Guess What?

Marina and the Diamonds will actually be releasing "I Am Not a Robot" after all!

It comes out on 11th June says Marina :)

Metric - Manchester Academy 3, Monday 11th May '09

OK, I did my usual stupid thing of knowing about a gig for aaaages yet failing to buy tickets before they sold out!

I did manage to procure some last minute thank fuck! (Thanks Laura! :) )

I saw Metric in 2007 I think last, and I was fairly into them then. That was a good gig, quite intimate and nice.

But Monday's was fucking awesome!!!

After playing 'Fantasies' (the new album) pretty much constantly for the past few weeks I was incredibly excited to see them perform the new stuff live (aswell as the old stuff) :)

They played:

Twilight Galaxy (I thought it was odd to start with this...but it really worked as they built it up so much towards the end with strobes - felt like we were in some fucking warehouse rave of the future!)

Help I'm Alive (The powerful first track of the new album had everyone thumping their chests! The acoustic version on the album is gorgeous!)

Satellite Mind (...heard you fuck through the wall....=lovely)

Handshakes (From 'Live It Out' - this was fucking awesome. Loud and frantic. I love 'buy this car to drive to work, drive to work to pay for this car!' - even though I walk to work I still totalllllly get this. :P )

Sick Muse (I love this song. One of my favourites on 'Fantasies'.)

Gold Guns Girls (This too was great!)

Gimme Sympathy (See below...........:) )

Collect Call (This song is gorgeous and it really showed off Emily's vocal talents! :) )

Empty (Obviously one of the best tracks from 'Live It Out' - this was cool loud and live! Her head must have fucking hurt after thrashing it about so much - wish I had a video!)

Front Row (Another goooood song from the new album.)

Dead Disco ("Tits out, pants down, overnight to London" - hell yes!)

Stadium Love (My ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE track from the new album! In which they have imagined some post apocalyptic Noah's ark type scenario where every living thing is pitted against one another to battle it out! Get the album and get this one LOUD! :) )

Then, for the encore...

Monster Hospital (Best track of 'Live It Out' - hence the crowd went wild! Fucking loved it!)

Live It Out (A nice gorgeous end to an amazing night!)

I'm glad it was Academy 3! By far my favourite Manchester gig venue. Where else can a 6 foot 3 guy prop himself up at a bar for a constant supply of beer and cider whilst still having a flawless up close view of the stage???!!!

Emily Haines was fucking awesome! Like a cross between Peachs and Karen O! 

I used to be a PRO at getting backstage, especially in Academy 2 and 3 gigs. I'm sad to say that I've LOST MY TALENT! Some bitch told us "The band won't speak to ANYONE after the gig"...I said, "Not even you? Please just ask them to sign my ticket stub!". "They won't even speak to me!"

That's probably because the woman was a stupid bitch.

Meeting Emily Haines ended up being a little bit of a letdown for a new friend I met at the gig, but I guess she was nackered and deserving of a rest! :)

OK - Now for a crude admission, I do think it's necessary though.

You know when you're at a gig, and you've had a few beers/whatever....and you really need a piss? But you daren't go in fear of missing a beloved song?

Well the latest album is so good that I struggled to go and relieve myself for much of the gig. Eventually I settled for pissing during "Gimme Sympathy" - because it does piss me off a little bit....I dunno it just seems to have some weird patronising overtone or something.

So yeah, the gig was THAT GOOD that I nearly pissed my pants. 

Awesome Video

Check out this awesome video of a conveyor belt deely in a Sushi restaurant in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan.

I love it when it heads into the kitchen! :)

SOUNDS

I've been too lazy to type more than the odd word to someone on facebook chat recently.

So I'll just ramble a little about last Sunday (3rd May)!

Last Sunday the 3rd of May was Sounds from the Other City! An awesome little music festival in Salford. Lots of local pubs took part, The Mark Addy, The Rovers Returns, The Kings Arms etc. as well as a few of the churches.

Rather than describe the day and the lineup and shit I'd rather just mention the amazing day I had with my friends!

To be honest the lineup is so good and rammed you'd literally have to spend 15 mins or less at some of the shows as they always clash like fuck.

Our day started at 3pm, rather than head to the festival (which started at 3) we had a few cheap pints in Sinclairs first to say goodbye to our dear friend Constantine who is heading off to be in the army!!!

By the time we got to the festival we were pretty tipsy, and it was only 4:30pm.

****Highlights****

Tom Attah in The Salford Arms

We sat in here with some ale whilst he sang. His voice was hypnotic and I'd definitely pay to see him again! Check him out! :)

The Invisible in The Rovers Return

We'd listened to these guys before we the flat and were very excited about catching them! I'd describe them as a more upbeat, funkier (if I can use that word in 2009) version of TV on the Radio. You HAVE to check them out. I'll be keeping my ear out for them, hopefully they'll be playing somewhere nearby soon!

Marina and the Diamonds at Sacred Trinity Church

This was the gig I was most looking forward to, so we headed there in time to sit right at the front! The setting could not have been more perfect. Her voice was amazing and filled the little church (ok, I guess it was amplified through HUGE speakers, haha). 

Check out 'I am not a Robot' - it's my favourite song.

She told me afterwards that she wants to release it as a single, but her record label would prefer something else! I think it's ace though, do you? :)

***Better quality non iPhone pictures coming soon when I can be arsed to upload***

Cava under the bridge next to the Lowry Hotel

OK, so this wasn't on the agenda really, but whatever. We needed a break from the crowds so headed to the shop for a very nice bottle of expensive but reduced by half to £6 gorgeous Cava...and a bottle of Vodka (which we stirred into our cheaper-than-Beer-pints-of-coke).

We sipped it by the river under the bridge....TRAMP STYLE.     :)

All in all it was a fucking ace weekend!