Showing posts with label Everything Everything. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everything Everything. Show all posts

Thursday, 27 November 2014

Virtual Books and Library Twickets: The Collection


I recently spent a week as writer-in-residence at Manchester Central Library for the Everything Everything Chaos to Order residency.

I took the opportunity to undertake a modest, highly enjoyable digital art project using the simple tools of library books, iPhone and the Manchester Central Library Twitter account.

The concept, to quote myself, was as follows:

‘In a modern library you’re just as likely to leave with a laptop full of information as a rucksack full of books. I wanted to find a way to symbolise the evolution from paper to data that emphasises the importance of both.’

The project turned into a way to showcase printed treasures from around Central Library; exciting, mundane, beautiful, forgotten, well-loved. Each book was reduced to a single image and a piece of quoted text and sent as a Tweet – a digital artefact if you like – to Central Library’s thirteen thousand followers.

Below is the full collection sent over the duration of the residency from start to finish. Armistice Day fell in the same week so I opened the collection with an image from the First World War and finished with an entry from a compendium of Army names from the Second World War, a soldier named G. Thorpe.




  









































































































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Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Virtual Books and Library Twickets


As part of my role as a writer-in-residence for Chaos to Order, I’m executing a small-scale digital art project that utilises library books, photographs and the Manchester Central Library Twitter account.

In a modern library you’re just as likely to leave with a laptop full of information as a rucksack full of books. I wanted to find a way to symbolise the evolution from paper to data that emphasises the importance of both.

To that end I’ll be rummaging around the many shelves of Central Library, unearthing books that appeal to me in some way, and reducing the physical item of a book down to a single photograph and a single Tweet. That’s one digital image and 140 characters to capture the essence of a book.

I will then check the book out of the Library ‘virtually’ via the Central Library Twitter account. The book will be sent out into the world as a small digital artefact that will represent a combination of the contemporary and the traditional library.

You’ll see me check in and out of the Manchester Central Library Twitter account from time to time over the next few days, sending virtual books into the world.


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Friday, 22 October 2010

Duly London

My first Gay Pride in years, so naturally I completely overdo it and surface after three days with bleeding gums, cold sores, no voice, a huge dent in the coffers and an advanced awareness of myself as a member of a globally oppressed minority. Not. The only sensible way to recover is to go to London, which I duly do. There are several things in the world which make me absolutely have to smoke cigarettes; these include Camden Town, my friend Katie, cider and hot sunshine. Because I hate myself but I really want to quit smoking I choose a combination of all four to go cold turkey under. It works, I’ve been squeaky clean since September the 1st. Feels good. And guess what? Tea actually tastes of something! In Camden we attend the launch of Everything Everything’s brilliant LP Man Alive which consists of a fantastic set at The Barfly followed by the boys DJing a load of filthy hip-hop 'n' r‘n’b which I duly nick half of for my next stint at Off The Hook. The next day is more Gay Pride, this time in Hackney, but a proper community affair, diverse beautiful queers marching in sunshine through their own streets, and me with them, as opposed to forlornly watching a Barclays Bank float in the rain from my window which is what I did in Manchester. Later I almost lose my new Fall vest in Vogue Fabrics. This part of the weekend is also the culmination of what I suppose is an internet romance. It involves eating hummus in a flat overlooking Hoxton Station, amazing tattoos, poetry, loads of brilliant music (but especially '100,000 Fireflies'), long lie-ins ... I guess if I cared about such things I’m sure I would say it was pretty special, or something.

Anyway, Kalimera Gleeko …


Hackney Pride

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Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Everything Everything: Man Alive


If the past is a foreign country then Everything Everything are music’s arch-xenophobes. Man Alive arrives at last as the accomplished and relentlessly forward-looking debut we always knew it could be. This is genuine musical postmodernism: comprehensively informed, restless, full of mad juxtaposition. Where Radiohead’s postmodernism once came manifest as paranoia, alienation and technophobia, the Everything vision is a relentless thirst for stimulation, data, the ideas between other ideas.

The tracks you already know have new life breathed into them in the context of a full album. ‘Schoolin’’ is the brilliant earworm of white-boy r‘n’b meets X-Files theme. Old favourite ‘Suffragette Suffragette’ flaunts its dirty AC/DC riff like the bad tattoo you got in sixth form that suddenly feels cool again. ‘MY KZ, UR BF’, the greatest of four singles to date, takes its rightful place as album opener while ‘Photoshop Handsome’ spins addictive juddering Commodore 64 prog.

Jonathan’s Bowie-esque cut ‘n’ paste lyricism complements defiantly broad song structures, with their unexpected turns and eclectic layers of sound. It can sometimes seem like everyone in the band has at least two jobs, but blissful workouts like ‘Leave The Engine Room’ or the frenetic ‘Come Alive Diana’ can effortlessly give way to the tonal singularity of ‘Tin (The Manhole)’, which breathes four and half minutes of touching ambience through the album’s mad tapestry, or the sweet chamber harmonics of ‘Two For Nero’.

‘QWERTY Finger’ reminds you that, if they absolutely need to, they can, ‘rock’ in something like a traditional sense while ‘NASA Is On Your Side’ would make Kate Bush or Peter Gabriel proud, never mind any of their younger peers. ‘Weights’ is probably the greatest closing album track since ‘I Won’t Share You’ saw The Smiths go out in a veil of tears. Thank God this is just the beginning of it all.

Everything Everything have more than made good on a self-imposed remit to avoid cliché at all cost. The past is a foreign country after all, and modern life really is rubbish. Despite all that, Thom Yorke once proffered that you should ‘be constructive with your blues’. I would guess Man Alive is that record.



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Monday, 7 June 2010

'I know how it starts, and now I know, I know how it ends …' Adventures, Part 1

Four consecutive Tuesday evenings I bus down to the lovely Folk café bar on Burton Road, West Didsbury for pearls of wisdom from Mr Dave Haslam on the art of music writing. It’s genuinely enlightening, not to mention great fun and a bit boozy too, just like all the best things. Some great tips to be had from Dave with some lovely people in attendance. The suburbs ain’t so bad you know. Plus Katie lives up the road and has two brand new kittens which are worth the trip all by themselves. Cute!


Foals

In the midst of that, Foals play a storming gig at the Ritz. I’m so glad the Ritz is back as a proper music venue, it’s like having a miniature Apollo in the middle of town, right on my street in fact. Foals’ new material sounds really good live, a party atmosphere pervades for such serious boys. The beautiful Yannis runs through the crowd with his guitar at one point and ploughs right into me. No injuries sustained alas. My gig review will appear in the Folk in-house zine soon, eyes peeled.

The Ritz

Later that week we’re blessed with a beautiful sunny day for the christening of little Sebastian. Sebbie is the second wee lad belonging to two dear friends from school. I have one of those huge temporal jolts at how much time has gone by, followed straight away by feelings of gladness that we’ve managed to keep our friendships alive. Some friendships I’ve let fall away for one reason or another, a couple I had taken away when I wasn’t ready to let them go, others still I don’t seem to find time to invest in, though I always mean to. To have friends you met aged nine, eleven, sixteen, twenty-three, and to see them all together, changed a little bit or a lot, married or not, kids or not, living in France or not, yet not one of them grown up, not really, it’s just lovely. It’s an honour, actually.

Knott Bar, Manchester, England

The following Friday sees another raft of friends, old, new and fabulous, assemble for drinks at the Knott followed by an impromptu trip to the tirelessly brilliant Clique where we catch the last part of the Aeroplane DJ set. They’re the most exciting thing in the world right now aren’t they? Look! Listen! See!?

Despite the good times, and maybe a little bit because of them, I’m a few days into a low spell come Sunday. It’s not just the bell jar this time, things have changed in my life somewhere I didn’t want them to. I’ll not go into it. Meh. Whatever, I get positively choked watching hundreds of people cross the finish line of the Manchester 10K run. The spectators are all so proud, proud and smoking fags and eating hotdogs, which is hilarious. I feel like a slovenly hungover donkey watching Joff sail past the finish line under the hour mark. I wanted to be there to wrap him in tinfoil like they do on the telly but I just yelled instead. Go Joff!

The mighty Sleigh Bells

Sleigh Bells play The Corner in Fallowfield and unless Queen Morrissey himself makes an appearance I shan’t be gigging there again. Don’t get me wrong, the band are amazing, I’m actually going to BUY the CD they were that good, it’s just we didn’t see any more of them than the singer’s bangle. It’s the wrong wrong wrong place for a gig. Admittedly we weren’t so mashed this time that we could fight to the front, kidnap the band and molest them. Ahem. Neon Indian played a lush, psychedelic support slot and even spoke to the audience. No idea what he/they looks like though. No matter. Sleigh Bells, get on it, right away.


Everything Everything 'Weights' Live on Channel M

Two days later it’s back to the Ritz to catch Everything Everything play a support slot for the popular beat combo Delphic, who I don’t really get. Is it the best EE gig I’ve seen? It just might be. ‘Tin’ is absolute angel food tonight, sublime and effortless. ‘Weights’ is the song of theirs which sealed the deal for me, one day it will be considered a great British classic,. It’s mine and Katie’s song too so it’s all kinds of special. When they close the set with it this evening, Jeremy Everything, bass giant and compadre, says, ‘Thanks to everyone for coming down to see us, you’ve been lovely. This is our last song of the evening. It’s called ‘Weights’ and we’d like to dedicate it to our friend Greg.’ Blub. At the end of a week of trying to keep the dark away, it was like being handed a little candle. Thanks boys. I trip off to Bollox vs. Pussy Faggot with a spring in my step and wig out to Larry Tee and Holestar and count my blessings once again. Dance dance dance.



Amazing Chat Roulette promo video for Holestar's 'Nylon Woman' single
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Friday, 28 May 2010

Everything Everything // Man Alive



Cometh the hour, cometh the MAN ALIVE …


Everything Everything debut album MAN ALIVE
released 23 August 2010




"The British band most likely to deliver the
first truly great debut album of 2010"

- Sunday Times Culture


Pre-order here



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Thursday, 22 April 2010

Everything Everything Hurts

You know I only do this blog for two reasons don’t you? One is to demonstrate that I go out waaay too often, the other is to keep the world informed of how amazing Everything Everything are.

See?

See?

Not only can you see the band play next week in Manchester but they’re doing it as an NME double-header alongside Mancunian mysterions Hurts, whose ‘Wonderful Life’ has been one of my very favourite songs of late. The Arthur Baker mix of said track is one of my favourite remixes of all time. For real!


Not only that but support comes in the bearded form of New York’s Darwin Deez whose eponymous long player is just starting to seep nicely into my subconscious. Since he’s the only one with actual ‘product’ to shift right now, he’s definitely landed on his feet. Make sure you do too.

Persuaders below, tickets here.





Spine-tingling version of ‘NASA Is On Your Side’






'Wonderful Life' by Hurts




Click on pic above for Spotify
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Thursday, 15 October 2009

Season of lists and mellow rootlessness …

“September’s here again, and what have you done about it …?”


Not a lot. Hello October. I’ll begin on a high by saying … I don’t remember ever being this broke in my life. I know we’re all broke and I’m lucky to have a job right now but I’m feeling distinctly insecure about it all of a sudden. I have become worse than ever at haemorrhaging my pay in the first week. Can’t help it. Need another income. Needless to say it’s time to start turning down invites again and get back to writing. Almost as soon as this decision was made I came home to find another rejection letter for The Novel. Ouch. My next blog will be a massive plug for The Novel. It’s become like an old friend hanging round the flat to the point if an agent ever wanted to do something more with it than exclude drafts I’d no doubt become terribly possessive.

So, I’m about to become something of a hermit. Lucky I’ve accrued some nice memories of late to live on. Trash-O-Rama you’ve heard about and must must try. Watched The September Issue at the Cornerhouse which was fantastic, excuse me, fabulous, and have been warring between my inner Wintours and Grace Coddingtons ever since (‘Leather IS a texture…’, ‘It's a famine of beauty!'). Boozy night at the Crown & Kettle for Geordie’s send-off to Australia. Another boozy and life-affirming evening at The Deaf Institute with Dee where we had grown-up talks that made me think, properly, about life and chances and where I want to be. In the virtual world I rejoined Facebook after months of absence, followed by a sensational bloody cull. I’m tired of it already, it’s like I never went away, but it is nice to be able to look at your friend’s sunny faces from time to time at work. Bless ‘em. If I never see another picture of myself though I wouldn’t care, this old face is looking lived in, not before time I suppose.




Had a big trip in all sorts of ways to the North East where the sunshine puts Manchester to shame. A possible return-journey sabotage meant I couldn’t get back Sunday night so I got another special day out of it. Came back all happysad as usual. What am I doing I wonder? Piccadilly at 1 am was bleak in a handbasket, as was the trudge up Whitworth Street, the fretful sleep, the drunks. City’s full of death it seems, and not just the trees. Manchester, I love you, but why don’t I like you just now?



On a brighter note (sheesh, lighten up) I am loving DJing at the moment. MORE PLEASE. Surprise gig last week at the City Life party upstairs in Odder in honour of wonderful Editor Neil Sowerby saying his goodbyes. Was totally unprepared for it and envisioned ruthlessly eclectic beard-stroking musos and journos demanding danceable esoterica. My sketchy idea was to mix some good electronicy rmxs, a smattering of less obvious Mancunian gems to honour Manchester's journalistic culture-vultures, some shameless floor-fillers and a handful of vintage goodies from Mr Sowerby’s youth. As it turned out my set followed Anna’s from Guilty Pleasures and the by-then lashed crowd was positively salivating for POP. She finished with ‘Into The Groove’. Gulp. ‘How ya gonna follow that?’ a girl by the booth enquired. ‘IOU’ by Freez seemed to do it. Thereafter I had to wing it (goodbye 'Susan vs. Youthclub'…) but I felt triumphant playing ‘Come See About Me' by The Supremes, ‘I Can’t Explain' by The Who. I finished with ‘Sir Duke’ by Stevie. It actually felt great to wing it so that’s more or less what I intend to do when I play 80s night Fame over at the Purple Pussycat at the end of this month. It will be my longest set ever and I CAN’T WAIT. Come and hear me whydoncha, I WILL play Swing Out Sister …

Pre-hermit outings include the Everything Everything gig at Night and Day this Saturday and if that doesn’t shake some life into me, well, it just will. The newest material has superceded even my high expectations. The album is going to be a slug in the guts and I can't wait.

My frenzy of to do lists means it really is autumn and I can feel the New Year raking over my back already and when will something happen, when will it? When I make it, when I make it …

To do, to do, to do …



POSTSCRIPT: As usual music manages to keep a 'What's the bloody point?' type-moment from happening. I have made this list for you to listen to. Disclaimer: I listened to 'Paparazzi' four times in one day and have just now played 'Long Haired Lover From Liverpool' a number of times. I don't know what's the matter with me. Promise this list is better though ...
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Monday, 20 April 2009

More Than A Feeling

… Slaughtered with Celebs Part 2: this time the charming Guy Garvey and lovely Marc Riley at Deaf Institute with various marvellous people talking about novels and Morrissey and shit and Everything Everything who were also in partial attendance (minor clang?). Great night which somehow ended with fearsome attack of the miseries on my part. Blub. At midnight it was my birthday and for some reason it bit like a bugger. Something to do with me being an habitual underachiever. I forget now …

… Leading to lovely but emotional birthday lunch next day with Dee at Golden Rice Bowl (Manchester’s oldest Chinese restaurant by the way). I looked terrible. One has been trying to work out whether one is happy of late but I suppose it’s a bit like being in love isn’t it? If you have to ask … Anyway, lovely food and good old chat with Dee which always helps and got a fantastic DAB radio for my birthday which has been my faithful bedroom companion ever since. Have promised self and dozen friends I WILL start listening to Radio 4 this year. Sigh …

… Excellent beery sesh for some reason or other with cracking company at student cum cycle courier hangout Sandbar. It seems I’m drinking/smoking again. Pah …

… Disappointing Club Brenda at Deaf Institute (not working, sorry) leading to best night in Poptastic EVER, no joke, Soul Wax remixes in the indie room (!!!) and massively cool overspill from simultaneously failed night up at Islington Mill. Brilliant times …

… Driven to the sticks (in fact all the way to Lancashire!) for lovely Evan’s 1st birthday party. Where has that year gone? Great fun pretending to be Katie’s husband / young Eddie’s Dad. Soon rumbled though. I think I must have said ‘fabulous’. Damn it. Brilliant fun, best party for ages. I ate too much veggie lasagne and cake and got hyperactive and cross and had to be taken home early without so much as a balloon …

… Joined new gym but to date have spent almost all my time in pool/sauna/jacuzzi. Looking great on it though if I do say so. The men are WAY too ripped and beautiful, I'll have to go in the dead of night when they're all at Essential …

… Dinner at Cocotoo with lovely company but less said about the food and MUSIC the better (Elton John hits played on a Moog, no joke) …

… Little Boots plays Night & Day. I love a couple of her tracks but I wish she was writing them for Kylie or The Aloud. Teeny tiny lady with not bad stage presence but massive comedown for me after the superb Everything Everything tear the place apart. Well, tear me and Katie apart anyway. Said it before, best band in Britain, so fuck you. Read my ancient but ground-breaking review here! …



… Rejection letters begin to roll in for The Novel. One in particular gives a spark of hope though with good suggestions for a restructuring to give the book more cohesion. Similar advice comes from the ever-wise Katie and the possibly even wiser, and terribly kind, Nicholas Royle (clang) so a restructure is under way as we speak. I was hoping to have it DONE before New York but I can’t stop trying on New York outfits and dancing around to the Pet Shop Boys long enough to knuckle down to it. Fail …

… Party to defy the recession and celebrate Pam Ayers’ birthday (not). Marvellous fun, got dressed up and everything. David Hoyle (clang) rolled in at some point, I do love him …



… Disappointing Howling Bells gig. Absolutely blown away by The Joy Formidable though who are ACE …



… Scrummy dinner at Tampopo followed by Macbeth at the Royal Exchange which I liked but some people really didn’t. They foregrounded a whole war-torn military vibe at the expense of the more supernatural pull of the play, which I agree is partly what makes it great. Still, wonderfully violent and sexual with a disturbing portrayal of the weird sisters by three very young girls, children actually, as possibly dead and in one case certainly raped displaced war children. Great performances by those three, the weakest player in fact was Macbeth himself. Lady M couldn’t stop ACTING in the first half but pulled it out of the bag magnificently for her mad scene which took place attached to a drip and behind glass. Great stuff. The scene where the little boy is drowned to a soundtrack of his mother’s screaming and a thunderously loud ‘That’s Not My Name’ by The Ting Tings was brilliant I thought. Macbeth got his cock out too. It’s art baby …
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Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Songs Of The Year 2008

10. 'Warwick Avenue' - Duffy
Bangor-born, Dusty all over, the sight of Duffy weeping through 60s eyeliner as a cab pulls off from an obscure tube station is the singular sorrowful comedown image which followed all my 2008 disco highs. ‘You think you’re loving but you don’t love me’ cut a little too close to the bone this year, but oh the pleasure and the pain in that voice ...



9. 'No Lucifer' - British Sea Power
Might also be my top video of the year, this track is one of the growers which BSP specialise in. In twenty years time tracks like this will make musical archivists wonder why they weren't the biggest band in Britain. To me they might be.

8. 'The Bones Of You' - Elbow
The only vinyl I bought this year and already feels like a classic, Elbow have been in my life in several wonderful ways this year and this was the prime cut from Mercury-winning The Seldom-Seen Kid. 'I took a hammer to every memento' has been a touchstone line in 2008's darker days.




7. 'Morning After Midnight' - Adam Green
My favourite accidental find of the year, Adam Green the Jewish James Dean plied one of the sassiest and (gasp) funniest tracks of the year with a glorious androgynous muck-up vid to boot.
6. 'The Rip' - Portishead
Eternal thanks to Thom for directing me to a glorious Lazarus-like infusion of faith in Portishead. Yes, that trip-hop band the stoners played to death at University. They came back with an ultra-modern album of mechanically-retrieved soul and this, their finest song to date in my opinion, was given a kiss of approval by a Radiohead cover should you dare harbour doubts as to its other-worldly merit.

5. 'Suffragette Suffragette' - Everything Everything
The great white hope. Recently discovered, homegrown, sophisticated, smart, witty, complex, arresting ... if this band were a man I'd be dating the fucker. This track belongs amongst the year's finest and the future belongs to this band.

4. 'Time To Pretend' - MGMT
I know 'Kids' is probably the cooler choice but the number of times the opening Grandaddy-esque kiddie-toy synth on this track has given me a second wind this year makes it my MGMT highlight hands down.
3. 'Lights Out' - Santogold
Not representative of her output in any way, but what track could be? This seemingly off-the-cuff pop cut is actual genius, distilling 90s guitar riffs into something Kim Deal would be proud of. Santi's finest to date.
2. 'California Girls' - Magnetic Fields
Possibly anathema to have a non-Merritt lead vocal as an MF track of the year but the mix of witty feminist critique, Beach Boys punning and crashing Mary Chain reverb combine to say what Pink's 'Stupid Girl' tried to without the painfully flat-stomached hypocrisy. Stripped down acoustic versions show what timelessly sweet structure underpinned the song all along.



1. 'Mars' - Fake Blood
Everything I love about dance music in four minutes flat, faceless, possible superstar origins (is it Soulwax??), futurist noise pollution and contagiously clipped beats. Trippy Charly-esque beast noises lure you to a darkened world where suddenly the houselights are thrown up to reveal Altern 8-styled in your face aciiied noise terror! The first 'MARS!' is guaranteed to make the hairs on the back of my neck go ping. I literally CANNOT make my feet behave when I play this track. Song of the year.



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