can you feel the knife?

Wanting to embrace the Halloween spirit before going to the (highly anticipated) Grizzly Bear/London Symphony Orchestra gig at the Barbican in the evening, I sat down this afternoon to watch À l'Intérieur.

Ho. Lee. Fuck. Mind scarred forever; another addition for my Most Fucked Up list. The French know how to do brutal horror films, they really do.

After that filmic experience, I ended up walking to the Barbican after realising that (a) with all the TFL closures this weekend, it would be nigh on impossible to public transport it, and (b) Barbican is actually only about 20 minutes, give or take, walk away from me. Plus, I kind of needed the walk to come out of film shock. I'm not knocking the film - it clearly works to have had such an effect, and I'm actually quite a fan of the French new wave horror films that have been coming out in the past few years. It's just not exactly a calming precursor to an evening of orchestral indie music...

Finally got to the Barbican and met up with J-Dig, then took our seats. Grizzly Bear and the LSO, oh my. Love love love. GB are pretty much one of my favourite ever bands, and seeing them play in that space, with the orchestra backing them, was just incredible.

jumped the halloween gun

Couldn't wait for actual Halloween so carved my pumpkin this evening. So much fun.

Last year's effort.

hollaween

This year's pumpkin, which I carved yesterday afternoon (still unemployed, too much free time on my hands...). Based on:

My sister is epileptic and this usually doesn’t impede on her/our life much – she’s photosensitive, petit mal, so things like TV static, rapidly flashing or jump-cut images and strobe lights aren’t great (her friends are pretty good about clamping a hand over her eyes if they’re out at a club with strobes, and watching Dark Knight this summer was pretty interesting, some bad lighting effects in that). Halloween is the only time of year it really sucks. We’re trying to plan a good Scary Movie Night, and so many films are being shot down because of some faulty wiring in her brain – Poltergeist? No can do. Blair Witch or Cloverfield? Shaky-cam would knock her out. The Ring? Hello to the tv static. Goddamn epilepsy. I mean really, it’s awfully selfish of her to ruin movie night...

[For the record, any non-seizure-inducing films I mentioned all got shot down too, and people started talking about Disney horror… which is, in itself, frankly horrifying].

happy halloween

Many tricks and treats to you all.

happy halloween

A dinner party chez nous with the Lover kids [who also love myspace]. Animal masks are whipped out and pumpkins are ready to be carved... and I have to head back in the city for the show at Snitch. Boo.

Misshapes!

Misshapes. Leaving home without a jacket and regretting it the minute I stepped out from the subway. Fly-posting Don Hills with Littlans and Horrors posters the minute I got in there. Noticing how much Don Hills has changed and smartened up. The Hammerhead shark wandering round. Ben Littlan bringing me up a large vodka-cranberry from their supply in the basement VIP room. Just heading down there myself a couple minutes later, running into Jackie who's holding a glass of straight vodka for me - which goes straight in the pint glass Ben has given me. Waiting upstairs for the IS and talking to some adorable [young] LA hipsters. And talking about Cory Kennedy, of all things. And them buying me a drink. Spending most of the evening downstairs in the basement, but the order of things is a little hazy as I haven't really been drinking for the past six or so months and suddenly there's free alcohol just *there*. Talking with Jenny Penny who was wearing the most awesome Jackie-O-on-assassination-day costume. Someone trying to introduce me and Hot Scott and him saying "Whataya doing, she's an old Misshapes regular!" Lame, but it totally made my evening and made me feel like I was actually back in NY. Talking to Rhys "Spider" Horror - a sweetheart. Not a fan of the NME tour.

People digging Littl'ans set. Ronnie being as crazy as ever. Running into Quinn and giving her a smiley face necklace that Dan and I had created earlier and a glowstick. Raverrrr. Heading back to the basement. Talking to Karen and being introduced to Brian Battjer. Knocking a beer bottle to the floor. Oops. Wishing Geordon a happy belated. The Horrors set totally tripping people out. The strobe lighting tripping *me* out.

Eventually deciding to peace out. Heading to the pub round the corner to use their bathrooms as Don Hill's' were blocked up - as ever. Grabbing a cab with Quinn to 1st. Some dude on 1st hollering "Yeah girl, red pants. Work it!" at me. Getting the L. Waiting for the G. Freezing my ass off getting home. Falling into bed.