Math The Band live at The Square, Harlow (28th September 2011)

Last night I went to Harlow to see Math The Band again. I just figure I have to take these opportunities to see them while they're in the UK. Who knows if and when they'll be able to come back.

I'm glad I went, as it was another great show. Kevin snapped string after string on his guitar and ended up playing the last song with just one left. Guitar strings are overrated anyway, right?

Math The Band (live at Boileroom in Guildford, 23rd September 2011)

I'd been wanting to see Math The Band for aaaaaaaaaaaaaages and last night I finally got the chance. In They're currently over here, supporting Wheatus on their humongous UK tour.

Was it worth the wait? Hell yeah! Sooooooo much energy and sooooooooo much fun! Definitely one the best shows of the year so far!

Vostok 5 gig (Hexicon, Darren Hayman, Tigercats at The Wilmington Arms)

Last night all the artists behind the Vostok 5 art project performed with their respective bands at the Wilmington Arms. It was a great night, awesome music, packed with people and a lovely atmosphere. Below are a few photos of Hexicon, Darren Hayman and Tigercats (Fever Dream and Robert Rotifer also played).

too many options...

So, tonight is the Vostok 5 gig at The Wilmington Arms. Darren Hayman, Robert Rotifer, Hexicon, Fever Dream and Tigercats will all be playing, so it should be alot of fun and MEGA BUSY. I'm pretty sure the majority of people I know in London will be there.

But...unfortunately there is a but...I do have tickets to the Teeth show at The Lexington. With PENS supporting! I don't think they have played since I went to their break-up show at The Macbeth aaaaaaaaaaaages ago.

Decisions, decisions...

Anguish Sandwich (live at The Wilmington Arms, 16th September 2011)

Anguish Sandwich are great.

Listen to their EP and buy it. It's great.



They played at the Wilmington Arms on Friday. They were great.

That's about it.

Omi Palone and The Proper Ornaments (live at Power Lunches, 9th September 2011)

I meant to put these photos up last week, but it just didn't happen. Better late than never, eh? So, on the Friday before last (making it 9th September) I went to the Omi Palone cassette launch at Power Lunches in Stoke Newington. It was a great night, ruined somewhat by the fact that I drank way too much. Pressed in only 100 copies, I'd be very surprised if there many (if any) copies of the cassette left, so you better hurry up if you want one. As far as I can tell it's still available on the Omi Palone website. It's one of the better releases I've heard this year.



The place was mega packed, so I didn't actually see Omi Palone. I heard them, though, they sounded great and I suppose that's the important thing.

Headlining were The Proper Ornaments, one of my favorite London bands at the moment. This time I managed to get a better position.








The Proper Ornaments are great. Have a listen.



An awesome night, with two great bands.

Video of the day (Säkert! - Can I)

So...Hello Saferide used to do the English songs and Säkert! used to do a similar-but-a-bit-darker thing in Swedish. But now, after getting inundated with emails and requests for translations, Annika Norlin gives us Säkert! på engelska (simply, Säkert in English). This is most excellent news if you don't speak Swedish.

The official website comes with a sweet warning - If you're Swedish and are reading - don't do it! You should be listening to the Swedish record.

And it's not like I would be missing out. I will have heard all these songs before. You see, all the songs on På Engelska are straight translations of songs from the two Säkert records, the self-titled one and its follow-up Facit.

But as much as I would like to listen to reasson, I just can't do it. I want to hear these versions. I'll just treat them like new songs. Of course it's not going to be the same. But, just like Bergman Rock is never going to be like Bob Hund and Kent in English is never going to be like the real Kent, it doesn't stop me from enjoying the music. And the song below is beautiful, wheteher you hear it in Swedish or in English.

Video of the day (Let's Whisper - All Happy Endings)

Aww...a new Let's Whisper video. And it's just as lovely as the song.

The band are coming to the UK soon. For us Londoners they will be playing with Standard Fare at Zigfrid von Underbelly on Sunday 2nd October. It's a lovely venue and should be a great evening. See you there!

Video of the day (Jeffrey Lewis - Mosquito Mass Murderist)

The new Jeffrey Lewis video for his mosquito rap is now finished...

Showdown In Little Tokyo

Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991)
Directed by Mark L. Lester
Starring Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee and Tia Carrere

"That's perfect... I'm partnered with a homicidal maniac on a personal vendetta of family vengeance"

I know one of the worst clichés when writing about old movies is to say "they don't make them like this anymore", but in the case of Showdown In Little Tokyo, they seriously don't make them like this anymore. This movie, for lack of a better description, kicks fucking ass.

Dolph Lundgren plays Chris Kenner, a giant of a man, who has grown up with an intense respect for and interest in samourai tradition (as a result of his parents getting murdered by a Japanese gangster when he was a kid).


Now a grown man, he's a Los Angeles police officer with some rather unorthodox working methods and only one thing on his mind: track down and destroy Yoshida, the evil snuff-movie making, drug dealing Yakuza overlord who killed his parents.


This guys is seriously EVIL!

By Dolph's side is the equally kick-ass, if not quite as awe-inspiring, Brandon Lee as Johnny Murata.


Together they rack up a seriously impressive body count, in what is another underrated classic from director Mark L. Lester.



Lundgren is obviously the star, but Lee gets most of the one-liners and there are a lot of classics here.

From the amazing…

"Listen you Zen warrior, fucking samurai asshole! I wanna know what's up!"

"You have the right to an Attorney. You have the right to be dead!"

And

"Listen, will you do this right? Clean? Like a cop in the 20th century, not some samurai warrior? We're gonna nail this guy. And when we get done... we're gonna go eat fish off those naked chicks!"

…to some rather bizarre dialogue exchanges

Murata: Kenner, just in case we get killed, I wanted to tell you, you have the biggest dick I've ever seen on a man.
Kenner: Thanks. I don't know what to say.
Murata: How about "Don't get killed"?
Kenner: Don't get killed.
Murata: You too.

This is just so much fun, exactly the way action movies are supposed to be, but rarely are these days. Lundgren and Lee are a seriously great combo – Mel Gibson and Danny Glover have nothing on these guys. And then there's Tia Carrere, who is gorgeous as ever and falls for Dolph after he saves her from committing ritual suicide.



Three thumbs up! 12 out of 10! Totally fucking awesome!

For some reason (which I'm sure is not completely legal), the entire movie is available for streaming on youtube. I strongly suggest you check it out.