22:22, 26/03/2006

Two pints of champagne.

Rock and Roll

Jennie and Steve Diggle - camphoto by Erika I went out on Friday night with Jennie and our friends Erika and Jo.

Jennie told me a funny story about when she went to see The Buzzcocks at Koko in Camden a couple of weeks ago.

She was backstage later with Steve Diggle (pictured with Jennie - camphoto by Erika), their brilliant guitarist and he told her how he stays so youthful (the others look like the aging white haired punk legends they are, while Steve still looks rather fresh and feisty).

The secret? Note this down: he doesn't drink anymore except and I quote: "a couple of pints of champagne before a gig".

That sort of anecdote is why I love rock n roll music so much. It's the easy and unironic combination of magnificence and stupidity.

See I hate irony and rock n roll at its best is both preposterously stupid (as an industry and as a form) and at the same time incredibly honest, passionate and real. I love practically all forms of music but rnr in all its forms is what really gets me.

I remember Steve came to one of my old band's gigs (see below) with Jennie's mate Elena a couple of years ago. He really liked us and he hung with us at the bar of the venue. Jennie says I just stood there with my mouth open all night. What are you supposed to do when you meet a hero?

The loos at the Dirty Water Club. Choices choices...

Rock and Roll 2

Speaking of Friday night, rock and booze, we all went to the Dirty Water Club in Tufnell Park to see another friend's band, Thee Exciters. They play raw, primal garage punk. It's stupid, simple and exhilarating stuff. If I was having a big party there's absolutely no doubt that I'd ask them to play there.

Paul, the band's frontman likes a drink or two, and he was on particularly fine form. Barely able to stand for most of the gig, he still hit all his hooks perfectly, and also did some brilliant drunken rock business, climbing into the crowd, drinking beer from his boot, stripping naked and trying to climb the rickety lighting rig before falling off. Perhaps the most brilliant thing was watching him several times try and untangle his microphone lead from the stand during instrumental breaks. It's hard enough when you're sober...

Anyway their set was great. They're doing a tour in the US in April, so you should check em out, American friends. More details on their MySpace page.

(top) Paul, Thee Exciters; (bottom) Steve Copter.

Before Thee Exciters, we were surprised to meet another bunch of good friends, the Birmingham band Copter, with whom we've had a long relationship. They booked us to play their club ColdRice a while ago, and have championed us a fair bit.

So it was great to see them opening the gig. They play a lot harder and faster than I remember them from before, frontman Steve coming on like some electrified Brummie Ian Svenonius. Unfortunately as Stef, their lovely keyboard player explained to me afterwards, their robot, MILO, who usually llivens up proceedings inbetween songs, had broken down, but it was still an excellent and very loud set.

Stef Copter lays down the licks, with a defunct MILO in front

Stef and Steve don't (as far as I know) know about Miss K, so they may be in for a shock (an Electric Shock?) when they look at their logs and see this post :)

Great night all round. Both bands are heartily recommended.

Rock and Roll 3

Jennie and I are making progress with our new band. We have about ten really good songs written, have found a keyboard player and have three drummers (all of whom have been with or are currently with well known bands) lined up for tryouts.

We toyed with the idea of actually having three drummers for a really HUGE sound, but I guess that's asking a bit much.

Jennie (centre) and me (right) from our time in Electric Shocks. photo Emma Campbell

I feel really good about this. During our time with Electric Shocks, Jennie and I have become really close friends and we work very well together. Hopefully we'll start gigging very soon.

We've even thought of a great name, for which the domains and MySpace URL were still available, which I think it pretty much unprecedented. More as it happens!

You have been reading...

Two pints of champagne.

In /music/deathline