Boo Hiss to the rain

Here at pooch villas, we don't like the cold and the rain. So we're staying in our duvets. In Daisy's case - literally in the duvet.

Electric Picnic - Ireland

I apologise profusely for slacking on the blog front. It's been a very busy September, and I realised I didn't get to share my experience of the wonderful Electric Picnic festival which was just outside of Dublin (it's the one I went to last year).

It's a much happier festival than Glastonbury, and the quality of the bands they get always amazes me. Lost Vagueness appear, and this year they had a mini graphics festival with some of my favourite graphicy-designery people giving talks (Ben Drury, Tim Biskup, Jon Burgerman). Here's a taster of the festival in picture format.

The wonderfully smiley Jon Burgerman drawing me in cartoon form!

Lost Vagueness
The very colourful and wonderful Ms Bjork

Beastie Girl
And Beastie Boys!
UNKLE

Just a happy pic of Miss Daisy

This was taken on one of the few days of sunny summerness this year.



For the rest of the time she took to driving.

Rock 'n' Roll!!!!

You know sometimes you see something and think... I really should've designed that or written it. Well this is today's one. A t-shirt designed by (the like minded) Julie Maier, who is probably a Virgo too.

And if you want to buy it, you can get it from the wonderful t-shirt company Threadless.

Sooo Jealous.

Courtney Love - Secret Birthday Gig

Wow, what a month - Glasto, now Miss Courtney Love. Like Marmite, I think you love her or hate her, and I'm sure you can guess which camp I fall into.

I received an email out of the blue regarding this gig, and due to less than a weeks notice, I was unsure whether to go or not. I tracked down some tickets and headed London bound! Later I found out it was the day of her birthday and she was playing to 350 people, in a gorgeous hall with chandeliers and lots of swirls of plaster.

I met some great people before hand, which made the evening all the more fun (including a painter who is currently exhibiting at the Saatchi Gallery). When she arrived we all sang Happy Birthday, and she was rather impressed by the turn out and bon homie.

Some of her fans bought gorgeous bunches of flowers, presents from French patisserie house ‘Laudree’ (colourful expensive macaroons) - which she later gave out to her band, and the audience….and they were delicious. And standing by the side of the stage was my favourite mullet-boy Noel Fielding from the Boosh! I smiled at him, and he smiled back. Well you would….wouldn’t you?

She is one of the last 'rock-stars' of the music scene before it all started to head towards ‘downloads’ and ‘myspace’ and bands could that could headline Glastonbury, but you certainly wouldn’t recognise them if you bumped into them in Asda. She’s old-school, still hard-core, mad, bad and dangerous to encounter, and I’m still pleased she’s still around.

My Glastonbury

Post-Pop-Punk. It’s the Polysics!

On a good friends recommendation I went to see the Polysics. A Japanese band that have been around for 10 years, and obviously have a devoted fan base judging by a few of the fans at the gig – one young lady had the same orange boiler suit as the band, complete with band logos.

They were supported by Munch Munch (who I’m going to skip past, because they were quite dull), and a mad trio called Gay against You. The energy, the white outfits and the leaping through the audience thrusting microphones into audience members armpits. They were insane, extremely energetic but quite endearing. Just what you need in a tiny 150 capacity back room of a pub on a hot and sweaty night, and you left that room with a big smile on your face.

And the night got even better when the Polysics did their thing onstage. Hugely influenced by Devo, with bags of energy, recorder playing madness and pom pom thrusting. And they did a fab version of ‘My Sharona’. Also the bassist was superfab who has to be the inspiration for Noodle from the Gorillaz.

These last two pictures are the support band, Gay against You.

Rufus the Fabulous

Jedi School and Life on Mars

It's not often you get the chance to go to Jedi School to learn the ways of the ‘force’, so I thought, why not, well you would. Wouldn’t you?

It was part of the Star Wars exhibition, and the ‘school’ was held in an old court room at Westminster County Hall (complete with lots of leather and wood upholstery). It was hard to tell who was more excited to be a 'padwan', the parents or the kids. Unfortunately for us original fans, they only picked 6 kids. But it was a lot of fun, and the sight of Darth Vadar looming from the smoke can still put the fear of god into you.

On the same day, while I was trying to get to Liberty in Regent Street, I witnessed some Starsky and Hutch style driving from DCI Gene Hunt from Life in Mars in a Cortina, delivering Graham Norton to the BAFTAS. (please see photo). London’s all go, isn’t it.

I wish this was my job….

We have tickets for Glasto this year, and in my search for something slightly more palatial than a tent, I was looking on the web for ‘Pods’, and I heard Travelodge were doing them. Upon looking on their website I stumbled across this little gem, and my perfect job.

“Wayne Munnelly, Travelodge's Director of Sleep said, "We are always looking at new ways of making budget accommodation more accessible to the public. The Travelpod is a great way of taking our Travelodge room to the customer.”

I could be yours for £10

Loving the Luchies, here's a Lucky Lucha tshirt which you can purchase from me for £10! (Also comes in black).

South Park Self Portrait

Guess who!


Go to http://www.sp-studio.de/ to turn yourself into a South Park character.

Happy pooch

I can’t tell you who happy this dog is! She’s a manic pooch at the best of times, and this electronic beauty sedated her naturally.

It wasn’t even really cold that day. Maybe she was a cat in a previous life.

Bingo Bongo!

The blog’s been a bit quiet of late, partly due to the weather, and lack of ‘will’ to do anything, and partly due to my passion for the bingo!

I have won twice, and my theory is that you win on your first or second time, and then your hooked. My bingo hall is held in an old cinema (as are most of them), and they are wonderful buildings, even if Gala has painted them in their corporate clashing colours of (yellow, orange and blue).

I have mentioned to people passing my bingo passion, and you invariably find out who else is a closet Bingo-file, they always ask ‘which one do you go to’, and will regale you of their passion.

Freaky Deaky

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Redhead Sailor. Where You Lived: Portugal. How You Died: The Plague.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

They know me so well!

Grumpygrl goes to Grumpyman

I’ve been a little grumpier than usual, generally down to the weather and a lack of creativity. So it seemed quite apt to go to Grumpyman at Mr Wolf’s. A little back water eatery that seems to frequent students and emo’s, due to its cheap and cheerful nature and the venue for a Sunday night ‘sway’ and strictly no dancing!

Since Grumpyman started, I’ve wanted to go, as my melancholy side loves all things Tom Waits, Mark Lanegan, Velvet Underground. Geoff Barrow from Portishead was DJing, and adding his twist of melancholy which spurred us away from our centrally heated dwellings on a Sunday night.

Around 9.30 Geoff left his decks and joined Adrian Utley on stage with guitars and (jokingly) asked if anyone could sing. Beth Gibbons appeared and they very quietly started to play ‘Wandering Star’. The next (and last) song they played was from their new album. And then it was all over, leaving us wanting more. And as if the night was exciting enough, I was stood next to the beloved Liz Fraser from Cocteau Twins.

I may venture out into the cold more often, for evenings such as these. Leaving us a little less grumpy.

Isobel, Mark Lanegan, William, and a Good Bad Queen

I was so thrilled when I saw this gig listed at St Georges. It’s one of my favourite venues (even thought the security are rather overzealous about taking pix), and the Isobel and Mark album was No 4 in my fav CDs of last year. I’ve seen Mark Lanegan a hole bunch of times since 1992 and his voice never fails to leave me in awe. He does the aloof singer to a ‘t’.

William Elliott Whitmore (what a name!) was the support act, and he has a old US style charming, covered in prison tattoos and had the voice of Tom Waits son. A joy to watch. I love a bit of Blue Grass style banjo and guitar, he diddled those strings very well indeed.

Observation of the evening, can you tell if a person whistling is male or female. Therefore whistling is not gender specific. Ponder me thinks.

Apologies for the blurredness of the pix, this was down to the heavy security at St Georges, as I'm sure they were afraid the masses would mob the stage, and god forbid, take photos.

Peyton & Byrne - Ymmm - Cakes

I'm in love! Look at these beau---ti---ful cakes.

No-one understands me, they don't share my love of the simplicity of this little design/food haven.

I made a pilgrimage to the Peyton & Bryne cake mecca at Tottenham Court Road, in the Heals store. It's quite small and understated - but perfectly formed little shop.




If I had all the time in the world, I think I would create a 'beautiful cakes I have seen' blog. I sometimes I think I have cotton wool for brains ...