Bla-Bla and all that

An eventful week at the coal face and elsewhere. On Wednesday evening I was down at the Ancienne Belgique to see Jarvis Cocker on his first solo tour. Jarvis is still a great entertainer (funny, endearing, and able to come up with with a sharp turn of phrase and a catchy tune), but there is something not-quite-right about Cocker without Pulp. I guess it's like seeing John Lennon post-Beatles, or Morrissey post-Smiths: still great but not as great. Irvine Welsh kinda summed it up in Trainspotting (the airgun scene in the movie).
On Thursday, through a friend of a friend I blagged my way into Bruxelles Vibes, a two-and-a-half-hour live telecast from The Bank, one of the local Irish pubs. The program, which was transmitted live by Internet broadcaster, labelletv.net, was an edition of the Bla-Bla Wilson TV Show, a variety show hosted by Wilson Claude Balda. Interspersing interviews (with architect-designer Antoine Pinto, novelist Alice Jolly, photographer Jock Fistick and broadcaster Benoit Moulin, among others) and music (including Ellen Demos, Rafter, Monday Justice, Swingmasters and Da Hush), and all tied around a vague Burns Night theme (kilted bagpiper and male/female mime duo with tartan scarves and all), the show was fast-moving and enjoyable, even for someone whose French is as moderate as mine. And hats off to the stage manager for sterling work in such a cramped space.
Tomorrow, The Fratellis.