Mrs Woman

Sometimes certain topics keep coming up, no matter who you speak to: A meme in the true cultural influence sense, if you will. One recurrent theme of late has been the passion experienced when seeing bands live, quite possibly prompted by festival season being in full swing. In the interests of adding to the thousands of trivial lists out there in cyberspace, here's twelve of my all-time favourite gigs in no particular order:


The Flaming Lips, Empress Ballroom, Blackpool November 2006
Oklahoma's finest are the best party band in the world. Fact. Not only that, but Wayne Coyne is the perfect ringmaster to the most entertaining psychedelic shindig you'll ever have the chance of enjoying, so I heartily recommend them to anyone. Even if you've never heard them before, you'll love them like blood brothers by the end of the night. On the cold, windy night we saw them in Blackpool, they were fascinated by the bleakness of such a dreary off-season resort which also just happened to possess the world's largest mirrorball. Very typical of them to appreciate such a juxtaposition.


The Cure, "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" tour, Birmingham NEC Dec 1987
My first big gig as a student. It was difficult to see friends and other members of the audience as so many wore regulation black that night! Robert Smith was still at the height of his highly-animated pomp and the band delivered a set worthy of Goth 1.0 Heaven. Just Like Heaven in fact...


Del Amitri at Edwards No 8, Birmingham 1988
Memorable as one of the smallest, most intimate gigs I'd ever been to. Del Amitri's first album was only just out, so the glorified pub that was Edwards bagged itself an early booking coup. Beloved mates and fellow music-obsessives Sarah & Arlene came along, so we perched at the very front like expectant little songbirds. I don't care what you say about Scottish folk rock, Justin Currie has a great voice and is particularly easy on the eye especially when he's singing right at you.


Moby, 'Hotel' tour, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, 2005
You know those advertised arena concert trips to Europe which cost a fortune? While there's no doubt many devoted fans will go anywhere for their favourite artists, I've never been on any of those. They seem so... hardcore and extravagant, I suppose. On the flip side, when Mr W was organising our wild week's holiday to the city of Lost Wages a few years ago, he'd spotted two gigs there within the same week. Moby was one of those.

The Hard Rock Hotel is a very cool place to go, as it's reputedly a bona fide hangout for celebs. The downside to this is that being the 'States, we wouldn't necessarily have recognised any home-grown rising stars even if they were in that night. Why am I telling you this? Well, bearing in mind I was doing as much of a killah rock-chick impression as my wardrobe and baggage allowance would permit, I got my picture taken by some woman while washing my hands in the Ladies' lav. Totally dumbstruck with surprise, I walked out puzzled and dazed before I even thought to ask who she thought I was. To this day, I still have no idea who may have a vague, unfortunate resemblance to my pasty Northern fizzog.

Anyway, Moby performed a stunning set, with so many hits and underground anthems accented by an excellent light show. The venue isn't huge - maybe a bit smaller than Manchester Apollo - and despite other's criticism of Moby's music being 'sterile' it was full to bursting with an unmistakably energetic atmosphere.


Prince "LoveSexy" tour 1989
Unlike Bill Oddie, I'm only a casual fan of Symbol, or the Artist, or whatever he's calling himself these days. Nevertheless, when the leg-end announced a date in Brum, I was there. As you can imagine, Prince's show is very much about the spectacle, the experience. For instance, rather than being focused at the front, the circular stage was right in the middle, very much an 'in-the-round' type of setup. At the start of the fun, The Tiny One descended from the rafters and emerged out of a classic white limo. Understated, eh? His female entourage sans Sheena Easton was in attendance too, with lots of startling costume changes while he pranced about to the delight of the audience, me included. #Gonna party like it's 1989...#


10,000 Maniacs, Birmingham Uni Student Union Bar 1987
Again, the magic of a tiny gig where you're so up-close and personal you can almost see the artist's epiglottis can't be beat. This was a night dominated by the ethereal beauty of Natalie Merchant's voice. Memory fails slightly, but it must have been to promote 'In My Tribe' which stands up well after all these years. That night, there were many girls in long skirts and lads in long coats swaying along in appreciation, albeit slightly drunkenly.


Keane 'Hopes and Fears' tour, House of Blues, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, 2005
The second of the US holiday gigs. On the night we saw them, it was Keane's second or third ever American date and were still somewhat anxious to please the transatlantic punters. That 'Break America!' challenge was still very much ahead of them, at some earlier point before America nearly broke the band. God knows what the first dates were like, but their night at the House of Blues was genuinely a triumph, thanks in part to the hordes of fellow British holidaymakers who'd also scored tickets. We'd only got balcony seats, which didn't matter as the venue was again on the small side and the whole of our tier seemed to be loud 'n' proud word-perfect all the way through. Union Jacks and Saltaires aloft, Tom Chaplain exclaimed at one point during Everybody's Changing, "I can't f****ng hear myself sing over you lot".


REM 'Green' tour, 1988
An indie version of the Stones, REM are something of a rock institution and despite disappointing later albums, they do a fantastic live show. That said about the later dross, 'Accelerate' is pretty good, but it hasn't tempted me to see them this year only because it's a similar set up to the last time we saw them in 2005. The 'Monster' tour in 1995-6 was worth the trip too.

1988's Green tour was the first time they made it to these shores, and in retrospect they were probably at their height of their creative drive before Warner got their hooks in. Every time I see a stacking metal chair, I get an image of Michael Stipe hitting it with a stick... Disturbing memories aside, they're not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for nowt.


Yazoo at the Palace Theatre, Manchester 1982
Included purely for nostalgic reasons as it was my first ever concert. I was a sweet and tender hooligan of 14 years old and with a longish, late journey back my Mam insisted on going as well, so it wasn't quite as rock 'n' roll - or synth pop 'n' crackle? - as I would have liked. Still, the incredible thrill of being a gig-virgin no more worked its magic for months. Funny enough, Alison Moyet & Vince Clarke have not long been on tour together again, their first time in over 25 years.


Elbow, 'The Seldom Seen Kid' tour, Delamere Forest June 2008
OK, I've only just posted about this here, but it deserves a place after too many missed opportunities to see this until recently much-underrated band. Way back, Mr W bought the first release of 'Asleep in the Back', even before the title track was on it - no idea, don't ask - so I've been happily indoctrinated by his good taste ever since. Take it as read I love their snapshots of life set to the most moving music, but they all seem like such great blokes to boot, the sort who would actually have a crack with you in the pub should you ever stumble upon their watering hole of choice. Gentleman Guy Garvey especially. For any eclectic music fans reading this, his Radio 6 show is essential listening.


Peter Gabriel, "So" tour, Birmingham NEC 1986
This was just on the cusp of 'Big Time' (!) commercial success in his own right, after a high profile career in Genesis and subsequent but niche solo acclaim. Gabriel is pretty unique as a live artist, and has always been an innovator. His superb voice makes numbers like 'San Jacinto' and 'Here Come The Flood' even more moving live than on record. However, a bit like the rest of Genesis, it's well documented that he can't dance. God bless you mate.

Last but not least...

Amnesty Festival, Milton Keynes Bowl June 1988
My first festival, with The Stranglers, Joe Strummer, The Damned, Michelle Shocked, Big Audio Dynamite, Aztec Camera, Aswad and Billy Bragg (I think) amongst others. You can't beat a good festival, especially when it's in a good cause, a dry field and not too vast. One other memorable part about this weekend was, on arrival at the railway station Sarah and I got lost in the faceless suburban landscape that is Milton Keynes. I've no idea if it still is a bit spooky like that, but after an inordinately long time spent wandering carbon-copy streets, we had to get a taxi to rescue us. Luckily, the music healed any traces of trauma ; )

It's Wednesday and I'm on a day off: Gr-eeeeaaaat, as Tony the Tiger would say. Time to catch up online. Jo has tagged me with the 5 Things meme, so here we go.

The Rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:

I was working as ...I so wanted to say "a waitress in a cocktail bar", but that would be untrue. (I did have three jobs on the go at an earlier point, with one as barmaid in a dodgy 'niteclub' but that doesn't count here). At that time, I was a Deputy Manager in an ace health food & supplements store, while my evenings were taken up by practicing and playing for the covers band I was in. It was a bit of an odd mix of music, a bit of indie (my choices), blues, rock, country and topped off with a poppy chart number. Eeesh.


2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

• Upload some row counters, stitch markers and whatever else is left to Etsy
• Make further progress on sock No 2 of Crusoe
  
• Post a packet
• Ring the dentist to ask about my enamel rubbing away: Underbite effects, yuk.
• Practice this month's choice of covers on geeetar, just for fun - pop pickers.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

• Salty pretzels
• Soft licorice
• Anything with white chocolate (Sorry Paul; cue the 'white is not real chocolate' debate)
• 'Millionaire' Caramel shortbreads
• Reece's peanut butter cups
  

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:

• Open a funky, friendly coffee and craft shop, with Stitch & Bitch meetings on weekday evenings and bands playing at the weekends. There'd be a free pamper room and therapist available for stressed out friends and family. We'd offer yummy fresh homemade cakes 'n' bakes with the best coffee in town. Oh yeah, and nice teas and pop too.
  

• Bank roll an animal rescue sanctuary

• Sort out family and friends' finances to give them security for the rest of their lives

• Go to Japan and do the Jonathan Ross Tokyophile thing. That or the Beatrix Kiddo samurai trainee scheme. Can you get an NVQ for that, I wonder?

• Promote some deserving bands from a small but perfectly formed, chic city centre office in Manchester.
  

5. Places I have lived:

• Birmingham City Centre
  
• Clapham
• Barrow-in-Furness
• Bournville (not the posh bit!)
  
• Edgbaston
• Oldbury
  
• Carlisle

So, I tag La'al Bear, Grumblemag, Wrenmeister (get that blog going, *nag*), CraigIKL, Elena12 and CheckMyInevitables if you're up for it.

In other news, I might not be able to get up to Woolfest on Saturday. Boo. Mr W has been asked to fill in on an urgent worky thing, so might not have the day off to chauffeur us up there. It'll take me forever to get their by bus or train, so it looks like it's gonna have to be next year. Hopefully I'll get some supplies from Ursula at the Steam Gathering in the meantime.

In other actual news, I heard some content from the day job go out on telly this morning which made for some amusement. It's not the first time it's gone out, but I'm not normally about to hear or see the results. Arf.

Saturday saw us trogging down to Cheshire, to see Elbow at Delamare Forest. Neither of us had been to a forest gig before so there was a bit more circumspection than usual about what to wear and take with us.
Friday's fuel strike was very evident from the drive down the motorway, judging from the exceptionally light traffic. That said, it was great not getting into any snarls and being able to go with the very smooth flow.

We arrived just after gates opened at 6, and parked up in the huge car park. To anyone thinking of going to other Delamere gigs, do! They're very well organised on site and the stewarding was superb both in and out of the venue, so I'd definitely recommend it as a great, well-managed venue.

The concert area reminded me of a mini MK Bowl, with a great natural(?) amphitheatre which held 5,500 on the night. Bearing in mind the original headliner for this date was James Morrison who cancelled, the place seemed pretty well full.

Manc favourites I Am Kloot were supporting, and went down very well. Elbow's Guy Garvey shared vocals with mate Johnny Bramwell on their last number. After the break, when we spotted Pete (Elbow's bass player) meeting some mates & fans, the main act kicked off with "Starlings" with a two-piece string section and the band 'playing' trumpets.


Richard Hawley guested - as per the new album - on "The Fix", and looked the epitome of cool as someone else mentioned: "Look in the dictionary for a definition of 'cool' and there'll be a pic of Richard Hawley". There's a minute of it here.

All in all, it's was a really good night. There were many highlights, not least a proposal relayed by Northern Romantic Guy "to Helen from David". Guy asked everyone to be quiet and 'pay attention' while he asked for Helen to identify herself. A predictable 'I'm Spartacus' routine ensued for a bit, but eventually the lady concerned accepted the proposal and the crowd roared in approval. Guy also asked the crowd to do something a little bizarre, but in the interests of keeping it an in-joke (see YouTube for the craic) I won't say any more apart from it was almost a full moon. In fact you could 'read by the moon' but sadly they didn't do 'Fugitive Motel' or 'Powder Blue', but did do many other favourites and the whole new album.

It was really heartening to see how happy Guy, Craig, Mark, Peter and Richard were to be playing so close to home, especially the day before Fathers Day. We were stood quite near the performers' access gate so saw partners and small people to-ing and fro-ing, no doubt looking forward to 'seeing daddy play'. It must have been a welcome chance to touch base midway through the world tour. It certainly blew apart the 'Northern miserablist' label they sometimes get pinned with.

Elbow are doing a double appearance at Glastonbury this year so for those few(wer than usual) who are going, you're in for a very special treat.

Life is inherently ironic. Well, Alanis Morrisette reckons so, although her interpretation is arguably more "Life's a bitch when timing's a bit off", but that's another online discussion to be had.

After ongoing IT frustrations with the new work laptop provided meant productivity's almost ground to a total halt, I found this:

"My New Computer

I’ve just taken delivery of an up to the minute, spanking new computer and I’m finding it hard work setting it up and getting going, so I’m keeping the old one going while I get used to the new one. But when I’m up and running with the new computer its going to be so much better.

My old computer is a dear friend. We know each other, but we’re not functioning as well as we used to. We get stuck more frequently. There are so many things I can’t do. I can’t open many files attached to emails. I used to, but now all that comes up is “Sorry this view is not available”. I can’t load the software to handle running a website. I slow down and often I don’t have enough memory. I have to remember not to do too many things at once or I run out of memory and the whole thing seizes up and closes down.

A bit like me really. Only I can’t just send off for a new computer and discard the old one. I’ve got to make do with the old one and try and work out what is causing the seizing up and how to release a bit more memory. You can buy extra memory for the old computer. We did that, but actually it didn’t seem to solve anything - obviously something fundamental is causing it to work less well than it did. I also used to be OK (after a fashion). I did wonder occasionally if I was only functioning in part of me, I felt a bit shallow - was there more I wasn’t tapping into? But I got by. Had the occasional breakdown, seize up, overheat. But not enough for anyone to get a ‘mechanic’ in for more than a cursory glance.

Now after a good run at life, seemingly functioning pretty well, I’ve found the breakdowns are more frequent, the lack of memory, especially working memory, almost a permanent problem. Frequently nowadays, just as on my old computer, a message pops up on my screen “There seems to be another network running underneath the one you are using - do you want to shut it down?” I press the ‘yes’ button, but it keeps on appearing. If I knew why that happened I could do something about it...

But now I’ve found some (mostly old) files that I didn’t know were there, ones that were taking up space and making me feel shallow. Sometimes they pop onto my screen without any warning. When that happens occasionally I can find the ‘close’ button. Often I can ‘minimise’ and carry on with the intrusive file in the background. But other times the old file overwhelms and the system shuts down and I need time out before ‘booting up’ again. In the end I’ve had to find an ‘engineer’ who is happy to take on a long term project and work on the memory and seizing up problem while trying to keep me up and running in between times."

Life imitates IT. LOL.

Sigh. I used to have an unsigned copy of this poster. Just don't tell me how much it would be worth! : (

On behalf of all the other old sods remembering their star-wars-struck childhood memories watching Blue Harvest on Beeb 3, have a happy May 4th - or what's left of it!

Some good advice spotted in a Manchester shop window. It's been six weeks or so since my last post, so this will be a combined round-up and catch-up - hopefully without sounding like a virtual rodeo...

Overall, it's been a difficult time thanks to a visit to the Neuro in early March, whose advice I purposely didn't start to implement since after Easter when there wasn't as much going on. He decided I wasn't holding up on the first lot of AEDs (meds), so started me on another drug as well (Keppra). Without going into too much detail, they've been somewhat disruptive and have caused something completely unexpected.

On the flip side, there's been a fair bit going on worthy of mention. Starting off with the more subdued end of the spectrum, my 40th was celebrated in fairly quiet style, with the exception of some ace cards and a funky cake. Can't have a birthday without one!

On the day after Mr W & I went to Manchester for some window shopping and a treat meal at Wagamama which was great fun. We had a nosey in Selfridge's too, with a peek at their Yo! Sushi bar:

A day later, workmate M & rellie P took me for lunch at M's local foodie pub which was a nice, relaxing break. M surprised me with a giant box which turned out to be filled with helium balloons, including one which played 'Wild Thing' when you hit it!

Birthday celebrations continued with a lovely fibre surprise from Ursula; some blueface Leicester fibre and Kool-Aid sachets. Thanks U! It didn't take me long to spin it up and now have an ace multi-coloured crocheted scarf as well as some left over handspun which I don't quite know what to use on just yet.


Suffice to say, it's been tucked away with the other hand-dyed wools for special use. Possibly a special bag to felt or a groovy hat of some kind.

My beautiful Lendrum wheel has been put through its paces, as I've been using it a lot throughout. While I've already spun up all the fibre I can lay my hands on, I've mainly been doing a ton of plying as it was a long overdue task to put together the many weird stash yarns into something much more knittable. Hand on heart, I think I've actually managed to finish the job, combining everything that was 'odd' into something much more interesting: See the pic of what's left after some keen try-out knitting up.


Etsy has yielded some surprises too. Sales from my shop have been growing gently and I've experimented with trading with three very creative folks. Jen traded some fun and beautiful goodies from her two shops, dvrdown.etsy.com and jennleejewelry.etsy.com, while Amber swapped for some of her excellent bags from bendawndavis.etsy.com and Mai-ling of alphaomega.etsy.com traded one of her hand-painted wristlet purses for some of my work. Thanks to all three!

Once things steady out somewhat with my daily routine, I'll be listing on Etsy more regularly, with more knitting accessories and woolly finished objects for sale.

M threw two ace parties over the last few weeks too, one of which was a surprise do for her Dad's 60th birthday. I was asked to be official photographer of the moment when he realised he's been dragged in under false but fun pretenses, and got a cracking snap but it's on her camera.

Talking of cameras, Mr W dragged me out the house yesterday and chauffeured us round Manchester and Stockport. Why? Well, if you're into 'Life on Mars', you might well appreciate what iamian, RAMC181 and the good folks at The Railway Arms have done in identifying locations from the show. To see where we went, clicky here to see the pics on Flickr.

I heart Easter weekend big-time: You don't need an excuse to indulge in a near-fatal degree of chocaholism, Nature starts to urgently burst forth like a muscly, bare-chested Fireman and it's the first of many Bank Holidays that exhort you to take official quality time off.

Even though I'm on holiday this week anyway, I've actually been pretty busy with all manner of gratifying but needful tasks, in particular selling on eBay like a woman (dis-)possessed. All the nail extension kit must go as 'false nails' - as my Mam would say - have been a complete non-starter unlike the facials, waxing, manicures & pedicures which are still on offer. And I need to free up space to accommodate wool stash and craft addiction apparatus before an intervention by Environmental Health.

So today is a proper day off with no work of any kind. While Mr W catches up on "Zooper-Lee-aggue" on telly, I've had Radio 2's Mark Radcliffe and Lisa Tarbuck providing generation-appropriate anthems like Lloyd Cole's "Perfect Skin" and Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" while I stuff my fizzog with Hot Cross buns and ovoid shaped, vegetable fat-filled delights.

W's demob-happy state last night triggered this orgy of indulgence, when home cooking was spurned in favour of a fish & chip supper treat once seasonal chocolate had been delivered to rellies and mates. When idle channel-hopping turned up the Grey's Anatomy season 3 premiere on five, I was doubleplus happy. The new series was supposedly turning up in February but finally it's here. Ahhhhhh... Hello M by the way, my SIL hospital-drama pusher.



Still on the theme of telly delights, "Ashes To Ashes" has grown into a favourite despite initial misgivings. Like other viewers, I wasn't sure about openly trotting out the same premise once more, which inevitably dispenses with any vestiges of the surreal mystique which made "Life On Mars" unmissable, but the writers have made up for that with crisp development of established characters and yet another cracking soundtrack. Who cares if it panders to the thirty-and forty-somethings remembering their youth? Jumping on a bandwagon somewhat slower than his beloved Quattro, I've finally joined the ranks of women like workmate Mel and succumbed to the chauvinist charms of Manc Lion Gene Hunt. How can you fail to fall with lines like "You are surrounded by armed ba*****ds! and "I'm his DCI, not his bloody Akela!".

And finally Esther, just a quick gratuitous plug for my Mad March Hare Etsy sale. From Monday 24th March, there's 40% off 40 items in my shop for a week so swing by, grab a bargain and if you mention the blog on a 'conversation' (Etsy message), I'll chuck in a freebie too.

The lovely Lendrum DT arrived late on Thursday, so that evening and the whole of yesterday developed into one long, blissful learn-to-spin-on-a-wheel session.

Let me introduce you to the newly dubbed 'Wheel of Justice': All together now - "# Spin, Spin, Spin the Wheel of Justice, see how fast the b*****d turns...#"

Please excuse the crappy photography; I'm just getting used to my new phone, a bargain £60 Sony Ericcson from Tesco to replace my geriatric 4 or 5 year old Nokia 3650. Shame, it was a great phone but just won't hold a charge despite two replacement batteries.

Anyway, the wheel comes with a 3-bobbin lazy kate with tensioner which is a string & hook arrangement; nicely simple but it works, plus the jumbo plying head and fast flyer. I'd got the complete package - the wheel deal (groan) - with as I've loads of fine weight yarn due to sock obsession, some of which would be much better plied up. The Lendrum was ordered from P & M Woolcraft and they'd kindly put in a selection of practice roving to play with in a mix of bright colours without having to worry about ordering some separately or ruining expensive stuff.

Like the Lendrum Saxony, its traditional sister model, The Wheel of Justice is made from finished Canadian maple and feels very sturdy. The bearings are very smooth so everything moves very quietly. When swapping to the jumbo head for bulky yarn or larger-capacity plying you need to change the drive band for a larger version, but this is easier than it sounds. Simply slot out the circlip securing the footman (drive batten attached to the wheel itself), slide out the drive cable and replace with the larger band, then slot back that circlip. Other users keep the larger band on according to various forum posts so that's something to bear in mind.

Due to not knowing anyone local with a wheel, I'd never actually had a go on one before hence all the ponderous trawling of reviews and asking online spin friends for info. When the wheel arrived there was a bit of head scratching to suss out the scotch tension so that the bobbin would simultaneously rotate and take up the yarn evenly with a decent amount of twist but this was sorted out by Thursday bedtime.

The basics sussed, yesterday turned into a road test for the fast flyer with its higher ratio whorls:

Here's a bobbin full of plied up pink cotton, very light linen in green, a white & red lace weight and a slubby space dyed tencel, a good strong colourful yarn which will probably end up as a bag.

After lots of practice plying to get used to adjusting everything and learning the difference between ratios, I finally had a crack at spinning some roving. A few times I lost the end of the fibre with treadling too fast, so there was some repeated rethreading to do. Ne'er mind, it helped me understand what I was doing wrong. After a few more adjustments, I ended up with this strange mix:
As you can see there's a lot of variance between the fine stuff and what's getting on for bulky weight so that's an obvious area for improvement: I'm really looking forward to learning how to draft and spin at consistent rate like the experienced folk out there in Rav land. Meanwhile my short term mission is to get enough hand spun to make a keepsake scarf, the fibre equivalent of infant school kids making their first gaudy coloured clay bowl.

It's great having the wheel now so I can get some serious practice during the break, alongside planned de-junking and knitting activities, all of which are in the words of Judge Nutmeg himself, "Always a pleasure, never a chore".