I was really dreading going to work today due to the well-known London equation: If snow >1mm, apocalpyse= nigh. Transport collapses, industry shuts down, the city grinds to a standstill. As it happens, it was one of the most painless journeys to work I've ever had.  Because Southerners fear and hate snow, it seems that many people decided to take ( Read more... )

I got to work in an actual library the other day and I got to use the date stamp and all! It was a very exciting experience!

Actually, the only real difference from working at HQ was that rather than getting yelled at over the phone, you get yelled at in person instead.

Decemberists tomorrow. Booya!

So after Monday’s typically awe-inspiring gig by the Arcade Fire, I decided that I couldn’t wait a whole month and half to see them again. As one review of Monday so beautifully put it, “Trying to sum [an Arcade Fire show] up in words is like asking a soldier what combat is like. Everyone has their stories, but sometimes you never really, truly ( Read more... )

21st July, eh? Am I going to pull another all-nighter to get it read before ANYONE ELSE? Why, yes, I think I will. Because no matter how much I dress it up in indie-schmindie 'credibility', I'm still a fucking nerd.

More significantly, I went to see the Arcade Fire again yesterday! The full story I shall relay this weekend but fucking hell, the ( Read more... )

It’s a bit of an understatement that I was excited about seeing the Arcade Fire yesterday. I have had the pleasure of seeing them twice before, and they are one of the most passionate, intense live bands you’ll ever see. Thus the chance to see them in an intimate setting such as St. John’s Church in Westminster was impossible to resist. Before the ( Read more... )

Last night's show got 5 stars from both the Independent and the Guardian. Particularly like the latter review...

http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/livereviews/story/0,,2001862,00.html

Well, it wasn't the best gig I've ever been to (although it was probably in my top 5-10). But it did have the single best musical moment of my life- after the show, the band went outside and played an acoustic version of Wake Up. The atmosphere was so magical I very nearly cried like a fucking girl...Oh, and I spent the rest of the evening ( Read more... )

I have been to over sixty shows since I last saw The Arcade Fire, but only a handful (Flaming Lips, Gogol Bordello, I'm From Barcelona and Sigur Ros) have been in the same league. Tonight is their first show in Britain since September 2005, and it will be very interesting to see if they've still got the old magic. Still, the combination of a church ( Read more... )

Having being slightly derailed by the leak of Neon Bible, here is my slightly belated review of my “Three Gigs In Three Days.” It’s not something I’d overly recommend unless the calibre of bands are really good- it’s bloody tiring! But hey, I had a lot of fun and that’s what matters I suppose.

First off- Ghosts at the Water Rats pub in Kings Cross. ( Read more... )

So, it's leaked. The Neon Bible, the follow up to the Arcade Fire's 2004 masterpiece 'Funeral'. And dear lord, it's just as good as I'd hoped. The album opens with the ominious "Black Mirror," a repetitive but atmospheric piece which has a superbly gothic ending complete with swirling violins and pounding minor-key piano which segues perfectly into ( Read more... )