Blog: Almost Tropical

I like Powers. I liked them when I saw them playing in Trickster a couple of months ago, when the sound was quite bad..and some other disadvantageous elements were affecting their performance, so to speak. ROCK N ROLL!..Anyway, I love their onstage dynamic: Paul facing away from the crowd, concentrating wholly on his guitar; Jessica determinedly working the moog and Joe, he's like a whip on the

****************************** *********** First day of Berlin Festival is OVER! I'm pretty wrecked after it, in a good way. This was my only festival this summer and it was a good time. i set off this morning with my bag packed full of festival necessities: sun lotion, full batteries in my camera and rice cakes. Arriving early at the festival grounds we heard the rock'n'roll Humanzi getting it on at the main stage. They were the first band of the day, and playing to less than [...]

i love the news today. ****************************** BECK IS MAKING A HIP HOP ALBUM ....THE COVER ART IS GONNA BE STICKERS ****************************** THE ROOTS ARE SAMPLING RADIOHEAD ON THEIR NEW ALBUM. "YOU AND WHOSE ARMY" IS ON THE TRACK "ATONEMENT" ON THEIR NEW ALBUM "GAME THEORY". THERE ARE NO STICKERS INVOLVED BUT IT'LL PROBLY GET STUCK IN YOUR HEAD KNOWING THE ROOTS. AND KNOWING RADIOHEAD. GET STUCK IN here or [...]

Last night at West Germany there were some bands! It's probably one of my favourite venues in Berlin. Probably because it's run by two of the loveliest expatriots in Berlin, with the fanciest irish accents, Paul and Fitz. Probably because its homed in a dilapidated doctor's office - of which the ceiling (or lack thereof) is probably my favourite feature. Cupcake lived up their name and were quite yummy. They took up the whole stage and then some with two sets of drums, electric and bass guitar, singer on keyboards [...]

• Tommy James and the Shondells, "I Think ... » Tommy James - I Think We're Alone Now.mp....mp3

I've loved Cut Copy for a long time. Signed up for the newsletter and everything. They make this music that makes you sad and want to dance at the same time. kind of like Interpol? Not musically, but the way you feel.. Cut Copy, "Going Nowhere". i discovered the Presets somehow this week. i can't get this song out of my head. it's amazing...and has clapping. [...]

This weekend beautiful Berlin was taken over by MAD RAVERS. On Saturday the Love Parade was on. I went there with my friend who once upon a time had scribbled in her highschool yearbook that one of her lifelong goals was to make it to Love Parade. 10 years later, she was there! Me, i just wanted to gawk. We walked down Strasse der 17 Juni in a throng of badly dressed people who were dancing to techno. It was funny. People were partying on the top of lamp [...]

Just a few minutes ago Beth Ditto bumped her glorious bum right into me . I wont forget the sight of her on the dancefloor: she's really tiny and there was a gang of ecstatic dancing boys jumping all around her in a circle. Twas a sight to behold.Yeh, The Gossip played a gig tonight in Berghain , a truly Berlin venue somewhere in the middle of nowhere. i don't really know how i actually managed to get there. After roaming around on my bicycle feeling totally lost (in my own neighbourhood!) [...]

I like going to see Maximo Park live. The first time I went, last November, it was a gig that changed the way I listened to their album. I urgently searched out the songs which I hadn't been paying proper attention to and these have since become firmer favourites than the ones that drew my attention to the band initially. Le sigh. Around this time was a turning point in my life, I'd decided to really stay in Berlin and set myself up here despite unemployment, homelessness and a serious bike accident. I was making new [...]

I've been wondering how i could explain about the Yeah Yeah Yeah's gig that happened a month ago. I'm not sure that I can really. We arrived and the front bar was empty..except for Karen O on the big screen mounted on the wall. Quickly scampering into the main area of the Postbahnhof we manoevred ourselves into the crowd and all got seperated. My sister ended up right up the front (i just love that her outstretched fingers are in one of Robbie's most amazing photos. [...]