Teodor Revolution by Mikael Altemark; CC By 2.0.

Yesterday night mostly featured Psapp at Cargo. I was expecting to have a great time, and they didn't disappoint: it was easily the best live show by a *tronica band I've seen. (Though, that's not really a fair comparison: all of their music is readily re-arrangable for a live band, particularly their more recent tracks.) Energetic, accomplished, quirky, etc. etc. Kazoos? With squeaky lobsters duct-taped to the side? Oh yes. Plus, closing on Everybody Wants To Be A Cat was a fun touch.

Meanwhile, back in a different genre, Pure Reason Revolution have just released their new album, Amor Vincit Omnia. Apparently, at some point in the three years since The Dark Third they decided that their largely guitar-based nü prog sound could be improved by, well, replacing it entirely with synth bass and some more synths and heavily processed downtuned guitars. To my surprise, it works pretty well: it's not what I was expecting, and it feels a bit overproduced, but they haven't got rid of the vocal harmonies, and the songs are still interesting. That said, for a band who go in for Latin titles and general pretentiousness, they should really have learned to pronounce all three words of Deus Ex Machina. It should be interesting to see if and how they adapt older songs to their new style live.

Which brings me to a question: dear readers, is anyone interested in seeing them play at Dingwalls on Tuesday? I have come to have a spare ticket, and it would be nice for it to be used. If so, let me know via whatever means you feel is the most appropriate.

It comes to my attention that Jonathan Coulton is putting his clogs back on and coming back to the UK in the autumn. His first show here was great fun; you should go out of your way to see him this time around! Tickets are on sale for a show at Shepherd's Bush Empire on October 30th, which is the city I'm most interested in going to. I'll buy some tickets in the next day or so, so if you want me to get you one (and thus sit with a mostly-known set of people) let me know!

(Oxford people might prefer to see him there two days later, but I'm moving out in 10 days. Sniff.)

I have a spare ticket for the Zodiac this Friday (19th October). Oceansize are good. You should come see them.

In other news, I'm thinking about going to see God is an Astronaut in London on the 30th. Anyone up for coming along? Also, Porc!

I'm still not sure whether to pretend to be a goth and go see The Birthday Massacre.

(or "Burger, Boris, Isis!")

So last night I saw Isis, Boris and Oxbow at Koko. ( Review! )

Also, beforehand we went to one of these ridiculous posh burger places. It was okay. Also, they had a wine list. I don't have much else to say about it.

Hrm. I fed “65trucksoftreerobots” to wordplay, and it generated 64590 anagrams. I don't regard “64585. BTU COT O'ER TRESS FORK” as a reasonable answer.

Giggity giggity. Posting 15daysoftickets and then using eBay has gained me a ticket to 65daysofstatic on Monday. Happy face! Also, I seem to be going to Truck. Woo.

Does anyone want a ticket to see Porcupine Tree on Thursday 26th April (that's first week, for those of you who measure time in those terms) at the Forum in London? I bought it for designergall having told her that it was the 21st because I am a muppet. It's £17.50, or £20 if you like paying booking fees.

Finally, you should all go listen to Robot Goes Here. The album's excellent (and I seem to have bought it for about £1.50 thanks to my eMusic subscription). Imagine Atom And His Package, but with a singer who can even slightly sing, and more refined music. A certain Mr Taylor remarked that “this is quite new rave! This is VERY new rave!”. I'm not sure whether this is a good thing. I am, however, sure that laptop geek-punk songs about the environment and humans failing the Turing Test are good things.

I am, in the words of Ratz, a "tit", and totally failed to actually buy a ticket for 65daysofstatic at the Zodiac on 16th April. I don't suppose anyone knows of a spare?

(or, I enjoy live music.)

Hello, dear friends and acquaintances. I like going to gigs. There are a number of gigs in the near future which I would like to attend; I like company! Let me know if you're going to any of these, or if you want me to get you a ticket when I get mine (thus avoiding a double dose of booking fees!).

• 65daysofstatic are playing at the Zodiac in Oxford on 16th April, and at Koko in Camden on 20th May. I fear that the latter is too close to exams, though. I would like to draw your attention to the video for Don't Go Down to Sorrow. I particularly enjoy the literal 5/4 switch.
• Explosions in the Sky are playing at the Astoria on 19th April.
• According to their myspace page, Kill Hannah are playing the Zodiac on 20th April. The Zodiac's listings disagrees! In any case, I can't make it. They are also playing at the Islington Academy on Saturday 21st.
• Porcupine Tree are playing at the Forum in London on 26th April. I have braved their myspace page, and have found a trackful of samples from the forthcoming album Fear of a Blank Planet. It sounds like it might be fun! It's coming out in April.

I think I am done now. I am sure that there are gigs I have missed.

A short one this will be. Longer one about Midway soon, and all the #lugradioers will have the joys of reading about people they do not know and seeing links to enormous photographs of people they do not know. Yays.

So yeah, Mew. Mew are good. They seem to fall under the indie banner, despite being essentially not indie. I don't know why this is. It's odd. For me at least, they fall under the same umbrella as Oceansize, just without the emoness. I like it.

Their show was loud, but even setting that aside, they were one of the most powerful live acts I have seen. Shame that the drummer was hidden behind a pillar. There was a lot to watch all at once, what with the myriad bizarre videos projected onto them, the members of the band who were behaving like members of a rock band usually do, and Jonas, who has perfected the art of standing still in an engaging fashion.

Anyway, they're definitely worth seeing, although it'd also be worth having listened to them extensively (as my last.fm profile shows, I have done) beforehand. And they should be checked out. Oh yes.