Click on the image to enlarge!

Watch the trailer here!
(Thanks to HT for the link)

Iain just informed me that those Hoodoo Gurus are headed for The Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh on July 1st.

And, Manitoba's Wild Kingdom are playing Joey's Birthday Bash on May 19th.

That's enough to mull over for tonight...

A message from Mr Helsing...

Hey Lindsay....not sure if anyone told you yet or not (no they didn't) but THE THANES, shown below tearing it up at one of their recent Beatsville gigs... will be playing in Edinburgh tomorrow night (friday May 2nd), with support coming from ex-Grease Monkey folks in their new guise of THE BRUTES (used to be The Buggs last week I think...) with THE BUCKY RAGE and THE WASHINGTON RAYS also... it's at THE ARK in Waterloo Place the east end of Princes St. 7.30pm till 1.30am - £5 entry.

Paris is the place to be tomorrow (Thursday 1st May)...

The Boonaraaas and Margaret Doll Rod in town on the same day!

So today has worked out. The meter is in situ so let the fleecing begin. My Ox column is done and I’m sitting here listening to Cake. It just gets better and better and it has made getting my copy of Ellen Foley’s “Nightout” down for a birl something of a priority. I’ve got an urge to spin some T. Rex now too. Ah, the power of PROPER radio!

With regards the fuel crisis, I imagine that's the excitement just about over. We'll see how the Union Vs Ineos dispute goes from here. Not only does the company sound like something from Dr Who, the general mantra of their representatives isn't terribly far removed either. Let's hope that something can be figured out so we don’t have to suffer the pontificating. Meanwhile, the rice "crisis" will perhaps be next to conjure up panic buying. I'm all out of the stuff and who knows when it'll be possible to get some more. Jings.

I wonder if anyone has come up with electronic ration cards yet? Seems like those could be in demand across a number of sectors very soon. The term "emerging markets" seems to be a new term for greedy bastards.

I just read something about Madonna being Number 1 for the second week. I'm not purposely avoiding her music but I haven't heard it. I've read that she has a new record out but none of the old channels which would have flogged it to death in the run-up to release exist any longer. Is that a good thing? Well, it kinda cuts two ways. There's too much information to process these days and the ubiquity once afforded those with a high profile is spread more thinly over far, far more outlets.

It's not that I'm not interested. More that I'm not THAT interested. I like to keep my finger on the pulse if possible but there aren't enough hours in the day anymore. Maybe it's great. Maybe it would make such an impression that I'd get it as a ringtone and everything. But wait, I'd have to get a phone first for that to work.

Anyways, what I'm getting at is that it's very easy to avoid things. You don't even have to be actively avoiding it, you just make the call based on your attention span. If it ain’t on Cake – well chances are it doesn’t exist.

Ok, couple of things to keep you occupied as I gather my, er, thoughts... Supposed to be getting a new gas meter fitted today and have had to burn a day's holiday for the privilege. Not happy but shit - inevitably - happens.

Half the opus that Suzy & Los Quattro have christened "Stick With It" is available for your listening pleasure on their myspace now. It'll be out in May on Wild Punk (cd) and Screaming Apple (vinyl). Order your copies now direct or from Soundflat!

I Are Droid includes the great Konie and the ubiquitous Jens Lagergren. The sound of their first Razzia "single" illustrates what happens if some Clash genes were to invade a test tube with some John Foxx era Ultravox bone samples! Sweeping pop prog from Sweden.

Awraverybest, Congratulations, Gaun Yersel's to my friends - Amy Rigby and (Wreckless) Eric Goulden who are getting married today out yonder in France.

You can help them make an extended celebration when they come to your 'hood to introduce you to their recording debut as a couple also. They're great kids as well as being great - kids! Lang may their collective lum reek!

Mjeeelloooo! Sorry to be back a-knocking on your inbox so soon after last time,

but we just wanted to make y'all good lookin' kids know about this new track we've done.
It is a cover version of the new single by our friends and labelmates from First Floor Power. It will be released next week on their 12 inch maxi single called "The Jacket" and includes mixes from Karin form The Knife, Bjorn from Peter, Bjorn and John and a couple more that we don't really know so much about. Just like we did with the Blues Explosion track and the Superheroes track before this one we recorded our own old school version of the song instead of doing a remix. The spectacular result is boldly entitled "Le Jaquet" and you can listen to it on our myspace-site right about now (find the link under "The Skinny"). If you decide you NEED to own it - and we can understand if you do - then you'll have to get it on Vibrashop.com as soon as it is released next week.

Apart form that all is well in TBG-land. We had a get together last weekend to brush up some old songs for the upcoming shows in the weekend at Debaser in Stockholm (on friday) and at Rust in Copenhagen (saturday). Hope to see a lot of you out there!

The special shows with Sci-Fi SKANE and Snake and Jet on may 23rd in Malmö is also shaping up. There's gonna be cajun food, cold beer and a couple of cool DJs. All for just 100 kr.

Check the flyer and be there.

The T to the B to the inevitable G

A just cause methinks...

Coldcuts Productions is now editing the Fleshtones documentary titled: "Pardon Us For Living But The Graveyard is Full".

We are looking for live, interviews, photos or any footage that you would be the sole owner. Making documentaries are often stopped by the lack of release from the archives owner.

If you have shot with your own camera a concert or interviews with the Flesthones and own the right to it, please share it with us.

Please send any materials with the brief letter with your name and contact stating that you are authorizing Coldcuts productions to use the footage for the documentary to:

Coldcuts Productions
36 South 4th Street Suite c6
Brooklyn, NY 11211

Montys Loco is a peculiar name for a musical combo, I’ll grant you that. It occurs to me that it might be taken from a comic book called Robotman but you never know. Anyway, “Farewell Mr Happy” is the fourth(!) album by these two Swedish women.

Anja Bigrell and Marie Eklund make an unusual sound that comes over like Roxy Music going equal parts exotica/electronica. Anja’s vocal reminds me of Eva Parker from the great Scandopunk group Parker, with a little twist of Bjork but maybe that’s just the inflection rather than the voice itself.

Imagine if Shakespeare’s Sister had decided to introduce a Rev/Vega aspect to their work. I never heard anything quite like and their songs come across as oddly infectious. I don’t think that you can listen to “Ages Ago” at their myspace but have a wee taste of what is there. The first word in “Whose Blood” is “Saunter”, one that I don’t associate that with the Swedish language at all. “Nice White Boys” is a tad Carl Stalling.

I can’t find any information as to what makes this strange assortment possible let alone tick so virulently. I’m not even sure that’s a word but it describes what I’m too gobsmacked to explain any better. This gear is pretty fresh and not in the hip hop sense of the lingo.

ML display an experimental edge that approximates trip pop. I think they might be on to something - as opposed to being on something. Or perhaps even both?

Panic on the streets of Grungemooth? Well not exactly.

In the interest of "world events", in addition to the choicest rock'n'roll - I just took a stroll fout or the Sunday paper. The BP garage closest to the plant is 5 minutes walk from here. The forecourt was empty and the "won't get fueled again" scares of the media seem to be a good distance away. Further along the road, the pickets or whoever were assuming their positions.

There's a heightened police presence and I walked past two sauntering along Powdrake Road. That was the hotbed of activity last time but it's all quiet along there too. Trees have been strategically planted around the perimeter to reduce visibility in recent times, it's a while since I was round that way.

The plant itself is a little quieter. The birthday candle type flares are out and the hum has been replaced by the hiss of cooling. Janine from Spinal tap might describe it as being like "non-dobly"... Plumes of steam are rising from here and there but it is a tad quieter. Grangemouth itself is something of a fortress in that area these days. While you have to drive through the middle of the plant to get to Bo'ness, it's impossible to walk down the perimeter of the Grange Burn to the dock gates. Something to do with security. Or is it a further erosion of the right to roam? I always get those two mixed up.

So anyway, there's plenty of petrol here at the minute and BP and Jet tankers drove past me from the distro area evidently bound for an outlet near you. The scaremongering tosspots that caused this furore must be pretty pleased with themselves and the blame culture is revving up to demonise the union. Whilst I can't say that they won't miss a couple of days pay at their rates, the picture for further into the dispute looks muddy. For the minute we don't need the fuel that's alleged to be headed to the UK from elsewhere in Europe. Let's see where we are by Tuesday. Me?, I think I'm sorted until next weekend so that seems like an eternity from this point. There are no meeja vans parked along the street so just as well that I let that haggis roll idea go.

If I can be arsed, I might take another toddle out closer to the "action" later. But then again...

The Hasil doc "My Blue Star" - coming soon... (link via StaySick)

I'm listening to the first Pascal album and thinking how huge they could be if they sung in English. This Swedish three piece just cut though all the swill and nail it. They make a fantabulous racket that swings like so many faux hipsters simply don't. Listen to them here and order both of their albums here.

So let's play catch up on some stuff you may have some fun with...

An interview interspersed with the music of Danny Federici. An integral part of the E-Street sound.

The Nomads are the kings of rock and roll despite their protestations. But of course - WE knew that!

Back in Sweden, the land of understated band names, Tunic provide free music and you can sample it here on their myspace and download their album for nada. I particularly dug "Seventeen".

This interview with Walter Yetnikoff is pretty entertaining. The link came from a recent Lefsetz mailing but I didn't find the time to catch it until now.

Pascal are still banging away in the background. Fuck the petrol shortage, these kids could light up a city with this kind of energy!! Now if only I could figure a way to harness it as an alternative to fossil fuel...

RIP - Humphrey Lyttelton

The soundtrack to a mighty Friday night anyone?



(link originally provided by Stig O' Hara)

Woke up twice during the night thinking that today was Saturday but knowing that it wasn't. I think there was some other stuff going on too that was kind of fucking with me. All I can say is that thank christ it's actually the weekend. Having a day off on Wednesday didn't exactly help in real terms either, it kind of made for two Mondays.

Don't know what the post office situation is in your corner of the world but here, it's a pricey business. Had the need to send off a few sizeable packages and was, to use Brother P's favourite expression - flabbergasted. As one who spent most of his pre-cyberspace existence in the Larbert PO most lunchtimes holding up the queues to dispatch print to however many corners of the world there are. It was costly then but now, blimey, I think there's a conspiracy on to price the service out of the common or garden ballpark.

That coupled with the end of the world – or as they’re calling it here – the fuel shortage, suggests that we’re all headed for hell in yon proverbial handbasket. The refinery is said to have been shut down but it was still emitting that trademark hum when I got home. I don’t mean stink, rather the low buzz that permeates our airspace here in the belly of the beast that’s poised to bring the entire country to it’s sobbing, pampered, over-privileged knees. If anything really gives – particularly when they’re firing the place up again – then you could well hear it here first.

Or then again…

Some R&R reportage coming up this weekend. Probably.

Just a quick one today... it's just been or it is just about to be announced that Teenage Fanclub will play 3 shows at Oran Mor in Glasgow as part of this year's West End Festival.

The shows are Saturday 14th , Sunday 15th and Monday 16th June. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (25th April). Just incase any of you overseas folks fancy a wee jaunt...

If you're in Glasgow tomorrow (24th) night then you may be interested in a show that's happening at Mono. A charity show in aid of orphan support in Malawi will feature Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee as well as Emma Pollock. They will all perform solo sets and the evening will culminate in a Vaselines section with Belle and Sebastian backing 'em up.

I imagine that indie kids everywhere are salivating at the very thought...

Today I went to take a look at the progress with the refurbishment of The Hippodrome in Bo’ness. It dawned on me as I left there that it hadn’t actually become the La Fabrique at all. That place was along the road where the Lidl store is now or thereabouts. Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of looking at buildings and places that should be retained rather than demolished. Must be an age thing.

The Hippodrome has got a lottery grant via Scottish Screen and that would suggest that the vast collection of archive material might get a big screen airing. That would be better than just being a place to screen the same old circuit contenders time and again. It was pretty busy over there, lots of older citizens of the town going back to see what’s up with where they probably spent some of their formative years.

The opening is scheduled to take place in 2009 so the format of the programming should be starting to take shape. This A listed building doesn’t look like it’ll play host to live music though. I think that early intentions in that direction are unlikely to happen but you never know. It certainly seems like it would be a good place for acoustic/singer-songwriter type acts.

On the road out to Bo’ness, there were council workers picking up litter. They don’t seem to be evident here in Grangemooth though. I’m thinking about noising up the authorities a bit over the coming months because this place is a dump and getting worse by the second.

Of course BP selling out to Ineos has put the cat amongst the proverbial flying rats. And with the strike there pending next week, conspiracy theorists are packing tales of opportunism to 86 areas that they don’t want no more. Shutting down the plant is one thing but what about firing it up again? Might not have to bother about the litter problem.

Ruptured pipes, air in the bloody things, a downright inability to have any real scoob as to what could happen in the aftermath. That’s what’s shakin’ just a short distance from the bunker. The main bugbear of the dispute is that the employees are being asked to contribute to their own pensions. Boo and indeed hoo. As somebody who has just been rogered in terms of my own facility should I stumble on to retirement age, I don’t have much sympathy. On the other hand, they’re prepared to make a stand when so many just roll over. Meanwhile there’s a fuel shortage pending and people are making like they’re at the bread counter on Chrishmaz Eve. Don't you love the de-evolution of (in)human nature.

I’m half hoping it all escalates – just to see what the outcome is. Devilment an' that...

Dear friends,

Please join us in celebrating the life of Chris Gaffney, April 30th at The Cellar in Long Beach, California.

Andy Kindler and the Gaffney family will be hosting a night of stories and music.

Special guests include Dave Alvin and The Guilty Men, Hacienda Brothers, The Cold Hard Facts and many other friends.

The Cellar’s address: 201 E. Broadway, Downtown Long Beach.

Located on the Promenade at Broadway. The memorial celebration begins at 3pm.

Donations are graciously accepted and deeply appreciated.

We hope to see you all there.

Love, The Gaffneys