Saint Etienne - Mario's Cafe...

Been a while, hasn't it?  I interviewed Saint Etienne for The Quietus last night!  Exciting, one of my all-time favourite bands.  Should be up next week.  Palladium gig was great too.  Excellent selection of songs.  I've been reading lots of Bill Drummond's writing lately (more on this in posts to come), so the "And did you see the KLF last night?" line in Mario's Cafe genuinely moved me.  I've always been fond of this song, such a lovely picture it paints.

When I first moved to London, looking for places to live, I went to any areas mentioned in Britpop songs.  Seven Sisters (from Suede's By The Sea),  Mile End and Ladbroke Grove (Pulp), before finally settling in Kentish Town, home to the actual Mario's Cafe.  I breakfasted there a few times, and greatly enjoyed it. On a springtime street with its multi-coloured houses.   I believe the cafe is still open though in subsequent years seemed to be always shut whenever I arrived at its door.

Live on The Beat, 1993:



Live at The Kazimier, Liverpool, 24/5/12:


It was great to remember, and experience, the glorious transcendence of live music last night, hitting me as soon as they swooned into Sylvie and then later with the magnificent He's On The Phone.



Live Top Of The Pops, 1998:



The Sylvie single is perhaps my favourite ever record sleeve.

My post on the magic of He's On The Phone here.

Then when I got home I watched The KLF's 3 A.M. Eternal video for the first time in 20 years.  Although it didn't seem so then, it's really bizarre, and awesome, that this hit the mainstream.  In America, we (or at least the 15-year old I) had no idea of anything they'd done before, so this just came out of nowhere and it was huge.  Referencing The Illuminatus! Trilogy too! When I finally got around to reading that in 2009, it had a profound effect on my life.  For the better I must say.