pootling

Not a great film perhaps, I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen it, but this scene is filmed in the best greasy spoon, nay, the best place to eat in London, the one and only Regency Cafe.

I know I’m posting a lot of videos at the moment, but I really wanted to add this one to the lot, since it’s a beautiful video, of a beautiful song, directed by a minor genius.

“Keep taking Incarcerax, and feel like you’re doing something about the drug problem”. Although clearly aimed at America, this certainly hits the nail on the head here in the UK as well. (via Information Aesthetics)

Personally, I still think that Microsoft Surface is a little bit cool, rare for a Microsoft product. That said, this video also rings very true: “it’s not an iPhone, it’s a big ass table”. (via Kottke)

Here’s Jimmy Wales (who I love), creator of Wikipedia (which, of course, I love), being interviewed by Stephen Colbert (who I also love) - who could ask for more? (via Videosift)

Sunday

The Holloways: Other Stage
OK, so they weren’t exactly amazing, but the Holloways started our day well with a solid performance on the Other Stage. They certainly attracted a pretty hefty crowd for an early spot. They’re an endearing little band, and I particularly liked the fact that the lead singer brought his flatmate onstage for one song.

Tony Benn: Leftfield
Not a musical act, clearly, but Tony Benn gave a great speech about nuclear weapons and energy in the Leftfield tent. He’s a captivating speaker and I really couldn’t agree with him more on basically everything I’ve ever heard him say.

Seth Lakeman: Jazz World
We didn’t see all of his set, and since he was playing on what seemed like every stage at some point in the weekend, it was inevitable we would catch him sooner or later. He was his usual Devon-folk foot-stomping self, and I like that. Lots.

Billy Bragg: Avalon Stage
I always think of Billy Bragg as being a Glastonbury stalwart who plays every time I go. In fact, I think this is only the second time that I’ve seen him there, and the last time was in 1999. Seeing Tony Benn earlier in the day really seemed to have put me in the right frame of mind to listen to some Bragg political preaching, and his version of Waiting For The Great Leap Forward with lyrics about Brown and Blair was fantastic, and it was comforting and great to hear a crowd that felt the same way. I think Billy felt the same since he seemed quite moved by the reaction. Great gig.

The Go! Team: Other Stage
I love the Go! Team and I was, frankly, expecting to be disappointed by them live. I couldn’t quite work out what sort of band to expect - whether they’d be loads of them, or just a couple of people fiddling with samples. As it turns out, there are, indeed, loads of them, and they’re all great. Having two drummers is a great way for a band to get themselves on my side, and having a lead singer called Ninja who seems to have endless prancing energy is another. They put in a corking set, and my (perhaps lone) cheer when they played “Everyone’s A VIP To Someone” caused the guy behind me to ask me sarcastically if I liked this one. I did. Here’s an NME interview with Ninja and Ian of the team:

The Who: Pyramid Stage
Although there were wonderful moments, I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy this set from end to end. It rained almost non-stop throughout, it was cold, the sound was, frankly, atrocious and I was beginning to feel more than a little tired. That said, Baba O’Reilly made up for (almost) all of it, so the festival closers make their way onto this hallowed list.

All in all, there were some fantastic moments, and Glastonbury was it’s normal, magical self. I’d really prefer a dry one next year, if I get tickets, but hey, even in the rain, with achy legs, and essentially, constantly drenched, there’s nowhere else on earth I’d rather be for those few days.

You can read Darling Vicarage and Ian’s reviews (I was only there with the former of the two), and see some photos on my flickr

Saturday

Guillemots: Pyramid Stage
It was pissing it down with rain, on and off, while Guillemots were performing their magic, and magic it was. A cacophony of noise, interspersed with some of the best tunes released in the last year. They’d have been better suited to playing in blazing sunshine, and for a few moments they were - I hope the weather at their V performance is slightly better.

Ooh, and they brought on people on stilts - clearly they know what Glastonbury is all about.

DJ Yoda: Dance East
I’m not much of a dancer, but Yoda’s performance, backed with a huge screen, got me moving. While Yoda trouped through many a classic hit, from hip-hop to cheesy pop, the screen at the back showed slips from Star Wars, Bargain Hunt and various other gems. And it was nice to stand on some reasonably solid ground for an hour to two.

Patrick Wolf: John Peel Stage
I’m told by people who know people who know people who know Patrick Wolf, that he’s not one of the nicest people in the world. Frankly, I really don’t care since his performance on the John Peel Stage on Saturday was wonderful. He seemed sincerely touched that so many people had turned out to see him, and in return provided a performance that he clearly through his everything into. It was captivating, and his mix of indie music with a vaguely medieval, folky vibe seemed to fit the venue and the afternoon perfectly. A storming gig.

John Fogerty: Jazz World Stage
Although I was hoping I’d catch the end of his set, I wasn’t really expecting to see the old Credence Clearwater Revival frontman, but I’m very, very glad I did. He performed some great covers, including I Heard It Through The Grapevine and a few rock and roll classics, before launching into a wonderful Bad Moon Rising, then finishing on Rockin All Over the World. Which you’re allowed to like, since he did write it. Honest:

I didn’t film this, but I think guy that did was standing not far in front of us.

The day finished with a long wait for Rodrigo y Gabriela, who were good, and a brief snippet of Iggy and the Stooges’s encore. I don’t think either of them really deserve much more than a mention, but they were enjoyable.

I was going to review all of the bands that we saw this last weekend at Glastonbury, but, frankly, I couldn’t be arsed. Here are the best of the bunch though:

Friday

Soweto Kinch: Jazz World
I’d actually seen Mr Kinch and some of his wonderful band performing Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. He and they were phenomenal then, and this performance of their own material was fantastic. The band just seem to naturally pour out beautiful music, with what seems like no effort at all. Magical. Mistake of the weekend: leaving Soweto to check out an extraordinarily bored-looking Amy Winehouse on the Pyramid Stage…

Gogol Bordello: Pyramid Stage
…but it’s not all bad, because it meant that we caught the last few, wonderfully chaotic moments of Gogol Bordello (the gypsy punks)’s set. Certainly a band I want to see again in the future. Here’s an NME interview with Eugene Hütz:

And here’s their performance of “Start Wearing Purple”:

Martha Wainwright: Park Stage
The new Park area is pretty cool. It’s out on a limb in the site, making it a fair trek for most campers. We were lucky enough to be camping in the field next door, however, which was handy.

I’d never seen Martha Wainwright before, but she was so endearing, popping on to do her own soundcheck, before running off again, informing the crowd to pretend they hadn’t seen her yet. The music was beautiful, and in my opinion, she’s the one with the most talent out of the family - and that’s saying a fair bit.

Rufus Wainwright: Other Stage
The majority of the acts that we wanted to see this year were on the Other Stage, which was a shame since by the end of the first day it was essentially a mudpool with a stage struggling to rise out of it. Add to that the fact that the sound was pretty terrible if you weren’t in the main pack at the front, and I think it was one of the main disappointments of the weekend.

Leaving that aside though, Rufus Wainwright put in a great performance in the stripiest outfit I’ve ever seen. He kept almost entirely to his new album, which was a bit of a shame, but his performed-twice (due to sound problems first time around) lip-synch to Get Happy was quite a sight. Especially his band’s turn as backing dancers. Here’s a post-gig interview.

Arcade Fire: Other Stage
Arcade Fire were probably the band I was most excited about seeing this year. We saw them in Brixton a few months back and they were absolutely storming. At Glasto, the band were just as wonderful. The sound, however, was not, and it took a fair bit of maneuvering through the crowd before we found a spot with reasonable sound. When we did, though, you could see this turning into a true Glastonbury Classic Performance. They too had the slight chaos of Gogol Bordello, and it added even more to the crowd’s hunger and excitement. I’m sure the next time they’re at Glastonbury they’ll be doing the Friday Night Pyramid Stage slot. I certainly hope so. Here’s one of the highlights for me - their performance of the beautiful “Tunnels”:

Bjork: Other Stage
By this point of the day, I was achy, cold, wet and muddy. It seemed to take forever for Bjork to come out on stage, but when she did it was quite a show full of flourescent costumes, extravagent dancing, techno remixes and lasers. Wonderful. I hope she comes back soon and does it when it’s a bit warmer. And no-one got shot this time, unlike the last time she played, which was nice. Here’s a pretty storming version of Hyperballad:

More to come soon!

Watching ITV, I just saw TK Maxx’s new advert with the slogan you can see on their website and in this screen grab from it here on the left.

“always up to 60% less”. Have a think about that statement for a moment. It doesn’t guarantee much at all. I could sell you something at full value and still match being “always up to 60% less”. In fact, the only thing that it does guarantee is that you won’t get any more than 60% off.

Therefore, my new suggestion for TK Maxx is to have a slogan that says “We never give discounts larger than 60%” just to make sure everyone’s clear.

My brain feels a little fried this morning, but this video of a dog in a paddling pool helped in some small, intangible way.

(via Videosift)

Of course, this Australian TV company have edited together the most ridiculous responses, but if I lived in a Hindu country and I saw this video, I think I’d still be a little scared.

(via Metafilter)

I love this from Flickr user Palmu - brought a smile to my face on a generally non-smile-inducing day.

(Via Videosift)

People who buy me presents take note - this lamp may not be available yet, but when it is, I really want one!

Comes with optional cow or human. Link (via Neatorama)

I love this bit of street art from Brighton - another great find by the Wooster Collective.