Coming up this Sunday, we not only have a guest DJ set from the excellent Colm McCrory of Help Stamp Out Loneliness / Language of Flowers fame, but we're planning another of our board game afternoons, this time hosted by the lovely Karren from the Stolen Wine Social.
We are particularly excited at the prospect of getting stuck into a recent charity shop board game find: HYPE!
On the box it says "HYPE: The Only Boardgame with all the slime and grime of the Music Industry" (1983)".
Obviously, our experience with the HLEPs has made us experts on the music industry, but the rules were probably different in 1983. The game comes with it's own 12 inch single, which we promise not to play on Sunday. See you there, we hope.
Ahead of Making Marks' first UK tour [FEATURINNG AN UNMISSABLE ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE AT LONDON'S TRENDY HANGOVER LOUNGE THIS SUNDAY 16 SEPTEMBER AT 3PM) in preparation for their debut 7" single due in October, Fika Recordings has released the video for Ticket Machine. It features the four-piece performing at an Oslo bus stop, waiting for their regular 07:38 bus to work in the morning, delicately intertwined with archive footage from the 1946 informational short film, The Bus Driver, exploring the tension between optimism and realism.
Lead singer Ola Innset explains more:
"The song is kind of dark. About as dark as an Oslo street in January, windy and cold, full of people waiting for the 07.38 bus to take them to work. A lot of people both lonely and nervous, who do their best - go to work and do all the things they're told to do. And we could have something better, maybe, but even hoping for it costs a lot, because it can be quite painful to hope for something better when it seems so inprobable that you'll get it, so somehow it's almost better not to hope, and just do your best and try to be content with the shit card life has dealt you. I guess this could be both on a personal level, as a hope for a more meaningful life, and on a more collective level as a hope for a less idiotic and unfair way of organizing society. And then there's a tiny love story in there, that didn't go well, and a middle 8 (is that what it's called) implying that we're so used to darkness/shit/misery/capitalism that anything else would seem so strange that we might not even be able to like it, the light would be to bright or something."
Artist and graphic designer Tom Humberstone, who created this wonderful poster for us, is having a sketch sale. He's got some time on his hands so is "offering everyone with access to the internet and £30 the opportunity to commission me to draw them a sketch…
"The drawing will be produced in a one or two hour period using Indian ink on Bristol board. Black and white. And then posted at no extra cost. I’ll also scan and clean up the drawing so I can email a digital file of the image as well. The more complicated and ambitious concepts will most likely take longer and thus I’ll have to charge a little extra – but no more than £20. I will also do a one/two tone colour version of the digital image for those who would like it and are happy to pay an extra £10."
Yes, Team Hangover Lounge has put in an order. We'd have been fools not to.
Read all about it and see some of Tom's art
We're lucky to have White Town for the third time. The man himself is never hungover - the big-hearted fella comes all the way down from his East Midlands homestead to lay his healing hands on the hungover folk of London. We're delighted to have him back.
Fans will remember that at his revious Hangover Lounge gigs, Jyoti has had a guest chanteuse on Your Woman. First there was Elizabeth Morris, then there was Nat Johnson. This time round? Get your applications in now.
We're just as pleased to have Making Marks on the bill. Their debut 7", Ticket Machine, is out on the fine Fika label this autumn. It goes something like this:
Making Marks - Ticket Machine by Fika Recordings
Just to prove how fine a label they are, Fika have issued a free MP3, Hard To Be Good.
The Lounge opens at 2pm. Live music starts at about 3pm.
Phew! In order, then:
1. Darren Hayman will be DJing at the Hangover Lounge this Sunday, 26 August. Like dub reggae but prefer a pint of ale to a strawberry daiquiri? You're in luck. Darren will be "dropping" the dub sounds in the relaxing environs of The Lexington, away from the hurly burly of the Notting Hill Carnival.
2. Darren's excellent new instrumental album about open-air swimming pools, Lido, will be available to purchase on the day. The packaging of both the swimming-pool-blue vinyl and the CD are sights to behold. The music, too, is terrific.
3. There's a free single from Lido to dip your toes in right now:
August: season of pissed and fruitful mellowness, yes it is.
Here's what we have coming around (again) this coming month.
AUGUST THE FIFTH: you already know about the Sir Mark Flunder-based shenanigans, at least you do if you have read the previous post on this blog. I won't insult you by repeating it, or by suggesting you are thinking about being elsewhere.
AUGUST THE TWELFTH: guest DJ slot from our friend Ian Watson, head honcho of beloved night out How Does It Feel To Be Loved. Bonzer times guaranteed.
AUGUST THE NINETEENTH: It's Steve's birthday! Expect bad bahaviour, and guest DJ slots from Ben Phillipson and *very likely some additional guest star DJs tba. I tried to count how many different bands I'd seen Ben play in just now, but I ran out of fingers and toes, and that's how I do my counting.
AUGUST THE TWENTY-SIXTH: Bank Holiday! Bank Holiday! We're still working on our Holiday offering to you but the sensible thing to do is to plan to come and mooch through the Sunday afternoon with us. You'll have the next day off, for goodness sake. We'll update you on plans soon.
The legendary McTells are playing at the Lexington this Sunday, 5 August. This is in all likelihood their last ever gig. You'd be mad to miss it. TICKETS A MERE FIVE POUNDS.
The McTells' Sir Mark Flunder makes the gig a triple whammy as he's also playing with Cee Bee Beaumont and The Fenestration (featuring Gina Davidson of The Marine Girls, no less).
Doors open at 7pm. The Hangover Lounge starts downstairs as usual at 2pm with soothing sounds and pre-gig drinking, dining and mingling opportunities.
