2/11/2012 Fields of The Nephilim picturesHere are a few pictures of Fields of the Nephilim gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire - Wednesday 31st October 2012. Carl McCoy looked his usual fascinating self. I wonder whether he has discovered the elixir of life... For setlist and everything Fields of the Nephilim related, check out the excellent SUMERLAND website. For very good quality pictures and a review of the night, go to Ave Noctum. The planned support band didn't play and was replaced by Jordan Reyne. I am so so glad, because I have discovered a wonderful artist whose world is very similar to my own... And now a few "arty" shots of the main band... All this has been very inspiring, especially as I am writing a Gothic Novel at the moment!
31/10/2012 The Beauty of DarknessFields of The Nephilim are playing at Shepherd's Bush Empire and we will be there... Special... I will be getting inspiration for The Book of Thoth. A quick update on what is happening with the books.
I am listening to PJ Harvey's Stories from the city, stories from the sea, which matches the work I am doing at the moment: updating the various pages of this very website, thinking about my forthcoming books - which all contain stories from the city and stories from the sea... Today, I am reading through I Am a Muse to make sure it is ready for publication. Everything is now ready to be uploaded on Lulu, which I will be trying out on Sunday. I am so worried, I have butterflies in my stomach. This weekend was my deadline for uploading as I still would like to hit my November publishing date. If everything goes well and all the files upload properly, I should be able to order a proof copy of my book immediately. So Lulu will need to send the copy to me, then I will need to read through it and check that the printing has gone well. This should take another two weeks, if I am not interrupted by some freelance work - yes, it's money, but... Or it could all go wrong on Sunday and I will be in a spot of bother. *UPDATE 28/10/2012: I began reading through I Am a Muse on Friday. I couldn't help changing words, tweaking things... So this has now turned into a last minute revision of the manuscript, which is not cool as it will delay the publication further. I hope this will not take too long and I will be able to try out Lulu in the forthcoming days... In other news, I have now purchased two domain names for my websites so the addresses look more professional. So you will find me at www.missgish.com - well, here - and also at www.arcanepublishing.net. Business cards should get done in the forthcoming weeks. I have been updating details about my next books as I have been to a lot of inspiring places and events and my brain has been overheating this week (see previous blogs!). I have added the first writing piece for The Right Place HERE as well as some of the pictures taken during my holidays in Dorset earlier this month. I have used them as inspiration for that very piece. I have added some details on the Anti page. Walking around London has given me quite a few more ideas for my Urban Noir tale... I hope I will be able to go back to The Book of Thoth next week, but it looks like work is coming my way in the next few weeks. I will try and apply the "write everyday" rule nevertheless, let's see if I can do it. Usually, if I am working, my brain refuses to switch to "writing mode" and I can only write if I have a whole free day. I miss going to gigs... I still do, but not as much as I used to... When I lived in London and was a music journalist, it was free to get in, photo passes - I often had to take the pictures myself too! All this up to four/five times a week! Now I need to choose my gigs very carefully, as I do not live in London anymore and I am back to being a bog-standard punter. Anyhow... I will not write a review of the gig as it would take me at least two good hours, but I have posted a few pictures here and a video Neil Gaiman has shared on his Facebook page - it's of very good quality, it shows the fantastic atmosphere, good humour and magical feel of the night! I will sum up the evening with a few adjectives: MAGICAL, POIGNANT, ENERGETIC, DYNAMIC, CABARET-ESQUE, FABULOUS, POETIC, ECCENTRIC, DARK, GLITTERY, COLOURFUL, STIMULATING, THRILLING, HILARIOUS, COMFORTING, BEAUTIFUL, ROUSING, PUNK, EDGY, LIBERATING, ENTHRALLING, LIFE-AFFIRMING, CREATIVE... Every single individual involved was a gifted, talented artist, musician, composer, performer... I could go on. One thing I just HAVE to mention: when Amanda stopped the music and, alone on stage, started reading out short messages written by fans in attendance - the brief was "write a short message telling about something sad that has happened to you in your bedroom" and leave them in the box in the entrance of the venue - she read the harrowing messages in COMPLETE SILENCE. Apart from two drunken giggling girls at the back who got shouted out by a bloke and promptly shut up, THE WHOLE SOLD OUT VENUE was filled with a heavy, respectful silence, as if everyone present were holding their breath. This shows the incredible amount of respect those people have for Amanda Palmer and for what she does. This was really impressive, and believe me, I have been to a lot of gigs... That is the nature of cabaret: sad and light at the same time, a sort of poetic bio-polar beast that enchant without forgetting the reality of the human condition. And this, if you follow Amanda Palmer well, is what her art is about. We were treated to a multitude of special guests, my favourite being Amanda Palmer's husband, cult author Neil Gaiman, who performed Leon Payne's eerie Psycho accompanied by "a four-sawchestra". I have posted the video below. This video was shared by Neil Gaiman on his Facebook page this morning. And now, a few pictures of the night below. For some awesome pro quality pictures of the evening, go to Polly Thomas' Flickr photostream HERE. All pictures © Carya Gish 2012
25/7/2012 Culture Vulture blogI was going to write a blog about my intake of culture from last week, but my partner in crime was there before me, so if you want to read about the H.M Bateman exhibition at the Cartoon Museum, the Salon literature event about the Thames estuary, the Bauhaus exhibition at The Barbican and the gig that rendered us half-deaf for most of the weekend... go to Matt ArtPix's blog:
CULTURE VULTURE! 2/7/2012 Village Green 2012 Before moving to Westcliff-on-Sea almost three years ago, I had been a regular visitor for seven years, because this was where my boyfriend had - and still has - his flat. It was our "rest" place when we wanted to take a break from the relentless motion of the capital. The decision to move out of London was not an easy one, and was mainly driven by finances: it is indeed impossible to live in London if you wish to go freelance and pursue a more flexible, creative lifestyle and career (and you haven't got rich parents or a bulging contact list of influential people). As a Londoner, you have access to the best and the most diverse culture and entertainment the world can offer: music, theatre, exhibitions and events. I wasn't too worried, far from it: just board an (overpriced) train and you're back in London within the hour. Easy. Since I have been here, though, I have been able to enjoy some of my culture locally. Indeed, we are lucky enough to have The White Bus, The Palace Theatre, the Southend Shakespeare Company, The Lindisfarne Players and of course Metal to name but a few. It is extremely important that we support culture in Southend because it is what keeps a town alive and it is what will allow Southend to grow. Hopefully the new cultural centre on the Pier will add to its cultural allure. We are lucky to be so close to London, but we need people to see beyond the cliches and take notice. Most certainly, the success of this year's Village Green will contribute to it. Unfortunately, we couldn't be there the whole day, but we arrived around 2.30pm on time to skim through the programme and check out the three acts we definitely wanted to see: The Correspondents, Wilko Johnson and Lili la Scala's Cabaret. My music journalism days are behind me and I will not write the kind of detailed review I used to come up with on a regular basis. This is a general kind of report. This was an event for everyone; and I mean, EVERYONE. All tribes, all ages - from what looked like tiny babies only a few days old to fearless and fun-loving 80 year-old, side by side. Big dogs and - mostly - small cuuute dogs. Everyone having a great time, enjoying the sun, the music, the food, the art, the dancing, the vintage clothes, the beer, the cakes... Well planned, well organised and impeccably delivered - at least, that's what it looked like, but obviously, I wasn't in the production office! So here goes. After having covered the alternative scenes in London for 10 years as a music journalist, I can safely say that I've seen everything that one can see on stage: the beautiful, the charismatic, the ethereal, the ridiculous and the grotesque, the good, the bad and the ugly; but never ever the blandness of the mainstream. All this to say that I am still very demanding with my music and I am not easily seduced. I look for something original, new and challenging in some way. I wanted to catch The Correspondents because their website looked interesting. I stopped myself from listening to anything they had done and waited for their set at Village Green, and I wasn't disappointed. Mr Bruce and Chucks don't fall into any category - extra points in my book - and produce a surreal mishmash taking in Jazz, 20's music, jungle, drum'n'bass, electro, and more. Mr Bruce looks like the hyperactive cross between Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and an esoteric Mister Punch - his DIY costume is brilliant. They got the crowds going like crazy with their great beats, funny banter, Mr Bruce's outlandish dance moves and their delicious lyrics - and their energetic take on The Jungle Book's famous song, I Wanna Be Like You, was dedicated to all the under 12s present! A nice touch... We also managed to catch Wilko Johnson, local legend - Dr Feelgood's guitarist and super-charismatic personality... Even though this is not exactly my type of music, I enjoyed the gig very much thanks to the talent of the musicians - bass player Norman Watt-Roy is great to watch, and one can only be impressed by his biography. Another triumphant gig at Village Green for the Wilko Johnson Band! We also caught a little bit of Jake Shillingford's set... He used to front the band My Life Story in the 90s, and I thought it odd that I had actually never heard of them before... One learns everyday... Not exactly taken with Mr Shillingford, we wandered off to The White Bus' Cycle Cinema where we saw some hilarious Tom and Jerry cartoons, before going back to the Tea Dance stage for some cabaret... It was time for the Gilded Lili Variety Hour, a fantastic hour of cabaret, songs, juggling and loads of laughs. We really had a fabulous time there! Lili la Scala was hosting the event with charm, cheek and wit. We were treated to songs from our hostess, tricks and comedy from the talented Sam Wills and Mike Raffone - whose act The Conductor, in which he gets the crowd to perform Beethoven's Fifth symphony, was absolutely hilarious! It also got physical with the beautiful and highly skilled Lisa Lottie and the aerial Reuben Dotdotdot. See you all next year! Two days would be nice...
For another take on our day, go to Matt ArtPix's VILLAGE GREEN BLOG! 28/6/2012 Village GreenThis Saturday sees the return of Southend's culture festival, Village Green in Chalkwell Park. Even though none of the bands are among my favourites (sigh), I am sure it will be enjoyable anyway.
We are hoping to spend the day there and see as many things as possible! My intention is to do a little report for this very blog... Hopefully my camera won't let me down! 27/4/2012 Culture clashIt is not often that I link an article from The Guardian on here. But for once, they cover an aspect of our culture that doesn't go with the trends...
It is rare that really interesting, non-mainstream people are featured in that kind of paper... a nice change! CARL MCCOY IN THE GUARDIAN 11/2/2012 Ignite Books Gala Night - London MonarchLast Monday was the Ignite Books Gala night at The Monarch in Camden, London. The mini tour is the second one organised by indie press Ignite Books. Last April, the publisher celebrated its first release, Joolz Denby's novella The Curious Mystery of Miss Lydia Larking and the Widow Marvell. At the time, I had written a little report HERE. This time, Ignite Books were celebrating the launch of Joolz' stunning new novel, Wild Thing, which I have reviewed HERE. The book has been available on the New Model Army shop since December 2011 but is officially released - i.e will be available on Amazon (HERE), on Kindle, maybe even in bookshops(?) on February 14th 2012. Ignite Galas are intimate, beautiful events full of warmth, poetry, prose and music. South-London poet Peter Hayhoe started the night with his bitter-sweet texts about the realities of love in the modern day. Find a little video of his stuff HERE. Then Steve "Spot the Poet" Pottinger, Ignite Books co-founder, read a few of his excellent hard-hitting, politically flavoured texts. Some of them like 13th Floor and Five a Day are available to read on his WEBSITE. Accompanying Joolz and Steve was Mik Davis, former frontman of the now defunct New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack and his Utopian Love Revival bandmate, drummer Calum. Then Joolz came onto the stage, filling the room with her unflinching charisma. She started with The Black Dahlia, a new text that has given its name to Joolz's new spoken word album (which has been written and produced by Mik Davis who accompanied her on stage for this track). We were also treated to Smoking Joe and to The Wolf Girls of Midnapore (taken from the wonderful Spirit Stories album), the real story of feral children which would eventually inspire Wild Thing. As Joolz has admitted, it is not easy to choose an extract of Wild Thing for a reading without revealing too much of the story. But even the short extract she had picked for us came to life thanks to her wonderful skills as a storyteller and raconteur, her rich voice following all the nuances of the text. There is nothing I'd love more than have an audiobook version of Wild Thing read by Joolz. This was an enchanting evening put together by people fired up by their passion for words, music, art and freedom from the claws of corporate-sponsored "culture" . Oh, and I got a gorgeous out of print (1986) collection of Joolz's Poems... And thank you to Steve Pottinger for giving me a lovely Ignite Books mug... Perfect accompaniment to my freelance working day!
25/1/2012 Ignite Books Gala NightsIf you love literature and music, do not miss the Ignite Books Gala nights. Organised by indie press Ignite Books to celebrate the publication of Joolz Denby's stunning new novel Wild Thing (which will be reviewed on this blog this weekend!), these intimate nights are full of poetry and warmth.
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