| Standgericht gig and other London fun and games |
[17 Nov 2009|06:05pm] |
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mood |
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 tired |
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music |
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Cult Of Luna - "Somewhere Along The Highway" |
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So Friday I went down to London, to Purley, south of Croydon, to stay with Snowwy and Keith and prepare for the Standgericht gig. We did five or six runs through the set and it all went pretty well and put us in a good mood for the next day. (Unfortunately, the many hours needed to be sure of success meant we couldn't make it to the new oldschool EBM night, Endurance, far to the north in Hoxton).
Saturday we got up at a reasonable time and got things packed and ready without any trouble. The weather was terrifying and we were afraid it would affect the gig badly, but things seemed to be brightening up slightly when we left the house about 1:30pm. Then we had an epic two and a half hour journey up to Camden, slowed down by surprisingly heavy traffic, two bridges over the Thames being closed and then a couple of wrong turns. We got things into the venue ok and our short soundcheck was quite fine, then the gig started up about ten or fifteen minutes after the stated time of 6pm.
Photos of the gig.
( when you go over two paragraphs you have to use a cut tag )
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| the weekend was quite good |
[09 Nov 2009|05:47pm] |
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mood |
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full of sickly sweets |
] |
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music |
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Katatonia - "Tonight's Decision" |
] |
My friend Ely came up from London for the purposes of visiting the famous Morrissey Smiths Disco. Nobody else has done so before so she gets a hundred points. After getting her from the train we met Lloyd and ditched my car at his work, then it was a couple of pints in the Lass O'Gowrie and one in the Bull's Head opposite Piccadilly, before onward to the Star and Garter. The Morrissey disco was good fun as always: maybe not as busy as usual and I heard quite a few tunes I didn't recognise, but of course it's always good to hear a night full of songs by the best singer ever. Odd how I never bump into anybody I know in there; need to meet more Morrissey fans in Manchester. Then we went back to Lloyd's house in Heaton Chapel to stay the night.
( Northern things and dubstep club )
Yesterday was some Kim By The Sea breakfast and chat with Chris and Nicki and then I took Ely to Castlefield to admire the canals and industrial architecture for a quick half hour before her train. Then it was home time.
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| some things I did in the last few days |
[28 Oct 2009|03:32pm] |
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mood |
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better than yesterday |
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music |
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Loss - "I Kill Everything" |
] |
I did some things. On Friday I climbed up Darwen moor, which, as the name suggests, is near Darwen, which is between Bolton and Blackburn, not far from where I live. It was a good walk and on the top there is a Victorian space rocket tower, which was open so I climbed up it. I like moors. I am very Northern.
Friday and Saturday nights I stayed in, although I did have a cinema invite the latter of the two, but passed on that due to other option falling through at a late time.
( Sunday and Tuesday )
Oh yes, and at the gig Gareth Barbarians invited me to do a Now Wash Your Hands set at his Halloween party this coming Saturday, so that should be exciting fun!
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| The final thrilling installment of my exciting North America trip |
[19 Sep 2009|08:52pm] |
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mood |
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quite ok |
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music |
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Front 242 - "Moments" |
] |
So finally I went to the capital of the USA, Washington DC. This involved taking the Chinatown bus, which is very cheap and often for a good reason. I'd heard about breakdowns and buses going missing, but was still surprised when, fifteen minutes after the bus should have turned up, this woman who'd been on a phone told us we had to get on a random passing minibus, which took us through the Lincoln tunnel to Union City, New Jersey, where we had to wait another half hour for our proper bus to collect us. Apparently it was quicker than waiting in the original location on 8th Ave, midtown Manhattan, and she turned out to be the bus company ticket lady. After that it was ok; bus was quite empty and as usual overly air conditioned, but the roads in New Jersey were shockingly bumpy.
( I didn't think it would take me so many paragraphs to finish this! )
In summary, I had a really good time and if the worst things which happen are getting your jacket stolen and missing out on staying with two of your main friends you were visiting, then it must be quite good all round. The big surprise was how unsurprising it all was: with so many American films and TV shows, plus UK travel programmes and documentaries focusing on North America so often, it all looks very familiar. There were many small surprises, the biggest and most pleasing of which was the easy availability of really good beer (from my beer books I thought you'd have to go to special pubs). Americans should stop whining about how expensive Britain is, especially if they've only been to London; I did not find things especially cheap there, only a bit lower than UK, and the annoying habits of adding tax on the stated price and expecting tips all over the show knocks costs up (also museums are expensive). I don't think my opinions of the US changed much; maybe I respect Americans more now, but anything I slagged them off about before as a group are things that the individuals I met there would also criticise. I liked San Francisco and Montréal best as expected, enjoyed New York but really need more time, was a little disappointed with Vancouver, and found LA maybe slightly less irritating than I thought and had a very good start to my trip there. The end.
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| I am home but still must write about New York |
[18 Sep 2009|09:39pm] |
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mood |
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quite glad to be home, for now |
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music |
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15 Degrees Below Zero - "New Travel" |
] |
So then I took the slowest bumpiest train ride ever to get from Montreal to New York. The scenery through the Adirondack mountains and down the Hudson river was very pleasing to the eye and I did manage to sleep plenty, so the eleven hours passed quite well (the border police asked me a lot of difficult questions but let me in eventually).
So the problem was that Polina and Dan could not have me to stay as their cat was dying, so they fixed me up with their friend Anna, who lives in Queens, which is a lot nearer to the action than Princeton, New Jersey. I was very glad of the substitute accommodation, but disappointed not to be with Polina and Dan, especially when I phoned and Polina said they probably wouldn't be able to see me at all. With that unhappy change of circumstances I decided to stay just four nights rather than the six originally planned and then head to Washington DC for my final two nights, to stay with George and Kate who invited me when we were together in Montréal, and to visit monuments and free museums. So anyway, I met Anna and her flatmate John and they were very nice, although the short sofa I had to sleep on was a bit difficult.
( I'll probably have to go to New York again one day )
Next DC and then finished!
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| Canadia part two |
[11 Sep 2009|11:48am] |
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mood |
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not very good |
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music |
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silence |
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Hello kind readers, here comes part five of my epic journey. I arrived in New York last night and that part of the trip has gone quite wrong and I want to go home, but more on that subject later.
Before that, Montreal was pretty great.
( France in North America )
New York woes next time, but hopefully I'll get some good touristing in and then off to DC to see George and Kate again and go to loads of free museums (they are all expensive everywhere else in North America).
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| the first half of my trip to Canada |
[06 Sep 2009|08:07pm] |
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mood |
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tired and sweaty |
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music |
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Rome- "Confessions d'Un Voleur des Ames" |
] |
I guess not many people are reading these posts, but one day in the future I might. Arrived in Montreal after a long day of travelling and I'm quite knackered and feel my mood slipping once more. After internets I will go for a wander to find food and then maybe drink ale in bed and read a bit. Maybe talk to hostel room mates if they appear, as that is where I am sleeping for my first night here. (Next three night's at Yann's house, but he's doing a gig in Ottawa tonight).
( in Vancouver the dead walk the streets! )
The end. Montreal starts now!
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| here are the things I have done in Seattle |
[31 Aug 2009|11:42pm] |
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mood |
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drunk and sleepy |
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music |
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Stafraenn Hakon - "I Astandi Rjupunnar" |
] |
Here I am in Seattle. Tomorrow I leave for Vancouver and my first experience of Canadia. We had massive burritos at five o' clock but now I'm hungry again and I'm awake alone and don't know if there is anything I can eat.
( in the Northwest of the USA they brew very good beer )
I am mostly having very good times but I start to feel depressed at times, maybe because I am getting tired from too much excitement; but various things make me think about how much I miss Emma, worries about trying to find a job and also about how I'm rubbish at music and will probably never achieve anything in that area. Shit, fuck and wank! Oh well, still three more cities and two weeks to go, more adventures to be enjoyed before I have to face up to the realities of my rubbish life! Thanks for reading, you set of massive bastards!
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| the second exciting installment of my epic North American trip |
[29 Aug 2009|02:36pm] |
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mood |
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quite fine thanks |
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music |
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S.P.O.C.K - "Five Year Mission" |
] |
Hello. I am in Seattle. Before that I was in San Francisco, so here are the details of my adventures.
I ended up having to take the feared Greyhound bus up from Los Angeles and it was to take seven and a half hours on a hot day. Luckily it went better than expected, with sufficient legroom and plenty of air conditioning and a non-stinking, extra room taking up young woman sitting next to me. I listened to music, read and slept in the first half, with some view admiring of the mountains north of LA at first but then it became a tedious flat plain of endless farmland. After the break in the middle I got chatting to the girl next to me, a student heading back to Berkeley after summer holidays and she was interesting and pleasant, so the journey passed alright. Coming over the long Bay Bridge from Oakland was impressive, with the skyscrapers of downtown San Francisco emerging from the fog. The walk up to the hostel was striking, having chosen one in a bad part of town and finding Ellis Street to have the largest concentration of really insane looking homeless people I have ever seen.
( San Francisco is a good city )
more later!
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| first few days of big North America trip |
[24 Aug 2009|12:29pm] |
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mood |
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 rushed |
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music |
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Morrissey - "Years Of Refusal" |
] |
I'm on a dodgy youth hostel computer in San Francisco running out of credit so let's see what I can do in fifteen minutes.
The big flight on Wednesday was quite fine; good telly with Flight of the Conchords (it was Air New Zealand) and Billy Connelly going about northern Canada and free beer kept happening. Merrick and Rich picked me up at LAX and then it was a short drive to their flat in El Segundo. We went to an interesting liquor store for American ale and then veggie food, then quiet night in. ( Los Angeles is a silly place )Credit running out, more later.
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| So I went to London to raise my morale |
[05 Aug 2009|05:07pm] |
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mood |
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morale raised |
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music |
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Einstürzende Neubauten - "Zeichnungen Des Patienten O.T." |
] |
On Thursday afternoon I went to London and stayed with Oli at Caledonian Road. After some time chatting and watching him thoroughly vacuum his spare room for moths we headed out to Angel, where we met Caz and Ely for a couple of drinks at the Camden Head. We then got the bus up Holloway Road to visit Elin and Will at home, where we enjoyed some more drinks until Will went to bed and we had to leave. Then there was just Elin, Oli and myself, and I reluctantly agreed to one drink in overrated Wild West theme pub Big Red, where we heard rubbish rock music and were accosted by choppers. After that we found that nowhere else was open, so gave up for the night and back at Oli's we watched a Kraken DVD on his projector while listening to Now Wash Your Hands and having a final drink for the night.
( Epic story here with arts, Reeperbahn, Field Day, Dead and Buried etc... )
Sunday afternoon was fun, apart from slow bus ride to Euston and being worried about pack of marauding Rangers supporters. We assembled myself, Oli, Adri, Kate, Rich, Simona and her French friend Valerie at the Bree Louise fine ale emporium and did some good drinking. At 16:53 I arrived at my train with two minutes to go, but the door shut in my face and would not re-open, even though the train sat there for two minutes until its proper leaving time! I was very cross but calmed down and went back to the pub for more much needed ale. Finally aimed for an 19:55 train, this time bringing my friends for support, only that was cancelled, but I managed to get on a 20:15 train. This was delayed by a fatality in the West Midlands so I arrived in Manchester after 11pm and was dismayed to find there were no trains to Bolton. Luckily I got hold of Chris Tofu and he put me up for the night; end of weekend. Photos here if you somehow read this far but didn't try the link at the top.
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| Now Wash Your Hands |
[17 Jul 2009|06:30pm] |
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mood |
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quite pleased |
] |
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music |
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Zeigenbockkopf - "Nocturnal Submissions" |
] |
I have finished my Now Wash Your Hands demo, entitled "Clean Noise For Dirty People", and I'm rather pleased with it.
You can hear most of the tracks on MySpazz (assuming it's worked properly).
Now I need to get some gigs and develop a highly entertaining live show.
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| things to do when you have a lot of time on your hands |
[14 Jun 2009|03:18pm] |
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mood |
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not too bad |
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music |
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New Order - "Brotherhood" |
] |
My first proper week as an unemployed was ok, although I did go into my old Runcorn work twice to get things finished off which I didn't manage when I was disabled. (I'm not fully better yet, knee still feels uncomfortable). I didn't get a call back from the job centre about getting free money but I did find a great job to apply for at Edinburgh University, working for a guy I sort of knew in my PhD days and starting in September.
So with lots of free time I've been doing plenty of music, although not really music but noise. When Grimbergen got dropped from Steinklang (and I still don't have a new label) I got so pissed off I decided it was time to do a noise project. Something to get my anger out, which wouldn't require as much time and effort and where there are more opportunities for gigs (even if it is in front of twenty people in a private cellar party). The project is called Now Wash Your Hands and I have been making some good progress.
I am so pleased that I now show you my MySpazz page and demand you add me (if you like noise that is) and wait patiently and eagerly for me to upload some tracks. Should be within a month I reckon.
In other news, I'm going to this later this afternoon and this next week. The week after that I have to get out my flat and go and live with my parents, which isn't going to be great. Also, I'm doing a month without alcohol, because May was way too heavy and did involve personal injury. It's going ok.
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| WGT photos |
[08 Jun 2009|10:51pm] |
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mood |
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starting to decline |
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music |
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Morrissey - "Southpaw Grammar" |
] |
In case you're not on Facesmash and want to see my amusing and well chosen photos from the Wave Gotik Treffen festival last week.
Nice to have a free day today but this unemployment lark will get tiresome pretty soon.
Last few days in Prague were good and journey home on Friday fine, but after all of May's madness I have decided to stop drinking for a whole month as I was starting to feel like an old alky.
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| this should be Saturday onwards at WGT |
[04 Jun 2009|06:55am] |
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mood |
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should go outside soon |
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music |
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New Order - "Movement" |
] |
( Saturday, Sunday and Monday fast times )
Tuesday morning up and away all fine, although feeling completely knackered and thinking about quitting alcohol for a month. Got back to Prague with an hour's wait for Myc (my current host) to get home from work and was very lucky to bump into fellow Zizkov residents Sarka and Kayla, who chatted with me in a cafe for the required time. I then managed 12 hours' sleep Tuesday into yesterday and had a really lazy day. Party times tonight and then back home to Manchester tomorrow. Well done if you read all of this.
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| getting less crippled each day |
[19 May 2009|01:53pm] |
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mood |
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a bit grumpy |
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music |
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doom metal in my head |
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So my twisted knee improved slightly during last week. But then on Thursday I became more crippled with a minor operation to remove two lipomas (fat lumps) from my left forearm. This was a freakish procedure to watch and the wounds made it hard to operate my crutches. Was very traumatic Saturday peeling the dressings off and finding they were stuck to the scars with old blood. Got to get the stitches out on Thursday, not looking forward to that.
( fast cripple times at the weekend )
Sunday we had lunch at Kim By The Sea with Chris, Nicki and Yak (sic?), the first and last of which had done the big 10km race in Manchester that morning, so they were quite pleased with themselves. Then we watched some coverage of it at Chris's flat before Ville and Nicki headed off for an early evening train back to Leeds and York.
This is my last week of my job and somehow I'm not working so hard right now! Too many distractions. On Friday I'm going to see Morrissey, which I'm finally starting to get excited about (again). Then next Monday Prague and the following Thursday Leipzig, and I might even be without crutches by then, although they could be handy for getting me seats on trams and that.
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| short post on the weekend |
[28 Apr 2009|01:37pm] |
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mood |
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stress week not so stressy |
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music |
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doom metal in my head |
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The main thing I did at the weekend was on Friday night when I met my old friend Lloyd and took him to the restaurant where my dad is now working since selling up the family shoe shop business last year.
Bem Brasil, just off Deansgate, opened last week and is a rather large Brasilian meat feast eatathon. As a veg I had plenty of beans and taters and salads, but I was hoping the food would be a bit more exotic. Waiters came round with big pieces of meat on massive swords and carved pieces off, so after a while I found this a bit unpleasant, especially the red beef with blood coming out. Lloyd enjoyed it though. It was quite strange seeing my dad working as operations manager or whatever it is he does, wandering about talking to people and directing some of the waiters and that. He isn't supposed to be working the evenings but he seems to be enjoying it too much to go home on time. The place was very busy and all the punters seemed to be having a lovely time, so looks like it could be a rare success in these difficult times. So if you like loads of meat and want to enjoy Brasilian scran then get down to Bem Brasil on the double (there, advertising done)!
After Lloyd and I had a slightly unsuccessful run on beers that didn't taste very nice. Forcing down a Bailey's tasting vanilla porter in Font and feeling out of place and the oldest people there wasn't so much fun. We got a nice outdoor table at Sand Bar, which was good until it got too cold, and an alcoholic on crutches doing silly rap stuff came along, but when I gave him a quid for some booze his song about me and Lloyd was rubbish! That's about it.
I finally just heard from Max from Steinklang about the second Grimbergen album and he says he really likes it but won't release it as nobody's buying dark ambient and industrial anymore and all he can sell is neo-folk and martial stuff! Damnit!
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