Heaven is Whenever

Published on Sat 8 May 2010

The trouble with glass backed squash courts is that you keep seeing your massive belly and beetroot face out of the corner of your eye the whole time you're playing. I guess it does at least serve to remind you why you're doing it. I've played a few times in the last couple of weeks and the improvement in fitness has been surprisingly noticeable. If only some kind of weight loss was as noticeable.

The building work on my house is finally finished, but I won't be able to bring the telly down/be able to make enough room to use the upstairs until the dust has settled and the floor is in. Probably a week or two yet. I'm going a bit crazy without Two and a Half Men. I'm also having trouble deciding what colour to paint the walls. I've not said it for a while, but I could really do with a girlfriend. Even if only for interior decoration advice and to help me choose a suit. I think it'll be good though when it's all done.

I've been pretty obsessed with The Hold Steady's new album ever since it came out. It's a bit more epic than the others, and I don't think I like it quite as much, but I don't seem to be able to listen to anything else. I just sorted out tickets to see them in June. I wish I'd known how much I'd like them on repeated listens when I saw them at End of the Road last year. I might not have left before the end to get that goat curry. 

I did a semi-last minute gig the other day supporting Jesca Hoop at The Haymakers and had a pretty good time. I thought I had the audience for a while, but then one of a group of students who'd colonised a load of chairs at the front started chatting and there was no way back, so it feels like a failure even though I thought I played well. Setlist (in some order): Take it All, The Ghost of Paddy's Night Past, This Place is Dead Anyway, Watertight,  Muscle Memory, So Finally a Love Song, You Won't Break My Heart, Radio Silence (I think I'm going to have to stop playing this - it just brings everyone down), 60 Miles with a Slow Puncture.

Jesca Hoop made a lovely noise (her and her backing singer have incredible voices), but the material is mostly a bit jazzier/kookier than I like. Though saying that, there were a couple of more folky songs that were really excellent. They seemed a bit aloof and I didn't speak to them at all. They're probably saying the same about me.

Oh! I saw a number plate with a 32 on it! It's been about a year. Onwards and upwards.