BLIMEY! X HAVE REFORMED!

Pitchfork report that seminal/legendary/didn't sell too many* at the time LA Punks X have reformed.

Now, I won't go and see them if they do bother to come and play anywhere near me as, y'know - they've reformed, but it's still surprising. I wouldn't have thought the demand was all that huge.

Their first gig is in California, tonight on bonfire night. The rest follow next month.

A handy hint if you're a would-be murderer - bonfire night really is your night to go out there and shoot your victim(s). No-one will bat an earlid.

* - delete according to viewpoint.

CAN YOU FEEL THE MIKE LOVE?

Eager to preserve his long-standing reputation as easily the most loathsome Beach Boy, Mike Love is suing Brian Wilson over being-all-pissy-cos-the-Smile-album-was-barely-anything-to-do-with-him or something.

What's astonishing is that Mike Love owns the rights to the name The Beach Boys. I think we're all agreed that when you think of the man behind their pop genius, Mike Love immediately springs to mind, doesn't he?

There's little I can do about it but be quietly apalled, put this picture up:

Mike Love : Instant Twatter.

and use the moment to remind everyone of how Dennis Wilson used to infuriate Love deliberately by taking pretty much any woman who would let him, and having sex in Love's hippy-dippy 'meditation room' that he insisted on having at the Beach Boys' recording studio. Dennis rocked.

A NIGHT IN WITH A ROUGH OLD DOG.

Seeing as everything that Rough Trade Records touches turns to cold, hard cash and accolades* at the minute, you might want to beat your friends out of the starting blocks and hear new signings Dr. Dog.

I can't quite place them soundwise, which is a good thing, but they sound like they've heard a load of the records I've really liked ever, which is a good thing.

* - I preferred them when they went out of business that time.

SHEFFIELD : SEXY CITY

Three-dayer (not however, a three-day 'Sex Festival' (c) Lynne) there in Sheffield as of tonight.


Zombina and the Skeletones have been replaced by Piney Gir (from The Schla La Las, who headline on the Saturday). It's too late a change for me to make it, and tomorrow I'm celebrating Bonfire night by setting off fireworks for the amusement of my nephew, as a good uncle should. You should go, though.

On the Saturday night Derby is represented by Lardpony, who's had quite an indie-pop week, all told. He's even ill. That's dedication to your sub-genre.

Piney Gir : All fit, like.

GET THEM WHILE THEY'RE STILL GOOD.

It's harrowing news that The Arcade Fire are set to support U2 and suffer the fate of so many before them of being Soiled by the Hand of Bono.

So remember them as they are now, with the video to forthcoming (7" vinyl only) single 'Wake Up'

and...

this live footage of them performing 'Power Out'.

Bono : He really is a caution.

THE MIGHTY BOOSH TOURS!

What do you mean The Mighty Boosh isn't about music? You've never seen the Electro episode. Or the one with the Goths. Or the one where the polar bear ends up singing 'Are Friends Electric?'. Of course it's about music.

And it's very probably coming to a venue near you, as well. Vince and Howard set out on a 41-date UK tour. Magical.

Wednesday 1/2/06 York Grand Opera House
Thursday 2/2/06 Derby Assembly Rooms
Friday 3/2/06 Wimbledon New Wimbledon
Saturday 4/2/06 Reading Hexagon

Wednesday 8/2/06 Catford Broadway Theatre
Thursday 9/2/06 Southampton Guildhall
Friday 10/2/06 Weston Playhouse
Saturday 11/2/06 Brighton Dome
Sunday 12/2/06 Coventry Warwick Arts Centre

Tuesday 14/2/06 Leicester De Montfort Hall
Wednesday 15/2/06 Northampton Deco
Thursday 16/2/06 Basingstoke Anvil
Friday 17/2/06 Birmingham Alexandra
Saturday 18/2/06 Oxford New Theatre


Tuesday 21/2/06 Peterborough Broadway Theatre
Wednesday 22/2/06 Sheffield City Hall
Thursday 23/2/06 Bradford St George's
Friday 24/2/06 Leeds City Varieties
Saturday 25/2/06 Leeds City Varieties
Sunday 26/2/06 Liverpool Royal Court

Tuesday 28/2/06 Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall
Wednesday 1/3/06 Bournemouth Pavilion
Thursday 2/3/06 St Albans Alban Arena
Friday 3/3/06 Nottingham Playhouse
Saturday 4/3/06 Glasgow Pavilion

Monday 6/3/06 Buxton Opera House
Tuesday 7/3/06 Warrington Parr Hall
Wednesday 8/3/06 Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Thursday 9/3/06 WolverhamptonWulfren
Friday 10/3/06 Manchester Lowry
Saturday 11/3/06 Manchester Lowry
Sunday 12/3/06 Bristol Hippodrome


Thursday 16/3/06 Newcastle Tyne Theatre
Friday 17/3/06 Blackburn King George's Hall
Saturday 18/3/06 Cardiff St David's Hall
Sunday 19/3/06 Swansea Grand Theatre
Monday 21/3/06 Cheltenham Everyman
Tuesday 22/3/06 Stoke Victoria Hall

Friday 24/3/06 Plymouth Pavilion
Saturday 25/3/06 Barnstaple Queens Theatre
Sunday 26/3/06 Dartford Orchard

They're even playing Derby. Most considerate.

THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE DEVIL.

Possibly taking their cue from every unsigned band in the world hosting their MP3s on Rupert Murdoch's MySpace service, MySpace themselves are launching a record label. In conjunction with Universal Music Group it's already lining up nicely for a fight to the death to claim once and for all the crown of 'Dark Lord of all Evilness'.

Whether it's a good or a bad thing remains to be seen, but this I do know - it's a bad thing.

I can't yet confirm whether in the same way that all early Creation Records had artwork like this...

...the MySpace label will do what comes naturally to MySpace and have every cover look like...

THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT! WE HAVE TO GET ORGANISED!

The Metro newspaper reports what is, by anyone's reckoning, a potentially brilliant idea:

Going down a storm

IT'S NOT OFTEN that a band brings the house down. But one group did just that at the weekend.

Minutes after rock group Cord took to the stage at a gig, the ceiling collapsed and fell in on them.

The concert, at the Cooperage, in Plymouth, had to be cancelled as piles of polystyrene tiles and foam insulation covered the group.

One unnamed fan said: 'They started playing and everything seemed fine. It happened in seconds.

All this stuff came down and the drummer was hit. People were amazed. You'd just never expect it to happen.'

Management at the Cooperage said a wire holding up a soundproofing inner roof had snapped, causing the ceiling to cave in.

'The ceiling is suspended throughout this particular room in the venue; it's extremely lightweight,' they said. Firefighters were called in as a precaution.

I don't think we can leave this in the hands of some kind of higher-power-with-impeccable-taste (you can't argue, it even went for the drummer). It ought to be compulsory that every venue in the country should install a collapsing ceiling right above the stage. I shall also require a universal key to power the mechanism of all of them, thankyou very much. Then we'll see which bands REALLY want it.

For the rest of the week you'll find me seeing what I can rig up on the first floor of The Victoria Inn. Mind you, I'm still waiting clearance to be helicoptered in under cover of darkness.

THAT'S B-E-A-R.

Tonight's recommendation, with no real competition, is the Bearshi Bearsuit gig at Susumi, The Wardwick, Derby. They're far and away Norwich's finest twee export, dontchaknow?

Local support comes from Lardpony and Dragonflies Draw Flame who are both well worth turning up early to see.

The Liverpudlian (not local, so naturally they don't really count...) support is Voo who sound like they haven't finished writing their name yet.

£5, Ponce in the Park Festival 2006 blah-de-blah-de-blah.

Bearsuit : Never knowingly pictured in
any woods.

ROCK STARS... IS THERE ANYTHING THEY DON'T KNOW?

Simpsons creator Matt Groening is behind a new All Tomorrow's Parties compilation. Titled All Tommorow's Parties : Pacific 2003, it ties-in with the year that he curated the US leg of the festival itself. The two-year delay has presumably been spent drawing the accompanying promotional videos.

It's probably worth getting for Funhouse by The Stooges and Sonic Youth's version of The Simpsons theme tune, I reckon.

DERBY WHITE BEDSHEET WITH EYEHOLES CUT OUT AND GOING "WHOOOOO!" NEWS.

There's that rarest of things tonight, a Halloween party that's being thrown on October 31st. It's at First Floor, Babington Lane, Derby and the impressive line-up is as follows:

Winnebago Deal
Ape of Death
Chris Martin (disclaimer here...)
Cousin Scampi
The Death of Artists

It says that fancy dress is essential, but I think they're just bluffing like everyone else. All proceeds go to help fund Ponce in the Park Festival 2006 and it costs £5. Though if your get-up's really good you'll probably just pass silently through the walls.

Winnebago Deal : Imagine this with a load of flour on it's face.

WORLD NORMAL AGAIN.

The Arctic Monkeys are no longer at the top of the pop charts. Westlife are. I'm assuming it was some kind of glitch in our reality.

Although, it's still not completely behaving 'cos The Monkeys have only dropped to number two. In the normal world the week after any NME sanctioned guitar abusers somehow make the top ten they plummet to number 37 or thereabouts. I'll let you know when it's safe to venture out again.

And how much does that Westlife single sound exactly like 'Wind Beneath my Wings'?

DERBY MUSIC NEWS

Tonight the Victoria Inn is hosting a pre-emptive Halloween party (well, it makes a change from last night like everybody else) before the other Halloween party they're having tomorrow night. On Halloween.

Musical entertainment comes in the form of Adam Bomb, Escobar and Ejector Seat. Admission is £5. Entry by secret knock and correct password when the eyes peer out at you from the little shutter thing. No clipboards.