Hop Farm and a Reunion

Yesterday I stood in a field with 50,000 people blissfully waving my arms in the air and singing along to Ray Davies singing 'Sunny Afternoon'. Good times, great feeling!

Together with my crew of Bex and Siana, I was at Hop Farm in Kent, for the Saturday part of the two-day "festival for the people". I wasn't aware of this tagline, but my fantastic friend Stacey certainly was and she spent the day making notes to include in a letter to the festival promoter, one Vince Power. Festival for the people, but there's no toilet paper? The hand-san is actually soap, causing much discomfort and stickiness? There were other, non-ablution-related complaints, but they have fallen off my brain. Overall, it was a brilliant day with perfect sunshine and great bluesy folk sounds, including Laura Marling, Seasick Steve, Pete Doherty and Mumford & Sons.



Bob Dylan headlined, allegedly. I cannot confirm as I was not in the front of the crowd and it seems that Dylan had said no to anything resembling a closeup for the big screens. Still, there was a man in a pink shirt wearing a hat, and I admit to getting very excited indeed when I recognised 'Ballad Of A Thin Man'.



But, if I'm honest, I didn't pay much attention to Dylan because it was during his headlining set that I finally found Stacey, my long-lost friend from days of old in Wellington. We'd failed to make a proper meeting plan and she has no UK mobile, so it seemed that all was lost and I spent most of the day double-taking at every brown-haired lady in hat and dark sunglasses. Sore neck, yes. Then late in the evening, in the toilet queue don't you know, and there she was, striding purposefully towards me - as I happened to be near the end of the line - and oh what a joyous reunion!

It had been almost four years since we'd last seen each other, in Auckland, when this series of photos was taken. It was really great to reconnect.

Baking Dogs

My friend Rain posted this video on Facebook, and I just have to share it cos it's brilliant. I do not remember Sesame Street being this entertaining, in fact I never really liked it much. I always got really confused by the way the big yellow dog disappeared behind the tree. Or the kids disappeared. Something disappeared.



I've been listening to 6 music and getting excited about Glastonbury...even though I'm not going. It starts in 2.5 hours! Loved the countdown of top ten performances, particularly that I was at the number one: Blur in 2009. Their finale of 'The Universal' really was something else. I remember standing there with Audrey, Treez and Ian, and it was just lovely and transcendental and all those things you get after four days of camping and hangovers and mud and sun.

Now, back to work. I'm finishing early today, to watch the football of course! Go All Whites!

Weeknote #1

Taking my inspiration from Wired UK, which I love and am going to subscribe to just as soon as I can spare the money, here is a new format which I may attempt to utilise perhaps even more than once! It's not the most exciting but it's something.. and content is content. You know, I disagree with that statement, but I'm also time-poor, so you take what you can get.

at home
Busy week for visitors - while Martial and Mathieu are both away for another few days, I had three members of An Emerald City setting up their portable internet cafe in my living room all week. They were pretty low-impact and it was nice to have them around.

The landlord brought round a new vaccuum cleaner, causing great excitement, and a reinforced vow to never own a house with black carpet. At least it's restricted to my room. He also took away the double mattress which was taking up valuable full-length storage space in my room, so I can now hang my dresses unimpeded. More cause for joy!

Bad note for the week is the occasionally unreliable wireless connection (no thanks, O2), which - as I write - is refusing to give me a wireless connection. Not the end of the world but highly inconvenient when I have work that needs doing... luckily for me my sister Audrey rode to my rescue with an ethernet cable.

at work
Following on from above, work is busy! I have lots going on, more than enough to take up my time, and have even done several hours over this glorious weekend. I would be doing more if it wasn't for aforementioned failwhale O2 wireless box.

out'n'about
It's been a good week for kiwi music - I was lucky enough to catch the 3Ds at the Brixton Windmill on Tuesday night, and the Clean on Wednesday at the ICA - both fresh from supporting Pavement. The Windmill is an odd venue! Tucked away 15 minutes' walk from Brixton Underground, it reminded me of a gig in a rural NZ town, or possibly downtown Wellington, old-Bodega styles. In contrast, the ICA was very different, as it's more commonly known as an art gallery, although the band played in the theatre. A pleasure to see both bands.


And what a weekend it's been. It's after 7pm, and it's 26 degrees. This is unheard of and such a delightful far cry from the negative digits we had on my return from NZ in March. Long may it last! I spent a few hours yesterday at Hampstead Heath, near the Highgate Ponds, for Jo's birthday. She'd chosen the perfect day and a great spot - we were entertained by a hilarious revolving community of dogs, also enjoying the day.

After that it was back to E8, and a visit to London Fields, where I was alarmed to hear of the shooting that took place there yesterday afternoon. This park is five minutes from my door - and it was PACKED with people yesterday, including several friends who were near during the incident. My sister and her two little daughters visited me today, and we spent time walking through and sitting in the park - I didn't mention yesterday to them, but it was on my mind.

future happenings
This week: Barcelona for Primavera Sound! Can't wait to get away - feel quite ready for a holiday. I just hope I won't have to log on to work too much, although it's a catch-22 as I'm on an hourly rate at the moment.

Before that, I've got Nina Nastasia at Cafe OTO tomorrow, and UNKLE at Koko on Tuesday. Busy times.

St Jerome's Laneway Festival - Auckland

This morning I woke up on a motel floor. As I lay contemplating the ceiling, a gentle breeze stirring the curtains on the french doors to my left, I reflected on my fabulous day at Laneways.



It was a brilliant day, and the rain held off for the most part. I met up with the friendly neighbour late morning, and we cabbed downtown to Britomart Square. After a bit of wandering around the site and getting acquainted with the layout, I met up with Lisa and we enjoyed a set from the Naked and Famous, along with a growing and appreciative crowd. Around 3pm I was very very happy to see the Phoenix Foundation play, on the bittersweet occasion of bass player and my good friend Warner's last gig. He's been with the band seven years, pretty much all the time I've known him, and I wish him well in his future projects, which include the highly entertaining Double Ya D.

After that it was time for a much, much anticpated set from the xx. Oh, how I love the xx. Their set was just lovely. I caught some of Daniel Johnston next, a very special performance - you can see a short video here. I didn't pay enough attention to the Dirty Three, and I wish I'd given more time to Chris Knox and the Nothing. I spent the next 45 minutes or so waiting in the food queue, hoping I could use some of my plastic drink coupons, and snarling at queue jumpers. The hot chips were a necessary evil; I missed Echo & the Bunnymen, but I think I'd always missed them so I didn't mind too much.

Because it was the first year of the festival in Auckland, there were inevitably some problems, not least of which was the long wait for food and beer (although happily this didn't affect me). There were also some scheduling reshuffles later in the day, not to mention a disappointing overlap of Cut Off Your Hands beginning their set before Daniel Johnston was finished. I don't believe this was an intentional slight, and I hope that Daniel wasn't too offended.

The reshuffles meant that the 3Ds played later in the evening, and their set was a blinder. The crowd just loved it, what a treat to see such hits as Outer Space, Hey Seuss and Animal performed live!



Florence closed the show, however I was sifting about at the Northern Steamship by this time, catching up with friends and setting the scene for the next few hours. My drinking buddies in London will not be surprised that I have developed quite a taste for Mac's Great White. And that was it - the night ended, as so many do, with a dirty kebab on Queen St.

Hurricane Festival

Every festival I've been to this summer has been the best one yet. I didn't think anything could beat ATP: The Breeders, nor Primavera Sound, but it seems that Hurricane just did! My first tent-festival in two years, and I'll remember it for persistent hangovers, best in show wellies, new and lovely Irish friends, and slow sunsets. I live-tweeted the whole event, but due to some sort of transmission failure, you're experiencing a delay. There will be a similar delay until I get my photos online.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present a weekend in Scheeßel:

Thursday 18 June 2009 23:26
Wrong tram stop? We are lost in Bremen :)

23:45
Not lost. At our accom. Bremen is flat and mild and the inhabitants friendly so far.

Friday 19 June 2009 10:34
Made train with nanoseconds to spare, epic sprint through station. Please rain stay in Bremen.

12:47
Tent up before first rain. 3 in tent, drinking sangria from carton listening to FNM.

14:06
Second rain over now. Hot again. Think music starts soon. Becks=yuck

14:25
Aah portaloos, how much I haven't missed you

15:44
Glasvegas..Go Square Go! Raining hard, subsiding..?

Glasvegas were the weekend's one disappointment. They opened the festival, and only played three songs!!

16:55
The Horrors, sweet! Hour of hot sun, looks like another downpour approaches



18:52
The Sounds sounding good. Sangria in a box ftw. Love Hurricane

19:40
Waiting for the Editors. FNM playing through speakers 'Like a snake between two stones/it itches in your bones'

23:30
KOL. Doing it. I am watching with one eye

The next ages were spent wandering around the festival's many camping areas and carparks, where we still couldn't find what we were looking for. Had some fun on the hunt nonetheless, before passing out in the tent.

Saturday 20 June 2009 10:05
Urgh the reconstruction begins

Pretty bad hangover on Saturday. It got worse until it finally went away in the late afternoon.

18:32
Really is something how soon after a hangover one can recommence. Mars Volta are sounding crazy

19:52
Fleet Foxes yay! We are fully recovered & dancing & found the hot Irish

20:23
And now Pixies!!!

21:21
Regrouping ahead of FNM. Weather stabilised, not exactly warm but nice. Watching crane bungy

22:55
We are at the front waiting for FNM.. atmosphere is jubilant..squee!!



FNM's set was fabulous. The crowd were lapping it up, and my team had made it to very close to the front. This meant a lot of pogoing and screaming, and nearly wetting myself a few times. Details are what you're after, right? Got a couple of good pictures, all in good time.

Sunday 21 June 2009
01:06
Oh god Nick Cave is singing The Ship Song

01:19
He just dedicated Henry Lee to PJ Harvey

Nick Cave was incredible. I kind of needed some time to process having seen FNM again, but there wasn't any, because there was Mr Cave singing 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!', and 'The Ship Song', both 'Henry Lee' and 'Stagger Lee', 'The Mercy Seat'.. beautiful. Moving on to day 3, severe sleep deprivation, but it's all for a good cause!

15:19
And we're back in time for Gogol Bordello. Yuck ice cream. Good merch. Wait for pics

15:38
If pirate was a genre Gogol Bordello would own it

16:54
Lily Allen: loud, better than I expected

18:07
Eagles of Death Megal. Thought I knew them, turns out I don't. Weissbeer: it's make or break

20:52
Ladyhawke just kicked our ASSES! Jane says: NZ reprazent!

21:20
NIN next

21:37
God is dead! And March of the Pigs!! NIN

I was expecting newer stuff from Trent, but then he went and played a load of tracks from The Downward Spiral! It was great.

22:50
And now: Friendly Fires FTW

22 June 2009 12:57
Back in Bremen. Lunch time, whaddya know, Monday is Knuckle Day!

So now I have these three nights in my own bed, before heading to Glastonbury on Thursday. Must make the most of them. Photos to follow. I've started posting my Primavera pics - you can see them here.