So, I’ve already mentioned I’m off to Melbourne in very early February for Laneway. Well, a few of us are then heading off to Japan for a few weeks on the back of Laneway, because we can.
We’re still sorting out what we’ll do and where exactly we’ll do such things, but the basic travel plan is to fly into Osaka on the 7th, while I’m booked to fly from Osaka back to Melbourne on the 17th. I don’t know that Piers will book his return flight until we’re actually over there.
I know that Chad Valley is playing in Tokyo the weekend of the 11th and 12th, and it would be grand to see him, but I think Tim mentioned something about going to Hakuba that weekend.
Anyone know of anything else we should do? I’m looking more for things on at the time, rather than the typical touristy things one is meant to do in the Land of the Rising Sun and the Chrysanthemum Throne.
My main wants from the trip are single digit temperatures, wagyu, gyoza, Pocari Sweat, and a repeat wander around Mandarake. Read into that what you will.
So, I have two things to announce about Laneway Festival.
The first is that I’ll be attending the Melbourne one this year, after attending the Auckland one the last few years. The line-up (M83, Washed Out, etc.) and timing (pre-Japan, I’ll explain this later) is such that I can’t really afford to see it anywhere else.
The second is that I agreed to make a mixtape for a very talented and amazing friend of mine so she would know what she was in for when she agreed to come festivalling with us. Plans have since changed for her, but I thought a mixtape of some kind was still in order.
So, this is “Now This I’m Real” By Chad Valley from his album, Equatorial Ultravox.
I’m posting this song for reasons, namely:
because I quite like it.
because Piers has never heard of the guy.
because I’d heard he was touring Tokyo around the same time some of us will be in Osaka early next year.
because I much prefer the Wintercoats’ remix of “Shell Suite”, but posting that would misrepresent his live set.
Yeah, that’s about it.
I mean, we’re heading into summer (I know summer has officially started but the climate seems to be fucking with us this week), so I figured it was ok to openly enjoy chillwave-y kinda stuff. You know, slow jams for sunlit backyards expectant with good friends, cold beer, too-strong mixed spirits, fussy finger food and randomly occurring mad dashes to the bathroom (beer bladder is the worst).
Sorry, but the attention around my dunny collection kinda scared me away from the blog for a few months there. Also had to deal with travelling to Melbourne for Parklife and myriad other happenings, but its ok. I’m back. For how long, I can’t say, as you’ll soon come to know of a few things yet to come.
Apparently this was all my fault for not stacking the empty boxes properly. I chose to blame an earthquake that must have struck Wellington while we were away.
Feel free to forward any thought-provoking contributions, questions seeking clarification, matters of particular concern to yourself about this blog, and any achingly witty bon mot to hello[at]hakopa[dot]com
