Play with the city - glasgow

Now here is a question for you. What ever happened to moshing? Has skinny tight jeans stopped young knees from bending? I think so!

Anyways, I’ll get to that later on.

Bloc Party played at the 02 Academy last Monday (26th of January) and they were for lack of better words, very disappointing Francis.

So in I went, purchased my £3.50 pint of Carling, “probably the most tasteless tinny crap in the world” and settled in to Tommy Sparks, AkA Brian Ferry, The Jam, Billy Idol and Billy Elliot) all rolled up into one big ball of “granny dressed him before he left the house” cuteness. If he wasn’t 6ft odds you would just pick him up and put him in your pocket along side your Tamagotchi. For all intensive purposes Tommy Sparks was great support. OK so no topping the bill here, but the performance was accomplished and perfect for the upcoming headliner.

Now onto Bloc Party. After the lights dimmed some intense uplifting music pumped through the PA. Building in intensity in perfect sync with the crowds anticipation. Then it stopped the lights went up, the band fiddled with their guitars a bit then went into the opener. Bit of a damp squid.

So yeah, moshing. What ever happened to it? As Bloc Party Blasted out some head banging, ear bleeding tunes the crowed seamed to have a …………. romantic sway to them? No mosh pit, more a sway with your arms in the air congregation, are we all growing older than our years!!!

This was Bloc party’s second night in Glasgow and I think they must have been on the Tennents as they kept talking about how much they loved our fair city. I’m not the biggest Bloc Party fan, but at the same time I don’t dislike them. Their albums are polished pieces of uplifting, melodic musical art and I had similar expectations of their live set. Sorry kids what a let down. Instead of the clean crisp productions and clever hooks behind intense static. What I got instead was a noisy, rough cluttered garage band stuff you expect from your wee brother and his mates.

Found in Partick just off Glasgow’s West End, I can easily argue that The Rio Cafe serves the best coffee in Glasgow… I mean Scotland… ok The Planet!

Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a night time tipple The Rio Cafe caters to a mixed crowd of students, young families, wealthy couples and scaffy shoegazers.  The Cafe brings together the kind of global- home cooked food (yes there is such a thing)  and drink influences you would expect to find in any city eatery, but in a low- key, unadorned environment.

With its retro stylings and traditional exterior, the Rio – part pub, part café – has a great 1950s vibe.

The cafe itself reminds me of my Grandmothers house back in the eighties. Flock wallpaper, brown lamp shades and strange pictures of freaky kids with big heads and wide eyes hanging on the walls.

The menu ranges from- eggs Benedict to pie, beans and chips. My favorite would have to be the fish cakes with mango sauce and the winning Rio salad. Drinks go from the child friendly milkshakes to the adult cheeky,  Jack Daniels.

The Rio holds a range of events at night such as cabaret nights, poker events and jazz sessions. The poker nights are a great laugh and there is a chance to win a ‘poker seat’ down in London and in Las Vegas.

But, and it’s a big but… The Rio Cafe is at its best on a Sunday morning. Then you can seek solidarity with all the other hungover Glaswegians’ soothing our sore heads with a pile of news papers and a cup of the finest coffee in town!

It can be found on bus stops, train stations, on bathroom walls and on the outside of your front door. No I’m not talking about smeared human excrement; I’m talking about Street Art… also known in my vocabulary as; drum roll please- Graffiti.

Scotland saw its first ever “high profile” Street Art exhibition last Saturday and Sunday (6th and & 7th December) being organised by Fusion. The ticketed exhibition incorporated live art creations as well as having art pieces that were for sale. It was organised as part of a major fundraising campaign to raise funds for the well known charity, The Prince’s Trust. “Yeah” always good to do your bit!

Taking place at SWG3 Studio Warehouse in Glasgow, the exhibition showcased the work of some of the UK’s top street artists including Elph, Smug and Gazmac as well as some young emerging talent who work within the media of spray art, illustration, stencil, photo realism, and character depictions. I was there with my Gok Wan looky-likey mate Jonny and a host load of other trendy art critics.

The Street art was amazing and I found some things that really went together. I’m not talking Bread and Butter, toast and Jam. Tequila and weeklong hangovers etc. It would appear that cute boys in skinny white jeans, checked lumberjack shirts and spray cans are also a good partnership. Both turning out some spray can style on the streets and working hard to create some of the hottest Art works in Glasgow’s factory galleries.

The DJ played works till 1pm along with a bar full of red bull and vodka. It was a top night and a big event for Glasgow.

Along with fluttering my eyelashes and pushing the best lines, I never even got a snog from Sam Bates AKA Smug… gutted.

Hopefully Fusion will host another event so I can wear my wonder bra, let’s hope!

If you could see my poor feet—a blistered, corned, scarred mess of impenetrable calluses—you would wonder what the fnck is wrong with the brain of the girl attached to them for subjecting herself to the torture of a pair of five-inch heels that were as expensive as they are uncomfortable. But it’s not my fault—blame the line I stood waiting in to enter one of Glasgows trendiest night clubs November.
Situated in Princes Square; November has an atmosphere where all the kids are hipper-than-hip, ice cool indie babes, with immaculate style, and an impeccable taste in music. An ails of being a café/restaurant during the day turning into a wine bar and cocktail party at night. With a shoulder rubbing crowd, and DJ’s on the dance floor November equates itself to being one of the top venues to party in within Glasgow’s City centre.
November buzzes vibe with its young fans and its resident and guest DJs well into the early hours of the morning. Closing at 1am it allows minimal standing time at the taxi rank outside as you nurse your feet after a hard night of dancing with five- inch heels on and a stylish cocktail in hand.