Don't look back in anger

There's not a single better place for a party than the Make-Up Club in Ghent. Last weekend, I headed there for the third edition of Hindu Nights (the second one for me to attend) and I had the best time EVER.

My companions were Leehana, Karolien, Stef (Karolien's boyfriend) and Ann-Sofi (a great Finnish girl I met on the Internet, who is working as an au-pair in Brussels). Once I was in the club, I also met up with the lovely Neon Enlightenment girls and some other people I knew.

It was the kind of party that absolutely deserves to be called a party. The evening/night consisted of one gig (Freaky Age) and three dj-sets (Paul Gallagher, Shut Up and Dance (with Sam De Bruyn) and Eppo Janssen.

The music was amazing - all of my favourites were included: Joy Division, Oasis, Babyshambles, Editors, The Jam, The Beatles, MGMT, Franz Ferdinand... and - woohoo! - The Libertines!

The ultimate highlight was "Don't look back in anger" - of course picked by Peter (Hindu Nights organiser en huge Oasis fan) himself - when everybody gathered around the dj booth as if they still had to make clear how much of a great anthem that song is.

Two days later, the Belgian Oasis gig in January got announced - of course I'll be there.

(the pictures are partly mine, partly Ann-Sofi's)

(the stare - it frightens Gisèle)

pretending to steal bikes

"breakfast"

On the neon, neon side of town

Oh, how I love dressing up! Thanks for the wig, Jonathan!

Most Played

Most played during the last two weeks according to my iTunes.

1. Five O'Clock Heroes ft. Agyness Deyn - Who


2. Oasis - The Shock of the Lightning


3. Rosie and the Goldbug - Lover


4. Iglu & Hartly - In This City (don't ask, everybody is allowed a few guilty pleasures)


5. Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire

Yes this is a kiss that I swear will blow your mind

On Monday, I went to another gig in Brussels. Emiliana Torrini was playing at the AB Club, the smaller and cosier venue of the Ancienne Belgique.

After an okay yet not very memorable support act called Island Line, Emiliana treated us on a 18-song set. Her singing was absolutely breath-taking and so were quite a lot of her songs, but the set was a little too long and not daring enough for me to be able to speak of a really great gig.

(my review: http://www.digg.be/gigs.php?id=449)

Island Line:




Emiliana Torrini:

Dance, dance

Last weekend was pretty nice.

On Sunday I went to Brussels for this thing called 'Boekenfestijn' (translation: books feast) where you can buy loads of books for minimal prices. I bought Stephen Clarke's 'Merde Actually', Emily Bronté's 'Wuthering Heights', Michael Palin's 'New Europe', the official Monty Python biography and a small book about the Impressionists. For no more than 20 euros!

Before that there was Katrijn's twentieth birthday party Saturday night. Pictures!

Free things for poor people

Thursday, I've been spending practically all day in Brussels. I met up with Katrijn to do some shopping (I bought myself a dark blue bat sleeve blouse and a lovely pair of black suede and very high heeled shoes, Katrijn went home with a new party outfit and two pairs of gorgeous red shoes which she bought for no money) and in the evening I went to the Botanique, where I was going to watch Infadels play in the Orangerie.

Apparantly Bell X1 - an Irish band which I've already seen twice, supporting The Frames and a couple of months later Damien Rice - was doing a gig in one of the other venues, which made me a bit sad of course. But I comforted myself by treating me to a piece of their merchandising catalogue - a great live cd/dvd.

Before the gig, I met Infadels in their dressing rooms. I was doing an interview for Indiestyle with Richie Vernon (keyboard player) and Matt Gooderson (guitars), which turned out to be a great experience. I'm pretty positive that these two guys must be the nicest interviewees I've had so far. It was kind of difficult to stay focused, though, considering the fact that Richie was already wearing his stage make-up (see pictures below) whilst talking about less funny things like being ripped off by their tour manager. But really, they were absolutely great - friendly, witty and not looking the slightest bit annoyed.

The same greatness was to be found in their gig. I missed out on them at Pukkelpop (good excuse, though: Carlos Barât), but I never want to miss out on them ever again when they come back to Belgium. It was one hell of a party, from the first note to the last one.

If you know Dutch, feel free to read my review on Digg*: http://www.digg.be/gigs.php?id=446 The interview will be up on Indiestyle one of the next days.

Here's some pictures:






Talking about reviews, here's what I wrote about my beloved Paul Weller's gig the night before I went to London: http://www.digg.be/gigs.php?id=445

Cajun Boy in the City

There's a blog called Cajun Boy in the City that I've been reading for quite some time now, and lately I've been enjoying it so much that I thought I'd just have to share it with you guys.

It's not a blog on one specific subject, but recently the guy has been writing a lot about the American presidential elections.
I wouldn't say the writer is completely free from exaggeration or prejudice, but then again, who is? Mostly, I really enjoy his clever insights on political interviews, debates etc.

Definitely worth checking out!

London day 4