off to London (RAR edition)

i'm typically late but spoinging my head off in anticipation of tonight's 30 year anniversary of Rock Against Racism, headlined by the full line-up of the Alabama 3 at Brixton Academy.

and then tomorrow night's launch of The Amador Foundation and MOJO benefit party with the Unplugged Flavor of the Alabama 3. this is sooo great cause as i said before, i always want more and this week, i'm having more in spades: 3 sightings, i mean 3 gigs by the band, two in full-lineup mode and one by the Acoustics.

well, in all truth, two full-line up Alabama 3 gigs and two – possibly three if the Acoustics play tonight – unplugged gigs. i'm so hoping Delta Slide Boy, otherwise known as Rock Freebase is in top form, as he's been throughout this last MOR Tour, especially on sunday night in Bristol. wait... what the hell am i on about? he's ALWAYS in top form (sorry for the lapse, Mark). :-)

I. AM. SOOOOO STOKED! i shall be meeting Euripidean this afternoon where we shall get verily wasted drunk and/or whatever and then meet the rest of the pill poppin' hollerin' deviants and the rest of the Brixton Posse at The Albert before the gig. and then on to Brixton Academy... SPOING!

MOR, MOR, MOAR!

yup, when it comes to Alabama 3, i'm always all MOAR PLZ but this week's gonna be totally excellent since on sunday night, the band playing Bristol was smoking and totally rocking at the afterparty. but wait, there's more:


once again, taken from the Official Site: ALABAMA 3 LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY: 'Academy Events & Militant Entertainment present Hope Not Hate 2008 marking the 30th anniversary of the Rock Against Racism carnival featuring Alabama 3, Misty in Roots, The Levellers, Tom Robinson and a special appearance by Tony Benn...'

and that's only tomorrow night. the next night, i shall be at the event described in post below, the 402 thingy for MOJO and Nick's death mask art. anyway, back to tomorrow night, i remember the first Rock Against Racism, held at Central Park NYC. my friends and i had a totally fabaroo time and it was a pleasure to see the many multi-cultured, all color faces in attendance there, all united by that most excellent connector, Rock & Roll.

when checking the thread, i almost shit cause as Martin posted: 'Doors open 19.00; 19.20 – 19.40 The Thirst; 20.00 – 20.45 The Levellers; 21.05 – 21.50 Misty in Roots; 22.10 Alabama 3 (23.00 Curfew)'.

Guilty: 'Bollocks, I've been looking forward to this for ages and that's all I get? Gutted...' as well as his next comment: 'I think this information has just ruined my weekend...'

dude, i'm totally with you cause as usual, i want more. bah... then i said '2 things: a) do we get to throw shit at the Levellers cos their fans threw a full can of beer at Nick? and hit him? (please someone gimme permission to do this).

'b) curfew? CURFEW? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' CURFEW! i, for one, shall refuse to leave until OUR band finishes as they see fit'.

Mr O replied: 'I'm glad you mentioned this, SG, cus i was sure i seen a pint of a can get thrown at Nick but he just seemed to laugh it off and i was quite surprised at this....'

from what i heard from a reliable source, Larry and Nick were totally pissed off at this moronacy but since the beer was thrown as they were leaving the stage, there was really nothing they could do about it. Mr O again: 'I asked some folks after "did someone really chuck a drink at Nick?" and no one really knew.

'But i don't think Bamma fans should stoop to the same low level of whoever threw the drink at Nick (yes, it might have been a Levs fan but it could have also been a Dreadz fan or remotely possible that it was a Bamma fan).

question for Mr O: dude, how can one stoop to any low level if one (namely me) is already down there? nb: i totally don't expect an answer.

but Mr O, a Bamma fan? gimme a fuckin' break: 'The Levs don't deserve drinks to be thrown at 'em the same as Nick didn't. Shame someone didn't point the beer chucker out to Nick after the gig...'

oh yes, a damn shame. i, for one, would've loved this to happen and then witness the aftermath of above stoopidity: the wrath of Larry and Nick! sweeet!


see y'all tomorrow, dudes. Euripidean and i shall be staying at our usual hotel and then meeting up with y'all over at The Albert.


actually it's a wonder that i wanted more and this week alone, totally goddit.

decisions, decisions...

stoled from the Official Site of the Alabama 3. heeeere's Larry. :-)


portraits by Jan Enkelmann, from an exhibition to begin thursday 1 may at Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton Oval. where do my fucked decisions come from? it's that or attend the Opening Party for 402 Exhibition, a MOJO benefit, again on thursday 1. may from 20,30 to midnight.

knowing me, i've got a very strong feeling i'll be at the 402/MOJO benefit, not cause i don't wanna see Enkelmann's photos but cause i wanna be at The Launch of Amador Foundation and MOJO benefit party with Linda Amador, Anarchistwood, Jerry Conlan, Paddy Hill, Howard Marks and Bruce Reynolds, dad of Harpo Strangelove, i mean, Nick Reynolds, way fabaroo harp player of Alabama 3 Acoustic who shall be playing at the benefit.

from the wiki above, here's a bit about Nick's father Bruce Reynolds: '...the brains behind the 'Great train robbery' in 1963 in which a gang robbed £2.6 million. He was a career criminal who liked the high life and drove an Aston Martin. An accomplished housebreaker and jewel thief, he formed the team that "took the train" with friends Buster Edwards, Gordon Goody and driver Roy James amongst others.

'The robbery remained the most significant heist in British criminal history until the Brinks Mat robbery in 1983 ... Reynolds went on the run in the aftermath of the Great Train robbery, living under various aliases abroad. He spent considerable time in South America before returning to Britain, where he was tried and sentenced to ten years.

'Since his release in 1979, he has enjoyed a moderately high profile as a media "former criminal" celebrity and his autobiography "The Autobiography of a Thief" was generally well received ... Reynold's son, Nick, is a member of the British group, Alabama 3. The group recorded a tribute to Bruce Reynolds, "Have You Seen Bruce Richard Reynolds" on which he appears, on their 2005 album, Outlaw...'


back to 402 and the Launch of the Amador Foundation plus lifted from the official site again: '...In August 2007, a group of London artists went on a journey to Huntsville, Texas, to bear witness and capture on film the events surrounding John Joe "Ash" Amador's execution and the making of his death mask. You can read more about how Nick Reynolds (aka Harpo Strangelove from Alabama 3 Acoustic) became involved in the project in this news article: "RETURN OF THE DEATH MASK"...'

here's Nick's death mask of John Joe "Ash" Amador. Ash's quote is totally excellent: 'I feel like I'm worth somebody. I feel like I'm not trash. A death mask! Don't they do that for kings?'

RIP Ash and thank you Nick & Company for bringing this horror to light and immortalising John Joe Amador forever.

Alabama 3 last night in Bristol

05,30: if anyone thinks i remember shit about the gig and afterparty apart from the band were in top form, they're insane. right now, i just got done watching Barfly which Dave and EL so nicely brought me as i'm too poor to spend 80£ at amazon.uk even though last time i checked it was like 30£ i think – i mean that's nearly 60 bucks in real money – outfuckin' rageous.

we had Mississippi Outlaw over from the States but he just rang and said his flight was diverted and he'll be in England till tomorrow AM. Chris and lazybones are still sleeping in the LR here and Electric Landlady and Dave took off from the afterparty, before Larry, Freebase and i forget who else actually played. they did a version of WUTM which i thought was the absolutely best version EVER.

about the rumor i heard: Rob didn't have a broken nose as the Manc Slagheap told me (LOL, liiiiiii-ar!) and neither did he have 'a black eye' as Electric Landlady said. he had two blackeyes, lovely not. try as i could, i couldn't upload the larger version i made so please click here for essential detail of this next.


BTW, the Stetson Larry has on/had on for their entire performance at the afterparty was borrowed from Chris. *preens in a sublimating fashion* and more about the Stetson and what happened to Chris and me later on, when i have the strength to actually describe the horror.

after he took off, i noticed he'd accidentally left his much-loved Stetson here so i txtd him. his reply? 'Not gonna ever need it again, cause wednesday night's gig Hope Not Hate will be the last Alabama 3 gig i'll ever be at'.

so this personal note to Delta Slide dude. i'm so sorry to have to tell you that you, Mark, have been duly promoted as my bestest friend here anymore, not literally, cause i have loads of friends but not the kind i confide everything to: was you and Chris but without Chris, i'm sad to say, i'll be asking your advice on stuff i previously asked Chris.

OK, Mark, apart from the freebies and M.O.R demos you so generously gave me/us in the past (trusting us not to spread the music), apart from you actually coming over to visit a number of times especially that one night in january (spending six damn hours on what should've been at most a 90 min. train ride from Paddington)... wait: i'm tawkin' about that night i was really down and you actually showed up and as always, your presence and words cheered me up muchly. apart from being flattered beyond beyond that once you heard how suicidally depressed i was, you actually made it over here. but i would expect nothing less from one i consider my now one closest friend.

back to yesterday it began when Freebase arrived here and Chris made us fajitas for lunch. i didn't have much of an appetite (blame it on teh drugs) so i just watched them pigging out. teeny cameraphone pic from a bit after Mark first got here:


but like before, please click here f0r the way handsome details. here's Mark like a minute later (yup, click again for larger details).


but that's not important – what i wanna know is how come this grade-A coke and ecstasy i'd been given all night long is no longer giving me the energy i expected from prior times. i mean, WTF? it's not like i do it that much anymore.

back to the Alabama 3, they were totally smoking. and once again i got to dance with Rob at the afterparty, 2nd time since september (twice in almost 8 years!). i actually was so ripped, it must've shown on my face cause he went 'Rimone, what's on your mind?' so i just blurted out that i wished he'd dance like the way he was doing with me but onstage instead of doing the *whispers* Forrest Gump (as i call it). he laughed. i beamed. :-)

quickly now, cause i just wanna lie down and never wake up again, here's some pics. what i find amusing is, using the same settings on phone, my friends came out decently sized whilst the band on stage totally didn't.

Pharma Taf at the Hatchet (THE meet pub for whenever the band's playing Bristol).


Darren (Lazybones) from FreeA3 whom we all met for the first time yesterday in meatspace.


the Very Reverend D Wayne Love:


here's Billie Holliday, rather Zoe, sorry – Devlin Love:


OK, here's the one and only living legend, Rock Freebase (hey, don't blame me – that's what one chick came up to him and called him last night).


right, here was a shocker: Jake and Mark, rather D Wayne Love and Rock Freebase. why was i shocked? in the words of D Wayne, 'I ain't doin' it'.

more bruised and battered Larry wearing Chris' Stetson at the afterparty. i happen to think he wears his bruises rather well in a sexy kinda way, but then again, out of all 9 of them, it's a tie between who's most like me: Jake or Larry. or so they say, LOL.


Larry onstage with the shortest hair i've seen him wear in like almost 8 years now.

off to bed... uh, i don't think i slept in like two days but compared to beating out Sad Eyed Lady with my record-breaking 116 hours awake, i'm all puh about it. more pics tomorrow and possibly the vids i made of the latest and greatest WUTM. night-night, dudes.

let the night roar!

WOO-HOOOO!!11!!! here we go again, finally! tonight's the night we've been waiting for – at least i've been waiting, and very impatiently, since Alabama 3's playing Bristol tonight, first time since MOR Tour I last september and unlike last time, this'll be the only gig at which i'll be there. but i totally won't dwell on this moronacy of mine cause tonight is almost here, SPOING!

as usual i'm expecting a flatful of people and hoorah for that since being a shitty guest i totally dig playing host. there'll be Chris (YES!), Lazybones with or without friend, Electric Landlady, Dave, Mississippi Outlaw (flying in from the States), Taf and K, Suzanne and friend and i have no idea whom else but all are invited. i do feel sorry for a coupla people, one being Pam as she was the first signed on and then she had to go and break her shoulder... i'll be thinking of you Pam (that is, when i can actually think). *wack*

the other person i feel sorry for is this creature here.


nah, Hunter dude, i don't think you'll be getting much privacy today apart from when we're actually gone from the flat to the gig and then to the afterparty. so tough shit, little dude; it'll be good for you to see the entire world (namely me) doesn't revolve around you. for once. and then there's his new attitude towards Chris.


Hunter dude – LIVE WITH IT.

update 17,30: Mark just left for soundcheck, we've gotta move our asses, pics to come. soz for brevity but having too good a time to detail now, stay tuned, blah blah blah.