This week... let's not even go there. It's like everything that could go wrong in your worst nightmares has gone wrong, and then some.

I'd rather talk about seeing Antony & the Johnsons at Hammersmith Apollo last night. I went with Sooz (the ticket was her birthday present as she missed seeing Antony at the Barbican last October), but we had to leave Stu at home to try to sort out a serious computer crisis, which sucked a bit. After seeing Antony at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki in 2007, and then at the Barbican last year, I was a bit worried about how a venue like the Apollo would work. And, as it turned out, I had a reason to be worried.

I have waxed lyrical about the out-of-this-world quality of Antony Hegarty's voice, and the life-altering effect of experiencing his live performance, plenty of times before. And yes, those things were present yesterday. There's no other voice I have ever heard that can instantly move me to tears when it flows through me, and in that respect, I wasn't disappointed.

What I was disappointed, no, disgusted with, was the audience. Well, not everyone obviously. I'd say about 80 per cent of the people were there to actually listen, but the other 20 per cent did do their darnest to try to ruin the whole experience for everyone else. Seriously, if all you care about is running back and forth getting more beer, not giving a shit how much noise you are making or how it might be affecting the artist on stage, why not just go to a pub? Surely that would be a lot cheaper night out as well. I just cannot comprehend it. When something larger than life is happening right before your eyes and ears, and when the artist is clearly dragging out the start of the song waiting for people to quiet down, how can anyone in the same space not notice this and stop breathing, instead of carrying on with banging and running around? It's such an insult to the artist, and in this case, to everything that is good about the whole friggin humanity. At some point Antony clearly got annoyed and pulled back emotionally. The voice was still there, but it was clear he didn't want to give anything more to the audience. He did come back for two encores, one of which was the always amazing Cripple and the Starfish. To be honest, if it was me, I wouldn't have come back. But it was lovely that he did want to do that for the people that were there for him. I think everyone did try to make up for it by the huge standing ovation.

I am glad I went, even if it was a mix of elation and pure anger, and I'm sure I will in the future try to see him live when ever I get the chance. My overwhelming feeling throughout last night was put into words by someone commenting on a youtube video with 'The world doesn't deserve him'.

Oh and the picture from the concert is by Marc Broussely, who funnily enough is one of my clients (whom I've yet to meet), who's wedding I'm photographing in August. I had no idea he'd worked the gig until I saw his blog today! Funny coincidence. :D

Here's a clip of River of Sorrow from the Barbican in October 08.

Labels: Antony and the Johnsons, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, music, video

I've managed to avoid the O2 Arenta thus far as I'm not generally a fan of big venues, but I really wanted to see Snow Patrol so had to take the plunge. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The layout was really good, there was a clear view from every seat. And the seats were really comfy (yes, this is an old persons view of venues, get with it. :P), at least compared to the horrid plastic buckets of Wembley Arena.



The atmosphere was nice for such a big venue as well. Obviously it's not the same experience as being in the same physical space with the artist, but arenas give you another kind of rush, of being part of a huge collective experience.



The gig itself was good. Not mind-blowing or anything, but thoroughly enjoyable.









Aaaand here are a view videos I took.

Labels: concert, gig, London, music, O2 Arena, Snow Patrol, video

Jeez Louise I'm tired. This is not the first time, nor will it probably be the last, when I curse being too old for these mid-week gigs. Old wimmin need their beauty sleep! But oh my god was it worth all this tiredness though! On the outset, Monto Water Rats isn't the most pleasant of the venues I've been to. Sort of cramped and smelly, with an erratic air conditioning system constantly going from hot to cold, hot to cold. However, what it lacks in general pleasantness, it more than makes up for in the sense of intimacy. You really are in the same breathing space with the artist. So in that sense, it is my kind of venue for sure (wish they did something about the smell though :|). The only time I've come that close to the talent before was seeing Johnossi at The Spitz. But this time I could have just reached out my hand and touched Rachael.



To kick off, we got to listen to a set by Meme Love. She was very sweet and had a few interesting songs that showed off her impressive vocals. There's still some way for her to develop as a songwriter though I think, judging from the fact that she sounded by far the best when singing a cover of Biffy Clyro's Mountains. Do check out her MySpace though and see what you think for yourself.



Rachael Yamagata didn't come on stage until it was nearly 10pm. My feet were already aching and I was nodding off by then (so shouldn't have watched the Oscars as late as I did the previous night), but when she and the band came into the room there was an instant hit of electricity (there certainly is a thing called charisma, and it's palpable when you share a room with it) and I instantly forgot about my tiredness. The whole band looked a bit jet lagged, having just come to London from Japan, but were clearly in high spirits. Rachael is such a sweetheart. So relaxed and funny and comfortable in her own skin. To think how dark her songs can be, I don't think I've ever laughed so much at a gig. In that sense the whole night was a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride, from laughter to rapture. And her voice, oh, her voice.



Also (S look away now), I totally fell in love with the drummer, Chris Giraldi. Now it might have been a mixture of tiredness, euphoria from the music, flashbacks of an old drummer boyfriend from a lifetime ago, and of course Chris being amazing on the drums, but I was as good as done for. I swear we even had a 'moment' with direct eye contact sealing the deal! :D If I was 10 years younger I would so follow him on tour, take him to rehab (daydreams are allowed to include stereotypes), and we'd live happily ever after while he played romantic drum solos to me. Yes.



But back to Rachael. Did I mention she was amazing? It's hard to say what the highlights were, as each and every song was so perfect. Be Be Your Love, Little Life (which is my favourite track on her latest album Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart) and Faster (which possibly kick-started my Chris-obsession) probably gave me the biggest shivers though. She's playing another gig tonight, and if I thought I could physically do it, I would totally go again. If you ever get a chance to see her live, do not miss it! She alternated between playing the piano and acoustic and electric guitars, and did a few songs completely on her own without the band as well. It was nice to have that variation in moods and sound levels. The whole band completely kicked ass, and they were such a nice bunch to boot - no big egos in sight.



Weird, I just realised Chris is the same age as me (as is Colin actually). Does it say something about me finally reaching an approriate maturity level that I'm at last fancying people the same age as me? Hmm. Perhaps I don't need to be 10 years younger after all! :D (Just kidding S...)



I kind of wish I'd taken my SLR with me now... there were so many missed opportunities that just couldn't be captured with a compact. But I'm always so torn between recording video and taking snaps that I sort of figure the Ixus is a good compromise, and less hassle. Hmm. Maybe I should invest in the 5D mkII after all... :P



But yes, couldn't have wished for a better gig to start this year off with. Snow Patrol certainly has their work cut out for them next month if they want to beat last night's experience.



And last but not least, here's the only bit of video I took. I'll probably kick myself in a year or so, but I just wanted to be more in the moment and it felt sort of overwhelming trying to think about filming at the same time...

Labels: Chris Giraldi, gig, Johnossi, London, Meme Love, Monto Water Rats, music, Rachael Yamagata

Last time, when I saw Tracy Chapman in Helsinki, I was blown away by the power of her voice and the way a live band really made her music come alive. This time it was just her on her own without a band. Her wonderful voice was present, even when suffering from a cold, and I really loved all the old songs performed in this more low-key manner. But I did miss the band a bit, especially the drums... that take-your-breath-away punch, which the last gig delivered, wasn't quite there. Never the less, I could sit in the same room with her voice for however long, it's just that incredible.

Labels: concert, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, London, music, Tracy Chapman

~Lille~


~The Lady is a Tramp~

Labels: concert, gig, Lisa Hannigan, London, music, St John's Church, video

Just a few blurry shots from last night's Lisa Hannigan gig. A couple of videos to come later when I have some time!



St. John's Church certainly made for an impressive venue.





Gavin Glass performed some of his on solo stuff before Lisa got on stage. There were a few ok songs, but mostly they were perhaps a bit... dare I say it, boring. Although a huge plus point was the fact that if I closed my eyes he sounded just like Colin Farrell. :P



Lisa was adorable! And having not really heard her solo material before I was very impressed. I liked her, a lot.



She was way too lively to take pictures with a compact camera from the back rows. :P



It was a coooold night. Very christmassy views of the Houses of Parliament on the way home though.

Labels: concert, Gavin Glass, gig, Lisa Hannigan, London, music, photoblog, St John's Church

I received this mysterious package in the post today.



The contents looked even more mysterious...



Hmm...



Turns out it was a print-yourself-invitation to... something. :D



There's not much information, just that it's a launch of some sort and that Disco Bloodbath and the Unabombers are performing. The website doesn't give many clues either. Hmm intriguing! Not sure if can make it on Thursday night though... but my curiousity has certainly been sparked!

Labels: 3, 3 network, 3mobilebuzz, 3Network, driedonpaper, event, INQ, INQ1, London, music, social networking, technology

Earlier on the day of the concert we were discussing the point of living with Jen. Especially if you don't have any kids, or specific passion for any causes, or strong religious beliefs that give you purpose, or extraordinary skills or even defects that make you feel part of something bigger... If your life is just about working and 'being', without any clear plot - is there any point? For my own part I can say that experiencing moments like Friday's Antony and the Johnsons concert, is something that reaffirms my faith in being alive and in being part of the human race. When you get to, even for a fleeting moment, experience what some people are capable of, to be part of something so amazing that it actually lifts your soul - that, to me, is the point of living.

I knew that we were in for something magical since I had already experienced being blown away by Antony and the Johnsons last year in Helsinki. But add to that the combination of a venue like the Barbican and the London Symphony Orchestra, and you get something almost unbearably powerful. The production was very low key in the way of stage activity, most of the time Antony stood in the dark, while his voice filled the auditorium. It was lovely to hear new material from him and I can't wait to get to know some of the songs better. Last time I felt a bit uncomfortable with his live version of The Cripple and the Starfish, but this time, hearing it backed by the LSO, it was so beautiful it was almost too much to bare emotionally. Someone nearly passed out in the front row and I found tears were falling down my face at the end of it without me even realising.

I now wish I'd seem him on both nights of performances at the Barbican. I wish I could always and forever to be in that state of mind where you feel the human race is capable miracles.



Filming was strictly verboten, so unfortunately there's no video to show you. It's kind of a scary thought that something like that will only stay alive in my memory... for as long as my memory serves me. Somehow I feel it should be recorded somewhere for safekeeping, but then again, there's always that certain something missing from a recording. The 'moment', the magic of live music. I did sneak this one picture during the final applauses.

Labels: Antony and the Johnsons, Barbican, gig, London, music

Here are finally some videos from Monday's Heather Nova gig. It was quite a tricky spot to film from, hence all the shakiness, my arm was cramping quite badly. And damn that railing! :D She was awesome though, and her voice is just... otherworldly. She sang a couple of songs from her new album, including Beautiful Storm below. You can buy and download the album directly from her website. I recommend! It's fast becoming one of my favourites out her 8 albums.


~Heart and Shoulder~


~Heal~


~Beautiful Storm~


~Walk This World~


~Island~

Labels: concert, gig, Heather Nova, London, music, Shepherd's Bush Empire, video

Videos to come later, when I have time. She so rocked my world.

Labels: concert, gig, Heather Nova, London, music, photoblog, Shepherd's Bush Empire

I finally finished laying out Nikki's wedding book today. It ended up being 84 pages, and looks pretty good to me. Am very pleased with it. I think the fact that I'm a designer in my day job helps me automatically think about the layout when I'm taking the shots, which makes laying out quite easy (if still laborious). I'm thinking maybe photo shoots delivered as a book could be my little 'niche', if I was to start taking photography a bit more seriously... Hmm.

As a side note, one thing I've been meaning to mention is this wonderful website called The Selby, which showcases real homes of interesting people. It's really inspirational, not to mention addictive, snooping around in people's homes!


Fanny Bostrom, artist and Bill Gentle, photographer, at home - Brooklyn - August 18 2008

But yeah, I've been quite busy today so far. I've done the dishes, hoovered, put summer shoes and clothes into storage... Oh yeah and sent Stu to Rayleigh to do some washing as our washing machine is broken. :( Sooz is on her way over and I think we're gonna head out to try to make the most of the super nice weather (strange to pack summer stuff away when it's bright sunshine and +20C, but I know it won't last!).

Today's productivity made up for yesterday when I didn't get anything done, thanks to Marjut. She pointed me towards Fabchannel, which is where you can watch full concerts from many (of my favourite) artists. I even had to send Stu out to get a cable so I could hook my laptop to the telly and watch them full screen. :D What a great resource!

Labels: home, music, my life, photography, video

Maurelitalta tupsahti parikin Suomalaisissa blogeissa kierrellyttä meemiä. Laitanpa pitkästä aikaa ihan Suomeksi vastausta. :D Eli kiitos kovasti tästä I Love Your Blog prenikasta, on oikeastaan aikas söpö!

Samaan syssyyn sain myös seuraavanlaisen musiikkimeemin :

"Tämän syksyn parhaat biisit, jotka saavat olla joko täysin tuoreita tai mahdollisesti vanhempia tapauksia. Postaa siis lista näistä viidestä tämän hetken lempparilaulusta blogiisi ja haasta sitten viisi muuta bloggaajaa samaan!"

Jaa-a, on viimeaikoina ollut aika heikoissa vetimissä tuo uuden musiikin etsiminen ja löytäminen. Ei oiken aika tahdo vaan riittää kaikkeen. Joten enimmäkseen iPodissa soi tällä hetkellä vanhat tutut suosikit. Meikäläisen musiikkihan on tunnetusti sitä 'masismusaa', että jos tanssijalan haluat vipattamaan ei ehkä kannata näitä linkkejä klikkailla. :D

Damien Rice - Baby Sister
En tule varmaan koskaan kyllästymään Damienin ääneen, karismaan, sanoituksiin tai melodioihin. Ehdottomasti karismaattisin artisti jonka olen livenä (noh, Antony Hegarty tulee hyvänä kakkosena) nähnyt. Toivottavasti pääsen vielä osalliseksi mahdollisimman monesta livekonsertista tuleivaisuudessakin...

Antony & the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
Siinähän olikin mainio aasinsilta Antony & the Johnsons:iin. :P En malta odottaa ensi kuuhun ja konserttiin London Symphony Orchestran kanssa. Oi että. Tämän miehen ääni ja autenttisuus on jotain aivan utopistista.

Tonic - If You Could Only See
Tämä oli suosikkibiisejäni joskus about kymmenen vuotta sitten ja jostain syystä se on nyt taas noussut kuuntelulistoilleni. Kaunis melodia ei mene koskaan muodista.

Imogen Heap - Glittering Cloud (The Plague Of Locusts)
Imogenin seuraavaa levyä on saatu odotella jo ihan liian kauan. Jossain vaiheessa saatiin esimakua mahtavan Glitterin Cloud biisin verran, ja heinäkuussa julkaistiin virallisesti Not Now But Soon, toivottavasti lisää on tulossa - ja pian!

Alanis Morissette - Tapes
Oih, olen niin iloinen että Alanis on palannut ruotuun. Alanis on minulle sellasia 'foundation' artisteja, jonka laulut ovan muokanneet ajatuksiani ja omakuvaani monessakin elämänvaiheessa. Kesäkuussa Brixton Academyssä hän lumosi minut, ja koko yleisön, täysin - energia keikalla oli jotain käsittämätöntä.

--

Jaa, kenellekköhän tätä nakkaisi eteenpäin, aika monessa blogissa on nämä meemit varmaan jo kiertäneet. Laitetaan nyt ainakin Susannalle, Jennille, Evelle, Annelle (Hyvää Syntymäpäivää! :D), Marjutille ja Emmielle.

Labels: music, suomeksi, surveys etc.

Well, I didn't take my camera in the end, so there are no videos. Not that there would have been even had I had my camera, simply because as a venue Twickenham Stadium was just way too big and the sound way too loud and distorted. Add to that the Irish fuckers (no offence to Irish people in general) sat behind me, who obviously thought they were attending a contest for the loudest karaoke singing in the world. When they knew the lyrics they were singing, nay, shouting, out of tune at the top of their lungs straight into my ear, and when they didn't, they were shouting inane things to each other. Oh and they also managed to tip a pint of cider over me during the second song, which meant I sat there soaked to my knickers for the whole two and a half hours. But yeah, I'm not sorry I didn't capture their sweet voices on any videos.

The most enjoyable song for me was Fall On Me, not least because the Irish people were at the bar getting another round in, so I could really enjoy the song. Orange Crush was a joy as well. Everything in between... well. Imagine Michael Stipe, singing into a microphone, at times with a megaphone, and yet all I can hear is 'EEEOOOOAAAAaAaaaAa I FOKEN LUV THIS SONG VERTIGOOO'. Micheal never stood a chance really...

Labels: concert, gig, London, music, photoblog, R.E.M., Twickenham Stadium

Today is our first ever wedding anniversary. Surprisingly, this time I won't add how quickly a year has gone, as it feels like ages since the wedding! So much has happened in a year... we changed jobs, homes, countries... everything really. It's been quite a whirlwind of a year.

So far today we've been mostly trying to prepare for holidays at the end of next week. Washing clothes, getting the suitcases down from the loft, that sort of thing. We're planning on driving down to some little country pub for lunch later on.

Yesterday we went to see Riina, Noa and Elli, and in the evening us adults went to a (yet another) picnic concert at Audley End house. This time we were more prepared though, with an actual picnic, woolly cardigan, and the most genius idea of all, woolly socks! The weather was also a bit more pleasant. Even though it rained on and off during the day, the skies cleared by the evening and we had blue skies and sunshine, all the way until the sun went down. That's when my woolly socks really came into their own!

No matter how tacky the idea of the 'Music of Dirty Dancing' sounds like, it truly was great fun, with everyone singing along and dancing around us. And the place was gorgeous! I'm definitely going to attend another picnic concert there, maybe next summer. I'm sure we'll slowly advance into picnic master-class!


First, there was some baking to be done...




Then S attended Elli's 'beauty class'...

Noa fell on his bike and broke his front teeth a couple of weeks ago. Hardcore.


Riina's budgie.

We arrived at Audley End just when the concert kicked off. There were some very fancy picnic set-ups, with tables and wind breakers and all, to be seen all around. There's still a lot to learn...


Blue sky!

Our picnic was a bit more humble, but most delicious never the less!







It got a bit chilly after the sun went down, but it was all still throughly enjoyable up to the end.

Full moon.

We decided to drive home in the night. Was quite nice actually, even though we got stuck in some roadworks.

Labels: concert, gig, music, my life, people, photoblog

Phew. While it's nice to be able to fit more videos onto the card, it sure means a lot more work to get them all converted and uploaded! Anyways, here you go, Rufus Wainwright at Kenwood House. :)


~Vibrate~


~Nobody's Off the Hook~


~King of the Road~
(with Teddy Thompson)


~Going to a Town~


~Gay Messiah~


~Not Ready to Love~


~Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk~

Labels: concert, gig, Kenwood House, London, music, Rufus Wainwright, video

A lesson learned: when attending a 'picnic concert', wear enough clothes. I'm not quite sure what we were thinking (or not, as the case may be), but we certainly were very much under-dressed for the chilly wind that blew straight through our deckchairs. But hey, at least it didn't rain! Still, it was a shame about the weather as on a warm evening the experience would have been a thousand times more enjoyable. Still, apart from the cold, it was all good. Kenwood house was beautiful and the whole atmosphere of the venue, with people spread around having their picnics was lovely. There was also a lot of celebrity spotting to be done, as people like Derren Brown, Alan Carr and Helena Bonham-Carter, to name but a few, were also in attendance. And Rufus himself, of course, was most entertaining.



















More pictures on Flickr. And there's videos to follow once I get them uploaded...

Labels: concert, gig, Kenwood House, London, music, photoblog, Rufus Wainwright

Phew! There are a lot of them! And these are not even all of the ones I filmed... :D The 8gb card is sure making a huge difference, I still had space left for over 40 minutes at the end of the gig.


~Head Over Feet~


~Unprodigal Daughter~


~Not as We~


~In Praise of the Vulnerable Man~


~Moratorium~


~Tapes~


~Underneath~


~Thank U~

Labels: Alanis Morissette, Brixton Academy, concert, gig, London, music, video

Wow. What a night. Hands down one of the best gigs I've ever been to. I took a lot of videos, but it will be a while until I get home and can do something with them. (Oh, which reminds me I haven't even looked at the Joshua Radin videos yet. Hmm.) She played a long gig, two encores and all, it went on until after 11pm. Was so brilliant though that I could have stayed for another two hours. Am absolutely wiped out today but still buzzing! No idea how I'll stay awake until 4am tonight. Must take a nap after work...

Labels: Alanis Morissette, Brixton Academy, concert, gig, London, music, photoblog

Bush Hall was a cute little place, a room bit ‘like wedding cake’ as Joshua himself described it. :) It was painfully hot though and the odour wasn’t the most pleasant mix of mouldy old building and sweaty people…



The venue definitely suited his kinda of ‘whisper rock’ better than the vast stage of Hammersmith Apollo, where I saw him last. The intimacy of the space added something special and you could hear the nuances of his voice a lot better.



All in all it was a very enjoyable gig, even though Stu and Sooz were up to some mischief and even though I felt reeeally tired. Walking back from the train, not having really eaten anything much all day, we checked out whether against all odds our chippie would be open (which it’s usually not). And what do you know, there was a big sign in the window declaring that it was now ‘open all day’ and that it was under new management. I must say I was very impressed on all levels, it was much more pleasant in there and the fish & chips was definitely up there among the best I’ve ever had. Very good news indeed.

Feeling absolutely knackered today.

Labels: Bush Hall, concert, gig, Joshua Radin, London, music, my life, photoblog

This time videos are provided by Sooz.


~Hang~


~Could I Be You~

Labels: concert, gig, London, Matchbox Twenty, music, video, Wembley Arena

Check out Sooz getting all excited about the prospect of seeing Rob Thomas. :P Due to the fact that she got stuck at work we didn't make it to Wembley until twenty to 9. Which was perfect in fact as Matchbox Twenty got on stage at 9pm. We missed the warm up act, Headway, but I'd never even heard of them so wasn't really that bothered. Somehow we managed to get brilliant seats with space on both sides, so it was almost a comfortable experience, despite the fact that the stage at Wembley Arena is completely in the wrong direction and you always wake up with a neck ache from hell the following morning...

All in all it was quite a difference experience to attend a gig where you're not really that familiar with the artist. This was definitely more Susanna's affair. :D I know some of the older songs, but mostly I didn't really recognise a whole lot of the material they played. It's strange not being able to sing along! You're sort of feeling the energy but are still on the outside as you lack that emotional connection and can't relate. Still, it was good fun. Even if just to see Sooz screaming like a little schoolgirl. :D



I should really get my ass in gear and start packing now!

Labels: concert, gig, London, Matchbox Twenty, music, Wembley Arena

Oh I forgot to mention the best thing about today! I'm finally seeing Heather Nova live in October. That's something I've been waiting for a looong time. I'm so stoked. Now if only someone would come see Alanis with me and my 'foundation set' of gigs would be pretty complete. :P

Labels: music, my life

Last Wednesday Sooz and I went to see Sia at Koko in Camden. I was still feeling pretty rough with my flu so wasn't sure how well I'd deal with standing up for the whole night, but I was willing to do my best for the chance to see her perform live! Koko was cool, had that sort of decadent burlesque feel about it. Would have been interesting to have seen it when it was still operating as a night club.



It was a bit of a shock when we realised that Har Mar Superstar was the warm up act. For a minute there I wasn't sure if we were at the right gig. :D It was quite a disturbing experience to see him strip on stage to say the least...



It took what seemed like forever until Sia herself got on stage. I think it was about 9.30pm. That's quite late on a 'school night'! For an old person! I was feeling rather knackered already by the time she got on, which wasn't helped by some American bloke chucking their pint all over my jeans. He was very apologetic though and kept bringing me more and more tissues and saying "I'm so sorry about your pants", which was quite amusing at the time in my tired state.



Sia was worth all the effort though, her voice was just incredible. Unfortunately I started feeling worse and worse and in the end just had to leave before she finished. I'm still so annoyed about that. If only she would have started at least half an hour earlier! I got two songs on video, although the sound quality isn't all that.




~Lentil~



~Sunday~

Labels: concert, gig, Koko, London, music, Sia, video

My computer has been a bit temperamental and a disappearing disk has been causing a lot of trouble. But still, here are finally the clips from the David Gray gig as promised. Can't believe it's Monday tomorrow already...



~From Here You Can Almost See the Sea~



~This Years Love~

Labels: concert, David Gray, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, London, music, video

I've been catching up with my Sky+ recordings today and I must admit I was really surprised how much I loved David Cook's Billy Jean on American Idol. He hasn't really been my cup of tea until now...



For balance, here's Chris Cornell's version. It seems like there's a big hoopla about which of these is 'better'. How futile. Music is to be enjoyed, not debated.

Labels: music, video

This is my first post written and posted on my new computer. It feels very strange! Not only does everything look kinda funky thanks to Vista, but it's scary how much faster it is to do anything. :D The build and installation was a bit of an uphill struggle but it's definitely starting to feel like a victory now. So far it seems the only victims of the upgrade have been my webcam (which was very old) and voip phone. Oh and Stu's desk...

Hmm, what has happened other than all things computer-related... let's see.



On Thursday Stu, Sooz and I went to see David Gray at Hammersmith Apollo. Sooz got stuck at work so it was all a bit of a close call, but in the end we managed to time our arrival just right, even if we missed the warm up act. All in all, the gig was very nice. David's voice was lovely and he performed most of my favourites. It was enjoyable indeed, even if he doesn't have the sort of emotional effect on me like for example Damien Rice has when performing live. However, the most annoying thing about the evening was the audience. I don't know whether it was because it was the start of a bank holiday weekend, but everyone seemed to be more drunk than usual. Lots of walking around restlessly and clapping incoherently. Oh well.

I have some video but I'll have to figure out how to use the video editing software I have on this new machine. Hmm. Might take a while. :D



Yesterday Sooz baked a delicious blueberry pie (pictures of which will come later), we went for a walk around town, ate too many chocolate bunnies and embarked on a mission to watch all three extended versions of Lord of the Rings. Mission accomplished.

Labels: concert, David Gray, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, London, music, my life

I'm not sure it serves any real purpose and it even sounds kinda creepy, but hey, there are pretty colours involved. My last.fm Sociomap.

Paul is coming tomorrow! :D I should probably get some sleep before that. :|

Labels: music, people, social networking

As Sooz (allegedly) licked the seat on the train and got ill at the most inopportune time I talked Rachel into coming with me to see Reverend and the Makers at the Roundhouse yesterday. It was a fun night. Even though I must admit that this was one gig where I felt a teensy weensy bit old. :P What a cool and different venue though, I'd never been there before.








Here's a video clip as well for those who want to get a more 'authentic' experience. Luckily there's no actual moshing or beer throwing included in this broadcast.




~Heavyweight Champion of the World~

Other than that, there's not really anything new or exciting to report. I've been going to numerous interviews, up to the point that I'm getting very fed up of saying the same things over and over again, but I just haven't found the one yet. A couple of times I've felt like I've been close, but there's always something. There is one interview which I'm dying to hear back from at the moment. It's not really at all what I thought I wanted (I've really had to think hard about that, turns out that what I thought I wanted out of my career isn't really what I want at all...) but I can't help but feel excited when I think about the prospect. Having said that, it's anything but in the bag. They interviewed 6 other people, so just thinking about the odds makes me feel sick to my stomach. So I prefer not to think about it or get my hopes up. Just concentrating on the next interviews ahead of me. Life really does seem like one long wait at the moment.

Labels: concert, gig, London, music, my life, photoblog, Reverend and the Makers, Roundhouse, video

Went to see Turin Brakes at Cadogan Hall. Such a great gig with a fun and intimate atmosphere. And the venue was just super! There's a few more snaps on flickr.

Labels: Cadogan Hall, concert, gig, London, music, photoblog, Turin Brakes

The street light behind the window at the ladies at Shepherd's Bush Empire was sort of mesmerising to me. Perhaps not quite as mesmerising as the lady on stage however. Her demeanour was restless and fidgety and she kept on disappearing into the dark corners of the stage. But her voice was a gift and I'm very happy I had the opportunity to see Cat Power sing live.

Labels: Cat Power, concert, gig, London, music, photoblog, Shepherd's Bush Empire

What a hellish travelling day it was yesterday. Ugh. I'll be so very happy when I'm finally done with all the monthly travelling. Only one trip to go now...

Here are some of the 'videos' I shot at the Damien Rice gig. Not the greatest quality, but I think the sound came out alright considering the size of Wembley Arena and where we were sitting. I haven't been writing reviews of gigs lately, mostly because I have so much other stuff on my mind that I can't really concentrate enough to write anything cohesive. But what I will say about this particular gig is that I was amazed how well all the songs were arranged to work at such a big venue. I was worried beforehand about how his music would work in a space like that, but the band absolutely kicked ass and I loved all the punchier versions of the songs. Especially Woman Like a Man blew my socks off. Awesome gig.


~The Professor~


~Rootless Tree~


~Then Go~
This is more of an audio recording. I had the screen covered so it wouldn't distract anyone else, but I was so enthralled myself that didn't remember to check where the camera was pointing at. So, just enjoy the music.


~Coconut Skins~
Annoyingly ran out of memory card space before the end...

Labels: concert, Damien Rice, gig, London, music, video, Wembley Arena

We'll, it was a super efficient (and super fun!) girlie weekend with Johanna and Sooz. We crammed in as much shopping, sightseeing and socialising as we could to make Johanna's one-day mini break to London feel worth it. And then of course there was the amazing, mindblowing Damien Rice concert on Saturday. Wow. Hands down the best gig I've been to this year. Or ever maybe. Videos to come soon(ish). I say videos, but from where we were sitting they're more like audio recordings with some twinkly lights for effect. :P

Labels: concert, Damien Rice, gig, London, music, my life, people, photoblog, Wembley Arena

I finally managed to get my videos from the Jacob Golden gig off the memory cards and onto the interweb. I ran out of space on a card in the middle of Hold Your Hair Back (my favourite Jacob song), which was very annoying indeed, but I still managed to get quite a few full songs. So, here you are.



~Love you~



~Revenge Song~



~Shine a Light~



~Out Come the Wolves~

Labels: concert, Dingwalls, gig, Jacob Golden, London, music, video

After a brilliant start to the weekend, it all went a bit downhill after Saturday. But I suppose that was the only way to go after the Regina Spektor concert on Friday night. What an amazing gig that was! Her voice is just heavenly.

Feeling like crap right now so I'm just gonna post some mobile snaps from Friday.

Labels: concert, gig, London, music, photoblog, Regina Spektor, Royal Festival Hall

Ah man, I'm definitely getting too old for going out in the middle of a work week. I feel absolutely knackered today! But, it was a good night and totally worth it just to see Jacob Golden perform. I shot quite a lot of video but I'll have to wait until I'm home next week before I can convert it to something web-friendly. Here's some random shots from last night.


Look Stu, no-coffee starbucks 'coffee'! :D



Went for a little walk by the canal in Camden lock before the gig.


Jacob Golden / Catherine Feeny

Labels: Catherine Feeny, concert, Dingwalls, gig, Jacob Golden, London, music, photoblog

Jacob Golden has seriously gotten under my skin. I can't wait to see him live next month with Catherine Feeny, of whom I only learned about when getting the tickets to see Jacob. Turns out she's wonderful as well, soulful. But yeah, Jacob is the one I'm really yearning to see. I can hardly wait until 5th of September! And then, on the 7th, we're going to go see Regina Spektor as well. All in all, next month is shaping up to be the best gig month yet.

Went to see the Goo Goo Dolls last thursday. It was a fun gig, high energy and nostalgic. It was strange how different the venue was compared to when we went to see Tori Amos at the same place. Strange in a cool kind of way. Different music, different crowd, different energy. It's fascinating, the nature of live concerts, the different energy that different artists radiate. I took some video with my mobile but I can't seem to convert the clips into any sort of format that I could put online. Oh well. Not going to write a review this time either, I just don't have enough space in my head to think about that kinda stuff at the moment.

This weekend has been about cleaning and scrubbing, getting the flat ready for an estate agent who's coming to value it tomorrow. As much as it breaks my heart to leave this flat, it's gotta be done. The sooner the better. There are so many decisions I need to make, so many loose ends to tie up, so many life-altering steps to take. I'm feeling overwhelmed and confused at the moment. I just need to get my head straight and jump, that's all.

Labels: Catherine Feeny, concert, gig, Goo Goo Dolls, Hammersmith Apollo, Jacob Golden, music

Oh how I wish I would have gone to see Joshua Radin do a solo gig at The Monto Water Rats as well. Thank god for YouTube and everyone having a digital camera. :D Here's Joshua singing Winter on the 6th of July.



And here's Tori doing her Winter at our gig in the Hammersmith Apollo on the 4th. It was magical.

Labels: music, video

To start with, I must confess that when I found out Joshua Radin would be opening for Tori Amos at the Hammersmith Apollo on the 4th of July, I was over the moon as these days his music is probably even closer to my heart. He came on stage at 7.30pm and we managed to miss half of the first song since there was not really any announcement or indication that everything was about to kick off. The hall was only half-full at this point, which worked out fine for us as we got seats a lot closer than our assigned ones. It was a simple set, mostly with him and his guitar, and of course his beautiful beautiful voice. The gentle warmth of it was a really comforting experience live. Oh how I wish the set would have been a bit longer than half an hour. At some point Schuyler Fisk joined him onstage for a couple of songs. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous as well. Can't wait for her to finally get her album out! It's not surprising they have recorded and toured together, the chemistry was obvious and their voices gelled in such a pleasant way.

After the set there was a half an hour recess before Tori, and I managed to track Joshua down and ask him to sign my t-shirt. I don't believe I've ever been so starstruck in my life, for some reason I completely lost any sort of ability to act like a normal person. I went over planning on having a little chat with him, but all I managed to get out was 'I'm so lucky you were here!'. Like, seriously… It barely makes grammatical sense, and isn't exactly an opening line that leads to intelligent conversations is it. Oh man, I still cringe. :D He was lovely though and gave me a hug and posed for a picture with me.

By the time Tori, or should I say Isabel, came on stage the audience was packed, and we were back at our almost-backrow-seats. I'd categorise myself as a somewhat relapsed Tori fan, although two of her previous albums have brought her back on my playlists in a strong way. She certainly has a strong presence live and her performance was spell-binding from start to finish - even from where we were sitting. I wish I had a set list as it was sooo long it's just impossible to remember the order of any songs. About a third-way through there was a costume change while a dance version of Professional Widow played over the speakers as a distraction. When she re-appeared again as Tori she was dressed in over-the-top sparkly stars and stripes outfit. Well, it was 4th of July after all!

I saw the recording of Tori's performance in Provinssirock earlier this summer and I think the first half of the set followed pretty much the same list. Performing with the band she really throws herself in the music and looks like she's having a lot of fun. I really like her live rendition of Cornflake Girl, it somehow has a lot more spunk. However, my favourite part of the gig was when Tori was performing alone with her piano. Her voice had the chance to really shine through sending shivers down everyone's backs. Her voice certainly has an incredible range and she can go from an intimate whisper to really belting it out taking the listener on this gorgeous rollercoaster ride. Her mastery with the piano/keyboards is something to behold as well. She played all her instruments, sometimes two at a time, with such ease and passion that it was a joy to watch.

One thing that can be said about Tori is that she certainly isn't a 'people pleaser' in the way that she communicates very little with the audience. I think the only comment was something about it being the 4th of July. That's alright though, as it's fascinating to see someone really throw herself into every performance and let her art speak for itself, like she does.

As I said, it was a very long gig, she sang from 8.30pm to almost 11pm, which is probably the longest I've seen a single artist ever perform, without a recess. I can't really fault any of the songs she performed, but the ones that stuck out for me - all for different reasons - were Big Wheels, Winter and God, which was one of the encores and really reminded me how big an influence she did have on my music taste back in the day.

It was a great experience to see her live, and not entirely unlike rekindling an old love affair.

Labels: concert, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, Joshua Radin, London, music, Tori Amos

Joshua Radin hugged me! And signed my shirt! And was lovely. And sang like an angel. I on the other hand acted like a total teenage fangirl. :O :D



Oh yeah and Tori was pretty brilliant too. :P More about all of it when I get home tomorrow... Gotta crash now.

Labels: concert, gig, Hammersmith Apollo, Joshua Radin, London, music

I'm not sure it's possible to put last nights experience into words. I don't think I know eloquent enough words not to turn something so magical into… less so. I've been told a lot of times that to really appreciate Antony and the Johnsons, you have to see them live. Well now I have. And it was almost a life-altering experience. Of course, if I was to say to you now that to really appreciate them, go see them live, those will be just words… until you do. It's absolutely impossible to tell you what it's like, you have to experience it yourself.

When I started listening to Antony it took me some time to 'get used to' his voice. Now I know exactly why that was. His voice is something so pure, so full, so three-dimensional, that it is impossible to capture the full miracle of it in a recording. It needs to be free for you to feel every nuance, for you to truly appreciate what a gift this man has.

The concert hall was sold out, packed to the rafters. It was boiling hot. I'm sure the people standing in the middle of the floor squashed by others were even more uncomfortable than us sitting in the back row. And yet, everyone, each and every person, was enraptured, hanging on to every note. I've never experienced such an atmosphere in a concert where the whole audience practically holds their breath, staying quiet as can be, because they don't want to miss any tiny note from this man's lips.

The whole time I was sitting there I was thinking what a miracle music is, the fact that there are people who are able to create such beauty is both humbling and mind-blowing – what an unbelievable gift we have as a human race. His voice was more than just another instrument; it was like a complete separate presence, it emoted so much, revealed secrets, connected with something primal and something sacred.

I especially enjoyed Shake That Dog, You Are My Sister, Twilight, Bird Gehrl and Hope There's Someone. And of course the amusing, yet hauntingly beautiful cover of Beyoncé's Crazy In Love. For some reason I found it hard to relax into his rendition of Cripple and the Starfish though. I think the recorded version of that song is embedded somewhere so deep in me that it was impossible to fully let go of that and enjoy the arrangement. Having said that, the whole experience just from an emotional point of view, on a scale of 1 to 10, was about 645. Even Stu, who was pretty much dragged there against his will, said that he was completely blown away.

Here's a video of the Beyoncé cover from two days before in Sweden. I'm so happy our venue was much more intimate. The atmosphere seems completely different in such a big outside venue.

Labels: Antony and the Johnsons, concert, gig, Helsinki, Kulttuuritalo, music, video

My ears are still ringing and I haven’t completely come down from the high of last night yet. It wasn’t the perfect start to the gig though, as I was so tired and feeling generally very grumpy. The grumpiness wasn’t helped by the fact that we got to The Spitz before 8pm, just to find out that Johnossi wasn’t coming on until 9.30pm… The turn out wasn’t very big and from the people who were there I’d say about 80% were Swedes. But then, it was Johnossi’s first ever gig in London (album comes out next week in the UK – go get it!). Perhaps one day, when they’re super famous, we can reminiscence over seeing them arrange their own merchandise, mainly consisting of sticking t-shirts on the wall with duct tape. :P

So at about 8.40pm Sounds Like Violence came on. And they did indeed do exactly that. On a scale from 1 to 10 the sound level was ‘ear bleed’. It was one of the physically most painful experiences of my life. I don’t quite understand what is the point of having the volume so loud that you can’t make out a melody or the lyrics or nothing, just a painful wooooo sound. So yeah, can’t really say much about that set as I couldn’t really make out what they were singing. It looked a bit like energy and volume over content from where I was sitting…

Finally at about 10pm, after the stage was completely rearranged, Johnossi came on. They kicked things off with Press Hold, and at once reclaimed all the hopes I’d had for seeing them live. Their energy was just intoxicating. I suppose it’s one of those things – some people just have charisma (and talent) and some don’t – and it is instantly recognisable on stage. It’s so cool how these two guys, with just drums and a guitar, blew the (4-piece) warm-up band out of the water within the first minutes of their set. While Ossi concentrated beating the hell out of the drum set (managing to break at least a couple of drum sticks), John really worked the audience. He managed to make me feel like he was singing just for me, with frequent eye contact etc., and afterwards Sooz was musing over the same thing. Of course it helped that the space was relatively small and the crowd wasn’t that big, but it’s still a wonderful talent to be able to make all your audience feel special. Of course that’s not his only talent. For such a tiny bloke, the strong voice that he projects comes as such a surprise. His voice has such a lovely gravely tone to it, that it can make your knees week. Highlights of the set for me were Man Must Dance and the eagerly awaited Execution Song, which really got the crowd going. The only new song, which is not on the album, that they played was 18 Carat Gold. After the gig I was on such a high, which can only be a sign of a kick ass event. When I got home I had to listen through the whole album and relive the live experience. Thanks Johnossi, I really hope you’ll make it big one day!

Labels: concert, gig, Johnossi, London, music, The Spitz

Oh man! I don't know how I didn't know this earlier, but I just found out that this year Joshua Radin is doing a whole European tour with Tori Amos! Like, Oh. My. God. I tried to look for his gigs at some point but it looked like he never tours Europe. And now I find out that I'll see him on the same gig as Tori in July! I'm just sitting here grinning from ear to ear. His music is just magic and I would never have dreamed of getting to see him live 'by accident' like this. I'm over the moon. I can't wait now, please can it be July already! :D

All in all, this year is shaping up to be rather a good gig year for me. There's something very addictive about seeing artist's live, it certainly gives a whole new dimension to their music.

This weekend has been a bit of a non-starter so far. Luckily tomorrow I get to enjoy my bank holiday so hopefully I'll be feeling at least a little bit better so I could at least get this place tidied up. I was supposed to go to Johanna's tomorrow but I rescheduled that to Wednesday because I'm worried I'll still be feeling too rough for such adventurous traveling. Jenni is also supposed to come for a shoot of some sort (which I haven't planned at all yet) tomorrow night, and I can't really cancel on her (again)... Fingers crossed I'll be feeling at least a little less shitty come tomorrow.

It's sad to realise how money nor fame doesn't really guarantee a happy life or a safe childhood. People are people in all their broken and ugly glory, even in the case of celebs like Alec Baldwin (and Kim if she really did leak this herself) and David Hasselhoff.

Labels: music, my life

Well it looks like spring is finally on its way. The snow seems to be melting and it has been an exceptionally warm week for this time of year. Fingers crossed this is it now.

Apparently in London the spring is definitely a reality. I'm going to find out just how warm it is tomorrow. Looking forward to wearing lighter clothes and shoes! I've got some spring clothes we ordered online with Sooz waiting for me there as well. Whee.

I've been bitten by the live music bug. Well, actually it probably already happened when I saw Tracy Chapman last summer, but the need to go on more gigs just keeps on getting stronger and stronger. I guess seeing artists live gets you hooked for more. The biggest gigs I've already got tickets for are Tori Amos and Damien Rice. I can't wait! Although I will have to wait until July and October for those. In the meanwhile, I have a horrible itch to buy tickets for all sorts of gigs… have to try to control the urge though or I'll be (even more) broke in no time… Mmmmm music. I'm also seriously loving last.fm at the moment, they just keep ketting better and better. Hmm let's see if this sharing my tagged songs thing will work here.





I recently got interviewed for a series of interviews for the International Women's Week on dA. You can check my ramblings and typos out here.

Oki doki, I'm gonna start packing now. I'll try to post an update with piccies and stuff once in London. Although my mobile uploading thingy is not working again. Gahh. Makes me lust after an N series phone that has an inbuilt flickr upload tool...

Labels: music, my life

Sooo what's up? I'm dog tired but I figured I oughta write something now or I never will. :P I don't know where all my time goes. Do I sound like a broken record much?



I went to see Maija Vilkkumaa in concert last night and wrote a little review about it (in finnish) on last.fm, which you can find here.



I was clever enough not to charge the battery of my camera beforehand, so obviously it ran out of battery pretty promptly. I did manage to snap a few pics, and as if by miracle the camera allowed me to shoot a tiny bit of video at the end of the gig before turning itself off for good.



In other news, I've made some progress on the wedding invites. Although I did run into trouble in the crucial cut & glue phase (this was never my strong point), so I'm taking them back to England next week for Susanna to finish them off. And yeah, I will write something in the wedding blog soon. Honestly! :D

I suppose, apart from the wedding stuff, the biggest development in our life at the moment is the fact that we decided to postpone our US road trip until next year, and instead move back to the UK by the end of this year. It's pretty damn sweet to feel like we have finally made a firm decision after all these years of umming and ahhing. However, I won't allow myself to think about the nightmare that is the logistics of it all yet… :| Let's do the wedding stress first eh.

Hmm. I think I should get some sleep. Maybe.

Labels: concert, Espoo, gig, Maija Vilkkumaa, music, my life, Tapiola-sali, video

Can't sleep. These kind of things... they have the tendency to remind you of how temporary this whole gig is. And how you should make more of an effort every day... more of an effort to live fully, to connect with people, to appreciate what you've got. Why does this kind of knowledge only last for such a brief moment though. And then you're back to the normal futile worries and wasting your time. It's depressing that it takes such big shocks to make small realisations.

In an attempt to think about something else I thought I'd tell you about the concert. Not that there's an awful lot to tell... Suzanne Vega herself was, or would have been, good - if it wasn't for the awful venue. We got there just before 10pm and the only seats (there was only a tiny seated section) were already occupied, and probably had been since the doors opened at 9pm. The space was pretty much just an empty hall with a few stands selling drinks.

The warm up act, Fork, came on at 10pm. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to make of them. The group consisted of 4 people, two girls and two blokes, and the gist of the thing was to do cover versions of different popular songs by using only their voices as instruments. So a whole lot of human beat boxing action and high pitched singing in the tune of Toxic, Smooth Criminal, and the especially painful, Bohemian Rhapsody ensued. There were some gems, like Autiotalo, that got the crowd going. :D I think the biggest crowd-pleaser were the extremely tight white jeans worn by one of the men however.

By the time Suzanne came on stage it was 11.30pm and my feet were already starting to feel the hard concrete. At this point the hall got so crowded that it was practically impossible to see anything unless you were at least 6" tall. But all that was still cool, I was happy to just listen and enjoy the music... if it wasn't for the constant flow of people squeezing their way through the crowd, back and forth, presumably in the hunt for more alcohol. And by this time, most of the crowd was so drunk already anyways that they were concentrating on anything but the artist on stage, constantly talking too loudly and creating all manner of disruption. It was beyond infuriating. And to think that all of these people actually paid (quite a lot in my opinion) money to see this concert! If you'd want to just go and get so drunk you don't even know where you are, why not go to a pub! The gig was part of the Tammerfest festival, so I guess this was then supposedly what they consider 'festival atmosphere'. :|

As annoyed as I was, and as worn out from standing on the hard floor being shoved by people for hours, Suzanne still managed to deliver an OK set. Nothing magical or life-altering, but there were some highlights, which made it worth it. When Heroes Go Down, In Liverpool and (I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May were especially memorable. She tried to connect with the people during a joke or two, but mostly she seemed to be going through the motions a bit. Quite predictably, and it must get a bit tired for her as well, Luka was the big crowd-pleaser, but it was Tom's Diner that got everyone participating in a brief moment of lucid excitement over being there.

I don't regret going as there were moments that made it worth it, but that was definitely the last time I'm paying to see a concert in a venue like that.

Labels: concert, gig, music, my life, Pakkahuone, Suzanne Vega, Tampere

Ok, I have finally gathered my thoughts about last night. Here's a small recap of the concert.

It was an incredibly hot day and the aircon at the venue wasn't all that. We sat at the back row of the balcony (that's what you get for buying tickets too late) and to start with I was sure I wasn't going to see anything from all the way over there. At eight Ben Taylor opened for Tracy and he was quite good (in a Jack Johnsonish kinda way) and quite funny (in a smarmy american kinda way). He played a half an hour long set, which was very nice apart from the people coming in late and constantly standing in front of me. And he did say that apparently finnish girls are the most beautiful in the world (I bet he says that to all the girls :P). After his set there was an intermission where he signed CD's for those who were clever enough to bring cash with them to buy stuff. :| Oh well.

At nine it was finally time for Tracy to get on. She kicked it off with a wonderfully potent rendition of Say Hallelujah and blew Ben whatshisface out of the water already with just that one song. Her voice is so incredibly powerful live. Blew me away. It doesn't really come across in the same way from listening to her songs on CD's (where you appreciate the warm quality of her voice more). Being in the same space with her makes you truly appreciate what an incredible voice this tiny woman has. There was a lot more punch to most of the versions she sang, I especially enjoyed Another Sun - really rocked. She changed guitars/instruments between each song and I really enjoyed the way the whole set was constructed. Perfect balance between her old and new material.

I loved the contrast of when she spoke with a shy little voice and then belted out a song that made you think that voice cannot come from the same person. It seriously gave me the chills. She asked if reindeer were really real and what was the difference with a reindeer and a moose. :D And wondered about our midsummer traditions. Songwise the highlights for me were Another Sun, Fast Car and America. She didn't sing For My lover (which I waited for) but she did come back for an encore and did Baby Can I Hold You, which made up for it. All in all, a wonderful experience. In the end, sitting in the last available seats didn't matter at all, she was so present and powerful that I might have as well been sitting next to her. And I think it would have been hot in that room no matter what, people's enthusiasm made sure of it.

Labels: concert, Finlandia-talo, gig, Helsinki, music, Tracy Chapman

She was just wonderful. Truly. Maybe tomorrow I can write something coherent.

I didn't get a shirt because I didn't have cash on me and they didn't take cards! Sucks. :(

(Oh and umm, I changed the pictures around in my moblog because it annoyed me that it said welcome on the picture that was last. :| And now there are our mugs x 2 up there on the strip. Which is not optimal. Sorry.)

Labels: music

Kubb - Chemical

Go get it and listen to it. Now.

Oh and they're bloody brilliant otherwise as well. Check them out at kubbmusic.co.uk.

Labels: music

Umm. Nothing much to write. Autumn is here and it's depressing. Found Feast on Scraps after a long time. The CD that came with it is actually quite brilliant.

-
You're unsure and you're not ready so that must mean I want you
You're unavailable and disinterested and to you I look for comfort
A million times in a million ways I will try to change you
A million months and a million days I'll try to somehow convince you
I have waited for you and adjusted for you and I'm done
I have deferred to you and enabled you and I'm done
You're too young or you're too old or you're simply not inclined
You're asleep or you're withholding be that my cue to crave you
Several times in several ways I'll try to squeeze love from you
Several hours and several ways I'll feast on scraps thrown from you
I have bent for you and I've deprived for you and I'm done
I have depressed for you and contorted for you and I'm done
I have stifled for you and I've compromised for you and I'm done
I have silenced for you and sacrificed for you and I'm done
It won't be easy for us to disengage
I'm at the end of self deprivation stage
You're afraid of every woman afraid of your inner workings
You cringe at the thought of living under the same roof as me god and everything
A million times and a million ways I've tried to alter to match you
Several times every several days I've tried to uncrush on you
I have waited for you and adjusted for you and I'm done
I have deferred to you and enabled you and I'm done
I have bent for you and I've deprived for you and I'm done
I have depressed for you and contorted for you and I'm done

~Alanis Morissette - Bent 4 U~
-

Labels: music

Well, it seems that I can tick off more boxes from my 'me' song. It's like a friggen prophecy. Except it requires acceptance.

---
That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

That I would be fine even even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not all knowing

That I would be loved even when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy

That I would be good even if I lost sanity
That I would be good
Whether with or without you
---

And here's something for the Alanis-cynics out there, so you don't have to make nasty comments about my song.

Labels: music, my life