A Single Man

Amazing film. Too tired to blog properly now but will tomorrow. Want to put this quote up though, its the last lines of the film. 


" A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be. "


X

My Trip to Milan

On thursday I went to an airport on my own for the first time, In the past I've been surrounded by family or a big group of people to follow so I was kinda scared, but it was a breeze. The amount of advertising at airports is extreme, there will be a massive terminal building with a 100 foot long "Emporio Armarni' sign across the top of it. Is that really necessary? Constantly along the process of getting a flight you are constantly being sold things, every spare second you are given the opportunity to shop. You have already payed for your flight, its like products within products within products until you eventually get out into the real world again. The flight back was better cos I had a window seat, I listened to Delphic while we flew over the Alps. The world looks so much more beautiful from the sky even if it made me feel really significant it also made me almost desperate to land so I could be part of it again. Foals is also really good in-flight music, I think thats because its so melodic and futuristic kinda. As the clouds because denser and greyer I knew we must be nearly at London town where the sun was definitely not shining. But anyway back to the beginning of the trip again:

Kasabian at Alcatraz, Milano 18 Feb 2010. 

The Alcatraz is a big-ish venue (tiny for stadium fillers Kasabian) near the centre of Milan. We got there at about 8pm which we didn't think was that early but it was pretty empty, except the happy hardcore clinging to the bar obviously. There was no support and a multiplying crowd eagerly gazed at the roadies as they wallow in their on-stage banter and guitar groping. Due to the early arrival I was pretty damn close to the band myself, I would have had to camp out all evening for this position at Glastonbury when I was saw them headline the Pyramid stage. (photo on the side panel of me blog). Anyway I felt a bit star struck because the cheeky grins were so clear I couldn't stop taking photos. I hope you like them. I do think though that sometimes if you are too close to the stage sometimes the vocals get a bit lost, that might be a completely false observation but still, the middle is best. The crowd was also a bit young, and a UK Kasabian crowd would have been a bit angrier and more abrasive which I welcome at a gig, who doesn't? The bad were so happy to be playing in Milan and they delivered a spot on set with tunes from all three albums, Club Foot and Where Did All the Love Go? probs being the best. I made an epic video of the silence and riff-kick-in of Fire, because it was the enchore and I was pretty certain they were going to play it first. LSF to finish, tune, epic times.  I consider this a very memorable musical evening for me. Maybe even in the same league as the homecoming Muse gig.

I found myself falling deeper and deeper in love fueled lust with this guitarist throughout the evening. Lovely voice, lovely everything else. Yes please. 

The Rest of the Trip.

I spent most of Friday sitting on the sofa watching Chuggington and Dora the Explorer in Italian with my two little cousins who I stayed with. I got so attached to this one Italian cartoon called Barabapapa, They are like these little blob dudes who can change into anything to help people out. Totally lovable. Check the link in at the bottom if you like kid's TV. I know its not just me who enjoys a bit of Charlie and Lola with their cereal in the morning. I also ate pasta and ragu, yum, and played a few games of Italy's answer to snakes and ladders. 

Saturday my aunty took me shopping in Milan in the morning. When marveling at the Dior handbags half of me wished I had a credit card and the other half was thankful from my gut that I didn't. I bought Italian Vogue from a metro stand because I could. It looks so much nicer, and you have an excuse to just gander at the pictures and make no attempt to read the editorial. Winner.

There lots of balloons, and children in fancy dress throwing confetti everywhere because it was carnival weekend, when Italian's celebrate the end of the winter. If ours ever actually ended maybe we could do the same.

Saturday night we went for drinks in the city and it was nothing like any 'drinks' I've ever been for in the UK. I would like to introduce to you, the Italian Happy Hour. Happy hour to me means cheap pints or £4 all in at pizza hut. But oh no, we went to two awesome bars and the deal is that you buy a (pretty overpriced but VERY strong) cocktail, pick up a plate and munch out on the buffet at your leisure. The first, smaller bar was all cous cous, ham bread crisps dip etc. The second had lots of little serving points spotted around the open plan bar, where you would wait to be served a selection of random food. I love little food and buffets. This was heaven for me pretty much.

Then Sunday I flew home which I've already chatted about. Highlight of the whole trip including Kasabian? My little cousin Matia telling his Mother he didn't want Abi to leave at the airport. Children are so pure and special. Couldn't live with any though!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgZzieE39p4

I might have to move my defualt biro heart to the new part of my hand as a tribute to the awesome Ellie Goulding. No idea what I'm chatting about? Follow the nifty link below to her video for 'Under the Sheets". She won the critic's choice award at the Brits which was lets face it the only one which holds any sort of acclaim. I did want Delphic to take it but there is no doubting that she is fab. First of many for her I reckonsssss. Other Brit highlights for me were, The Spice Girls winning best memorable performance, the ultimate doss of nostalgia. The fact that Florence's voice sounds even more stunning live, and JLS Marvin in a suite. Don't get me started on the Gaga situation. X

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Navl4fYI-Zk

One Born Every Minute.

I think there is a time in every student's week that they feel the need to watch a Channel 4 documentary in their PJS. I just naively chose the new reality tv style docu-drama 'One Born Every Minute' which is made up purely of footage from cameras placed around a hectic maternity ward. The program was pretty much what I expected it to be. By myself though I was totally surprised. I found myself bursting into tears at random moments, and this freaked me out because that kind of emotional reaction could lead to me actually wanting to engage in the horrific activity that men have called labour, later in life. Blooming heck.

But that aside I found it pretty amazing to be honest. Whoever is responsible for capturing some of that footage (the less graphic parts) should be so proud. I found myself particularly attached to the younger Mum to be. As the intense venerability drew me closer and closer to the edge of my seat I was comforted by her witty sarcasm and the nurses which remained cool as a cucumber throughout the entire ordeal. She was eventually told that due to the problem her baby had when developing she needed to give birth to him by cesarian section which left her completely petrified, and I was right there with her. She was told it would take 10 minutes to get the baby out, and I imagined that the only thing more terrifying than giving birth must be the thought of leaving it up to a group of complete strangers while you lie there with numb legs. When the midwife (or doctor I'm not sure but they were important) announced that the baby was out, the concerned Mum (we can call her that now) waited anxiously for the sound of her child crying. The look of complete shock, amazement, pride and relief as soon as the little treasure started wailing was magic, and whoever captured that must be a proud little media monkey.

I really can't believe how attached I got to everyone involved in such a short space of time.
I just know I'm going to hear my 'I hate everything' TV lecturer make a subtle dig at this in a lecture and I'll be glad that I appreciated it. I'm also glad for broadband and 4od. And contraception.

The Record Fair.

I'm pretty silly with money sometimes. 

I bought this Sigur Ross calendar because I thought it was pretty stunning.

I later wondered why I had bought a calendar which is pretty clearly for 2009.

But alas, I have it, adding to the clutter of my uni room. 

All the images are fractured, topical and are yet beautifully separate from reality. Which is pretty much how I feel about their music. So yeah you could stay I'm glad I still bought it. Its pretty inspiring. 

I also bought the best of The Smiths on CD and it has a pretty creepy looking dude on the front cover, and a promo album of a band called This City cos they got well good reviews in Rock Sound. Haven't bothered to actually listen to it more than once though. Too addicted to Bombay Bicycle Club and The Smiths at present. I saw three albums which have covers that are being made into stamps. Primal Scream is the nicest. 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' shouldn't be there I hate that picture its so pretentious. 

Anyway, record fairs forever!

XXX

Bristol Temple Meads: 4th Feb 2010 From 5pm till about 6pm.

Waiting outside a train station for an hour waiting for your sister to pick you up after herwork that makes her important lets her out late, is boring. When I have to wait somewhere like this, surrounded by people but completely on your own I make friends. I make friends with everyone around me but completely in my head. I do this by imagining what I would buy them if I had to spend a grand on them. This could be the result of a radio one quiz which lets face it I must have sucked at to get this prize. But forget about the technicalities because its quite a fun game. If I see a really snobby looking middle aged couple with children I might think "a week in centre parks", or an interestingly hot geekish guy I might go for a retro hi fi system or something. A chic working girl would get a rail of the hottest vintage dresses that Park st could give you. Sometimes my head gets clogged up with sarcastic comments like "a haircut". Or when the Frank Carter wannabe on the next bench along who keeps gawking at me spits on the ground in front of him all I want is a £1 to get him a second hand copy of a Jane Austin novel. Emma or Mansfield Park. That might sort him out.


I love things that are, at the time, scary or intimidating, but in hindsight are pretty interesting.
Mary Poppins would be proud of me.