Wednesday: Floodgate album and Dave Chappelle DVD came through the post. Went to the gym came back ate and watched the DVD then listened to the Floodgate album. Walked to Strood train station, huge queue because the ticket machine was broken and the guy behind the counter had to do everyones tickets from one of those ticket things they bring on trains. Thankfully my train was late so the long line didnt matter. Couldnt get a train to go all the way to Charring Cross so I had to change at London Bridge, before we got there this guy goes up to me and asks for change, he tells me hes been sleeping in the car park of a Sainsburys, two reasons why I didnt believe him, for a guy whos apparently homeless he still had access to 1) clean clothes and 2) a shower. Went straight to the comedy section of HMV and got Bill Hicks and Mark Thomas albums. Walked to Sister Ray to look for a Black Flag tribute album but couldnt find it, looked for it in Virgin but they didnt have it. Went into a bookshop and bought a Charles Bukowski bootleg CD of him reading his poetry. Got the train to Camden, went to All Ages Records to see if they had the Black Flag tribute album, they didnt have it so I got a Turbonegro album. Walked to the second hand bookshop in the market but couldnt find anything I wanted. Went into this shop near the Barfly and got a bottle of orange juice for a pound then the guy after me bought a beer, for also only a pound and the guy behind the counter gave him a bag so he could drink it when he got outside. Walked to Chalk Farm station and got the train back to Camden Town, got something to eat at the Vegan Chinese place and walked to the Purple Turtle, got a pint of coke sat down and drank it. Went out and got in line next to Koko, the doors were surprisingly on time.
Bat For Lashes: Three young looking girls come on stage with gold paint spread across their noses and under their eyes surrounded by lots of strange instruments. Thought Id hate them but their was something haunting and beautiful in their music that sucked me in the first two songs sounded kinda like medieval stuff then they started mixing in Hip Hop beats, very weird and very cool.
Low: Id been to a couple of these shows where the band plays a whole album all the way through, The Stooges playing Funhouse was cool but a little boring because I knew exactly what song was coming next, The Melvins doing Houdini was a little more interesting because they didnt stick to the set list and threw in songs from other albums and Cream and MC5 covers. Since Id only been listening to Things We Lost In The Fire for just over a year I didnt have the order the songs fixed in my head. Because Id never seen a picture of Low before and they albums never said who played what I was surprised to see that the girl in the band was actually the drummer (especially surprising as she share a lot of the vocals) and she stood up while she played. Found myself enjoying the songs on the album I never really liked before. They came out and did a six song encore, most of the songs I didnt know as I dont have all of their albums (yet) apart from (Thats How You Sing) Amazing Grace and Cue The Strings.
Got to Victoria and went to the Chinese place but there was a huge queue and they didnt have much tofu and rice left so I went over the road and got chips in pita with a small coke and still managed to get on my train in time. Couldnt get a train to Rochester so I had to change at Chatham, managed to get a train to Strood, these kids got on who I wasnt sure if they were slightly Chavy Rock kids or friendly Chavs but one of them was staring in awe of my backpack, he asked where I got all the badges on it here and there I said wheres that? he asked then his mates started to take the piss out of him. Got to Strood and walked home.
Thursday: Gallows album and Mingers 7 came through the post. Spent most of the morning listening to them and the CDs I bought the day before (surprised by the Charles Bukowski bootleg that he had a bit of a lisp, I always imagined him with a gruff voice, but it was cool to here him read poems, belch as he drank and call out people heckling him (Before this is over Ill come down there and clean out all over you, Im a tough son of a bitch)). Got ready to get the bus to Chatham, as I was walking to get the bus in Darnley Road and saw a naked two year old girl running around the streets, before I got the bus I saw a middle aged woman walking in the direction the girl went with a teenage boy, I hoped they were going to get that girl back home. Got to the Job Centre early to sign some forms so I wouldnt have to sign on while Im on the course in Aylesford, found out it longer than I first thought, the course is eight weeks then Ive got three weeks work experience that I thought was included in the eight weeks. Got a train to Rochester then walked the rest of the way home. Listened to the Mark Thomas album and laughed my arse off.
Friday: Shite load of stuff came through the post, my Send More Paramedics/Gallows ticket, the Clutch album I ordered from Amazon nearly a month ago, two Richard Pryor anthologies (one of really early comedy recording and the other a best of his comedy albums) and the new Assert album I ordered from their site with a note from the singer saying Nice one James, thanks, Britt could it be that he realised I was the one who tried to defend them when someone took the piss out of them on the Metalhammer message board, he did post on it himself saying he wasnt bothered people didnt like his band and how many Assert fans are there in Strood. Went out got the shopping, came home, listened to everything (Richard Pryors early stuff was surprisingly unfunny compared to his later stuff). Went to the Tap ran into Steve, Liam and his girlfriend, felt relieved that I had an excuse not to go to the Manor. Hung around talked bollocks with random people until twenty to twelve then we all decided to leave with Liams sister. Went to the kebab shop first and decided to walk to Rochester high street before getting a taxi. Liam had to restrain Steve because he wanted to key a car, before we hit Rochester High street so guy with a Tescos bag and no shirt tried asking us for forty pence then tried chatting up Liams sister, when it became apparent that she wasnt interested he said something about him being a London gangster which had us laughing til we got home). Liams hand was getting tired from holding onto Steves neck so he swapped over with his sister, we made all the way through Rochester High Street and decided to walk the rest of the way home. Steve had to stop and scratch the bottom of his foot, I had been taking pictures of him having the back of his neck held all the way but he didnt actually notice until this one picture that actually turned out decent enough.
Steve threatened to break my phone. We half way over the bridge and had to stop again for Steve to scratch his foot again, Liams sister showed me where to hold onto Steve when I had to take over when they when home, she grabbed onto the top of my shoulder blade and it really fucking hurt. We got to B & Qs car park and went our separate ways, I had to get Steve in a headlock when we got to Morrisons because he wanted to steal a trolley. We made it to Hawthorne Road with Steve saying hed beat up any Pikey that started on him and then rape them and for some reason he said like Batman we agreed that it would be funny if they made a film about Batman being a rapist then I turned to walk to my road.
Bat For Lashes: Three young looking girls come on stage with gold paint spread across their noses and under their eyes surrounded by lots of strange instruments. Thought Id hate them but their was something haunting and beautiful in their music that sucked me in the first two songs sounded kinda like medieval stuff then they started mixing in Hip Hop beats, very weird and very cool.
Low: Id been to a couple of these shows where the band plays a whole album all the way through, The Stooges playing Funhouse was cool but a little boring because I knew exactly what song was coming next, The Melvins doing Houdini was a little more interesting because they didnt stick to the set list and threw in songs from other albums and Cream and MC5 covers. Since Id only been listening to Things We Lost In The Fire for just over a year I didnt have the order the songs fixed in my head. Because Id never seen a picture of Low before and they albums never said who played what I was surprised to see that the girl in the band was actually the drummer (especially surprising as she share a lot of the vocals) and she stood up while she played. Found myself enjoying the songs on the album I never really liked before. They came out and did a six song encore, most of the songs I didnt know as I dont have all of their albums (yet) apart from (Thats How You Sing) Amazing Grace and Cue The Strings.
Got to Victoria and went to the Chinese place but there was a huge queue and they didnt have much tofu and rice left so I went over the road and got chips in pita with a small coke and still managed to get on my train in time. Couldnt get a train to Rochester so I had to change at Chatham, managed to get a train to Strood, these kids got on who I wasnt sure if they were slightly Chavy Rock kids or friendly Chavs but one of them was staring in awe of my backpack, he asked where I got all the badges on it here and there I said wheres that? he asked then his mates started to take the piss out of him. Got to Strood and walked home.
Thursday: Gallows album and Mingers 7 came through the post. Spent most of the morning listening to them and the CDs I bought the day before (surprised by the Charles Bukowski bootleg that he had a bit of a lisp, I always imagined him with a gruff voice, but it was cool to here him read poems, belch as he drank and call out people heckling him (Before this is over Ill come down there and clean out all over you, Im a tough son of a bitch)). Got ready to get the bus to Chatham, as I was walking to get the bus in Darnley Road and saw a naked two year old girl running around the streets, before I got the bus I saw a middle aged woman walking in the direction the girl went with a teenage boy, I hoped they were going to get that girl back home. Got to the Job Centre early to sign some forms so I wouldnt have to sign on while Im on the course in Aylesford, found out it longer than I first thought, the course is eight weeks then Ive got three weeks work experience that I thought was included in the eight weeks. Got a train to Rochester then walked the rest of the way home. Listened to the Mark Thomas album and laughed my arse off.
Friday: Shite load of stuff came through the post, my Send More Paramedics/Gallows ticket, the Clutch album I ordered from Amazon nearly a month ago, two Richard Pryor anthologies (one of really early comedy recording and the other a best of his comedy albums) and the new Assert album I ordered from their site with a note from the singer saying Nice one James, thanks, Britt could it be that he realised I was the one who tried to defend them when someone took the piss out of them on the Metalhammer message board, he did post on it himself saying he wasnt bothered people didnt like his band and how many Assert fans are there in Strood. Went out got the shopping, came home, listened to everything (Richard Pryors early stuff was surprisingly unfunny compared to his later stuff). Went to the Tap ran into Steve, Liam and his girlfriend, felt relieved that I had an excuse not to go to the Manor. Hung around talked bollocks with random people until twenty to twelve then we all decided to leave with Liams sister. Went to the kebab shop first and decided to walk to Rochester high street before getting a taxi. Liam had to restrain Steve because he wanted to key a car, before we hit Rochester High street so guy with a Tescos bag and no shirt tried asking us for forty pence then tried chatting up Liams sister, when it became apparent that she wasnt interested he said something about him being a London gangster which had us laughing til we got home). Liams hand was getting tired from holding onto Steves neck so he swapped over with his sister, we made all the way through Rochester High Street and decided to walk the rest of the way home. Steve had to stop and scratch the bottom of his foot, I had been taking pictures of him having the back of his neck held all the way but he didnt actually notice until this one picture that actually turned out decent enough.
Steve threatened to break my phone. We half way over the bridge and had to stop again for Steve to scratch his foot again, Liams sister showed me where to hold onto Steve when I had to take over when they when home, she grabbed onto the top of my shoulder blade and it really fucking hurt. We got to B & Qs car park and went our separate ways, I had to get Steve in a headlock when we got to Morrisons because he wanted to steal a trolley. We made it to Hawthorne Road with Steve saying hed beat up any Pikey that started on him and then rape them and for some reason he said like Batman we agreed that it would be funny if they made a film about Batman being a rapist then I turned to walk to my road.