So, some stuff last week....
It seems kind of far away at the moment as the world turns its attention here, but there was a lot of good stuff going last week. We had Vis:onic at Belfast Art College, three days of audio-visual collaborations, the highlight for me was seeing a stunning show by Manitoba - now playing as a group and doing a neat line in twin drumkits and bear masks - ably supported by a much improved Clone Quartet. 'Proper' review soon!
Friday was our first time at Howl in the Orpheus. I had been meaning to get to this for a long time, but it took the promise of a solo set by Sarah Dougher (formerly of Cadallaca and the Crabs) to finally reel me in. What can I say? Great music, nice visuals, and a cool fanzine at the door. It may have been the first time I was there, it won't be the last.
War and Peace?
It feels so strange today as Bush and Blair are meeting in my home town (Hillsborough, Co Down) over the next two days. My Mum was on the phone last night giving off about the helicopters, but in Belfast all I have noticed is occasionally disrupted traffic.
First impressions suggest that this is a war summit, as Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice and Jack Straw are all in the gang, so our fragile peace process may not get a look in. If Northern Ireland doesn't make it to the agenda, the summit will be an even more cynical attempt to juggle war and peace than I had previously thought.
The big protest against these two did materialise - the protestors making their way along the empty dual carriageway on foot.
Protest Records
If you haven't heard of this since the war started, you should check out Protest Records, the online mp3 label run by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and New York web designer Chris Habib. News story on the label is here