A Head Full of Wishes

Review: UK premiere of Tell Me Do You Miss Me

On Sunday night I trekked out into the wilds of South London to catch the UK premiere of Matthew Buzzell’s film document of Luna’s farewell tour. The film, Tell Me Do You Miss Me, was first seen in 2006 at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released on DVD shortly after, but had never had a big screen airing in the UK until Sunday night. The viewing was hosted by The Dream Machine and took place in the lovely Victorian pub The Half Moon in Herne Hill.

The weather (and I suspect the location’s rather tricky transport links) meant that the audience numbered probably only about 40 or 50 souls who settled down to watch Luna’s last months. I’ve seen the film already a number of times on DVD but this was my first time watching it with other people. Hearing the laughs and the whispers and being among people who were watching a film rather than watching the demise of their favourite band made it a quite different experience.

The film show was followed by a short set of Luna songs as performed by “The Dream Machine All-Stars” picking a nice mix of classics (Crazy People, 23 Minutes), covers (Season of the Witch, Indian Summer) and the obscure (It’s Bringing You Down). All in all it made for an enjoyable evening only let down by waiting 20 minutes for a train and freezing my toes and fingers on the walk home.

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2009 A Head Full of Wishes survey results

Another A Head Full of Wishes survey comes to an end, and comes to an end with precious few surprises. It looked for a while as if an upset was on the cards for favourite Luna track but a flurry of last minute votes restored the status quo.

So here are some highlights, head over to the results page to see the full details.

General

More than 100 responses for the first time since 2006. There’s been one voter from the Lebanon in all but one survey since 2002

Galaxie 500

On Fire topped the favourite album poll with almost half of all votes cast. Fourth of July just beat Tugboat for favourite track.

Luna

Until the last week of the survey California (All the Way) was topping the poll but a strong finish saw 23 Minutes in Brussels retain the top spot it’s held in every survey since 1998. Penthouse was comfortable album winner as usual.

Damon & Naomi

More Sad Hits always runs away with the favourite Damon & Naomi album and This Car Climbed Mt. Washington does the same for favourite track.

Dean & Britta

I slipped 13 Most Beautiful into the list despite it having only been released as a DVD, no one complained and it picked up a healthy 15% of the vote. L’Avventura was comfortably top. Night Nurse was the favourite track.

Thanks as usual to everyone who voted, and thanks especially to everyone who took the time to write in the comments field. I might put another post together with some of the interesting points raised.

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Galaxie 500 albums to be reissued in March 2010

On 22nd March 2010 Domino Records will be reissuing Galaxie 500’s catalogue outside of North America. The three albums will be released as heavyweight vinyl and in deluxe double CD packages. The CD packages of each album will include one of the three additional albums released after the band’s break-up. Today will come with Uncollected, the collection of bonus material originally released in the Box Set in 1996. On Fire will be released with the band’s Peel Sessions and This Is Our Music will be coupled with the excellent live album Copenhagen.

From the liner notes have been written for the Domino reissue of Today comedian (and long-time fan) Stewart Lee writes…

I saw Galaxie 500 three times in 1990, every gig a transcendental experience, and I clocked the back of my own head bobbing on live TV footage of a show in Ladbroke Grove. Soon, previously hardcore strummers the world over had taken note, slowed down and blissed out, but Codeine, Low, Bedhead, Bay, and the rest of the slowcore scene never packed the punch implicit in the fuzzy felt-wrapped fist of Galaxie 500.

At the same time in the USA and Canada 20|20|20 will release the three albums in paper “mini LP” replica sleeves and the three bonus albums will be released for download through the Galaxie 500 store at fierybreeze.com.

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Mp3: Galaxie 500 in San Francisco 1991 (complete show)

Another recording pulled out from the not enough I have of Galaxie 500.

In 1991 Galaxie 500 headed out on what was to be their last tour of the US supporting The Cocteau Twins. This recoding is from the second night at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco and was probably a couple of nights after the accidental or pre-meditated use of a spotlight signalled the beginning of the end of Galaxie 500 (see BOTH Damon & Naomi’s Ptolemaic Terrascope interview and Dean’s Black Postcards for both sides of that story).

The recording is not too bad, and the seven song set is a gem. Within a couple of months it would all be over. I first read about the split in the Melody Maker at the beginning of May. I was sad.

Download Galaxie 500 at the Warfield Theatre – 21st March 1991 (via Mediafire 60MB zip)

The picture is (obviously) not from the show the recording is… I wonder if you still need to prop your amps on beer crates when you play in the big venues?

Posted in Galaxie 500, Mp3 | 2 Comments »

UK premiere of Tell Me Do You Miss Me

The Dream Machine Christmas party takes place at The Half Moon in Herne Hill on Sunday 20th December and features the UK premiere of Matthew Buzzell’s film of Luna’s farewell tour Tell Me Do You Miss Me. The event kicks off at 6pm and at some point during the evening will also features the Dream Machine All-Stars playing a set of rare Luna songs and covers. And all of this for a cover price of nothing at all…FREE!

Facebookers can head over to the event page for more details.

Here’s a clip of Luna playing 23 Minutes in Brussels from the film so you can imagine how great it will be to see this in a room full of Luna fans watching it on a big screen.

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Damon & Naomi update (and a Christmas present)

Damon & Naomi have returned from their “Lost Gaijin Tour” and have updated their web page with a few words about it as well as news of a couple of special dates for the end of January in NYC and Boston.

The two dates will feature Damon & Naomi playing with Kurihara and will also include screenings of Naomi’s films from the 1001 Nights DVD and a Q&A session moderated by Haden Guest, director of the Harvard Film Archive. Support for both shows will be from Sharon van Etten. The shows will be at 92Y Tribeca in NYC on January 30th and The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA on January 31st.

The update on their website also includes a Christmas pressie from Damon & Naomi, an mp3 download of their cover of White Christmas that was released on a very limited CDR last year and was featured in the film Lovely, Still. Head on over to Damon & Naomi’s web page, read the full update and click on the Have a happy, everyone! link.

Posted in Damon & Naomi, Mp3, News | No Comments »

A Christmas pressie from Dean & Britta

Dean & Britta are giving away a download of their lovely Christmas single from a couple of years ago. He’s Coming Home was originally released as a 7″ single on Chimney Rocks! Records but now is available in digital form from Dean & Britta in return for your email address. Head over to the He’s Coming Home promo website and enter your email and the code oldtoytrains.

If you’re looking for pressies for friends, family (or yourself) you can also grab the very lovely black Galaxie 500 T-shirt from Dean & Britta’s online store (as well as lots of other goodies).

Posted in Dean & Britta, Mp3, News | 2 Comments »

Dean & Britta head back down under in the new year

Dean & Britta are taking 13 Most Beautiful back down under in 2010 as well as playing the previously mentioned show at the Sydney Opera House, they will also be playing three shows in Adelaide as part of WOMADelaide (two 13 Most Beautiful shows and a regular Dean & Britta show), two shows at The Perth International Arts Festival and making a trip to Wellington to play as part of the New Zealand International Festival.

While in Wellington it would also be worth checking out the free event where Dean & Britta “talk about creating 13 Most Beautiful”

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13 Most Beautiful at The Sydney Opera House in February

Sydney Opera House
originally uploaded by Christopher Chan

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Video: Dean & Britta in London

I’ve finally uploaded the videos I took at last Wednesday’s Dean & Britta show at St Giles-in-the-Fields Church in London. My camera struggled with the low light and the volume so apologies for the quality.

See the videos on YouTube.

Update: Forgot to mention that I also uploaded a video of support act Cheval Sombre playing I Found It Not So with Dean, Britta and Sonic Boom.

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