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Mon 28 Apr – My Brightest Diamond, Virgin Passages, Jess Bryant

Listening to the new My Brightest Diamond album ("A Thousand Shark's Teeth"), I just remembered that I never did post these pictures here of the gig a couple of months ago when my old friend (and bandmate in The Unrecorded) Ms. Jess Bryant supported My Brightest Diamond – her real-life hero – in real life.

It was one of the all time gigs. Jess was haunting and splendid, and Ms. Diamond is a great – and very likeable – live peformer too. As well as her own songs, she played a pleasing and surprising cover of "When Doves Cry" by Prince, which has been intermittently stuck in my head ever since.

...which reminds me: MBD has also recorded a rather beautiful cover version of the Radiohead song "Lucky". It's one of my all-time favourite cover versions – almost up there with Johnny Cash's version of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt" – and is well worth a listen if you haven't heard it yet:

Lucky - My Brightest Diamond


Jess Bryant


My Brightest Diamond

The more I watch this video for Goldfrapp's new single, the more I like it. I am now rather looking forward to their new album.

For the record: the 10,000th song I listened to on last.fm was Strange Meeting II, by Nick Drake.

I just hope that piece of information is of some use to future generations, is all.

The newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall re-opened the weekend before last, and there were all sorts of free events along the South Bank to mark the re-opening.

I wandered along to have a look, and was lucky enough to catch not only the lovely Portico Quartet, a sort-of minimalist (surely Steve Reich-influenced...) jazz band, but also Bellowhead, who I'd heard good things about but had never seen before. They turned out to be absolutely great, and I'd have been happy to just keep watching for hours. I've since purchased tickets to see them at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in September, and I am already much looking forward to it...

Fri 18 May – ATP vs the Fans

Patti Smith:


All Tomorrow's Parties was a lot of fun, despite the peculiarity of the venue and the lacklustre audiences. I mean, when was "nodding your head very slightly" declared to be the new dancing? And don't get me started on the preponderance of ironic facial hair. There's nothing wrong with beards - in fact, I think they are much underrated - but surely if it's worth growing one at all, it's worth at least meaning it?

Patti Smith put on one of the all-time greatest performances I've ever seen, which was a particularly unexpected surprise because I knew none of her songs. An absolute rock star. I was converted in the space of about her first two or three songs. It was a shame I had to miss Cornelius to see her, though. I'd have liked to have seen Cornelius.

Also, slightly guttingly, had to miss Sparklehorse to see Mogwai - a decision that was only possible because I already had tickets to see Sparklehorse in June (last night, in fact). I didn't regret seeing Mogwai, though I dearly wished I could have seen both bands.

Other highlights were Why?, who radiated menace, Grizzly Bear, whose beautiful-sounding songs were perhaps too strange for my brain to fully process (not a criticism: I must listen to some more of their stuff, is all). And I still can't believe I got to see actual Daniel Johnston:

Tue 27 Mar – John Smith, Eugene McGuinness

I liked Eugene McGuinness's lyrics:



John Smith is the most inspiring songwriter I've come across in years:





Just fantastic. It's a shame his music's not available on last.fm, but have a listen on his website. Alternatively, have a look at this:

Look: Portishead playing live last month. Just three of them playing guitar, bass and haunting lady's voice. Sparse. Towards the end Beth Gibbons sings the shimmery organ part like a ghost.



I am looking forward to their new album far more than is reasonable.

(Just so you know: this isn't my video clip. I just found it on YouTube is all)