Hometown Blues: Part Two.

Its now Monday. Two days since the last thrilling instalment.
We played at Dexters on saturday night. It was fair rubbish. Though the night in general was good as expected. The bands we were playing with, Cardiac and The Paranoid Monkeys, we amazing. Really mind blowing live bands. And as usual the people and staff of Dexters were ace. But no one was there. By the time we took to the stage at about 23.15 the few folk who had been there began to filter out, leaving a few folk stray folk and couple of our friends. We are hugely greatful to those who came down, though in that sort of situation it does feel like a bit of a sympathy fuck, like people come to see you because no one else will. I just pray that one day people will come see us due to loving our music. Though I guess thats up to us to create loveable music.
One day I will crack the marketing code, finding out how to get a load of people into a room infront of us, as I'm sure that given the chance we could blow the minds of many.
Anyway, we take to Aberdeen on Thursday for a gig at The Lemon Tree, which should be a step up from some of the venues we have played over the last couple of months.
AND....in six days, yes six little days, we are going to record four new songs. Four songs that eclipse anything we have done before, and that will hopefully prove to some people that Descartes will fuck you up. Yes we will.

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Hometown Blues

It's just gone 6pm, I have just finished work (familiar topic, boring bastard) and have to go sound check for a gig tonight at 6.30pm. Thankfully we are playing at Dexters Bar in Dundee which is about 100 paces from my work, so I have the opportunity to run off and grab some dirty food before we start, chips and cheese undoubtedly. A favorite. Perhaps with gravy, just to be a bit continental.

Playing hometown gigs at this stage in the life of Descartes is always an odd thing. At least when we play away we know that we will be playing to near empty rooms, but in Dundee you never can tell. The general gig going demographic of this city is odd. The most popular gigs are those by local bands with lots of friends who play a particular sort of indie, when bigger NME bothering bands hit town the students might surface but when more alternative local acts who are made up of groups of "Jonny no mates" you never can tell.

The only real tool you have to recruit (due to the towns strict fly postering laws) is Myspace. And that is a fairly contrived little world, where I imagine most people will spend their Saturday night in their own homes posing at awkward angles.

So, I have no idea if anyone will turn up tonight. I hope so. But I have a bee in my bonnet, so whoever does show up is going to be treated to a display of madman shouty twitchy fun. What more can one desire. Ha.

That's wasted a good 7 minutes. Now I must go do my hair and make-up then head out onto the streets where I imagine I'll get amuse from passing neds. Lets just hope I make those 100 paces in one piece.

Much Love.
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The Horrific, and the Grand

My oh My Oh My Oh My.





Without meaning to sound like some diddy boy from Hard-Fi or some other "we liked the Jam and steal our songs off the clash" bands, I feel the need to say, WORK IS RUBBISH.


Really rubbish.


I spend my days working a coffee shop, in Dundee town centre. I have done for about three years, occasionally full time, and occasionally part time when I decide to take up some half arsed college course or other. Every day is quiet, then a little busy, then a bit slow again. Everyday.


The customers are a lifeless bunch, waiting for death as opposed to just accepting that they are alive. Most see human interaction as a dirty thing, a muttered please and thank you are rare and joyful occasions.

I often find myself staring longingly out of the window praying that a six foot drag queen or midget in a tall hat would walk through the door, stun me with their visual wooha then ask me a personal question about the shape of my genitals. Anything to break up the grind.

I often stand convincing myself to storm out, throwing my milky apron in the air and telling everyone of the grey faced army to lick my man part, but I forever see sense, as I have annoyingly developed a bond to my brothers and sisters in dull, daily union.



After escaping last night I skulked off home in a quiet rage as usual, but was swiftly revived when I cranked on the Moore stereo system. Got me the new Cribs album you see, and its pure genius. Sitting listening to the first nine tracks was a mad hook filled joy, then....then....then I heard the track named Be Safe, which has Lee Ronaldo from Sonic Youth speaking over it. Purrrrrre amazing. Sounds like nothing the Cribs have done before, so epic and beautiful. Made me the happiest little lad in all the land for the rest of my night.

It's the little things you see.
Ahhhhhh.
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Where is Home?

As a wise T-shirt once said, "God Bless Bloc Party". Was listening to their second album last week after neglecting it for a while, and every time I listen to it I am blown away by the track Where is Home?. In the current climate it seems that the only way for a band to get recognition for their music is to write about going out, incidents that happen when out and unobtainable girls who also go out. So hearing a song filled with beautiful and dark references to a dark subject (racial hatred, killings etc if you've not heard it) just stands out from everything else. I am in no way claiming to relate to the subject matter, the only real abuse I suffer is getting called a big poof whenever I go out. And it does help that the song has a massive hook of a chorus also. Touched.

Many a memory has been brought back this weekend past. With Radio One's big weekend festival taking place in Preston it really doesn't seem like a whole year since the same event took over our town of sunny Dundee. The twelve months that have passed since then have certainly been filled with many ups and downs in camp Descartes. A year ago we were playing our second ever gig in the first stage of Descartes in front of an insane crowd at Dundee's small Globe Bar, at the time we couldn't have imagined the amount of daft things that would happen in between, such as scary trips to fife, outdoor gigs in front of two children and a dog, the band falling to pieces, Mr Paul Markie coming on board, and eventually us getting good. Its been wild and drunken, and jeeeezo I hope this year is more straight forward.

I watched Maximo Park and Klaxons on the BBC coverage of the festival last night. I had forgotten how much I loved the first Maximo Park album, though now the band trouble me as their singer has so many of the physical looks and attributes of a rapist. Klaxons were fucking insane, all over the shop but still utter genius. I was forced to give up and go to bed when the Kaiser Chiefs came on though as I feared that I may cause violence to my television every time Ricky Wilson's fat Little smug face came on my screen. Everything is average nowadays. Perfect you tosser.

LOVE
X

The Months Of May and June. A Time to Sweat

Today is May the 17th I believe, which makes it only ten little days untill our next gig, an alternative rock-o-rama at Dexters in Dundee town.
At this gig we are joined by our old gig chums and occasional commrades (their bass player recorded our demos) The Paranoid Monkeys, and one time partners in crime Cardiac.
Listening to The Paranoid Monkeys makes me feel really uncomfortable, in the way that listening to Keane makes you feel all cosy. The good way. The way that bends your mind and makes you forget that your standing in a small room next to a smelly man. They are the best unnoticed band in Scotland, if not the universe.
Having only ever played with Cardiac once my experiences are minimal, but the stand out memory is that they rock like right mad mother lovers, tight, intense and mind blowing.

A few days later (Thursday May 31st) we are off up to our second home, Aberdeen, to play a day time show at The Lemon Tree. The very idea of this is mighty strange, a DAY TIME GIG. Before The kids have finished school, at an hour when it's probably frowned upon to go on stage drunk (this would be anytime if you took the advice of Paulo "Drums" Reilly). Think It's a 1pm kick off and is free entry.

Fifteen whole days later (Friday June 15th) we make the trip back up to Aberdeen to play at Cafe Drummonds as part of an amazing Cover Your Mouth Promotions night, which is headlined by Theoretical Girl and includes much hyped Aberdeen mad heads :( .
Theoretical Girl Featured on the Digital Penetration compalation CD which was released a few months ago, a compalation that is something of a multi-media bible to the "new rave" revolution sweeping this unsuspecting nation. And :( have been in every music magazine and suppliment of any type at least once over the last year, and are always said to be rather special, I hear they have a 7 minute toaster solo in their opening song.

Back in Dundee we play a mini festival thing at Yuppies, whichs takes place over the weekend of the cities blues bonanza in the last days of June, Its sort of an anti-blues event I guess. Not got any info on this yet.

I think thats all we have for now, anything I have forgotten will be on our myspace page, www.myspace.com/thedescartes

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Cruising the multi-tech highway

Another internet thing that gives you the chance to inflate your ego whilst sitting in a small room in your parents home with your comfort blanket near by, I'm in.

Noticed someone on our myspace friends list had one of these so thought that it really must be done.

And like everyone else in the world of internet "blogging" I currently have nothing of interest to say, and wont go as far as to tell you the trivial aspects of my day, so this is it for now.

But here we are, another excuse to sit in front of a computer screen, whitteling away the hours, damn you world, damn you.


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