Football is absurd

Weekend before last, I was at the launch night for issue number 3 of a new (ish) magazine called The Alarmist which is co-edited by fellow poet, Leeds fan and all round top bloke Gary From Leeds. The magazine is a quality publication which features short stories and poems with some pretty slick design. Anyway, much to my ignorance, I'd not really been aware of these goings on until I happened to be speaking to Gary via text, and he told me about the event which took place at The Social, just behind Oxford Street, Richard Purnell was hosting, and he's a top bloke as well (and forms a double act with Gary), so off I went.

As part of the door tax, which was £6 I believe, I got a copy of the latest issue thrown in which was a touch. Gary had told me there was a story about Millwall in there, called Millwall Territory by a writer called Nial Foley, so naturally I went straight to it. Without delving too much into the story itself, which I really enjoyed (which talked about the gentrification of Bermondsey, amongst other things, which I'm sure at some point I'll mention) I saw this quote, which really struck a chord with me, talking about being a football fan:

"Are you kidding? Being a football fan is being a muppet. Football is absurd and irrational, and if wasn't, there wouldn't be a game. You don't have to look too closely to see it is exploitative irrational tribal nonsense. It is what makes it great."

I thought he hit the nail on the head with that!

Check out The Alarmist online at http://www.alarmistmagazine.co.uk/ and check Facebook for future events

Music: Dan Price In Session #25

Monday is generally one of those days when I have to do stuff. You know, stuff, like go the shops, wash up, put a wash on, all that domestic business. As it's all generally quite routine and repetitive tasks, I like to lock in to some good dance music. I always find House and Techno is good for this, so this morning I've been bouncing to Dan Price's In Session Podcast #25. 

I've known Dan for a quite a few years, there was a period when we used to get on the same school bus. He's a busy and super pro-active guy, he never ceases to impress me, super safe to. He runs his own label Fracas Music, DJ's all over the place, had an album out this year Non Compos Mentis, have a butchers at his site www.djdanprice.com then check the podcast, it's banging! 
 

Dan Price :: In Session Podcast 025 - September 2013 by Dan Price on Mixcloud

rODIUM - Steppin (Out of Love)

Way back at the beginning of the year, I went in a studio in Colliers Wood to play drums on a attack for my good friend Conrad Murray's band rODIUM. Around the same time he asked me to appear in the video, which we shot in Kingston on a cold Saturday afternoon and then at Breakfast studios in Clapham Junction. We had a lot of fun on those days and here is the the result of that work.

rODIUM, have been gigging relentlessly all year and you are most likely catch them around London, occasionally I bang a drums, or even more occasionally a full kit full for them too. The track features, Conrad Murray on guitar and vocals, Fudge as rapper, Rochelle Francis also on vocals, Rosa Brook on Violin and Dean Hewins on bass. The video was filmed by Vilmos Media, big up Mervin, Jo, Dom and the crew!

You can join the growing army of rODIUM fans on facebook HERE and purchase their first EP The rODIUM EP from Bandcamp HERE

My activites: London Stories

Good morning one and all

Just a quick update to let the E-universe know what I've been up too (I could well be talking to myself here but it's fine, this is useful for 'reflection' time, that word comes up a lot in my youth work, like an error message popping up when I go to use my printer).

As part of the final previews, A Tale From The Bedsit went in it's rawest form to a little tree in the middle of Bestival, the weather weren't too bad all in all, it rained in places, and though there were the usual noise issues spilling out form other areas (on the first day there was karaoke going on in the tent next door), which generally can't be avoided at festivals, it went pretty well. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to get this review from the preview show we did at Hoxton Hall from Everything Theater which you can read HERE.
I'll be doing the final edit of A Tale From The Bedsit over the next few weeks, all in time for the full show in November at Roundhouse...

Since I've come back from Bestival, I've been back in the studio with Conrad Murray to work on the EP, The Dice That Rolled A 3, which is 70% done now so I'm getting excited about, here's a preveiw of one of the tracks weve recorded called No Frills, also a little picture of Conrad hard at work in the studio.

 I've been lucky enough to be taking part in a festival at Battersea Arts Center called London Stories, which as the title suggests is all about stories about London. Most of the storytellers involved are non-performers, bar a small handful of us, it's been great so far, almost completed the first week, as far as I know the rest of the run is almost sold out, here's a nice REVIEW from Time Out. Also have a butchers at the trailer.

I think that's about it for now.

Peas and taters