The Dodos turning Trix in Antwerp

The night began with a detour in the direction of a Rockabilly gig which happened to be playing the same venue that night. The nice chap on the door for this quifftastic event took us to a lift which carried us to the first floor and a rendezvous with the Dodos. "Hi y'all" I drawled to the man at the desk "is this the rockabilly concert?". After being told no, I pointed out that I was only joshing and settled down to a pre-gig beer.

It's great when you go to see a band and find that a support act are exceptional too. Thus was the case last Saturday night. The Dodos as expected rocked, the surprise in this little kinder egg of a concert were Megafaun. This bearded threesome from Wisconcin sound a bit like the Fleet Foxes on acid, which is no bad thing. Lumbering around like a group of musical Bigfoot, these guys really rocked the house in a moonshine swilling stomping sort of way. I'm listening to their debut album, Gather, Form & Fly at the moment and it's excellent. Well worth a listen.

Support act number two, Cymbals Eat Guitars were OK in a garage bandy sort of way but never really did it for me. One of the rare occaisions I neglected to buy a CD by a supporting act. They'll probalbly prove me wrong now and go on to become multi media megastars.

The Dodos were superb having a harder edge than they did in Brussels and producing a barnstorming performance. I was sure they played more tracks from Visiter and less from their new album than they did at Botanique, but Meric assured me after the show that it was the other way around. Logan thought that it was a strange concert, although quite what that means I'm not sure. Also lost was Logan's signature drum rimming technique, although as he pointed out the acoustics of Trix were such that they absorbed any high sounds, which probably explains why it felt less mellow than the Brussels show and more aggressive.

The band in general were much tighter than when I saw them last, and came over as being far more comfortable with the new material. It's amazing what a few weeks on the road does for a group.

Thinking about the Dodos they remind me a lot of Madensuyu. Both bands build their music around the rythm section, with guitar and drums playing off each other to great effect. The Dodos, unlike Gent's finest do have a third member in their group, Keaton Snyder on Vibraphone, but this isn't a key part of their sound. Fans of either band should check out the other.

After the show Marie finally got to talk to Logan, after someone prevented her doing so in Brussels by talking too much about drumming. Albums and posters were signed, and pictures taken of a smiling happy person with the band.

Thanks to Marie for the heads up on the show, the lift too and from the venue and the pleasure of her most charming company.

Justin Robson Room 101

Novacon 39's guest of honour, Justina Robson, advocated that social networking and blogs be consigned to room 101. So that's it for this post and the George Lite Zone.

Musings from 20,000 feet

Canceled flights and detours via London do have some advantages. In this case the chance to listen to Hawklords Live 1978 released on the excellent Atom Henge label.

First off a trip back to 1978 and Bob Calvert in all his pomp. The 1978 Hawklords tour is special to me as it was the first time I saw the Hawks live. As the first bars of Automoton segued into 25 Years On, I found myself transported back to that night. Calvert on stage with bullet belt and flying helmet. The definitive urban guerilla delivering the ultimate sonic attack. High Rise and Deathtrap followed, the latter delivered with blistering intensity. Age of the Micro Man mellowed things out a bit then, Steve Swindells swirling synth playing and regae rifs counterpointing Calvert's vocals perfectly. No disrespect to messrs Brock and Wright, but no one delivers Spirit Of The Age quite like Bob and the version recorded here doesn't doesn't disapoint. The classic Urban Guerilla then showcases what Calvert brought to the band, make believe violence on a 100 watt stack and a song which will probably reside in my head yet again for the next 24 hours (I must remember not to sing it to myself going through security at Brussels Airport).

A dreamlike version of Sonic Attack then breaks into a cracking rendition of Psi Power, before proceedings are finally concluded with the classic Brainstorm punched out in inimitable style by Bob.

The auditorium lights come on, walking through a forest of plastic beer cups to the exit, ears ringing and a feeling of profound satisfaction. Roll forwards 31 years and a plane coming in to land. Welcome to the future.

Forget the anemic Live 79, this is the Hawks at their best. Highly recommended.

Willard Grant Conspiracy & Doghouse Roses at Botanique

Tonight the Willard Grant Conspiracy were aided and abetted by a fine alternative Folk act from Glasgow called Doghouse Roses, initially as the support act and later joining the conspiracy. Iona Macdonald has an exceptional voice and backed by quality guitar playing from Paul Tasker, Doghouse Roses are a fine alt Folk group. I look forward to seeing them back home in Scotland some time.

Doghouse Roses left the stage briefly before returning with Willard Grant Conspiracy. A session of top drawer musicianship followed, with Iona's silky vocals providing the perfect counterpoint to Robert's potent brand of Americana. An aural delight to swirl around in the mind and savor, like a fine cognac. Music to warm the soul.

The following pictures were the first I've taken with my newly acquired Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. An excellent lens for low lighting conditions when you don't want to use a flash. Also great for hunting pandas.

Madensuyu at KVS Brussels

24 hours on from Mudhoney's Berlin gig, I was still buzzing from their adrenaline fueled brand of West Coast punk. Madensuyu in Brussels were going to have to be exceptional to take me to the same heady levels of rock nirvana.

And exceptional they were. For a two man band Madensuyu produce a wall of sound that is simply astonishing. Listening to their studio material had given me an inkling of what they could do, but live they are something else. Woman, Fafafuckin', Tread On Tread Light... hypnotic pulsating music that blows the mind.

Ghent's finest have raised my live rock bar another couple of notches and reaffirmed my belief in just how good the Belgian musical scene is at the moment.

Go out and buy their albums. Better still, if you can, see them live, you wont regret it.

Finally, here are a few more images from a truly memorable night in Brussels.

Moshing to Mudhoney in Berlin

The last time I was in a mosh pit was at Motorheads 25th anniversary concert in Brixton, the birthplace of punk, it's ironic then that the band to drag me back into the pogoing fray were the godfathers of grunge, Mudhoney, returning to Berlin after a 15 year absence.

Tracks from their new album, The Lucky Ones, meshed seamlessly with their old classics, as body surfers cascaded onto the stage in a blitzkrieg of the flesh. On that stage lead singer Mark Arm threw himself around like a man possessed, running at the crowd one minute and jerking around in demonic puppet fashion the next. A punk master in all his pomp. "You may have noticed we had Kurt Cobain on stage with us earlier", he quipped. "He was a bit smaller than I remembered him".

Touch me I'm sick in particular brought the house down, with the German audience freaking out en masse. Two encores rounded off proceedings, with the crowd still baying for more.

All in all a fantastic nights entertainment. 10 out of 10 for both the band and the crowd. Brilliant.

Giving The Dog A Bone

A walk up Friedrichstraße today took us into Scheunenviertel, known as the "barn quarter". Amongst other things, this former Jewish center of the city hosts numerous art shops and includes Tacheles. At the turn of the 20th Century Tacheles was one of Berlin's most elegant shopping centers but has since fallen into disrepair and been converted into an alternative art center.

Perusing one of the Tachele artists studio's I came across the surreal work of Hungarian born artist Andras Bartos. A walk further down the road to Oranienburger Str. 27 brought us to a shop full of his work. After much humming and more than enough harring I couldn't decide on a print for myself. Calvin on the other hand immediately went for this macabre canine piece which will be winging its way back to Bonnie Scotland in a few days time.