More Plastique

Maximo Park in at No. 9!

Me Geordie lads have entered the UK pop chart at No. 9 with 'Our Velocity' (which I call 'Wor Velocity', of course). This is their highest chart placing so far so well done to the lads! They've certainly put enough effort into it and they played a magnificent live version when I saw them a few weeks ago at the Astoria. I have a certain parental pride glowy-thing going on now - I am, after all, old enough to be their dad.

Their new album is due out on Monday 2 April so I don't have to wait long to glory in it. Some tracks are available on YouTube and elsewhere and the NME has the whole album on stream but I'm resisting listening to it through the poota in bits n pieces, I want to enjoy the whole thing the way it's meant to be listened to.

Public Notice: I'm busy on Monday evening - don't ring because the phone will be switched off.

'The Magic Position' by Patrick Wolf

All I knew about Patrick Wolf until this weekend was that there was a stupidly colourful poster of his new record at St James's Park tube station. How annoying, I thought, another one of *them*. I'm not sure what I meant by *them*, probably something to do with hyped nobodies that are supposed to be this week's 'next big thing'. His name's popped up a few times recently and I saw a couple of his videos on YouTube and thought, 'interesting...'.

My trains were up the creak tonight (that's a technical term for fucdup) so I went for a browse in the little HMV at Victoria Station and picked up his CD. Distressingly, the CD cover is the same as the annoying poster in St James's Park station but I am brave and can get beyond that.

I'm listening to the album at the moment and I like what I hear. I'm not sure how to describe it. There's a bit of Bowie/Nick Cave/Glitter stomp going on in some of the songs, even touches of Bjork, but he doesn't fit into any particular category, and I like that. He seems to be a bit of everything. Amazingly, this is his third album and he's only 23. Maybe this will be his break-through album? I need to listen to it some more but I think he can only be good for music in this country at the moment.

Mind you, he's too thin. He ought to eat more.

Last 10 iPod

To continue my astonishment at the iPod shuffle facility, here are the latest 10 tracks as of today:

Chinese Rocks - The Ramones
Mr Blue - Yazoo
Like A Virgin (Confessions Tour) - Madonna
What? - Soft Cell
David Watts - The Kinks
Hardly Gonna Miss Him - Michelle Shocked
Beautiful (Punk Version - Chile Session) - Moby
Mash It Up Harry - Ian Dury & The Blockheads
Love Shack - The B-52s
Ballad Of Gracious Living - Raul Julia

Mary Poppins

I was sad to hear that 'Mary Poppins', the stage musical, will close later this year to make way for another musical while Poppins goes on tour. I *like* Poppins!

I saw it eons ago with Chris as a treat and I loved Poppins from start to finish. There were lots of special moments in it but, for me, two stand out in particular:

• When Mary opens her brolly and flies out over the audience - a wow moment and I was a child again, and

• When Mr Banks gives the Bird Lady a penny and asks her to do him the great personal honour of feeding the birds on his behalf.

Both were important moments for me. I'd quite like to see it again before it closes.