The Gigwatcher 30/08/2006

Aft'noon..

Slightly late again this week I'm afraid, but I got waylaid reading about the Reading Festival in this week's NME (if anyone wants the aerial photo poster things just let me know and they're yours). After I turned to the back pages and was surprised to find it rammed to the gills with news of gigs in our locale (it's a big locale, honest):

CSS @ Audio, Brighton - 09/09/2006
White Rose Movement @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/09/2006
Trailing Laces @ Unit 22, Southampton - 18/09/2006 (supported by Brannigan's Law, who have that Ant Shue on rhythm guitar so they do)
The Misfits @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 27/09/2006
Peter Bjorn & John @ Sumo, Brighton - 27/09/2006
Hot Club de Paris @ The Consortium, Bournemouth - 28/09/2006
Air Traffic @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 04/10/2006
Babybird @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 05/10/2006
Metric @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 06/10/2006
The Young Knives @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 09/10/2006
Rooster @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 15/10/2006
Plan B @ The Union, Southampton University - 17/10/2006
Milburn @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 19/10/2006
Howling Bells @ The Joiners, Southampton - 24/10/2006
The Long Blondes @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/10/2006
Guillemots @ The Corn Exchange, Brighton - 29/10/2006
Scissor Sisters @ The Brighton Centre, Brighton - 11/11/2006
Scissor Sisters @ BIC, Bournemouth - 16/11/2006
Gomez @ The Old Market, Brighton - 26/11/2006
Ray Lamontagne @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 03/02/2007

As soon as I can be bothered (as there's a lot to type) I'll add the above into the SoMC Events Calendar, where they'll join all the other gigs I stumble across, such as the following:

Who's This @ Chicago Rock Café, Fareham - TONIGHT! (They're a Who tribute act, nice)
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band @ The Brook, Southampton - 01/09/2006
Hudson10 @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 09/09/2006
Teddy Thompson @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 28/09/2006
Peter Andre @ Chicago Rock Café, Fareham - 05/10/2006 (no, really)
King Naat Veliov & the Original Kocani Orkestar @ Turner Sims Hall, Southampton - 07/10/2006
The James Taylor Quartet @ Turner Sims Hall, Southampton - 14/10/2006

There's more where they came from, all you need to do is register on the forum and you can interrogate the Events Calender to your hearts content. If you're still in doubt then this handy posting on the forum should answer most of your questions.

In addition to the above gigs, tomorrow night sees the first semi-final of The Wedgewood Room's Showcase'06 event. I mention this because The Pancake Eating Freaks will be playing, having won their heat earlier in the competition. If you like Californian Punk why not go along and give the lads your support.

As mentioned in the big list above, Brannigan's Law are gigging at Unit 22 in Southampton in a few week's time. Click on the link to visit their online presence and hear some demo material.

Crumbs, I'm nearly at the end of this week's Gigwatcher and I've not gone off on one about Girls Aloud! Oh yes, that's right, I did it here. Well, that about wraps it up for this week.. see you in the funny pages.. or the yellow pages.. whatever..

The Gigwatcher 23/08/2006

Shoulda known, shoulda cared, I shoulda hung around the kitchen in my.. umm.. err.. *koff*

[tumbleweed]

OK, so I'm going to see The Tweedy and chums this weekend (sadly not at Portchester Castle, curse you local goverment) so I'm more than a little bit excited. That said, hopefully there'll be a beer tent so I can evade the horror that is Journey South. Anyway, all this talk of Girls Aloud has reminded me that I know of someone who has a spare ticket for this fine event for sale. If anyone out there fancies taking it off his hands leave a comment and we can, like Noel Edmonds, do a deal.

And so, after that poorly constructed and quite shameless sales message, it's that time of the week again. I've pored over the back pages of the NME and have found the following local gigs (for local people):

Keith @ Unit 22, Southampton - 09/09/2006
The Rifles @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 02/10/2006
NME Rock'n'Roll Riot Tour (featuring The Fratellis, The Horrors, The Maccabees and The Dykeenies) @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 11/10/2006
Mumm-Ra @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 29/10/2006
Two Gallants @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 01/11/2006
The Magic Numbers @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 14/11/2006
The Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Southampton University, Southampton - 21/11/2006
The Charlatans @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 30/11/2006
Paolo Nutini @ The Dome, Brighton - 02/12/2006

The above gigs will, just as soon as I have a spare five minutes, join all the other gigs I find on my travels across the interweb in the repository that is the SoMC Events Calendar, like the following for example:

Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton - 25/08/2006
Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 26/08/2006
The White Knuckle Blues Band @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 16/09/2006
The Poozies @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 04/11/2006
Easy Star All-Stars @ The Brook, Southampton - 04/12/2006

If you want to peruse the Events Calendar then this handy blurb should answer most of your questions. There's bound to be something listed that pulls your chain, or the chain of someone you know, or the chain of whoever is in the cubicle next to you.

If Girls Aloud aren't your thing then there's plenty of music in the area this weekend. From Friday through til Monday the sixth annual Southsea Folk & Roots Festival will be taking over the South Parade Pier (and a couple of nearby pubs); more information can be found here. If that doesn't grab you, and it looks like rain, why not stay home and indulge in some on-line karaoke. Bizarre, truly bizarre.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week; have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and, above all, be excellent to one another..

;o)

The Gigwatcher 16/08/2006

Hello everybody..

Apologies for the delay this week, it's been one of those days; a whirlwind of meetings, legacy restores and laptops misbehaving themselves (I think they're doing it to spite me). Before my afternoon got taken up with all things going wrong I had enough time at lunch to peruse the back pages of this week's NME to see what's coming our way, thus:

Ben Kweller @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 21/09/2006
Embrace (with Delays) @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 04/10/2006 (a dilemma for Shaun there)
The Eastpak Antidote Tour (Gogol Bordello, Bedouin Soundclash, Danko Jones & Disco Ensemble) @ The Dome, Brighton - 06/10/2006
Rancid @ The Dome, Brighton - 20/11/2006
The Long Blondes @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/10/2006
Jamie T @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 28/10/2006
Rancid @ The Dome, Brighton - 20/11/2006
Lostprophets @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 28/11/2006
James Morrison @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 11/12/2006
Kasabian @ Brighton Centre, Brighton - 16/12/2006
Kasabian @ BIC, Bournemouth - 18/12/2006

As soon as I get a spare five minutes I'll add the above into the Son of Music Club's Events Calendar; there they'll join all the gigs that catch my eye as I wander across the interweb, such as...

!!! @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 21/08/2006 (it's pronounced 'chk chk chk')
Michael Franti & Spearhead @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 03/09/2006
Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band @ The Brook, Southampton - 01/09/2006
Arlen @ The Cellars at Eastney - 20/09/2006
Seth Lakeman @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 04/10/2006

If you want to peruse the repository of local gigness that is the Events Calendar, then I've knocked up something that should answer all your questions. There's gigs on there through to the end of the year so there's bound to be something that boils your egg, or the egg of someone you know, or the egg of that bloke who sits across from you and looks at you funny).

And finally.. the new Scissor Sisters single reminds me of the Nolans. Discuss.

TTFN

The Gigwatcher 09/08/2006

Another week and another rock icon sadly leaves us...

"Oh, the snot has caked against my pants, it has turned into crystal..."

So sang Arthur Lee, of seminal 60's outfit LOVE, who sadly died last week. In case you're not aware of his work I urge and implore you to hightail it to the nearest music emporium and purchase a copy of their Forever Changes album; it really is a beautiful piece of work and may well improve your quality of life just by hearing it...

And so to the Shippam's meat paste of the Gigwatcher sandwich; once again I've squandered my lunchtime to bring you good people the local highlights from the back pages of the NME:

Keith @ The Joiners, Southampton - 09/09/2006
Babyshambles (with The Holloways and The Noisettes) @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 03/10/2006
The Cooper Temple Clause @ Southampton Uni, Southampton - 15/10/2006
Club NME on Tour @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 17/10/2006
Milburn @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 23/10/2006
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 24/10/2006
DJ Shadow @ BIC, Bournemouth - 07/12/2006

I'll update the Son of Music Club's Events Calendar with the above just as soon as I get the chance; there they'll join all the gigs I trip over on my forages through the interweb, such as...

One Weird Fish @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 12/08/2006
Gilkicker @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 19/08/2006
Catfish Keith @ The Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 14/10/2006
Ezio @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 18/10/2006
Kate Rusby @ New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth - 19/10/2006
King Creosote @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 25/10/2006 (Kenny, as he's known to his chums, is a thoroughly nice chap; Neil and I had a chat with him in the bar at the Wickham Festival)

Don't forget, if you'd like to peruse the repository of local gigness that is the Events Calendar, all you need do is point your browser to that place and log in (there's bound to be something in there that pops your cork, or the cork of someone you know, or the cork of someone you haven't yet met but is just a blind date away).

Nathan has posted up some information on the forum about a one-off gig of a favourite band of his. And that just about wraps it up for this week. Relax.

The Gigwatcher 02/08/2006

Well, here we are again.

I hope you're all having a lovely super smashing week (note to self, stop inserting Jim Bowen catchphrases into everyday conversation) and not, like me, muttering and swearing at Lotus Notes because of how rubbish it is when it up and abends on you three times in a row [takes deep breath and goes to the happy place]. My regular lunchtime perusal of the back pages of the NME has yielded the following local gigs:

The Young Knives @ Southampton University, Southampton - 08/10/2006
Ladyfuzz @ The Joiners, Southampton - 09/10/2006
Infadels @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 10/10/2006
James Dean Bradfield @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 15/10/2006 (one for Shaun)
Rye Coalition (plus The Bell Rays) @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 24/10/2006
Delays @ The Opera House, Bournemouth - 20/09/2006
Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family @ The Joiners, Southampton - 29/09/2006
Juliette & The Licks @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea - 15/11/2006

I'll add those onto the Son of Music Club's Events Calendar where they'll join all the gigs I trip over on my journeys across the interweb in an "Oooh, look at what you could've won" sort of way..

Ezio @ Talking Heads, Southampton - 15/09/2006
Jim Bob (ex-Carter USM) @ The Edge of The Wedge, Southsea - 17/09/2006
W.A.S.P @ The Brook, Southampton - 31/10/2006 (no, I couldn't believe it either)
The Wonder Stuff @ The Brook, Southampton - 06/12/2006
Delays @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 20/12/2006

If you'd like to interrogate the multitude of local gigs that the Events Calendar contains just point your browser to the usual place and log in (there's bound to be something in there that floats your boat, or the boat of someone you know, or the boat of that strange guy over there who keeps winking at you).

Apropos of nothing, this Risk-type game is way too addictive for its own good. And that just about wraps it up for this week.. if anyone is off to the Wickham Folk Festival this weekend then chances are I'll see you there, if you're not then I won't.. toodles!