Warsaw: Swiętokrzyska Metro Station Advertisements

Was underground at the Swiętokrzyska metro station crossroads in Warsaw city centre the other day, and enjoyed looking at these electronic advertisements for the theatre and opera in Warsaw.

Really glad that the picture below captured the changeover between two different advertisements:

Calexico Concert Poster in Warsaw

One of the best bands I've ever seen live (at Manchester Academy 2 in the early 2000s).

Dave's Pictures of The Unthanks from the Recent Killarney Folk Festival

My friend Dave from Ireland has just sent me these pictures of The Unthanks live at the recent Killarney Folk Festival:

Really like these shots (possibly taken by Dave's wife, Jean) as they capture the colour and atmosphere of the occasion:

Michael Chapman and Mike Cooper Live at Warsaw Pardon To Tu 21st July 2015

So glad I got to see accoustic guitar maestro Michael  Chapman at Warsaw Pardon To Tu last night.  Only discovered Michael Chapman's work properly a month or two ago, but I'm so glad I did.

The man just has a profound feel for his instrument, it's captivating, I just found myself being mesmerised watching his finger movements on the guitar all the time, tapping my feet in unison:

My favourite tunes of the night would have to be the opening 'Trains' or the encore 'La Madrugada':

Between songs, Michael Chapman was very gracious with a pleasant northern English (Yorkshire) accent, and it was interesting to hear how 'La Madrugada' had been inspired by and written in Italian, Spanish and Mexican churches.

Unfortunately, I only caught a few minutes of the Mike Cooper set afterwards, as I had to be up early for work the next morning.  As I'd expected, Mike Cooper's work looked as if it was going to be heavily esoteric, and from what I saw at the start, I'm not that sure if some members of the audience knew what to make of it.

Still, while there were a few problems with the microphone, Mike Cooper showed that he had a great, ironic sense of humour (e.g. his theory about the soundman being in the toilet), and recalled the days when him and Michael Chapman  had been playing live in the British clubs of the 1960s.

And the Pardon To Tu?  I just find this place a touch claustrophobic, especially at the back when the  music starts, although it's easy enough to move around and get a beer before the music starts:

Szczebreszyn (Poland): Three Dogs

Still in Szczebreszyn, eastern Poland here with Misiek, my wife's parents' golden retriever who almost looks like a small lion above.

And below, Misiek is having his coat combed with a rake which he loves:

And next door to Misiek, there's Czapek who  does a lot of barking but likes to lick people's hands:

And łatek also lives next door:

His big skill is jumping in the air as below:

Szczebreszyn (Poland): Ducks and Storks in the Fields

A few of my wife's mobile shots from her hometown of Szczebreszyn in eastern Poland here, starting with a wonderful group of ducks marching in a fully organised fashion towards hunting for slugs (above).

And below, there is a stork probably looking for frogs in a farmer's field:

While below, a stork is being more daring looking for frogs in someone's garden:

Saw the storks arriving in eastern Poland at Easter this year.  They're incredibly popular often making their nests at the top of telegraph poles and sometimes even on top of people's houses.  Of course, as soon as the weather dips and autumn approaches, they get read to fly back to Africa in massive groups.

The Godfather Live Warsaw Poster

Looks like the music from 'The Godfather' is going to be played live at Warsaw Torwar on 8th November:

However, I've just got too many concerts coming up in the autumn/early winter to even consider this.

Pilsner Urquell: A Healthy Beer

Couple of weeks ago my friend Piers told me that Pilsner Urquell (from Pilzen in the Czech Republic) was healthier than most beers due to the alkaline-acid balance in it.  Had never heard of this before but checked it out on the internet, and it seems that Piers was spot on.

So I tried a few bottles last weekend (the first time I'd drunk Pilsner Urquell in about 10 years) and felt no ill effects at all the day after.  Of course, Pilsner Urquell is only 4.4% in alcohol strength, but I'll stick with it as, like drinking Guinness, I felt fully okay after having a reasonable but not heavy amount of it (only drink once a week just to relax with listening to music videos).

Warsaw: A Few Fireworks in the Sky

Was just out and about Saturday evening, when suddenly there was a big bang, as somebody started letting off fireworks from their back garden.

For a minute or so, the sky was more interesting to look at.

Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon Today: Bringing Back Some Memories

Really nice BBC internet picture of Bjorn Borg and his interesting-looking lady friend at Wimbledon for the men's semi-finals today.

Still remember Borg's five singles titles at Wimbledon between 1976 and 1980, especially the five-set battles against the big-serving Roscoe Tanner in 1979 and John McEnroe in 1980.  Also remember McEnroe gaining revenge in four sets the year after.

This all seems a lifetime away now, but I can still remember Borg with his trademark fair-haired locks and headband on, hitting from the baseline with pinpoint accuracy.

Think I can also remember seeing the famous quarter-final match between Borg and Britain's Roger Taylor from the 1973 Wimbledon in the TV room at Transparent Club in Bury, Lancashire.   Can also remember seeing Muhammad Ali's (second) victory over Don Quarry in 1972 in this TV room (which was also great for watching FA Cup Finals back then).

Warsaw: The Catholic Church at Plac Grzybowski

At last, I had something a bit better than a small mobile phone at hand to do justice to the beautiful Catholic church at Plac Grzybowski in Warsaw.

Just find this particular Catholic church majestic in structure.

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog Live at Warsaw Pardon To Tu 6th July 2015

This one nearly slipped under my radar, but I'm so glad that it didn't, as it was an honour to see such fine craftsmen (Marc Ribot; Shahzad Ismaily; and Ches Smith) work together live:
 

Up to a few weeks ago, I'd heard about Marc Ribot and his work with Tom Waits and others (e.g. Elvis Costello), but I'd never heard of Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog. 

However, last Friday afternoon, upon the advice of a good friend, I gave the band a sustained listen, and, thankfully, was still able to get a ticket for the second night of their two-night stint at Warsaw Pardon To Tu (at first sight, a strange-looking, 'New Age' kind of place that surprisingly had a nice, homely kind of feel on the night).

Below, talented multi-instrumentalist, Shahzad Ismaily, seems to be (almost) in prayer on stage:

And the coordination between the three musicians on stage was continually breathtaking and mesmerising:

Don't know if it's the sitting position, but Marc Ribot reminded me a lot of Robert Fripp (only seen this guitar maestro once at Manchester Apollo with David Sylvian in the early 1990s):

Don't really know the names of many of the band's tunes, but was really happy that Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog did 'Masters of the Internet' as one of the encores, as this song has very quickly lodged itself at the forefront of my mental jukebox.

Warsaw Summer 2015: In Full Bloom

The clear blue sky above shows that summer is now in full bloom in Warsaw.  The huge tree below provided a good place to shade away from the sun:

And quite from nowhere, this street advertisement about some kind of Japanese art exhibition caught my eye:

Warsaw Wianki Festival 2015: A Few More Shots

A few more (this time camera rather than mobile) shots of the Warsaw Wianki Festival from 20th June here, starting with five of Polish electronica outfit, Rebeka:
 

The shot below shows the wonderful background that Rebeka had from a distance:

And it might have taken loads of tries, but I finally managed to nail a shot:

Was also nice to see how the famous fountains danced to the Rebeka set:

And later on, I managed to get a decent, mystical-type shot of The Charlatans:

This shot idealises things a bit, as, in reality, it was pouring down for most of The Charlatans set, although it was well worth staying for.

Poland Warsaw LDS Mission: 25th Anniversary Weekend

A few shots from last Sunday's meeting at the 'Poland Warsaw LDS Mission 25th Anniversary Weekend' at the Warsaw Wolska chapel here (one catching the congregation in full song below):

After the two-hour Sunday meeting, there was a big group photograph:

And I just tried to half-aimlessly capture the dynamic interaction outside: