Pat!

When are you coming either to the STATES or JAPAN? Just ran into Wayne (Flaming Lips) in downtown Tokyo(Omotesando Dori actually) and instantly thought of you whilst talking with him.

In any case, hit me back when you can and glad to see you are still keeping your music going. Good music, like your music, really does matter and is therapy for a rather fucked up world we live in.

Cheers,

Michael

writer/photojournalist/colleague/fan

http://smashingmag.com/data_base/staff/michael.html

Sorry for never mailing you before.

Pat!

Never mind the STATES and JAPAN - when are you/you and Wilson coming back to OXFORD? We Oxford people have been far and wide to hear you - we beseech you for a return visit.

Plenty of new songs in this set, the names of which I'm not quite sure of, as well as a few favourites like "Ugliest Song in the World" and "Land." He may have billed it as a bizarre piece of time travel, but I don't think he delved further back than "Condition Blue." Both performer and audience seemed to display slight nervousness to begin with, audience keeping well clear as if they'd heard rumours of Pat's terrible tendency to bite, or perhaps because the PA was timpanum-threateningly beefy. But both sides relaxed into it, and the audience were more appreciative than the one he got at the David Devant gig. Highpoints were the song about Brian Wilson (is this "Beautiful Mind"?) and a particularly snarling version of "Buffalo Sniper." The Eider / Crouch posse arrived at 9pm, demonstrating that, whatever their skills in melody and harmony, they need to work on timing.

Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/antisyzygy/sets/72157594283609516/

I'm still reeling from the Woodentops. They were good in Northampton on Sunday, but one song going wrong and some slightly meandering new material drained some of the energy from their set there. Tonight it was much crisper, and they were more adventurous with the old material.