Jean-Michel Jarre live in Lint, Belgium

29 March 2007


Jean-Michel JarreYesterday I was one of 128 lucky fans to witness a private showcase of Jean-Michel Jarre's new album 'Teo & Tea'. The event took place in a TV studio in Lint, about an hour's train ride from Brussels. Going out on the first Eurostar and returning on the last made for a long day, but it was fantastic. Docklands in '88 was the first concert I went to, and Zoolook and Rendez-Vous were the first albums I bought. I got Revolutions, Cousteau, Chronologie and Metamorphoses on the day of issue and they have soundtracked my life. I still dip into them all today.

I've seen JMJ three times in concert, but never like this. Usually it's a massive spectacular, or at least an arena gig. There were only a couple of hundred people at this gig and JMJ was able to get in among the crowd and really interact with them.

I had only heard the album twice before the show. It didn't strike me at first (I was probably too distracted trying to work out where Kontich station was), but it has a subtle beauty as well as some stomping rhythms. It's all the more special now that it reminds me of the gig. After seven relatively quiet years, it's good to have JMJ back.

We were allowed to take photos, provided no flash was used, which I thought was an enlightened attitude. I wonder whether bands are realising that the benefits of having their photos all over the internet and sustaining a buzz among fans far outweigh the risk that some might end up on unauthorised merchandise.

You can see my photos and review here. Please leave any feedback in the comments below.

Labels: ,

Permanent link for this post | Blog Home | Website Home | Email feedback


Six word stories

21 March 2007


Good writers are masters of brevity. They spot the dead wood and eliminate it. They make sure every word in every sentence is adding meaning.

But how short can a story be before it stops being a story? Hemingway wrote a six word tale that is poignant and has a beginning, middle and an end: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Wired has challenged today's writers to tell a story in six words. Some turned out to be little more than punchlines. Others seem like the start or end of a story, but not the whole thing. It's a difficult brief, and all the attempts are worth reading.

My favourites are 'Machine. Unexpectedly, I'd invented a time' by Alan Moore and 'From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.' by Gregory Maguire. I also enjoyed 'The baby's blood type? Human, mostly.' by Orson Scott Card.

Read the Wired article for about 90 more.

Although I've technically reproduced three of Wired's stories in full above, I'm not expecting them to have a problem with this. I think those excerpts are fair use in the context of promoting the full article.

Also, it would be rather hypocritical for Wired to get upset given that earlier this month the site published three pages of Fox Interactive Media's trade secrets verbatim. In a story about Fox preparing a news portal for MySpace, Wired included two leaked screenshots and six slides from a presentation. Since these would be copyright of Fox and this story had no public interest defence, this seems an odd stance for a publishing business to take.

Labels:

Permanent link for this post | Blog Home | Website Home | Email feedback


Shaggy Blog Stories: Book for Comic Relief

17 March 2007


'Shaggy Blog Stories' is a book including the funniest posts from some of the best blogs in the UK. It was pulled together in a week by a team led by Mike at Troubled Diva, which is itself admirable, given he only took one day off work for the project in that time. Over half the cover price is going to Comic Relief. In the first 40 hours of being on sale, the book raised over £1234.

There have been books based on blogs before, but this one promises to be different because it's been created by a community (rather than a major publisher jumping on a popular blog), and it focuses on funny stuff. You can always scribble your comments in the margin.

It's published using Lulu, which is a print on demand company. That means your copy is lovingly printed when you order it and is then sent out to you. My copy's probably being queued up for printing now. Why not order one yourself?

Labels:

Permanent link for this post | Blog Home | Website Home | Email feedback


Inspiral Carpets and ear plugs


Last week I went to see the Inspiral Carpets at Shepherds Bush Empire. I've uploaded my photos today.

I was right down the front, which was hard work (it was a rough crowd) but worth it to feel so involved with the music. At one point Tom took my glasses off and put them on. The whole band looked like they were having a great time and the fans were really into it. If you don't already know, Carpets fans 'moo' between songs.

I've had a long relationship with the the music of the Inspirals, which goes right back to when I was at school. I first saw the band at Alexandra Palace, around the launch of The Beast Inside. I'll always have a soft spot for that album, so it was a treat to hear 'Sleep Well Tonight' last week. I saw the band in Norwich too, where my friend Mark, who introduced me to their music, was studying. We had recorded the then forthcoming single 'Dragging me Down' off the radio so we could familiarise ourselves with it before the show. I also saw the band at my own university and on the recent reunion tours, and at the launch party for the 'Cool As' compilation.

This tour was to promote the release of a new download-only album of b-sides and rarities, but the only concession to that in the setlist was the inclusion of 'Plane Crash'. The gig was the fan favourites, with a few surprises thrown in (including Cobra). I particularly enjoyed upbeat comeback single 'Come Back Tomorrow' as well.

This was the first gig I've been to since last May. I've had problems with my hearing lately, so for this show I was armed with earplugs. For the support acts, I wore the standard foam earplugs you can buy in any chemist (for about £2 for two pairs). They made a massive difference in cutting the volume of sound, and had tested well in my highly unscientific experiment trying out earplugs in front of my stereo. They did deaden the sound a bit though.

I also had some plastic earplugs which are made especially for concerts and clubbing, but which didn't seem to do anything at all when I tried them at home. When I tried them at the gig, I was surprised to find they were excellent. When I swapped the earplugs over, the dedicated concert ones had clearer sound and still dramatically cut the volume. It's possible I lost some of the music, or some parts might just have been mixed low. But it's the first gig I remember, where my ears weren't ringing the next day.

So, if you want to get some good earplugs for a concert, try the Elacin ER20-S which cost about £15. The manufacturers' website has a list of stockists. The RNID has created a website called Don't lose the music to help music fans to protect their hearing.

Labels: ,

Permanent link for this post | Blog Home | Website Home | Email feedback


Nintendo DS mini-site launched

04 March 2007


Nintendo browser boxYesterday I got the Nintendo Browser by Opera for my DS Lite (you need a different version if you've got non-lite DS). Using it, you can browse the web over a wi-fi connection.

It's not without its limitations - there's only so much you can do with a maximum screen width of about 230 pixels. But Opera provides a couple of different browsing modes to get around the limitations. One enables you to move a magnifier around the screen to view zoomed-in content on the top screen. The other linearises tables and other content for small screen rendering. You soon become adept at switching between the small screen rendering and overview modes, and at swapping the top and bottom screens over so you can use the touchscreen for zooming or clicking on links.

It's painfully slow to begin with - slower even than dial-up. But once you've adjusted your expectations and stop trying to go through gee-whizz graphics heavy sites, it's a great experience. The BBC News light site is particularly strong, and the accessible rail timetable works well too. Blogs are easy enough to surf, being mostly based on simple templates. Amazon.co.uk is a bit cluttered in SSR mode, but appears fully functional. You learn to filter out the navigation detritus and see through to the content.

Many sites fail, mostly sites using clever web 2.0 techniques to refresh within the page. You can't even log in at Blogger, and I was disappointed that tadalist and twitter didn't work. Those three would have been ideal mini-applications for a handheld.

That said, most straight Javascript does work. My simpler Javascript games worked just fine. Where sites have been designed to be accessible (which is, in any case, best practice and a legal requirement), they should work okay on the DS.

The Opera browser is an essential addition for anyone with a DS. It's worth sorting out a wi-fi connection for.

To learn more about designing for the platform, I've built a Nintendo DS microsite. You can access it at www.sean.co.uk/nds. It includes my top 10 games for the platform, and customised versions of my Hangman and Misfit games which I'm quite proud of getting working so smoothly. There's also a portal I've made providing quick access to Google, a dictionary, a cartoon and a handful of other sites. Let me know (in the comments) if there are any other sites that you'd like to see added to the portal, and that work well on the DS. And if you've got a DS and Opera, let me know your thoughts on the mini-site. When I get time, I'll write about what I've learned about designing for the platform.

Labels: , , ,

Permanent link for this post | Blog Home | Website Home | Email feedback


100+ bands I've seen live

01 March 2007


On a discussion list I'm on, a few people were trying to compile a list of 100 bands they've seen live. I gave it a go as well. It brought back great memories. I recommend it to anyone. If you've not seen 100 bands yet, start your list now anyway. It's a real brainache doing it decades later.

I'm lucky to have seen my favourite bands so many times: My Life Story about fifteen times, Inspirals eight times, Jesus Jones five times, Black/CV about five times, Tanita Tikaram four times, Kenickie about five times, Prince four times, Pink Floyd twice (plus Gilmour twice, and Waters), Jean-Michel Jarre three times and Depeche Mode four times.

My list of bands runs to 132 now, and since I'm working from memory and whatever CDs I've got here, I'm probably missing loads of support acts. There's one that had the happiest drummer in the world, who completely outclassed everyone else on the stage. Never knew the band name, but I can still picture his smiley face.

My first gig was Jarre in Docklands in 1988, which was 19 years ago now. That means I've seen a new band (ie, one I hadn't previously seen) on average every seven weeks for the last 18 years.
Here's the list in alphabetical order, running down the screen in columns.

  • 10cc
  • 9 Yards
  • ABC
  • Afro DZ Ak
  • Aimee Mann
  • Alanis Morissette
  • Altered Images
  • Amy Wadge
  • Animals
  • Art of Noise
  • Australian Pink Floyd
  • Babybird
  • Back in the Day
  • Bananarama
  • Bandorians
  • Barbara
  • Beastie Boys
  • The Beat
  • Belinda Carlisle
  • Belle and Sebastian
  • Ben Folds
  • Bend the Triangle
  • Beverley Knight
  • Bible Code Sundays
  • Bikini Beach Band
  • Billy Bragg
  • Billy Ocean
  • Bjorn Again
  • Black/Colin Vearncombe
  • Black Cherry Jam
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Bloc Party
  • Blockheads and Phill Jupitus
  • Blur
  • Bond
  • Bon Jovi
  • Bootleg Beatles
  • Brett Winterford
  • Buggles
  • Buzz Lightweight
  • Cake
  • Captain Sensible
  • Catatonia
  • Catchers
  • Cee Lo Green
  • Chaka Khan
  • Charlatans
  • Chas'n'Dave
  • China Crisis
  • China Drum
  • Chris Hadfield
  • Christians
  • Chumbawamba
  • Clannad
  • Cliff Richard
  • Clint Boon Experience
  • Colour Me Wednesday
  • Corinne Bailey Rae
  • Cranberries
  • Cranes
  • Crasdant
  • Credit to the Nation
  • Cure
  • Curiosity Killed the Cat
  • Cutting Crew
  • Damian Rice
  • Dandy Warhols
  • Daniel O'Donnell
  • Dannii Minogue
  • Dan Shears Orchestra
  • Daria Kulesh
  • Dave Alcari
  • David Bowie
  • David Devant and His Spirit Wife
  • David Gilmour
  • David Gray
  • David Woodcock
  • Deep 6
  • Deerhoof
  • Depeche Mode
  • Dex Dexter
  • Diesel Park West
  • Dire Straits
  • Divine Comedy
  • Dizzee Rascal
  • Doctor and the Medics
  • Dollar
  • Dolly Rockers
  • Dreadzone
  • Drugstore
  • Duran Duran
  • Earl Brutus
  • Eat
  • Echobelly
  • Eddi Reader
  • Elton John
  • Energy Fool
  • Energy Orchard
  • Erasure
  • Eric Clapton
  • Eskimo Disco
  • Ether
  • Exile Inside
  • Family Go Town
  • The Fall
  • Fem2Fem
  • Feralus
  • Five Floors Up
  • Florence and the Machine
  • Floyd Effect
  • Foam
  • Foo Fighters
  • Fosca
  • Four on the Floor
  • Frank and Walters
  • Frankie goes to Hollywood
  • Franz Ferdinand
  • Frazier Chorus
  • Fun Lovin Criminals
  • Gallagher & Lyle
  • Gary Clark
  • Gary Numan
  • Genesis
  • Gina G
  • Glen Matlock
  • Go West
  • Grace Jones
  • Grace Petrie
  • Gravity
  • Gretschen Hofner
  • Grosvenor
  • Haircut One Hundred
  • Hank Marvin
  • Harrold Juana
  • Hazel O'Connor
  • Heaven 17
  • The High
  • Holly Johnson
  • Hothouse Flowers
  • Howard Jones
  • Hugh Cornwell
  • Huw & Tony Williams
  • IAMX
  • Imagination
  • Inspiral Carpets
  • Incognito
  • Indiana
  • I Saved Latin
  • James Taylor Quartet
  • Jason Feddy
  • Jean-Michel Jarre
  • Jessie J
  • Jesus Jones
  • Jimmy Somerville
  • Johnny Clegg
  • Johnny Hates Jazz
  • Kajagoogoo
  • Kar-Pets
  • Kasabian
  • Katy B
  • Kenickie
  • Kid Creole
  • Kim Wilde
  • Kylie Minogue
  • Larry Graham
  • Legendary Cuckoos
  • Level 42
  • Liars Club
  • Lightning Seeds
  • Lily Allen
  • Lisa Stansfield
  • Liz Lawrence
  • Los Ladrones de Amor
  • Lovers
  • Lush
  • Madonna
  • Manic Street Preachers
  • Mannfred Mann
  • Mano de Dios
  • Marc Almond
  • Mark Ronson (DJ set)
  • Maroon 5
  • Martyn Joseph
  • Metallica
  • Mica Paris
  • Michael Doughty
  • Midge Ure
  • Mike Oldfield
  • Miles Hunt
  • Mission
  • Mitch Benn
  • MJ Hibbett
  • Moby
  • Modern Romance
  • Mogwai
  • Moxie
  • Moxy Fruvous
  • Mustard
  • My Life Story
  • Neil Finn
  • New Power Generation
  • Nick Harper
  • Nick Heyward
  • Nick Pendry
  • Nik Kershaw
  • Noa
  • Noel Gallagher
  • Oasis
  • Odyssey
  • One Republic
  • Orlando
  • Paloma Faith
  • Paul McCartney
  • Paolo Nutini
  • Paul Roberts (Stranglers)
  • Paul Weller
  • Paul Young
  • Pavarotti
  • Peach
  • Perkie
  • Pet Shop Boys
  • Phil Collins
  • Phone Call
  • Pink Floyd
  • Pippi and the Butcherbirds
  • Pixie Lott
  • Platters
  • Prince
  • Prodigy
  • Propaganda
  • PT Twins
  • Public Service Broadcasting
  • Pulp
  • Pussycat Dolls
  • Radiohead
  • Ralph McTell
  • Rarebreed
  • Razorlight
  • The Real Thing
  • Recoil
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • REM
  • Richard Digance
  • Rick Astley
  • Right Said Fred
  • Robert Plant
  • Rocky Horror Show
  • Roger Waters
  • Rolf Harris
  • Ron Geesin
  • Ron Sexsmith
  • Rosita
  • Ruth Trimble
  • Sara and the Vynes
  • Saw Doctors
  • The Scapegoats
  • Screaming Passion
  • Seafood
  • Seal
  • Senseless Things
  • Sensitize
  • She Makes War
  • Silver Apples
  • Silverfish
  • Sisters of Mercy
  • Skye Ross
  • Slash from G'N'R
  • Sleepwalks
  • The Slogans
  • Snow Patrol
  • Sohodolls
  • SOS All Stars
  • Soweto String Quartet
  • Space
  • Sparklehorse
  • Spinal Tap
  • Spit 'n Strings
  • Starts
  • Status Quo
  • Strum
  • Suzerain
  • Tailor
  • Tanita Tikaram
  • Tatu
  • Tears for Fears
  • Tea Street Band
  • Ten City Nation
  • Terry Edwards
  • They Might Be Giants
  • Think Floyd
  • The Time
  • Tim Ten Yen
  • Tindersticks
  • Tom Bailey
  • Tom Hingley (solo and with band)
  • Tony Cox
  • Tony Hadley
  • Toyah
  • T'pau
  • Transglobal Underground
  • The Travelling Band
  • Tubular Bells for Two
  • The Tuts
  • Twirling Canes
  • U2
  • Utah Saints
  • Vampire Weekend
  • Voice of the Beehive
  • War of the Worlds
  • Whale
  • Whirlpool
  • White Lies
  • Who (Quadrophenia)
  • Wild
  • Wonderstuff (with Vic Reeves)
  • Yes
  • Yoshi
  • Younger Younger 28s

Rules of the list: I had to see them playing music, but appearances at festivals or in-store counted. I didn't count performances in musicals, which would add in Jason Donovan.
If you produce your own list, or want to know more about what any of these acts are like live, then leave a comment below.

UPDATE (20 July 2007): I've added in a recent gig by Glen Matlock, the bands I saw at Live Earth and a few bands I previously forgot about. I'll add bands to my list as I see or remember them. Check out Julie's list too and let me know in the comments if you write your own list and I'll link it here.

UPDATE (3 September 2009): Just added the acts from the Henley Rewind Festival, a fantastic bill of acts who made it big in the 80s but who can still cut it live today. I've been updating the list regularly with new acts and it now stands at 219 bands.

UPDATE (21 March 2014): Just to confirm I've been updating this each time I see a new band!

UPDATE (18 November 2023): Still updating it! Now it stands at 318 bands.

Labels:

Permanent link for this post | Blog Home | Website Home | Email feedback


Dip into the blog archive

June 2005 | September 2005 | January 2006 | March 2006 | April 2006 | May 2006 | June 2006 | July 2006 | August 2006 | September 2006 | October 2006 | November 2006 | December 2006 | February 2007 | March 2007 | April 2007 | May 2007 | June 2007 | July 2007 | August 2007 | September 2007 | October 2007 | November 2007 | December 2007 | January 2008 | February 2008 | March 2008 | April 2008 | May 2008 | June 2008 | July 2008 | August 2008 | September 2008 | October 2008 | November 2008 | December 2008 | January 2009 | February 2009 | March 2009 | April 2009 | May 2009 | June 2009 | July 2009 | August 2009 | September 2009 | October 2009 | November 2009 | December 2009 | January 2010 | February 2010 | March 2010 | April 2010 | May 2010 | June 2010 | August 2010 | September 2010 | October 2010 | November 2010 | December 2010 | March 2011 | April 2011 | May 2011 | June 2011 | July 2011 | August 2011 | September 2011 | October 2011 | November 2011 | December 2011 | January 2012 | February 2012 | March 2012 | June 2012 | July 2012 | August 2012 | September 2012 | October 2012 | December 2012 | January 2013 | February 2013 | March 2013 | April 2013 | June 2013 | July 2013 | August 2013 | September 2013 | October 2013 | November 2013 | December 2013 | January 2014 | February 2014 | March 2014 | April 2014 | May 2014 | June 2014 | July 2014 | August 2014 | September 2014 | October 2014 | November 2014 | December 2014 | January 2015 | February 2015 | March 2015 | April 2015 | May 2015 | June 2015 | September 2015 | October 2015 | December 2015 | January 2016 | February 2016 | March 2016 | May 2016 | July 2016 | August 2016 | September 2016 | October 2016 | November 2016 | December 2016 | January 2017 | July 2017 | August 2017 | October 2017 | November 2017 | January 2018 | February 2018 | August 2018 | October 2018 | November 2018 | December 2018 | January 2019 | March 2019 | June 2019 | August 2019 | September 2019 | October 2019 | January 2020 | February 2020 | March 2020 | April 2020 | May 2020 | June 2020 | September 2020 | October 2020 | December 2020 | January 2021 | February 2021 | May 2021 | June 2021 | October 2021 | November 2021 | December 2021 | January 2022 | February 2022 | March 2022 | May 2022 | July 2022 | August 2022 | September 2022 | December 2022 | March 2023 | April 2023 | May 2023 | June 2023 | October 2023 | November 2023 | January 2024 | February 2024 | Top of this page | RSS

Credits

© Sean McManus. All rights reserved.

Visit www.sean.co.uk for free chapters from Sean's coding books (including Mission Python, Scratch Programming in Easy Steps and Coder Academy) and more!

Discover my latest books

100 Top Tips: Microsoft Excel

100 Top Tips: Microsoft Excel

Power up your Microsoft Excel skills with this powerful pocket-sized book of tips that will save you time and help you learn more from your spreadsheets.

Scratch Programming in Easy Steps

Scratch Programming IES

This book, now fully updated for Scratch 3, will take you from the basics of the Scratch language into the depths of its more advanced features. A great way to start programming.

Mission Python book

Mission Python

Code a space adventure game in this Python programming book published by No Starch Press.

Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps book

Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps

Discover how to make 3D games, create mazes, build a drum machine, make a game with cartoon animals and more!

Raspberry Pi For Dummies

Raspberry Pi For Dummies

Set up your Raspberry Pi, then learn how to use the Linux command line, Scratch, Python, Sonic Pi, Minecraft and electronics projects with it.

Earworm

Earworm

In this entertaining techno-thriller, Sean McManus takes a slice through the music industry: from the boardroom to the stage; from the studio to the record fair.

Walking astronaut from Mission Python book Top | Search | Help | Privacy | Access Keys | Contact me
Home | Newsletter | Blog | Copywriting Services | Books | Free book chapters | Articles | Music | Photos | Games | Shop | About