ONE] Never ever see Beirut at a venue that can hold more than a handful of people, an armchair and a naughty dog.
Being really quite excited about this gig, I walked into the completely packed-out Brixton Academy to be greeted
by a band of which the woman sounds uncannily like a man [off-set by the pink shoulder feather boa], the
saxophones play dischordant melodies most of the way through and the entire group jump up and down at the
same time for some sort of 'effect' that's not supposed to bare any resemblance to Blink182 but does.
Having told myself that any band is worth enduring if only to be followed by Beirut, imagine my disappointment
when the set begins, with songs including The Prostitute from Marseille,but the life appears to have been sapped
out of almost every note. In an effort to be 'big' and fill the entire venue with sound, whilst the music itself can not
be faulted and every note sung appeared pitch perfect, the ambience and total feel of the set seemed dampened
and not half as powerful as the recordings suggest, with the miriad instruments which make this band so exciting
disappearing into a block of sound. I put this down to the sheer size of the venue which, through no real fault of the
band, seemed to swallow the majority of the set.
Odd moments of light came with ukulele favourites such as Postcards from Italy and Sunday Smile which,
stripped down to their minimum for parts of the songs, created full Beirut-effect. Personal preference leads me to
say that a band such as Beirut, with sounds from instruments you'd only normally see in an orchestral
performance, should be heard in a much smaller venue with church-like and hallway accoustics. Beirut continue
on their tour by heading to America on 21st September to play New York.
TWO] Pizza has healing qualities:
Now don't quote me on this, i'm no doctor, but I can vouch for the miracle-working properties of this doughy,
tomato and cheese delight. Friday night saw me leaving Brixton almost in despair, really quite saddened at the
force by which my excitement and anticipation for Beirut was shot down in one fatal blow of a french horn.
This was rectified by eating the biggest hot vegetarian pizza I think I've ever seen, accompanied by the obligatory
Nachos and Potato Wedges.
Needless to say, during and after this pizza I:
a] had forgotten about the disappointing gig
b] had forgotten how to eat like anything other than an animal
c] had forgotten that my eyes are bigger than my belly.
Pizza Box is actual size. No Size largening programmes have been used in the taking of this photograph.
I MUST NOW INTERRUPT AND SAY THAT THIS BLOG POST REMAINED UN-FINISHED 'TIL TODAY [THURSDAY 29th SEPTEMBER] AND WILL NOW BE CONTINUED
Since this post I have managed to exceed even my own expectations by devouring not one-not two-but three pizzas in
the space of an unsuspecting weekend. [two of which were on the same day].
It now pains me to inform you that I have officially put myself off pizza for the forseable future, for the fact that my toes
have probably turned into cheesy-bites, and my vains are probably running with with tomato and BBQ sauce...
If anything this is a warning boys and girls - too much of a good thing [albeit camoflaged in deceptively alluring
jalapenos and mozzarella] is definitely, undeniably, a bad thing.
THREE] My band H E A R T S played with Metronomy and Clock Opera on Tuesday 27th September.
Needless to say I was shocked when we were asked, shocked whilst we were playing and shocked now, in
reflection.
I learnt that almost no musical challenge is too big [a soundcheck over the dj and whilst people are walking in
to the venue is about as ideal as a sewage works in your back garden], and that crowds in Birmingham are
really pretty great.
Secretly watching Family Guy mid-set on the hidden screen inside this synth. Naughty Metronomy.
PLUG Next London gig is at the Vic [near Bow I think, I should probably check..] on FRIDAY 14th OCTOBER PLUG
PLUG Next Birmingham gig is at the Rainbow w/ Man Like Me on FRIDAY 28th OCTOBER. PLUG
Also I was photographed by these lovely people whilst on Holiday a few weeks back: http://21arrondissement.com/
It's a fashion blog for all you Anna Wintours out there.
Here's to the best six months ever
x
