The Next Big Thing

Last night in Glasgow, as Kid Congo and those Pink Monkey Birds were doing a nice line in “Can’t Find My Mind” and later “Green Fuz” transported me back to December 1980 (or was it '81? My mind done shunted off, pretty sure it was the former though) at the Lyceum in London. This was Blighty’s first encounter with the man in question, when he was drafted into The Cramps after Bryan baled. So it’s nice to see a packed house, once again on a Tuesday night, come out to welcome him. I like Nice’n’Sleazy as a venue but the name always makes me shudder, being that I actively loathe its source - both the band and the particular song. However, I realise this is a prejudice of my own manifesting – nothing against the establishment itself.

If Kid is coming anywhere near to you then I do believe you’ll have a high old time should you find it within yourself to drag yourself out. There’s a show in London at The Pipeline on Thursday (Newcastle tonight!) and you can get the other show details here.

In other news, the winter of my particular discontent is in full swing. Hibernation might be an option but I’m sure it would all just kick off again when I did wake. The latest issue of Mojo and all this best of the year guff depressed me today and further fed my belief that the much-touted acts of today are mostly not anywhere near up to snuff. I never really had cause to dislike Arcade Fire because I never heard them but now I’ve heard enough and it’s really nothing special. I feel kind of burned out at the best of times but just lately, swimming against a tide of constant underwhelm has made me feel like taking time out. In addition, sitting in front of a screen isn’t something I want to be doing too much of in my so-called leisure time so much less facebagging will be done for starters . I did think about canning it altogether but it does have a few uses (he grudgingly agreed).

As we descend into the stupid season, a recent attempt to go “Christmas shopping” was utterly thwarted by the stuff in the stores being total crap. Why would you give anyone that just for the sake of going along with it all? The thing that I’d most like is to feel like there was some kind of purpose. Not and never to be confused with “porpoise” – just in case some smartarse was thinking along those lines. Although, thinking about it, maybe even that would be something.

Beyond all this, there are decisions to be reached. How the heck one tackles that particular bugbear is another can of wigglys altogether.