Sinister: I was made to love scotland

[Stefano Santabarbara]

Dear Sinister and sinistrines

	This week has flown away! I guess this is just an excuse, as I am trying to
find an excuse to secular and pseudosecular intrinsic laziness. 
 well,
anyway, I should have realised by now that the better plans are the
unplanned one. In fact, everything started out on last Friday night, after
myself and the lovely Mr. Jim Pourpletrousers went to the Magnetic Field in
Hammermith. The gig has been absolutely excellent, they played a full
acoustic set, in two parts, featuring most (if not all) the songs from the
last records and highlights from their back catalogue. I have to admit I
didn't have their new album, but was so enthusiastic that I got it almost
straight away after that, and there are al least a handful of song which are
definitely great. I got the feeling that Stephen Merrith sense of humour is
getting sharper and sharper, but, might be is only an impression of mine,
not as bitter as it use to be. It reflect quite a lot on the stage
performance as everyone looked very relaxed and they looked like enjoying
their selves as well, which is always nice to see.
	Anyway, right on my way home, I realised I had my change of tube line was
right a train station, and I couldn't resist all the sensible thoughts about
those letters the bank sends to your address and that they call account
balance, and just, essentially run, but that was not to let the last service
leave the platform without myself, not that it would have mind, but, I would
have reasonably had, and got myself a ticket for Glasgow
. There should be
something magic about Scotland that I can't define. It can be the endless
sunlight in the summer. It can be the Clyde. Can be the fact that there are
kids running on the top of the walls of castles and you can spot them from
the train window. Well, there should be a reason or not. But doesn't matter.
	By midday I was happily in the botanical garden. The day has been
absolutely brilliant and shiny. So much that I almost got a tan! Not that I
am really interested in that, but when I said that to one of my colleagues,
Chris who's from Edinburgh, he looked at my in disbelief, and probably he
still honestly think, I've actually skived work on Monday because of a drink
binge on the coast or on a Greek island
 but, let's try to add some content
to this randomness. Belle and Sebastian were absolutely great, I think.
Might be I'm just letting myself being influence by the rather rare wave of
good mood, but not, I think it was very good. Actually, at present, can't
wait for the Sommerset House gig which is JUST in a few weeks but looks like
an endless time. Miss Ellebelle had a call for a picnic on the occasion: it
seems more then reasonable to me, have to say. What a better opportunity for
having enjoying the sun with the people in the park?
	Going back to the gig, I not very good at remembering the song list, and
haven't put enough effort to collect one from the sound guys (that by the
way, were a lot!) so more or less randomly, they played quite a few from the
last record, as obvious, but also a good selection of oldies favourite,
including, as far as I can remember, Julie and the dream of horses, the
stars of track and field, like Dylan in the movies and dogs on wheels, which
was my favourite act, by the way, together with lazy lane painter Jane, when
Monica Queen also joined on stage: brilliant! They also looked extremely
relaxed even when a football carrying the Brazilian flag colours has start
to bounce over the stage, a few times, and particularly when an idiot
decided to throw a bottle of water at the band. By the way Steve exhibit in
a "superbowl-like" kick of the aforementioned football which could have
valued him a convocation for next Scotland international: nice. 
	Camera Obscura played a rather short set, but it was very lovely. 
	Of the bands playing in the early afternoon I have to say I quite enjoyed
the red bed society, while I was quite happy of being entangled in possibly
the longest queue ever for a toilet, when a band, of which I can't remember
the name, but who definitely looked like and sound much like INXS were on
stage. Especially the guy wearing a suit, with a white tie, in that hot,
needs some sort of compensation from a human right found or something like that


	I also try to pretend I knew where to go in Glasgow, and off course got
lost, and dragged the shameless Mark Hester with me, in a useless walk to
Kelvinhall tube station, when we should have actually walked to Kelvin
bridge. The advantage of having a single circular tube line is that you can
to the place you need rather quickly anyway and that was the Winchester
Club. The flower power were fairly entertaining, Pipas definitely
excessively shambling
 guess they needed a DJ in between one song and
another, possibly the pause being longer then the song their selves which
wouldn't have been that bad otherwise
 I probably need a little bit more of
patience. The club was packed and the DJ choices excellent, I can't remember
a great deal, but me and Patrick dancing (alone) on the Clash, was fairly
funny! Then it became the hotter spot on the planet, but that didn't keep
people away from the dance floor, until the lady on the door almost
literally shuffled them off the place. Shame I can't really take a train to
Glasgow all weeks
 mumble!

	Gigs gigs gigs! I might imagine some living in London of might like to know
that Sodasteam are playing Friday, which is tonight, at the Sheppard's bush
hall... I know... I planned to write this on Monday, but then I should have
known myself better. I didn't mean to clash with Astrid meet up at how does
it feel, but just, you know, I think they are absolutely lovely
 and the
concert generally finishes early enough that one can get to both places

talking about being sensible: not really.

I like the colon today. Only in its grammatical point of view. I suppose.

Take care
Love and happiness
stefano




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Stephano
School of Biological Sciences
Queen Mary, University of London
Mile End Road
London E1 4NS
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Department of Biology
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
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E-mail: s.santabarbara at qmul.ac.uk
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