Oxford weekend

A short trip to Oxford at the weekend.

First off, it was Arts Week. This meant various places open as showcases for local artists/crafts people. A good idea to attract folk along to purchase work, or at least for the curious to peer around unusual places. Like this church with a photographic exhibition of Istanbul.

Or this barge hosting some arty silver jewellery.

But the main business of the day was watching the Cup Final. Little Ivo is for some unfathomable reason a Wigan fan (despite hailing from Oxford), and so was delighted at their win. A good late afternoon spent in a pub with a big screen and a couple of pints. And a happy atmosphere. No one much likes moneybags Man City any more.

Sunday was an another opportunity for me to wander around the restored Ashmolean Museum, this time quieter than any time I have previously visited, no doubt partly because it was a Sunday outside peak tourist time and partly because the City Centre was somewhat cut off by the Town & Gown road race.

The plaster cast gallery is particularly pleasing.

A nice Spring morning just to wander around the City.

  

And then on to the Botanical Gardens. One of the oldest such gardens in the country. The gardens were certainly not in full bloom yet, but the tulips were certainly at their best.

The glasshouses aren't exactly up to the standards of Kew, in size, architectural merit or anything else, but that doesn't mean they aren't well worth the visit.

Athlete

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Vehicles & Animals, Athlete's first and best album, they have gone on tour again to play it live in full and in sequence.

Given its 10 years ago, you would expect that they would attract the sort of audience who were at University about 10 years ago. And yes, I have friends in that category. (I of course am a late developer!)

A very nice evening actually as the three of us met at a Polish restaurant in Shepherds Bush after work for a very decent Polish meal, if not quite matched by the speed of the service. Replete with Polish beer and food we headed round the corner to the Empire in time to see the second support, Eliza & the Bear. Odd name, odd look too, but a good sound. I like guitar bands, so the more guitars the better and they had three. But good though they were, I don't feel that's a name I will be hearing again. Sorry chaps.

Rather like the Pigeon Detectives (see previous entry) the night before, Athlete have also produced four albums in a sliding (downward) scale of popularity and merit. A fact that this show proved. Although they sold out the Empire and played to an extremely appreciative crowd, one might have expected them to be playing somewhere bigger.

But ignoring the popularity, the interesting contrast was the quality of the first "half" of the show, which was Vehicles & Animals in its entirety, and the extended encore which was formed of their their later hits. The later stuff was fine, but its really mainstream indie. Vehicles & Animals is quirky - a sound of its own - and it is that inventiveness and originality that they have failed to match in the last decade. Which is sad, as lead singer Joel Pott is a genuinely endearing front man who has a great voice. I couldn't complain at the quality of the entertainment - or my young company - both were great. And it wasn't just like listening to the album - the songs were just a little varied/extended, and for those like me who have played Vehicles & Animals hundreds of times it was lovely to listen to them play among friends. (The audience included TV presenter Dermot O'Leary.)  But I can't help feeling rather wistful that Athlete haven't gone on to better things.

A happy crowd at  the end, but Joel had to ask the audience in the upper tier to get on their feet. You might hope they would want to spontaneously.

The Pigeon Detectives at Dingwalls

The Pigeon Detectives have just completed their 4th album and I am afraid they aren't as popular as they once were. However, the good news is also that they aren't as popular as they were. Hence they were playing Dingwalls, a 500 capacity venue at Camden Lock. Its really just a bar at the back with four small tiers descending towards a modest stage at the end.

First off are what seemed a really nice bunch of lads called Hares. I even bought their debut EP, Coastlines. Hope they go far. They sounded fine, but a long, long way to go before anyone is going to notice them. And a struggle at the start - it felt like being in class at school - no one wanted to be at the front (in contrast to the end of the gig - as you will see).

Next up the Must. Clearly a more experienced band, a tighter sound, but nothing to get too excited about.

But we got excited by the Pigeon Detectives. Just totally mad in such a small venue where there is really no gap between band and audience  And that's what makes it such a delight. Just the sheer enthusiasm of both band and audience. Their lead singer bounced around on stage as much as the cramped space would allow, but then launched himself into a bit of crowd surfing. Just a very pleasant bit of mayhem, which suits the frenetic music. Had a great night. But I just can't imagine the Pigeon Detectives in another 10 years time. This is a young man's game, and the Pigeon Detectives aren't going to get any younger.

Cherry blossom

Oh, to be in England at cherry blossom time.

Yes Spring has sprung.