things mean a lot

10 notes &

Top 10 Concerts of 2011:

  1. Sufjan Stevens at (if I had to order them) Coliseu de Lisboa, Manchester Academy, The Sage @ Gateshead, and Coliseu do Porto. I could go on and on about these shows yet again, but I’ll refrain - most people who read this tumblr will know that those two weeks in May were the highlight of my year. And with that in mind, I’ll cheat and consider all four shows a single event for the purposes of this list. Best moment: hard to pick, but maybe this.

  2. Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley Ninja gig at The Penthouse, Edinburgh - I’m not even sure if this counts as a concert, but hey, there was plenty of music involved. A magical evening, for all these reasons.

  3. The Twilight Sad (acoustic) at The Electric Circus, Edinburgh - and earlier that same evening1, I saw this: an acoustic show by a band I mostly love for their guitars, but which completely blew my mind. I think I loved the amazing Cure and Depeche Mode covers as much as their own songs.

  4. The Decemberists at Manchester Academy 1 - The show that finally catapulted me from “yeah, they’re a pretty good band” to real fandom. I somehow didn’t expect them to be anywhere near this good live, but I was blown away. 

  5. Jason Webley at the Forest Café, Edinburgh - Another show I went to with no particular expectations, but came away from in awe. A passionate celebration of music and life that left everyone in the audience with a huge smile on their face. The guest appearances didn’t hurt either.

  6. Björk at Manchester International Festival - I went to two shows, but I’m not sure I can pick a favourite. The first had All is Full of Love; the second Unravel and Jóga. I was more familiar with the Biophilia songs the second time around, so perhaps the second show has a slight edge. Anyway - so glad to have finally seen her live.

  7. The Mountain Goats at Manchester Academy 2 - This! Need I say more?

  8. The National at The Corn Exchange, Edinburgh - Not by any means my favourite National show, but you can’t really go wrong with them. They’re my favourite band for a reason.

  9. St Vincent at The Deaf Institute, Manchester - Not my dream setlist (I love Strange Mercy, but I was hoping for more older material, especially as I’d only ever seen her as an opening act), but her energy live is just contagious. An amazing show.

  10. Patrick Wolf at Manchester Academy 2 - I saw him twice in 2011, but the March show was superior. Patrick Wolf is one of my favourite artists, and much like with The National I can’t imagine ever not enjoying one of his shows.

1 I also met Patrick Ness that afternoon - did this day really happen?

Filed under Music Concerts Life

4 notes &

I do not see myself as part of the marketing chain — a partner with authors and publishers marketing their books. I see myself as part of the reading chain — a partner with readers (and their gatekeepers), trying to find and match books with readers. Do the interests of readers, blogs, authors, and publishers sometimes overlap? Yes. Does that change my intent, my editorial control? No. I’ve always felt there should be a healthy tension, an independence, between blogs and publishers and authors, just like there is between mainstream media and publishers and authors. So, while publishers may indeed use things like media coverage and awards as part of their marketing, that doesn’t turn that coverage and awards into part of their marketing plan over which they have control.

Liz B, Send a Letter, Maria

One of a series of very interesting posts about last week’s events.

Filed under Books Reading quotes

5 notes &

Fanfarlo @ The Deaf Institute

Signs that you’re getting old: when the members of a band look incredibly young to you, particularly if it’s a band you’ve liked for 3+ years.

I have nothing lined up for December, so this was my last show of the year. It definitely ended things on a high note. 

Filed under Music Concerts