We've seen these flyers lurking about the Tin Angel and been a bit mystified, but it's becoming clear.... A Thing About Machines is an audio/visual arts festival in dear old Coventry, happening from the 19th to the 21st September.
Artists include Andy Votel, Frog Pocket, film heroes 7inch cinema (who are running an all-day event in honour of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire), Talking Birds, Modulate and more, all playing and arting about in some unusual venues, including The Crypt of St Mary's Guild Hall.
Tickets are £12 for the 7inch cinema/Sonic Boom events, get them over 'ere.
SFA/Notting Hill offshoot The Peth are out on tour, notably at the Hoxton Bar and Grill on Friday 10th and The Greenman Festival in August. London types who like catchy, stomping, glam-rock noisiness should act accordingly. I am once again logistically incapacitated and thoroughly fucked off about it.
This should of course be in the bit on the right-hand side of this web site - but if it was I couldn't bung the strange video for the excellent Shoot On Sight just down here. All together now: "WE HAVE FOUND THE INSURGENTS".
Festival goers will be banned from taking alcohol into the three-day event. Any booze found on people entering the site will be confiscated by security guards and disposed of in large skips.
Eek. Seems they weren't joking when they said don't bring your own alcohol to this weekend's Godiva Festival in Coventry.
After last years' violence and general bad atmosphere it's not surprising that action has been taken, but it's difficult to see how they can police this absolutely, there's lots of ways into the Memorial Park. But there's more...
Drink will be available to buy at high-street prices in designated areas of the park but must be consumed in restricted areas. Anyone drinking alcohol outside of the areas face an on-the-spot fine of £50.
I wasn't planning on going this year, but I'd be interested to see how this all turns out, and if this is a workable solution.
To the Rainbow in Digbeth for 7 Inch Cinema’s five year birthday bash, animation and film shorts and music and cake, and got there just as Telly Savalas Looks At Birmingham finished up - luckily I can watch the rest over at Birmingham’s Not Shit.
VJ Hooker/FilmFicciones was really good fun as ever, pulling out some daft shorts including Jim Henson’s ace “Time Piece”, unfortunately stripped off YouTube by boring bastards, but this is kind-of related:
Mike in Mono popped up, unfortunately no playing live this time round, so we couldn’t go nuts to his version of “Male Stripper” like we wanted, but instead he battered everyone’s eardrums with some of his ZX Spectrum generated videos: here’s “Red Square”, utterly brutal when played through a massive PA:
Mike had also done a new soundtrack for Norman Mclaren's "Neighbours" animation short from 1952- here's the original on YouTube, stick with it kids, it really is extremely violent.
And we finished up with Juneau Projects, two men wielding strap-on woodland creatures fashioned into guitar triggers for their indie-ish electronics. Not my thing, but their art stuff looks more entertaining.
I last saw Spiritualized in a smog of spliff smoke in Birmingham years ago and got dragged away before the end. All change in 2008; there’s a smoking ban and I was on my own.
Probably the gig I’ve been most excited about in some time, Tindersticks created an amazing atmosphere in the easily the poshest place I have ever been to see live music.
Malc braves the arctic weather and the vagaries of the local parking arrangements to bring us this account of a rare visit to the Ricoh that doesn’t end with bitter disappointment
Stewart Lee was rated the 41st best stand up ever. His show in the slightly smaller of the main rooms at Warwick arts centre the other week was tremendous.
The only band who can say that I have been to see them four times were in fine, noisy and boisterous form at ULU last Wednesday. The set was pretty much the same as last time but the evening did throw up a few lessons and due to the academic nature of the venue I felt it only right that I should share them with you:
- Art Brut are probably the least appropriate band to stumble onstage to a brass section playing “Thus Spake Zarathustra” but it worked for me.
- The drummer has really nailed the throwing the stick in the air and catching it trick. Nice.
- The new song about “the people in charge” sounded rather good to me.
- I am shockingly irreparably old. How has this happened? Apparently I’m not a total dead loss - I should have more confidence and go and see a life coach.
- Eddie Argos is quite heavy when he lands on you, but still lift-able.
- The whole well drilled Good Weekend closer is still brilliant no matter how many times I see it.
- The Althena Hotel is a bit scary and may possibly be haunted in a very mundane way but for £25 it knocks spots off the Generator.
