Blog: Tonight We're Gonna Party Like It's 1998

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Oh the glamorous whirl of modern life in London's Fashionable London Area Of London - call me the natural successor to Nigel Dempster if you will (actually, please don't), for LO! last night I went to a book launch AND a concert. GET! ME!

The book launch was for "Wiffle Lever To Full", the new book by Mr Bob Fischer, who I know through doing a couple of sessions for his show on BBC Middlesborough. I went thinking it might be him sat in a corner with a pile of books, but it was RIGHT PROPER - there was a CROWD of excited people, HUGE piles of books, and several People From The Publishers. He seemed a) DELIGHTED b) AMAZED that this was all actually happening, and said so quite forcefully during the bit where he read out sections.

The best bit was when they presented him with a MILLENIUM FALCON, which he'd never got as a child, it was lovely. THEN a great big QUEUE of people formed to get their copy signed - I've only read the first bit so far (as am currently embroiled in Alex James's Rock Biography, which follows ALL the rules of Rock Biographies, and is also BRILL) but it's already LOVELY, FUNNY, and rather heart-warming. It's supposedly about him attending a whole string of sci-fi conventions over the course of the year, but seems to be a LOT about growing up in the 70s and 80s, and so rather touches a NERVE with me - even if I had not been PLIED with free champagne i would be recommending it!

After that I zipped over to Islington to The Buffalo Bar, for an Indietracks Warm-Up Gig featuring Pocketbooks, The Zebras and Airport Gurl. I had a BRILLIANT night, tho it was a little strange. It was full of all the LOVELY people from the current indiepop scene, but also featuring a heady mix of VETERANS like me from the post-Belle & Sebastian scene of 1998. I was sat out the back of the pub DOUBTLESSLY THRILLING some of the youngsters by saying "ah me! Delia From Mambo Taxi is on the door, Sean From Airport Gurl is promoting, Ben From The Meldoy Maker is here and all we need is Mr John Jervis of WIAIWYA Records to get the full set!" ONE minute later we were in the queue to get in, chatting to THE JERV. I fully expected JIM RATTAIL to appear, but I guess he'd gone to see DONKEY instead.

Pocketbooks were, as ever, GRATE, and played a LOT of new stuff. I'm afraid I got a bit over-excited and ended up offering "helpful" "tips" on how they should go and record their new album. Like all the current bunch of indiepop kids they are EXTREMELY polite when confronted by the elderly, and did NOT say "SHAT IT GRANDAD!", which would have been well within their rights, and thus me and fellow 98 VETS stood around saying how much NICER things are now then 10 years ago.

This meant a lot of standing round upstairs (too hot for us old folks in the basement!) so I missed most of The Zebras, but did get down in good time for Airport Gurl, and LOVED hearing all the songs I first heard them play SO many years ago, tho again DISAPPOINTED by the lack of "Judy & The Dream Of Horses", which they'd ALWAYS do back then. I missed the very end, having to SLINK OFF to get the Overground home, but I did so filled with the HAPPY KNOWLEDGE that NOW is the really GRATE time to be doing this sort of thing.

And tomorrow, by way of proof: INDIETRACKS!!

posted 24/7/2008 by MJ Hibbett

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