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Underground > Gathering >

London, November 8th

13:24 / 20.10.03

I'm going to London for the first time in what seems like ages on November the 8th to see Melt Banana.

Beyond the fact that "I HAVE A TICKET! I'M GONNA GO!" though, I've currently what no idea what I'm going to do before or afterwards..

I know Seth is gonna be in attendance also, so.. any ideas? thoughts? etc.

16:11 / 20.10.03

i'd be up for a beer b4hand if I'm free, it's been jolly well ages...

12:51 / 21.10.03

Great - sure thing. Anyone else about?

16:31 / 21.10.03

Me and Seth'll be there, BUT I believe we're last-train-homeing it.

12:24 / 23.10.03

No problem - I imagine I'll be doing the same in some form or other..

12:26 / 23.10.03

I seem to remember gigs at the Mean Fiddler end at 10pm or something equally stupid, thus avoiding possible miss-the-band-to-catch-the-train situations..

05:39 / 27.10.03

I ran this past a few people over the weekend, and it seems people are quite up for a meet-up in the afternoon. I can't afford to crash over, so I'll prolly head straight back after the gig.

20:57 / 30.10.03

Fuck me the fuck sideways. I've just listened to half an hour of Melt Banana live at the Concorde II, on John Peel.

If you're not coming to this gig you're a fucking prick pariah who deserves nothing but hatred and misery and pain until you die puking screaming and bleeding.

12:35 / 03.11.03

So, we gonna arrange a meet-up for the eighth?

Anyone know decent directions to the Fiddler? Which is the nearest tube?

14:12 / 04.11.03

yash, someone arrange a meeting point and someone tell me what sort of musik these critters play. Would I like 'em?

16:45 / 04.11.03

They're the best hardcore band on the planet. Imagine Atari Teenage Riot only faster and more hectic and with tons more ideas, played by an unbelievably talented live band. Guitars are a cross between Tom Morello and Reeves Gabrels, drums Stewart Copeland gone even more apeshit, bass Dan from Skindred, Pikachu on vocals. That description doesn't even come close, either.

Scratch that. Possibly the best band on the planet, period.

17:20 / 04.11.03

try: headfuckunpredictablejapaneseavantgardehardcor enoisementalismliketheentirehistoryofamplified musiccompressedinto8seconds,atomisedandrandom lyreassembled..

and so on. Basically I think they sound like rock music from some hyperevolved intergalactic future civilization where everybody thinks at ten times the speed that humans do. Without question one of the most extraordinary bands ever to exist on our planet, anyway.

The Mean Fiddler is next to the Astoria, which is... as usual I know how to get there on foot but am utterly at a loss as to how to translate it into words..

try: it's on the street that's opposite the big centrepoint thingy.. not directly opposite the front of it you understand, but, er; assume you're walking out of the front entrance of the centrepoint thingy, ok? Turn left, cross the big road and you're on the corner of the street what it is on, just walk down a bit.

Giving directions isn't exactly my strong point.

Tottenham Court Road tube anyway.

I don't think I know of any nice drinking places nearby, but as I still know fuck all about London geography, that proabably means there are loads.

I'll hopefully be arriving sometime during the afternoon and meeting up with a friend of mine who's also going anyway..

What a confused post.

17:29 / 04.11.03

Moderator, moderate thyself.

You know, I have no idea where that is, and I've been to the Astoria loads.

The Plough is pretty near there, on Museum Street (walk towards Holborn from TCR). Is it busy Saturday daytime? I quite fancy the girl behind the bar...

Lilly Nowhere Late

06:54 / 05.11.03

Just a side issue: November 8th there is a full lunar eclispse around
midnight or just after. I know of a bit of malarkey and witchiness going on
at Alexander Palace grounds to celebrate this lunar event. Perhaps it might
make for a bit of fun after your gig?

14:21 / 05.11.03

Melt Banana followed by "malarky and witchiness" sounds awesome.. but sadly I don't think I'll be able to stay the night, so I've got a bus to catch..

17:28 / 05.11.03

OK.

Meet at three at the Plough.

Any objections duly noted.

Regrettable Juvenilia

20:26 / 05.11.03

If I show up at the pub do you promise not to burn me at the stake because I can't make the gig? How about if I tell you that despite not having been into the band before now, youse guys' fervour would easily have persuaded me to buy a ticket had I been able to make it?

05:10 / 06.11.03

That's fine, Fly. It'll be good to see you. Lots of news in sethworld.

14:17 / 06.11.03

Just to say that I am having a little gathering-ette on Saturday. If people want to come along after the gig/magickicity, it's in Kilburn NW6. PM me, if you fancy it. Many sofas available.

Tryphena Absent

14:59 / 06.11.03

I want to go to Alexandra Palace and worship the moon! Who's with me? No one... no one... darnit.

16:41 / 06.11.03

Thanks for the offer, Lilith, and I'm sorry I didn't respond to your PM the first time you mentioned it. I'm gonna give it a miss due to general haywiredness. Cheers, though.

04:48 / 07.11.03

OK. I'll be in the Plough at three. I may not be ale to check theboard between now and then, so I'll just let you guys know that Illmatic, Pin and Flyboy all have my number in case plans change.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:16 / 07.11.03

Damn. For a moment last night, it looked like I might be able to get a couple more nights off work. But it all went arse-shaped. Have tons of fun, and I'll definitely hook up with you next time.

12:41 / 07.11.03

Call in sick, dude. Where are your priorities?

11:29 / 08.11.03

yes, really Stoatie, this is just too much.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:18 / 09.11.03

Ahh, ye buggers. How was it? How was the gig? How was the meet? How bad are your hangovers?

Sorry... if I'd phoned in sick, the people who would have had to take up the slack would have totally resented me for it. And they're my friends. (I think that's why I got put in charge of them, to be honest... so I can't take the piss.) No, instead I had to spend the whole night reading newspapers talking around stuff they're not allowed to talk ABOUT.

09:47 / 09.11.03

I ache. All the fuck over. I wretched so hard, FROM TRAPPED WIND, that I swear to God the inner workings of my left ear came out. I'm still deaf.

It rocked so fucking hard.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:38 / 09.11.03

And I missed THAT?

Oh Lord please fuck my mind for good.

11:01 / 09.11.03

sorry to hear that, pin.

i had a lovely night, despite being a tad ill and despite the fact that rather a lot of us were down about one thing or another.

08:47 / 10.11.03

I'm certain you would have enjoyed the gig massively Stoatie.

(How come every single time I enter the Mean Fiddler, it looks like a set from a Gregg Araki movie and there's a Digi. Hardcore industrial type band playing? I bet that would still be the case even if I went to see Belle & Sebastian there..)

I'm also now certain that Melt Banana are the greatest band in our dimension. They are sooo far ahead of the game it's just crazy. I mean, I quite liked all the support bands, but putting them up against Melt Banana was like putting cavemen up against giant 5-dimensional shapechanging robots..)

I had a lovely, crazy day & night anyway - my thanks to everyone who contributed to it.

13:07 / 15.11.03

It was extraordinary. It feels like a lifetime has passed since the gig. I had one of the best days of my life.

Melt Banana are fast on the way to becoming legendary. That gig was history in the making. Words can't describe how far they are ahead of the game, as Rizla very rightly says.

It's just unfair to all the other bands.