Concert Report

It's been pretty hit and miss so far this year. And while I wouldn't say there have been a lot of "misses", there have been a lot of underwhelming shows that have bordered on disappointing. And sometimes - well, Sloan put it best: "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans".

Case in point - The Fratellis. Nice little album, fun band. But they seem to be a beacon for every lager idiot in this country. It's almost like the show is just a place to get pissed and be annoying before hitting the clubs. I've bitched about this one before, but what is the deal with buying a plastic pint, finishing half of it, and then launching it into the crowd? And since I'm taller than most, my head seems to be a nice target. I'm just grateful that so far everytime I've been hit it has been cold liquid that I get covered with - if it is ever warm, I'm swearing off gigs for life.

But before I'm accused of getting too old for this (the thought did cross my mind), there was the Rifles gig at the Garage. Still guitar based music, same kind of musical demographic, but folk were there for the music. No flying pints, no slamming into people for the sake of it. And with the band on fine form, this was one of the best gigs so far this year.

Bloc Party put on a nice little show - their drummer has got to be one of the best in the business - but we didn't manage to get tickets to the Glasgow show so had to go to Edinburgh. It doesn't seem far away on the weekend, but getting home to Glasgow on a school night is a nightmare so that by the time you get home you wonder why you bothered.

I've got mixed emotions about the Killers. I still think they released the song of 2006 (Bones), but they do take themselves far too seriously. A show at the SECC is already a bad start, but the band seemed to just go through the motions. It all sounded and looked nice enough, but reeked of "corporate rock show" that rehearsed to death. I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier?

Madviolet - they can harmonise like nobody else, and they're still gorgeous.

Guillemots - they've got some great songs, but they've also got some overblown artsy rubbish. A bit too much of the latter.

Junior Boys - gorgeously produced last album, but their electronic thing just doesn't work live.

So far, the best gig this year has to be from Newmarket, Ontario's own Tokyo Police Club. Nice n' Sleazy's was jam packed, the crowd was up for it, and the band was brilliant. Each song a 2-minute gem, and driven by some great bass lines. Couldn't help but notice that I was probably the only one there who would have to get up and go to work in the morning though!

Ben Venue

My first hillwalk of the year. And with views like this, I ask myself why I don't do this every week.

Vigelandsparken

I quite like the way the pics from Vigelandsparken turned out, so here are a few more. I'll take the high road and let you make your own shrinkage jokes!

Wind, Rain, and 2007

Is it too late to say Happy New Year?

What a great bit of time off that was, but man did it ever go quickly. As for New Year's Eve, it is still the single most overrated day on the calendar. But I guess this time was amongst the better ones. Went out in Glasgow, and then caught Hot Chip and a DJ set at the Old Fruitmarket. Funny though - I've only been in Scotland for New Year's Eve twice, and just like last time the wind was so crazy that most of the events across the country were cancelled. Luckily ours was indoors, so it was all good. But I've never seen Glasgow city centre so dead in my life. They had expected at least 20,000 to George Square alone for the outdoor concert.

Also managed to make it over to Oslo, Norway for a few days beforehand. A great city, highly recommended. Very clean, very safe, very picturesque, and yes, very expensive. Spent the day soaking in the atmosphere and checking out the excellent museums, all broken up with trips to the top class coffeeshops found throughout the city. Turns out Norwegians spend their holiday time with family, so the nightlife was pretty quiet. But by asking the right questions, we found some brilliant wee restaurants and pubs off the beaten track. And they managed to recover Munch's recently stolen "Scream" so we were able to see that in person (which was very nice of them).






Oslo city centre. Good vibes. But baby, it's cold outside.

A 13th century stave church that was relocated to the wonderful open-air Norse Folk Museum, north of Oslo. Real viking ships in the museum next door too!












Probably the highlight of the trip - the enchanting (I don't use that word lightly!!!) Vigelandsparken which is a park full of sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The sculptures were wonderful in their own right, but even more so arranged as they were throughout the park. The frost covering was the icing on the cake.

There and Back Again

What a strange working month December has been. I'd managed to save up two weeks of holidays, so I've only had to work one week to earn a full month pay. Works for me.

Refreshed the Maple Syrup portion of H+MS with a teasingly short trip back home. Cheers to my cousin Ally and her new husband Simon for the invite to their wedding. It was a really good time, and provided a great reason to get all the family together for an occasion other than Christmas. Cheers to the Ottawa boys who were able to make it to Toronto on a Monday - good times. Cheers to Steve and Rachel for having us over to their new place - it was great to catch up and be introduced to the newest member of the MacMillan clan. And finally managed to meet up with Lisa and Randy for the first time since I first came to Scotland (nearly 5 bloody years...madness!).

I experienced my first Christmas in Scotland this year, which perhaps unsurprisingly is pretty much exactly like Christmas back home but with different accents. Some great eating and drinking at Fi's parents place. Though admittedly a bit nostalgic about being away from home.

2006 is not quite done yet! Off for a quick getaway, and then one more concert to send off the year. And then 2007 (my last year as a 20-something...!).

Pan's Labyrinth

A rare case of where the UK gets a film release before Canada!

But when it comes out, you must see this movie. Stunning.

The Feeling w/ Captain @ Glasgow Academy

I know it's Scotland and I should expect rain, but it feels like it hasn't stopped raining in weeks. And of course, of the cold November variety. So with puddle dodging and hydroplaning in the dark a normal part of my daily commute, a little sunshine was in order.

Which was to come in the form of The Feeling and Captain, two bands leading the revival of unashamedly radio-friendly hook-laden guitar pop. Up first Captain, bringing to mind the Stars girl-guy call/response and harmony sound, with lovely shimmery guitars. Going to see them for their own headline gig (last of 2006!!!) next weekend. Then The Feeling who is making 70's Supertramp style rock cool again. They were solid last time I saw them, but since then they've morphed into proper rock stars, complete with windmill guitar playing, tight trousers and suit jackets and high kicks. Ridiculous but awesome.

Though I couldn't help but think that the two bands were swapping notes when making videos...

Sewn by The Feeling


Frontline by Captain

Mitchell and Webb @ King's Theatre

I first came across David Mitchell and Robert Webb in Peep Show, which is probably the funniest show on British TV at the moment.



The BBC has also recently been airing the sketch comedy show The Mitchell and Webb Look. While a bit hit and miss, the hits are hilarious. We saw they were doing their sketch show live in Glasgow and had to check it out. I've never seen sketch comedy live before, but I loved it. These boys are pure class.

Glasgow Holiday

So Fi went off to Portugal for a week. Now don't get me wrong, I love her company and all that. But I was well up for a week with the flat to myself, though in the end I was hardly there. A few of the boys were given leave from the missuses, so some proper pub time in town was on order. And of course, a couple of ace gigs:

Phoenix @ The Arches: These guys have already clinched the top spot on most of my 2006 Best Of lists already (Album of the Year, Best Jacket by a Bass Player, Best Band Whose Lead Singer is Hooked up with a Famous Film Director, and it goes on...) but damn didn't they also just go ahead and get gig of the year too. This was magic -awesome crowd, amazing sound, and the band was just so much more tight and comfortable with the audience than the last time I saw them in Glasgow. Mix with a few pints and voila - fantastique! Even this video is brilliant.



Right, enough of the Phoenix love.

Rifles @ King Tuts: Didn't know too much about these guys going in as I went on a tip from a mate. Good tip though - indie rock that sounds a bit like The Jam. It was the day after Phoenix, so I was feeling a bit rough, but a few Magners at Firewater got me well in the mood again.



Of course it was nice to see Fi when she returned. And our first gig together for a while was soon upon us...

Flaming Lips @ SECC: This could never be as good as the legendary show they put on almost three years ago since that was a much smaller venue compared to the cavernous SECC. Plus, I sort of knew what to expect this time. By now you've probably heard about what a Flaming Lips gig is like - confetti and balloons and lasers and costumed dancers and Wayne Coyne rants, and sure enough there were no surprises. But hell, it is still proper feel good stuff - you'd have to be dead or a right asshole not to enjoy this. Good old Google Tube - some excellent clips from the show:

An Apple A Day

My visa and Leave to Remain applications were both recently renewed, though due to the joys of British bureaucracy the latter was not approved until a few days before my old one expired, making for a few tense days. Then again, maybe some paid leave to Ireland wouldn't have been so bad after all?

So now that I'm all legal for another few years, I thought I'd get a few other things sorted. With my OHIP coverage well and truly a distant memory, I finally got around to registering for the NHS (the British publicly funded health care system). Turns out I was eligible way back when I received my first visa. How about that, eh? Since I don't have a file, I get to look forward to a physical next week. There is something distinctly uncomfortable though with the idea of walking into an office to give a vial of my urine to a nurse the same age as me, and then making small chat while sitting on a table in my boxers getting prodded at 8 in the morning.

Turns out I'm eligible to vote too! Unfortunately, the political options are equally as unappealing as they are back home. Yes, Labour is as stale as the Liberals ever were, but do you really vote for the Tories instead? No thanks. Maybe I'll just support the Scottish Independence movement instead. Vive l'Ecosse libre!