TOP TWENTY 2012

Here are my personal Top Twenty live shows of 2012:

Bryan Lewis Saunders - live at Extreme Rituals, Bristol
Runzelstirn & Gurgelstøck - live at Extreme Rituals, Bristol
Lasse Marhaug - live at El Nicho Aural, Mexico-City
Julian Sartorius - live at Reitschule, Bern
Der Tapeman - live at Ausland, Berlin
Trevor Wishart - live at Extreme Rituals, Bristol
Skunk Anansie - live at Columbiahalle, Berlin
Alice Kemp - live at Extreme Rituals, Bristol
Russell Haswell - live at Next Festival, Bratislava
KK Null - live at Cafe Oto, London
Gerritt Wittmer - live at The Lab, San Francisco
Damion Romero - live at Dem Passwords, Los Angeles
Rashad Becker - live at Extreme Rituals, Bristol
Daniel Menche - live at West Germany, Berlin
Anla Courtis - live at El Nicho Aural, Mexico-City
Trepaneringsritualen - live at Fylkingen, Stockholm
Phurpa - live at Extreme Rituals, Bristol
Charles Moneypenny - live at Staalplaat, Berlin
Elggren/Löwenbrück - live at Extreme Rituals, Bristol
Astro - live at Ende Tymes Festival, New York City

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Extreme Family!

Extreme Rituals - A Schimpfluch Carnival 

A festival of Extreme Music and Performance celebrating the work and legacy of the Schimpfluch-Gruppe art collective:

That incredible weekend of 30th November - 2nd December 2012 at the Arnolfini in Bristol still dominates my mind. Every day I have to think back to this intense experience we all went through, we all shared, we all celebrated! It was a unique feeling of security in extreme actions and passion. In some ways we were one family, one extreme family!

My ER email folder dates back to early 2011 when everything began with an idea and some first contacts to Sound and Music London. Since then almost a thousand emails were exchanged between Steve Underwood (Harbinger Sound), Richard Whitelaw (Sound and Music), Rudolf Eb.er (R&G) and my humble self.

Without Steve, the driving force behind the whole idea, and Richard, the brain who brought all the bits and pieces together, this festival wouldn't have been possible in the way we experienced it. Thanks to the artists who contributed passionate and intense performances and the Arnolfini team who was incredibly supportive, we all witnessed some historical moments in Extreme Music and Performance.


"I'm not here for your amusement. You're here for mine." 
(Johnny Rotten)

Festival:
http://www.soundandmusic.org/projects/extreme-rituals-schimpfluch-carnival
https://www.facebook.com/events/450662358290097/

Reviews:
http://exeuntmagazine.com/features/extreme-rituals/
http://idwalfisher.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/extreme-rituals.html
http://www.musiquemachine.com/articles/articles_template.php?id=288
http://muhmur.blogspot.de/2012/12/extreme-ritualsarnolfini-bristol-nov-30.html
http://gx-communique.blogspot.de/2012/12/schimpfluch-carnival-2012.html

See you in 2013 somewhere on this planet!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

JL

England, oh England!

To warm-up for 'Extreme Rituals' festival in Bristol, I decided to play some solo shows across England and introduce my body and mind again to those wonderful rituals of this glorious kingdom:

No time for Stonehenge or Westminster Abbey but always plenty of time for another pub and a service area on the motorway between London and Leeds or Nottingham and Manchester:

Worth mentioning: 

The Whalley (Manchester) --> Best jukebox, cheapest beer prices!

The Duke of Cambridge (Nottingham) --> Best blondes over 45!

The Raven (Nottingham) --> Best working man's pub!

The Vine (Nottingham) --> Best fucked-up karaoke singing and smallest stage in Great Britain!

SUDDEN INFANT UK-Tour 2012

November 22 - Leeds - Wharf Chambers
November 24 - Manchester - St Margarets Church
November 25 - Nottingham - JT Soar
November 27 - London - Cafe Oto

Huge thanks to Steve Underwood for driving me around, giving me a shelter and a beer and showing me 'The Army of Walking Sticks'. Also massive thanks to Anke, Tom, Pascal, Kelly, Jenna, Lee (TUSK), Oli, Sara, Kingsley, Andy (Sleaford Mods),  Zenon, Simon, Mark, Peter, Jac, Julian, Tom, Stelios, Paul and last but not least Mandy and of course all friends who came to the shows. Cheers!