Candle burning at both ends

Sorry for neglecting the blog a bit over the last couple of weeks. I've been really very busy, but have been having a really great time. The week that I last wrote saw two Action and Action gigs - the first with a number of bands (the best of which was The Olympus Mons, who were like a 3-piece Bloc Party. Actually I've just found that they wrote something nice about us here!) - the second with the truly exceptional Meet Me in St Louis in Kingston. MMISL were easily in the top 5 bands we've ever played with and I have to say I'm really looking forward to playing more gigs with them. They were tremendous guys, quite apart from being a spectacular (and incredibly intelligent) band.

In between those two gigs, I went to see Jake's current band, Popular Workshop, on the Wednesday. Those guys have only been together for a short while, but they're getting better every time I see them, sounding more and more like an eccentric take on Shellac and McLusky. Really good stuff. Then, on the Friday, I went to High Wycombe for one of Eddie's gigs, which was an amazing night, as ever. I got to see and hear a variety of wonderful punk rock, including Circus Act who I've been wanting to see for ages. I had rather a lot to drink, then passed out on Eddie's couch, while people carried out with discussions into the night in the same room, English and American accents invading my dream state.

(have I included enough musical links to show you what I'm enjoying at the mo?)

The next morning, Naomi called me at about 8 O'Clock. It was 4 O'Clock in the morning for her, in Argentina, and she'd completely forgotten that it was Saturday morning for me - so I wouldn't necessarily be up - but it was lovely to speak to her all the same. God knows what that phone bill will amount to!

After that, I left Eddie's and made my way back to London. I then proceeded to spend the rest of the day tearing apart my room in order to locate the wedding invitation that Richard and Philippa had originally sent to Naomi, who had then put it in my bag. I'm not good with paper work, you see. I managed to find it half way through the afternoon, just in time to put on a suit, tube down to Liverpool St, then take the train out to Colchester for the 5pm wedding reception. True to form, I arrived at 6. Dinner was good, and it was a fun evening all round, plus it was great to see Richard and Philippa so happy, and all of their extended families enjoying the occasion. They had a huge marquee in the extensive gardens of Richard's parents' house, and to cope with the numbers of people they had hired fairly large portaloos (which played back amusing panpipe versions of Queen songs - I discovered this on my accidental visit to what turned out to be the ladies' toilet). Doug and Chris (Richard's brothers) did an amazing iMovie montage of Richard misbehaving drunkenly from childhood onwards, culminating in an inebriated video apology to whoever his future parents-in-law would be). It was very very funny, as was James Bendell's speech, which included some immortal lines at Richard's expense. Richard's own speech was also funny, mainly because he kept losing his place, and was understandably nervous.

Of course, my highlight of the evening came when the disco started, because everyone knows how much I look forward to dancing... Richard and Philippa got into their taxi at the end of the night to get to their hotel before flying to the US for their honeymoon. I crashed in the hotel room of one of Richard's mates, and woke up to then get the train to St Michael's on Sunday morning. A very hectic week, but a great one.