I'm a big fan of Brakes ever since I saw them supporting Belle and Sebastian and then started receiving their emails. They're always playing gigs in people's living rooms and things. I've never won one of those competitions but I did get an email last week about a secret gig at the Water Rats. They came on stage at 7.30 and there were around 20 of us in the room at the time. They played a fantastic short set and revealed that 'Heard About Your Band' is about Dominic Masters from The Others (hope they didn't think that was only OK if it was in front of the 20 of us - well, it crept up to about 50 by the end). Almost as good as a living-room gig. The volume was up to the level for a bigger gig, though, and my ears are still buzzing. It's going to be a bore when the hearing properly falls apart.

B-)

Check out the Mayde Creeks

B-)

Ohna's in France (being interviewed by Liberation about short film-making in Britain, among other things!) so she couldn't take me up on one of her christmas presents, which was a ticket to see Belle and Sebastian in Cambridge. Robbie came instead. He even got away early so we had time for a pre-gig beer and fish and chips in the Eagle (famous as the place where Crick and Watson came up with the double helix idea and for the names of airmen carved into the ceiling during World War II). Belle and Sebastian were great. As they said, they've got a LOAD of songs to choose from now. After one person had yelled 'We Rule The School!' all night, they played one line of it and then stopped saying 'och, we'll do it tomorrow'. The locals didn't like all the references to braininess, lectures, etc. The woman next to me said 'Everybody who comes here goes on about that, even though most of the people here are locals!'

The support were Brakes who were great. Most songs were about a minute long. The final song, was introduced as 'a short one'. It was called 'comma comma comma full stop'. I liked it so much I bought the record! (And they covered a Camper van Beethoven song, Dug)*

According to the Belle and Sebastian band site we MAY listen to the album before it comes out if we find it on the web.

B-)

*Dug planted the idea of this in my head but thought he shouldn't be going to a gig in Cambridge on the day his second kid is due.

BBC Archive Hour: Lennon - The Wenner Tapes

You need to know that you've only got one more day to listen again to John Lennon telling us what 'big bastards' the Beatles were and stuff.

B-)

Sorry to be advertising again, but the Festive 15 CD (yet another tribute to John Peel) that comes with the latest Uncut is great. I counted 7 tracks I've not listened to for far too long and everything on it is great. My nostalgia module is taking me back to a rainy Reading Festival where the man himself was cheering us up with tracks like 'take the skinheads bowling' and to the Forum where Half Man Half Biscuit were a bit less fun to my ears than they were on record.

B-)

It's been so long since I posted I've been getting concerned messages. Now that I'm ill, I've got a minute to post something. I could tell you about Ohna's mad work, Kiloh's exams (2 school exams this term so far, a recorder exam coming up on Monday the day before another school exam on Tuesday - she's asked Ohna and me if we can give her one each next week just to keep her up to speed), Apoa's drama and her broken guitar (she's currently using a 3/4 size guitar with a broken body and poor tone and will have to play a concert with it on Saturday and then do an exam with it next Wednesday) or my busy times at work including my trip to Dubai tomorrow, but the really burning issue on my mind right now is Go Home Productions which is full of (free downloadable) treats. There's lots of brilliance here but I'd maybe start with 'Strung Out King' and 'Marvin's Not In Love Parts 1 & 2'. Remaining musical, Kim bought me 'John Peel - A Tribute' when she was down. I wouldn't have thought of buying it, but it's really great and does take you back to 10 o'clock on a weekday evening in the 70's (in my case).

B-)

Just received this email:

Dear All

I would be grateful if you would do two things for me to mark one John Peel’s passing:

As in the spirit of the original Festive Fifty, please send me your top three tracks (singles or LP tracks) in order 1 2 3. Please ensure you send both name of track as well as artist/group

Send this email to a bunch of people, asking them to send their top 3 to me at geoff.curran@btinternet.com by midnight 17th December

I will collate the answers and put out a definitive Festive Fifty at www.festivefifty.net on 24th December this year

I know this sounds a little…….but my love of music was fuelled by Peelie and having read the Mick Wall book, it brought it home how much he gave us and I would like to give a little back myself. If you think this is bollocks, then please do not reply but do me a favour, send it on as there are plenty of people who will not feel that way.

Cheers

Geoff