The Null Device

Bowlie Nite report

I went along to Bowlie Nite last night, which was rather fun. I caught up with a friend from Australia who's travelling for the next few months, and we went there, meeting up with some other people. It was in the basement level of a club in Chalk Farm Road, with three or so DJs taking turns and playing records (mostly indie pop and northern soul; they played a good track by a band named Felt, whom I must check out properly, as well as stuff like Stereolab, Black Box Recorder, Broadcast, Kings of Convenience and Belle & Sebastian). They also played some old Beach Boys records, which the friend I went with said reminded her of a country wedding she went to a while ago. The hip/daggy dichotomy strikes again.

The flyer said that people could bring their own records and the DJ may play them. I handed the DJ (the one calling herself The Hatster, who apparently came up with the whole night) a copy of the Field Mice's Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way (disc 2), and she played Emma's House.

Also, someone there was handing out flyers for a band named The Charm Offensive, who are playing next Thursday at some place called the Betsey Trotswood, in EC1R (wherever that is). If I'm in town (as opposed to, say, being rained on in the Orkneys or something), I might go to see them.

Anyway, Bowlie Nite was fun. I don't think there's anything quite like that in Melbourne. (There are "UK-indie" nights in bars, but they tend to go for the lowest common denominator approach and lump in everything from Oasis to Fatboy Slim to northern soul to electroclash under the union jack banner.)

There are 14 comments on "Bowlie Nite report":

Posted by: Graham http://grudnuk.com/ Sat Nov 9 01:28:59 2002

I guess the advantage of that sort of thing in London is that, ironically, the Little England "everything good is British" perspective is removed. So do they play the krautrockish Stereolab numbers ("Nihilist Assault Group" is a good one) at these things? Or just their über-bah-bah-bah numbers.

Posted by: hot soup girl http://finishhim.blogspot.com/ Sat Nov 9 10:01:53 2002

D'ya mean the old 80s Birmingham band Felt? Sigh. Their 'Final Resting of the Ark' was the anthem to my mispent youth, or was at least on the soundtrack. So beautiful. Check out the 'Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow' album.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Sat Nov 9 13:12:52 2002

Yes, that Felt. Would you know the name of their 3rd album?

btw, these BT web payphone keyboards are nigh-unusable.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Sat Nov 9 13:14:17 2002

And I think they only played their ba-ba-ba numbers. (I think they played Miss Modular.)

Posted by: Graham http://grudnuk.com Sun Nov 10 02:37:18 2002

Typical.

Posted by: hot soup girl http://finishhim.blogspot.com/ Mon Nov 11 05:29:36 2002

Third album? Might it have been 'The Strange Idol Patterns & Other Short Stories'? I don't have this one any more, but I recall it being an intrumental album comprised almost completely of spanish guitar pieces.

I think. Does that sound right?

Posted by: DogBoy http://www.bowlienite.co.uk Sat Nov 16 12:14:39 2002

Bowlie Nite now has a web page at http://www.bowlienite.co.uk - it's terribly exciting.

Posted by: jimcharmer http:// Mon Nov 18 15:27:20 2002

this morning, I listened to 'Evergreen Dazed' (Felt's 1st album) on my walkman on the tube, during the rush hour. It struck me, that within a populus of about 10 million people, moving around the city (that London) at the time, the percentage of people doing the same thing would be quite small...miniscule...whereas a few years back it maybe would have crept into double figures...... I don't mean I am celebrating my individuality, more that it's a bit sad in a way, 'cos Felt had eventually carved out their niche in the Indie world and got reasonably big...yet another good act disappear from view, although they (or more Lawrence)resurfaced with a seemmingly strong Record Company push as 'Denim'...showing a sense of humour, if nothing else. The album I mentioned will always define Felt for me, songs being defined by Maurice Deebank's almost orchestral guitar work. Ah well.....

an ageing, cack-handed quitarist remembers...

Posted by: jimcharmer http:// Mon Nov 18 15:28:24 2002

this morning, I listened to 'Evergreen Dazed' (Felt's 1st album) on my walkman on the tube, during the rush hour. It struck me, that within a populus of about 10 million people, moving around the city (that London) at the time, the percentage of people doing the same thing would be quite small...miniscule...whereas a few years back it maybe would have crept into double figures...... I don't mean I am celebrating my individuality, more that it's a bit sad in a way, 'cos Felt had eventually carved out their niche in the Indie world and got reasonably big...yet another good act disappear from view, although they (or more Lawrence)resurfaced with a seemmingly strong Record Company push as 'Denim'...showing a sense of humour, if nothing else. The album I mentioned will always define Felt for me, songs being defined by Maurice Deebank's almost orchestral guitar work. Ah well.....

an ageing, cack-handed quitarist remembers...

Posted by: jimcharmer http:// Tue Nov 19 10:20:05 2002

...and, having looked again, I realised that I've said the 1st Felt album was called 'Evergreen Dazed', when, of course that's track 1. On the 1st album - 'Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty'. 'Cos that's all I have time to play between South Ealing and Hammersmith.

Sorry for being anal.

Posted by: sinead http:// Tue Nov 19 20:21:08 2002

the next bowlie night is on the 5th of december, since thats where all this felt discussion sprang from. i might just play some.

Posted by: acb http://dev.null.org Wed Nov 20 08:05:49 2002

Looks like I'll have to find some way of moving to within a more convenient distance of London; these 24-hour A$1600+ economy-class flights from Melbourne do make things inconvenient.

Posted by: charmerchameleon http:// Wed Nov 20 13:37:03 2002

Think I will be joining the masses down to the bowlie extranvanganza THURS 5TH DECEMBER. Might see Jim there if he can remove his head from his rectal passage.

Posted by: jimcharmer http:// Thu Nov 21 12:32:02 2002

Yeah, I'm gonna bring my Felt CD'S, and try and persuade one of the DJ'S to play'em. I will then consider Head/Passage seperation. I might bring along my stuff by 'The Passage', seeing as 'Electronica' is the new'guitaronica' nowadays. So at least then there will be 2 passages in use...