kimbofo

My new favourite song

Elbow has been one of those bands that has been around for donkey's years but I've never paid them much attention. Then suddenly I hear this song -- Grounds for Divorce -- and I'm wondering what else I've missed out on.

But before you press the "play" button it's only fair that I should warn you: this is one of those songs that will get trapped in your head and never leave. Listen at your own risk.

The best way to see Glastonbury

Who needs to brave the mud and rain at Glastonbury when you can watch the music festival live on BBC interactive?

You can pick which stage you want to watch, so at the moment I am currently enjoying The Hoosiers' set. I love the fact that I don't even have to leave the comfort of my sofa! This is what TV was made for.

A night at the Royal Albert Hall

Last night we saw Goldfrapp at the Albert Hall.

Is there a better venue to see a concert? It's so lush -- all red velvet and gold trim -- and the swivel seats are extra comfy with plenty of leg room. I love the high domed ceiling, which seems to make the sound reverberate around you, so that you become at one with the music. Does that sound far-fetched? Probably.

I've seen some great acts here in the past -- Paul Weller (although the fans left a lot to be desired, they were akin to a bunch of football yobs) and the Finn Brothers (an emotional gig, just two nights after Crowded House drummer Paul Hester killed himself). And yesterday evening was no exception.

We were practically sitting on the stage, our seats were so close to the front, and we had a perfect view of everything: the string section, the drummer, the guitarists, the keyboard player, the harpist and the two female dancers which transformed themselves, during the course of the gig, from cute pixies with flowers in their hair to sexy pole dancers and then bikini-clad werewolves writhing on the floor. 

Alison Goldfrapp has the most amazing voice, it's quite angelic if a little breathy. I imagine this is what Marilyn Monroe would sound like if she stopped playing the dumb blonde. Her dress senses leaves a lot to be desired though: she was wearing a bum-skimming harlequin-adorned clown top with a frilly neck, very short white shorts and no shoes! 

But then who cares what she looks like? The music was brilliant, although I was only familiar with a handful of songs, and the range and scope of styles -- disco tech, glam rock and breathy ballads -- was impressive. A fine way to spend an evening.

Abba's 'Honey Honey' performed Gregorian chant style

Because there's nothing like listening to Gregorian monks chanting a classic pop song whenever you need a giggle.

Paris Motel

We saw Paris Motel on Wednesday evening. They were the headline act on a four-band bill performing at Bush Hall on Shepherd's Bush busy Uxbridge Road.

I'd never been to Bush Hall before: what a revelation. It's a rather ornate dance hall, complete with chandeliers and beautiful cream paintwork, and the upstairs cocktail bar features rather comfortable red velvet armchairs that once you sink into you find rather difficult to leave.

The band was engaging and interesting -- string section and all -- with a lush sound befitting the surrounds. The only thing that spoiled it was the lead singer's inane giggly chatter between songs, but on the whole it was an impressive gig. And strangely, despite never having heard of this band before, I knew two songs, one of which I present for your amusement above. Enjoy.

Bring it on

I seem to be going through a Nick Cave phase right now. Bring It On is an oldie, but a goodie, and probably my favourite Cave song, helped in part by the magnificent vocals of Chris Bailey from The Saints. Not sure about all the girls wiggling their butts in it, but whatever floats your boat, right?

The Age of the Understatement

I never thought much of the Arctic Monkeys, but this new "spin-off" duo, known as The Last Shadow Puppets, is impressive, particularly if this single -- The Age of the Understatement -- is anything to go by. I love the retro-Sixties sound and look. And the lyrics are great too. Don't know who penned "She would throw a feather boa in the road..." but it's a wonderful line. Both chaps are just 22... You can find out more via the official website.

Here's one for the Nick Cave fans

The University of Westminster is hosting a conference about Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave on July 5.

Cave is one of the most critically admired songwriters and performers of our time; his extensive body of work, produced over thirty years, ranges from the cacophonous intensity of The Birthday Party to the hushed reverence of The Good Son, and from the savagery of Murder Ballads to the melancholia of The Boatman’s Call. He has also worked very successfully in other genres, including fiction, scriptwriting and acting.

You can find out more here.

This week's media round-up #3

What I've been watching
After a marathon viewing session stretching over both Friday and Saturday night, I'm still reeling over The Sopranos, Series 5. The penultimate episode was particularly harrowing -- and I was sad to see one of my favourite characters meet a rather dire and horrible end even though I knew it was going to come sooner or later.

The wonderful thing about this TV drama is its ability to convince you that certain characters are good people when clearly they're not. It's like you get sucked into the belief that if you met them in real life you'd quite like them but then, just at the point when you've forgotten that they are actually one of the bad guys, they FLIP and do something incredibly violent because someone looked at them the wrong way or said the wrong thing ... and then you realise if you actually met these people in real life you'd best just move right along and HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM. I think it's the illusion that they are NORMAL people when clearly they are all deranged that is the key to this show's success -- aside of course from the superb writing, directing, acting and casting!

Can't wait to watch The Sopranos, Series 6 now.

What I've been reading
It's been a busy week. I ploughed through Garden Spells, a newbie that the publisher sent me for review, and I can't say it was terribly good: a light, fluffy read, no more, no less.

I also finished Per Petterson's wonderful In the Wake, about a 40-something man coming to terms with the death of his parents and two younger siblings on a ferry that caught fire six years earlier. Yes, it's dark and a little bit morbid, but by god Petterson can write a good story! It was one of those novels that wormed its way into my brain so I thought about it even when I wasn't reading it. To me, that's usually the sign of a damn fine book.

What I've been listening to
I listened to Moby's new one, Last Night, yesterday afternoon. (Or is it called Yesterday Afternoon, and I listened to it last night?)  It's very good, very Moby, very dance-orientated, very electronic, very layered.

Oh, and that Liam Finn album is still getting a fair bit of airplay on my iPod shuffle. Surprise, surprise.

What have you been watching, reading and listening to this week?

This week's media round-up

I can't pretend this is a wholly original idea, but figured it might be interesting to post a weekly round-up of the things that have been keeping me entertained and informed.

What I've been listening to
Two debut albums have been monopolising my iPod Shuffle during my usual commute by tube: Liam Finn's I'll Be Lightening (gorgeous) and The Hoosiers' Trick to Life (quirky and catchy). It has to be said that the more I listen to The Hoosiers, the more I think lead singer Irwin Sparkes sounds like the late Jeff Buckley, so much so it is quite eerie!

What I've been reading
The April issue of The Word kept me entertained for an hour or so yesterday morning. This is one of those magazines that started out trying to be a kind of male Vanity Fair and has since morphed into being yet another music magazine along similar lines as Uncut. T's a subscriber, so it's not a magazine I'd actively go out and buy off the newsstand, but when it's lying around the house it's pretty hard not to pick it up and start reading.

Book-wise I've just finished the delightfully thought-provoking Night Letters by Robert Dessaix, a masterpiece of Australian literature, and I am now mid-way through Nefertiti by Michelle Moran, a complimentary copy of which was posted to me by the author. This book is a riveting tale set in ancient Egypt and I'm having difficulty putting it down.

What I've been watching
We watched Infamous on DVD last night, a biopic about writer Truman Capote that came out at about the same time as Capote. The latter film, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is one of my favourites of recent years, so Infamous had quite a lot to live up to. Despite having a more stellar cast -- Sigourney Weaver, Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow etc etc -- it lacked the quiet beauty of Capote but had a lighter, more comedic feel. The lead character, played by Toby Young, was slightly more caricatured and more overtly camp than Phillip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal. And, similarly, it did not shy away from making it quite clear that Capote had fallen in love with Perry Smith (played by an almost unrecognisable Daniel Craig), one of the killers whose story he had gone to research for his true-fiction crime novel In Cold Blood.