Ouch

The Internet came, then it went, then it came back at the speed I remember it being when I was 15… then it went totally and now it appears to be back again. whoop.

MEGAFEST VIII was amazing. Playing was a blur, I think I forgot how to play bass for most of our set and without a drumkit to hide behind I was pretty meek inbetween songs… however I think we did good and it was most importantly a lot of fun, yeah. The rest of the evening/night was the best, it was brilliant seeing so many friends down there having a good time… there was sun, a barbeque, beer, kid dynamite and descendents covers, a man rolling around in soil, glass and humous… The bands were top notch, a few highlights – Burning Times were incredible, maybe not for the reasons that i’d previously been impressed by them, but for making me smile so much throughout their whole set. A perfect example being totally fucking up halfway through their first song, stopping with the choice quote, “we’re a bit pissed… uh, go from the break” then kicking right back in. Cold Ones and Party Garbage were also a LOT of fun. The Shitty Limits totally ‘killed it’ as the kids say and i got totally over excited by the fact i wasn’t wearing glasses i got well involved and received a bloody nose and a lump on my head for my efforts. I’m still recovering now, my old out of shape body can’t handle it no more… all that standing at the back for all these years has weakened me. ha.

It definitely was a good reminder of why living in Brighton is a good thing, the whole day the atmosphere was so good and the karaoke at the end was beyond words. FUN x 100.

Matt Devine you will be missed.

New Face

Remarkable Birds

Apologies to anyone that has tried to make internet contact over the last few weeks because it hasn’t been working my end. A lovely man came over yesterday, called us all students, then asked if it was our Dad’s house for some reason, then fixed the internet. Since then i’ve been hastily checking up on all the pointless stuff i normally look at, see that it’s all pretty much carrying on as it was and feeling quite tragic at how incapacitated i was without my dear world wide web.

Important things -

1. Chris and I’s Zine – Sweet Shop Syndicate 3 is now OUT, you can buy it direct from me, it’s absolutely amazing… chock-a-block full of stories and fun and stuff.

It’s about 48 pages for £1 direct OR paypal £1.50 to sweetshopsyndicate@gmail.com OR mail me about postal/mailing arrangements.

2. This gig is happening -

It WILL be ace. The North Pole are on at 5:30 downstairs, we’re all really looking forward to it. It’s well good I feel like i’m about 16 again playing an instrument for the first time in front of people… exciting.

3. The Steal / Beat Express split is back from the printers, Mark is going to get the artwork printed very soon… it is by this Incredible talent – Will Exley (i still can’t find his website) he is good. yes. Then we will sell them! There are only 300 mind, i’m sure they’ll go pretty quick.

4. I have been offered and taken a ‘proper’ job from Carousel, I am going to become Music Co-ordinator for the charity, which is exciting stuff. I’m really stoked on this and I’m sure it means due to more time spent in an office my blogging will go off the map.
The negative side of this though is i’m having to stop working at the After School Club which i’m pretty upset by. The whole thing makes sense but it’s still really sad and i’m going to miss all the kids there, the last 2 years i’ve learnt so much from being a playworker and it’s easily been one of my favourite jobs ever…

I mean getting paid to do this? Ridiculous.

Self

My good friend Mark Pavey being the highly motivated and organised individual he is has set up something called the Art is Proof Press. This will inevitably become his burgeoning empire in a matter of years but for now his first enterprise is setting up an exhibition of screenprinted posters. Now not only is he setting up and organising the whole thing but he’s printing all of the posters himself… yes, he is mildly insane. There will be (I believe) 12 artists in total exhibiting and each poster will be limited to 40 signed editions. The exhibition opens on the 6th of June and runs until the 16th (probably?? I’ll check these  dates as i think i’ve just made them up) and it’s at Castor and Pollux on Brighton seafront. Bonzer.

Oh yeah, the other reason why i’m telling you this other than to promote a friends endeavors is that I will have a poster in the exhibition… and this is it -

x

Tardy

Have a holiday and my innate slackness comes to the fore… shocking.

Tons of stuff has been going on and it keeps piling up and piling up and not being placed on here for all to read about, why do you care? why do I care? I have no idea but it’s been bugging me… although not as much as my extremely strange and intense argument i had in my dream last night. It was really weird.

Anyway, on with the blogging…

Munich/Ingolstadt was ace. I realised I hadn’t actually been on a holiday in a long time, a holiday being defined by not actually having to do anything at all, therefore resulting in midday drinking in the sunshine outside the Rathaus surrounded by old men and meat.
The first few days were spent in Ingolstadt, a fact for you – The Reinheitsgebot, which is the German beer purity law, was signed in Ingolstadt in 1516… this is the oldest food quality regulation in the world. So it’s not actually even for food, the oldest food quality law is for beer.

We then spent the next few days heading in and out of Munich seeing plenty of stuff… These lovely people were my companions for the escapades -

Sexy.

It was great hanging out with two of my best friends in a new and exciting location. We were witness to Munich’s finest whilst out there, highlights include – Student Riots, The Future, the Palace of Knowledge and Mega Foliage.

We also saw this. Which was amazing.

Lots of walking and getting lost was done, plenty of underground train action was had, a bar that only played alternative hits from the years between 1996 and 1998 was found, “I’m just a sucker with no self esteeem, oh waaaay oh… etc”. Lots of Japanese cuisine and lots and lots of pretzels were eaten. The beer was enjoyed and will be missed, and so will this guy…

That’s all you’re getting out of me for now, i’ve got to go to work.

Ich bin ein Kunstler.