My Favourite Ghanian Dish? ... It's Not Dissimilar to a Cheese Omelette Actually

It’s eight o’clock on a Wednesday evening in the suburbs of Cape Coast. Already some TPA volunteers are milling along the streets, on their way to a party just a few streets away. As you would expect, the hosts have managed to acquire the equipment needed for a half decent house party; mainly a cd player (some kind of music playing equipment is absolutely essential of course), a table with free beer and even a disastrously disgusting, and alcoholic bowl full of punch. This all sounds familiar right? Yes, but how many parties have you been to where the hosts hire a kebab van for the night?At ten past eight sharp a taxi appears in the driveway and Arthur, one of our hosts tonight, steps out grinning. He proceeds to open the door for a good natured looking and middle aged Ghanaian lady who is occupying the front passenger seat, she has a large pile on her lap which includes a saucepan and many loaves of bread. This is Am, the Egg Sandwich Lady, and amongst TPA (Teaching And Projects Abroad) volunteers, she has become somewhat of a legend in these parts. So much so in fact, that the hosts of this party decided to invite her tonight to make egg sandwiches exclusively for us – her response was an enthusiastic “yes of course”, though we were a little worried actually that she would say no.A confused and then enthusiastic cry meets Arthur as he climbs from the taxi - for most of the party goers Am’s appearance is a complete surprise. She is found a prime position and the taxi driver is hastily offered a beer.“The egg sandwich lady is such a legend, it’s made my evening that she is here tonight,” relates an enthusiastic Tom, a medical volunteer. “I love her egg sandwiches,” croons Emily who works at the local orphanage, “the double egg with cheese is my favourite.” Our lady legend speaks with her cooking however, and true to form this evening, my single egg with cheese, aubergines and ever so slightly fried bread, is a delicious culinary wonder. It’s a far cheaper and slightly healthier (yes, I’ll kid myself that) alternative to the post-several-beer kebab that is customary at the end of a night out at home. So how did this fascination for one lady and her eggs… and her cheese begin?One man’s brave search for a kebab like substitute after a night in Cape Coast seems to point to the origins. “Back in the day,” Jurun, a medical volunteer begins, “Reuben (whom I, as a relative newbie volunteer, never actually met), was the only one to get egg sandwiches at Am’s, other people used to buy them in town but they were never that good. Reuben used to wax lyrical about these sandwiches though, and soon he had Tom, Chris, Arthur and me hooked, but we still only bought single or double eggs. Then one evening Chris caught sight of one of those portions of cheese that they have in Ghana, you know, the packets that look a bit like French Camembert. Well we asked if Am could put some in the sandwich and kebamb! The egg sandwich with cheese was born!” And the tradition has been going strong ever since, for five months it has been passed down through the generations of Cape Coast volunteers. Night after night sandwiches are purchased by TPA volunteers of varying shapes and sizes, Am is on first name terms with her most regular customers.We are slightly concerned however. This tradition should survive and become part of every volunteer’s experiences in Cape Coast, but many of the flag bearers of Am’s Egg Sandwiches are leaving at Christmas. We are worried that this obsession could just become another fad, another cheap fix like too many things in Western society. So this is a message to all TPA volunteers who are planning to come to Cape Coast in the New Year… Please keep this tradition going! Especially if you like your omelettes particularly cheesy because you’re guaranteed to love this Ghanaian delight. The egg sandwich lady can be found just down from Solice Junction on the right hand side of the road as you are heading into town.On a normal night the atmosphere as we wait for Am to prepare our orders is tranquil and atmospheric. A few cars pass by and the soft voices and varied accents of the volunteers echo across the night. As I enjoy yet another single egg with cheese, I think of the few nights that I have left and the comparatively few sandwiches that I can fit in during this time. There are thoughts for the future volunteers, and we wonder whether Am, the egg sandwich lady, will bring joy to their hearts. I pray that she will.

What Did you Expect? Radiohead Have Always Sung To Their Own tune

This morning I woke up in a state of panicked anticipation. In the summer of 2006 I was lucky enough to see Radiohead headline The Rock en Seine Festival in Paris. What I witnessed on that warm August night somewhere in the banlieu of Paris only confirmed what was already firmly believed. That Thom Yorke and his friends have developed into the foremost Rock band of this era − they have taken modern music to a new artistic level. Criticised for being arty, pretentious and dirge like, I challenge any critic who has witnessed them live to still persist with this argument.

It is now 10th of October 2007, and eleven days earlier Radiohead announced that they were releasing their long anticipated seventh studio album. I had been waiting for this day a lot longer than I though I would have to! Live version of some of the tracks already written had long since been leaked onto Youtube, the then unnamed Videotape was one such track that had left a haunting impression on me that night in Paris. I began to harbour a feint hope, that this album could be a corker though the feeling was coupled familiar anxiety. Like many, I have had to learn the hard way that high expectations often result in bitter disappoint, and this doesn’t just apply to music!

I allowed my daring hope to prevail however. The sound of these new songs did seem very original, yet understated and dare it be said, more accessible than Hail To The Thief, but without returning to the more traditional rock of The Bends. What kept my faith was that if Radiohead were going to “sell out”, then they would have done it long ago. Every musical direction since The Bends has been a demonstration that this band represented the very polar opposite of this.

And then the bombshell... While everyone else is standing around with their fingers in their bums, Radiohead’s website announce that the band have finished their album and that it will be available for download in ten days time. Cheeky rascals.

Now If you have read some of the many other articles on this subject then you may or may not agree. None realise one point about this much talked about new release technique.

“So he likes Radiohead then…”

“Yea he does… he does but only up until The Bends,”

“Oh, right… he’s one of them. Ah well, he might have good taste in films, lets give the guy a chance”.

This is a familiar conversation for many, one very similar to this has taken place many times amongst my peers − You see, for some, compassion for Radiohead ended the moment that “Ok Computer” was released and for them, the band disappeared far up their own rectums.

It’s a familiar story − honest young friends with relative talent and who seriously dig music write a few songs and happen to hit upon a sound and sentiment not heard before. Honest young friends secure major record deal, become relatively famous, receive unwarranted female attention and become conniving little bastards who are all secretly jealous of the synth player. They know secretly that he is the only one with any real talent. Conniving little wankers are told to record a second album by the record company and after realising that they have spent to much time getting drunk and stoned, and not using this altered state of mind to write anything original, decide to record ten identical songs to their last album. But the record company don’t mind, they know that they can eek at least two more albums from these suckers before consigning them to the dustbin of “in ten years, no one will even remember you, let alone give a shit club.” These are the musicians who only like The Bends.

Radiohead’s contract with EMI/Capitol expired after its last record, Hail to the Thief, was released in 2003; shortly before the band started writing new songs. Thom Yorke told TIME, “I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say ‘Fuck you’ to this decaying business model.” Radiohead have always been an independent band at heart. A major was the right business model for them because only a major could provide the finances needed to fund a band with such a wide fanbase. Their ability to sell millions of records was based on pure excellence, not because they subscribed to a particular scene, or sound deemed fashionable at that time (though many very talented bands, it should be pointed out, have been initiators of such scenes). Radiohead have long been a superstar band who don’t play by the rule book, challenging their audience by changing their sound. They have lost a few fans along the way yes, but have gained many in return. In doing so, they have escaped becoming one of those great bands who peter out after ten years, sick and unable to reinvent themselves.

After only growing in stature since "The Bends", the band would have slowly realised that the record company was becoming less and less important for them. I expect that they would have seen independence as a opportunity that their natural sense of intuitivism, originality and intelligence would aspire to. And the outcome of their decision was sensational, an extremely well executed act. Before you start calling them entrepenurial geniuses as well as musical maestros however, don’t forget that they had four years to think about it all! I have to give it to them though; those boys know how to keep a bloody secret!

I’m going to draw a hilariously crude comparison now − Katie Melua must be suffering with a similar discontent. Recently the singer songwriter announced in an interview with The Telegraph that she has decided to make no more albums with her co-writer and mentor Mike Batt. “I wouldn't say I was getting restless but three was enough. I am becoming my own person and there isn't space any more for two creative people to go on an album.” Every fledging becomes an adult and feels the need to leave their comfortable nest, and spread their wings.

And audaciously spread their considerable wing span, Radiohead have done. This download idea is, may I point out probably less original than any of their music don’t you know.What did Arctic Monkeys do a few years ago if it wasn’t offering fans downloads of their songs? JJ72 has done it, so have Nine Inch Nails, and your Dad might listen to Marillion. He might have even been one of the few thousand faithful fans of the long time prog rockers to prepay for an album that wasn’t even recorded at the time.

Now look, no cynic here is going to tell me that this stunt was simply a clever marketing ploy which has gained greater long term credibility for the band, though both of these statements are true. It was an audacious statement by a band who were in the position to make that statement. The more superstitious amongst us might call it fate − the invention of the internet was a large part of this fate. In years to come, will we look at the 10th November to be the turning point in the major record label industry’s dwindling personal fate? Perhaps, and if we do, I’m thinking that Thom and Johnny, Ed, Phil and Colin and wanted to be responsible for that. They have been in the business long enough to prove that their art is what comes first. They have prove to be the nemesis of Metallica, who sued Napster, a popular downloading software in 2000. It distanced them from fans and resulted in a major PR disaster.

Bob Lefsetz, an American music industry critic and consultant to major record labels gives his opinion. “It’s not like Radiohead’s living in a different world. But they’re playing by a different rule book. One that says the money flows from the music, that people have to believe in you, that you’ve got to treat them right. This is big news. This says the major labels are fucked. Untrustworthy with a worthless business model. Radiohead doesn’t seem to care if the music is free. Not that they believe it will be. Because believers will give you ALL THEIR MONEY! This is the industry’s worst nightmare. Superstar band, THE superstar band, forging ahead by its own wits. Proving that others can too. And they will.”
Radiohead are proof. You can challenge your fans by changing your sound. As an artist you have the license to push those artistic boundaries, and your fans are the one’s who have helped to put you in that privileged position, they’ve had faith in you. What you can’t do is demonstrate that you’re a money grabbing philistine like Alan Sugar is. Even if you are one of these artist and you market your music to fifteen year olds, its about presenting an image of yourself as “down with the hood” or sufficiently rock and roll. If the legacy of Jack Keroac had truly lived on, then it would be about which “new wave (or should that be rave) jazz artist is most “beat”. And what can be more beat than effectively leaking your own album? The physical CD album In Rainbows will be probably released in January 2008.
So what now? For Radiohead, the future is surely bright. They might have quite happily carried on the same way, they probably would have made the same excellent record (I think that it is already safe to say that it is at least excellent). Instead, they have created a tidal wave that they may well ride for a good few years to come. Now a completely independent “superstar” band, the first of their kind, and with much more creativity in the locker room I am certain.
For the majors it looks grim and you know what, I’m not sad at all. Labels like EMI have been responsible for introducing some very bad values into the music industry, of placing marketability over the quality of the artist. I sincerely hope that all this could mean a better future for the independents − Hooray! Perhaps smaller but ambitious artists, who previously might have dismissed the independents, will now consider them. After all, not everyone can be like Radiohead and be a brand in themselves. The advantage of the major label over the independent seems to be diminishing though, which can only be a good thing for the honesty of modern music.

Fridge - The Sun (My favourite Independant Album of the Year)

I would like to put a word in for Editors' “An End Has A Start”. It’s probably more consistent than 2006’s “The Backroom”, but the press coverage lets face it, has been more than ample. “The Sun” then is the first Fridge album since 2001’s touching and sublime “Happiness”. In the meantime though, Kieran Hebden, Ademn Ilhan and Sam Jeffers have been very busy indeed.

If you know and love Four Tet then you’ll be aware that Kieran is the man behind all that abstract so called “folktronica”, percussion and lovely chiming melodies. He also worked with veteran Jazz drummer Steve Reid this year, creating the jazz synth inspired “Tongues”. Ademn Alhan has released two solo albums with Domino Records and Sam Jeffers, perhaps most impressively, has managed to keep going a successful web design company and study at LSE and Harvard.

Classing themselves as “rock” on their myspace is surely simply a formality. Though a three piece band, the traditional idea of playing bass, guitar and drums as tight unit has long since been discarded by these guys. And the results are rich, interwoven but minimalist soundscapes that are deep and emotive. They can sound like anything from the arty math rock of Battles (listen to “Eyelids”), to the sound of abstract folktronica.

A fan of Four Tet, "Rounds" in particular, might have to be a teeny bit more patient with this band, but the results are worth it. As with Four Tet and earlier Fridge, the off beat percussion and xylophone are intact. There is a more instrumental feel to Fridge’s later stuff (they were formerly more electronic), and if the last album was about creating a stripped down and intimate, heartwarming sound, then this follows in the same vein - with more than a few deviations. Tracks like “Oram” are instant Folktronica wonders, but it takes a couple of spins before you start to appreciate the beauty of “Clocks” and “Insects”. “Lost Time” is an anomaly of sorts − a haunting art rock inspired gem near the end of the album. Meandering, instrumental and beautiful… and better than Battles. You should get into this band.

Scott Matthews @ Oxford Brookes SU (Gig Review)

It was April Fools Day 2007 and this year the weather hadn’t played any tricks on us quite yet. An opportunity then to don just a t-shirt in anticipation of the sweaty gig to come − you know, beer sloshing everywhere and at least one group of battered blokes moshing frantically. Well, Scott Matthews intuitive fusion of folk, jazz, blues and world combined with Jeff Buckley inspired vocals was never going to be quite that frantic, but nothing could have prepared me for the sense of calm that prevailed.

First was Josh Pyke, armed with nothing but his Australian accent and acoustic guitar. The songs were pleasing but disappointingly forgettable and the audience waited in restrained anticipation for Scott, who has already inspired an army of fans who love his debut album. It is soulful and artistic without being pretentious and accessible without becoming mainstream. He is an original guitar player, combining delicate finger picking with bluesy guitar slides. Then there is the addition of the cellos, sitars, flutes, harmonicas and tabla, and a rockier bass and drums rhythm section to consider, though curiously it’s actually the Cello player who rocked out the most onstage. The album ebbs and flows through seventeen tracks and this approach seems to be reflected live. Songs merged into songs and crescendos of energy resulted from transitions between songs like, the soulfully emotive “feathered medicine” and my personal favourite “dream song”. The singer’s manner of addressing the crowd was slightly less fluent however. He seemed awkward, and muttered incomprehensively so that nobody knew quite what to make of him. There is no doubt though that Matthews possesses an extraordinary voice, wavering on falsetto notes with an emotiveness that is irresistibly Jeff Buckley-esque − a consolation perhaps for some awkward wisecracks.

Scott Matthews fooled no one, his music however posed a rather refreshing start to April.

www.myspace.co.uk/scottmatthewsmusic

Download Your Hearts Out!

Radio Oxford’s Download show is somewhat an anomaly as far as local radio shows go. Its vibrant young team of music fans follow the paths of countless equally vibrant and fresh artists from Oxford, aiming to enhance the already thriving music scene and encourage people to go and see local music talent. It’s quite possibly cooler than anything on national radio or television and apparently the most successful local radio programme on the BBC to boot!
This week Download have celebrated two years on the air and briefly look back at how the show developed into the revelation that it has become. “And now we are two and toddling along very nicely indeed,” says co-presenter Suzy Healey, “thanks to the rich and varied Oxford music scene.” It’s this thriving music scene combined with a student population who love music and want to see it live which is surely the secret of success for Tim Bearder (presenter) and friends. These already hyper keen music fans can listen to the show, discover an artist who they like and go and see them that evening, somewhere nearby, effortless!
“Never listen to Download whilst operating heavy machinery,” this is the warning that accompanies an intro which is oddly missing Tim Bearder this week − he’s on a well earned holiday, but the co-presenters who call each other “smelly cats,” Suzy Healey and Dave Gilyeat carry on seamlessly. We get to meet a few of Oxford’s most talented musicians who have formed a very interesting collaborative club entitled “Super Kitchen” and hear an interview with Brighton artist Bat for Lashes. All this and exclusive tracks from Still Man, Smile X and Agents of Jane − delicious!

Wire Daises - Wire Daisies (Album Review)

After the relative success of 2004’s “Just Another Day”, Wire Daisies have produced a new offering, this time a self titled effort. In 2003 they were hailed by Music Week as one of the 'unsigned discoveries of 2003' and their album, subsequently released in 2004 was praised for its consistent compilation of melodic and catchy songs, prettily articulated by the voice of singer, Treana Morris. The folky rock-pop style has been compared to the Cranberries and The Corr’s, there is certainly a melancholic feel which hints of that famously haunting number “Zombie”. But Wire Daisies have yet to achieve the success that they were predicted, catchiness alone it seems, is no longer a fast track to selling records. Though originating from Cornwall is good start, they simply lack the cool factor of Canadian contemporaries Metric, who also boast a female singer. And it’s a sense of the contemporary that this music lacks, Morris and friends seem to be continually trapped in the bedroom of late a nineties “chick rocker”, for whom this cd would probably become a blissful addition to the collection. The new album then, is simply a less consistent continuation of the 2004 debut, and without changing their sound they have churned out 12 similar sounding tracks.
“Rocket Girl” is an admittedly excellent single − “there is something about ya” Morris insists and nice bass playing too. But Wire Daisies seem to lack any ambition to be more than simply a catchy sounding band, and to many other songs are lacklustre. “Lost my way” is sultry but just lacks the style and geniune emotion of the brilliant PJ Harvey to compare one. For Chick Rockers, male and female only I'm afraid!

www.myspace.com/wiredaisies

The Drunk And Orderly Society

I was being very (very) sad one day an decided to create a facebook society which advocates courteous behaviour when drunk. It all derived from a particularly drunken night out whilst at University. The "background" bit to the group reads something like this:

"It was 2 am and two male students were walking down a street in a well known English student town. As a result of being reasonably intoxicated, they had picked up a road block, a common sight in Britain due to the inordinate amount of road works, and also students around the place. One of the young men was considering using it as a coffee table, the other had plans to use it as a gym horse. Anyway, they were carrying this quite large object down the road, and were only a few hundred metres from their front door when they were unlucky enough to be spotted by a policeman . Understandably, they were pissed off at having been caught with only a small distance to go, and also apprehensive at the possible repercussions of the encounter. They expected some kind of verbal equivalent to a violent throttling to be honest, but in fact the young peeler greeted them in an extremely civil manner. What followed was a very amicable conversation which resulted the offending item being taken all the way back to where it had been found, despite the house being much closer and despite Mr Piggy's departure. From that day on the boys vowed to be courteous drunks. They had got such a kick out of all the love shared after all..."

About twelve people joined for the record!

World Music

The modern British tradition of the summer music festival usually consists of overpriced beer, campsite debauchery, mud and the rain. But have you ever wondered if it’s a more sophisticated affair on the continent? This summer James Labous discovered that the French do it standing up…

During the past ten years, the popularity of music festivals in Britain has soared. Organising such events has become a lucrative business, amassing huge profits from ticket sales and sponsorship. The Mean Fiddler's Vince Power who stages the Reading and Leeds festivals, says that the public's declining interest in dance music and manufactured pop is boosting the popularity for music festivals. "I think that kids have grown tired of the Pop Idol thing and we're seeing the backlash."
Indie Rock n Roll’s increasingly worldwide listenership flock both for an opportunity to see the latest and up and coming acts and often more importantly to party for the weekend with friends and other music fans. You might know that it can become ridiculously expensive though, camping tickets can cost upwards of £120 and there is captive market for all the necessities of food, beer and merchandise. It does seem cheaper nowadays to pay for a flight to a European city and go abroad to watch live music and it’s easier to get tickets too, whilst Reading and V Festival tickets sold out within two days, weekend passes for the Rock en Seine in Paris were selling well into June. It just so happened that a friend of mine was working in Paris and after missing out on Glastonbury and discovering that Radiohead were headlining this relatively new festival in Paris we decided to bite the bullet and spend the meagre £50 on a weekend pass. This doesn't include a camping pass, but still a hundred quid less than you might expect to pay in England.
Now, if you’ve ever been to Paris then you’ll know that there is something special about the place. It’s a certain ambiance, and the people have a charmingly superior air to them. A city festival has a different feel too. The camping is a low key affair, most of the festival goers flock from various quartiers of the city, arriving by metro and spilling out onto the street adjacent to the river. St Claude is a comparatively innocuous quartier, on the periphery of Paris but this festival is called the ‘Rock en Seine’ for a reason, the culture and ambiance flowing down the river (and arriving by metro) from the centre of Paris.
The first thing I noticed whilst queuing up at the gate was how multicultural the music fans were. This worldwide embracement of rock n roll breaks across barriers of culture and language, and Paris is the perfect place to celebrate this. Well, Reading and Chelmsford are not exactly noted for being the two cultural hubs of Europe and Glastonbury takes place in some far flung corner of the British Isles so it’s little wonder really that more North American’s and Europeans (including lots of English) decide to go to the Rock en Seine.
Apart from the novelty (for the men) of using strange spaceship like urinals, (toilet facilities generally were ok, although the French are not renowned for this), one had to put up with the impatience our garlic chewing cousins. When the musicians decided to take a well earned minute break between songs and perhaps swig a cheeky mineral water, they were greeted with the spoilt cries of many a young French person. “Allez! Allez!” they chimed in unison.
Despite this, the atmosphere was chilled, the smell of marijuana resonating through the air in the true spirit of the summer music festival, and not a dog's doodle in sight! The young French are interesting with their music tastes. They love rock, especially the British rock and Indy that manages to permeate across the cultural border but they do have less exposure to the scene and therefore miss out on hearing a lot of good music. This does seem to be changing, particularly in Paris. I have unfortunately heard the dull thud of nineties house resonating from an otherwise very cool surfing club in a far flung corner of Normandie.
Wolfmother had opened proceedings on the Scene de la Cascade, but unfortunately we missed them due to a crowded metro system and being too laid back. We arrived then to the distinctly unrocky tunes of soul diva India Arie.
Now although public toilets aren't their strong point, we all know that the French have somewhat of a reputation for their culinary excellence and sophistication, at music festivals it's no different. The fact that there is a captive market did bump up the prices to some extent but compared to English festival prices it was good value and the food was so much better! Baguettes, pain au chocolat, crepes, croissant, galettes and even some particularly delicious West Indian dishes. Beer however is extortionate but this is no different to any other place in Paris.
After our petit goux it was chill out time and we sat and watched fellow festival goers play frisbee and socialise. The Parisian culture of young twenty somethings is vibrant and diverse, people come from Brazil, Holland, Canada to work in bars and to mix with the young hip French and this weekend they were all at the Rock en Seine.
We returned to the Scene de la Cascade for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, visibly nervous but they played a storming set. The crowd devouring their cheerful blend of American melodic pop and Irish folk influenced rock, the quintet departed leaving a flavoursome atmosphere and enthusiastic cheering. Then came Kasabian, the late replacement for an absent Richard Ashcroft but their laddish British attitude jarred on the crowd especially in contrast to the modesty of the previous artists.
The headline act, for Vendredi at least, were the Raconteurs, led by Jack White of the White Stripes. They were another American act full of energy and charisma, one of White's guitar solos was particularly impressive. They were good fun and definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the White Stripes, but for me they were nothing new. The younger members of the audience rather annoyingly used this raw rock energy as an excuse to mosh their way through the entire set. My flip flops were not amused to find themselves not on my feet but also moshing, don't worry though, Gilbert and Jemima were rescued. So, footwear recovered and buoyed by the energetic show given by Jack White and friends, we spilled into the Parisian night. Nightlife here is, like the people, varied and hopping, though expensive. We decided to head for the Latin quarter to check out some bars but attempted to keep fairly fresh for the next day, you can party all night if you want to.
Next morning, we rose bright and bushy tailed of course, I was eager to arrive early as Broken Social Scene were starting proceedings on the Scene de la Cascade but once again the metro system and our slothfulness were mitigating factors. We managed to catch about half of the set nevertheless, the light drizzle of the afternoon only adding to the soothing sound of violin.. The Canadian post-rock or art-rock scene is flourishing, Broken Social Scene consist of a collaboration between musicians from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Do Make Say Think amongst others. Together they have created an extremely original sound, combining the art rock feel with a more accessible hint of Indy. They succeeded in creating an infectiously delightful sense of peace, one of the best performances.
The it was on to the Grande Scene to watch Phoenix, a French Indy band who put on a really good show and were well received not just because of the local support. Then came Liverpool four piece, The Dead 60s with their distinct fusion of Reggae, classic punk and showmanship, which by the end of their set had conjured enthusiastic cheering.
By the late afternoon, one could sense the anticipation of what was coming. People were already staking their claims for a good spot for Radiohead. Beck were the only remaining act, entering the stage along with their puppet counterparts who stayed for the duration of the set. Puppets and puppeteers included, it was an enigmatic and imaginative display to match Beck's highly original flair and style which perfectly complimented the mysterious and haunting music which followed.
Then of course came what everybody was waiting for, the mighty Radiohead. The French adore them, intellectualism and artiness appeal to the young French particularly which perhaps explains why Kasabian were so poorly received. Paris was certainly a fitting city to see them in, home Jean Paul Sartre and other existentialist philosophers, there is more than a hint of the transcendental contained within Radiohead's music. It is emotional and avantgarde as the streets of Montmartre, where artists like Camille Pissaro used to live.
We departed, haunted but strangely uplifted, once again heading into the night, perhaps we would meet Thom Yorke and friends in a bar somewhere, but then I have lived in Oxford (we are in Radiohead's home town for those who didn't know) for three years now and the dream has never come true. Oxford, an equally intellectual city of course!

Blogging

When you consider what is behind a writers motives, it is usual to consider the history and the background behind what has influenced them into writing I suppose. Thats what they told me in lectures anyway.

Blogging: A History

Before blogging became popular, digital communities took many forms, including Usenet, commercial online services such as GEnie, BiX and the early CompuServe, e-mail lists[2] and bulletin board systems (BBS). In the 1990s, Internet forum software, such as WebEx, created running conversations with "threads". Threads are topical connections between messages on a metaphorical "corkboard". Some have likened blogging to the Mass-Observation project of the mid-20th century.

Such inspiring stuff.