Well that was a funny weekend. I got picked up for Bearded Theory about 9ish, we loaded all the equipment in Hackney Wick and set off up the A11. Stopping for petrol our driver/guru checked the tyre pressure and a valve blew out. Luckily the spare was under the vehicle rather than under all the equipment. Unluckily it was the wrong size.
We drove very slowly down the road at a very weird angle to a tyre shop a taxi driver had pointed us toward and bought a new valve for three quid. We were on the road again in half an hour. Almost all of the way up the A1(M) we lost power on a big flyover and a couple of us had to run down the road and direct traffic past our halted van whilst it was fixed.
We had a bit of a debate about the attitude we were expecting from Bearded Theory to our lateness. Our sound guy was saying we would probably be cancelled. I reckoned things would be more mellow up north but none of us knew what time we would actually arrive.
The van still wasn't running right and we stopped again just outside Derby. I was wishing we had set off the night before. We rocked up at the site at 4.30 chucked everything out on the grass, loaded it all onto the stage and started playing. As we are a totally improvising totally live act straying into mostly DJ territory we usually have to sort our own sound out into two phonos for a DJ Mixer, pre- sound checking in the studio but the guys at the Magical Sounds tent were totally ready for us, relaxed and totally pro.
Everything went just great and I think the Bearded Theory guys were pleased. We had a few older heads who had taken too much acid come up and congratulate us after which I think is a good sign. We pitched our tents and had a good look round the site.
I was really surprised at how established the festival was. Psytrance is only a small part of what goes on. The whole thing was an inexpensive, really family friendly event with the profits going to charity and I am not surprised it is doing so well. I woke up Sunday and saw The Cheeky Girls in one of the tents before they joined everyone on the mainstage for the Guiness record attempt at the number of fake beards in one place. Derbyshire was a beautiful place to drive back through and it only started raining when we were coming close to the M25. A really sucessful weekend.
..
Showing posts with label The Impossible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Impossible. Show all posts
May 17, 2010
August 13, 2009
MORE JENVEY
OK, so it looks like The International Analyst Network didn't like Mr Jenvey's recent updates and have removed them, so they are currently only available on a Pravda forum.
I don't know Mr Jenvey but have had contact with him about all this as recorded here, and I was helping him a bit with some editing of the second piece when this news came through. I have also heard from one of the Islam4UK guys (Mr Waleed) about their recent encounter with Mr Jenvey.
He said that not surprisingly a lot of them didn't really know how to deal with meeting him when he came down to London and spent the day with them, but that after meeting him they feel his conversion is genuine. He told me that they had been reasurred by the Koran which carries stories of Mohammed's enemies converting.
As I have also said before, none of this makes any difference to me but I do find it all fascinating. Being an ex- born again Christian myself who used to knock on peoples doors and tell them about Jesus conversion stories are obviously going to be an interest of mine. Maybe this seems like an unnatural interest but I don't think I will be converting any time soon. I think I am still a bit of a slave to some addictions, even ones which I don't partake in anymore cause me worry sometimes but I don't really see the hand of Satan in it all, its just brainwaves, direction, motivations and concepts.
I found myself watching Abu Haffs lecture about Music Are You On the Right Track on the Islam4UK site. I think I asked this guy if he wanted to make some films after their meeting in Euston one time. Personally none of this moves me or resonates with me at all. I spent most of my time watching it thinking "Get to the bloody point!" but then I am a bloody musician innit so thats probably not surprising. Reading my own writing I am obviously happy for Mr Jenvey, if he is happy.
There are bloggers I know about as well as I know him who might have reason to dislike and mistrust him, I have no idea if these reasons are founded or not. To me he is now just another colourful Muslim I have come across who doesn't believe people should blow up random strangers here and as long as they don't I feel I must treat all of them the same way really.
To maybe provide a bit more perspective of where I am, I missed all this because I was in France doing a show. I just got word of some pictures on a britanny photographers Flash based website. If you click here and follow the links > "Spectacles"> "Vos galeries (...privées) > "The impossible" you can see them.
This sort of thing is much more my focus these days. I rarely examine my beliefs or my perspective on what is "success" in terms of film. In terms of filming Islamists or anyone else for that matter I still think the main thing I believe in is simply documenting. Although I haven't had any success in worldly terms I find I still hold this belief quite strongly and although I live in London and have done for a while now I try to keep hold of a very un-London attitude to hurry. This only seems to bother other road users for some reason.
UPDATE: Omar Hamza Jenvey has reappeared here
..
I don't know Mr Jenvey but have had contact with him about all this as recorded here, and I was helping him a bit with some editing of the second piece when this news came through. I have also heard from one of the Islam4UK guys (Mr Waleed) about their recent encounter with Mr Jenvey.
He said that not surprisingly a lot of them didn't really know how to deal with meeting him when he came down to London and spent the day with them, but that after meeting him they feel his conversion is genuine. He told me that they had been reasurred by the Koran which carries stories of Mohammed's enemies converting.
As I have also said before, none of this makes any difference to me but I do find it all fascinating. Being an ex- born again Christian myself who used to knock on peoples doors and tell them about Jesus conversion stories are obviously going to be an interest of mine. Maybe this seems like an unnatural interest but I don't think I will be converting any time soon. I think I am still a bit of a slave to some addictions, even ones which I don't partake in anymore cause me worry sometimes but I don't really see the hand of Satan in it all, its just brainwaves, direction, motivations and concepts.
I found myself watching Abu Haffs lecture about Music Are You On the Right Track on the Islam4UK site. I think I asked this guy if he wanted to make some films after their meeting in Euston one time. Personally none of this moves me or resonates with me at all. I spent most of my time watching it thinking "Get to the bloody point!" but then I am a bloody musician innit so thats probably not surprising. Reading my own writing I am obviously happy for Mr Jenvey, if he is happy.
There are bloggers I know about as well as I know him who might have reason to dislike and mistrust him, I have no idea if these reasons are founded or not. To me he is now just another colourful Muslim I have come across who doesn't believe people should blow up random strangers here and as long as they don't I feel I must treat all of them the same way really.
To maybe provide a bit more perspective of where I am, I missed all this because I was in France doing a show. I just got word of some pictures on a britanny photographers Flash based website. If you click here and follow the links > "Spectacles"> "Vos galeries (...privées) > "The impossible" you can see them.
This sort of thing is much more my focus these days. I rarely examine my beliefs or my perspective on what is "success" in terms of film. In terms of filming Islamists or anyone else for that matter I still think the main thing I believe in is simply documenting. Although I haven't had any success in worldly terms I find I still hold this belief quite strongly and although I live in London and have done for a while now I try to keep hold of a very un-London attitude to hurry. This only seems to bother other road users for some reason.
UPDATE: Omar Hamza Jenvey has reappeared here
..
September 04, 2008
Its an Impossibility
Arriving in Dieppe
Being rescued by complete strangers about an hour and a half outside Dieppe after running out of petrol at 2AM
Driver under van after going through a toll gate
Batcave
Decorating
Decorating on high
I pitched my tent by the riverbank. It seems to have healed my spine. For the first time in years I didn't wake up with pain in my lower back. I had pain in my ribs from stage diving into the dancers in rehearsal, pain in my feet from loosing my torch and trying to navigate my way through lumps of granite on the way home, I was sneezing continually because of the dust, but I had no more spine pain.
Some of the posse knocked up a granite oven and landscaped it into the surroundings.
First pizzas with oven makers
Our hostess with marrow and pig
Compost toilet
Jason our film maker on a tandem.
and out come the freaks
Our host and friends
Randomly arranged branches turn into a couple dancing on the sculpture trail
Mange
Mange too
Britanny band Vortex turned up about 1AM. We struggled a bit to get them on as things got a bit sketchy but they were well worth it. Very good rave influenced rock. By this time everyone was chucking hay everywhere and I could hardly breathe in the barn.
Blended faces
Freaked out freak
After the show we got a chance to relax and wander. This is some really peaceful cornfields at sunset. I miss this sort of stuff in London.
Next time I am going better prepared with dust masks, steel toe boots and a head torch. Really good creative communal vibe, very good to be away from computers, news, mobile phones and civilization. More pics coming...
Decorating
Decorating on high
I pitched my tent by the riverbank. It seems to have healed my spine. For the first time in years I didn't wake up with pain in my lower back. I had pain in my ribs from stage diving into the dancers in rehearsal, pain in my feet from loosing my torch and trying to navigate my way through lumps of granite on the way home, I was sneezing continually because of the dust, but I had no more spine pain.
Some of the posse knocked up a granite oven and landscaped it into the surroundings.
First pizzas with oven makers
Our hostess with marrow and pig
Compost toilet
Jason our film maker on a tandem.
and out come the freaks
Our host and friends
Randomly arranged branches turn into a couple dancing on the sculpture trail
Mange
Mange too
Britanny band Vortex turned up about 1AM. We struggled a bit to get them on as things got a bit sketchy but they were well worth it. Very good rave influenced rock. By this time everyone was chucking hay everywhere and I could hardly breathe in the barn.
Blended faces
Freaked out freak
After the show we got a chance to relax and wander. This is some really peaceful cornfields at sunset. I miss this sort of stuff in London.
Next time I am going better prepared with dust masks, steel toe boots and a head torch. Really good creative communal vibe, very good to be away from computers, news, mobile phones and civilization. More pics coming...
August 11, 2008
COMMUNITY
Over the last few days life has been changed by the arrival of a mini digger. We had a proper digger driver for the first day, but falling instantly in love Paula put on some lipstick and muscled her way into the drivers seat, fighting mutinous mutterings of
"Lets take this more seriously" and walk offs, she took to it like a duck to water.
She had to disappear, so without an assembly of people waiting impatiently with wheel barrows I had a go the next evening. I was still moving my wrists in my sleep. The next two days I did eight hours a day straight almost without stopping on my own. I hadn't had so much fun since I was six. The first day it pelted with rain, the next I almost got a sun burnt back. The next day with someone who knew what they were doing guiding the work I dug a trench with it. This was so much fun I ended up looking on ebay for a second hand one.
We've done another great gig, fulfilling an ambition for the band that we have had since day one we performed with a couple of circus performers going up and down ropes. It was great, totally what I think "The Impossible" music is for.
August 04, 2008
PERSONAL SHIT
I've not blogged any personal shit for a while so I thought maybe I'd catch up with myself. The band have been doing some great gigs in a local very hairy squatted pub which have been great fun. We usually get to come on about 1AM which is a really nice time to start. There is not really a stage, we play in a corner and people are dancing round us. At one of them I had chicks literally sitting at my feet. I had to maneuver some girls butt to get to my wah pedal. That's the rock star life no? Its been good fun using my loop box as well cos I can stick a loop in then go and open a beer and come back, or just have a jump about. Half way through the performance I invariably totally loose what the fuck I am playing but no one seems to notice.
On saturday we got invaded mid gig by three guitarists and a keyboard player. The venue is know for its jam sessions and we are a jam band so I think they just assumed. Three guitars is a bit excessive, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves so fuck it. The keyboard player was shit hot. I was too fucked afterwards to find him and get his number, he was playing a fuckin bitchin synth called a Nord lead. I think with this guy on keys we could do the whole festival circuit and maybe the apres ski stuff in France too.
I can't really go into detail about the other squatted venue we played, suffice to say that it was huge, and was once connected to the running of churches, and we were fucking worshiping man. So yeah, been having a great time steering totally clear of the London toilet circuit gravy train nonsense, playing where our heart is. I've been filming, I haven't seen any of my 'mentalist buddies for a while but I heard Atilla is OK doing his time. Mr fastfingers has done an interview for a little radio show connected to a studio he is part of. Its online here and he says some very nice things about me. they've got the name of the band wrong, hopefully we wont get sued by Warner Brothers.
What else have I been doing? Arguing with Republicans of course! This time about Mojo and Sea Water. I might not be able to spell but I think I've got em on the run this time no? I've just got to find a way of dying sea water black, making it thicker and burying it in the ground.
Last night I caught up with the excellent two parter Car Bomb on 4oD. An amazing doco presented by an ex CIA agent who was working in Beruit during the civil war. He took us from the first ever cart bomb (An Italian Anarchist bombing Wall st) through to the first Israeli car bombers, an American anti war bomber, "the troubles" in Ireland and on. He interviewed people from all sides who made them and drove them. There was a clear link in the train of thought between all of them. Do watch this doc if you can it is invaluable.
I've been fairly much off of anything serious drugwise, I've had the slowest dawning epiphany over the last few years. I am getting much more of a high from doing things than performing extreme feeling feats of fuckedness. It is a much more subtle high but it feels much more important to me at the moment. I am happier going with a crew to perform as best we can than I am heading out to "be entertained and consume", not that I think that isn't OK. I just remember the mid nineties feeling like those mice who have the wires attatched to their heads and keep pressing the buttons. The idea of raving feels that processional to me at the moment.
On saturday we got invaded mid gig by three guitarists and a keyboard player. The venue is know for its jam sessions and we are a jam band so I think they just assumed. Three guitars is a bit excessive, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves so fuck it. The keyboard player was shit hot. I was too fucked afterwards to find him and get his number, he was playing a fuckin bitchin synth called a Nord lead. I think with this guy on keys we could do the whole festival circuit and maybe the apres ski stuff in France too.
I can't really go into detail about the other squatted venue we played, suffice to say that it was huge, and was once connected to the running of churches, and we were fucking worshiping man. So yeah, been having a great time steering totally clear of the London toilet circuit gravy train nonsense, playing where our heart is. I've been filming, I haven't seen any of my 'mentalist buddies for a while but I heard Atilla is OK doing his time. Mr fastfingers has done an interview for a little radio show connected to a studio he is part of. Its online here and he says some very nice things about me. they've got the name of the band wrong, hopefully we wont get sued by Warner Brothers.
What else have I been doing? Arguing with Republicans of course! This time about Mojo and Sea Water. I might not be able to spell but I think I've got em on the run this time no? I've just got to find a way of dying sea water black, making it thicker and burying it in the ground.
Last night I caught up with the excellent two parter Car Bomb on 4oD. An amazing doco presented by an ex CIA agent who was working in Beruit during the civil war. He took us from the first ever cart bomb (An Italian Anarchist bombing Wall st) through to the first Israeli car bombers, an American anti war bomber, "the troubles" in Ireland and on. He interviewed people from all sides who made them and drove them. There was a clear link in the train of thought between all of them. Do watch this doc if you can it is invaluable.
I've been fairly much off of anything serious drugwise, I've had the slowest dawning epiphany over the last few years. I am getting much more of a high from doing things than performing extreme feeling feats of fuckedness. It is a much more subtle high but it feels much more important to me at the moment. I am happier going with a crew to perform as best we can than I am heading out to "be entertained and consume", not that I think that isn't OK. I just remember the mid nineties feeling like those mice who have the wires attatched to their heads and keep pressing the buttons. The idea of raving feels that processional to me at the moment.
June 06, 2008
WEDNESDAY IS THE NEW FRIDAY
We won!
rock star faces
rock star bassist
An Uncle of Funk
One shit hot singer
I fuckin love squatted pubs. We did the radio show again, another fantastic night. I think I was a bit pissed by the time we started and abandoned the guitar to itself a couple of times, leaving strangled loops and feedback going and jumped about like Bez from the Happy Mondays. Probably not the best idea for radio but there you are. Towards the end of the gig I wasn't sure what was going on but everyone seemed pretty happy so maybe I got away with it. We'll see. This sort of thing makes you forget "making it" as a muso eh. Its just great fun. I think we got back about four AM. I was pissed off that I missed Immortal Technique up the road in the Coronet, but pleased to find the guys who promoted the gig were still up when we got back and jamming down the road. There is a recording somewhere I will put some of it up when it surfaces.
Phil and Linda
squatted pubs rock
June 03, 2008
May 29, 2008
Spirit of Radio
Well that went great. Nothing like a squatted pub a few bands and a few friends of bands to make a great atmosphere. We've been meaning to play Dan's radio show for a long while now but before he was a bit- err.. pushed for space to fit a whole band in his house! In the pub with everyone piling in with equipment we had a hectic evening miking everything up. We were making a snare drum stand out of bits of metal and gaffer tape 5 minutes before going on air! How rock and roll is that?
The Tipsy Gypsies played first, great folk music with a really psychedelic fiddle player. Following them were The English Martyrs who were rocking as usual. Really stripped down dub and ragga. We followed them. It took a little while to sort out my loops and volume levels but no one cared. Once we got going we got invaded by random strangers shouting over our stuff and Vesta from the English martyrs joined us turning our sound to extreme drum and bass which sounded almost Dancehall in places. I'd like to pursue this as I'd give my eye teeth to play in Jamaica.
It was great to look out into our audience and see so visibly that everyone was sharing an atmosphere. I had a really frustrating day and the whole thing was such a release. Everyone I have seen this morning who was there was smiling. Jamming went on long after we left. Good news is that we are going to do it all again next Wednesday with some different bands. I'll put up some clips from our performance when I get them in.
The Impossible
The Tipsy Gypsies played first, great folk music with a really psychedelic fiddle player. Following them were The English Martyrs who were rocking as usual. Really stripped down dub and ragga. We followed them. It took a little while to sort out my loops and volume levels but no one cared. Once we got going we got invaded by random strangers shouting over our stuff and Vesta from the English martyrs joined us turning our sound to extreme drum and bass which sounded almost Dancehall in places. I'd like to pursue this as I'd give my eye teeth to play in Jamaica.
It was great to look out into our audience and see so visibly that everyone was sharing an atmosphere. I had a really frustrating day and the whole thing was such a release. Everyone I have seen this morning who was there was smiling. Jamming went on long after we left. Good news is that we are going to do it all again next Wednesday with some different bands. I'll put up some clips from our performance when I get them in.
The Impossible
May 28, 2008
On the radio
We are playing live on www.ph7radio.com from a squat in Pekham tonight. We'll be on about 10.30
April 01, 2008
THE IMPOSSIBLE IS POSSIBLE
The Impossible - Music Video
Here is our first ever music video. Thanks to Jason, Alex, all the dancers and all the extras.
The Impossible
Here is our first ever music video. Thanks to Jason, Alex, all the dancers and all the extras.
The Impossible
March 31, 2008
MONKEY TERR-R
OK. Bumped into Monkeyboy, occasional Malung Cameraman with me in Finsbury park who appears as "G" in this Socialistwanker piece and also in a blog I wrote from the Hamza trial entitled ENTERTAINMENT. He filmed most of the action in my first Finsbury park edit, A Year on the Street and also features in a blog called HIT HIM WITH A PIECE OF WOOD
Turns out he had a bit of an adventure on a one way ticket from Holland back into Stanstead. He's, how shall we say a bit Indian looking, his family hailing from the Punjab and had a Palestinian looking scarf on, which added up to two burly looking representatives of the law singling him out of the incoming passengers for a talking to for an hour and a half.
"I told 'em man" he said indignantly, "I said why do I smell of alcohol? Why have I got a ring in my nose and one in my ear? Look at my name- S___ its a Sikh name isn't it. What is a Sikh?"
"Well you know, the guys who did Mike's place in Israel apparently left empty bottles of alcohol in the guest houses they stayed in to cover their tracks. If you come in doused in alcohol with glazed eyes how are they to know you are pissed? They might well think you are about to blow up.." I countered. "I'm a bit distressed that they actually let you back in so easily. I feel less safe to be honest..Did they ask you why you were smiling at Abu Hamza in the court room?"
"He smiled at me first!"
He fell asleep so I popped round to Hajj's place. Intending to watch a dvd of Al-Faisal on Jamaican Hardtalk I ended up having a long discussion about God, Islam and the state of the world. I left video unseen invited to a premiere of our new music video but I missed that too. Tomorow is another day.
March 23, 2008
MALUNG TV NEWS- I AM OK THANKS.
I want you to know I really appreciate your support in all this. Meeting Atilla Ahmet's brother Musa the other day he told me he was warned by Muslims that I was gay and a racist. Filming before Hamid's trial he met the Black girl I was with at the time and reported back his amusement. In my Youtube Inbox I have messages from a BNP/NF Enger-land supporter saying I am a traitor.
I've been ripped off by The Sun newspaper. Fucking thieving pieces of SHIT. I can't even do their fucking windows. They are hiding behind barriers and security guards.
I'm OK, I think.
Those of you who have been around a while will know I am fairly much moving out of the new business. I will do what I feel I should with the Islamists I know. Other than that I'm going back to more familiar territory.
March 10, 2008
WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED
OK lovely weekend. I am happy, Musa is happy, Atilla's wife is happy. Atilla was apparently in tears of joy that he didn't get IPP'd. Incarceration has had a transforming effect, long may it continue. Obviously I wonder if our country hadn't been involved in ariel bombardment and occupation of Islamic countries whether Hamid and Atilla would have said these words. I think they are British and Britain made them. It was only when the tapes got released that I heard what I thought of in court as a non commital mumble after Hamid's "breakfast" comments as Atilla saying "I know." I am glad now, that the Police moved when they did. Musa said in court that the Police knew that Atilla was falling away from Hamid's group and that he wasn't the emir, still they recorded what Atilla said.
Obviously the Police can only try and stop atrocities in this country they can't solve the wider picture we are all a part of which has involved unaccounted for atrocities in Iraq who no one will be brought to justice for. That is up to us. I hope Atilla will be able to maintain his Islamic faith and move in a more positive direction. Musa tells me he is reading the Koran properly inside and it has been a revelation to him. When he gets out he wants to concentrate entirely on his family who he is sorry he has neglected.
I didn't realise until Saturday quite how much tension this has been for me since 2003. It could have ended much much worse in ways I don't want to think about. Saturday night we managed to score a full Tama drum kit off of Freecycle. I knew it was worth joining Hampstead freecycle as when I was squatting up there I found expensive French cookware and suchlike thrown in the street. The only thing the kind family whose son has just left for college asked was that we make a donation to Gt. Ormond st childrens hospital so the next gig will be for that.
We picked it up from a street almost parallel to Bishop's Avenue and went off to play a gig in North London with some of the Random Artist posse. I wasn't sure how we would be received as every other act involved rappers. We finally took to the stage about 1 AM, playing into a techno, almost gabba track the DJ was playing. Me and fastfingers particularly enjoy this as we often jam along to techno, but on a proper rig we could actually match it in terms of fullness of sound. The DJ managed to flick the cross fader a couple of times crashing us in at full tilt which felt fucking great.
I think this is the first time we have played through a proper techno rig as opposed to a band PA and it really payed off especially for Mr fastfingers. I could hear every slap and the whole phasing effect. It was like techno bass guitar. I think we need to buy one of these rigs. Unfortunately I couldn't really hear myself properly as the monitor didn't work and my amp just isn't loud enough to monitor from. I could hear when I was playing the wrong note, when I played the right one it slipped into the mash. Obviously in a situation where if you can't hear yourself you are doing the right thing is not ideal but I'm not bothered as we had probably the best audience at any gig we have done so far, we jumped about like lunatics and the dancers were fucking fantastic.
A few people said the set was a bit short and I got lost a bit for the slow stuff in the middle as I don't know how to play funk but we got a lot of good feedback from the audience and the "What the fuck is this" looks when we started were priceless. I particularly love the way the dancers cook dinner and have a chat in the afternoon before the gig, and when I open the dressing room door to tell them we are about to go on they are fully costume and colour coordinated, totally original every time as if they have been meticulously designed by a stylist.
It's really nice to see the Random Artist guys, crusty and anti-establishment as ever still in spontaneous messy creativity mode, focusing on what they can achieve with African children, totally self-funded by parties such as these rather than what they can't achieve protesting here. Do watch the film Invisible Children if you can. Whatever your political persuasion, the stories of the child soldiers of Northern Uganda will move you. There is a "makings of" on google video but it's a bit shit compared to the real thing which you really must watch.
I have turned such a corner here I have been thinking about leaving this blog here and starting a new one. Obviously I'd still like to finish a film when Atilla gets out. Thanks for the encouragement from all sides of the Political spectrum.
I am currently working on a gonzo edit of stuff from Hamid's friends and enemies at Speakers Corner last weekend. I've been a bit tardy but it will be up soon.
Obviously the Police can only try and stop atrocities in this country they can't solve the wider picture we are all a part of which has involved unaccounted for atrocities in Iraq who no one will be brought to justice for. That is up to us. I hope Atilla will be able to maintain his Islamic faith and move in a more positive direction. Musa tells me he is reading the Koran properly inside and it has been a revelation to him. When he gets out he wants to concentrate entirely on his family who he is sorry he has neglected.
I didn't realise until Saturday quite how much tension this has been for me since 2003. It could have ended much much worse in ways I don't want to think about. Saturday night we managed to score a full Tama drum kit off of Freecycle. I knew it was worth joining Hampstead freecycle as when I was squatting up there I found expensive French cookware and suchlike thrown in the street. The only thing the kind family whose son has just left for college asked was that we make a donation to Gt. Ormond st childrens hospital so the next gig will be for that.
We picked it up from a street almost parallel to Bishop's Avenue and went off to play a gig in North London with some of the Random Artist posse. I wasn't sure how we would be received as every other act involved rappers. We finally took to the stage about 1 AM, playing into a techno, almost gabba track the DJ was playing. Me and fastfingers particularly enjoy this as we often jam along to techno, but on a proper rig we could actually match it in terms of fullness of sound. The DJ managed to flick the cross fader a couple of times crashing us in at full tilt which felt fucking great.
I think this is the first time we have played through a proper techno rig as opposed to a band PA and it really payed off especially for Mr fastfingers. I could hear every slap and the whole phasing effect. It was like techno bass guitar. I think we need to buy one of these rigs. Unfortunately I couldn't really hear myself properly as the monitor didn't work and my amp just isn't loud enough to monitor from. I could hear when I was playing the wrong note, when I played the right one it slipped into the mash. Obviously in a situation where if you can't hear yourself you are doing the right thing is not ideal but I'm not bothered as we had probably the best audience at any gig we have done so far, we jumped about like lunatics and the dancers were fucking fantastic.
A few people said the set was a bit short and I got lost a bit for the slow stuff in the middle as I don't know how to play funk but we got a lot of good feedback from the audience and the "What the fuck is this" looks when we started were priceless. I particularly love the way the dancers cook dinner and have a chat in the afternoon before the gig, and when I open the dressing room door to tell them we are about to go on they are fully costume and colour coordinated, totally original every time as if they have been meticulously designed by a stylist.
It's really nice to see the Random Artist guys, crusty and anti-establishment as ever still in spontaneous messy creativity mode, focusing on what they can achieve with African children, totally self-funded by parties such as these rather than what they can't achieve protesting here. Do watch the film Invisible Children if you can. Whatever your political persuasion, the stories of the child soldiers of Northern Uganda will move you. There is a "makings of" on google video but it's a bit shit compared to the real thing which you really must watch.
I have turned such a corner here I have been thinking about leaving this blog here and starting a new one. Obviously I'd still like to finish a film when Atilla gets out. Thanks for the encouragement from all sides of the Political spectrum.
I am currently working on a gonzo edit of stuff from Hamid's friends and enemies at Speakers Corner last weekend. I've been a bit tardy but it will be up soon.
January 03, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Hope its a good one. For new Years Eve we managed to get on to the Fish seeks Bicycle stage at the very last minute. We didn't get on till 6 AM and the style we ended up playing didn't really suit the stage we were on. The performers looked great from where I was standing and I think the audience enjoyed them. Was a great party run by a well sound crew and we got a lot of inspiration from the other acts to incorporate a more structured dance set into the show. We were joined at the last minute by a very random saxophonist who I had met previously years ago playing by a fire in the meadows on the edge of Oxford. We aren't going to play live for a couple of months now, we will experiment with midi drum kit and vocoder as I haven't really used the thing in anger yet.
Michael Moore has an interesting take on the US elections here
Michael Moore has an interesting take on the US elections here
December 31, 2007
The gig went ok. It felt good to be running our own free night. We played two sets interspersed with good drum and bass from DJs Charlie Mountain and DV8. We'll do it again soon.
myspace.com/wearetheimpossible
myspace.com/wearetheimpossible
December 21, 2007
November 26, 2007
PLAYING IT AGAIN
Gig was great. Really nice to be playing after such varied and interesting bands. 3.30 AM is the best time to play. We were last up and encouraged to take as long as we wanted. I actually started pulling a few guitar hero posses for the first time in my life. I had no problems at the soundcheck but I don't think I managed to get my loop box working for the entire gig and my wah wah mysteriously stopped switching on towards the end. Great fun though and great reception with random people dancing on the stage and a friend inspired to come up and start shouting at the audience along with our music.
The gig was recorded so hopefully some music coming...
The gig was recorded so hopefully some music coming...
November 20, 2007
THE IMPOSSIBLE
This is us in France. Its all totally improvised stuff musicians can probably tell I'm using a loop player. Geeks might want to know its a Digitech Jamm Man. I'm not sure how much of the trial I can do as we are rehearsing for a gig Saturday. We are the last band on at 3.30. Come if you can.
August 24, 2007
IMPOSSIBLISM
I'm just enough recovered to tell you...
Take the band to Britanny? Why not we thought. We hadn't been able to rehearse coherently here for a while so we thought spontaneous "Impossiblism" in front of whoever turned up in Britanny might give us some inspiration.
What can I tell you? The Druid, the van, The Impossiblettes, A Venue built into a rock of granite, The Bretagne freaks coming out of the woodwork...
A lamb sacrificed and shared amongst the people.
I didn't feel I had done myself justice musically after the first gig, as we had just come off an 11 hour ferry ride, so I was pleased when the next act, Parhal and Birgit asked me to join them. They joined us for our second gig in a cafe in a beautiful river valley in Normandy.
Thanks to our wonderful hosts and all who have made The Impossible possible.
Take the band to Britanny? Why not we thought. We hadn't been able to rehearse coherently here for a while so we thought spontaneous "Impossiblism" in front of whoever turned up in Britanny might give us some inspiration.
What can I tell you? The Druid, the van, The Impossiblettes, A Venue built into a rock of granite, The Bretagne freaks coming out of the woodwork...
A lamb sacrificed and shared amongst the people.
I didn't feel I had done myself justice musically after the first gig, as we had just come off an 11 hour ferry ride, so I was pleased when the next act, Parhal and Birgit asked me to join them. They joined us for our second gig in a cafe in a beautiful river valley in Normandy.
Thanks to our wonderful hosts and all who have made The Impossible possible.
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