Buck 65 at the 100 Club: The chirpiest heartbreak you ever did see

I'll keep this short and sweet as Buck 65's place as ShadowPlay's All Time Favourite Artist is well documented and firmly assured*. A surprisingly chipper Richard Terfry was on fine form at London's historic 100 Club this week.  

A short chat at the merch stand prior to the gig confirms he remains the affable, charming and funny soul we've come to know and love over the last two decades (well, one in my case. It was heartwarming to find he remembered my favourite ever interview at the Rescue Rooms, Nottingham with him in 2004). On seeing Buck at The Garage in Islington last year I wondered whether his forthcoming album would be his Blood on the Tracks, documenting, as it does, his break up with his wife. 

Terfry had come back from tour to find a note saying 'don't forget to feed the cat' and his wedding ring. And indeed the record, Neverlove is a cathartic effort ('That's the Way Love Dies' and  'Love Will Fuck You Up' are standouts) but still with Buck's inimitable perky style ingrained within it. It combines his usual hip-hop/folk style with his popiest edge yet and, in all but a couple of cases, is complemented well by a series of female vocalists. What's more, it's his best outing since 2003's celebrated Talkin' Honky Blues, mixing clever wordplay, some well worked duets and effortless changes in tone. 

Before the set, he tells me he's had to talk a lot about his split from his wife in conducting media interviews for the new album. It's been like a psychoanalysis session, he explains. Indeed, he sought help for panic attacks experienced after his divorce. 

But his 100 Club performance displays little of this torture. Dressed in a sharp suit, Buck is his usual playful self, making quips about laundry and culminating his set with a dance suggesting there's an explosion in his crotch while singing about having cake and sex on his birthday. There's snatches of crowd favourites including Indestructible Sam and Roses and Bluejays and ultimate classics including Centaur and Wicked and Weird are given full run outs. He largely steers clear of the more mournful songs from the album and uses his duets with Tiger Rosa to muck about and encourage her to spank him with her belt. He drifts off to remind us he's a great scratch DJ then nips back to the mic to tell a funny story about a girl downing a glass of milk. 

Buck 65, whether in his guise as a radio host or simply as Richard Terfry, a man who has been through a lot, remains one of the most talented musicians on the planet. With his latest offering, he's also reminded us he remains one of the most musically relevant. 

*Oh ok, yes I failed to keep it short and sweet.

Column: The greatest musical transport stunts of all time

Few things are more enjoyable than trying to fit lots of colourful events into just 150 words, luckily this was what the Independent tasked me to do, with the below result:

Aphex Twin’s return after 13 years caused a buzz loud enough for Richard D James himself to sample. Not just because of the album Syro's musical content, but its marketing tactics. James floated a blimp featuring his logo over London and on a New York sidewalk. 

He joined an illustrious musical crowd in harnessing transport to exhilarate the masses. Pink Floyd flew a pig over Battersea Power Station in 2011 to emulate the cover of Animals (an original attempt in 1976 flew away) while Sony sailed a 10-metre-high Michael Jackson statue down the Thames in 1995. 

The Sex Pistols also took to the capital’s waterway to heighten the buzz around “God Save the Queen” in the Silver Jubilee summer, and their entourage were promptly arrested. Worth thinking carefully before that Hammond organ unicycle stunt, then.

Have I missed one? Please comment below or tweet me @alexshadowplay to let me know.

The column as it originally appeared in The Independent's Saturday magazine

Video: How fanzines are thriving in a digital age

The thriving zine scene typified by new zines and more zine fairs has surprised even the most ardent zinesters in an internet age dominated by blogging and social media. Having previewed the event for The Independent here, I popped down to the DIY Cultures fair at the Rich Mix, Bethnal Green to chat to some of the ace fanzine makers in attendance for the capital's TV channel, London Live.

Record Store Day 2014: London in photos

Record Store Day is a slightly different beast in the capital. There's plenty of queues, exclusive releases and in-store gigs but Soho provides an interesting, um, spin on the day. The streets were closed off on Berwick Street and Broadwick Street, the soundsystems and stages were out and there was even a smattering of sunshine.

Record Store Day has caused some controversy with over-worked pressing plants and fans who miss out on exclusives irritated by the constraints of the day. Personally, there were plenty of releases I would've loved to get my hands on but am happy to enjoy seeing my favourite shops rammed full of customers, wander round with a beer and nip in another day on one of my regular trips. I've written more on the subject for The Independent here. Here's a few pics, there's plenty more on Twitter here.

Could tapes follow vinyl and make a comeback after Cassette Store Day?

If the crunch of a TDK FE90 gets your hair standing on end then the first International Cassette Store Day was a treat. The celebration of the magnetic reel in plastic casing followed swiftly on the heels of the large-scale Record Store Day celebrations in April across the globe. 

Tape day is an event on a much smaller scale, not least as most consigned their tape decks to the attic in the early 2000s, but contains much of the same spirit. The desire to support independent music and look a little different and cool at the same time has driven the creation of both days while guilt over the torrent of free music enjoyed by fans is possibly also a factor.

There are a handful of great events worldwide. A plethora of great shops across the country - from Pie & Vinyl in Southsea to The Music Exchange in Nottingham sold exclusive tapes from the likes of Los Campesinos! and Bonnie Prince Billy. Labels including 4AD, Transgressive and Wichita re-released classics from the likes of At the Drive-In and Deerhunter on tape which were sold across Europe, North America and the UK. In Brooklyn, US there's a tape fair while Tokyo hosted live music.

In London, Rough Trade East and West sold the tapes and the former hosted a couple of live bands. A cluster of tape fanatics quickly surrounded the limited wares on the shop's counter as soon as they went on sale and pawed over their carefully put together casing and beautiful artwork. 

Personally, I love the format. As described in Tom Bonnett's beautifully put together interview with me earlier in the week, tapes offer an honest and enticing way to release music. Homemade tapes - which, it appears, did not kill music - can be used to convey everything from romance to pure serendipitous sharing of music while artists' releases can soundtrack a car journey perfectly on tape. At the day, I picked up a couple of crackers - an exclusive mixtape by Jeremiah Jae and Teebs and a special Lex release of JJ Doom's Key to the Kuffs which sees MF Doom team up with the likes of Thom Yorke and Beck. Glorious.

The resurgence of vinyl over the last decade has been driven by a number of factors including more people DJing at home, a desire for a product worth paying for in a digital music world and the popularity of 7"s for indie bands. For tapes too, the use of them as something different to offer fans by cultish bands has become increasingly commonplace and has sparked a mini revival. 

However, with many tape decks on the scrap heap, their traditional home of the car glove box now dominated by a Sat-Nav and the fact even staunch musos can't say the quality is better on tape will make this a much harder battle. For now, let's be happy that the nerdy part of our desire for music to feel authentic is appeased by this celebration of a much love format. 

Notting Hill Carnival 2013 in photos

The annual explosion of colour that is Notting Hill Carnival was no less spectacular this year as collections of London's diverse communities poured onto the streets in their usual haphazard fashion. As a local resident of a few years, I'm always proud to have such an event on my doorstep. 

It pains me to hear snooty neighbours and those who've never been complain about the noise and rubbish when the nub of two day festival is celebration. Here's a few snaps, some from Sunday's sound systems, notably the fantastic Channel One, and some extraordinary scenes from today's floats. If you missed it this year, there's always next year… 

For some slightly more professional and quality shots, there's a great London 24 gallery here.

Review: The Summer Exhibition, The Royal Academy

A visit to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, Piccadilly Circus is always a conflicting experience. On the one hand there's the overly earnest art aficionados thumbing through the price guide as if it were their cheque book and making banal observations, on the other there is the sheer joy of seeing the everyman artistry on display.

While I'm sure there's plenty of back slapping, favouritism and nepotism in the selection of the pieces which go on display at the annual exhibition, there's plenty of raw talent too. Wandering the halls of one of London's most grandiose galleries you get to see Tate Moss' painting of a desolate abandoned building alongside another depicting a building as a crazy golf course and a snakes and ladders board with film directors on. 

Elsewhere among the 1,200 works there's Ron Arad's sculpture of a Fiat 500 and a fantastic photo of a bloke sat on a bench in St James's Park alongside one of its famous pelicans. Easily the most astonishing work was Grayson Perry's modern tapestries - a room featuring six large tapestries depicting the downfall iPhone wielding technology magnate Rakefield which is startling in how vivid it is in traditionally a dour medium. 

The 245th Summer Exhibition offers an eclecticism rarely seen anywhere in the country bringing together vastly disparate mediums. An old girlfriend of mine often toyed with the idea of entering and I hope she eventually did because there's such a breadth of work here that no one can fail to be inspired.

Snapshot: Yorkshire acid house DJ Blawan

Who are ya? 

Yorkshire acid house specialist Blawan, aka Jamie Roberts, has caused a stir since arriving in style three years ago with a clutch of percussive, cold acid house tracks. Ultra-cool techno label Hessle picked up his 'Fram/Iddy' tune last year and his career has snowballed since. Inspired by Ben UFO DJing on Rinse FM, Roberts escaped the post university malaise to DJ around the world. Born in Thurnscoe he began his musical life drumming in post-punk bands. Now firmly based in the capital, he sports a true East London look complete with oversized caps and natty facial hair. 

What does he sound like?

Roberts cites The XX and Moderat producer Untold and Hessle label mate Pangae among his influences and their penchants for slower, building groovers is clearly evident in Blawan's style. After escaping early flirtings with more synthetic sounds, Roberts has used his drumming abilities to fine effect and has gained a ferocious live reputation for stinking sets packed with intense bass and carefully nuanced drops. 

What's he done? 

Since the release of Fram in 2010, he has strung together a collection of hits on a plethora of trendy labels including Belgian techno label R&S, Hessle and Hinge Finger. His Bohla EP was snapped up by London's DJs while Getting Me Down, which features an exhilarating R&B diva sample, was named Resident Advisor's best single of 2011. He has scooped a number of prestigious sets including Manchester's Warehouse Project and collaborated with fellow hardware specialists The Analogue Cops and Pariah. 

What are people saying? 

"Perhaps the highlight so far of the UK underground’s recent fascination with acid house, you wouldn’t need to be told that to figure it out from his tunes. Built from rambunctious, elastic rhythm tracks that whip, snap, and crash in all directions, they always land in a wonderfully satisfying thud even if not always in the exact place you’d expect pretty much sums it up." - Fact Magazine

What does he look like on the wheels of steel?

Canalival 2013: London at its best and worst

Semi-spontaneous fun is what London does best. We like to know the nearest tube stop, the last bus home and how far it is some Red Stripe and that's about it. 

Canalival 2013

As such, yesterday's Canalival was perfectly imperfect. Planned for months with a clear starting point and DJs scheduled for the event, the follow up to last year's Jubilee celebrations, was cancelled on its eve. What had been a few mates celebrating Queen Liz's honours by getting into Regent's Canal on dinghies became an event which had thousands scheduled to attend on Facebook and major coverage on Time Out. Understandably the police declined to grant the crucial licence which would have allowed the insurance company to back the event.

But the frenzy of excitement the event - a great concept - had brought about was too much to deter potential attendees, myself included. 

As such, I poled down to the canal, skirted a lock and was helped in by our 'Canal Angel' - a woman in a denim jacket with loads of lippie and a megaphone who can only have been one of the organisers. Learning how to stop going in circles with shipmate Claire, stopping to chat to other 'canalies' and comparing our cheap Argos 'Debut' dinghies, the event was lively under the grey clouds and intermittent sunshine of East London.

Highlights included scraping under bridges, trying not to get pulled into bushes, cadging a lift on passing narrow boats, a bloke swimming backwards down the canal using a reverse butterfly stroke off his dinghy and a number of convivial booze swapping moments. The combination of bobbing about, some great music and sights like rafts made of water coolers and the floating island with real sand were fantastic. Not to mention to lone bloke stood upright on his dinghy looking out into the middle distance wearing a poncho. 

But there had to be a downside and the troop of trendy East London types shoving other boats out of the way, pissing on people's property, climbing on moored boats and abandoning dinghies and their packaging felt inevitable. Clearly with the crowd funded monies and community support, the organisers would've been able to clear up after the event swiftly and limit damage to the locale. However, that was no longer available despite the organisers admirably taking responsibility and taking part in the clean up. In the end loads of dinghies got wedged near a lock and someone even let of a flair which, as they always do, made things look a bit nasty. 

There has been a lot of understandable but righteous indignation from locals on social media about the impact and the mess today, but there were also plenty of locals and kids waving to us from the side and enjoying the action too. 

Inspired: A floating island

Clearly the belligerence of hipsters out for themselves and to look good on Instagram knows no bounds, not least if you look at Field Day and its impact on the area around Victoria Park. However, for the rest of us the opportunity to enjoy a nice stretch of the canal and share it with those who live on it year round doesn't seem too much to ask. Too often large groups of young people are vilified for having fun in a city awash with rules. As a Notting Hill resident, one of the best features of living here is the Carnival each August and embracing unexpected fun in the locale is something those living in London, with of its weird quirks and flash mobs need to deal with. 

Social media spurred the clean up today and I don't see any huge reason why the event shouldn't happen again, albeit a difficult one to cope with the huge numbers and demand (several people offered to buy our boat). Long live Canalival and all those who sail upon her.

In video: Canalival 2013

Record Store Day 2013: Partying and parting with dosh

Sounds of the Universe enjoys a healthy crowd

The importance of record store day in reviving people's interests in buying physical records cannot be underestimated. As someone who loves buying old and new records, CDs, music magazines and fanzines, having physical stores in which to snaffle the latest Ninja Tune delight or discover a new recommendation is vital.

But it's also not a day for the preachy, everyone knows records are great and some of us know it's more important to spend your wages on them than, say, food or bills. Yesterday's sixth annual Record Store Day was as vintage as they come as attendees basked in the spring sunshine across the country.

Personally, I had a nip down to Rough Trade West only to find a gigantic queue back to Portobello Road as shoppers thronged to get hold of exclusives only stocked on that day. Then it was over to Soho where Foyles were also celebrating and Broadwick Street and Berwick Street had been closed and a large stage erected on the latter. As far as shopping went, I plundered Sounds of the Universe - one of my favourite shop's in the world - and emerged with some great stuff including Martyn's Ghost People (Brainfeeder) which is proving a pulsating banger of an album. 

What struck me was how the serene art of shuffling round record shops had become essentially a mini-festival (complete with outdoor boozing, stewards and nips into pubs for the loo) with various stages and people looking ridiculously trendy. The main stage outside one-time ShadowPlay stockist Sister Ray ploughed the indie rock furrow and Black Market Records on D'Arbley Street hosted some great house and dubstep. 

The biggest cheer of the day came when a bloke in a Bentley attempted to get through the crowds looking exasperated, was roundly booed before a Majestic Wine van stacked with booze is cheered by a crowd feeling quite anti-establishment having tininess in the street. Sounds of the Universe was its usual eclectic self with plenty of Soul Jazz Records delights with speakers outside, finishing with a storming set from Neil Birnie who's SunCut show on NTS is worth a listen. 

One gripe was that it would have been good to have the set times for the bands easily accessible online - given the length of the event - and I also missed the Last Shop Standing author Graham Jones' Q&A for the same reason which was gutting. It would've also been good to have some of the independent labels taking stalls - as has been the case in previous events - down Berwick Street but maybe that would've undermined the shops. But it's hard to criticise a free, fun event.

Ultimately records will always remain close to my heart as they allow you to have a physical relationship with music which can genuinely change your life. Moreover, with a terrible memory like mine, a physical reminder to listen to something is vital. 

I don't believe every town, or even every city, will have a record shop - independent or otherwise - in the future and I hate that fact. Record stores are not charities, and many of those who work in them are rather grumpy, but they do need support to allow great labels and great artists to have an interesting and enjoyable avenue in which to be discovered. A record store's for life, not just for record store day.

Homeboy Sandman live at Cargo, London

Appearing both fierce and charming simultaneously is a fine art few can achieve. But Homeboy Sandman, aka 32-year-old rapper Angel Del Villar II from Queens, New York, strikes this balance with the the aplomb of someone who, to be fair, probably had to hone those skills defending his rather posh name at school.

Homeboy Sandman at Cargo, London

The law school dropout is in fine form as he hits the stage at Cargo with a performance befitting this often ideal venue. Despite drinks prices that would make Richard Branson check his change, Cargo has carved a strong reputation for supporting both mainstream and left field hip-hop and its stylish sweatbox vibe works well for gigs like this. 

After a decent set by Wolverhampton hip-hop troop Paper Tiger, who have some decent hooks but perhaps try to do too much with too many instruments competing in their half hour set, Sandman takes the stage. From the off, he's a man on a mission to inject further life and a smile into a crowd more than happy to oblige.

Kicking-off with his irresistibly catchy landmark The Carpenter tune he shows he's here both to exult in the breadth of his range and lap up the praise of an adoring audience. His brand of hip-hop stretches from harsh lyrics churned across the top of a soulful underbelly to acapella treats as the thoughtful rapper unravels his thoughts. He has plenty of the ferocious character of his New York hip-hop forefathers but this is underscored by some intelligent themes which have won him a regular column on The Huffington Post's site. He is also able to draw on an interesting past which included stints as a teacher and a barman at the Lennox Lounge in Harlem where Shaft used to drink and from his father, a boxer from the Dominican Republic.

All almost seven foot of Homeboy Sandman command each tune as he stalks the stage in London, spitting each tune like the words just came to him. He spins personal mantra Whatchu Want From Me? into an audience-participating mantra which anyone passing by on Shoreditch High Street might have mistaken for a shady rally kicking off down one of its back streets. 

Perhaps the most enthralling moments come between tracks when he stops to make an observation or a daft joke although he often stops himself short of their conclusion in faux-embarassment despite them beginning interesting tales. 

Homeboy Sandman is not a new whippersnapper to the scene - last year he released his fourth album on the spectacularly consistent Stones Throw label - but his profile could and should be a lot higher with the tunes, guile and wit in his armoury. With performances like this, that could soon change.

Video: Homeboy Sandman pontificates on milk in the UK

Buck 65 talks horny blues

Buck 65 is horny. In fact Nova Scotian hip-hop's most prestigious export is practically a walking copy of Nuts with carefully crafted tunes in place of some bird from Big Brother's tits. 

Canadian rapper, storyteller and gentle comedian Richard Terfry's appearance on stage at The Garage in Islington is a welcome sight after a number of years of intermittent appearances in the UK. For the uninitiated, Buck is a storyteller who has associations with Anticon records and has spent two decades creating some of the most interesting, innovative and genre-defining hip-hop of his generation. He's also a rather funny, charming fella. 

Buck structures his set like a reverse romcom, beginning by telling of his long distance relationship with his wife-to-be, then their move to Paris together before exhaling heavily and saying the last year and a half has been difficult as he got divorced. This story translates into a scintillating set featuring a duo with support act Laura J Martin playing his wife [see video] before Buck performs a tune which repeatedly states "I wish we could start again". It's a painful and surprisingly stark moment for an artist who often morphs into different characters and is surprisingly chipper. "You don't know how hard it was to perform that," he breathes at the end of the song.

But he's got the Pot Noodle horn, apparently, so his midset is dominated by the theme of heavy penetration and fledgling encounters. He bookends his classic tribute to an oversized lover - Centaur - with a rap made form the titles of spam emails about sperm and a poem-cum-rap about his overly amorous chat up lines. He attempts to give off the air of an awkward first timer attempting to find his way, in fact a more eloquent wordsmith able to handle himself in any situation you'll rarely find.

But the gig is not just Buck's catharsis. He plays Superstars Don't Love from latest album 20 Odd Years as well as previewing material from his forthcoming record expected next April. He also cranks out classics including 463 and Wicked and Weird from Talkin Honky Blues which being back many memories including rapping the entirety of the latter on the motorway with my friend Daniel, fucking up my A Level English exams after going to a Buck gig the night before and interview Mr Tefry at the Rescue Rooms in Anton's office. 

He also cranks out a slightly bizarre 'Friday night' dance tune which may or may not appear on the new record which is quite fun if a little odd. The set runs a little long and it would've been nice to see the beautiful steel guitar of a full band to enjoy his full range rather than just two turntables and a microphone. 

His last couple of records have been a little pedestrian by his very high standards but anyone who's even glanced at ShadowPlay ever will understand why his status as my personal favourite artist ever remains firmly assured. With the prospect of a new heartbreak album moving into view, there's a distinct possibility that this could be Buck's Blood on the Tracks-style defining moment. 


Buck 65, Laura J Martin - The Garage, 16/11/12

Adem shows corduroy brigade how to rock quietly in comeback gig

Review: Adem + Geese, King's Place, 19/10/12

The sight of Adem Ilhan's cheery smile beaming out from behind the microphone is one of the most endearing experiences a music nerd could hope for. His blend of lilting nu-folk, carefully constructed metaphors and heartbreaking tunes has been sorely missed in the four years since his last release under his own moniker, 2008's acoustic covers record Takes. 

He has been no slouch in the intervening years. He's worked with tonight's festival curators and Scottish folksters Lau, scored the music for In the Loop, Armando Iannucci's big screen version of acerbic political comedy The Thick of It and produced a number of artists including Beth Jeans Houghton. He has ditched his Homefires festival for now, telling us after the gig he found that he wasn't able to find new talent that didn't feel derivative. 

But the former Fridge bassist is arguably more talented than any of the partners he's collaborated with. His 2004 debut Homesongs on Domino Records showed the multi-instrumentalist's ability to create innovative pastoral pop songs which allowed his ever-wistful tones to come through in a quiet manner while 2006 follow-up Love and Other Planets featured some delicate nuggets which ensured the record did indeed feel stratospheric. 

"I've been away for a while…" Adem explains to the enraptured audience at King's Place, The Guardian's large central London offices which house concert venues, bars and even a computer or two on which to bash out witticisms and interviews with Alain de Botton. 

Doubtless coaxed back on to the centre stage by Lau who organised the week long Welcome to Lau-Land festival, Adem is surprisingly nervous and unlike the usual bounding figure who has popped up from beneath his home-painted organ at previous gigs. Backed by support act and long-term friends Geese - a trio of two violinists and a drummer who fail to offer much imagination in their slightly pretentious opening set - Adem admits to having only rehearsed a handful of times prior to the appearance. 

His set is pleasingly full of familiar favourites including a wondrous outings for Love and Other Planets and an achingly stark solo version of Spirals. There's plenty of material from Homesongs but those, including yours truly, hoping for a new studio album, may have to wait a while longer as there were few new tunes. However, perhaps the most remarkable moment of the evening came with new song, Snow in April. A carefully weaved combination of a collection of similes and low tempo folk made this a promising sign of things to come. Halfway through, Adem briefly forgets the words, smiles and then apologises at the end of the song, making you wonder whether there's a more genuinely pleasant British frontman in existence. 

Predictably, Lau take to the stage for an encore and advance with Adem into the audience for jubilant versions of Everything You Need and There Will Always Be with Lau's accordions and energy adding to a feeling Adem has made an understated yet magical comeback. If Adem is to record and tour extensively under his own name again there will be a cluster of very happy music fans waiting with arms open across the world. Let's keep our fingers crossed. 

Video: Adem and Lau: Everything You Need

Sharing the sporting burden

With just over two weeks to go, I decided to look at how diehard sports fans may find sharing the London 2012 Olympics with fair weather fans

There's a gentle thud from the hallway as a girl in her early 20s munches on some Coco Pops. She emerges from the lethargy which has defined her summer, her first back in her parents' little back bedroom since university, to pick up the post. Gasping, she rips open a letter with a garish pink logo on it - "Yesss!" she yelps. "I've got them!" It's the best moment of her year, she's been debited £144 for tickets she works out, scouring her painful credit card receipt, are for first round Greco Roman Wrestling at the Olympics. A passion is born.

Because this could be a glorious or a dreadful summer for British sports fanatics. Time and again, us long sufferers hear "oh, I only watch if England are playing" when asking about which football teams people support or "do they play tennis the rest of the year?". Yes, this has been the summer we've been forced to share.

We are slap bang in the middle of that beautiful period when the summer and winter sports collide - people listen out for football results at cricket matches, the tennis clashes with the Grand Prix and the athletics is in full swing. One year in every four, sport takes over a nation. Robbed of the combination in 2008 by England's failure to qualify for the Euros, the Beijing Olympics passed off, at slightly awkward times for European viewers, in modest style. 

So it was with some shock that sports fans have been thrown back into sharing dingy pubs with excited St George-painted types and 5live's 6-0-6 radio phone-in is further populated with broad brush, ill-considered views. 

The much vaunted lack of expectation on the Three Lions from the media translated to the fair weather fans bringing a new experience for diehards.

Instead of being the voice of cynicism every time a part-timer would say "that Darren Anderton could do a job for us long term" or "Henman can win the whole thing using serve and volley", we have to stick up for the overpaid egos which populate the national football team. As such, we hear ourselves saying "but he's had a great season at club level" every time Ashley Young fails to connect with a two yard pass or "I've seen Murray smile when he won the Cincinnati Masters", unable to extoll our usual brand of unflinching cynicism masking blind hope.

And we've been let down twice in very different ways. Against Italy in the Euros, we put out a pathetic, unambitious and embarrassing performance which was inept and dull to the merest onlooker, killing off another swathe of potential fans. The number of fans who cite Italia 90 as the point at which they got into football is unlikely to be seen again as the national side fall from all-action heroes to bedroom action baddies. 

And then there was Andy Murray. I've been following Murray since he astonishingly burst into the mainstream at Queen's in 2005 with a shocking permed haircut and an enthralling follow-up five set defeat to David Nalbandian at Wimbledon. Summer fans have seen his ups and downs at Wimbledon, semi-finals and agonising injuries, but they haven't seen the wins against Federer elsewhere on the ATP tour, the three other Grand Slam finals and the lighter side to the sullen Scot seen under pressure on the court. Without context, yesterday's final was a bolt from the blue and an expected failure when in reality Murray was in the game for long periods and lost out to Federer's key abilities: tenacity, court coverage and finesse. 

So with two opportunities down, we have one sporting event to go to win over the sporting doubters. Names that mean nothing to The Many right now: Mo Farrah, Dai Greene and Andy Baddley, have the chance to become the new Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis or Linford Christie. 

Because however much fanatics hate to share their prize loves, London 2012 might just be our opportunity not to sit ranting in the corner to no-one for a few weeks. 

Busking brilliance on Columbia Road

Perhaps the best thing about the perfectly imperfect artform we call music is its ability to occasionally catch you in exactly the right mood at the right time and place. Like a rogue dolphin chomping on a beach ball in front of a Butlins audience, an improbable surprise is more pleasing than the best laid plans. 

As such the incidental set of The Good Time Family offered up some tasty blues on a crisp, sunny afternoon on Columbia Road flower market. For anyone who hasn't been, it's one of those places that justifies the gigantic rent and crushed commute of living in our capital. 

The market is full of great indie shops and classic flower traders (quote: "these daffodils [yet to bloom] are as tight as a nun") creating a great atmosphere. The band themselves, busking by the churos stand, play a classic strand of blues standards - earnest yet lively, skillful yet slightly off kilter. 

There's banjos, slide guitar, spoons and even a strange incident I've never seen outside films about the deep south, essentially a tin bath upended with a thick string providing the bass. 

Set against the low sun and freezing temperatures, the music is warming and cheerful, like your nan entering the room with the secret Jammy Dodgers. I often sniff at the irritating, Beatles-playing buskers near the central line platform at Oxford Circus but sometimes it's just nice to act like a tourist and spare some change. 

The Lovely Eggs: Foul-mouthed fun

Got to love a good merch stand

Great to see a packed gig on a Monday night for the sweary indie pop magic of The Lovely Eggs. The northern pair were hosting "a right party" to celebrate the release of their new single Allergies and a free gig at the redone hipster hangout that is The Old Blue Last was very welcome. 
The band constantly play on their Lancastrian routes and, given I've only seen then play in London, it's probably possibly unfair to say they overdo it. 

What has seemed footing is the initially sterile London crowds melt in the face of their truncated, sweary punk pop everytime. 

The duo are tighter than Jesus' carpenters vice and their "what you would call two songs stuck together and what we would call a medley" about bowling alleys and reporting for The Lancaster Guardian is charming.

A buzzing, lively gig and just what the folded arms of London town this Monday needed to loosen up. 

As a treat, here's The Lovely Eggs' most perfect piece of pop...

Wilco at the Roundhouse, Camden

Great to see Wilco again last night, Jeff Tweedy on great form. Here's a clip from one of those people who wave their phones in the air.

For more info, check here

Drink, Shop and Fold

Fanzine Fun – Wednesday, 30th November

ShadowPlay is going to be hosting a fanzine evening at Drink, Shop & Do in Kings Cross, London. The café/bar is more kitsch than a vintage tablecloth and their Madonna clay modeling and origami nights have made it a staple in the diary.

This is evening is your chance to create a new SUPERFANTABULOUS COMPILATION ZINE which will take the global zine scene by storm. 

Come and discover the world of underground self-publishing by writing and drawing your own and reading the best zines we've collected from Grimsby to Gran Canaria. Glue, scissors, inspiration and typewriters will be provided and your efforts will be combined to create a brand new zine. 7-10pm, Free


Drink, Shop & Do is only a 2 minute walk from Kings Cross Station at 9 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX.
http://www.drinkshopdo.com

Come Get Felt Up: In Video Form

Wondering what this ShadowPlay hosted Come Get Felt Up Night night is all about? Get a taster here. It basically a monthly night at The Book Club in London where people craft to win prizes along to the sounds of great bands, good eh? More info at www.comegetfeltup.com

Listening in Tongues podcast: The human voice and the warmth of the machine

So I've pulled my finger out and got back in the studio to record a new podcast you can get hold of here. Trailing the latest Broken Yolk night at the Pangea Project, Tom Bonnett and Alex Lawson look at combinations of man and machine, looking at how they can complement each other and work together in a creative crunch of vocal chords and circuit boards. 
The likes of Jamie Lidell, Scott Walker, Four Tet, Mount Kimbie, Schneider TM and Raymond Scott join Yolkie stars Ryat, Segment and Mataniu to explore the theme and provide a backdrop for cheeky chat and bootlegging banter. 
More info on the night at: http://brokenyolk.net/  February 20th - Ryat, Mataniu and Segment. Free before 9pm, £4 after, Broken Yolk DJs spinning ‘til late. 
Pangea Project, 72 Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, London, N16 6XS
Download, subscribe or stream the podcast here: http://shadowplayboys.podbean.com/