On Voit les Etoiles Qui Bouge Ici et Là

WOAH! How do the weeks fly by so fast?

A couple of months ago I started as resident dj for Death by Pop, the funnest, sweatiest, danciest, sexiest indie-llectual disco dancing night in Berlin. I don't usually dj off my laptop, but last night i was doing a set in the downstairs area, where there weren't no turntables. So my record bag stayed at home. (((Sad Face))). I usually can't keep track of what I've played, (i tend to fly by the seat of my pants). But working off the 'puter, your set list gets all saved and shit. So it's very cool to look back on what i played last night and relive all those sweet moments! There isn't really any other club night in this beautiful city where you can get to hear this music, it's a special thing. Every Friday at Bang Bang Club.

Sweet Momentz: (thanx to other bloggers! click on the song links to visit their post where you'll find the song).

Elle Milano - Katsuki Remix

She's Good for Business - MSTRKRFT

In Yr Underwear - Fox n Wolf (scroll down, down)

Sweaty - Muscles

ToyBoy - Stuck in the Sound

Yelle - Ce Jeu (can't believe how many ppl were asking to hear Yelle even though I had been naughty and already played two of her traxxx!!! Sweet.)

the Bomb - New Young Pony Club (Teenagers Crush LOU Remix) Definitely yoink this!

Uffie - First Love

Playing the Krystal Kastles mix/rework/ripoff of "Atlantis to Interzone" is kinda dangerous cos it's soooo hype-y, you're like, what can i play after that? The people, they go KRAZY! So i played the original right after. Nice nice. No need to post a link to that one, it's almost a golden oldie.

This kid was bugging me to play some song that I didn't have, i didn't have what he wanted and he just wouldn't go away. I was like, "They are crap. i do not have it and i am not going to play it anyway." A while later he came up, brandishing his phone, where he had written a message for me. It went something like "u R stoopid or Y don't you play the Wombats or the Kooks." Awwwwwwwwwwesommmmmmmmme!!!!!!!!!!!!! For every stoopid guy like that one there's a hundred awesome ppls, so it equals out pretty nice.

toodles

* )

(ps - it's always a good idea to get a brownie on your way home at 6am and forget to eat it so when you wake up with a zombie hangover you can have a big cup of tea and a brownie and make it all better).

Dreamburger

they are coming



myspace.com/dreamburger

You Are My Crunchie

I know that there is a twix in my refridgerator and it is calling out to me! Probably cos i've watched this music video once or nine times already today:



Hotpants Romance are playing the excellent WestGermany this Saturday night, supporting the Ting Tings.

One Week of Danger!

It's only Wednesday and I've already seen Handsome Furs, Les Savy Fav and Beach House! Still to come, me and Max have a Unicorn X-ing dj night (see above) on Friday at KIM and the Blow are playing in Bastard on Saturday night.

I was totally in awe of Handsome Furs. Dan Boeckner gangles onstage, nodding his head modestly at the crowd and Alexie comes bounding after him waving her arms at everyone so vigorously she is basically waving her whole body at us. Her hair is cropped short and platinum blond and she is the most stunnin' lady, ever. He announces them as "GBH from London" and opens the show with "What We Had", effectively stopping my heart...This pair are amazing. His voice and her beats (and pounding feets!) take you to another place altogether, where noone can get at you and it's so thrilling to seem them play live. And when you go back to listen to it on record it sounds better than you could ever have imagined before. Plus, how awesome is it to go on a European tour for your honeymoon?

Last night Les Savy Fav..i had no idea what we were in for. Magic, extreme laughing and not a little suspense. Once he was up on stage, entering under a guard of honor formed by the crowd, Tim "santa claus" Harrington was jumping off it again - climbing equipment, balconies, and heads, up inside one dudes t shirt (seriously did anyone get that on film?) and stripper dancing on a door-sized piece of timber he dragged into the middle of the crowd to be held up by some muscly boys. It was impossible to tell what he was gonna do. He was pretend strangling one dude with his microphone lead, and maybe actually suffered a serious neck injury. "Is it possible to like, dislodge a bone in your neck?", it was hard to watch him sing for a while after that because he would involuntarily gag, because maybe a bone was sticking into this throat...but i think they may have cut the concert a little short and he made it through to the end. I wish i had the whole evening on tape, it was AMAZING. and they even had the song i was waiting for all night on 7 inch at the merch table. White vinyl + a signed cover : )

What Would Wolves Do?

i thought it might be dangerous going to see Beach House tonight...Outside is so dark now all the time, it's wintry and cold and it's hard not to let that effect your mood. But their performance actually had the opposite effect on me. And, Ms. Legrand definitely lives up to her surname. Her eerie voice has such a strange quality, it puts you in a trance. I was really lucky because I thought they were the main band, but actually they were opening for..someone else. I arrived an hour late, just as Beach House got up to play. They warned us to stay for the headliners, I wonder if most people are showing up for them on this tour. After they finished the first song Legrand said it was already the best show they'd had.

Berlin needs to have a proper listings guide, cos there were only about 10-15 people who attended the Handsome Furs, and i KNOW there would have been ALOT more if it had been properly advertised etc somewhere.

I met some co-workers I had at City Slang last year and they told me that Universal bought V2 and now everyone is being let go and who knows whats going to happen to the bands. Oh, but "Theyre keeping the Paul Weller and Stereophonics back catalogue" > Puke.

Je m'occupe de toi

dear diary,

Today I - woops! This is certainly not the right place to tell you about all those secret girl things...Instead I will tell you about fantastic music things. The last couple of gigs I attended included the earth shatteringly sexy Rilo Kiley, the Cribs and..some punk bands i dont know the name of but really jsut went to hang out at cos its on this squat on my street that i hadn't been to yet.

When I said earth shatteringly sexy, I was also including the Cribs there..swoon, thud. There's a bundle of pictures at the club website. Hello, ryan jarmans's neck veins.

Tomorrow I'm gonna be taking part of a new music video shoot for Planningtorock. I don't know which song its for yet, the only information i have so far is to wear black pants and also trainers. And i might be leaning against a wall, and in a car. Hopefully I will be able to document the shoot and have some photographs to post on here. Fun!

God Bless Shane Torturegarden and his recent amazing Final Fantasy III interview.

The past week I had some fantastic friends visiting me and it was such a laugh. We did all the best things. Dancing, drinking, eating laughing...Friday night was Death by Pop actually, I will dj there this Friday. It's the last night that Death by Pop will be on at Bastard, as apparently the venue will be torn down/renovated. Goodbye lovely venue. It's my trial run, so I'm on first and I will probably be playing all da new stuff. Like Scanners. That I just came across this week, thanks BigStereo. I don't know how exactly I am going to play them since "Raw" isn't released til November 5th and there doesn't seem to be a naughty mp3 of the track anywhere.

In the meantime I am gonna dj at Dr Pong this week, on Thursday night.

This Is a Gang, and I'm In It

Hands up who wants to see 50 Cent and Crystal Castles on a stage TOGETHER??? Meeeeeeee!!! I didn't actually think it was true when I joked a couple of months ago that CC were "featured" on 50's latest track. There's a touch of it in Nelly Furtado's new song "Do It" aswell..Do it!!!!

More Timbaland drama associated with this "Do It" song actually, which is the end product of a remix done for the Commodore 64. Apparently it's not Crystal Castles related though...Timbaland just says he "sampled" it and doesn't have time to research if something belongs to the "public domain".

Whatevs, it's a JAM:

Find it here, at Mix Tape Maestro.

Do it - Nelly Furtado + Missy Elliott

I'm going record shopping at Hip Hop Vinyl tomorrow and I wanna pick up dat remix. Have been buying top notch records off them via Amazon, then found out they are just around the corner from me!

I just came back from some holidays and in my holiday apartment there was a tv. I watched some crap on the tv sometimes. In between the crap there were sometimes good ads. I'm dyyyying to find these two songs, but i forget the brands and the lyrics i can remember ain't helpin. "I can be happy" (and sort of sounds like a japanese girl) is one from an ad for fibre, with girls dressed normally, but you can tell they are underwater, and smiling because the fibre is really great stuff. And the other is one is from a car ad, and it goes like, "All the time I spent waiting for you with chocolates and daffodils dandelions(???) in my hand". Or something. If that rings a bell, tell me!

I Get Kinda Hectic Inside

MP3 of LOVE - Owen Pallett - Fantasy (Mariah Carey cover)

Watch it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ain't Never Gonna Be Respectable

In Berlin? Come to this tonight (Friday night) at Kim. I will dj. It will be good.



So the Organ are gonna release an EP!

bon
week-end
a
toi

OH SHIT

Justice, Maria, September 13



UFFIE + dj Feadz, Lido, September 19th



oh never mind that she just basically admits that she has no idea what she's doing and lets the boys tell her what to do...she's so cute!!!


Heidi Mortenson + Scream Club, September 26 in Lido



And the Cribs are coming next week, so I get to see this in RL LIFE

F-i-r-e-i-n-b-e-r-l-i-n

That's right! dis my new ting. me + max djing together on the worst soundsystems all over berlin city. So come and join us!

So here's some songs, with a unicorn / sick / 50 Cent theme, because there is always room for 50 Cent. go get em:

Kiss 'n Horns - Surkin [at You Love My Mewzick]

(((Sometimes i feel like Surkin and Justice are battling for the same spot in my little heart. Anybody else feel that?)))

Dustin & Garrett - Better Than Promo [at BigStereo]

50 Cent + Timbaland + Timberlake...+ Crystal Castles??! [at Discobelle]

love!

Show Me, Show Me, Show Me

Busy, busy time! But got to take a moment for a splendid video clash !

Lio - from the 80s - Sage Comme Une Image



Yelle - not from the 80s - A Cause des Garcons



Oh, did i tell you ?



(((Flyer by Maximilian)))

You Know You're Gonna Like It

i got a pile of nasty shirts yesterday. they are so bad!!!! so. bad.

do you wanna be roomies with the Teenagers? Ok read this, in a French accent.



Date: 30 Jul 2007 14:14

Subject: looking for a flat in east london

Body: hello everybody

we are looking for a flat in east london very soon

if you re looking for 1 or 2 people in your flat very soon, let us know plz

x

love

i cant even imagine how many girls are breaking up with their boyfriends and replying to that myspace bulletin with various offers. Make it happen, girlz.

Make it Happen - the Teenagers This one is bad like my shirts. [at Yellow Stereo]

Music That We Danced To Over the Weekend, And You Should Too!

(Thanks to Other Bloggers!..and Myspace).

Put your hands on your waistline

Tonight I Have To Leave It - the Shout Out Louds [at DIY Rockstar]

and move your body to the bassline,

Ready to Uff - Uffie [at Favours for Favours]

and get your hands on some cheap wine,

Bathroom Gurgle - Late of the Pier [Myspace. It's so new nobody has it yet.]

and just enjoy it til you feel fine,

I Go Hard, I Go Home - the Presets [at This Recording]

Great things about Berlin Festival this year:::

- eatin' burritos
- Late of the Pier, the Presets and Uffie
- making new friends
- meeting old friends
- sweatiest afterparties of all time
- jim beam and coke in a can. yes please!
- Shitdisco's cover of the Prodigy's "No Good". It has sirens in it.
- Au Revoir Simone gave me goosebumps and made me cry a little bit.
- free sunglasses
- Uffie swearing her head off

BIG WEEKEND OF STUFF COMING UP REAL SOON!!!

August 9th Chromeo's rescheduled show at Club 103. i guess his eye is better.
August 10th Expect Excellence!!! at Eel Pie Almost Tropical (who me?) + Katja Hentschel Photography.
August 11th Unicorn Crossing!!! at Dr Pong. Me and him.

Trying Your Luck

Phones has done a remix of "Heinrich Maneuver" (((on Interpol's myspace))). It is really great! And sad and beautiful...er, I almost wish Paul's vocals weren't even on it..

This weekend is a bit up and down. But a definite high was mixing a whiskey-cola for Alexis Hot Chip. The band played at Melt! Festival yesterday evening, and invited Janine to come down and Janine invited me, lucky me! She supported them on some of their dates in the US recently, which was a match made in heaven. So, watch out for collaborations and general gadding about town from Planningtorock & Hot Chip. Their set was mega fun, it was apparent that everyone who came to the festival gathered to see them play. They didn't play anything from their first record Coming on Strong, but lots of great new songs, like everything...including My Piano from their DJ Kicks comp. It was a dance party.

The Hot Chaps are true gents and gave up one of their hotel rooms for me and Janine to sleep in (which we narrowly escaped out of this morning). Never mind that there were some kind of, but probably not flying cockroaches infestation, we had a bottle of whiskey, and a variety of topics to discuss, like the name for the new album - the Second Warning? Which could then lead onto the amazing Final Warning of course. ACtually i know what it really might be, but i probably shouldn't say. (It's really, really good).

Wow, they even give good blog.

So around midnight we were swilling champagne from the bottle and enjoying some minimal house from Michael Mayer's dj set. Afterwards I scurried over to see the Horrors. I had a backstage pass so I thought it would be extra special to watch from the side of the stage, but there was nobody else there, and i wanted to dance so I went into the crowd and up the front and had a jolly good time. The lights were too bright in the tent, so they weren't as scary as they should have been. Especially because Faris put a balloon up his t shirt.

There was a funny moment earlier in the evening. I was walking over to the bar and the Horrors were sitting down drawing in notebooks, primping hair and looking scary. As I walked by, Joe seemed to do a doubletake at my t shirt. I was (still am..) wearing this t shirt i found last week with Joey from New Kids on the Block's face on it, and his name in big letters underneath. Well, then i noticed that perhaps Joey New Kids on the Block and Joe Horror bear more than a passing resemblance! If you got Joe Horror to smile, and wear a sideways baseball cap, you would be like, Joey? Is it really you? Maybe Joe was thinking, JOEY??? IS THAT REALLY ME???

Look! Joey NKOTB, far right. Joe Horror, far right:





















Basically it was a Joe-themed evening. I met the Joe from Shitdisco at the bar, he was ordering himself a watermelon cocktail at the bar and explaining to me the...difficulties shall we say, in keeping your shit together for the whole evening before you go onstage when your band is going on really late. They were playing after 1.30am or something. I can imagine how hard it could be to resist getting wasted, especially as it was such a beautiful evening, beside the lake, it was gloriously warm and just especially perfect for Watermelon cocktails. I missed Shitdisco because we had to leave, but they are coming to Berlin Festival in about two weeks. Brill.


Popular Computer - I can't forget you [Thanks alot to Keytars and Violins for sharing this track with me!!! Yay!!!]

My Piano - Hot Chip [over at Green Pea-ness, scroll down a bit, it's also a very good read).

ok that's enough, bye for now. oh, the t-shirt:

You've Got a Lovely Way With Words, Must Be The Way You See The World

Some excellent things for you to check out:

Japanese Posters Today Travelling Exhibition

Unicorn X-ing (Berlin)

Glam Canyon Street Fashion (New York)

Festival Pantiero (Cannes)

There has been a lot of stuff happening lately. Feels like summer.

Here we go, Weekend Mini Mixtape Thanks to Other Bloggers!

Kate Nash - Foundations (Metronomy Remix) [over at Not on the Guestlist]

Hearts on Fire - Cut Copy [over at Appears]

We Love Tokyo - Golden Bug [over at Bigstereo]

Rich Girls - the Virgins [over at Party Ends]

Self Love - the Teenagers [over at Missing Toof]

I'm a Flirt - R Kelly [over at Pop Tarts suck Toasted]

Aahh. These are all helping me get over this hangover of doom today. It was one sweaty and drunk night last night at Dr Pong. We had our very first Unicorn X-ing dj night, and it was fun. A bit too much fun. There is a scary bump on my head, too much money in my wallet and a pretty vague recollection of the tail end of the night. Hm....I wish I had kept the note the barman passed to us with "A request from the bar: Do you have Justice feat Uffie, "the Party"? scribbled on it.

If anyone has a digital track of Popular Computer's "I can't forget you", I would lovelovelove to have it! I can't fit the vinyl in to my iPod...

BOYZZZZ

Boyz

if you're in Berlin i highly recommend you and your boyz come down to Eel Pie this Thursday night. Expect Excellence is on, which means we are gonna have a party and show a selection of work from photographer Jane Stockdale. Jane began taking photographs of bands after this one time she accidentally met Sonic Youth in New York aged 16. She has since photographed many live bands including Beck, Pavement, Grace Jones, REM and Iggy Pop, plus many different people, places and festivals and her works have been published in VICE, lodown, ID, NME, XLR8R, sup and German Vogue.

And i know i just dropped some names just there, but here's a shot of some kids in a car in NY. Fresh and clean.

Expect Excellence
dj Almost Tropical
Jane Stockdale Photography
EEL PIE (U Bahn Senefelder Platz, Saarbruecker str.21-22, 3rd floor)
Thurs 28 June
Doors at 11
(no cover)

janestockdale.co.uk
expectexcellence.blogspot.com
myspace.com/eel_pie

fun

Do you have a tape player?

There is alot of good stuff on this weekend. Unfortunately i can't seem to save the flyer image for this, but at least the central image works. I can just tell you the info:


+++
LEIF ERICH CHRISTENSEN
MARIOLA GROENER

Eröffnung: Samstag, 23. Juni, 19 Uhr



offen: Sonntag, 24. Juni 15 bis 19 Uhr
25. bis 28. Juni nach telefonische Vereinbarung: 0173 2845455

BALLHAUS OST
Pappelallee 15, 10437 Berlin
U2 - Eberswalder Strasse
WWW.BALLHAUSOST.DE


+++
Cindy Sherman Retrospective

Martin-Gropius-Bau, Niederkirchnerstr. 7, 10963 Berlin (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg)
Öffnungszeiten: Mi-Mo 10.00-20.00




















Plus, the Presets play on Saturday night, in Sage club for 8 euros. And are taking part in the Christopher Street Day thing during the day as well.

Too much!

Next week is also gonna be too much, in a good way.

Thursday - Expect Excellence at Eel Pie / dj Almost Tropical + Jane Stockdale Photography

Friday - Bouncing Boys at Bastard with Kate Boss + dj Almost Tropical + My Friend Gravity (live)

Saturday - DAFT PUNK + SEBASTIAN at SOME BIGASS VENUE + a very nice dj pile-up for afters at Picknick. Beautiful flyers and secret infos coming soon.

the Vice Guide to Berlin is up.

j'en perds la raison dans la mer du japon

this Wednesday I am gonna be here doing this

the good fight

You know how i was wondering if that was really Michael Jackson in the background of Rihanna's track? Well, the next morning when I woke up I turned on the radio and heard the end of "Wanna Be Startin Something", which is indeed the sample. Spooky!!! Come on, when did you last hear that song on Radio Eins? If i wonder about some rather more pertinent issues will I get a similar answer from the universe? Or is it only name-that-tune?

The other day I was riding my bike home from work, and a bike dude cut across me. As he cycled away (on the right side of the road) he swerved right across the street in front of a crazy taxi driver (those motherfuckers) just to high five another bike dude going in the opposite direction, and then he swerved back over to the right side of the road again. I've also seen tons of people cycling with their arms crossed. I've been trying to practise my look-mum-no-hands! but i'm not really that good.

Today i met up with Jane Stockdale. Jane is an amazing photographer (see photo) and a right laff. We'll be showing a selection of some of her new work at the next Expect Excellence party. (Coming soon! I'm excited!). Take a look at her portfolio, it's really class. And, speaking of class portfolio's, Max has added some work to his new website. Check it out.

There isn't a favourite song of mine that the Teenagers haven't remixed, or released themselves. There is also a band called Teenager. Have a listen.

CHROMEO in CLUB 103 JUNE 21st!!! HOORAY!!!

it's too hot to eat, sleep or wear clothes. i love it!!!

bye.

Ice-Pops

i just uploaded the photographs from the Expect Excellence party we had last weekend...

FUNNNN!!!

in other news, it's really effin hot, i have hayfever and there seems to be no end to the Rihanna songs getting stuck in my head. No need for me to since Fluo Kids already posted "Don't Stop the Music" a couple of weeks ago. "Disconcerting but cool", they said about it, en francais. (Is that really Michael Jackson's falsetto in the background?!)

Ipod is good for when you are doing housework late at night. You know, when it's the night before an early flight and you still haven't packed or done the dishes.

(i set all my false alarm clocks)

DAFT PUNK plus SEBASTIAN june 30, Berlin Velodrome !!!

i just found out today that the set of photos from the party on Saturday night (taken with a real camera) got erased by accident. all gone. now all we have left are the 27 pictures that were taken on my plastic throwaway. i'm collecting them on thursday....needless to say, sad face.

I am excited to see this film "Steak". What film, "Steak"? I'm not sure either. All I know is that it is FRENCH and also SEBASTIAN seems to be all over the soundtrack. Merde, it's French-Canadian. I won't understand anything. Maybe it's one of those the -soundtrack-makes-the-movie movies.

OH! BEACH HOUSE, MENOMENA and O'DEATH are playing JULY 4th in Festsaal Kreuzberg. That is going to be a most excellent show. YO.

i have ordered my 1st ever iPod, which should arrive tomorrow. so i've been thinking of all these iPod dates i can go on now. where do you like to go with your iPod?

All My Stars Aligned / I Wanna Love

YO

the weekend is over. i think i'll work backwards..

i went to see Scout Niblett tonight. It was one of those Sundays when i could luxuriously spend my time doing not much. Go pick up a record player, take a nap, listen to records and then go to a show. There was a good buzz in the venue, outside I had overheard people in the queue saying things like "Scout Niblett is indescribably brilliant". More than once the music reminded me of Nirvana, somehow. (Is there such a word as indescribably? Is it undescribably? I was eavesdropping a German conversation..hm).

Listen to "I Wanna Love" here. It's gonna be on Scout's new album (recorded in Steve Albini's studio, coming out in October).

My friend Kristian is on tour with Scout, playing drums. He told me this summer he will play drums for St Vincent, a young lady from New York who is going on tour with Arcade Fire. Holy smokes Kristian, that will be one hell of a time! (I do remember coming across St Vincent for the first time on Shane's blog a while ago.) can't stop listening to "All My Stars Aligned" here. (Check out the photographs in her profile, taken by the amazing NY based photographer Tod Seelie.)

Also NY based at the moment is Robbie! He's doing scintillating updates and stuff.

Last night at KIM was tons of fun. The crowd of people who turned up for the TADA showcase were totally awesome. We had a gang of Tada boys, modelling satin trousers and jewellery from Anna's collection. I can't wait to see the photos from the night...Dancin', drinkin' and talkin' til all hours. I even had an unexpected dj sidekick (thanks Maximilian). Max was one of the models, but not just a pretty face. A photographer and graphic designer (he made the flyer for us)...he's working on his website at the moment, I will point you in the direction when it goes up.

Expect Excellence came about because I wanted to start something new, but not just another dj night. I wanted to combine having a party funtime with showcasing art, fashion or photography work from up and coming artists and designers. I really enjoy working on this kind of thing, after getting a taste of the behind the scene's stuff from when I worked for Planningtorock, I missed it and so it's good to be working on a project like this which gives me a chance to work with some great people. Hooray!

(Photo blog of the night coming soon).

I don't particularly want a McDonalds to open in my hood, do you?

Expect Excellence this Saturday!

DUDE!

it's been a whole 2 months since the last Expect Excellence artist showcase night, remember?.

this Saturday you are warmly invited to come down to Kim and check out the new collection of work from TADA FASHION.

I'ma be dj-ing the night away. That's right, JAMZ.

Worryin'

Some nice photographs from last Friday with Shit Disco thanks to my pal Drea.

Check out the photos with Darren and Joe. Look how bright it is outside! Look at poor tired Joe. Look at Darren spilling his durum doner all over the mixer. Oh Shitdisco. Bless. I didn't realise it was a bank holiday this Monday. Hooray! How bout that tempest eh? You'll be happy to know I rescued my pot plants off the balcony. I hope you and your potted plants escaped unscathed.

Last week, to celebrate my first pay cheque I bought some records. One of them was a Phones release from last year with this excellent B-side. I can't believe 2007 is already half way over. WHAT THE ? I hope you are not worryin'. (Except about how you look when you're dancing to this.)

Phones - Worryin' (ysi)

Hey You're Blocking My Way to the Dancefloor, and You're Just Standing There Talking Shit About Me and My Friends

If only Shitdisco would roll in the door at 4am every time i was dj-ing! Dr Pong was even a place they had wanted to check out last time they were in Berlin. "We heard about it man...Surreal.." We like the same songs. Included in Darren and Joe's set were: the Passions mixxxx of "Homecoming" by the Teenagers; the nasty but so nice Princess Superstar v Mason on "Perfect Exceeder"; and the excellent Soulwax mix of "Gravity's Rainbow". Also "Pump Up the Jam" by Technotronic and Blur's "Girls and Boys". There's a little lamp that Joe switched on and off really fast, for that extra special disco effect.

Darren took some video footage, for a tour diary extravaganza which apparently will be shown on Transmission on Channel 4 in the UK. If anyone watches it, record it for them, they are sad to hand over (and probably not get back) all the tapes of their fun times on tour.

I have no idea about their gig other than the happy nods they gave me when I asked about how it went. I do know it was a Melt showcase night thing. (Melt Festival 13-15 July: Dizzee Rascal, Final Fantasy, Erase Errata, Hot Chip, I'm from Barcelona, Snap! (seriously!) the Horrors, Simian Mobile Disco..). My friend Thomas told me not to look at the message-board on the Melt website, as people were dissing my shitty flyer. "SHE MADE IT WITH PAINT LOL!!", or something like that in German. Shitdisco had posted the first one I made in a myspace bulletin, unfortunately. It's not exactly one of my best worx. I like the 2nd though. With the dancing couple. (Neither were created using Paint..!). We took some fun photos and videos during the night, I will post them soon!

Erase Errata are playing in Bastard tonight and A Hawk and a Hacksaw in NBI this Thursday..also that same night Sondre Lerche in Muddclub.

A Hawk and a Hacksaw myspace

And, i know this is only a myspace link, and this song is over 2 years old, but who can resist a nice little ditty like this with "boat race" being happily exclaimed in most excellent British accents? Boat race, boat race!

Shitdisco Dj Set / Dr Pong Fri 18th May 2007

Tomorrow night at Dr Pong, Shitdisco will come down after their gig at Magnet and take over from me for a wee dj set.

Speaking of wee, last night when they played in Cookies here in Berlin, the Black Lips frontman finished up the show with a certain degree of charm. He pissed in his own mouth (are you picturing that, are you?) and then sprayed it out over the crowd. I heard that over breakfast this morning afternoon.

This Is a Happy House

not only is KIM a new bar, now it actually has one!

christen the new bar at KIM tonight, spill your drinxxx all over it. i am djing there tonight. come and distract me from lining that shit up!

Disco Blood

Me and Shitdisco will be delighting the audience at Dr Pong next Thursday.

You Can Stand Under My Umbrella

Tonight, there was a drunk guy called Tarzan. Not only was he drunk and old and going by the name of Tarzan, but he had a picture of a dog on his sweatshirt and Shane McGowan's teeth are still pretty compared to his. And he rapped for us. He had that beat DOWWWWN!

Next month we'll have another night like that; Planningtorock, Max and I. Turns out we make an excellent team. Your turn!

My favourite traxxx:

from PTR

- Siouxsie and the Banshees, "Peek-a-boo"

- Yoko Ono, "Walking on Thin Ice"

from Max

Stacey Q - "Two of Hearts"

It was just one of those nights. On my way home a hilarious drunk actor escorted me up Kastanien Allee to the M10 tramstop when we both arrived at the M1 stop 2 minutes late. When I got in, I poured myself a bowl of cornflakes, or should i say, "Guten Morgen flakes mit vollkorn!" and i found a heart-shaped one on the top of the pile.

The first time i heard it, I really didn't like what the Teenagers did to "Fallen Snow". But then the "naked / naked / naked / naked / naked / naked" build-up kinda won me over. Now it's not so much won me over as it has knocked me over and tattooed THE TEENAGERS on my bum.

mp3 of love: Au Revoir Simone - Fallen Snow [Teenagers Remix, like totally.]

This video is wierd. And it has Jay-Z in it.

Where Are You Running To?

Someone googled, "new song lyrics it doesnt have words it goes wee ooh ooh ooh" and it brought them here. Hm. It sounds like "Atlantis to Interzone" to me, but that certainly does have lyrics.

"Peace on earth forever!", says Lavender Diamond. "May warm winds balance with cold winds", says Lavender Diamond. The nice lady from Lavender Diamond can't skate real good but she makes up for it with just being really class.



mp3 of love: "open your heart" - lavender diamond

Oh! The album just came out yesterday. Funny that. It's called "Imagine Our Love" and you can listen to snippets of it on their dot com.

There is a free gig happening in the Temple Bar Music Centre in Dublin on May 21st at Bud Rising. The Noisettes & Maximo Park. Ooh.

I don't think I can make it to Primavera festival, Sziget looks dead boring, Electric Picnic is too expensive and i would ELL OH VEE EE to see Interpol at Hurricane festival but it rained on us for 4 days the last time i went and it's too far away and too bloody organised.

Berlin festival, to the rescue!

So far,

Shit Disco
Au Revoir Simone
Midlake
Peaches
Uffie
Peter Bjorn + John
Datarock

and

omg

THE PRESETS

!!!

Now Try the Brakes..

Dude it's already way past bedtime..BUT ANYWAYZ.

This week should be a bit of fun.

this Friday May 11th, the Noisettes are playing, in ROSIS.

It looks like Rodrigo Y Gabriela's Sunday show in Lido is cancelled. I wonder what happened...Not sure I would even have gone to see them actually, I saw them perform once in a tiny pub in Sligo. It was spellbinding. Don't really wanna mess around with that memory.

This Saturday there is a big fleamarket event thing happening on the "riverside terraces" of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. It even has a myspace page yo.

Also that day/night - Whitest Boy Alive will be breaking heartz in the mysterious Tape. I say mysterious just because i don't know anything about the place. Very mysterious indeed.

During the past week at various record sto's and today at Boxhagener platz i got alot of records. ALOT!!!! It's all old. Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Shannon (multiplied by 2), the Waterboys, Sade and Wham! I was looking for this amazing record by Neil Diamond. (Yes, i did just say "this amazing record by Neil Diamond".) This album was released aroundabout the time that everything was going psychedelic. Or something. I was at my friends house a couple of weeks ago, and he was playing all his psychedlic 70s Turkish records, and then this album from Neil Diamond. It has the original versions of "Red Red Wine" (it's gorgeous! ..it's hard to like that song after it was covered, I can't even bear to type their stupid name) and "Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon", another song of which the cover i bloody hate. It's so nice to hear it the way it was meant to be. i sound like a geriatric with all this Neil Diamond related giving out. But come on, who actually likes Urge Overkill? I didn't know either of these songs were covers. This album is really a delight. I can't remember the damn name of it though, and googling it is futile as it only brings up a dearth of "BEST OF" results. Bleh. Ok eh, enough about Neil Diamond.

What else? If you're out & about on Tuesday night, come to KINGKONGKLUB. I'ma be djing with my friends Max and Janine....All going well, as the fromer is sick in bed and the latter (see t shirt in photo) is flying in from Brussels that day! ooer.

Watch out Berlin, Nina Hynes and the Husbands are moving in! Kitty Go are taking care of them. (Also taking care of Chikinki, Shout Out Louds, YELLE, the Bishops and more...).

Almost Tropical in Purple Crush Angst Shocker

i don't know what was going on there, i'm telling you every other second of that show i was HAVING A GREAT TIME, but for the 1 second of that camera click i look like i'm watching someone tear apart my favourite teddy bear. WHAT THE EFF??

Anyhoo, this Tuesday I will be dj-ing at KING KONG KLUB. Playing the JAMZ especially 4 U. I shall be joined by a special guest dj. Say nuffing.



on 18th May there is another Expect Excellence party, and SHITDISCO will be joining me for a dj set.

You're not really invited to this birthday party, but this flyer is too fun not to post.



I missed Frida Hyvoenen and the Boredoms tonight.

Oh well, last night I burned the midnight oil with my friend Drea (pictured above, see amazin' purple hatted lady) and her friend Jamie and his manager Philip. Philip manages the Rakes and also JAPE - who just got signed to effin V2! Jape is from Dublin and I've been a big fan for a long time and I'm very exirah and delirah for Ritchie, V2 will re-release his debut album "The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me". Great news altogether.

What do the Rakes like to do in their spare time, you wonder. They like to go jogging every morning, in shiny shell suits, even if they only got to bed at 6am, it's a strict regime of jogging every morning bright and early. They also fire eachother on a regular basis and spread malicious rumours about their wicked manager. They think nobody likes them in Ireland, which is a bit funny since both Jamie and Alan have irish mammies or grannies or something, i can't remember. From Roscommon. FROM ROSCOMMON!!!!!

Haha bye!

Tell Me We Both Matter Don't We?

DFA are re-releasing Planningtorock's album "Have it All". There will be bonus traxxx, including "The Havers". Needless to say, BLOODY HELL THAT'S BRILLIANT!!!

[[[The next Expect Excellence party is gonna be on May 8th in King Kong Club. ]]]

25 ain't bad so far. i just had a major crash from my sugar high and slept the last 3 hours. so much cake and muffins and chewy sweets and lemonade i had today! birthday booty is the bestest. i received Shit Disco's "super limited edition" new album "Kingdom of Fear" from Katja, a Ptr t shirt, Polka dot gloves and a dress from Janine, a beautiful hand-embroidered tote bag from amazin' Andrea (click it! she just uploaded a huge stash of photos from SXSW 2007! Architecture in Helsinki, Ra Ra Riot, Simple Kid, Peter Bjorn and John und mehr!).

[Shit Disco in Magnet March 18th, if Joel has recovered from his illness by then!]

PURPLE CRUSH played here last night. Oh my.

Purple Crush - Running Up That Hill

I've been searching high and low for that track all week, and finally struck gold today at Chazology, which was a most excellent find.

The first band of the night was Trash Fashion. They are from London and have excellent London accents and do some kind of glam rock, indie rave, bedroom-rappin' thing that is pretty hot and funny.

New Young Pony Club were also in the line-up last night. BUT THEY WERE ONLY DJING!!! The last time they were supposed to play in Berlin they cancelled.

The free ice-pops sorta made up for it though. Yeh, free ice-pops!

This week should be nice.

>>>>> The Rakes + the Bishops in Lido, Teusday May 2nd.

Everything is Worth a Kiss

hey pals, this weather is CLASS.

Are you coming out to get your pop on at Magnet on Friday night? Simian Mobile Disco (who have come a long way from "we are your friends") are playing a special Melt Festival night with Trash Money and Para One.

Saturday night i'm djing at KIM (Brunnenstr.10) from ELEVEN TIL ONE.

You can't touch this. The glitz, the glamour.

1 2 3 4

The photos from the 1st Expect Excellence party are up!


MAJOR BUMMER. I forgot SURKIN was playing in Berlin tonight!

SHAKES Sunday 22nd @ Magnet
the HORRORS Tuesday 24th @ Magnet

Poopsy Club is tonight (Saturday) at WestGermany.

Watch out for me at KIM (BrunnenStr.10) next Saturday (28th) doing a little dj set from 11 0'clock. There will be a special exhibition on there from 5PM and also other djs throughout the day & night.

Did you have a look at that flyer? If you're in London, that will be a pretty good night. POWERS are setting sail for foreign shores to play their first show outside of Berlin. Performance sound like they are gonna be very interesting live. Check out their myspace player for a killer track, "The Ending".

Feist is taking Grizzly Bear on tour with her! Oh, just imagine.

BOO!

Je Revois la Ville en Fête et en Délire

I didn't realise that landing a job would be so exciting. But, it is! I haven't been this excited since I was 12 years old and at Irish college for the first time. Seriously. This guy Philip, with an undercut and a Sepultura t-shirt thought I was 16 so asked me to "shift him on the way home". Henceforth we were inseparable. I grilled him about obscure* indie bands and he said "no" alot.

" do you know Gene?"
"no"
" do you know Pulp?"
"no"
"do you know Elastica?"
"no"
"do you know.."
"frustrated-what-have-i-let-myself-in-for-sigh".

but i was just so excited, i didnt know what to do! my first boyfriend! wittering about music is a great fallback. i just hope i don't arrive into the office next Tuesday badgering my new co-workers about bands.

*obscure in the 12 year old girls from Ireland set anyway. rih?

It's basically a platform for crafty people to sell their fancy goods. I have a had a great year working un/underpaid internships for Planningtorock and City Slang, but despite the tremendous fun, I didn't have much bread on the table. And now I got a really nice job. I'm so excited!

British Music Week is coming up soon!

April 10-30 in venues across Berlin.

Pencil me in for Lady Sovereign at 103 Club on Sat 21st April; Shakes on 22nd April in Magnet [with the Magdelenas and Olympus Mons] and the Horrors on 24th April [with the Voom Blooms].

Not really part of BMW, but noteworthy nonetheless Shit Disco are coming back to make your disco blood boil. May 18 we shall be having a reactor party at Magnet. Watch out cos I know Kung Fu, OK?

Their latest video is very good:



Last night at Eel Pie was most excellent. Katja Hentschel graced us with her presence, and her big ass camera. I'm setting up a new website dedicated to the Expect Excellence party. Katja's snaps coming soon.

Don'tcha. No You Don't.

"What are you doing up so late?"

"Looking for a Pussycat Dolls mp3".

"Er."

"The "I don't need a man" song."

"THAT SONG IS FUCKING AWFUL!"

"IT'S NOT FUCKING AWFUL! ...Granted, the lyrics are rubbish. But the beat and melodies and saxophone bits are great."

"That saxophone is coming from a button on a keyboard."

"That's why it's so good."

"Right."

"Xiu Xiu did a cover of that other song they had, "Dont'cha"."

"Right."

"Oh my god. If you go look on the hype machine you can hear "Don'tcha" and "Let's Dance" by David Bowiew in a mash-up. IT'S SO GOOD!!!"

"Wha- I'm going to bed."

Expect Excellence this Friday 6th April at Eel Pie

It's a photography showcase (and also a party) featuring documentation of SXSW 2007 by Drea Augustin; photography and video footage of Au Revoir Simone, Dandi Wind, Peter Bjorn and John, the Presets, Simple Kid, Architecture in Helsinki and much, much more.

I will be djing// Doors at 10pm // Adm FREE!//

..and now all the halves wander the world over seeking one another.

This guy wants to be my boyfriend on myspace.

i won't be able to afford to go to any of these shows, but a girl can wish.

APRIL HOLY SHIT!!!!!!

4th the Shins Postbahnhof

8th Camera Obscura Lido

9th Joan as Policewoman Volksbuhne

9th Cocorosie Postbahnhof

12th Cansei de ser Sexy Maria

13th April the Presets Maria

14th April Akron Family Festsaal Kreuzberg

15th Deerhoof + the Blow Festsaal Kreuzberg

25th Joanna Newsom Volksbuhne

This week I missed Nina Hynes and Manowar..I'm just finishing up "the unbearable lightness of being". Now that I'm nearing the end, I only read a couple of pages at a time. I really, really don't want it to be over. It's reassuring to think of all the other books of his I have yet to read.

This Wednesday I am djing at Magnet. I'm on first, 10.30pm til midnight.

Do You Miss Home?

MP3 of Love

You Are Gold And Silva-a-a

1,000 Different Versions of Yourself

i'm djing this Saturday in Dr Pong..which is 17th March, aka St. Patrick's Day. I would kind of avoid taking part in anything if I was in Ireland...Traiterous words from one whose sister is working on the St Patrick's Day Festival in Dublin..But I'm in Berlin! Yay.

So watch out for Shamrock shaped cut-outs tacked to the wall and maybe probably some boozy green concoction to get punch drunk on. Come dancing ; )

St Patrick's Day Hop @ Dr Pong, Sat 17th March Eberswalder Str. 21

watch out!

The Shins at the Postbahnhof April 4 2007
Deerhoof plus the Blow, Festsaal Kreuzberg 15 April 2007

Careless in Our Summer Clothes

there hasn't been a song for a while that made me do AIR GUITAR.

but this "hang me out to dry" by the cold war kids..you know the bit i mean. it's not even a big mad crazy solo. but this hot, echoey bassline and guitar riff. duuuuude. and the clearcut drum beats and the yelling. this week was not cool, so i made a Friday mix to make it all better, including this. i could have just put this song 10 times in a row! Hot damn! i am really regretting missing them when they played with CYHSY recently. there's a couple of videos for this song, i prefer this one:



SXSW - junior senior are gonna be doing a LIVE RENDITION, YO of this song with J.D from le Tigre at their showcase. Dammmmn. Drea I hope you get to this!

Junior Senior Plus J.D Samson

Saturday, March 17 1:00 a.m.
Exodus (302 E 6th St)

You Always Come to the Party

1 o' my friends is going to SXSW. Lucky!!!!! Here is my reco'mmendations:

1. GIRL TALK

"Pure Magic"

Sat 17 1AM at Elysium
(705 Red River Street)

2. BEACH HOUSE



Friday March 16th 1am at The Tap Room at Six
(117 W 4th Street)

3. BISHOP ALLEN

"Queen of the Rummage Sale" mp3.

Thursday, March 15 10:30 p.m.
Mohawk Patio (912 Red River St)

4. PETER, BJORN AND JOHN




Friday, March 16 9:00 p.m.
Austin Convention Center (500 E Cesar Chavez St)

(also listed as Wednesday, March 14 12:30 a.m.
La Zona Rosa, 612 W 4th St)

5. AWESOME COOL DUDES



"move something / like you just hit the groove button / on the Casio / i aint gotta prove nothin'"

PLEASE GO TO THE MYSPACE AND LISTEN TO "CLAP CLAP"

Saturday, March 17 9:00 p.m.
Karma Lounge (119 W 8th St)

6. SIMPLE KID



Wednesday, March 14 8:00 p.m.
Copa (217 Congress Ave)

He's irish, get him drunk.

7. MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND

Friday, March 16 10:00 p.m.
Antone's (213 W 5th St)

8. THE PRESETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Thursday, March 15 1:00 a.m.
Beauty Bar Patio (617 E 7th St)

9. SHIT DISCO

Thursday, March 15 12:15 a.m.
Beauty Bar Patio (617 E 7th St)

10. CHAMILLIONAIRE

Tuesday March 13th
Carver Museum Backporch
The Recording Academy at 6:30 p.m.
(1165 Angelina St)

11. DANDI WIND



Saturday, March 17 9:00 p.m.
Beauty Bar (617 E 7th St)

Honourable mentions - bloc party, blonde redhead, the bravery, cody chestnutt, datarock!!!, au revoir simone, cold war kids, my latest novel, oh no! oh my!, the rapture, ron sexsmith,

young hearts

this one time, au revoir simone and we are scientists were on tour together, MAKIN' VIDEOS:



The Au Revoir ladies packed out Bastard tonight. AND played "Young Turks" for the encore.

JE VEUX TE VOIR

i'm djing tomorrow night with some other djs aswell. it's a new place, so lots to check out. is the beer cheap? do they have cool toilets? will that cute barman be working? hm.

i went to see Regina Spektor at Lido last Friday night. she was amazing. she had a golden chair to hit with a drumstick when she wanted some beats. i love the contrast of her dripping-with-diamonds voice and the funny noises she makes, like the puking on "Magic Box" when she sings the line about gulping the soapy water.

THIS WEEKEND OMG:

Saturday night: Au Revoir Simone in Bastard, and later on, BONDE DE ROLE IN RIO!!!!!

She's Not Allowed to Europe

Well that was a pretty great week.

Had a work dinner on Tuesday night to celebrate a visit from the kids from 'merica, Jai-Alai Savant and the Album Leaf. (They came over to perform at the Intro Intime this week.) I had the spicy pizza, and the chocolate mousse for desert (both were melt-in-yr-mouth amazing. You'll never finish a mousse di cioccolato at Il Due Forni). Several beers, plates of food, seat exchanges and slang-from-Philly lessons from Major Taylor later it was all over, and i know how to use "jawn" in the right context.

The Broken Hearts Club affair was a memorable one on Valentine's night thanks to Autonervous.

Thursday evening I went (for my first time in a year and half spent in Berlin) to an irish pub, with my irish friend to have some "irish" food and merriment. I almost even bought crisps. We wanted to have a "real pint", ended up having three with our dinner and desert, and also stealing a book (I love Mary Wesley!).

Later that evening, the Hospitals played a great show in the Festsaal keller, thanks the Hospitals. People went crazy. Even a chick in killer heels and a fifties prom dress.

Friday I just caught the beginning of Leslie and the Lys playing at the Wice party in the Scala. SHE IS AMAZING!

Peaches and Planningtorock were out and behaving like a pair of mischievious kids.



I couldn't stay long because i was djing at Stella Bar. Which was a little quiet, but fun anyway. They have a fun programme of stuff going on, which includes "russian night" every Thursday. Food, drink, performances, film directors, screenings, djs. Everything russian you can think of!

Ooh, here is a russian-related story from that night too: My friend Max came out to Stella, and brought some new music he's been working on. One CD from his Achtung Liebe Automat project had "She's Not Allowed to Europe" on it. It's a song about a friend of our friend (who is a really nice and lovely girl, but just had a bit of passport trouble once.) There was a night spent in jail and she's ended up being not really allowed to travel to Europe. And so is stuck in Russia. It sounds like it's the hit song from a cult eighties movie about a girl with a moustache who leaves a trail of destruction and broken hearts in her wake as she travels across the capital cities of the european continent.

Wow, i just noticed Leslie's red-eye in my photo there is actually one-red-eye-one-gold-eye, totally matching her outfit! Geez Leslie, you just can't get any better.

http://www.myspace.com/djmajortaylor
http://www.myspace.com/thejaialaisavant (don't even try and resist "Scarlett Johannsen Why Don't You Love Me?")
http://www.myspace.com/autonervous
http://www.myspace.com/hospitals
http://www.myspace.com/achtungliebeautomat ("Not Allowed To Europe")
http://www.myspace.com/stellabar

http://www.myspace.com/eel_pie

i guess the fun really started last Saturday night when I jumped around a room of scrunched up newspaper at Eel Pie.

Check that place out, it's new. A Bar with the stunning attraction of a room full of scrunched up newspaper which you are totally allowed to jump around in.

oh, lots!

woah!

(click to enlarge)

tonight:

broken hearts club at ballhaus, mitte:


tomorrow night:

Earsugar 7" singles release party at Bastard:




friday night:

i'm djing for the first time at Stella Bar. It's a best sweater party!



(i just found out that Leslie and the Lys are playing on Friday night at the Vice party. That is kind of funny seeing as i made my dj night at Stella a "best sweater" party...!)


People in England, do you want to have the best time ever? Look what Shit Disco just said:

We're looking for someone to let us play in their living room on the following dates:

28 Feb LONDON
4 Mar GLASGOW
5 Mar LEEDS
7 Mar BRISTOL
8 Mar PORTSMOUTH
9 Mar COVENTRY
10 Mar MIDDLESBOROUGH

We'll bring the soundsystem, lights & smoke machine.
You just let the people through your door.

Ask your flatmates, it will get messy.
Then send us a message & we'll arrange the particulars.

X
SHITDISCO

Yes!

(the only kind that i relate to)

I can't get last thursday night out of my head. I made myself and Robbeh some cheese sandwiches and we headed over to Porchester Hall in the early evening. Robbeh is a pro at queueing, i believe it's standard procedure in Britain, especially for gigs. i was going to avoid the waiting around bit, but then i thought it would be funner to do the queue thing and go with Robbeh, than not go and then probably get lost trying to find my way to Porchester Hall by myself and miss Arcade Fire.

We get there and our queueing presence fucks with the bouncer's head. (Though, since it's Porchester Hall, and he was really nice, let's say he was the doorman.) He couldn't quite grasp the idea that we'd come a couple of hours early, and told us to go away to the pub for a while and come back. But we were determinded to hang about. So we did. Richard Reed Perry wandered by, and asked "how's life?" He is smiling beautifically, and it's hard not to smile beautifically back. Life is good when in possession of a ticket to an Arcade Fire show that's on later Richard! I give dirty looks to two fat middle aged men who look like touts. (Later i see them up the front bopping around and enjoying themselves tremendously. Could it be?)

The doorman felt a bit sorry for us, and when the waiting crowd grew to a respectably troublesome size, he made arrangements for us to be let inside to wait in a warm and cosy room. How nice is that, seriously. Robbeh's friend Sarah arrived with CHIPS, which might have been a bit much what with the cheese sandwiches we'd already had, but waiting around for Arcade Fire is a very energy-expending exercise. Yes. While we were sitting on the floor in that room we heard the thrums and yodels of the soundcheck. We weren't just sitting there, we were also guarding the doorman's lunch, and keeping stupid americans away from the chairs. Don't ask. Ok do, it's a funny story and involves the line "oh, are you the boss of the chairs?!!?!!?" or something. It's nearly time for the doors to open, and so many people are in the room now that it's very hard to discern any kind of line. Our man Pete was on hand to get everyone in order. "I hate when things aren't organised properly!" Pete said. People congratulated Pete's line ordering skills, and soon after the doors OPEN!

i tried really hard not to run up the stairs like mad and dash into the hall, like a greedy kid running after...running cake. but i totally did. i even ran by the free badges. (oh well, i got better ones at work last week!) so, up the front we are. people are trying to squish themselves anywhere to get in the very front row. Wow. It's an incredible spot. Because the crowd is so well behaved, and noone bashes into me, it's like i'm standing there gobsmacked by Arcade Fire all by myself, but i'm not the only one of course. Win says how nice it is to have a few days to spend in London. That he hated it before, but doesn't anymore. The set list goes to shit because of the heckling from the audience. If you are clever enough to have a ticket to see Arcade Fire, don't shout orders at them. Just let them play! Whatever they have decided on is going to be more magical than you can ever imagine anyway. Leave them alone!

For some reason I thought Win Butler was going to look a bit like Jack White. But he doesn't. He is Win Butler from his giant feet, to his braces and sweaty shirt and big brown eyes. And Regine is Peaches' long lost twin sister if ever I saw one. (Gem fingerless gloves?) Richard definitely brings the suspense element to the show. First of all, he picks the most difficult "picking up" instruments to play and you can only just about bear to look in those moments when he's running from double bass to accordian and he's throwing one instrument down and galloping over to the other one and HE JUST MAKES IT IN TIME. Always. And he even has time to do a little jig, or sing and laugh at the same time aswell. Heck.

So! Bloody hell I can't wait til they come and play in Berlin in March.

Jesus Christ Don't Keep It Hid

God i had the best week ever.

- nearly, but didn't miss my flight to London on Wednesday.

- spent way too much money in Fopp (can only be a good thing, really. Especially when it all went on books. Especially in Fopp. Swoon, thud.)

- spent way too much money in record shops across Lahhhndaahhn tahn. (And definitely could have spent more.) I've come home with a rather fancy bundle of stuff. Colour-dy vinyl 7 inch singles (and also plain sexy black) from the Boyfriends, the Noisettes, Archie Bronson Outfit, Vive Voce, the Organ and Klaxons (Golden Skans might just be the best song of this decade. Shame about the video..) The best part was when I thought I was buying some second hand albums (3 for five quid) BUT actually they had brand new copies. (Pat Benatar, Joe Jackson, Modern English).

- getting stepped on by Win Butler. If you're up the front at an Arcade Fire gig, do not look down. because that is probably the second that the big boot is gonna come down on you. Ow, but OH!OH!OH! most amazing gig ever, needless to say. See you there in March when they play in Berlin. Maybe not so up the front.

-chelsea buns at Borough market. YUM!

- Fish and chips at Toffs in Muswell Hill. (This Fish & Chips establishment has been decreed one of the best by Badly Drawn Boy. he is having a gig there at some stage very soon i believe.) (It really is the best.)

- Bulmers from a can in the queue at the Scala for Cansei de Ser Sexy. Yes, queueing can be fun, when queueing with friendly germans, bezzie mates and have can of cider in hand.

- Shopping for dickie bows at Episode in Camden

I had a look on Flickr for photographs from the night I saw Arcade Fire play at Porchester hall - some of the photos up there are amazing. Please go have a look. Search "arcade fire porchester" or "css scala london" you'll see. Go look!

Oh, Win Butler is very witty. People kept shouting song requests from the crowd. (Which i only found mildly entertaing cos of the funny London accents). But it obviously irked the 'Fire front man, though he charmingly laughed it off with a girlfriend/boyfriend analogy. Because shouting song requests is like telling your girlfriend she looks fat in that dress. He forgot the lyrics to "Powers Out" (which did not make him look fat) but didn't give up and just sort of hung his head and said "it's been a while". That moment actually was probably one of th emost mind blowing. He jumped into this crowd, (with the help of my shoulder) and kept on playing, with people hugging him and patting him on the back and trying to hump his leg etc. He sort of curled up into a ball and suddenly the pounding intro to "Rebellion (Lies)" was happening, and it was a bit too much.

And today, well maybe i'm going splits on a drum kit with my friend. Yesssss I probably could have used the money from this trip to put towards it, but i wouldn't change anything about the past few days.

Robbie took some amazing photographs from the night.

k-i-s-s-i-n-g

Hey look at this! RUBY MAGAZINE. Woah. I got some badges at work this week. One is a sort of fat square, with a neon bible on it, and the other is the name of the band, in typewriter letters. I'm afraid to wear either of em. I'm also afraid of listening to the album. But late on a Sunday evening is kind of perfect. I drank too many beers at the Vice party last night. They were pretty lucky that DATAROCK were there to liven things up with some chest-hair sleaze pop. No cherry beer or nothin.

New Young Pony Club were supposed to play here on Saturday but they big fat didn't show up. The venue was this big huge concrete structure that used to be an electrical plant. It's the new Tresor venue, practically identical to Berghain, except the lights were on really bright, there were ice sculptures and flames coming out of the walls, and a mini basketball court. But no NYPC.

If you like dancing to hot chip, the gossip, planningtorock and kate bush, and feeling a bit sad that all the hot boys dancing around you are gay, then NBI on a Wednesday night is just for you! It's the Berlin Hilton night & this past Wednesday Hanayo played. Yeh, she nearly fell through the wall.

This is kind of funny:



Datarock - Computer Camp Love

ps - here is what i wrote the first time i saw Datarock, last May. This weekend they played in Berlin twice.