Magic Juice

Jameson and sparkling water - or Jameson and ginger ale - does not give you a hangover. FACT. This piece of information was imparted upon me last night by Mista Reeek while we were attending the Dublin International Film Festival launch thingy in the Button Factory. Then we put it to the test. The magnificant RP was also in attendance, as was Michael Tripod, Evil Aoibhinn, Tanya Star, Shilpa Hotpress and The Gleesonator. So it was loads of funsies, obviously.

My blogging might be a bit sporadic for the next week and a bit. I'm going to London this eve for dinner with Dee Dee Ramone, then Trinidad tomorrow for carnival, which should be funsies. But I will try to take loads of photees and blog it to the max if I can tear myself away from beach bars, buckets of rum, and general Caribbean madness. Hopefully I'll actually make it there. My flight is in a couple of hours and I'm still in work and I haven't packed yet. Oopsies.

Rock on,

Una
eating: hash browns
drinking: water
listening to: Super Extra Bonus Party - 'Everything Flows' EP
watching: the clock
reading: Marian Keyes - 'This Charming Man'

CODES to release new single, March 7th

One of my favourite Irish bands, CODES, will release 'This Is Goodbye' on March 7th. It's one of my favourite CODES tracks, so yaysies! It will be available on CD and on iTunes.

Uh Huh Her, March 2nd, The Village (I know, righ?)

I'd say there are a good few lives complete upon hearing this news.

I must admit, I did not find out first. Tainer Bang rang me last night when I was on my way out to RTE and screamed at me down the phone about how I hadn't got the information on my blog. You see, Tainer Bang had just booked and bought concert tickets and flights to London for Uh Huh Her's gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on March 3rd. Then she found out about the Village. According to Tainer Bang, I had not just let her down, but "the wider dyke community Una, for fucks sake" and so on. So, sorry Tainer! But still, two Uh Huh Her gigs for you.

YAYSIES

Go Lili!

I Take Photees has been longlisted for the Best Photo Blog at the 2008 Irish Blog Awards.

It's getting very leaky around here. Leaksies!

Visit I Take Photees

Wahey #3

JacksGraff has been longlisted for the Best Group Blog award at the Irish Blog Awards. Yaysies!

Keep sending your JacksGraff to jacksgraff@hotmail.com

Longlist for Best Group Blog

Ahhh, I'm leaking... My sources at the KGB/CSI/FBI/KFC have got this information to me, the longlist for Best Group Blog at the 2008 Irish Blog Awards. Huzzah!

• Beaut.ie


• For Nine Pounds
• Slugger O'Toole
• Irish Election
• ShiteDrivers.com


• The Cedar Lounge Revolution
• Web 2.0 Ireland
• Soundtracks For Them
• Dublin Opinion
• Ego Eccentric
• The Dublin Community Blog
• The Limerick Blogger
• Style Treaty
• Couango and Spaves
• Elblogador.com


• Balrog


• Old Rotten Hat
• Ceithearnacoille


• Team Geared Up Blog
• Analogue
  Magazine


• Life Without Toast
• Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights
• This sort of thing
• The
  mockingbird's leap:


• Jack's Graff
• Blather


• Text Secrets
• Tuppenceworth.ie


• Cleft.ie


• Cheebah

UnaRocks video of the day

With thanks to my blogging equivalent of the Jim Morrisson dream-hallucination helper in Wayne's World 2

My Cool

I know I posted an mp3 of this yesterday, but here's the video too. It's my favourite song at the moment.

Wahey # 2

Via Rick: this blog has been longlisted for the Best Music Blog in the 2008 Irish Blog Awards.

Rockin'!

I don't know what happens now, how the nominees are cut down or whatever. I should pay more attention to Mr Mulley's information.

Cn sum1 hexplain plz? kthnx

WeTV

Jim wrote about this in the Ticket last week. WeTV on RTE is pretty savage at putting good up and coming Irish bands on TV. So go them.

You can check out some of the WeTV clips here. There are even some of me (which I can't watch because I can't watch myself on TV). Enjoy, and big up to the WeTV homies. You rock.

photee of the day (totally stolen from TMZ.com)

Yes, that's Didi Conn aka Frenchy from 'Grease'

Wahey!

This blog has been longlisted for Best Popculture Blog at the 2008 Irish Blog Awards. Woohoo! Totally cool.



Rick, The Man Who Sorts Out My Life, Shane, Rapture Ponies, Graham Linehan and more are all in there. What great company!

Free comment?

Shane raises the issue of blog comments and gender politics

I'm crying, watching this

(thanks to The King)

UnaRocks articles of the day

Ivan Smagghe no show (again) - House Is A Feeling

Led Zep tour on hold - NME

Why Justice suck - Village Voice

The Wire final season: cheese must die - Slate

Music is free? - Hotpress

What the election says about Hil and Ob, and what voting for either of them means - New York Magazine

1 in 100 Brits gay - GCN

Starbucks trades down - Business Week

JFK's daughter endorses Obama - New York Times

Bad fashion at the SAG awards - TMZ



bonus mp3: Now That I've Found It Acceptable In The 80s

Darklight Film Festival: call for entries nowsies

Details 'ere

UnaRocks video of the day

Montel rocks it on Fox News

Dirty Dozen: Vol 81

1. Adam Tensta - 'My Cool'

2. Timbaland feat. One Republic - 'Apologize'

3. Goldfrapp - 'A&E' (via Quick Before It Melts)

4. Foals - 'Astronauts and All' (Barrington remix)

5. Crystal Castles - 'xxzxcxz me'

half a dozen. Hayden feat. The National - 'Dynamite Walls' (live)

7. Apes - 'Beat Of The Double'

8. The Blonde Majority - 'We Got Fire'

9. Jesus and Mary Chain - 'Just Like Honey'

10. Bloc Party - 'Sunday' (live)

11. 77Klash - 'Mad Again' (feat. Johnny Osbourne)

dozen. Dawn Landes - 'Suspicion'

Ze Weekend

Although the weekend was somewhat blighted by a dodgy stomach and tiredness that kept me in every night, it was also vastly enhanced by a visit from Dee and loads of funsies.

Actually, on reflection, I seem to have spent the majority of this weekend eating; dinner in Uki Yo and Yamamouri, brunch in Ely chq, lunch in the Harbourmaster, topped off with a Four Star pizza last night. Other than that; birthday drinks with Lainey @ Solas, and Dorfmeister @ Spy. (Lili has pics of the latter event here.) My dodgy stomach was probably not helped on Friday night by drinking sake and cava cocktails (seems so wrong, yet feels so right) followed by a bottle of champagne and then having to get up early for work.

Dublin 1 has its perks. Apart from the van that got broken into directly below our balcony last night, I'm much happier being closer to the busy part of town. Newmarket was close to loads of stuff, but it was always so... quiet. I'm not really into 'quiet'. Five minutes and I'm on O'Connell Street. Seven minutes and I'm raiding the Home section of Dunnes . Plus on our street there's a cool art space which I think I shall spend a lot of time chilling out in.

I like my walk to work too.

The weather this weekend was my favourite kind. Cold, bright and still.

Una
eating: Creme Eggs
drinking: Tropicana blueberry mix
listening to: School of Language - 'Sea From Shore'
reading: Cathy Kelly - 'Lessons In Heartbreak'
watching: GMTV

Photee of the day

1990, Dita Von Teese

Barack Obama's top ten campaign promises

UnaRocks video of the day

Grand Pocket Orchestra - 'Odd Socks'


"Odd Socks" - Grand Pocket Orchestra Official Music Video from Michael Healey on Vimeo.

SXSW *hearts* Irish kids

The State has got the info on our boys and girls heading to Austin

(photee from here)

don't forget to bring the baaaaaaaaaaaaasssss

It's the Kaboogie party tonight @ Traffic. They're raising some lids for their new record label, so go and show your support.

If you haven't been to a Kaboogie night before, then you're missing out, so get the fuck down there for some quality dubstep and to feel like a bass-possessed fat man is sitting on your chest. Your ears might bleed, your lungs might collapse, but you will dance. Oh yes, you will dance.

Probably won't make this because Q&A has to be hit, as might Dorfmeister at Spy (btw, if you're going to that gig, get there v early if you haven't got your ticket yet because there's a limited number at the door), but you never know.

It's Friday - yay!

Tune of the day!

Click on this page and check out 'Plastic Fat-tastic'. It's a genius assault on your ears. My homie Ed did this with vocals from my grrrl Niamh (pictured, staring into the void).

Savage.

While you're there, check out some of Ed's other tunes. There are also some on his MySpace.

Huzzah!

Got me a shiny shiny bright blue 'Everything Flows' 12" EP from Super Extra Bonus Party this morning. Great start to the day.

headline of the day

Page 2 of today's Irish Times: "Thieves make off with parrot in Cavan."

It would be headline of the week if it was: "Thieves make out with parrot in Cavan."

Jenna's gig reviews

make for essential reading

Ladyflash finds a new home

One of the Button Factory's club nights is moving to Kennedy's on Westland Row.

Ladyflash will re-launch Thursday 28th February with the awesome line-up of Queen Kong (it's their single launch party), Stagger Lee and a DJ set from Phantom's Sinead Ni Mhordha.

Doors are at 10pm and it's 7 lids to get in and kick it.

I think this night will do way better in the basement of Kennedy's than in Temple Bar. My own interpretation (and this is not a scientific one) is that the Button Factory is in trouble. There is little momentum there. Where's the buzz? Personally, I haven't been back there since the launch. And actually, I can't think of any of my mates who have either. As far as I can see, the vibe of the place has completely changed. The club nights are so uninspiring and they just aren't getting enough quality acts to play and bring in the crowds. It's a shame, because the place looks so good inside. Maybe too good. Maybe that's the problem.

Their Saturday night is now 'Temple Bar Trad' (yikes, what is this? A bastard child of Oliver St John Gogarty and Fitzsimmons?) and although there are a few good acts playing there in the coming weeks and months (well, Tegan and Sarah and Band of Horses anyway*edit: BOH has been moved to Tripod*), it's just not enough. I'd hate to see any club do badly, but the Button Factory really needs to flick the quality switch and get its shit together if it wants to survive.

Print? Dead? Pah!

Two new Irish magazines drop in early March. First up is music mag State (the website will be edited by this ledgebag.) Next is skateboarding mag, The Wizard, that this bloke is involved in.

I like skating, I like music, I like magazines, so... YAYSIES

Moo-vees

Imagine, I only found out this evening that my good colleague Paul Lynch is also a blogger. Check out his film blog

It happens all the time...

You know when you mention something completely off topic, or that hasn't been talked about in ages, and then all of a sudden it's everywhere? Like the other day, I had three seperate conversations with three seperate people who all brought up El Dorado (the soap opera).

Or yesterday when I mentioned Let Loose to RoRo and she said I was the second person to mention that band to her that day, and then today they come up in a popbitch mail.

I'm psychic, amn't I?

UnaRocks articles of the day

reducing greenhouse gas emissions - The Chancer

Loads of naked people = art - Slate

Sundance report - New York Magazine

Amy Declinehouse - Village Voice

Trevor White obsessed with Derek O'Connor who he says was obsessed with him who is obsessed with... oh, fuck it - The Dubliner

IMRO showcase tour wants bands - Hotpress

Jerry O'Connell parodies the Tom Cruise Scientology video - Funny Or Die

Monster Movies - New York Magazine

Fake market gets real brand - China Daily

The Ting Tings aren't actually that good - The Guardian

100 days for equality in civil marriage - pdf via GCN

Genius celebrity name game

Hours of fun

UnaRocks video of the day

Pop:



with thanks to NKC

Thoughts on the new gaff (so far)

- Didn't realise how much I would miss Chicken Hut on Clanbrassil Street (crysies)

- People who work in the IFSC look sad in the morning

- Tiger and I couldn't help but throw around some 'Big Bow Wow' quotes when we bumped into each other in the IFSC yesterday; I was running back to the office from Phantom, he was jogging.

- Is it really necessary to encase the entire contents of an off-license in glass? (Booze2Go, Amiens Street)

- Heroin never goes out of fashion, clearly

- Lots of floor to ceiling windows may look pretty, but they also mean it's fucking freezing in the morning

Aw crap

Off Her Rocker reveals DC Pakt call it a day.

Dang. I liked that band. And they had AWESOME hair.

Republic of Loose working on their third album

Republic of Loose have been busy in the studio working on their forthcoming third album. The follow up to Aaagh! is scheduled for a late spring release. The band have several tracks finished and are planning to release the first single from the album in April.

According to Brez, the record will have a more live feel, "We've gone back to being a band in a room, listening to American soul, jazz, rock and hip-hop"

Mick Pyro will perform a duet with Sinead O'Connor at the Meteor Awards next month.

(pic by Lili

Popular

I've been listening to Nada Surf's new record 'Lucky' today. But I don't think anything they release could surpass their finest moment:

Album reviews

Here are some of my recent ones for The Sunday Tribune

Adrian Crowley
Long Distance Swimmer (42:06)
****
There is probably no better description of Crowley than the title of this, his fourth album. He is indeed a slow burner, quietly forming his music and receiving occasional acclaim. But the quality of this album means at last, Crowley can emerge from under the radar with what is certainly one of the best records released in this country this year. There are some instantly adorable songs, ‘Bless Our Tiny Hearts’ being the most obviously gorgeous, but for people who haven’t heard Crowley’s material before, they’ll probably be astounded by the complexity and depth of all of the tracks here. ‘Walk On Part’ is spine-tingling, as is the closing title track, and everywhere there is beautiful deft guitar playing and unexpected perfect moments both lyrically and musically.
Download: ‘Bless Our Tiny Hearts’, ‘Walk On Part’, ‘Electric Eels’

Dawn Landes
Fireproof (40:48)
Fargo Records
****
Landes third album is a quietly brilliant collection of songs whose melodies flow through your head long after the stop button is pressed. Incorporating breezy country and minimal acoustic ballads, Landes has made a gorgeous late-night / early-morning record. But her voice is the real instrument here - its purity is astounding. Landes switches effortlessly from quiet whispers to a breathy falsetto and she possess that unique trait that the best female vocalists have - an ability to flick ones vocal chords effortlessly to demonstrate both delicacy and toughness. Every song on this album is almost perfectly crafted, full of cool little hooks, and the record as a whole is an master class in how less is more.
Download: ‘Bodyguard’, ‘Private Little Hell’, ‘Kid’s In A Play’

Ain
Close To Cotton (18:49)
Tanuki Tanuki
***
This mini-album of folky-blues from Kildare man Ain is so quietly tender that you get the impression he recorded the tracks next to a sleeping baby. There’s a whiff of Willy Mason and young Ben Kweller in the vocals, which compliments the sparseness of the lone guitar accompaniment. ‘V.S.U.’ is a interesting, creepy little track with a nice slow rhythm and ‘Sunday’ is a little brighter with a nice guitar melody. You could, however, fault Ain on the similarities of his tracks though. Nearly every song here is similar in build, tone and vocal melody. It wouldn’t hurt for Ain to purposely shy away from the sounds and structures he is used to in order to inject a bit of diversity into his songs. A tentative, but promising release.
Download: ‘V.S.U.’, ‘Sunday’

Lightspeed Champion
Falling Off The Lavender Bridge (42:54)
Domino
**
Lightspeed Champion is Dev Hynes. You might remember him from Test Icicles, the short-lived band of messers that inspired the new-rave indie movement. But this venture couldn’t be more different to the screaming mentalism of the former band. To be precise, it’s a folk record. And not a great one. God knows what possessed Hynes to quit experimenting and make a bunch of rather boring songs, although he has a patchy ADHD approach to the musical projects. ‘All To Shit’ sounds like a tea ad and many of the songs blend into one boring moan. There are shafts of light though including some arresting lyrics (“I feel the nigger eyes / they are staring / makes me want to rip off my skin” on ‘Devil Tricks For A Bitch’) and nice guitar moments (‘Dry Lips’). But these glimmers of hope only make half-ideas.
Download: ‘Salty Water’, ‘Dry Lips’

British Sea Power
Do You Like Rock Music? (54:36)
Rough Trade
****
British Sea Power are one of those interesting bands that attract a lot of media attention, but never really get up to much. Naturally, they want to change that. Step forward a slight change in direction, and the kind of kick up the arse that their peers (although they mightn’t see these as their peers) in The Hours, Embrace and Athlete occasionally utilise to produce some good music. With their earnestness brushed down and the stars aligning, they have emerged with quite a fine album. The Brighton band has managed to find that very useful, yet very elusive thing that a band needs to step onto a bigger stage: the epic switch. Here, they flick it with the giddiness and ease of a seven year old girl trying to recreate a disco in her bedroom. ‘Down On The Ground’ is something a little like what The Hold Steady might release next, and elsewhere there are strong nods to Mercury Rev and Tony Visconti production values. The football chant of ‘easy, easy, easy’ is transformed into an Arcade Fire-esque rally call on ‘No Lucifer’. First of all, why did no other band think about this before? But secondly, there is a greater significance to the chant. Things have clicked for this band. The tunes haven’t seemed to been made with any great struggle. There is a lightness of finger and a deftness of hand at play, all the while yielding beefy and fun songs that occasionally recollect their stranger past.
Download: ‘No Lucifer’, ‘Down On The Ground’, ‘Waving Flags’

Los Campesinos
Hold On Now, Youngster... (42:48)
Wichita Recordings
***
Woohoo! Party! Dancing! Cheap beer! That’s what Los Campesinos are all about, the little scamps. So all the songs here sound like they were written on notebooks soaked in Buckfast and pulled out of the bath after a party. It’s childish, sweet, busy and hollow, but then, it’s going to be with song titles like ‘This Is How You Spell “Hahaha, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics”’. Although this is more a live party band rather than one you’d buy the record of, there are some surprisingly tender moments, like the strings on ‘Knee Deep At ATP’, and ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ is a great and lively pop song. It’s all fun, but ultimately, disposable.
Download: ‘Death To Los Campesinos!’, ‘You! Me! Dancing!’

The highlight of your month

Nialler9's latest podcast is up.

Bo.

(*edit* - obviously, the other highlight would have been watching me sing a karaoke version of 'Ring Of Fire' on live national TV yesterday evening for some reason. I meant to blog about that earlier this morning under the heading "some mornings when you wake up, you really don't know where your day is going to go." Yesterday was one of those.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAINEY!

My wonderful flatmate Lainey (pictured here, falling off a chair in Thailand) is really fucking old today. Pack it in dude, it's over.

Lovesies!

How to cheer up your morning:

The L Word does Charlie's Angels: (stolen from Becs)



Hee hee. Quite amusing.

I'm well behind on Season 5. Have only seen the first episode because the queens of the Big Weekly L Word viewing session are off skiing. Bastardos! I started rewatching Season One though the other day (God bless box sets etc). It's so good. If you've never watched this series, you really should check it out, it's excellent.

Vote in the IFTAs

via The Chancer

to vote, click here

I'd like Michelle Doherty to win the TV Personality Award, I think. She's a cool chick.

sad

Heath Ledger died yesterday. They're saying it was an accidental overdose of sleeping pills or something.

UnaRocks video of the day

Ah, the access granted to 21st Century celebrities eh? Here, Amy Winehouse smokes crack.

last Saturday night

YoCo, me, Lili.

Lili has more photees here

moving

So we are finally leaving Studio 109 for the greener pastures of Dublin 1.

Moving, my friends, is a NIGHTMARE. I never realised I had so much shit. I filled a giant rucksack and an even more giant suitcase with books alone. So now I have no cases left to put anything else in. Crysies.

Myself and Lainey spent most of last night throwing out half of our lives ("won't be needing socks where I'm going" *dump*) and then making several journeys down to the underground car park to dump everything in the bins. At one point, Lainey got locked down there because I was on the phone and totally forgot about her. Then, on the next occassion, a bag with all of the food from our kitchen split and cous cous and soy sauce and flour went everywhere. There were tears.

Eventually, I just started throwing tantrums and Lainey had to calm me down. Today is the actual physical move from one place to another, which should be... fun

*puts on happy face*.

Una


drinking: orange juice
eating: relaxants
reading: The Irish Times
listening to: Chris Bathgate - 'A Cork Tale Wake'
watching: my life disintegrate

bring back the nineties with chemicals inside me

Kill City Defectors play Whelan's this Sunday. The boys are always good fun to hang out with so I'm defo gonna try make this gig. You should give some of the tracks from 'Mutiny Sounds' released last year a listen on their MySpace. 'Black Sheep' is my favourite.

Dirty Dozen: Vol 80

1. Hadouken! - 'Girls'

2. A Place To Bury Strangers - 'I Know I'll See You'

3. Einmusik - '69'

4. Faust - 'Chromatic'

5. Various Production - 'The World Is Gone' (feat. Cat Power)

half a dozen. Skream - 'Make Me'

7. Third Eye Foundation - 'Half A Tiger'

8. Super Extra Bonus Party - 'Favourite Things'

9. Error Error - 'Your Everlasting Breath' (Paul Kalkbrenner remix)

10. Thom Yorke - 'Skip Divided' (Modeselektor remix)

11. The National - 'Apartment Story' (live)

dozen. Julie Feeney - 'Autopilot'

especially for Anthony

fuck you, January!

So this weekend (Friday being pay day for a lot of people) signals the end of Social Siberia aka January.

All I can say is: roll the fuck on this weekend.

So, if you're still wondering how to spend your week before hitting up Friday (a good night for dancing: Q&A at The Vaults, Kaboogie party @ Traffic, Dorfmeister @ Spy, Maximum Joy with the Dudley Corporation @ Kennedy's, 2 Many DJs @ The Academy (nee Spirit), Blood Red Shoes @ the Hub)

Tonight, Autumn Owls play Whelan's;

On Tuesday Steve Earle plays Vicar Street;

as usual, Antics is on in Crawdaddy on Wednesday and Star Turtle are in Whelan's;

Thursday, Coheed and Cambria play the Ambassador as part of the Kerrang tour, Gavin Glass is in the Cobblestone, the Lego party is at the Hub and Stars play Tripod.

Any other haps?

Hillary will win... solely based on this video

(props to Ragin')



(then again...)

I love gooooooooooollllllllllllld

I could spend all day watching videos of and listening to this lady



Santogold - 'Creator'
Santogold - 'You'll Find A Way' (Switch & Sinden remix)

Radish - remember them? (probably not)

One of my favourite bands when I was in my early teens was Radish. I thought they were AWESOME. And recently, for some reason, I've been listening to them again. 'Restraining Bolt' remains one of my favourite albums ever, even though at the time, it was slated as white label Nirvana muck. But I don't care. Radish rock, man. Interestingly, Radish's frontman was a 15/16-year-old kid called Ben Kweller.

Strange how thing work out, huh?

Universal has disabled embedding on these videos, but still, check them out, by clicking here and here.

then there's the bizarre appearance on Weird Al:

UnaRocks articles of the day

Mariah to drop album on April 1st - Billboard

The Race Card: how bluffing about bias makes race relations worse - Slate

Is it ok to be jealous of my girlfriend's gay best friend? - Village Voice

Lovefoxxx talks about new CSS record - NME

Fight Like Apes, Delorentos to play BudRising February - Hotpress

the primaries get ugly - New York Magazine

Johnny Depp: music man - Rolling Stone

Nicholas *hearts* Carla: Love & Politics - The New Yorker

gay marriage demo in Dublin today as Trinity's Rainbow Week begins - GCN

Bosomania: the sex, the violence and the vocabulary of Russ Meyer - Not Coming To A Theatre Near You

the new indie eccentrics - Observer Music Monthly

Vinyl is back (duh) - Time

Are Apple stealing their designs from 1960's Braun products? - Gizmodo

Nude Italian models go on strike - The Guardian

Not so Sweet 16 - Sunday Tribune

Ze Weekend

Ah, Monday morning; tea, toast, gossip and new CDs (listening to 'Forts' by The Boggs at the moment.)

I had a rather pleasant weekend.

On Friday, I didn't get out of work until forever, but still had time for a couple of glasses of wine at Party Central with YoCo, Iano MeNoFemBo and Lili. Then I went home and listened to Phantom. I couldn't sleep, so Ragin called over and we stayed up too late.

On Saturday, me and Iano jammed for a bit while YoCo and Lili were doing a photoshoot. Then we went to Ryans in Smithfield to play some pool and watch the rugby. Later, me, YoCo and Lili had an amazing meal in L'Ecrivain. So good. We had stayed there for hours so were pretty wrecked by the time in Spy for Spice. I just had one drink and went home. Such a nice evening though.

On Sunday, I chilled the max. Me and Lainey watched Dancing on Ice (how hot does Samantha Mumba look?) and then Ragin and Tiger called over for tea.

Just ten days to do in the manky month that is January. I'm all Januaried out, can't wait until it's over.

Una
eating: toast
drinking: tea
listening to: The Boggs - 'Forts'
watching: George Lee In China
reading: 'England's Dreaming' - Jon Savage

I will never stop laughing at this

Blonde Majority & Hassle Merchants tomorrow night

These two play Pogo. Check it out.

I like 'We Got Fire' by BM, nice tune.

There's fuck all else on this weekend. It's probably the worst weekend of the year for going out because everyone's broke, innit?

UnaRocks video of the day

Via The Chancer

SEAVIEW trailer:

Joycies live from Oz!

Helen rang me from Oxford Street in Sydney earlier. She had hit the clubs only a short while after landing. That's my girl. Sounds like she already has several adventures under her hat, including one involving Malaysian drug smugglers.

If you are so inclined, you can keep up with her Australian adventures on her blog. At the very least, they shall be entertaining.

badge of honour

Thanks to The King of the Interweb, I am now the proud owner of a fluffy badge. Yaysies.

Michael Mayer to play 5 hour set @ Spy

March 16th, €22.50 + booking fee, tickets here.

You can have the option of pre-booking tickets if you join the Spy mailing list or Facebook group.

Saw Mayer last time he was in the Music Centre and it was more than savage, so really looking forward to this, I must say.

(photee by Lili)

Yikes

poor Brit

Are you in Barcelona tonight?

Then go see Delorentos play Razzmatazz. There are more European dates on their MySpace. Ch-check it out. Have funsies boys!

only a couple of hours left to nominate in the Irish Blog Awards

do it!

If you download one song today...

make it this mp3, even though I know I've posted it before, I just keep going back to it. So beautiful.

Hunter: The Movie

"After shaking up Sundance with his Oscar-nominated Enron doc a few years ago, Alex Gibney sets out to demystify another misunderstood cultural phenomenon. In Gonzo, he takes on Hunter S. Thompson, the crazed reporter whose brilliant rants made it impossible for readers to take political, sports and travel writing seriously again."

Awesome.

For a look at the geekiest movies @ Sundance '08, go here

Antidote to January

My Top Five has posted a podcast to cheer you up.

Altogether now: SMILE!

Videos from Radiohead's 'secret' gig last night

Here's the opener (15 Step):



And you can watch the entire set here

UnaRocks articles of the day

Smurfs mark 50th birthday in Belgium - AP

Pete Doherty wears bras - NME

Europe's first gay nursing home opens - GCN

Why is the US Army losing so many talented officers? - Slate

The end of Rent - New York Magazine

Presidential endorsements from the American girl dolls - Village Voice

America's first black lesbian mayor elected - Advocate

The origins of No Wave - Pitchfork

Study: Children fear clowns - MSNBC

US abortions drop to lowest level since 1976 - San Francisco Chronicle

High-priced wine tastes better - London Times

Tune of the day

John Waters feat. Al Gore - 'The Can't Stop The Satanism'

Props to One More Hour

Read the Fanny Waters blog.

Show Bertie some love

On the 14th of February at 1.30pm, LGBT Noise will be presenting Bertie Ahern with a giant Valentine's card filled with poems and messages from members of the public that gay people in Ireland do not want 2nd class citizenship, and want to be able to marry their Valentines one day if they so choose.

You can add your two cents to the card by emailing lgbtnoise@gmail.com with your Valentine's message on why gay marriage is important.

Check out the Facebook event page as well.

Remember?

*drool*

Be part of the the Dublin Fringe Festival

Listen up kids, the homeboys and homegirls over at the Dublin Fringe Festival '08 are putting the word out for submissions for the festival. As you all know, the Fringe Festival is AWESOME, so if you want to be a part of it, or know someone who would (or both) then get the finger out, innit?

Calling all: Artists, Anarchists, Poets, Punks, Romantics, Activists, Philosophers, Fashionistas, Visionaries, Anoraks, Idealists, Zealots, Creatives, Ninjas, Genuises, Clowns. Got something to say?

Fringe invites you to: Push the boat out, Shake things up, Reach for the stars, Shout from the rafters, Make a name for yourself, Make your ma proud, Inspire a generation, Burn up the stage, Thrill your audience... And Stick It To The Man, man.

Dublin Fringe Festival is now accepting submissions for the 2008 Festival, running from the 6th to the 21st September. Deadline for all applications is Thursday 20th March.

See FringeFest for details. Do it!

Angel She's A Killer

Check out this great new Irish record label / art project.

It involves loads of people including Paddy, Goodtime John, Lili, Adrian Crowley, Team Yes, Laura Buckley, me, and of course, the head honcho Sarah.

Watch this space y'all. First release is in March.

mistake with comment moderation

Good morning everyone. I was going through the comments this morning and by mistake deleted about four or five when I was trying to reject a duplicate comment by Mandy which she must have mistakenly posted twice. So if a couple of your comments are missing that's why.

They've come up on my email though, so I'll post them here:

Meg on 'new You'reOnlyMassive video':
"and surely quoting Monty Python must have come around to being cool again by now?"

Mandy on 'airport blogging'
"Amazing how you dont ask friends to defend you yet Corina is also on Lucys blog, not commenting on anything else but me,,hmmmm'thanks for the advice honey, I've been in the game for a while,'And yet, your not that good!'If una didnt want criticism on this blog or people not saying anything bad she would not approve your comments'Whatever! The only reason why she puts the comments on is because she wants to goad sheep like you into telling her how great and fab she is. You were been nasty - end of.How sheltered ARE you people?I laugh 99.9% of it off, but even still, because it's my blog,This doesnt even make sense, i laugh 99.9% of it off,but even still...yeah you can write, tell me what collage did you go to? Im so bored with this, im going to find some adults now. Goodbye and i hope to sweet jesus ill never have the misfortune to meet you 2."

Maebh Cheasty on:'new You'reOnlyMassive video':
"What´s wrong with quoting the simpsons? Or monty python for that matter? I still plan on getting much usage out of all of the above and more.For all your irish rap needs:http://www.irishhiphop.com/forum/list.php?10 "

Aoife Mc on: 'I really want to see this Party Weirdo tour documentary'
"Hey ladyThey showed a bit of it at a gig before christmas, but I don't know what they're doing with it...hopefully they'll release it into the wild soon. Heckle them on myspace about it, that should get some information out of them. Bleedin weirdos."

Jeanne on: 'airport blogging'
"Hmmm, I think we may have found the root of the problem.... Mandy said to Una: "if you want to work in journalism then develop a thicker skin." Then Una replied: (this is the revealing bit) "thanks for the advice honey, I've been in the game for a while, I think I know how to take the digs"Em, didn't you only graduate from D.C.U. in 2005? In the game for a while, eh? My best mate's been a national press journalist for 16 years. I just read Una's reply to her over the phone. She laughed out loud, made some derisory comment about 'cub-reporters on low salaries in the Indo group' who land a job and think they're the dog's bollix, and then said there are broken dictaphones in her desk drawer longer than Una's been, as she describes it, 'in the game'.'fraid I'm with Mandy on this one."

Becs on: 'best band in the universe make an amazing MySpace blog post'
"I think MeNoFemBo should form the interval act in the choice music awards. You know, like the eurovision.Speaking of which, why is it the powers that be have deemed that choice awards night should take place on tegan and sara night? Wrongsies! "


And my reply to these comments is:
@ Mandy - I really don't know why you are so overly nasty all the time dude. Why do you bother reading this blog if you think I'm such a dickhead? Do you realise how nuts you sound? Get a hug or something.

@ Aoife Mc: nice one, I shall harass them into submission!

@ Jeanne: I can't help being young, I'm afraid, although I have been writing for publications for a while, long before I graduated, or even started, college. My 'while' is of course relative to your friend who has been working in the national press for 16 years. Good for her.

@ Becs: I think you're right. I'll get on to Vicar Street straight away!

Best band in the universe make an amazing MySpace blog post

OMGsies

I REALLY want to see this Party Weirdo tour documentary

Where can I see it?

UnaRocks video(s) of the day

Ryan Adams makes a bunch of surrealist satanic shorts. The crazy bastard.




then there's this rather nice one:


And more here

Reason 4,963 why Victoria Beckham should SHUT UP

On her husband's new billboards:

"I'm proud to see his penis 25 foot tall. It's great. It's huge. It's enormous. Massive. If I looked like that I'd walk down the street in my panties too."

previous reason

The Britney Economy

read more

Everything is stupid,

so it is

An ode to friends of UnaRocks no 4: Helen 'The Pout' Joycies

I first met Joycies when we were in college. There was many a time where we didn’t see eye to eye. Now, I wouldn’t have called us enemies, but I’m sure other people would have. Luckily, that changed. A year or so ago, we began to bump into each other pretty regularly. We had both changed somewhat, both for the better, and very soon, we struck up a friendship, buried hatchets and began to enjoy each other’s company. I always thought I went out more than most people, but Joycies consistently beat me hands down. Plus, she had the added non-bonus of having to be on TV every day. Nobody knew where she got the energy from. She rocked and wrecked it!

We became partners in crime, clubbing, pubbing and partying away with glee. Joycies introduced me to some brilliant people and we formed the kind of competitive friendship that two competitive people do, constantly trying to outdo each other’s madness and hilarity. We laughed. A lot. There are many people in this world who shake their heads in disbelief when you carry on like a crazy person, getting into scrapes in clubs and in love and like. Helen and myself high-fived – and even betted – on such scrapes. I think we appealed to our dark and mischievous sides.

Although I have calmed down a bit (and to a degree, so has Joycies), we still spent a lot of our time out cracking each other up with knowing glances, simultaneously trying to avoid and encourage drama.

Joycies left for Australia today. Last night, myself and Ragin’ dropped her at the DART, beeping the horn, while she yelled the MeNoFemBo mantra ‘SIT ON MY FACE’ on the quays. I’ll miss her, loads. But I’m so grateful for the fact that we copped ourselves on and became mates. There are too many memories to recall; our ridiculous behaviour at Garden Party, constant and insane drama at Kiss and beyond, wallowing in hangovers, dancing, dancing, dancing and laughing. I’ll miss her.


Ode #1: Jenna
Ode #2: Burco
Ode #3: Tadhg

Joycies' camera work post Spice Skating:

Blogs, tea, chicks, party - what's not to love

Sabrina has the skinny on the blogging ladies tea party.

Needless to say, I am so there.

Ham Sandwich release moosick, hit the road

The collective genius of Ham Sandwich hit el roado over the next short while ahead of the release of their debut album 'Carry The Meek'.

Their new single 'Keepsake' will be released (download only) on January 25th.

In the meantime, you can buy tickets to these gigs:



31 Jan
Barfly, London

23 Feb
Whelan's Dublin
1st March
Spirit Store, Dundalk

6th March
Crawdaddy, Dublin
(as part of Murphy's Live)

7 March
Roisin Dubh, Galway

13th March
Cyprus Avenue, Cork

14th March
McHugh's, Drogheda

15th March
The Stables, Mullingar

20th March
Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick

28 March
Electric Avenue, Waterford

unfortunate adspace :(

Tiger found this one

Relatives on Wikipedia

Inspired by Lucy's post about her granddad, I went looking for some of my relatives on Wikipedia.

I found one - my great, great uncle Tim Kelly.

Unfortunately, Tim doesn't have a nice or fluffy history.

As a member of 'The Invincibles', he murdered Lord Cavendish in the Phoenix Park, causing Parnell to offer his resignation from parliament (Gladstone turned him down) and delaying Home Rule by about 30 years. I always thought the Phoenix Park Murders were overlooked as an event in Irish history, because the double-killing had such a huge knock-on effect when you think about it.

Anyway, Tim was hanged in Kilmainham Jail in 1883, almost exactly 100 years before I was born. He was 19.

Looking at this picture of him I found online, he looks freakishly like my little cousin P.

Does anyone else have any Wiki-relatives?

Subversion #3

J-WolfRocks

UnaRocks articles of the day

Louboutin wins US trademark on red laquered soles - Agenda Inc.

How De Beers created the modern diamond industry - Atlantic Monthly (from 1982, fascinating)

Why Hillary's team can't stop making stupid mistakes - Slate

BRIT Award nominations - NME

Britain's £1 billion Olympics black hole - London Times

The return of Alanis Morissette - Wongie's Music World

Mona Lisa identified - Reuters

A-list musicians named in steroid report - CBS

Dozens spot UFO in Texas - Houston Chronicle

How New Yorkers cope with stress - New York Magazine

EMI fires everyone - The Guardian

On Kimya Dawson - Village Voice

Spacer

Want to go to Space? The click here.

Speaking of space:

a new era in the coverage of celebrities

TMZ introduces the live paparazzi stream.

TMZ has been at the forefront of celebrity stalking for sometime, popularising the 'video paparazzo' and beating the old-school US tabloid mags to endless exclusives (no matter how boring or trivial), but this is definitely a newbie.

Ryan = Kurt?

Hmm. Courtney Love has asked Ryan Gosling to play Kurt Cobain in the forthcoming movie, 'Heavier Than Heaven'.

She wants Scarlett Johansson to play her.

Haven't voted in the Irish Blog Awards yet?

then do so!. If you want, nominate this blog, although it would be useful if there were a category like 'Best Blog Where Blogger Makes Music-Related Post That Then Turns Into Crazy Discussion About Sex, Porn, Women With Non-Sexy Results', but there isn't. Crysies.

In other procrastination-heavy news, here are some...
*THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME TODAY*:
- Felt remarkably sick after hearing news report about bloke who got his hand chopped off in Finglas pub fight
- Given lecture by photocopier fixer bloke about avoiding paper jams (Not. My. Fault.)
- Stuck 'you will always be successful in your professional career' fortune cookie note on computer. Note fell off.
- Myself and Claire came up with/stole yet another idea that will transform us into millionaires by the end of the month. Bring on the diamonds.
- Laughed out loud at a joke I made in my head. Very sad.


Una
reading: 'England's Dreaming' - Jon Savage
listening to: 'Hold On Now, Youngster' - Los Campesinos
watching: videos of dogs doing stupid things on MySpace TV
eating: Montezuma's white chocolate turtles
drinking: water
wantsies: these

Book-N-Supp postponed (again)

crysies, but for practical reasons of people not being able to make it

UnaRocks video of the day

Dog saying 'I Love You'.

Irish Times & gay marriage

My mate Eloise has an article in the Irish Times today about the case for gay marriage. And LGBT Noise is asking people to vote in the Online Poll that follows up the article:

"Just a reminder to vote today for gay civil marriage in the Irish Times online poll
in the Head2Head section. Just follow this link.

Please do also leave comments with your views on the gay civil marriage debate - this is a great chance to make our point come across!

Results of the poll and come comments will be published in the Irish Times next Monday.

Happy Voting!

The Noise Team"