The Voice of London Episode VIII

First let me get my complaints about the Cat Power show out of the way so I can end on a good note. Even before I do that I should clarify that my complaints have nothing to do with Chan Marshall or her performance (besides the fact that she didn't play Good Woman, but you have to accept that musicians aren't always going to play your favourite songs when you see them live [especially when they're touring for a different album]). My complaints have to do with some of the people in attendance. There were some taller people standing ahead of me and obstructing some of my view, though I don't really blame them for that. The people I blame for making the experience worse than it should have been were the two fuckwads who stood directly in front of me. If they had just been standing there enjoying the show it wouldn't have been so bad, but they were continually leaning to towards each other to talk and blocking the one clear line of sight that I had. I don't really want to get into it any more than that (I've already given them more attention than they deserve) but about halfway through I did manage to get in front of them and was able to enjoy the concert much more after that. Before I move on to the show itself I'll mention something else about the audience. According to Chan, she said she saw Clive Owen and his wife in attendance, but I'm not sure if she was being facetious. I wasn't lucky enough to spot him. I would like to have, though. I've kind of got a crush on Clive Owen. Anyway, the show started out with the backing band (the Memphis Rhythm Band) coming out and doing an instrumental warm-up jam before going into the opening bars of The Greatest, at which point point Chan came out and the performance began. The show was divided into three separate sets. The first was with the band and was comprised of selections from the new album which Chan had a curious tendency to mime while singing. After this the band went off and she was by herself with a piano or guitar. During this set she performed a cover of House of the Rising Sun in her characteristic slowed-to-a-crawl style, which I would consider one of the night's highlights. The band came back again for the third and best set where they played a rendition of Satisfaction that was actually more faithful to the original than the one on The Covers Record, and a suped up version of Cross Bones Style before ending on Love and Communication. The encore consisted of a solitary performance of Paths of Victory. And thus was another band crossed off my list of groups to see live.
I was able, after some waiting, to get in to see the Like. The show was at the 100 Club, a fairly famous venue, or so is my understanding. I guess the Sex Pistols played there back in the seventies. Anyway, the opening band was called Clocks. They were alright; tight, but not especially exciting. The Like were awesome, though. Those are three hot rock chicks, ah tell yoo hwut. There was no encore, but they played my favourite songs, June Gloom and Once Things Look Up, so I was alright with that.
On Friday I checked out of the hostel and went over to my new accommodations. I met Fred, the French fellow sharing my room. He seems a nice enough chap. I didn't stay that long because, unable to procure Gnarls Barkley tickets for myself (disappointing) and Sufjan Stevens being sold out (very disappointing), I decided to use my return ticket and head back to Norwich to gather my things for moving and make preparations with Dan for our upcoming trip.
Saturday I spent washing clothes and just hanging out. Danny and his mom went to Manchester for the weekend and won't be back till Sunday. During the afternoon I watched a movie adaptation of the comic strip Asterix and Obelix with Gerard Depardieu as Obelix and Monica Bellucci (who has possibly the best cleavage in the world) as Cleopatra. It was actually quite funny. I normally hate dubbing, which this was from the French, but there was a point where a character is listing his life goals and says he wants to move his lips in French and have the words come out in English that made me laugh so I stuck with it. I don't think it would have been better subtitled.
Now it's Sunday, the fifth of November, Guy Fawkes Day. In the morning I went to the library to read comic books. I finished the first volume of The Authority by Warren Ellis, pretty good stuff. Then I read Batman: Year One by Frank Miller. It was this book that provided much of the inspiration for Batman Begins. The second act anyway. After that I bought some groceries for supper and cooked myself a pizza to eat while I watched Fletch. When darkness fell the fireworks started sporadically. I finished the last few chapters I had left of Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums and went for a walk to watch (or more often just hear) the fireworks. It seems that actual bonfires of this Bonfire Night are happening outside of walking distance, especially in the chill autumn air with only a hoodie. Still, the fireworks, whose popping persists still, is probably more than I would have gotten in my area of London.

Syzygetically yours,
Matthew Hawkins