Don’t need a hand, there’s always arms attached

The next Brain of J headline gig is fast approaching – grab your ticket via this page to join our grunge buds for some Pearl Jam goodness on Saturday 12 November at the West Hampstead Arts Club. Support is courtesy of the RHCP Experience – the UK’s own Funky Monks (check their shoes for virtue).

Like they put the whole thing together in the dark

Radio Seattle are back in action!

We’ll be unplugged again at Slim Jim’s on Friday 9 September. Admission is free and the selection of whiskeys is bounteous; let us know you’re coming here and we’ll keep an eye out for you. Expect some old faves in the setlist.

An old winter coat

After the best part of eight years, 54 gigs (including 9 as Soundguardian) and 63 songs by 13 artists, Radio Seattle are wrapping things up with one last gig before the Space Needle stops transmitting. 55 must be a lucky number.

It’s raining icepicks on your steel shore

Grunge is NOT dead is back next week – new venue but same grungey music, old and new.

Sunspots have faded

Radio Seattle are back in action in a couple of weeks’ time. We’re at the Fiddler’s Elbow on Thursday 15 June for the next instalment in our “Grunge is NOT Dead” series, and we’ll be joined by Almagram and Sick Joy.

Seems to be such a long time

My occasional series on Pearl Jam tour posters has proved pretty occasional, all things considered. So, to remedy this (somehow, but don’t ask for details), I’ve decided to start up a second occasional series. This second series has the working title of “Alt rock bands from the early 90s that weren’t strictly speaking grunge as such, but included similarities to the grunge bands, be that in sound or attitude”. ARBFTE90sTWSSGASBISTTGBBTISOA for short. Guaranteed winner.*

Come down, and waste away with me

Spring is here again – it keeps happening every year seemingly – so what better way to celebrate nature’s perennial revivification and those lengthening evenings than a grunge night. Radio Seattle is kicking the year off with an unplugged set courtesy of Jonny and Mark (and a couple of new songs, including one pushing the grunge envelope a touch but which you’d be foo-lish to gainsay…). Yes, Croyattle is back, at a new venue, The Scream Lounge, and the line up includes Superfecta, Trevor’s Head and Alice in Chains UK (you can catch them doing Sunshine at the last Croyattle here). Tickets £5 (door).

A riddle so strong

Grunge is NOT dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. … Grunge was NOT as dead as a doornail.*

So much depends on the weather

Radio Seattle are back in action, at The Edge in Croydon on Thursday 7 April. You’ll find the event page here, where you can get us in a frothy lather simply by clicking “going”, or even just “interested” in a non-binding but hopefully positive, life-affirming manner. Free admission; you just have to haul your weary, grunge-starved bodies down to Croydon for some vital grunge resuscitation.*

The sky was your playground

The more astute of the (precious few) regular readers of my blog among you will be acutely aware that I don’t always post as promptly as I intend. The record for a delayed post was the review of the Pearl Jam gig in Prague, which I got out a whole year – albeit to the day, I proudly trumpet – after the actual gig. (Great gig, btw.)

So I’m not doing too badly with this one, which is to share photos and a video from the Radio Seattle gig last Halloween – a meagre 14 weeks after the event.* It was our first gig with new members Paul on guitar and Markus on bass, and we were back at the Railway Tavern in Crouch End.