Saw the new GI Joe movie from Stephen Sommers tonight.

Pure dumb fun!

Sure there’s a few cringeworthy moments of dialogue and some flat performances (especially Denis Quaid, shame on you sir) but for a summer action movie it rocked the important stuff.

BOOM, KICK, ‘SPLODE!!

I entered a competition for Oxegen 09 tickets requiring me to name my all time favourite Oxegen Set and why.

This was a doozy of a question so I looked back at my 5 visits to Punchestown over the years in search of an answer.

Super Furry Animals – Wittness 2003
Sunday afternoon, I had found some Brigadoon-like spot for my inflatable chair 30 yards left of the sound desk. Sun was blazing and the Guinness (oh how I miss the Guinness) was a beautiful as plastic cup stout could be. Random punters were using my chair as shelter for skinning up and sharing in gratitude. Super Furries came on an did a blistering rocking set slowing down only for Fire in My Heart and closing with a riot inducing Don’t give a Fuck.
Came on a whim after swearing off festivals and was reborn as a festival fanatic.

Orbital – Oxegen 2004
The final Irish gig (until Stradbally 09) and everyone was up for it. The Pet Sounds tent as it is know now was spilling out into the main area and all lucky enough to get in were treated to a hits heavy set culminating in a 15 minute Chime with a light show that still makes me blink when I think about it.

The Go! Team – Oxegen 2005
Had gotten the album a month earlier and fell in love with it.
Girlfriend and mates wouldn’t traipse to the New Band stage so went solo.
Danced non-stop for 40 minutes and emerged a sweaty crippled mess. Slept happy.

The Who – Oxegen 2006
People are calling this years line-up the best ever but look back at 2006.
Was jazzed when Who were announced but crushed when the timetables emerged and the dreaded clash with The Go! Team was revealed. I had no choice after a year of selling The Go! Team to anyone who’d listen and had a dozen planning to go with me but me heart was broken. Went to the Pet Sounds tent and again danced like lunatics. Emerged satisfied I’d mad the smart choice and walked straight into Teenage Wasteland! Go an Hour of The Who I’d given up on and was smiling all the way through each anthem.

2007 – Skipped for two of my mates getting married the same weekend.
Gave them Electric Picnic tickets as wedding present (Ruled the best wedding present in early September 2007)

Pendulum – 2008
I’d heard positive things from Nialler and others but never even had a chance to listen to the album. Met random mates form work and home on the Saturday and every seemed to converge on Pendulum’s set supposedly from my repeated recommendations.

“This better be good” was all I heard as we ran from a bulging main entrance to the tent to a deserted side entrance and blagged our way through.

Nialler hadn’t let me down! Awesome energetic set surprising me and all with me. We lost the plot on the dance floor.

(Rage were great but not as good as my virgin Feile in 1994, at least I think it was 94).
All time best Oxegen set?

Gonna go with the Furries. Best. Day. Ever.

I’ve done a few mix CDs to bring down for the weekend the past couple of years. It helps with the following conversation:

Paul: We’re heading to Candi Stanton
Mate: What’s she sing again?
Paul: You’ve got the love.
Mate: Don’t know it.
Paul: You do!
Paul: (sings): You’ve got the love to see me through.
Mate: Never sing again man.
Paul: Indeed.

One of last years cds below:

EP08 - Mix 1 CD Front & Back

So I’m getting an early start this year and I’m gonna post the tunes I’m discovering and maybe a few suggested mixes with cover art. (No mp3s).

Suggestions are of course welcome.

I’m a little late with this but Leah Moore and John Reppion will be signing their new books Dracula and Sherlock Holmes at Sub City, Unit 5 west Essex Street just off Cows Lane today Sat June 13th from 1pm till 4pm.

Moore as you may know iis the daughter of Watchmen author Alan Moore and the books are fantastic.

See ye there later.

Sub City Opening

The boys from Sub City Exchequer St and Eyre Square are opening their new shop on Saturday April 25th (10am) in Unit 5, West Essex St (At end of Cow’s Lane).

I was in there this evening and it’s looking awesome with all the stuff they couldn’t fit into the other shops. Loads of manga, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, models, statues and a full size Captain America shield I nearly bought myself!

The other stores will still do their thing for the weekly serials and everyting above but this place is an aladains cave of geek awesome.

This week’s How I Met Your Mother had the crew reflecting on the activities not tought twice about in their twenties which now in their thirties trigger the Lethal Weapon inspired phrase”I’m getting too old for this shit!”.

A list of these activities, named the “Murtagh” list in honour of Danny Glover’s Sgt Roger Murtagh included beer bongs, all nighters, piercings etc. Viewing this on the eve of my own 31st Birthday I thought it was time to draft my own Murtagh List.

The Inital entries are:
1. Camping at Oxegen. “Mighty Craic” is no compensation for crippling backpain. Day trip or nothing.
2. Coppers. Faced with this last night. Sounded as appealing as the dentist. However like the dentist it’s enevitable I’ll be persuaded by drink to revist.
3. Two nights in a row. Can’t do it anymore. Sorry. 1 night out = I day recovery. 2 nights out = 4 days recovery.

More to be added as life reminds me of all the shit I’m too old for……..

Mobile wordpress app means more frequent and often drunken posts.

Apologies for the extended absence. Grand slam and Liverpools survival eating up the free time.

Bestival . Isle of Wight. 11, 12 & 13 September

Ususally shares several of the line-up with Electric Picnic and if we get half of these I’ll be happy. Getting my EP tic tomorrow. Morrisey is the rumoured third headliner but I’ve heard Beastie Boys mentioned too.

Kraftwerk

Massive Attack

MGMT

Fleet Foxes

Seasick Steve

Klaxons

Bat for Lashes

Michael Nyman

The Beat

Squarepusher

Future Sound of London

Friendly Fires

Florence and the Machine

Bjorn Again

Little Boots

Diplo presents The Mad Decent Soundsystem

Fabio & Grooverider

Fujiya & Miyagi

dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip

Rob da Bank

Passion Pit

Zane Lowe

Ebony Bones!

Annie Mac Presents…

Beardyman

Kitty Daisy & Lewis

The Cuban Brothers

Altern 8

DJ Yoda

Eat Static

Dub Pistols

Derrick Carter

London Elektricity & MC Wrec

VV Brown

Gilles Peterson

Friction

It Hugs Back

Metronomy

DJ Derek

Golden Silvers

Peggy Sue

65 Days Of Static

Bastila

Efterklang

Joe Gideon and The Shark

Blindfold

Freemasons

Bloco Electro

Krysko

Hockey

Fake Blood

Kid Carpet

Free Peace

Introducing

Sportsday Megaphone

Boy 8 Bit

Rusko

Blue Roses

Goldie Lookin’ Chain

James Yuill

Tayo

Buraka Som Sistema

Huw Stephens

Orkestra Del Sol

Major Lazer

Sombrero Sound System

Heartbreak

Fake Bush

Napoleon IIIrd

Alessi’s Ark

Pivot

Pole

Chew Lips

Goodbye Stereo

Frightened Rabbit

Fear of Theydon

The Ghost

Alix Perez

Johnno (Bugged Out)

Raffertie

Monsters At Work DJs present The Psychedelic Sounds Of Monsterism Island

A1 Bassline

Coley

Meetings that get none of your work done and mosly everyone elses waste away the day until it’s 4pm and theres still a days work on my desk.

I did four evenings this week until 8pm. Got loads done and best of all had my tunes on rocking the portakabin. And it’s great. I burn through more work in those two uninterupted hours with music blaring than a whole day in a quite office or meeting room.

A building site office is never going to be a google style work enviornment but I definately need to get away from the office a paper thin wall away from the boss.