Tuesday 31 December 2013

My year in music

My approach to music in 2013 was one of 'no regrets'. If I wanted to go to a gig in a far-flung place I would, if I wanted to buy a record I would, if I wanted a copy of At the Drive-In's 'Relationship of Command' on orange vinyl then I would queue up from 5.30am to get one. What? I'm an addict, don't judge me.

But it wasn't all about fun, sometimes it was just to escape. Life can take some cruel twists and turns, and 2013 has thrown a fair few my way. Thankfully music has always kept me afloat and helped me to keep going, and this year gave me some very special moments, whether it was watching bands I'd waited a lifetime to see or hearing a new song that stopped me in my tracks.

As a result, over the course of this year I've bought or had bought for me 56 records/CDs/tapes, spent countless hours in record shops, sweated and sung my way through nine gigs and shivered through one soggy festival.

I won't give you a full run down of my music haul, because neither of us have the time for that, but this is what a pile of 56 records/CDs/tapes looks like...


However, I will share with you a few gems that you really need to know about, such as this Big Neck Record Store Day compilation. I took a punt on this burgundy 7" beauty based on its sleeve alone, which you have to admit deserves to be framed and put on the wall. With band names including Livids, X-Rays, Cheap Freaks and Stop Worrying & Love the Bomb, I was confident it would be a gnarly punk rock beast. I wasn't wrong.


The Hip Priests are also worthy of note. I found out about Nottingham's finest punk 'n' roll - along the lines of Electric Frankenstein and Dog Toffee - while reading an article on the Music Exchange (Nottingham's only indie record shop) and with an album titled 'Full Tilt Bullshit' how could I resist? It was love at first sight.


Record Store Day

I love any occasion that celebrates music and gets people talking about it, so I think Record Store Day is a fantastic way to encourage people to shop at indies and buy vinyl. My three favourite record shops closed around 2009/2010 - Selectadisc in Nottingham, Pendulum in Melton Mowbray and Left Legged Pineapple in Loughborough - so I don't really feel like I have a local record shop anymore. The Music Exchange in Notts in the closest I have now, but in many ways Rough Trade feels like my local because of how often I visit, so it seemed the obvious place to go to join in the Record Store Day fun.

It was such a great day and there was a real community atmosphere, with everyone talking about their record collections and what they were planning to buy as we queued outside the shop. I got my beautiful At the Drive-In record, I also got my face in this documentary about Record Store Day, saw Frank Turner play and met him too. Getting up at 4.30am may have been painful at the time, but I was rewarded pretty well for it.

5.30am outside Rough Trade East

7.30am
The queue goes right round the block

8am
Let battle commence

Frank Turner doing an in-store show at Rough Trade


Best moment

Pogoing to 'Debaser' at the Pixies? Striking my 'Jesus Christ Pose' at Soundgarden? I've had some amazing moments, but I think the one that tops them all was meeting Frank Turner at Record Store Day. Mainly because it was one of those things I never expected to happen, but also because he is very nice to look at.



 


Top five albums

As noted above, I've bought a lot of music this year, so picking just five that sum up my 2013 has been agonising. In fact, it's been so painful I've just had to reel off five without thinking about it too much, otherwise we'll be here until the end of 2014.


  
'Run Fast' by The Julie Ruin, 'The Bronx' by The Bronx, 'Tape Deck Heart' by Frank Turner

                   



  
'Meir' by Kvelertak (I have it on good authority from some Norwegian folk I met at Download that it's pronounced Kwelertak and means 'to strangle'), 'Tooth & Nail' by Billy Bragg

I think it's a nice mixed bag, some punk you can dance to, some caustic Californian punk you can fight to, a couple of acoustic albums about heartbreak and a bit of Norwegian hardcore. Just don't ask me what they're singing about on that last one, I've no idea.


Top five gigs

The Menzingers @ Camden Underworld, London

It feels like a long time ago now, but during this summer's scorching hot weather a few hundred people squeezed into the underbelly of the Camden Underworld to see America's hottest little punk band, The Menzingers. 'On the Impossible Past' was by far my favourite album of 2012, so I was desperate to catch them live.

A tiny little underground cavern, the Underworld is an old school venue with no barrier and an anything goes attitude. Thanks to the relaxed security, the place went absolutely wild. It's been some years since I've seen so many people stage diving and even the band couldn't believe what they were seeing, as there were just bodies everywhere and everyone sang like their lives depended on it.

I left the show completely knackered, drenched in sweat and feeling like I was 18-years-old again. Until I woke up the next day. Then I felt like shit.

The Menzingers tearing up the Camden Underworld

The Bronx @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

It's ten years since I first caught The Bronx live. It was on their first UK tour supporting The Distillers and I was struck by how fierce they were. I love that a decade on, their shows are still as savage as the early days.

As The Bronx have a second band - Mariachi el Bronx - that they've been touring as recently, it'd been ages since I'd had my ears and ribs battered and bruised by them. They certainly made up for it, with stellar setlist of old classics and new songs from this year's album. As is custom at Bronx shows, singer Matt Caughthran spent much of the gig in the crowd.

Matt Caughthran doing his thing

The Pixies @ O2 Apollo, Manchester

The Pixies are one of those weird God-like bands that I never thought I would see live, so when I tried and failed to get tickets to the London show I was nearly sick all over my keyboard. Thankfully, I scored standing tickets for Manchester and it was one hell of a trip.

Watching the Pixies live is akin to being transported to another planet for a few hours, but feels like it's over in minutes. They played for two hours, they played 39 songs, but it flew by in a blur of pogoing and spilt beer.

You don't really get pogoing at gigs like you used to, when everyone would just bounce in unison, but there was something about 'Here Comes Your Man' and 'Debaser' that brought out the old school in everyone. I was about three people away from the front when the show started, I'd jumped about a third of the way back by the time it finished.



Soundgarden @ O2 Academy, Birmingham

The first time I saw Soundgarden was at Download 2012. The sound was bad and they were rough, but not as rough me, having spent five days in the pissing rain and freezing cold of the festival. They played on the last night and as I was on my last legs, it wasn't the great moment I thought it would be.

Fast forward to September 2013 and the show couldn't have been any different. Surrounded by hairy, sweaty men in plaid shirts of various shades, I head banged my way through an amazing show. The band were tight, Chris Cornell was pitch perfect and everyone was dressed like it was still the '90s.

In fact, you could easily have been fooled into thinking it was still the '90s were it not for everyone filming 'Black Hole Sun' on their iPhones. Being just 5' 4", it meant that my only view of the stage during the song was through someone's phone, which kinda ruined the moment. Other than that the gig was perfect.



Rocket From The Crypt @ KOKO, London

I first heard RFTC when the video for 'On A Rope' was played on the Chart Show back in 1996. I was 13 at the time and thought they were incredible. They looked like a gang, had amazing hair and had the kind of dangerous snarl that was so lacking in Britpop.

Now 30, I feel like I'd waited forever to see them live, so when I found out they were playing a select few shows in the UK this December I couldn't not go. Even if it meant cancelling Christmas in order to afford it.

It was all worth it. The gig was a party, held in the gorgeous red walls of a former theatre, the perfect setting for some punk 'n' rock 'n' roll. I sang and danced as they rattled through a triple whammy of 'Middle, 'Born in '69' and 'On a Rope', and laughed as singer Speedo referred to the city as 'old London town' and explained how they'd been travelling around playing in England's small villages. He meant Manchester and Leeds. To top off the night, the band came back on for their encore dressed in white Elvis jumpsuits. It was worth waiting 17 years for that moment alone.


Top three films

When it comes to films, I like true stories and awesome soundtracks. 'Searching for Sugar Man', 'Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet' and 'Good Vibrations' all combine the two perfectly, while quietly breaking your heart at the same time. Honestly, if you don't get choked up watching these three films you are one heartless bastard.






So all in all, I've had an awesome 2013 in music and am looking forward to more of the same in 2014. With tickets already booked for Sonisphere, Manic Street Preachers, Nine Inch Nails and Frank Turner, it's shaping up to be another awesome one.

Monday 30 December 2013

Band T-Shirt Patchwork Quilt

The house is full of old t-shirts I don't want to part with and having already turned some into cushion covers I needed a different way to give them a new lease of life. Turning them into a quilt cover had been on my mind for a while, but it seemed like such a mammoth project I kept putting it off.

It has been a hell of a lot of work, but I've spaced it out by doing a little bit every weekend. I think it's well worth it and the end result is awesome. In fact, it's so cosy I may have trouble getting out of bed in future.


Ingredients
18 t-shirts (or 36 if you want a print on all of the squares)
Black cotton
Sewing machine
Poppers

Recommended additional ingredients
Coffee
Chocolate HobNobs
Some of your preferred swear words
My patchwork playlist


18 t-shirts.

Mixed bag: Thrice, Manic Street Preachers, Metallica, Therapy?, Turn, King Adora, NOFX, Dead Letter Drop, The Locust, Joy Division, Mogwai, Thursday, Turbonegro, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Hell Is For Heroes and Idlewild.

Iron all t-shirts.
I'm sorry, but it has to be done and will make 
your life easier in the long run.

Cut a 7" by 7" square out of grease proof paper and pin through both layers of t-shirt.

You'll end up with two squares from each t-shirt.
Repeat with all t-shirts until you have 36 squares!

Lay them out six by six how you want them to appear in the quilt.

Take the first two squares in the bottom left-hand corner and lay one on top of the other with the print facing inwards.

Pin half an inch from the edge on one side and then sew them together.

Repeat with the other squares from the same row until you have a line of six squares sewn together.

Repeat with the others until you have six lines made up of six squares each.

Sew the lines together using a half inch seam.

Lay the top of the quilt cover face down on the black sheet.

Pin half an inch from the edge on the left, top and right-hand sides. I then did a rough hand stitch so I could take the pins out.

Leave the bottom edge open, except for about six inches at either corner, and add the poppers.


Ta-da! An awesome way to ensure your 
old band t-shirts get the life they deserve.

Patchwork playlist

Keep yourself motivated with these beauties...

Sunday 29 December 2013

So long Charlotte, I'll miss you

Going to a gig in the ruins of The Charlotte, in Leicester, was definitely one of the bizarre moments of my 2013. Having seen on Twitter that it was hosting a one-off final show before it's refurbished into a pub, I couldn't resist the chance to go to one last gig there.

I started going to The Charlotte when I was 16. Over the years I've seen some incredible gigs there and interviewed some great bands. The two main things I loved about the place were how close you could get to the bands during a gig and how easy it was to meet them.

I saw Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros play a secret warm-up show in 2000. Joe shouted out the window to us as we were queuing, telling us to stick around as it was going to be a great show. He spent most of the gig stood on a crate - in his socks - so those at the back could see, as they hurtled through a set list made up mainly of Clash songs. I was 17 at the time and it remains one of my favourite ever gigs.

The Alkaline Trio and Crackout gig I went to in 2001 was wild and probably oversold. I'd never seen so many people squeezed into The Charlotte before. It was December and freezing outside, but inside the walls were dripping with sweat before any of the bands had been on, as there were so many bodies packed in. I remember Alkaline Trio dedicating 'Stupid Kid' to a lad whose birthday it was, changing the lyrics to 'Birthday Kid' as he crowd surfed his way from the sound booth to the stage. I also had a beer with Steven from Crackout, as was customary at their gigs.

Against all the odds - 2001 was the year of the Nokia 3210, so we didn't have camera phones, never mind the ability to film - I've just found this video from the gig. It probably features the back of my head at some point.


King Adora, Send More Paramedics and Gallows, A Wilhelm Scream are just a few of the Charlotte shows I can remember... I could go on, but that would involve trawling through my ticket stubs and racking my tired old brain to try and remember all the gigs I paid on the door for, and we really haven't the time for that.

En route I wondered to myself whether they still had the UV light and the scaffolding pole that served as a barrier, how many doors there would be on the toilet cubicles (never a full set) and if my graffiti was still there... The answer to all of these questions is no. Mainly because most of the building has gone and the bands were playing in the ruins of the venue.

Everything looking normal

Walking in, the bar area looked like it was already under going a refurb, with just a couple of lamps hanging from the ceiling to provide the lighting. Through a makeshift doorway was the old floor and stage area, and stepping through, I thought it felt a little chilly. I also thought how odd it was that people were smoking inside. And then I noticed the hole in the roof. And then it dawned on me that it wasn't a hole at all. There was no roof and there were no longer any toilets - they'd been knocked down. That's right, I'd wandered into an outdoor gig in December - DECEMBER! - with just a small marquee to protect us from the elements.

The Paradimes play the outdoor stage at The Charlotte

The bar

But despite losing the feeling in my feet and legs, as I shivered my way through three and a half hours of live music, it was great fun remembering all those nights I'd spent in there jumping around and covered in sweat that wasn't entirely my own.

It was also amusing watching everyone else thinking the same and pointing at where things used to be. The best was seeing people wander up to where the toilets used to be, point at the empty space, look up at the sky and let out a string of expletives. It's easy to see why...

No doors, no cubicles, no toilets

Goodbye Charlotte, I'll miss you

Thankfully, The Charlotte will be reborn as a pub next year and will nod towards its musical past with old gig posters on its walls. I can't help feeling a little sad that it'll never host a proper gig again, but I'm sure I'll pop in at some point. If only to let out a string of expletives while pointing out where things used to be.

Saturday 30 November 2013

Snes Controller Cookies

Makes about 12

Ingredients

For the cookies
8oz/225g butter/margarine
5oz/140g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
10oz/280g plain flour

For decoration
3oz/100g chocolate

Method

Beat butter and sugar.
Add beaten egg yolk and vanilla extract.
Sift flour into mixture until dough is formed.
Roll into a ball and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes, as this makes it easier to roll out.

While your dough is chilling pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 5/190C.

Lightly dust your worktop and rolling pin before rolling out the dough.
The thickness depends on how big you want your biscuits to be, I usually roll mine out to just under 1cm thick so they're quite big.

Now for the tricky bit...

Before cutting out any shape freehand I always draw it out on paper, as I figure if I can draw it then I'll be able to cut it. It also means I can work from the drawing rather than risk covering the real thing in flour. Of course, the good thing about working with dough is that if you really balls it up you can just re-roll and start again.

Gently score a circle on the left hand side

Cut out two small oval shapes to create the lighter colour underneath the buttons.
Alternatively, you could skip this bit and just draw them on in white chocolate.


The cookies themselves will take at least 10 - 15 minutes or if your oven is as shit as mine around 30 minutes. But, you'll need to keep checking after about five minutes so your little button bits don't burn. I know this because I didn't and over baked mine, as you can see in the image above.

While they're baking, melt the chocolate in a jug/bowl over a saucepan of water.

When the chocolate is completely melted, spoon into an piping bag. I use disposable ones from Lakeland because you cut off the tip yourself, so you can make the nozzle whatever size you want. Also, stand it up in a glass with the top folded over, it makes it so much easier to fill.

If you don't have a piping bag you can make a DIY version by drawing round a plate on grease proof paper. Fold into quarters and shape into a cone with three of the sides together. This is a messy way of doing it though, so I would recommend the piping bag.

You'll need to draw a cross on the left hand side, start and select buttons to the middle and a big circle on the right hand side. Add your biscuit ovals and four dobs of chocolate on top of them.

Then nom.




Cookie Soundtrack: The Best of 1992

I believe that having the stereo cranked right up when I'm baking makes for a better biscuit, so here's my recommended playlist to accompany this recipe. As Wiki tells me the Snes came out in 1992 in the UK, I've picked some of the best songs released that year. Some of them (Ugly Kid Joe, Mr Big, Guns n' Roses) I was obsessed with at the time and some of them I discovered later on. Either way, it's a pretty awesome collection.

Sunday 24 November 2013

Tape Deck Heart Cookies

It's rare these days, but Tape Deck Heart was one of those albums where I actually counted down to its release date. It had been a while since we'd had a new Turner fix, so I was pretty stoked when I got home from Record Store Day - after meeting the man himself - to find my pre-order from Rough Trade had arrived early. A reward for shopping indie I like to think. Well, that was back in April and I've played it most days since, so I think it's safe to say it'll be making my top five list for 2013.

When Frank ran a Tape Deck Art competition around the time of its release, asking people to draw their interpretations of the album's song titles, I had a moment of complete insanity. 'Ummm, with biscuit as my medium maybe I could play along with this game...' I thought. Because in my head I believe I can turn anything into a biscuit/cupcake. In the end, I just opted for recreating the tattoo designs from the sleeve, since being arty with biscuits is a challenge in itself.

So armed with a lot of sugar and peanut butter, here's how I turned Tape Deck Heart into Bake Deck Heart...



Ingredients

225g margarine (plus extra for greasing)
225g smooth peanut butter
200g brown sugar
200g granulated sugar
3 large eggs
275g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
Few drops of red food colouring







Method

Mix margarine and peanut butter until smooth.

Add both sugars.

Gradually add in two beaten eggs and flour.

Once the biscuit dough is formed, divide into three.

Keep one of the dough balls its original biscuit shade. Add a few drops of red food colouring to one to make a pinky shade and add more colouring to the third to create a darker red shade.

Put in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Set oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4 and grease baking trays with margarine.

Dust rolling pin and surface with flour to prevent sticking.

As someone is yet to create a 'Tape Deck Heart' set of cookie cutters - people with 3D printers, come the fuck on... - I cut all of the pieces out by hand and stuck them together using a bit of egg wash (this is where your third egg comes in handy). The only bit I did use a cutter for was the cassette tape, as I treated myself to a rather expensive, but completely essentially cassette cookie cutter.

For each biscuit choose one shade to use as your base and cut out the full outline shape. For the lighthouses and 'Recovery' use the plain biscuit colour as your base and add the darker pieces by sticking them on with your egg wash. For the 'Tape Deck Heart and flower use the darker dough as your base, then add the other colours as before.

Bake for around 20 - 30 minutes, but keep checking them and turning them round. When baked, place on a wire rack to cool and then nom, nom, nom...



My top ten older Turner songs to bake to...


Saturday 12 October 2013

Punk & Hardcore Cookies

I love baking, but I get a little fed up with seeing recipe books that are overwhelmingly pink and mumsy. I don't want to bake pretty, perfect things, I want to bake cool shit. Stuff that tastes good and looks awesome. Cookies with a personality.

Being more than a little fond of punk rock and hardcore, I figured I'd combine my two main interests. So here they are, my biscuits for misfits...

Ingredients

For the cookies
8oz/225g butter/margarine
5oz/140g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
10oz/280g plain flour

For decoration
5oz/150g white chocolate
3oz/100g dark chocolate

Method

Beat butter and sugar together.

Add beaten egg yolk and vanilla extract.

Sift flour into mixture until dough is formed.

Roll into a ball and put in the fridge for about 20 minutes, as this makes it easier to roll out.

While your dough is chilling pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 5/190C and grease your baking trays.

Lightly dust the worktop, rolling pin and cookie cutters with flour to prevent sticking.

Divide the dough into two and roll out to just over 1/2 cm.

Cut out your cookies and lay on the baking tray.

Repeat with your second ball of dough.

Bake for around 10 - 15 minutes or if your oven is as shit as mine then about 30 minutes.


The fun bit

Once your cookies have cooled, melt your white chocolate in a jug/bowl over a saucepan of water.

Spoon melted chocolate onto the biscuits, use the back of the spoon to smooth out and leave to set.

Once the white chocolate is set, melt the dark chocolate and spoon into a piping bag. I use disposable ones so I can cut the nozzle to whatever size I need it. That's actually a lie, I use disposable bags so that once I've finished I can cut them open and nom the rest of the melted chocolate.

Then get icing!

Tip! Before trying to ice any logo or picture always draw it out first. If you can't draw it, you won't be able to ice it, so it's good to have a practice run and know what you're doing before you start.

I went for some well-know punk and hardcore logos, plus some Metallica and record biscuits too...



Me and my friend punk

Every good baking session needs a good soundtrack, so here's my recommended punk playlist to accompany this particular recipe.