Diane Charlemagne RIP

Sad to report that Diane Charlemagne, the voice behind Urban Cookie Collective's The Key The Secret and Goldie's seminal Inner City Life, passed away on Wednesday. As legacies go that's not a bad couple of tracks to leave behind though is it eh? RIP.

Zuri Aura - Luminous Shift

Ooooooooooooh this is double lush with an extra helping of lush on the side, Zuri Aura live and unplugged as part of Exeter's very own edition of Balcony TV dishing up the kind of chilled out reggae summer time vibes that'll warm the cockles (and any other parts for that matter).  Looks like they're playing at somewhere called The Old Firehouse too (there's another gig venue to add to the old list) on Friday night (30th).

Exeter gig venues

I knew Brum's best gig venues like the back of my hand but Exeter's still uncharted waters at the mo. From what I can tell there are 5 main places to catch regular gigs though. These are, in no particular order (or at least in no particular order until they've plied me with peanuts and cider):

Exeter Phoenix

Exeter Cavern (PS: The vid above is Mark Morris at Exeter Cavern, happily he's back on November 26th, highly recommended. Tickets right here).

Exeter Corn Exchange 

The Bike Shed

The Monkey Suit

(There's Westpoint Arena too but the only acts playing there in the near future are alt-j, The Horrors and Elton John, sadly not all on the same bill although how great/terrifying would that be?).

Any other tips from clued up Exeter gig goers gratefully received, the grimier the better (the gig venues that is, not the gig goers, although I ain't fussy).

Krafty Kuts - A Golden Age of Breakbeat

Still struggling to get back into the swing of things...Devon is so chilled it's almost intoxicating compared to dear old Bearwood, even without the cider...but this is certainly helping, Krafty Kuts' Golden Age of Breakbeat, just over an hour of the breakiest beats this side of...er...breakingham. Respec' due to the Gooba (he knows who he is...) over in the US for the tip. As he put it, "play it LOUD".

Oooooooooh Devon is a place on earth...

Well, I've finally relocated to sunny Devon so I'd better get a shift on and find some gigs to big up/review/loiter outside looking a bit shifty. This lot (Sound Of The Sirens) sound good, playing at Exeter Phoenix on Friday November 13th. Tickets right here, right now for a mere fiver.

Gigs, gigs, gigs...

I might be up to my neck in cardboard boxes (moving house...don’t do it people), spending night after night debating just how many copies of Soft Cell’s Non Stop Erotic Cabaret I actually need (I’m currently down to a mere 6 copies) but there are oodles of great gigs coming up in and around Brum right now. Pick of the next week or so includes lonelady this Thursday (8^th) at The Rainbow, John McCullagh & The Escorts (see vid above) this Friday (9^th), also at The Rainbow and the double delights of Du Blonde (see vid below) and Goodnight Lenin at The Hare & Hounds next Monday (12^th). Enjoy...and have a pint for me.

PS: Oh go on then, here's a track from Non Stop Erotic Cabaret too. 

Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes - Barry Norman

Taking a much needed break from packing up the detritus of a life spent trawling car boot sales/charity shops/skips/bins I stumbled across the new one from Brum' very own Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes. Romping home at just under two glorious minutes (all the best things in life take just under two minutes) it's the catchiest thing they've ever done and in a better world they'd be on Top Of The Pops pogoing around and smashing up the set with one of Savile's leg bones. It's taken from their brand new release The Yellow EP due out on October 30th with just 250 copies being unleashed upon an unsuspecting world (unless they've read this, but come on now, who reads this?) and you can catch 'em live at The Rainbow on November 6th. Altogether now "Barrrry Norman, Barrrrrry Norman...".