Bricadelique

Yes, we are using the home wireless network, if you must know. Very handy it is too, although at present we are mere feet from the base station. Fun to have a laptop by the telly for when you'd like to look something up. And it keeps us out of cutesome companion's hair.

Think of this post as an exercise in catch-up, and chance to get our cultural and critical house in order before 2005. All the stuff we should have talked about earlier.

1)The first ever Trial And Error Recordings party at Club Infinity in Mayfair, a venue that we probably should have been going to ten years ago, but were now gracing in a suit. With a checked shirt, if you thought we could have Nick Caved our way out of it. Trial And Error have a legendary antecedent, apparently, a band called Simian that rocked Hoxton a year or so back. The last lot, Dolorosa, sounded the most like Gretschen Hofner of any band recently, although our associate for the night might be right that the singer has something of the Andrew Eldritch about him. During this set there was a 2-4-1 happy hour. Very important in London, that.

The main event consisted of Lions And Tigers, whose dedication to the animal theme of their label is admirable, although the name is not hugely good. Their grooves are sort of Beta Band rocking out by stealing Tortoise's instruments and metronome. So they have words, but not tunes. But they got very pretty during this tiny window of opportunity before they decided that Radiohead had invented a whole new type of music, so it was alright if they sounded like that. Which isn't true.

We then went to a Spanish bar to see how long we could tolerate obnoxiously drunk Colombians. FWORTEH!

2) House Of Flying Daggers (link to flash site). We're not trying to be contrary, but we much preferred Hero, which was grimier, and less honorable, and more epic and with added temples. Which isn't to say the scenery (90% woods and fields) wasn't stunning. Just that even natural beauty can get a bit monotonous, says this Seven fan. One for the ladies, like a Fosters and lime...

3) What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt. She writes as a middle-aged man trying to get into the head of a would-be Michael Alig. Freaky. We suspect that Lords Of Chaos will be more amusing, but that, like so much else, will wait for 2005.

Happy New Year, to everyone except the sharks at PC Richards.