25 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Photography
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West Durham sunset, originally uploaded by neilclasper.
Peering west, from the edge of Durham City. Langley Moor, Brandon, Ushaw Moor all somewhere across the valley, beyond the trees that have grown in the time since I lived there.
22 Saturday Dec 2012
Posted in Photography
The Royal Victoria Docks side of the cable car is a strange place: windswept, with very few people to be seen; almost peaceful – the expanse of flat water is quite serene – but for the planes in and out of City Airport. Then you notice the so-bland-they’re-barely-there office blocks, and it starts to feel a little sinister. What are all these people doing, tucked here out of the way, in buildings with few clues as to their ownership? One thing I realise: it makes my workplace in Aldgate seem almost glamorous.
22 Saturday Dec 2012
Posted in Photography
Taken last Sunday, when the sun finally reappeared.
21 Friday Dec 2012
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Finally made it to Wilton’s Music Hall. Or to the bar at Wilton’s Music Hall, at least. Been meaning to visit for ages, but never quite made it. And it turns out, maybe inevitably, it’s nearer work than I thought, has really good drinks (Meantime London Lager, Adnams Old Ale, something by Truman, some kind of porter from a Scottish island, etc), and a great atmosphere. A long time since I’ve been to a pub where I’ve felt I’d quite like to move in.
21 Friday Dec 2012
Posted in Photography
Taken on a Friday-before-Christmas lunch break stroll around Spitalfields.
20 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted in Music
Tags
folk, harmony singing, Music, new year, northumberland, unthanks, winter
An enjoyable documentary presented by the Unthank sisters, A Very English Winter makes a good case for the joys of communal singing in pubs.
“You can do without Christmas, but you can’t do without Christmas singing”.
Not from the film, but very much related, here’s the Unthanks singing ‘Tar Barrel in Dale’:
19 Wednesday Dec 2012
Posted in Music
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Ty Segall – You’re the doctor (on Letterman)
Noisy and snotty and surprising and Fender Mustangs and a bloody great tune. “Don’t neglect your studies!”
Spiritualized – Hey Jane
Starts out like J Spaceman at his most pedestrian and ends with one of his finest choruses. Words and tune you think he must have borrowed or used before but can’t work out where.
Y Niwl – Undegpedwar
Offset guitar action. And because words are for idiots.
Lightships – Electric Cable
Woozy, warm, wistful, and uncool and gorgeous.
The Dubwood Allstars – Under Dub Wood
A brilliant idea that could have fallen apart under its own novelty but works unbelievably well. Listened to it over and over and over again.
18 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Music
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I can’t remember where I found this link, but this is a fantastic bit of footage: an hour and a half’s worth of James Brown and The JBs in concert. The band’s so tight, and it never strays into the self-indulgence that funk bands usually can’t resist. And the dancing!
18 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in London, Photography
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Too contrasty to really qualify as being in the style of Bernd and Hild Becher. A pleasing shape to find when in West Silvertown by accident, anyway.
A shot looking to the right from the same position points to some of the reasons the cable car (I can’t, for some reason, stand the London bloggers’ ‘dangleway’ sobriquet) hasn’t proved to be wildly popular yet:
It’s hard to argue that the cable car isn’t fun, though; and this morning it felt particularly peaceful. There were other passengers using it, but not many. You’d be hard pressed to go up there with and camera and not get some half descents shots, at least
18 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in London, Photography
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Blackheath’s former public library, now a private school and branch of Fired Earth.
NeilClasper 