The anti-nazi, riot-prompting noisemakers return to the stage this year with shows in Amsterdam and London. More shows are speculated, in particular a homecoming show in Berlin.
Atari Teenage Riot in 1999
Other notable gigs lined up in 2010 include Ash, LCD Soundsystem, Nitzer Ebb, and Four Tet
The 2000s seem to have gone by in a flash, but a lot has happened since then, not least in the world of entertainment. The lists below, prompted by a casual search through iTunes and wikipedia, made clear just how significant these releases became, and how they have become synonymous with certain events and places.
Top 20 films 2000-2009 (in no particular order):
- One Hour Photo
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
- Memento
- Adaptation
- Mulholland Drive
- Notorious Bettie Page
- Sean of the Dead
- Wall-E
- American Psycho
- Mean Girls
- Zoolander
- Mystic River
- Thank You for Smoking
- The Science of Sleep
- The Pianist
- Spider
- Les Choristes
- Bienvenue chez les Chi’tis
…make 19. Honourable mentions go to:
Milk
High Fidelity
Being John Malkovich
Amores Perros
Top 5 albums of 2009:
- Robbie Williams – Reality Killed the Video Star
- Placebo – Battle for the Sun
- A Place to Bury Strangers – Exploding Head
- Mew – No More Stories Are Told Today, I’m Sorry, They Washed Away
- Silversun Pickups – Swoon
Top 10 albums of the decade:
- Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
- Kylie – X
- Robbie Williams – Intensive Care
- The Postal Service – Give Up
- Kylie – Body Language
- We Are Scientists – With Love and Squalor
- Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I-IV
- My Ruin – A Prayer Under Pressure of Violent Anguish
- Kylie – Light Years
- Autolux – Future Perfect
Honourable mentions:
Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
Soulwax – Nite Versions
Appleton – Everything’s Eventual.
For a wider retrospective, have a look at the BBC lists for the decade. Could you imagine a world where none of those things had happened?
Sorry to write three posts in a row about this, but I simply must brag about this Techdirt article:
But Bittorrent can’t be used for any legitimate purpose, right? And musicians can’t possibly embrace what the technology allows? Once again, we’re seeing why those who embrace what technology allows will do just fine moving forward. It’s only those who think that the answer is to bring out the lawyers and try to hold back progress who will find themselves struggling to create business models that work.
Following their short mention of our project in the start of 2009, Rolling Stone have written about the release of Another Version of the Truth: The Gift:
Reznor also logged into his sporadically used Twitter for the second time this month to write “Nine Inch Nails fans kick ass. Blown away,” along with a link to a collaborative concert video that the NIN team made with their fans. Another Version of the Truth: The Gift was filmed by the NIN crew during three Lights in the Sky concerts in 2008 with high-quality cameras. Then the massive amount of raw footage was distributed to the fans, who collaborated to edit it down into a cohesive live document. The finished product — available on DVD, iPod, YouTube and, coming soon, Blu-ray — is up for free download over on the This One is On Us Website.
12 months,
a core team of dozens (with a network of thousands)
spanning 3 continents,
4 languages,
5 specialist teams,
countless sleepless nights…
It’s finally here.
Filmed in Sacramento, Portland, and Victoria by the Nine Inch Nails team, and directed, edited, and produced by their fans, The Gift is a stunning work in 1080 High Definition video with 5.1 Surround Sound, multi-language subtitles, and artistically-driven ethics.
Gift is available in various formats, including DVD, iPod, Youtube, and 1080p computer download. For more information, visit thisoneisonus.org
Filed under: portfolio
The Marsh and Parsons London Portrait showcases homes on offer around the capital in a “travel guide” style format.
Issue 2, “London Leads the Recovery: Property in your Area” features a photo I took of Northcote Road Antiques Market earlier in the year. You can see it in this PDF copy on page 55.
Filed under: Life
I left my permanent job last month, and am diving back into freelancing until something new comes up. The new lifestyle isn’t working out too badly. I have a few temp contracts on the go – from agency work to keep the pennies coming in, to a handful of travel articles for a radio company. So far, there’s been nothing to regret or get sour about, and I have a lot of friends going through the same thing, either due to redundancy, a career change, or just frustration in their current job. My next PCOS clinic is on Tuesday and things are looking more optimistic on that front too.
2006 was terrible, 2007 was magical, 2008 saw a lot of change and 2009 was a whirlwhind. I think 2010 will bring exciting times!
The account below of Olaf’s attack on London Bridge was based on Norse song. This incident is said to be the inspiration for the nursery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down”.
London Bridge is Pulled Down by King Olaf c.1014
Snorri Sturlson
So says [the scald] Ottar Svarte: “London Bridge is Broken Down. Gold is won and bright renown. Shields resounding, War-horns sounding, Hild is shouting in the din! Arrows singing, Mail-coats ringing – Odin makes our Olaf win!
From London: The Autobiography – 2,000 years of the capital’s hisptry by those who saw it happen
Slightly more touristy than my last trip to Paris, here’s a photoblog fresh from this week featuring most of the city’s landmarks:
(Unfortunately there are no museum trips to report on due to the Paris Museum Strike)
Filed under: comment, culture, music
Following venues like the Boardwalk, Hammersmith Palais, and more recently the Astoria and Bar Phono, another much-cherished niche music venue faces closure.
theSubculture, which was established in 2005 when Leeds’s Merrion Centre threatened to close down its two music venues due to licensing and security issues, has been a hub of eclecticism, holding retro events, craft markets, theme parties, burlesque shows and student-run club nights. Its friendly staff, colourful walls and central location made it an ideal retreat for people from all walks of life – from kids doing their homework at the Pubculture on Saturday afternoons, to grey haired punks reliving their younger years into the early hours.
Due to an increase in rent, and several debts, however, the venue once again faces closure, which would be a sad fate for one of the few remaining gems in a city that is fast becoming homogenised. The club’s owner, Sarah McCormick, has started the Save the Subculture campaign, and is accepting suggestions for fundraising ideas.
People who have performed within these walls include:
Club nights include: