There are very few things in this world that give me more pleasure than the first sip from the first glass of a bottle of champagne. The struggle to dislodge the cork from the chilled bottle, the satisfaction as it concedes its first quarter-inch, the anticipation, the incomparable sound of that crisp, discreet pop, followed by spirals of wispy ( Read more... )

As a 28-year-old who quite frankly is starting to look his age, I cannot fathom why supermarkets expect me to bring my f*cking passport with me if I choose to pop a bottle of prosecco in with the spinach, goat's cheese, wholewheat pasta &c that constitute my innocuous middle-class weekly shop. Our society has become very sick. I think we badly need ( Read more... )

So a few months ago, I did posts where I copied some other people in bands by listening to my records and recording my thoughts. They were preceded by a flippant comment about the impossibilty of the albums ever resurfacing or getting put on iTunes. But as a result of the post, Angular offered to put all the albums on iTunes and they're out there ( Read more... )

With the legal battle and a job interview (came 2nd as usual) amongst other things, it was a taxing week last week and I started getting that classic symptom of stress, the wobbling eyeball. So it was up to Cambridge for the weekend, and the symptom disappeared as soon as I left London. I'm used to catching the Cambridge train mid-morning or ( Read more... )

Many thanks to everyone for all your birthday salutations/legal advice last week ( Read more... )

As Picasso went through his Blue Period, I seem to be entering my Gin Period. Vodka and whisky have been treasured companions to me all through the past decade, but I was never a fan of gin. I don't know if it was its particular taste, but the stuff just never clicked with me. But in the past month, I've been offered gin at a few people's houses - ( Read more... )

To the Curzon Soho, to see Woody Allen's latest best-film-since-the-70s (he seems to be The Cure or The Fall of cinema these days, as every new film gets lauded as "his finest since [last genuinely great one]"). Vicky Cristina Barcelona is beautifully shot, beautiful locations, beautiful cast and an all-round feast for the eyes. I've been to ( Read more... )

Jolly good night out on Monday as the elder of my little sisters came to London for her flatmate's birthday; she was staying in Clapton with the new rave pop group Ha-do-ken and a girl who's been picked up by Radiohead's management and is being groomed as a less rough-looking Kate Nash, or something (Lyd is designing her album sleeve). I was a ( Read more... )

To the Luminaire on Wednesday for the first leg of the BBR reunion. Hadn't been there for a long time and they've really pulled out all the stops with those "Don't talk over bands" signs. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it gets results. Last time I saw Haines play there I was about six rows from the front, and the acoustic Future Generation ( Read more... )

Would anyone like to come to Mozart's Magic Flute at the ENO Coliseum this Friday? Dornan has a Jasper Carrot Affair gig which takes precedence. I don't think you get ticket touts at the opera and it's going to waste otherwise. The good news it will cost you nothing, the bad news is you'll be sitting beside me.