L O V E SOMBREROS IN THE AIRPORT by Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric xx

https://wrecklessericamyrigby.bandcamp.com/track/sombreros-in-the-airport

from this Album 

P J Harvey ... 8 years ago in NYC ...

Tonight - NYC

Some Old Guys, Christmas in New York namely Dennis and Lois and Amy and Eric and John Cooper Clark

These photos are from New York, Christmas 2017, when I went to visit.
John Cooper Clark was at the Public Theatre.
My friends and I (thank you for the ticket Beth Broun) went along.

After the show I had a burning question for John Cooper Clark. 

I happened to forget my scarf and, as luck would have it, when I went back in the theatre to get it, there he was talking to Dennis and Lois. Now they are the couple who met at a Ramones gig at CBGBs and haven't stopped rocking since. They are often seen doing merch at Mekons gigs. Often? Well, years and years and years actually. There is actually a film about them. And it's LOVELY (take tissues)

Trailer for the film (click this link)

John CC happened to tell me he was a big fan of Amy Rigby's new record (The Old Guys) and was playing it all the time. 

Did he know she was outside? 

No, he didn't. 

So I went to get them.

This is the record John Cooper Clark was playing by the way The Old Guys by Amy Rigby 

It just so happened that Dennis happens to be a HUGE fan of Wreckless Eric. They had a lovely chat. 

In the foyer Dennis couldn't help tidying up the merch table which had been abandoned - and which for NYC was pretty cool that nobody was stealing anything.

22 February was Genesis P Orridge's birthday ... h/she's sleeping it off, ssshhh

Daisy's Diary ... Feb 25 1977

photo by Rowland Evans

The Only Ones ... probably my favourite, favourite English band.
I definitely saw them at this gig at the Roxy Club, in Covent Garden.

At some point I found out that The Only Ones were playing regularly at an after-hours club called the Speakeasy Club in a basement on Margaret Street. It was in a back street off Oxford Street that felt like you were going in to a bank after hours rather than a club.
Once inside it was carpets and flowery plastic wallpaper and a bar with a screen so you could talk at the bar and not interrupt the band I suppose.
 It was a supper club so you could eat there and half the A&R men from London would go for dinner after the shows. It would probably be one of the only places you could get something to eat out at that time.
I also found out that if a band played at the Marquee on Wardour Street, about 10 minutes walk away,  the band would be given some sort of pass to get in free to the Speakeasy. I'm not sure if they got dinner too, but when Pere Ubu came to London, and their bass player, Tony Maimone, couldn't fit in the tiny dressing room at the Marquee and drank next to me at the bar, we got chatting and we went over there. We became good friends.
I can't remember if we saw The Only Ones that night or not.
I think that might be the night that we got there and a white Rolls Royce parked outside with the license plate IP 1.
It belonged to Iggy Pop.
He was having dinner with David Bowie.
Tony explained who Iggy Pop was.
I am not sure I was aware of him at that point.
Can't remember.
It was a strange mix of people at the Speakeasy.
The room had quite a history.
Jimi Hendrix had played there etc, etc...

Another time I was at the Speakeasy and someone had a very loud argument on the pay phone there and pulled the whole phone off the wall.  Someone told me he was in a band. Like Black Sabbath. I think his name was Graeme. Bit foggy now. I do remember he wore flares and had big hair and I was surprised that a hippy like him had lost his temper.
But I do remember that The Only Ones were there that night and they were great.
They sounded like this:

This is a restaurant in Ramsgate

Photo by Dick O'Dell

L O V E the El Cortez (with restaurant downstairs) 7pm March 2

L O V E Peter Tork ... RIP

Peter Tork had a rare form of cancer, tongue cancer.
Has left the planet to join Davy Jones.
I salute his life.
Not in a nazi way but a cute way.

a visit with Sam France (Foxygen) Bootleg Theatre LA (new album out April)

Hello Bordeaux

Gang Of Four: Get to the edge of the US tour on February 25 Brooklyn, Williamsburg

PARIS 11 Feb - Massive Attack take the Zenith

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SET LIST

1.    I Found a Reason(Velvet Underground)

2.    Risingson

3.    10:15 Saturday Night(Cure) 

4.    Man Next Door

5.    Black Milk  With Liz Fraser)

6.    Mezzanine

7.    Bela Lugosi's Dead(Bauhaus) 

8.    Exchange

9.    See a Man's Face– With Horace Andy

10.Dissolved Girl

11.Where Have All the Flowers Gone?With Liz Fraser(By Pete Seeger)

12.Inertia Creeps

13.Rockwrok((Ultravox)

14.Angel– With Horace Andy

15.Teardrop– with Liz Fraser

16.Group Four– with Liz Fraser 

Zenith

Giving Paris another chance :)

Friday ...

Danny Dyer on FIRE ... in The Dumb Waiter with Martin Freeman

Just LOVED this (pause) YES, Danny Dyer in a Pinter play.
He was point-perfect.
Can't recommend it enough.
At half-time we were looking for the ice-cream and the Program Seller brought out his phone.
DID YOU KNOW
They have an APP for that!
Program Seller: Tell me your seat. We will get the ice-cream delivered. What would you prefer chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or mint?
We went back to our seat and a lovely young lady was already there.

Tracey Emin at White Cube Bermondsey

9 FEBRUARY - Kirsty Allison IS

doing poetry on Saturday with 
@richard.cabut and the Sex Pistols’ tour manager @boogrisbi and @poetshelley 
for the @londonbookshopcrawl at 
@croftonbooks 
375 BROCKLEY ROAD LONDON SE4 2AG  
3pm till 5ish.
THIS IS YOUR INVITATION 

Mekons news

Ian Brown is back! chaos to harmony ...ripples indeed ...

Why do Roses die?
Cos they take poison?
Ian Brown has been working in the lab it seems.
And there's nothing reunion or looking back about it. 
He starts off with First World Problems and from the video that came out last year it should tell us that he's done with trying to resurrect his past.
He chucked 'their' instruments in the canal last year.
Rode off on his chopper bike (from his F.E.A.R video)
Substitutes his sons (some say he cloned himself to make a new band) and wha-la ... March 2019 new record on the way.
Ripples indeed.

About last night .. The Specials. Live at the 100 Club .... and it was broadcast live on Radio 6

40th Anniversary and The Specials have a NEW album out.
In the cold London snow, you lined up at 5pm and the show went live in Steve Lamacq's show on Radio 6 at 6pm.
Here's the link to the show.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_6music

The new record is called ENCORE
Here's the link for that

The Specials Album ... ENCORE

Favourite gigs continued ... Space Lady played Cafe Oto