My attempt to sort out old boxes in my room led to me being quickly distracted when I unearthed copies of the old punk rock fanzine that a few friends and I put together when we were teenagers living in Cardiff.

Seeing as the copies were looking rather dog-eared and ignored, I thought I'd put together a little tribute to our work, and here it is:
Oh Cardiff, Up Yours, music fanzine, 1977-78

Offline Club

There's another Offline Club in Brixton tonight, and we've got a fantastic bill, so please try and come down. Admission is, as ever, free!

Check out the bands and performers list here: Offline Thursday 29th March

When it comes to hideous tourist traps, New York's Times Square is right up there with your Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus's, but it has to be said that the almighty onslaught of neon and garish advertising has a certain Bladerunner-esque charm.



Check out some photos here: Time Square, NYC

Some more photos for y'all!

St Patrick's Day Parade



The slightly odd St Patrick's Day Parade in London - complete with transvestite nuns and two-part unicorns: St Patrick's Day Parade

Southampton photos



Some more photos from my trip to the south coast to see the mighty Cardiff City play.

Southampton City centre
Southampton Bargate
Towards the Town Quay
A walk around the streets of Southampton

Went down to cheer on Dulwich Hamlet versus Isthmian League Division One South leaders Maidstone United today.

It was cold. But a lot of fun. Oh, and the score was 0-0.

Full match report and photos here

Those loveable scamps the Space Hijackers weren't chuffed with Starbucks opening a shiny new outlet in their patch of the East End, so they decided to make a stand:

We will be setting up a stall and giving out free fair trade teas, home made sandwiches, and all manner of other goodies to our neighbours, in an attempt to show what the area will be missing if Starbucks and their ilk are allowed to settle in.

See the photos

Blimey. That was a big night. And my hangover still hasn't cleared!





More photos here: Offline St Patrick's Night Party, Brixton

Labels: brixton, offline

Blimey. I hadn't really looked around Camden for ages and was quite taken aback by how much it's changed.



Camden Lock has transformed into some weird Bladerunner-esque Babylonian food hall, the whole area's accelerated upmarket and the Lock tavern - one of my old faves - has gone all Living bah!

Camden photos
Camden Lock photos
Chalk Farm Rd

The offer of a free ticket sent me hurtling down south to enjoy a day wandering about the, err, highly variable architecture of Southampton - a WW2 bomb-blasted city with a bland 60s city centre stuffed to the gills with shopping malls and multinationals.

But I wasn't here to make notes on post-modernist brutalist architecture and failed 1960s redevelopment schemes - I was to get pissed and cheer on the mighty City!


Seeing as I was with a couple of Southampton chums, I remained 'undercover' as we fuelled up in a couple of boozers before wandering off to their shiny St Mary's Stadium.



Once inside I had to suffer the emotional turmoil of sitting with the enemy and trying not to attract attention to myself while every bone in my body implored me to leap up and shout, "Blooooooooooooooooooooooooooobirds!"

The boys went 2-0 down but equalised with just 5 minutes to go. Joy!
Match report


I loved this advert in the Southampton programme too!

Camden

After not setting foot in Camden for ages, I found myself being given a tour of the super swanky Roundhouse building on Wednesday afternoon and then returning again to see The Actionettes dance at the Monkey Chews pub for a birthday. Nice boozer it was too.

Later on we walked to the Enterprise pub by Chalk Farm and loved it.


Downstairs was all fun and happening rock and roll and rockabilly while upstairs was...

...a feast of shoe shuffling indiepop introspection. We stayed downstairs.



Next day I strolled up Railton Road passing the fabulously named Majestical Lips before taking a wander about Brockwell Park.

Later on I took another of my big London walks - expect some more pics soon!

Cardiff



Today I've managed to post up some more Cardiff photos including some from what's now been called, the 'Cafe Quarter.' They might give it a designer name, but I imagine a Saturday night at Caroline Street is just as rough as it ever was (oh! the memories!).

Labels: camden, cardiff, photos

Fighting off a hefty hangover, I elected to go for another of my random ambles around London, getting off at Pimlico and strolling towards the Thames.



I stopped off a Tate Britain for a bit of art and then walked along the Thames heading east to Westminster.



Took a look around the Houses of Parliament (it's amazing how close you can still get to the building) before heading up Whitehall.



I took a quick look around Trafalgar Square before heading up St Martin's Lane and grabbing lunch at the Photographer's Gallery.



Suitably rejuvenated, I checked out some book stores on Charing Cross Road, did the electronics gizmo shuffle along Tottenham Court Road before catching the tube back to Brixton from Warren Street.



Pimlico to Parliament
The Houses of Parliament
Downing Street to Warren Street

Offline Club



In the evening, there was more beer-action to be had with an Offline Club night at the Albert, Brixton.



There was a lunar eclipse that night, so lots of people stood outside the pub watching the Moon slowly turn a curious orange colour. It was way cool!

Offline pics

Some more pics for you!









More Williamsburg photos here and here

Labels: brooklyn, photos, williamsburg

The City Reliquary is a sort of DIY museum stuffed full of old bits of New York, including a chunk of metal off Williamsburg Bridge, old coins, a sand bucket, discarded false teeth, 'an aquatic fruit found in the Hudson River' and a little bottle of soil taken from a small island in New York bay.



The place rocks - even more so now they've got a proper space to display their curious trinkets!

City Reliquary Museum

More NYC photos



I've posted up another 15 or so photos from our December trip. There's still loads more to go, but I'm getting there!



NYC photos

Labels: brooklyn, photos, williamsburg

I've always had a good time when I've been up in Birmingham - I must pay a visit soon as these are from May 2005!



Brum photos



Birmingham canals

Labels: birmingham, photos