the week so far
currently surviving the rather busy week - although we are running out of cereal bowls at home due to not being at home long enough to wash the dishes!
Monday we went to the Royal Albert Hall for the Radio 3 Comic Relief concert. A fun night was had, even if the comedy element was rather lame (Tim Vine = terminally unfunny). Basil Brush was cool though, the original chap. :-) Of course the highlight of the night was the World Record Breaking Kazoo Orchestra attempt. It was all taken rather seriously, with an adjudicator from the Guiness book of Records, lots of rules and people all over the place to somehow count the number of participants! We managed to entirely crucify Ride of the Valkyries and the Dambusters Theme but beat the current record, with just over 3,900 participants.
Its not every day that one can claim not only to be in the Guiness Book of Records but also having played at the Royal Albert Hall!
( some pics )
A fun night out in the most superb venue in London, for the bargain price of £5 :-)
Tuesday, we went to the Bitter Ruin and Thomas Truax gig in Proud Camden.
Met with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
simonsatori , morbidfrog and friend to go for noodles, before heading off to our respective gigs (Cecile and friend went to see Epica at the Scala but Simon preferred something more sedate for the evening)
Was a bit disappointed with the venue, expecting something a bit more glamourous like the Proud venue in the city. The private rooms in the stables looked fun but the main band/bar/restaurant area was more of an overheaded cattle shed - seriously, just why was the heating on full pelt for a crowded gig? nothing to do with persuading people to drink perchance?
First act on was Dan Griffis A very talented singer/guitarist, with a style somewhat reminiscent to Radiohead but a tad too mellow to hold my attention.
Next was Thomas Truax. The usual chaotic show combining American folk music and home made instruments. Musically not 100% my thing but one cannot but enjoy his quirky stage presence and charm.
( a couple of bad pics of Thomas Truax )
Headline band for the night was Bitter Ruin. I previously saw them at the Hidden Steampunk event in Brighton where they enthralled the audience, making many new fans. This gig was a slightly different animal, comprised mainly of devoted fans, as they were playing to premiere new songs and show off a recently completed video.
I still cannot recommend them highly enough, a couple with fantastically powerful voices, quirky and slightly twisted songs and generally entertaining overall. Was planning to buy their CD but due to "someone" forgetting to go to the cashpoint beforehand, I had to pay for drinks and food for the night instead of CD purchases.
Wednesday - I was somehow roped into being an Imperial College Host at the college's Varsity Rugby Match! The game was held at The Stoop in Twickenham and a little bunch of us from the office headed there after work. Fortunately I was not allocated to host one of the boxes (whilst the luxury might have been nice, the idea of having to entertain a group of strangers filled me with dread) but was expected to "mingle" in the main bar area instead, generally ensuring that people weren't standing alone and not having a good time. In return we got free food, alcohol and seats for the game.
I was trying my best not to be too dumb and "girlie" regarding my lack of rugby knowledge but ended up sitting next to someone who works for Rugby League! At least he was able to explain some of the rules and advise me on who the special guest, JPR Williams, was (I should be ashamed of being Welsh, not knowing who he was apparently!) :-)
The game was quite entertaining, having never been to such an event before. The rest of the audience comprised of very, very drunk students and it was literally quite a riot!
( proof that I was in fact at a sports event! )
Tonight I am off to the ballet, preceded by a posh meal. :-)
Monday we went to the Royal Albert Hall for the Radio 3 Comic Relief concert. A fun night was had, even if the comedy element was rather lame (Tim Vine = terminally unfunny). Basil Brush was cool though, the original chap. :-) Of course the highlight of the night was the World Record Breaking Kazoo Orchestra attempt. It was all taken rather seriously, with an adjudicator from the Guiness book of Records, lots of rules and people all over the place to somehow count the number of participants! We managed to entirely crucify Ride of the Valkyries and the Dambusters Theme but beat the current record, with just over 3,900 participants.
Its not every day that one can claim not only to be in the Guiness Book of Records but also having played at the Royal Albert Hall!
( some pics )
A fun night out in the most superb venue in London, for the bargain price of £5 :-)
Tuesday, we went to the Bitter Ruin and Thomas Truax gig in Proud Camden.
Met with
simonsatori , morbidfrog and friend to go for noodles, before heading off to our respective gigs (Cecile and friend went to see Epica at the Scala but Simon preferred something more sedate for the evening)Was a bit disappointed with the venue, expecting something a bit more glamourous like the Proud venue in the city. The private rooms in the stables looked fun but the main band/bar/restaurant area was more of an overheaded cattle shed - seriously, just why was the heating on full pelt for a crowded gig? nothing to do with persuading people to drink perchance?
First act on was Dan Griffis A very talented singer/guitarist, with a style somewhat reminiscent to Radiohead but a tad too mellow to hold my attention.
Next was Thomas Truax. The usual chaotic show combining American folk music and home made instruments. Musically not 100% my thing but one cannot but enjoy his quirky stage presence and charm.
( a couple of bad pics of Thomas Truax )
Headline band for the night was Bitter Ruin. I previously saw them at the Hidden Steampunk event in Brighton where they enthralled the audience, making many new fans. This gig was a slightly different animal, comprised mainly of devoted fans, as they were playing to premiere new songs and show off a recently completed video.
I still cannot recommend them highly enough, a couple with fantastically powerful voices, quirky and slightly twisted songs and generally entertaining overall. Was planning to buy their CD but due to "someone" forgetting to go to the cashpoint beforehand, I had to pay for drinks and food for the night instead of CD purchases.
Wednesday - I was somehow roped into being an Imperial College Host at the college's Varsity Rugby Match! The game was held at The Stoop in Twickenham and a little bunch of us from the office headed there after work. Fortunately I was not allocated to host one of the boxes (whilst the luxury might have been nice, the idea of having to entertain a group of strangers filled me with dread) but was expected to "mingle" in the main bar area instead, generally ensuring that people weren't standing alone and not having a good time. In return we got free food, alcohol and seats for the game.
I was trying my best not to be too dumb and "girlie" regarding my lack of rugby knowledge but ended up sitting next to someone who works for Rugby League! At least he was able to explain some of the rules and advise me on who the special guest, JPR Williams, was (I should be ashamed of being Welsh, not knowing who he was apparently!) :-)
The game was quite entertaining, having never been to such an event before. The rest of the audience comprised of very, very drunk students and it was literally quite a riot!
( proof that I was in fact at a sports event! )
Tonight I am off to the ballet, preceded by a posh meal. :-)