The Very First Kiss Lips...

In September 2010 I was on a train from Brussels to Antwerp for the second time that day, as you do, when it hit me that I should start a music blog.  I quite liked the idea as I quite like finding out about good music from other people's blogs.  I planned the first post out, about my absolute favourite songs, and then half-forgetting about it, I also kept putting it off.  I had wanted to call it "sugarpopkisses", but it seems that name is already taken.  I also toyed with "Down By The Sports Hall In The Rain" (from Pulp's magnificent
"Stacks",  2minutes 43 seconds, YES!).  But then I thought it should really be 'First Kiss Lips' as I've always said that there's something about a really great pop song that is akin to the feeling you have after you've first kissed someone you've fancied for quite a while.  And then I went to a gig last night that completely blew me away, and so I've decided to start this blog today.

On Thursday night I got an email from Pennyblackmusic announcing a gig with Nick Garrie on Saturday night.  I thought, "WOW!, Nick Garrie , I had no idea he'd even be playing, that record came out 40 years ago".  I bought the remaster of that psychfolkpop classic, "The Nightmare of J.B. Stanislas" when it came out in 2005, and loved it.  Trouble was I had 3 events I had already agreed to go to on Saturday night.  But then I started checking out the other bands on the bill.  And completely fell in love with The Hall Of Mirrors , esp. this utterly utterly lovely pop masterpiece, 'Springtime' .  I knew I needed to attend this gig.

So I headed down to The Half Moon in Herne Hill last night, a quite lovely area of South London I had never before visited.  And it turned into one of those magical evenings that make you realize how wonderful it is to live in London, just that things like Nick Garrie would be playing along with a fantastic new pop find.

The Hall Of Mirrors were simply a pop dream.  In fact, the music seems to me like it comes to you as if it's breaking through a dream, wrapping one in warm harmonic ecstasies, and when the song ends, leaves you in that lush half-waking dreamspace that you long to sink back into but aren't quite sure whence it had come.  I highly recommend checking out all their videos, but have a look at this gorgeous one for "Love Obscure":




And then Nick Garrie took the stage.  And he was AWESOME.  Playing a good deal off "Stanislas", which was exciting enough, but the newer songs (which I had not been aware of) really took my fancy.  "In Every Nook And Cranny" and "On A Wing And A Prayer" were pop perfection.  And he closed with a song he wrote when his mother died (sadly, I don't know the name but I've just purchased his second album "49 Arlington Gardens") , as he said, "his only fan for 30 years".  It was so beautiful it brought a tear to my eye.  Here's him at a festival in Madrid, 2009, doing the title song of that album that started it all:




I did like Jack but I couldn't stick around for Anthony Reynolds' set as I was heading to Scared To Dance (there's a pic of dancing me in profile, with the glasses and 70s shirt) as Shrag were guest DJ'ing. I very much enjoyed the night and will go again.  And here's Shrag's "Rabbit Kids" as it was my favourite single of last year:




Well, hopefully more to come.