viva la cobra indeed

Sunday night. London Astoria 2. Cobra Starship & All Time Low. Lots of teenagers in hoodies (y'know, like emo/punk style hoodies, not hoodie-hoodies). Running late as ever, we miss the first band, though that was partially intentional, get there in time to grab a drink and find a place to stand (up on the balcony thank you very much; no floor standing for me. Have I not already outlined that I'm old now and can't handle mixing it up with the raring-to-go youth?)

The band come on and play a good set, though I'm not familiar with stuff from their new album (does that make me a bad friend?) apart from the horrendously catchy Guilty Pleasures (with its hilarious videos). Make attempts to get hold of people, then run into Victoria in the glassed-off section of the bar who gets Alex. He walks us backstage; my sister is weirdly psyched about this, despite the amounts of times I've mentioned how unglam it actually is. I think she is still surprised by *this* however: a small poky dark green room that can barely hold five people comfortably - that the two co-headliners are sharing. There's rum and beer and pitta bread and Sainsburys Economy Jam and flying saucers, and at one point after the gig has ended and both bands plus assorted friends are in and around the dressing room, a big Disney singalong starts off, a medley of Aladdin hits. It's the most unglamourous, un-rock'n'roll thing, like, ever. Though very funny.

After wandering round Soho looking for food and Alex being accosted by various fans who are still hanging outside the venue and the bus taking ages to pack and leaving way beyond bus call, the bus finally moves off and heads a very circuitous and long route back to Shepherds Bush. We're on the upper deck, sat round a table watching series 1 of 24, along with three of All Time Low (seem nice, very young, quite drunk) and three groupies girls (I never know how to feel about these girls. I'm sure they know what they're doing, but they always seem so young. And I always just wander, "Why??" I'm not sure I get the groupie mindset) along for the ride...

We go grab a corner booth while the bands and crew check in. The hotel bar is painfully expensive; a couple of people have already ordered drinks but then Gabe turns up with wine and vodka taken from the bus, which is sneakily drunk in the corner. Some of the De La Soul tour are propping up the bar, which everyone tries not to look at too obviously, but - De La Soul! Holy shit.

Eventually it's like 2am; my sister has to be up at 6 for a call time of 8am in East London, so after arranging to pick Alex up the following afternoon as he's invited himself round for "tea" (what else, in England?), we head on out, grab a bagel to share at the 24 hr place on Bush Green then jump on a bus down to Hammersmith to get the night bus back on out to our neck of West London. When I finally crash, I'm beyond relieved (for a change) that I have no work the next morning, and do not envy my sister in the slightest...

how you know you're getting old

1. When you prefer a "nice sit down" and a mug of tea to hanging out at music festivals

The Cobra boys are in town; after some brief hang time on Friday night at Victoria's flat in Kensington (which, by the way, is drool-worthy), their first gig is the next day at Give It A Name. Alex puts me on the list with a +1.

We head down there in time for their set at 4ish, walk the wrong way round Earls Court Centre, double back on ourselves, eventually get in. It's very dark inside. Fi wants to get to the front, I prefer to steer clear of teenage moshers, so we settle for somewhere in the middle. It's fun that most of the kids around us know the words to the songs and are dancing and stuff, but like I say, I'm not into the big crowds so duck back a ways. Their set finishes, we escape the crowds, I try to text one of the US cell phones but I'm not even sure they have them on. Fi veers towards Pizza Express in the outer hall but the lines are massive. Both of us would quite like a sit down.

We decide then to leave - we've seen the band we want to see, the only others that interest me aren't on till much later that night. We get off at Turnham Green to stop for ice cream at Fouberts, get some groceries, walk back to the car that we've left in W4, then drive home. Collapse on the sofa with a cuppa to watch Dr Who (The Doctor's Daughter. I had some issues with it, but still. Sob.) and barely move for the rest of the evening. Rock n roll.

2. When drunken BBQs turn into family-friendly affairs

The next day is amazingly hot and sunny. We'd been trying to organise a BBQ for today but as of Saturday night it's only going to be me, my sister, and her friend Katy, which means less BBQing and more lying in the sun with a glass of something cold and alcoholic. As the sun heats up, it seems everyone that couldn't make it before, or wasn't sure if they could, suddenly want in on the grilled meat action. We somehow have eight people turning up and no food, so an emergency trip to Tescos is called for. Food, drink, ice cream. Someone else is bringing the Pimms. There's lots of beer in the fridge. Party time.


We get home and sort food out and then decide to make the garden more toddler-friendly, as the godson is coming over. He brings over his paddling pool, for the amusement of all. The Binnie-Marston clan also turn up, so we now have two under-2s among us. There are more soft drinks around than beer, and the Pimms doesn't even get opened. Everyone lounges in the sun, the music plays (at a neighbourhood-friendly - I hope - volume), people read the Sunday papers, Sam makes me bring down our uni yearbook (laughs all round). All in all it's a thoroughly civilised affair; a far cry from the house party style BBQ of our youth that we had perhaps envisioned, but is there really anything wrong with that? After all, we can't stay young forever, and what's so great about youthful recklessness anyway?

Reading Festival 2007

Friday night: head to the K West with Alex, Ryland and Nate as their bus leaves at midnight. Having an earnest political discussion with William (TAI) at the bar over vodkas and whiskeys, Suarez palms me a guest ticket and all-access pass for Reading Festival the next day. Genius.

Saturday: oversleep. Debate taking wellies after reports of mud, decide against it (end up wearing sneakers that give me blisters. Ouch). Hop on the train to Reading, once there follow the crowds to the festival grounds. Get sent to about five different gates and access points, doing almost a complete circle of the perimeter before someone notices the AA pass and says 'Well, you could have got in anywhere with that.' Now they tell me.

Miraculously find CS quite quickly once inside. Hotter than a - well, it's very hot out so I welcome sitting down in the (relative) cool and shade of their portakabin dressing room (which is about as luxurious as it sounds). Steal a bottle of water from their fridge, say hi to Gabe and Ryland when they show up. Ryland tells us about some journalist, Guy Ripley, who's around somewhere...

The day basically progresses as such: sit in the shade drinking and hanging out with peoples, walk around to the main stage to watch The Shins/Bloc Party/Arcade Fire, walk back to the dressing room area for more shade-sitting and drinking...



At one point we're all sitting in the yard between the dressing rooms when someone approaches us and asks the kids in the bands (two of Victoria's friends are here too) to do a drawing for charity (or something), which everyone gets way in to:



When Cobra goes on stage I venture out into the masses to meet up with two girls from work who are at the Festival all weekend. We're at the back of the tent where the boys are playing and still everyone around us seems to know all the words, which is cool.

With my AA pass I'm allowed on to the viewing platforms sidestage of the main stage so got some pretty killer views of the acts and the crowds (Suarez, I don't think I said thank you enough!)


Bloc Party




Arcade Fire

Probably should have made more effort to see bands whilst there but the heat and crowds cause major apathy - and I get to see the main bands I'm interested in anyway. I split after Arcade Fire as it's now dark and I have to walk back to the station and shit, and to be honest, by that stage I'm pretty festivalled-out.

On the train on the way back I get a text: "I'm at Reading Festival too! Am working in the Carling bar next to main stage, come find me for free drinks." Alas, too late! I get home and blissfully take of my slightly muddy sneakers and sit down to watch the highlights on BBC from the comfort of my sofa...

Full Decaydance photoset

The Decaydance Invasion

The Decaydance Invasion - photo set

Post-dim sum wanderings in Soho with Maria and Tayo, in Sister Ray on Berwick Street, browsing vinyl neither of us can really afford, my phone rings.

"Auntie Hannah!"

That name again. Can only be one person on the other end of that phone: the one and only Alex Suarez.

The Decaydance tour is in town: Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Gym Class Heroes, The Academy Is and Cobra Starship all in London to play the Hammersmith Apollo, to the delight of emo-teens everywhere.

We arrange to meet by the tour bus entrance later on, as we did last time. Only unlike last time, when I get there, there are hordes of teens waiting there too and when Alex comes down to meet me and give me my pass, they all start screaming his name. Which weirds me out a little. He agrees to pose for a couple of quick photos then we make our escape. He has to head back in as Cobra are line-checking, I say hi to Ryland and Gabe, then once line-check is over it's back upstairs to the dressing room. Theirs is on the top floor: "We like to call it the executive suite, but really it's just the furthest from the stage..." Victoria is in there with her friends who've come for the show too, Carly and Will, and vodka tonics are poured though it's not even 6pm.

Carly, Will and I nervously stand sidestage as final preps are made for Cobra's set, careful we're not getting in the way or to accidentally pull out any wires. Although they're the first band on and the audience is still being let in to the Apollo, Cobra gets a good reaction; a lot of cheering and yelling and singing along and snakes - and bras(!) - thrown on stage.

Back upstairs, more drinks, Suarez heads to shower and I go for a wander round the Apollo. Pretty much same old, same old, so I give up and wait for Alex then we go to catering. I'm still full from dim sum but he gets food and others trickle in: Ryland, Bob McLynn, Nate, William Beckett.

There's more drink, more chat, some myspace checking, more drink, missing all of TAI's and GCH's sets, checking out Panic!'s set for like a song then hunting down more beers, more talking, sitting in the tour bus, hearing that Plain White Ts had gone on randomly to do 'Hey There Delilah', then a lot of people heading in for the remainder of FOB's set. We get in as they're in the middle of covering 'Beat It' (the MJ classic). I edge a little further out on side stage so I can see beyond the guitars and crates littering the area and find myself next to a tiny girl in a red hoodie and black hat, which makes me think 'I need to wear hats more'; the girl then turns around and I realise it's Ashlee Simpson. She is ridiculously small. I mean, most of FOB are pretty pint-sized, but she's adorably little.

After FOB finish up everyone heads out - we've lost Suarez at this point and I'm with Ryland who's clutching a bottle of Jameson that I keep eyeing and talking to Ryan (P!ATD) about the similarity of their names (of all things). A Decaydance group photo is called for.

Someone mentions the in-venue afterparty so I head up to the upstairs bar with Will where we find it's open bar on wine and beer. Somehow it gets to 12:20ish; most people I'm with have already decided to boycott the official afterparty at China Whites that Travis is DJing, and I decide, before anymore alcohol clouds my judgement, to call it a night (laaaaaame-o) so say my goodbyes and head on out, because I'm getting - ssh, say it quietly, old - and I'm just not quite rock'n'roll enough...

more dork action

Picture the scene: it's the wettest day in NY since 1977. Torrential rain. Subways flooded. We're in Brooklyn - Carroll Gardens to be precise - in a Japanese restaurant. Lauren and I are sat eating noodles (paid for with the $90 I've just been given as a reward, see earlier post). I ask how the boys' video shoot is going, as they're in LA that weekend for it.

"They have to wear lycra bodysuits."

I guffaw with laughter and try not to picture that too clearly as Lauren texts Ryland to make sure he takes lots of potentially embarrassing photos of aforementioned outfits for us to laugh over.

Six weeks later: the video appears on youtube. And whilst rocking the fake mustache look is one thing, the bodysuits are in a league of their own...



[Also, remember to vote...]

Pop - Punk Is Sooooo '05, part 1

I've been up since 5am as we're doing a car boot sale. Deciding that getting up that early has to be worth something, I have a 99 Flake for breakfast (highly nutritious). I get home about 1:45pm, fall into bed, don't quite even manage to doze off before my mobile rings. A familiar American accent at the other end:

"Auntie Hannah!"

Ahh, I'd forgotten that nickname. So Cobra Starship (two fifths of whom are good friends from my time in NY) have landed. On tour with Fall Out Boy (no link necessary; unless you've been living under a rock you must know who they are) and in the UK to play some shows with them. Which I may have mentioned before in previous posts...

I force myself straight out of bed and into the shower so I have no chance of falling asleep, and head over to Brixton Academy where they're finishing up sound check. I arrive about twenty past five. The line to get in starts at the main Academy doors and stretches down most of one side of the building, which surprises me that early (doors don't open till 7). I hang outside reading until sound check is over and Alex Suarez comes out and gives me a huge hug. We go to find a phonebox so he can call home, and I'm more shocked to see the line has actually started stretching round the second side of the Academy. Phone booth No.1 doesn't seem to work. We go for a walk, I point out the highlights of Brixton on a Sunday evening ("That's the tube station... off licence... Sainsburys....") We get back to the Academy and the line has now gone round all four sides of the block and has started on past the entrance. We consider going for a drink, find another phonebox first that actually works this time. While I'm waiting for him to finish his phone call, the line slowly snakes past us.... it's spiralling outwards from the Academy entrance round the block then round another block. I can't quite get my mind around this, it's INSANE. I've never seen anything like it. I've also never seen so many teenagers in hoodies and too much eyeliner...

We head back and go in to the Academy - Suarez wants his dinner. I go to the VIP bar, get a drink, halfheartedly watch Shiny Toy Guns. Head down into the fray to watch Cobra. Suddenly feel horrendously old as realise that I am totally surrounded by aforementioned teenagers that were in line. Hoodies, eyeliner (girls and boys) and braces (metal ones on teeth) abound. And they all seem to be making out with each other. GROSS.

Cobra play a good set - there seem to be a few technical issues, strings breaking and so on, and Gabe stumbles on stage fucking up his ankle at one point - but he's a good front man, and Ryland is great at the banter and they keep the show going and everyone around me seems to be getting into it, which makes me happy.

There's a Cobra Starship tradition of getting a kid up on stage during 'Bring It (Snakes On A Plane)' to do the rap that Travis from Gym Class Heroes usually does, so after much combing the crowd, he pulls some girl up on stage.... who turns out to not even remotely know the rap at all. Laaaaame.

I snake (haha) my way through the crowd back up to the vip bar where I run into the lovely Em. She introduces me to a couple of other people and we play 6 Degrees of Gurj, who we all have in common. Suarez comes out, I send him back to fetch Ryland who I haven't yet seen (and bring me back a vodka tonic from the bottle they have in their room...)

The evening starts to blur as the bar fills up... I talk to some guy who was interviewing Cobra pre-show and who is a little starstruck by Pete Wentz's mom. Later on he and his girlfriend start having little domestics in front of me and it gets a tad uncomfortable. I totally miss the FOB set - and the sound in the bar is terrible so I barely even notice they're playing. Much discussion occurs later about where to go... I end up jumping in the van with them (but it's so much more than a van!) and catching a ride back to West London. Half the band jump out in Knightsbridge to go to a restaurant that's open late where some friends are - my eyes are barely staying open so I pass on it and head home for some immediate and serious shut eye...

this is *so* a scene

The ever-lovely Alex Sarti hooked me up for the Fall Out Boy show at Hammersmith Palais last night (ahh, the Palais, thee of the eternally sticky floor).

I hate to admit but I was pretty stoked to see them. The crowd at the Palais did not disappoint - totally full of emo-teens. Pink Spiders supported - saw 'em at Roseland when Cobra played there last October - but we kinda missed their set this time around 'cause we were running a bit late.

We eventually managed to find a good spot - far far away from the mosh pit. I'm an old woman. The show was taped to be released as Leaked in London, a bonus disc when Infinity on High gets a proper release (not that I don't already have a leaked copy, oh no, not at all). I'd promised Gurj that I'd holler her name during a quiet moment so she'd hear it on the record (naively assuming it wouldn't be edited out) - which I had forgotten about until a couple songs before the end, when I laughingly reminded my sister what I had said. The next quiet moment comes along and all of a sudden, from next to me: "GURJ!" I turn to stare at her, and she's cracking up.

Pete seemed to be the only one that ever really chatted with the audience (including "All you bloggers can blog this!": *flips the bird*), and he totally took his life in his hands by jumping into the crowd during the last song (Saturday). But they seemed to be having fun with it.

And of course, a high point for me right at the end when PW said they'd be back in the Spring with my boys Cobra. It's nice having friends in bands. It means when you can't afford to get back to NY at least there's a chance they might tour over here. So here's to the Mar/April FOB/Cobra dates. Hurrah.

oye senor DJ

i love these dorks. nice to see the PMC-style mustaches getting some quality video time.

Snakes On A...

So the Cobra boys were back in town, for one night only. They're currently on the MTV $2 Bill Tour, with 30 Seconds To Mars [haha], Head Automatica & Men, Women & Children [who had their gear stolen in Detroit - check their myspace page for how to help 'em out] and are touring, like, all autumn. Boo Cobra and MTV.

A pass was procured for me so I could go see Alex and Ry, my old homies [fact: Alex Suarez is the first NY kid I ever spoke to, at Trash @ Rififi in May 2005. He's one of the raddest people around]. I met Sarah H from work [have I mentioned before that I work a couple blocks from where Lauren & Sarah work? And how awesome that is?] and we headed over to W'burg, where Lauren and Alex were "napping". Once everyone was ready we headed into the city and up to Roseland, miraculously meeting up with Ryland and Kristen on the L.

We caught the very end of MW&C's set, went up to the reserved staged seating area [I heart passes] and met up with Joe-Nightmare of You and Gurj, and half watched Pink Spiders [loud. stripes]. Then Cobra Starship came on. For like the first song I sat there with a stupid grin on my face - after being used to watching Alex & Ryland play a couple of feet from me in places like Cake Shop or the Delancey [in their other band, Ivy League, who I've mentioned more than a few times on here] it was so awesome seeing them up there on a huge stage. Gabe was jumping around like all good frontmen, Ry and Alex were totally rocking out. For their last song they did Snakes On A Plane, and Gabe got some girl to come up on stage and do the rap, which was pretty funny - although not as funny as Lauren jumping up and turning to us when she saw the girl, saying "Ohmigod that girl mystalks me!"

After their set we kinda wandered around, headed up to the green room, back downstairs. Lauren and Alex and Sarah disappeared to the tour bus for a bit. I chatted to some intern from Warners, Head Automatica came on and played a horrendously loud set, accompanied by loud frat-boy yelling from the guys at the table next to us - who Gurj summed up best by yelling "Spring Break! Yeaaahhhh!". Ugh. After H.A.'s set I went and joined them in the tourbus, dashing through the pouring rain [the weather was terrible - I had like three comedians making some "must be like home" "guess you get this all the time" "so this is London weather" riffs that night].

Alex Sarti dragged most of the band out to do a meet-and-greet signing thingy so we all cotched on the bus with its overly-effective aircon, nibbling at the band's apple-cranberry pie [Sorry guys. Hadn't eaten all day] and admiring the rubber snakes adorning the bus. Walked back through Roseland towards the end of the 30STM set, to see Jared Leto jumping around on stage, wearing all black, shouting "Father Kill Me!" - hi-LAR-ious - to the merch area, where we were crushed by hordes of teenage girls and Suarez handed me a CD.

Back on the bus, still pissing with rain, trying to decide for far too long what to do. Lower East Side was most frequently mentioned, but the weather and general tiredness seemed to prevent anyone from even moving. Eventually about midnight we headed round the corner to a 24-hr diner - where we were almost kicked out straight away: "Table for 15 I think - oh FUCK!" In the middle of asking for a table, Sarti spied the World Series results. The poor Mets fan wasn't impressed. We got seated in the back, in the corner, and were given our food pretty fast...

In the end, no one ended up doing anything. Bus call was 5am and the Cobra boys went back to the bus to try and sleep, and everyone else was tired and cold and soaking and just headed en masse to the subway, and home.

And *that*, children, is what they call rock 'n roll...

i can see the venom in your eyes

i know, i know, everyone has already blogged about the cobra starship/snakes on a plane song, but i have to admit i too am totally obsessed with the song. and the video.

we've been working all evening [it's now twenty past midnight and we're still here...] on stuff that's like so not "discemo", as i believe it's now being called, but i just can't stop listening to this track.

not cobrasnake