The most pressing news this week is the timely reminder that Howlround plays its biggest performance to date on Sunday October 9th in the candlelit gothic splendour of Brompton Cemetery Chapel, a dome-capped slice of classic Victoriana at the heart of this historic ‘Garden Of Sleep’ in West London. Tickets are £12 and include a complimentary Hendrik’s Gin Cocktail – and as I have commented on these pages before, I can think of no finer and more appropriate way to consume our unique brand of haunted loops and ghostly radiophonics than the shadowy environs of a domed chapel through a gently befuddling haze of gin – can you?
The concert is part of this year’s London Month Of The Dead festival organised by Antique Beat (responsible, amongst other things for the magnificent ‘X-Ray Audio’ project) and A Curious Invitation; with the cemetery playing host to an impressive programme of lectures, workshops and performances over the course of October. Visit their website to find out more.
Really looking forward to this event and to getting the machines back into action again after a rathe chaotic couple of weeks. As you might have heard, we had a break-in at Howlround’s studio a fortnight back, though thankfully nothing of any great value was taken and no significant damage was done – unlike our poor neighbours whose place got pretty well rinsed. I suppose the contemporary thief has no interest in reel-to-reel tape recorders or other pieces of vintage equipment – a stance I can readily appreciate, particularly when I think of the pain and misery I caused several friends and trusted advisors when moving the damn things into the studio in the first place. Still, it was all rather distressing as you can imagine. But there was one thing about the whole sorry affair that did make me smile just a little. In their haste, the pillaging vermin knocked over my box of Brian Eno ‘Oblique Strategies’ cards. And would you believe it, only one single card landed face-up:
What are the chances, eh?
Also, this week, please enjoy the latest edition of Near Mint on Resonance FM, which this week comes swinging in on the vine with a a bit of a ‘carry-on up the jungle’ special, searching for lost treasures and some beautiful trash, with a programme of library, lounger and exotica that attempts to conjure up the exotic delights of steaming tropical forests and crocodile-infested swamps, while probably never getting that much further than a Safari Park. Pith helmets at the ready:
It’s a pretty uptempo show this week, perfect for cannibal dancing, spear-waving, and doing the limbo. Listen out for Buddy Bow’s ‘Twisting in the Jungle’, which might actually be one of the seven greatest pieces of music ever created…
Robin The Fog 