Cut/Copy at Fabric

Did feel weird going to this gig, especially when I met the uber cool arty son of one of our partners at Kings Cross. He was just on the way home, while I, 60 year old pension lawyer, was just on my way out for a night at the renowned night club, Fabric.

And because this place is a nightclub rather than a standard venue, not only did they want tickets but they also wanted to see ID. "ID?" ie asked the doorman quizzically. He quickly looked me up and down and just said "You can go in." Obviously I didn't look troublesome!

Also because this is really a club, there is no gap between stage and audience. As I went to the front I could easily have just reached out in front of me and untied the trainers of any member of the band in front of me. But it did mean I spent the night looking up at the acts. Crick in the neck time.

Openers were a group called Goose. Very decent dance band. Liked them.

Cut/Copy are an Australian electronic dance act. They have been around for a while and clearly have a bit of a cult following. The crowd was an interesting demographic, very even gender split and wide age range from about 20-50 I would have said. In short, no particular "type". 

Enjoyable, although not knock out. And also, being a club, very late finish. Gone 11pm. We old folk have beds to get to....

 

Hieroglyphs

An ideal exhibition has lots of interesting and beautiful exhibits along with an interesting story to tell.

The problem with this exhibition is that it is largely an interesting story - how hieroglyphs cane to be deciphered, and why it was such a difficult language to crack. But the upshot is that largely this would have made a good article to read. But there isn't all that much to see, and these photos are not really representative as I took them of the most interesting exhibits rather than a representative set, most of which were manuscripts.

That is not to suggest that it wasn't worthwhile coming to see, but probably not worth the hefty price tag.

I did enjoy the blurb for this which said that this was the first time these four canopic jars had been seen together since the eighteenth century, as they are now scattered amongst various museums.

The Great Court is endlessly photogenic.

 

DMAs at the Roundhouse

An all Australian line-up as it turned out. Support from Pacific Avenue. Who are really a seventies retro outfit. And of course I remember the seventies first time round. They were actually very good. Would see them again if they were playing a small venue. Just not sure there is a great market for this sort of sound

For the DMAs there is clearly a large market. This gig sold out, and they have a bigger tour next year. What is surprising in a way is that they have a young male following, a lads band, which is rather younger than the band itself. And the band look like a group of waster aging chavs, but sound fantastic. Sweet vocals, a sophisticated rock sound, much heavier than their recordings would suggest. They generate not so much a mosh pit as a collective audience bounce.

To avoid the very slow exit at the Roundhouse we circled to the back of the venue for the encore. So this is the view. See why I choose to be at the front?