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Topics - Trapezium Artist

#1
Evening, all. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves, (you ...)  :)

You may know about Space Rocks, a partnership between the European Space Agency and Twin V in the UK, where we bring scientists, engineers, and astronauts together with musicians, artists, writers, actors, film makers, and more:

http://www.spacerocksofficial.com

While our live, in person events have obviously been on hold since the start of 2020, we have been running a roughly weekly livestream called Uplink with various guests, spanning Vangelis to Fred Haise of Apollo 13 and Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica and many more in the 52 episodes we've done so far, all available to rewatch:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnGPFIotcy6_GxiPravuk7w/videos

Why am I telling you all this? Because Jem and John will be on this week to talk about Day And Age and much besides. We've worked with Jem at ESA before and John's Lonely Robot were the headline act at our first Space Rocks live event in 2018, so the links are there already, beyond me being a total Frost*ie  :)

So, please join us at the YouTube link: the episode will be live at 21:00CEST / 20:00BST on Thursday, but available for replay soon after.

https://twitter.com/spacerockslive/status/1414623926764900355
#2
You are definitely going to want to be there: our first ESA Space Rocks event, at the indigo at The O2 in London, 22 April, has just been announced.

Mixing space, science, film, culture, and music, for kids, families, and the occasional grown-up to boot, with Tim Peake, Matt Taylor, Maggie Lieu, Beth Healey, Dallas Campbell, Alastair Reynolds, and your own favourite TA/MT, with more to be announced, and, of course, in the evening, a gig with Charlotte Hatherley (ex-Ash) and Lonely Robot.

Please come: it would make me so happy  8)

www.spacerocksofficial.com
#3
Gigs / Pre-gig drinkies in London tomorrow
July 29, 2016, 02:57:47 PM
Anyone have any plans to meet somewhere near the O2 Academy in Islington tomorrow before the gig? Will be arriving late afternoon, leaving Sunday afternoon.

Looking forward to it  8)
#4
I have two tickets for one of the very few Lush reunion gigs, this one at the Roundhouse in London on Saturday 7 May, and I'll be flying over to the UK tomorrow.

Unfortunately, my presumptive gig buddy has dropped out, and thus I have one ticket free.

If anyone on the forum would like the ticket (at cost, at best: no touting here), please let me know.

I know Lush are not exactly prog, but hell, they were a great indie/shoegaze/pop band with two female lead vocalists / guitarists, plus two guys on bass and drums. Acerbic lyrics amid a wall of jangling guitar sound, later morphing to more direct pop with "Lovelife" just before they broke up when their original drummer sadly committed suicide.

I've never seen them live, as I was living in the US and Germany when they were active, so when they reformed completely out of the blue last year, I had tickets in an instant. Reviews of the few shows they've played so far have been fantastic, so they seem to be on top form.

Should be a blast and hey, what could be better than going to a gig with a fellow Frost*ie, eh?  8)

Again, let me know.
#5
Other Bands / A little bit of Steven Wilson
February 11, 2016, 08:13:24 PM
Interesting interview with Steven Wilson as part of the Into The Machine series by the German Metal Hammer site (as opposed to the UK version, run by my mate, Alex Milas):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezwUT-ZnJQ

Filmed just ahead of his recent concert in Munich, there's a bit of live footage (no sound) at around 07:30 that features a drummer who may be familiar to those of our happy little village  8)

Was nice to meet Steven at JM's Lonely Robot gig; hoping we can make something spacey work with him in the future  ;)


#6
Gigs / Lonely Robot - Scala, London, 20 December 2015
December 11, 2015, 07:25:00 PM
So, who's going to be in London in 9 days time for JM and Lonely Robot, aided by Jem on-stage?

I imagine that many Frost*ies will be, so what's the story regarding a pre-gig meet-up and perhaps some post-gig nosh?

And where are people staying? I'll be at the Premier Inn St Pancras, about 500 metres from the Scala. I'm arriving there from Amsterdam around 4pm ...
#7
Any Other Business / Oo'er missus ...
May 15, 2015, 03:41:05 PM
Completely politically incorrect, obviously, but I'm nevertheless compelled to share this remarkably saucy street sign that I saw yesterday while cycling through the small village of Langeraar to the south of Amsterdam.

It's wonderful for what it almost seems to be saying to the Anglo-Saxon ear, or more properly, to a smuttily-inclined Anglo-Saxon mind. Of course, in reality, it's entirely respectable, I suspect, as our Dutch friends hereabouts will assuredly confirm.

But for those of us with a lexicographically-twisted bent (and I know that there are many of you here  ;)), 'tis a veritable triple-headed Carry On marvel to behold.

#8
Announcements / Wake up Rosetta!
December 10, 2013, 10:20:47 PM
Some of you may have been following the limerick thread and the two which referred to Comet ISON's demise and then looking forward to ESA's Rosetta and its mission to rendezvous with, escort, and place a lander on Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.

Those two lovely team-written limericks, along with a Frost*erisk, managed to wangle their way into my talk to the media today about Rosetta's impending wake-up from hibernation on 20 January and a look forward to the great science this mission will do next year (fast-forward to 9 mins):

http://www.livestream.com/eurospaceagency/video?clipId=pla_5ddad296-9c7a-44a5-be85-ed70b1767c51&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

It amused me and the audience no end  8)

But ... this all comes at a cost. Now I need you to do something in return and I just know that you creative Frost*ies will do me proud.

We're running a social media campaign around the wake-up and have announced a competition, asking for people to record short video messages essentially saying "Wake up, Rosetta!". It could be a whisper, a shout, a flash mob (please), or, this being the Frost* forum, surely something with some music in. Seven seconds, thirty seconds, ninety seconds: whatever you like.

The videos get uploaded to a special Facebook page (no account necessary), get voted on, and ranked: the top ten all get special ESA goodie bags and the two grand winners (which may not necessarily be the top ranked), get a paid trip to our mission operations centre, ESOC, in Darmstadt, to be part of the big day in November 14 when Rosetta drops her lander Philae onto the surface of Comet 67P/C-G. Should be very exciting indeed ...

All you need to know about entering is in the links below: entries allowed between now and 20 January, so upload soon, and upload often  8)

Go for it, my lovely Frost*ies friends.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Wake_up_Rosetta
https://www.facebook.com/RosettaMission
https://www.facebook.com/RosettaMission/app_380544765399431
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P06yCOny218
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltzi87aI60s
#9
Frost* / Hornby graffiti
August 31, 2013, 10:53:23 AM
As the man says in his post (lest anyone think that I found this  :) ), the picture from the Hornby catalogue of a Frost*-graffiti'd freight train wagon is singularly agog-making  :o

http://www.planetfrost.com/post/59853195721/ive-been-immortalised-by-hornby-im-absolutely

Surely a leg pull, I hear you say, but no:

http://www.hornby.com/shop/rolling-stock/freight-rolling-stock/r6628-graffiti-wagon

Just how did this happen? Does Jem run around at night tagging wagons as they roll through the leafy East Sussex cuttings and, if so, why would he be quite so daft as to write his own name, let alone the band's and the Frost*erisk?

Add in the "Maximum rock!" symbol on the other side of the wagon, and I'm left wondering quite who "Kata :-*" is in the Frostie*verse, what "Peor1" means, and, most scarily of all, what we're to make of (what I think says) "The beard is out there".

Completely bonkers way to be immortalised, Mr G  ;)

(Edit: a further check reveals that only 1,000 of this £6.99 limited edition contemporary Hornby wagon were made: I wonder how many will be snaffled up in short order by denizens of this board?  :P)

(Further edit: they're out of stock  :-\)
#10
Frost* / The silence is deafening
May 31, 2013, 09:56:49 PM
Are we performing the prog version of Cage's 4'33"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY7UK-6aaNA

  8)
#11
Gigs / Frost* at Celebr8.2: another photo set
May 18, 2013, 02:21:40 AM
Following Mike's excellent set yesterday, here's my photographic contribution to our collective memory of the finest Frost* live experience in, well, more than a year  ;)

Unlike Mike, I decided to stay put in one location throughout the set, front row, left-hand side, as I felt I was there for as much for the music and the giggles as for the photon capturing. Plus, having just flown in from Baltimore that morning, I was feeling a little bleary by that point and needed propping up  :-*

I hope nevertheless that the ones I've picked out to upload are of interest and add to the general treasure chest of memories.

I've posted a small smattering of pictures here, but the full set is available on flickr at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmccaughrean/sets/72157633521617254

Please visit, take a gander, look at the full-res versions (go into Lightbox mode in flickr [hit "l"] and then fullscreen), download what you want, and let me know what you think: all feedback always gratefully received.

Good to see everyone who was there, of course, and anyone who wasn't, well, you missed a blinder ...  8)

Frost* in action:


Jem taking an angled vocal line:


Nathan trying to wrap his brain around a typical Frost* moment:


Mitchell after suddenly realising that he has to try and remember the Arena set by the following evening:


Blunders counting to 17 before starting the next 11/9.5 fill:


Go on then, big boy; give your Number One fan a kiss  :-*


The famous Frost*ie banana reaches its final destination (check out the full-size version on flickr for all the signature detail you could crave):
#12
Frost* / Heartstrings demo
May 17, 2013, 06:24:49 PM
Now available on the front page of the new forum: http://www.planetfrost.com

Nice ...  8)

(I see that this has been referred to in other threads, but surely it deserves one of its own ...  ;))
#13
Gear Corner / Berlin: analogue heaven/hell
April 09, 2013, 02:32:27 PM
Interesting short video about Berlin's Kreuzberg area, with the first couple of minutes concentrating on Andreas Schneider's analogue synthesiser shop:

//http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/video/2013/apr/09/my-city-berlin-with-andreas-schneider-video

Of course, for some, analogue synths may be heavenly, while for others (cough), they may be the opposite.

Anyway, an excuse to have a virtual wander through one of my favourite cities in the world, albeit not looking at it's best, given that it's still winter. And, well, it's Kreuzberg; I'm afraid that I'm probably a little too bourgeois for that part of town, having lived in somewhat more upmarket Wilmersdorf from 1998-2005, about 30 metres down the street in the direction where the cyclist is headed:



(Any fans of Edel & Starck here?  ;) )
#14
Other Bands / Marillion Weekend 2013 pictures
March 25, 2013, 11:50:38 AM
Chaps and chapesses,

For those who might be interested, I've posted a smattering of pictures of Marillion at Port Zelande a couple of weeks ago, during the Saturday concert of the 2013 Marillion Weekend:

//http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmccaughrean/sets/72157633083833266/

Slightly funny gig for me in many ways. I had a guest pass pre-arranged for me through one of my colleagues here at ESA, since Marillion have been hooked up with our astronauts and have been to visit ESTEC, where I work. Only after the gig did I realise that in fact this was a backstage pass too, so had I stayed, I could have done some ligging. But a somewhat bigger miss was that I heard later that Rick Armstrong, son of Neil and a big Marillion fan, was also there; certainly would have been good to meet him.

Also, since I arrived immediately before the concert due to trusting my GPS too closely ("After 200 metres, turn left, then board ferry" indeed), I didn't have the opportunity to get a good location for taking pictures. So they're all from a bit of a distance, since I didn't fancy tangling with the rabid Marillioneers to push down the front. Ah well, they are what they are.

The whole gig was videoed for future DVD release, but from where I was standing, the cameras, cranes, and other gear was fairly intrusive, so there were times when it all felt very impersonal.

Finally, they played the whole of "Brave" non-stop as the first half of the concert, without saying a word. As a non-rabid Marillioneer, it left me a bit cold, I have to admit, particularly when combined with the fact that this was a much bigger venue and audience than I've been used to recently, especially compared with the Twats in Hats gig shortly before. Initimate it most certainly wasn't  8-)

Things warmed up for me in the second half, although I suppose it says something that the most enjoyable moment of the gig was "Warm Wet Circles". And even that was five years after I first saw Marillion in the Chambers Street student union bar at the University of Edinburgh in April 1982 ... I swear there more in the band than in the audience ...  ;)


Edit: lest anyone, particularly of the rabid fan variety, get the wrong idea, Marillion played extremely well, the light show was great, and the crowd were very much into it. It just didn't quite hit the spot for me, at least the level I've now become accustomed to  8-)


Anyway, the pictures are there.

#15
Gear Corner / Seaboard
March 10, 2013, 11:52:10 PM
Interesting, if rather obviously hyped via "exclusive" previews to journos at the BBC, Guardian, and doubtless half a bazillion others:

http://www.weareroli.com

//http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8n-bEy9ISpM

From the very short demo, it would appear to be rather geared to a certain kind of lounge jazz sound (which left me pretty cold, I'm afraid), but I wonder if the underlying technology could be used to make a lot more interesting music in the hands of certain creative professionals. Cough.

Well, if you can get one: only 88 are being made at the outset and doubtless at daft cost. All part of the hype again, I'm sure.

But I must admit to be particularly tickled when I went to the "Our team" link, especially after having watched the rather amusing Sonic State podcast earlier in the week, when a certain Movies-Played-in-Your-Head-While-Asleep-in-the-local-House-of-Thespians keyboard player was humorously pinged for being all too ready to lend his name in endorsement of new gizmos  8-)
#16
Any Other Business / We're all plastic Romans now ...
January 24, 2013, 12:40:34 PM
While it was clear from the Frost*Bites gig that the number of Frost*ies is ever-rising, I hadn't realised that there were quite so many of us (Roman legions were typically 5,000 in size) or quite how we are made ( :shock: ) until I saw the following story in The Guardian today:

Quote'Build snowman' advice amended by Environment Agency
Agency backtracks on suggestion to build legion of Frosties to lower flood risk with thaw, as more snow predicted on Friday

//http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/24/build-snowman-advice-amended

All of a sudden, I feel like Rachel from Blade Runner or Rory the Auton from Doctor Who, realising that my whole life is a sham, that I'm not who I thought I was, but rather that I was "built" on the advice of the Environment Agency ...  8-)

But at least the news comes with a good picture. Simples!

#17
Frost* / Mirrors?
January 04, 2013, 03:25:58 PM
This afternoon's procrastination led me to watch the special Frost* Report that was made available on a disc of some shiny variety at the 2008 pre-EIMA release gigs with Spock's Beard. This starts with a bunch of snippets from other reports and my eye was taken by section at the 2 minute mark.

This shows a whiteboard titled "Look at the gold disk" and a number of mostly familiar song names below with lines through them:

EIMA
Falling Down
Mirrors
Pocket Sun
Secret Song
Toys
Welcome to Nowhere
Wonderland

Over the top, Jem's saying "The lines of justice through the songs of meaning", accompanied by some background sniggering  :)

But, I asked myself, what is "Mirrors"? Is it "Saline", "Dear Dead Days", or "You/I", the missing songs from the final EIMA track list ... or is it something else, otherwise unreleased?  :?

Anyone know? Jem; care to share?
#18
Gigs / Photography at Frost*Bites?
December 14, 2012, 07:00:48 PM
After printing my electronic tickets out for Sunday, I noticed a small print warning in the lower-left corner which reads:

11. The unauthorised use of photographic and recording equipment is prohibited.

That is likely generic to TicketWeb tickets and not specific to the Scala, but I wonder if anyone planning to take pictures with a real camera (read: DSLR or equivalent, not your phone ;-)) has actually talked to the venue about this?

Having (almost) had a bad experience at De Boerderij a couple of weeks ago, I'd like to avoid any tricky situations. Of course, as you all know, I only take pictures for my own (and your own) pleasure, not for commercial purposes, but my camera tends to attract the "professional and thus not permissible" tag.

So, anyone know the likely situation on Sunday? Twang?
#19
Announcements / Spare Frost*Bites ticket
December 14, 2012, 06:43:30 PM
Sorry to spam the board, but thought I'd try one more time to shift the spare ticket I have for Sunday's Frost*Bites gig at the Scala.

I bought an extra one back in July, on the off-chance that I could get my wife to come over for her second Frost* AGM, but it's not possible this year.

If anyone's interested, let me know via a p.m.  ;)
#20
Winding myself up for next weekend, I went to see IQ play their first Christmas gig at De Boerderij in Zoetermeer last night, and most excellent it was too. I'm very much a latercomer to IQ for reasons which I don't fully understand, so only know the Frequency album well; correspondingly, the highlights of the night for me were Stronger Than Friction, Ryker Skies (fantastic), and Frequency itself. That said, the rest was very good and the Dutch audience were certainly very much into it.

Anyway, again for those who were there or are just generally interested, I've uploaded a selection of my photos to my flickr account at:

//http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmccaughrean/sets/72157632203275834/

(p.s. Bizarrely, De Boerderij seems to have recently instigated a photo policy of some kind that no-one seems to fully understand, whether it be the various photographers there or the Boerderij staff themselves. After being told I couldn't use my "professional camera" by one bouncer, another crew member came by and said that it was fine. Ho hum; I hope the Scala folks are more accommodating next week ...)