How To Do A Christmas Shop Window

If any shop in Bristol (and Cabot no less) is going to embrace Christmas in all its camp, magical glory, it's gotta be Harvey Nics.

Normally popdock wouldn't profile a shop like HN, but these sparkling windows are so jaw-droppingly gorgeous in the flesh - especially walking through Quaker's Friars in the evening, that it was worth a mention.

As they're the first serious investment windows wee Briz has ever really had, these photos hardly do them justice, especially since they were taken in the dark (anyone remember that thing that used to live in the sky? Me neither...) on a standard digital camera, but you'll get the idea - think Disney-like golden swirls, floating life-size pixies and fairies wearing only strategically placed baubles, and other lovely delights...

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Chew Lips

@ Louisiana - 25.11.09

Support: Nova Robotics

These guys are going to be massive. You know when you can just tell? I hate to say wanky things like "yah, huge for twenty-ten, I was there at the beginning of course..." but when Chew Lips painted the town all sparkly-purple on Wednesday, bringing their catchy electro to a busy Louisiana, the excitement in the air was of the palpable sort that only comes when seeing a band on the cusp of greatness.

Starting things off was one man and his trusty laptop, Bristol's own Nova Robotics, who pushed out some choppy electro bass and big beats, and topped them with live lonely guitar chords, perfecting the shy-bedroom-mixer-type, whilst acknowledging other genre-benders like Bloc Party/Explosions In The Sky/Errors.

Keeping his hoodie firmly around his ears, Mr Robotics kept the crowd captivated with his instrumental, expressive combinations of heavy dancey synths and instinctive, yet delicate melodies over the top.

It's music to ponder something to, alone on a train going through a city early in the early morning, or walking back from work in heavy rain. (You know, that sort of built-up pace but with a melancholy edge.)

Unfortunately, his laptop died on him (we've all been there) in the middle of the set, but things quickly got back on track after a technological shuffle and a few apologies.

We spoke to him later when buying an EP (a bargainous £3) and he was such a lovely guy. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for future performances.

Kitsune's Chew Lips then took to the mircokorg-laden stage in a strange whirl of tweed and sequins, the whole room seemed to fill with energy. Comparisons with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and La Roux immediately sprang to mind, but there was something very likeable and unique about frontwoman Tigs.

All of a sudden there are some very cool girls on the music scene, doing their own thing and trying to out-crazy-outfit each other, and don't get me wrong -that's better for music than the uniform bikini dance routines of a couple of years ago... but it's all happened so quickly that it can sometimes be a little like 'Which one are you again?'

Tigs and Chew Lips, however, will have no such problem - she's gorgeous and stylish - but perhaps because fame is still relatively new, she's much easier to relate to than the usual popstar.

With a glittery arrow drawn on her face and buckets of charisma, she roared through a wicked set with bandmates James and Will at the electro-pop helm, telling us we were a wicked crowd when fans sang back to her during singles Solo and Salt Air.

The band later changed their facebook status to "Bristol was the best night of the tour, nice one peeps." Which was quite nice.

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Give us your support | England 2018 Bid site

For all fans of the big game out there, Bristol is getting involved with England's bid to host the 2018 Football World Cup! So if you fancy seeing Peter Crouch getting his robot out on College Green then show your support and sign up below, and don't forget to click on Bristol as host city!

Give us your support England 2018 Bid site

There are games, downloads and loads of information, so check it out!

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In Remembrance

Yesterday, Bristol was silent to honour the brave men and women from the area who have fought and fallen for their country, with services at the MOD at Filton Abbey Wood and the Memorial Stadium.

After a fitting tribute parade through the centre on Sunday, the city again acknowledged the sacrifice of thousands at 11am with a two minute silence, marking the end of the first World War.

It's a difficult time for many with relatives serving right now in Afghanistan, but I've been proud to see so many poppies adorning chests, and see how many people really are aware, and grateful, to men like the late Harry Patch, one of the last surviving WWI veterans who died earlier this year, and was originally from Somerset.

Thankyou.

flump

The stock-check is finally over! Woo! I can now have my life back and devote my time to popdock once again. The day job includes Cabot-Circus-based retail mundanity, and every so often I have to work even longer hours...but I'll be doing loads more posts now I have internet and time, (not just dragging my cold feet through the front door long after the sun has set, too tired to even think about making tea) so there'll hopefully be some good, varied Brizzle shizzle up here!

If there's anyone out there doing anything interesting - whether you're a band, a troupe, a collective of any sort, or a ker-azy individual with something fun or lovely to share - then get in touch! I'd like to do a few more profiles - you just have to be loosely Bristol based.

Hope the cold isn't getting everyone down too much. Go check out the Broadmead German Christmas market - which looks set to be going live soon enough- it's enough to make Ebeneezer Scrooge don a pair of reindeer antlers with gay abandon! Pics up soon - for now all I'll say is: rotating two-storey Nativity scene... oh, yes.

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gig no.2

Oxjam, Start The Bus
25/10/09

Yep, popdock did two gigs in one night, and we'll say it was a deliberate, well-timed effort rather than a happy accident after one too many pints of Thatcher's Gold... but no matter!

Start The Bus's juicy leg of the Oxjam celebrations culminated with a rather wicked performance from Bristol's own lil' legend Kid Carpet, and who else should have been there but the wonderful Jeff! (Blue beard explained later...)

In case anyone doesn't know, Kid is the ultimate geek-chic-bedroom-DJ: a connoisseur of children's toys - mashing plastic Fisher Price instruments with 80s casio keyboards to make his unique brand of 'shit-hop', as it was once labelled. Never afraid to take the piss, he launched into a brilliant remix of an old (crap) local radio advert for the "Bristol! Car-pet fact-ory!" mixed excellently with Starship's We Built This City.

"We built this city - Bristol! - We built this city - Bristol! - We built this city ..." music cuts.


Kid - "...on slavery."

And sadly, he's got a point.


Oxfam were at The Bus in force, using Oxjam to keep everyone aware of current global issues and what can be done to help for the future- which is why almost everyone had a bit of blue on their face... you know... climate change, cold....

A wicked little mash-up, with a good cause.

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gig no.1

Camera Obscura - Thekla
25/10/09

Again, apologies for getting behind with posts. We're all go with t'interweb now, so regular updates from hereon in, I swear!

So, last Sunday popdock enjoyed a sweet, soulful treat aboard the beloved Thekla, from the likes of Camera Obscura and support, Magic Arm (below).
Despite a good cover of LCD Soundsystem's Daft Punk Are Playing At My House - keeping a lot of the original's coolness - there was a bit of awkward tension between songs, and the audience started to feel a bit restless.

Manchester based multi-instrumentalist Marc Rigelsford could certainly work his loops and pedals, but it seemed a little too confused - acoustic guitars and trumpets clashed with with electro synths - and it was difficult to get into, but by no means unpleasant.

The boat then began to get Busy, with an influx of folkies of all ages eager to hear the lush Parisian-style tones of the Glasgow five-piece named after the latin for dark room...yep, Camera Obscura!

Fronted by the effortlessly cool Tracyanne Campbell (below) their chic pop, akin to a sixties girl group that could play their own instruments and buy their own drinks, soon got toes a-tappin'.

Think Belle and Sebastian meets Nouvelle Vague with plenty of strings and catchy tambourines and you're halfway there. There's just enough British eccentricity in the group's dynamic (Campbell had a pair of heels brought on about five minutes into the set) and the bittersweet heartbreak lyrics to bring home how refreshing this smart, unique band are.

After just a little while, the quick stage banter, beatiful melodies and pretty dresses got everyone carried away enough to take part in the handclaps, shimmies and sways, or at the very least walking home kicking the Autumn leaves like they lived in a Chanel advert... Altogether lovely!

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