Aqualung

Last weekend (Sunday) we went to see Aqualung at Richards on Richards. It was hard going out on a Sunday evening when we usually like to relax, but worth the effort. Gigs at Richards usually tend to be good because it is a very small venue and you can easily get really close to the stage.

The support was a girl called Sara Bareilles. She rocked! Her voice was strong and perfectly pitched, and her songs had catchy melodies and wry lyrics. The audience took a while to warm up to her, but I was really into it. This was one the best supports for me in a long time. I am looking forward now to when she releases her new album.

Aqualung came on around 10ish and played for about 75 minutes. Although their songs were of course slow paced in general, they came over more in your face and loud than I had expected, which was interesting. Lots of squealing, distorted guitar! They were workmanlike to begin with (as was the audience, which wasn't the biggest crowd we've seen), but after a few songs the lead singer started talking to the audience and things warmed up a bit. He was soft-voiced and well-spoken (quite posh actually), and with a very dry wit which made me smile a few times. Their set was a fairly even split of tracks from the new album "Memory Man", and old hits which of course went down well. A lot of the new tracks were pretty good, and probably persuaded me that I should buy the new record. All in all, it was a great evening of music - Richards came up trumps again :)

Three Micro Film Reviews

Catching up on the films we have seen recently.


Hot Fuzz

It was very funny, but not quite as good as Shaun of the Dead. I guess zombies are just better. Lots and lots of jokes, and only a few of them missed. Recommended, and with some supremely good moments (watch out for shotgun granny getting her just desserts).


The Namesake

You probably haven't heard of this film, because I hadn't. Steph had heard the book read on the radio and wanted to see it. It's mostly about an Indian family who move to the US in the 60s and settle, have kids and so on. I guess the film is a lot about contrasts in culture, and how different generations have different attitudes. It might sound a bit dull, but if like me you enjoy character-driven movies with good acting, this is a real treat. It also had some superb makeup work on some of the lead characters, who play themselves across a 30 year timespan but always managed to look convincing. Catch this on DVD if you can - it will be worth it!


28 Weeks Later

The first movie was better for sure. This sequel doesn't add much that is original, but it is certainly enjoyable in its own right. It's edge of the seat stuff from start to finish, and doesn't outstay its welcome. There are a couple of really excellent sequences too. Somewhat of a disappointment, but still a good movie. Let's hope they can do even better for 28 Months Later ;)

Tofino

It has taken me a very long time, but I am finally blogging about our weekend away (which was now two weeks ago). I'll keep it short, because I've got other stuff to do :)

Our friends Julian and Lisa came to stay for a week, and we went to Tofino on Vancouver Island for a long weekend. We rented a cabin in the forest to stay in, which was super-comfortable and cosy. This was a good thing, because for three of the four days we were away it rained literally non-stop. Sometimes it fooled you into thinking it had stopped raining, when actually it was just very light. It "dampened" our spirits a little (sorry), but we still managed to enjoy ourselves. The highlights for me were our barbecue in the rain, walking on the beach, and the soggy bear watching trip (soggy us, not soggy bears). I won't bore you with any more details - if you are interested then you can check out our photos here which will fill in the blanks.