Not getting bored of seeing the Wave Pictures and writing 'reviews' of them

The Wave Pictures - Relentless Garage, London, 30/10/09


The Wave Pictures are the backing band for the 'sweet tones' of Freschard (she said she was German but my friends were all sure she was French). Maybe the bar at the Relentless isn't the best place to judge her from. Maybe Stanley Brinks, who used to call himself 'André Herman Düne' but does so no longer, is not the perfect saxophonist to accompany her, either. But Maybe it's just the sound, or the relatively small size of the crowd thus far, or something. She could be really, really good.

The way Stanley Brinks commences is solo set gives you this, 'It's going to be really, really good' feel. He asks, "Do you watch television?", to no response. He tells us all, some of us a little bemused, that he does, sometimes, because he likes it. Then he plays his songs. My friends laugh. His songs are simple, and you might call them songs or ditties; he plays sans sax, and adopts a cigarette along with his guitar for a song which sees The Wave Pictures completing his little group, until it gets bigger, as Security are making a Big Deal out of his indoor cigarette-smoking. He finishes the song, gets told-off onstage by some woman and some Security man, declares that they've talked to him in the wrong way, says "Fuck you" to a sizable cheer and puts the cigarette out through the method of throwing it to the ground and stomping on it. His set ends with a sing-along to 'Things Ain't What They Used To Be', replete with the new refrain of "That's not how you talk to / Stanley Brinks / not how you talk to / Stanley Brinks". The band ends up with no Security man or woman (she walked off looking Angry), although Freschard is more than welcome in joining them.

Then, The Wave Pictures, finishing up some pan-European tour or other, headlining. Clearly having fun. Subdued behind Freschard, they start with 'Now you are Pregnant', sung by David Tattersall, singer and guitarist. And improvisational lyricist. The Wave Pictures tend to have this trick where Jonny 'Huddersfield' Helm sings this song, but he does not this time. Because sometimes indie rock bands will kind of have to say a gentle 'Fuck you' to the way they normally do things. The Wave Pictures have released a second album on Moshi Moshi and are doing singles from it and are about to tour with Daniel Johnston, and though a lot of the set tonight comprises of material from 'Instant Coffee Baby' (because you can shout along, and people do, to 'Strange Fruit for David''s "A sculpture is a sculpture, marmalade is marmalade - and a sculpture of marmalade is a sculpture, but it isn't marmalade", because this, and these songs, are brilliant), there's no 'Long Island' or anything.

There's 'Tiny Craters in the Sand', upon request. Perhaps telling of people's appreciation of 'the new stuff'? "I hope you like new songs", David does warn us. Or offer us. Or prime us. Or all of these. Jonny Helm, drummer, percussionist, etc., sings instead a song from David Tattersall's new solo record, although maybe it would've been better if David had sung his own song. Although maybe it wouldn't have.

New single 'Strawberry Cables' has been around for a while. A couple of years or so ago I first heard David Tattersall pine for "This is mine, it isn't anybody else's". But now the Wave Pictures are 'big' enough to go to see with friends, jazz friends, photography friends, whoever, and can be relied upon, and 'rock', and substitute into the song 'Kiss Me', in place of "John Lennon" in the line "I read your letter; it said 'I love John Lennon forever'", the phrase "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'", and they get laughs for it, and they are consistent, later on changing "...how much you love 'Sgt. Pepper'" for "how much you love (contemplative pause)... 'Thriller'!", and they make jokes work, have a 'presence', are cohesive, and are pretty much perfect tonight.

on the eve of my Oxford Entrance Exam
i am reading through the
testimonies of people at UCL
so that i can say
'on the eve of my failure in the Oxford Entrance Exam
i was thinking about going to UCL
anyway.'

Choclit Raisin fund

I will sell you everything in my room except for my bed and door and windows and curtains for $_____
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


an impotent glowstick and other drawer-dwellers;
goalkeeping gloves from the jam cup
never conceded
lately succeeded.
other apparatus: shoelaces times two;
one silver, good for football,
one black, good for charity.
more
things -
I think this is a dress.
you'd better be deserving of
a coat that used to belong to my uncle alun,
and i've found that japanese electro album
to file next to the one by boredoms,
to sell, all for the sound
of a princely sum in sterling.
princes can pull off pinstripes
and attach them to jumping
trousers, made out of foxes,
which cost me £2
from a surplus store in worthing.
other combat trousers;
30/31,
jeans stretching through sizes
'skinny' to 'slimfit, 32'.
i'm not being extravagant,
i think.
i do not have a 'kitchen sink'
but i would sell that too,
swapping them all for
flowers from a prince,
aesthetic yearning,
or nearest offer.



Place yr bid.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Unloading stock in Sainsburys in Addiscombe

I just opened my window in what must be the first time in two weeks in celebration of two interviews, only one of which I lied to get. I'm arguably more stoked to have a chance to talk to UCL about the personal statement I ripped from their 'recommended reading list' (I have 3 weeks to read and understand an epic poem by 'John Gay' which I thought was 'alternative' to Chaucer, as well as 'Jude the Obscure' by Thomas Hardy which so far is lame and half of 'Crime and Punishment' which I am dragging out because it is ace and 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' which should be pretty easy and also a book by someone who loves Hackney called Iain Sinclair) than I am to have an interview with Sainsburys. I need to call them by 7 tonight, which means I need to form a diary so I can work out when I can go and tell Sainsburys why they should let me get up at 5am on Saturday to get a bus to Addiscombe and assist people who have issues with broccoli. Or whatever 'Customer Service Assistants' do. Regardless, this is going on my CV.

Having a job would probably be cool, although I think I'm managing to survive being 17 pretty fine without a source of income. My parents have lame jobs like 'full time church elder' and 'getting made redundant' and I couldn't get my act together to lie my way into some EMA money, so whenever I get invited to go to actual-London I constantly have to bum a £2 child travelcard, which normally means I have to shave my face.

I meant to shave my face so that I can go and see the Wave Pictures tomorrow night and so I don't have to get up before 5pm tomorrow, but for some reason I got held up because I was looking for microporous tape to mend the foot that somehow has become one massive blister since an unexpected and sweaty late-night game of uni-hoc yesterday. Less stoked about medical procedures.

Having to get a job at 17 is lame. I don't even especially need one right now. I have a friend who managed to lose my ipod and my huge, fun, super-big headphones and he still reckons he owes me about £60, which I'm not going to argue about, because that's £30 trips to London catered for, and maybe some tickets to 'Socialism 2009' or something.

Trying to prepare for an interview with UCL

1. Read personal statement and list all the books you mention
2. Realise you do not have copies of those texts in yr house. Panic. Google 'john gay trivia poem' and feel momentarily relieved; realise the poem is 500 lines long; panic again
3. Make coffee
4. Panic because yr family has decided it can do without the 'luxury good' of 'plasters'
5. Begin to read the David Foster Wallace essay you mentioned in yr personal statement. Give up two pages in after googling 'intentional fallacy' and 'affective fallacy'. It was better last time, and reading Dostoevsky is turning out to more fun than reading about him
6. Allocate remaining time before interview to remaining tasks, e.g. '3 weeks - read all remaining books'

Trying to prepare for an interview with Sainsburys

1. Shave
2. Make coffee first
3. Hear post arrive whilst in kitchen
4. Check post, selfishly rooting for letters that look like they might be from a university
5. Get disappointed to find only birthday cards for sister; get disappointed that it is sister's birthday tomorrow (mainly due to lack of present)
6. Arrange with ipod-owing friend a 'shopping trip' for 'this evening' during which he will buy present (he will) for sister
7. Drink coffee
8. Decide to put 'calling Sainsburys' back as far as possible until '7pm tonight' deadline

What do you buy a 15 yr old sister? I'd ask Abby but... no, I will ask her

What we're up to

Trying to get a job

a poet's work is never done

This is my very favourite poem by him, called 'Laura Brown'. Skip to like, halfway in. It's just 'banter' until then, and poets suck at banter. Also univocalisms exist, which are poems when you can only use words with one type of vowel, and in this case, it is 'e'. And it rules. Aisle16 did a WHOLE SHOW of just univocalisms, and this is Ross Sutherland doing a univocalism at HOMEWORK which is an ace poetry night in Bethnal Green.

'It was like listening to a piece of vocal percussion or an inverted tone poem.' 'The letter 'o' continually propagates itself...as such I found the symbol of the O appearing almost subliminally inside my poem.' Oh, poets.

20Q.net vs The Pope

Q29. I am guessing that it is Pope Benedict XVI?
Right, Wrong, Close

---

28.		Were you born between 1900-1950? Yes.
27.		I guessed that it was the Dalai Lama? Close.
26.		Are you found in history books? Yes.
25.		Are you part of a team? No.
24.		Are you a scientist? No.
23.		Do you have gray hair? No.
22.		Are you under 40 years old? No.
21.		Were you popular in the '70s? No.
20.		I guessed that it was Kenneth Branagh? Wrong.
19.		I guessed that it was Mika Häkkinen? Wrong.
18.		Are you a sex symbol? No.
17.		Are you often criticized? Yes.
16.		Are you skinny? No.
15.		Are you still alive? Yes.
14.		Are you bossy? No.
13.		Are you still on the air? No.
12.		Are you American? No.
11.		Do you have dark hair? No.
10.		Do you play an indoor sport? No.
9.		Have you ever won the World Series? No.
8.		Are you funny? No.
7.		Do you wear makeup? No.
6.		Are you Austrian? No.
5.		Were you popular in the '90s? Yes.
4.		Are you a lead singer? No.
3.		Have you performed live since 2000? Yes.
2.		Do you have long hair? No.
1.		Do you have children? No.