishes and for one Bob Funkhouse for coming to get us out of there with a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt (they'd cut the clothes I was wearing during the incident off due to me being out cold). After the patient hospital folk agreed to let us go, we walked home via a lasgne and watched DVDs for the rest of the evening. There's definitely a lesson in this somewhere as long as I choose to listen. My ears are open. Fo' sure.



The best way to recuperate from a fall is to watch Bridesmaids and listen to pounding future bass. Obvious int it...

Monday 12 December 2011

From the penthouse to the pavement










It's not often you get props from your heroes - so I spent much of the other Wednesday walking on the metaphorical cloud nine after getting a big up from Chic main man Nile Rodgers. He'd happened upon a review of our experience at the Warehouse Project in Manchester back in November. He was down with our party vibes. And this is coming from a man who died 8 times in one night. That's quite a feat...

Monday 5 December 2011

Adrian Sherwood - Dub Be Good To Me

I had the rare opportunity to ring up a dub legend just t'other week. Adrian Sherwood has been kicking the music industry at a low frequency for over 30 years so to celebrate this he's playing a few select shows and releasing as many records as possible. I was bequeathed his mobile number and asked to get to the bottom of him. You can read the results of our little chat below...

Click here for Adrian Sherwood interview

Thursday 1 December 2011

Chic @the Warehouse Project



November nights offered up a multitude of musical riches - but perhaps the fullest aural money bags were provided by Chic at the Warehouse Project up in Manchester. We were so giddy about witnessing them that we turned down an invitation to stick cat food up our conks at a party the night before. I know. Early(ish) to bed instead of staying up all night talking shite. That’s how seriously we were taking Nile Rodgers and Chic’s showing.

And up early we were - I was prancing round our kitchen listening to Spacer at half nine in the A.M. And reading about Jeff Mills spectacularly blowing out his gig, despite being offered a fat wedge and a limo from Manchester airport to Store Street where the WHP is currently located. Our journey was always all about Chic - so we didn’t give a shit that the wizard had decided to throw a wobbler and not bother showing up.

Despite the early start, we still almost missed the train. Almost. But thankfully, when it pulled off we were ensconced in our seats discussing death and swearing very loudly within ear shot of a young child. The journey was most pleasant. Lagers and big talk. We were even greeted at the platform by our kind host and driven to his gaff where we were treated to a donner meat pizza and a full fridge of lager. This is probably the sort of treatment Mills would have received if he could have been arsed. Mate. You bit your nose off here to spite your face.

When it came to lift off we were already royally rolling - the classic donner meat, bifta, strong lager combo had set our brains at a pretty high. Once inside, it was all about Chic and poppers. Lots and lots of poppers. Losing the lid on the original bottle met we had to buy a second dose while chain sniffing the first batch until there was nothing left other than our red faces and blistered minds. So by the time Chic came on to rapturous applause, we were in the cavernous arch way going totally fucking ape.

Despite their lengthy time in the game, Nile Rodgers and crew showed no signs of age or illness (Rodgers has bee battling cancer for time) and lifted the place off its feet wrapped in a bear hug of bright lights and even brighter disco. We completely lost our shit as they ran through their best bits at break neck speed. Spacer, He’s the greatest dancer, Lost in music, We are family - all performed in a lean, medley style - Johnny Marr even came on at the end in add a touch of Mancunia to Le Freak. It was big.

The eve culminated in retiring to our chum’s gaff to listen to Bon Jovi, watch Platoon and spend the next 12 hours twitching before boarding the train and returning to the smoke. A whistle stop tour of Manc for the a real disco extravaganza. Chic smashed it. Very good times…

You can read my Resident Advisor review of the evening by clicking here - it's gushy as fuck...



#havingalovelytime



#havingaverylovelytime



#havinganevenloveliertime



Train scran



Grainy proof that we were there - in body if not in mind...

Hitler was nice to dogs



Ooof - November has been a right vibe. A total vibe. Sleepless Sundays, delicious dining experiences and late, late nights spent listening to grunge and smoking cigs dreaming of the future. It's been a lot, passed in a flash and seen us avoiding bed for entire weekends. Thankfully my camera phone has ably documented some of the key moments and blurs. I've forgotten what the other ones were. It's like the late Tony Wilson once said: "When forced to pick between truth and legend, print the legend." True dat.



Omens with buffalos an' that



It's a quail ting



It's a roast ting



Saturday night in



Celebrating the arrival of a fresh pair of headphones - gangsta



Hackney tragedy



Good night sweet prince



Club Butt



A dock off leak



'hahaha useless fucker'



Factfinding crew



Night vision Ginsters



Heat




Pretty Green



Highly desirable artworks in Westfield



It's a pie ting



Mr eggy face in da area



Black pudding crew



Drinking sourz at Factory Floor



It's a hangover ting



Oof



A stolen moment at Kiss the Fist



Pre-Factory Floor dinner flex - yagga yagga



Con I carn't



Acid flex



Yeah boi



That cat is a fucking cunt



Suck the bones



A delicious rioja on a Sunday



Hello mate - You're fucked now. You really are...