Freedom From The Mundane » live music

Fun, Fun, Fun

colingalbraith — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:57:24 +0000

Image: Pink Sherbet Photography

Busy, but miraculously short day at the office.

I met my wife for lunch. She collected me in the car and we took some sandwiches to a nice wee spot next to the Royal Botanical Gardens. While we were tucking into our chicken mayo ciabattas, we noticed a cameraman and a lady behind the car. It was Liz Monaghan from STV, the very same reporter who interviewed me coming out of the Sean Connery gig at the Edinburgh Book Festival a couple of years ago.

Excitement over and it was back to work. The afternoon slow and drizzly, I was tired from such an early start thanks to the extra work I had to do related to the call out the previous day.

The evening went as planned. I coated the four walls and ceiling of Gail’s new photographic studio then headed home for dinner about half past nine. It’s coming on well and it’s quite exciting to see the place develop into my wife’s dream.

Today is all about fun, fun, fun. I’m heading through to Glasgow later to spend the afternoon with my sister, grab a few bevvies then head into the Barrowlands to see Supergrass play. It’s their farewell tour so it promises to be outstanding. They’re a great band.

Until tomorrow—peace out!

The World’s Best Wedgie

colingalbraith — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:03:52 +0000

Image: NRK

We had our department Christmas lunch at Time 4 Thai on Castle Street in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon. I must have walked passed this restaurant a million times and never noticed it, but after a great meal I can imagine being back sometime soon.

As far as Thai food goes I’m not an expert. I know I enjoy green and red curries but that’s about as far as it goes. I’m no connoisseur, which is why that’s what I had for my Christmas meal yesterday. There were around 25 of us packed into two large tables for the meal and a small river of booze, and the atmosphere very cheerful throughout. The service and food was excellent and things took another delightful turn when our Dept. Manager settled the entire bill!

From there we made our way to the Queen’s Arms pub on Frederick Street. Highlights of the night were discussions about Status Quo and groupies, a world record attempt at hugging the most people in an hour, and one of my colleagues pulling his breeks out of his jeans and over his shoulders while still wearing them—the world’s biggest self-induced wedgie! It really was one of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed.

A few hours of beer and some more shenanigans later, and I was back home tired, a little drunk, but not in too bad fettle. Aware that I would be back in work today I went to bed after something to eat and that was my day.

Today I will take things as they come. I intend to do my day’s work, try and make an impact on my GDR for this month, put the finishing touches to the belated Ranfurly Review, and pack my bag and look forward to what will be a weekend to remember.

Tomorrow I’m going to see St. Mirren in the afternoon, Depeche Mode in the evening, and on Sunday the Nutty Boys are back in town. There might be an awesome story to tell you about that day, something that cannot be revealed just yet, but if it comes off will make the day one of the best.

No Commitments

colingalbraith — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:44:19 +0000

Image: Life of Red

I could make a promise that I intend to start blogging daily again, but that would be not so much a lie as rather a promise I would be unable to keep. Such are the way of things at the moment I am simply unable to commit time to writing a blog let alone write, and so I can only promise to make the attempt and thus try to get back into some form of routine, as far as this particular medium goes.

Life these past few weeks has been heavy. Writing is not something I’ve been able to indulge myself in, and in fact, my only literary activity has been reading, but only when the time allows. Other life priorities have taken over most of my time, and of the sort that leave me in the state of mind where writing fiction is just an impossibility.

I have been able to break free and allow myself periods of time to myself, but where I have these have really revolved around seeing friends and extended family.

I was at my sister’s last week; we went to see Shed Seven at the O2 Academy in Glasgow. I spent the night in the mosh pit taking out a lot of the anger that has built up in myself these past few weeks. It felt good and I really needed the release it allowed me.

This weekend I’ll be back through West. I’m going to see St Mirren play on Saturday followed by a Depeche Mode gig on the Saturday, then on Sunday my favourite band ever are coming to town—Madness—at the Academy. A small oasis in the desert of life’s crap.

As I write this there doesn’t seem a way back into my writing life; I know it’s there, I just can’t find it. There is not enough clarity nor a source inside my head. It’ll come—I have faith— and by writing this blog I’m actively trying to find it again. I aim to be back writing in some form for Christmas but I can’t be bound by it. There are too many other important things to handle at the moment. Simple as that. One must try, though, if only to preserve my own sanity,

I wish I could expand on things but I can’t. Just put it all down to one of life’s things that has to be dealt with above all others. If there is a God up there, though, he doesn’t half have a sick sense of humour.

An Early Christmas Miracle

colingalbraith — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:39:10 +0000

Image: Business Pundit

If I ever wanted the perfectly worse day to follow a Specials gig, Friday achieved it. Instead of being able to skulk away and work quietly on my own work, thereby giving me time to get over my aches, pains and significant hangover, I had to get involved in some major shit. It was simply THE worst kind of day to have after the day/night before, but I got through it, albeit painfully.

The gig itself was awesome. Not as emotionally churning as the first gig in April (well, it was the first time I’d ever had the privilege in 27 years) but it allowed me to appreciate the gig more from a more respectable distance. Instead of spending the night in the mosh pit as I did at the April gig, I kept a slight distance and had all my mates and family around making it a really great occasion. Live, The Specials really do take some beating, and I was delighted the Corn X managed to get their act together with the acoustics for a change.

Yesterday was very relaxing – just the way I wanted it. I got up at a reasonable time and eased into the day, did some reading, made some coffee, bought a paper and put the rabbit out back for the day.

I’ve had the line: “Cleanout the fish tank” on my To Do list for a long time. I’m talking nearly a year and I’ve never gotten round to it. No rush either, because it was in such a state of decay – you can’t even see inside the tank for all the algae and dark water – it was something I would rather do when I had the stomach for it. Yesterday was that day.

The pump, heater and lights had been turned off long ago, so when I lifted the lid and peered in I boaked at the stench. The plants that once existed had turned to slush, and those that lay on the top had grown into clumps of mould. As the water level dropped over the months it had left a sticky, green slime hardened to the inside of the glass, and the water – and what lay underneath it – simply reeked of poison.

I started hauling out the equipment and spent a while giving it a thorough clean. Then the ornaments came out, including the dead plants. I placed the driftwood and lava rocks into a pan and left them to boil for the best part of the day. Unable to use the siphon to get the water out due its turgid thickness, I resorted to a deep ladle to transfer the gunk into a bucket. Eventually I got down to about 1cm of black water and couldn’t get any more out due to the gravel, so I began shoving it all to one side in order to deepen the water at one end. As I did so I saw a fish – a Red Tailed Black Shark no less – lying dead on top of the gravel at the far end.

I wasn’t unsurprised to find something dead in the tank but – bones are common place when you get under the gravel from fish of old – but this one still had all of its colours. I figured it must have been preserved somehow, so I went to get a bag to wrap and bin it. I reached in to retrieve it and the damn thing only started flipping about! It was still alive – very much alive in fact – and so I had to act fast to save it.

Instead of being able to empty the tank fully to give it a deep clean, I now had to change my plan and get it filled up with treated water and cleaned at the same time – and fast if I was to save the fish. It took time, but eventually I got there bucket by bucket, and now it swims graciously on its own in an empty tank – but it has survived the ordeal. As my father said, it deserves the V.C. for having survived so long in an unheated, unaerated and unlit tank. With no food it must have been surviving on the algae itself in the pitch dark, and it had lived like this for the bet part of a year.

I’m off to get some new equipment and décor for the tank today, and then in the next couple of weeks, some new friends for the little soldier. Later on, we’ll see what happens.

Nothing Much

colingalbraith — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:48:11 +0000

Image: John Haslam

Not got much to say to today; it would only be adding to yesterday’s statement. I received some more sad news during the day making it hard to concentrate on things, when all I wanted to do was help someone in pain. I love you—you know who you are.

Autumn’s not begun the way I wanted and I don’t have that feeling of renewal yet. The day job has rocked my routine slightly and with my manager on holiday things are pretty hectic at the moment. It’s enjoyable work, though, but hard to concentrate with all that’s been going on around me.

I’m aware this post sounds pretty depressing so I’ll pick up the tone and post a couple of cheery items. First, here’s the full gig listing for this year’s Madness Chrimbo Tour. Then, a wee video from the past…

December
01 – Bournemouth Intl Centre Tickets
02 – Brighton Centre Tickets
04 – Plymouth Pavilions (SOLD OUT)
05 – Southend Cliffs Pavilion (Matinee Show)
05 – Southend Cliffs Pavilion (SOLD OUT)
07 – Swindon Oasis
08 – Leeds O2 Academy
09 – Sheffield O2 Academy
10 – Birmingham O2 Academy
12 – Newcastle O2 Academy (Matinee Show)
12 – Newcastle O2 Academy (SOLD OUT)
13 – Glasgow O2 Academy (SOLD OUT)
15 – Manchester Apollo
18 – London O2 Arena
28 – Dublin The O2
29 – Belfast Odyssey Arena
31 – Edinburgh Hogmanay

Macaroni Day

colingalbraith — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:23:39 +0000

Image: noellium

Pretty tired this morning. Not from being up extraordinarily late last night but from a very early start this morning. There’s a lot happening today ranging from training courses to writing and a fair bit of website work, so I wanted to get a head start on everything.

I’ve just wolfed down a roll with egg and black pudding in it along with a strong coffee, so I’m feeling pretty damn good for now.

Speaking of food, I found myself in the canteen for lunch again yesterday, and it was worth it because it was the infamous, glorious and infinitesimally orgasmic Cheese Macaroni Day. I had a big plate with a pile of chips on the side for good measure. Stuffed I was—stuffed!

I almost finished writing PAINT last night, a short story initially intended for a cover design competition, except I’m not quite sure how to end it. I have, for the first time ever, a final line that I want to use, I’m just not sure how to get there and I went to bed last night feeling confused and trying to visualise the best ending. Oh, the trials!

I’ve taken on a new roll in my capacity as Assistant Editor at The Scruffy Dog Review and am now the “website bloke”. I’ve been in discussions with the Editor-in-Chief and we came to the decision that we should use my website skills to free up more of her time to do more actual editorial tasks as opposed to website maintenance.

The magazine has gone through a tough time lately and I feel like this change could breathe new life into it. A re-launch was discussed and communications will be sent out to the other editors today about the change. One of the first things I’m going to look at is a revamp of the site to make it more web friendly and modern.

The gig listings for this week have been pretty poor, though if I get the chance I might pop up to the Citrus Club tonight to see punk band The Vibrators and get a review in for Sunday’s NotW online edition. Also might pop along for The Black Seeds gig at the Picture House next week, which would make it through in time to be a contender for next week’s print edition.

My old man phoned from outside a pub on Tottenham Court Road in the evening. He had just discovered Hairspray has cross-dressing in it and wanted to let me know how happy he was to have been stitched up again. “It’ll do you good,” I told him with a loud guffaw. Sounds like they are both having a great time in Landahn Tahn, though.

Remember I mentioned the guy from Leith who works for the Scottish Parliament and submitted some poetry to the Ranfurly Review after reading my interview in The Leither Magazine while lunching in far flung Beju? It turns out he got he can’t spell and what he really meant was Bijou, the small coffee shop at the bottom of Restalrig Road! Oh, well!

Theoretical Reviews

colingalbraith — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:48:45 +0000

Image: Lorne Thomson

I don’t know about you but yesterday seemed to drag. It was ages before the morning was out of the way, and then when the sun came out for the afternoon it only made things worse.

With the overall temperature dropping across Scotland, the heaters in work have been changed to come on in the afternoon. So there we all were with a blazing hot sun outside and all the radiators on inside.

While on my lunch I ran through the gig listings for Edinburgh and found one ideal as a possible for NotW. I ran it by my editor; “we’ll always make room for ‘em,” he said. Cushty, thought I, and my evening on press duty was arranged.

I gave THE GREEN BRIDGE a final polish over with the remainder of my lunch break. It didn’t need much at all as I’d already caught most things. Then off it went, submitted into the competition it was intended for. It’s a much better story now and I’m quite chuffed with it, so fingers crossed.

I headed home after work and after eating the remaining Marzetti in the fridge from the previous night, I got ready to head out to see Theoretical Girl. I called Sneaky Pete’s in advance so didn’t have to be there until 9pm.

I’ve got the whole getting to gigs at Sneaky Pete’s then back home down to a ‘T’ now. I leave the house get the 8pm bus to the bottom of Easter Road. There, I jump on a 35 that takes me up over London Road and onto the High Street. I get off half way up and walk down to the Cowgate, and a short walk later I’m in the club.

Because it’s small or unsigned bands that generally play there I can usually get back up to the High Street for the 9:51pm bus back to Leith. If I’m lucky I can jump a connector, otherwise I’ll be back in my home for just after ten, make a quick cup of tea, get the article written and post it all before 11pm. Lovely!

When I phoned in advance the bloke told me that the support act for Theoretical Girl had cancelled, so when I arrived the club was desolate but for the club staff and the band. I bought a whisky and floated about inside and outside—it was a nice night—and at 9pm she came on stage.

Obviously for the proper review you’ll have to buy this Sunday’s News of the World (hopefully—it’s a funny business) and the Man in the East, but I have to say that I was very impressed. Hers is a talent more should see and hear, and I fully expect to hear more from her in the future.

The audience wasn’t up to much, though. I counted 16 people including myself, of which 3 were the bar and door staff, and 3 were the band. In other words, 10 people showed up; a small group of students who popped in for a drink, one old man who bounced about embarrassingly in his rock t-shirt and leather waistcoat, a group of middle aged women who looked oddly in place, and me.

Good gig, though, and when I got home just after 10pm I kicked into the article, most of which was tipping out of my head having been metally written an hour before. Some bands are impossibly hard to write about, but last night’s was so easy I had it down and polished within 45 minutes.

Before I go here’s some free publicity for the buys. This won’t be on the television for another couple of weeks, but you’ll like it—trust me.

Articles and Interviews

colingalbraith — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:02:17 +0000

Image: Alex Barth

Check out my review of this week’s Ray LaMontagne gig in today’s News of the World A-Listed music supplement, or online here.

Also, one of the interviews I did last week has been published. Check it out over at A Biblio Paradise, where my great pal Devon Ellington asks me some very interesting questions!

It took slightly longer than I intended to clean the house yesterday. I got a bit carried away wanting to have the place looking ship shape for Gail returning on Monday, that I got right into it and did more than I probably needed. House looks great, though, even if I say so myself. By the time I finished it was after 4pm, but with the rest of the afternoon and evening all to myself I still had plenty of time to get lost in the prose.

With the rest of my time I got some great work done on BACCARA BURNING. Bringing the characters to Edinburgh has opened up so many possibilities there are maybe too many options open to me. A bad thing? Probably not, but I can’t possibly have them all happen—can I?

Just before nine o’clock I had to logon to the company network but couldn’t get access through the network. The implementation I was to work on had quite a high business priority, and with me having to do the work from home, and therefore unable to go to the office, I started to panic. When I eventually got logged in I checked the project sheet and realised I was an hour early. Relief doesn’t begin to cover it!

After a LOT of problems—as there always is with this type of implementation—the work was finally done by 2am. Half way through it I realised I hadn’t eaten so took advantage of Domino’s any size pizza for £9.99 offer. As I said yesterday, it’s a bachelor’s writing life!

Right now I’m about to shower and dress then head round to get my copy of today’s NotW for my clippings. Then it’s back to the keyboard.

Poshing It Up At The Usher Hall

colingalbraith — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:28:30 +0000

Image: Pure Music

I struggled to get out of bed yesterday and was late for work by a few minutes as a result. I hate being late, but I think the lengthy shifts I’ve been putting in has started catching up with me. I could do with a couple of days off mid-week just to redress the balance, but that isn’t going to happen soon. Not until The Specials gig anyway.

I left the day job early and grabbed an hour’s kip when I got home. It was just as well because I needed all the energy I could muster for the night ahead. I was a guest at the Ray LaMontagne gig at the Usher Hall, a singer/songwriter I knew/know very little about other than what is on his Wikipedia page.

I met up with a friend and he introduced me to some of other pals—LaMontagne fans to a person; all very posh—and we had a few drinks in the Shakespeare bar before going in. Not the best pub in Edinburgh but at least they’ve learned how to pour a Guinness since the last time I was there.

The last time I was in the Usher Hall was before the refit. If memory serves me, it was for an Oasis gig back in May 2004, which was a fantastic night. Now, the hall has seats again in the stalls and a fresher feel about theplace, but other than that I couldn’t see any real difference. Might just be me, though I’m glad to see it back up and running properly. It would have been criminal if the building had fallen out of use.

The audience for this particular gig was a mixture of old and young, but veering high on the financially well-to-do scale. With it being and Edinburgh all-seated gig, it was with no surprise I noted just how dressed up some people had got for it; wedding attire the norm all round. And me in my jeans and Harrington—now that’s class !

LaMontagne I found to be an odd character. Dressed in pinstripe trousers and waistcoat, he sang his songs and played the guitar, occasionally getting out his “moothie”, but it was his voice I found most interesting.

It would be unfair to say his voice is simply unique, and it would be entirely fair to say it is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. To put it another way, I struggle to find the right words way to describe it. Creamy and soft; vanilla with mustard; but melodic hoarse would be the closest I can come to giving it justice.

His sound is pleasant and his songs deep and thoughtful, his manner quiet and unassuming. It crossed my mind at one point that he must be really infected with the performing bug if someone like him can actually get up on a stage in front of so many, and with only a microphone and delicate pluck of an acoustic guitar, breath and taste every word of every song.

I’ll admit it wasn’t my usual kind of gig. First of all, it must have only been the fourth time I’ve every sat at a concert in my life—and stayed seated—Semisonic, Jean Michel Jarre and Australian Pink Floyd being the others.

There were no songs that got my feet tapping, and nothing much to account for on stage in the way of movement; the songs doing the entertaining as opposed to the entertainer himself. To put it bluntly, other than one or two songs I quite liked, it was hard for me to really get into it. He loves what he does, but he didn’t draw me in like he could have.

Back in the bar afterwards I got the chance to talk more with a couple of my mate’s friends who were there; one an ex-English teacher, and the other a 1979 art degree graduate with a passion for stained glass designing. Both lovely ladies, we discussed books, art and writing, and it all ended a very pleasant evening indeed.

I would have loved to have stayed longer and talked more but alas, time was called and I headed home for some much needed scran.

Mitchell, Webb and Galbraith

colingalbraith — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:41:24 +0000

Image: The Sun

Did anyone else choke on their cornflakes yesterday morning when BBC News announced that the Taliban have called for a human rights investigation into a recent air strike in Afghanistan? HUMAN RIGHTS—THE TALIBAN—there’s two phrases you wouldn’t normally connect on any level of human decency or respect.

Quite a day yesterday; I have hit a major high in the writing stakes. Despite coming home from work to find two rejections—well, one of them from a magazine that has now sadly folded, but at least the editor took the time to read my work and say he had enjoyed it nevertheless—it was a most accomplished day.

I got a lot finished in the day job, and back at home I worked on the interview, the spine-tingler story, and a little more on BACCARA BURNING. The short story is now almost complete; wish I could say the same for BACCARA but it’s getting there.

I heard about a live webcast by taking place at 7pm by Mitchell and Webb, so I logged on. David Mitchell, who also writes for The Observer, is running a campaign to save said paper as it is being threatened with closure despite not being in any financial or sales figure-related trouble. Half way through the webcast I typed into the little box: “COLIN GALBRAITH SAYS SAVE THE OBSERVER!!!”

Webb read it aloud as it passed over their monitor and turned his nose up at it. “What the fuck’s he on about? Save The Observer?” To which Mitchell jumped in and backed me up, initiating a debate about why the paper in question should in fact be saved.

I like to do my bit.

Later on, I moved onto some technical issues. One of my web clients needs a client login facility, where her wedding customers can login to their own individual section of the website and view their own personal wedding photographs and place orders. Without actually buying a solution, this is complicated stuff.

It took me a while—I’ve been working on this for a few weeks actually, to find a way of doing it that fits the bill—but last night I finally made the breakthrough. It meant learning up on PHP coding, but last night I delivered the client login, and it comes complete with a spiffing new gallery layout. I’m very pleased with it.

I struggled to get out of bed and into work toady, but I’ve got a few things on that should shake me out of it. As well as my usual writing requirements, I found out late last night I’m on the guest list for tonight’s Ray LaMontagne gig at the Usher Hall. Not sure what to expect, but from the small amount of research I’ve done this morning, he lives on a farm in Maine, has released three albums, and is only two months older then me.

Bolt The Doors

colingalbraith — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:02:59 +0000

Image: edinburghguide.com

I had to skip yesterday’s blog post purely because of work pressures—day job and external. None of it you would have found interesting and I was too busy/tired to write the damn thing up anyway.

It’s good to be busy, though, and it’s the kind of work I am really enjoying—day job and external. No complaints other than I wish there were more hours in the day, and I wish I could make the switch from day to external easier so I could last longer through it. But hey, I’m in a privileged position at the moment and loving it!

I went to The Bluetones gig at the Picture House last night, albeit I was late getting there. I had been called out earlier in the evening by work (it’s my week—sod’s law) and if it weren’t for Gail running me up I would have missed half the gig. As it was I only missed a couple of songs and got to see most of their set.

The gig—part of The Edge Festival as well as the band’s Expecting To Fly Tour—saw them play their 1996 album of the same name from start to finish, as well as other singles and B-sides from that era and some new stuff. It was an interesting concept, and seemed to go down with their fans, though I had expected the venue to be busier than it actually was.

What was noticeable was that after they had played their inaugural and most successful album, people started filtering away. Mark Morriss, lead singer, even said: “I’m gonna lock the doors while we do this stuff.” Hmmmm.

Anyway, a review was written up for my pals down at NotW, which hopefully will take its place in Sunday’s paper.

Today is the day I’m “scheduled” to make a break through with BACCARA BURNING, with a plot twist idea that came to me as I was standing at the gig last night. Ideas really do come at the strangest times.

Much like The Bluetones, I’m hoping to find the time I need to lock the doors and get stuck into some major writing time. August is always difficult, which is why I had wanted BACCARA BURNING to be finished by now, but what can one do other than roll with the punches?

Today is also Friday, which means there is but ONE day to go until the Edinburgh International Book Festival begins, and with it, the annual recharge of my motivational batteries. I cannot wait. In fact, come to think of it, it’s going to be one heck of a weekend!!

Getting Suited Up

colingalbraith — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:43:51 +0000

Image: designersuits.org.uk

On Sunday I’ll have been married to Gail for six years. Six very long years if you were to ask her, so with that in mind, I’m taking her out to a very posh and sophisticated restaurant for dinner. It’s the kind of place where one has to make a little bit more of an effort when it comes to deciding what to wear. I am, of course, referring to The Witchery.

And so today at lunchtime I did something I’ve not done in a very, very long while: I bought myself a new suit. Before the end of the week I’ll get a new pair of shoes and probably chuck a couple of new shirts in as well. Why am I doing this? Well—why not?

It felt good standing in a suit again while trying it on in Slaters Menswear. I pulled out a few for inspection and the old geyser serving me helped whittle them down to three good options. I eventually plumped for a single breasted, hand-stitched Baumler, which wasn’t the cheapest option, but it looks terrific. In fact, it’s so good I will be very annoyed if I were to get red wine on it.

I’ll collect it on Saturday morning after alterations have been made to the legs, probably after I’ve been to see Edinburgh crime author, Kate Atkinson. I’ve been a fan of Kate’s since One Good Turn, a book that inspired me because it was set in Edinburgh and wasn’t written by Rankin. I don’t mean that in a bad way, what I mean is it proved to me more than one crime writer could exist in Edinburgh, which gave me hope.

Last night I popped along to Sneaky Pete’s on the Cowgate to see a band. The bass player is a writer pal of mine from the group I used to go to, so I used the opportunity to get in a potential review for NotW as well as catching up with him. He’s doing well, with London agent interested in his work and a speaking spot at the Book Festival on the 28th, so I said I’d try and get along to support him.

Sneaky Pete’s has to be one of the smallest venues I’ve ever been to for a gig. You walk in the door and you’re at the bar; ten yards further into the 12 foot wide room, and you find the stage with a sign above it saying: “do not stand too close to the stage unless you want your eardrums burst.”

So the band (Vertis) were quite good. They need a bit of polishing and stage presence but their music wasn’t half bad. One of their songs in particular, Without You, is a superb track: catchy, memorable, and has a great guitar riff in it.

Until tomorrow, peace and out.

4 Days To Go

colingalbraith — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:49:24 +0000

Image: Cougars

I’m still reeling over Twitter. The whole thing has left me feeling sick to my stomach, so I’m letting Twitter go for a while. I’ll maybe go back to it some point in the future if I can be assured it won’t happen again. Despite it being an online attack it’s still dented my confidence a bit; maybe I rely too heavily on the Internet on promotion—roll on next week’s old fashioned approach to marketing!

I had a very productive session at the day job yesterday, and also managed to do some work on BACCARA BURNING. Most of my evening was spent with the family, which included a lovely plate of cannelloni for dinner. Yum!

Today I can feel things beginning to hot up as I move towards the launch of the Book Festival this Saturday, in only four days time. August is always my busiest time of the year, and 2009 is proving to be no different, for as well as Book Festival business, I am covering gigs for News of the World.

Tonight, although I’ve not finally decided, I may go along to me ex-writing group. On checking my email this morning, I saw that the guy who runs the group is playing in his band as part of The Edge Festival. I may go along to that with a view to writing a review.

I’ve also got a gig to cover on Thursday—The Bluetones at the Picture House, and then on the 25th, Ian Broudie at Cabaret Voltaire. Should all be good gigs and if they get through will be some good bylines for me in the newspaper.

Dontcha just love August?

Before I leave you for today, I want to tell you about Madness fan, Tim Andrews, who is to take part in the Antony Gormley project, One & Other, this Saturday (15th August), when he will take his place on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, from 6pm till 7pm.

Tim (58) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2005, but despite being afraid of heights, he intends to stand on the Fourth Plinth for the full hour while playing tracks from the new album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate by one of his favourite bands, MADNESS. Tim has chosen the album because the lyrics recount various stories about the city of his birth, London, which he adores.

Tim, who hopes that many will come along, show their support and perhaps dance with him, says: “Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s has enabled me to view life and death from a completely different perspective and I feel liberated as a consequence. Standing on the Fourth Plinth represents this feeling. If I can raise awareness of Parkinson’s at the same time, that’s even better.”

If you are not in London on Saturday, you can still show your support by helping Tim raise vital funds for the PDS. Please visit www.justgiving.com/Tim-Andrews-oneandother.

Great Gig, Shame About The Indian Food

Colin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 09:42:16 +0000

Image: BBC Online

I spent a long day in the office yesterday—really long. Same hours as normal but the final drag up to 5pm seemed to go on forever. I was just so tired from the night before I felt exhausted at the thought of going out. But I did and I’m glad I did.

I met my sister, Binny, to go and see The Stranglers. They were playing at the Picture House as part of the newly fangled Edge Festival (previously known as ‘T on the Fringe’.

Before hand we went for an Indian meal at 9 Cellars Indian restaurant. It’s situated on the corner of York Place, right next to The Stand comedy club, and having walked passed it may times I’d often wanted to have a meal there. Having now been, I wished I hadn’t.

The staff were friendly and attentive and the prices reasonable. But it was the food that let the experience down. It was quite simply very poor cooking. The main course was where it all fell down; too much sauce, not enough herbs or spices, bland flavours, and not enough meat to feed a chicken. I won’t be returning.

After the meal we walked through St Andrews Square and along George Street, passing the ever growing resurrection of the Book Festival. There are now several white tents and walkways laid out, and a big sign displaying “8 Days To Go”. How exciting.

We popped into Shakespeare’s for a drink—warm beer; always nice—then into the venue. I never gave The Stranglers credit for having such a passionate following, nor for having such an impressive backlog of punk rock songs. They played all their most popular hits within the first half hour and it worried me at the time, needlessly as it turned out.

Being sober at a gig can often be a tricky predicament, but I have to say The Stranglers were a superb live act. They played with confidence, precision, and a delightful twinge of arrogance, which is really something when you consider their drummer, Joe Black, is 71 years old!!!

I walked my sister to the train station, and was then after waiting at the bus stop back to Leith, was delighted to see my bus soar passed me, the driver gazing blankly at me as me and several other people were left stranded in the west end of Edinburgh. Too tired to even complain about it, I jumped into a taxi and forked out the cash to get home.

I battered together my review of the gig before I went to bed, then this morning, polished it up and sent it off. My normal editor is on holiday so hopefully it will get through in time for publication on line tomorrow.

Right now, I’m off up town! I need new shoes for work, a quiet coffee, and have a couple of other small errands to do. Later on, reading and writing.