So. One of the awesome things about being so close to London is that there is a strong likelihood that some cool bands will be playing. But one of the most serendipitous things of this trip to Europe for work was that one Jack White III scheduled a show in London during my time at the Uni of Warwick!
Now, you all know my obsession with all things Jack White related. Ever since I saw a fledgling White Stripes in Melbourne back in 2000, I have been an avid disciple. So you can imagine my excitement. Sadly, the show, which was originally scheduled for a Saturday (ideal when staying an hour out of London), got moved to a Thursday night, so it had to be a quick trip to London rather than a weekend. But who cares? It’s Jack Freakin’ White!
a virgin trains sticker of advice
So after work I jumped on a fast train to London. Good to see the Virgin humour is translated to their trains too. I made sure to keep my dreams in my pocket.
In no time I was in London and tubed my way to Hammersmith, my home for the evening. Dumped my bag in my hostel and it was straight to the Apollo. I was in the venue in no time and settled in for the evening. After a very earnest bunch of angry youngsters who were support, it was Jack White time!
Woah.
the man in action
This was my 12th time seeing Mr White in his various incarnations, and outside of an epic 2 hour show from the White Stripes back in 2004 that will always have that special place in my heart, this was the finest I had ever seen him. This was a close to 2 hour set of songs from across his whole career, played with such rawness and passion from Jack and his band, that I was just blown away. I was a little worried going in, as sadly I find his latest album Lazaretto arguably his weakest album from his oeuvre, however he only played the songs I dig from that album and supplemented them with amazing song after amazing song, culminating with an epic Seven Nation Army.
So yeah. I don’t think I can really do it justice. Just when you think that gigs are just a little routine, you go to a show that surprises you and blows you away in all the right ways. Thanks Jack.
Apologies for the lack of updates in the last week. A combination of just being at work, but also a bit of moving around. I am now settled in my own flat at the Uni of Warwick, so I can catch up on some blog action.
Let’s go back to last Wednesday. As I probably mentioned, I was staying in a place called Leamington Spa, which is a small township not far from Uni of Warwick. It is a fairly small but really pleasant town, so it was to my surprise I found out they had a 1000 person rock venue. And an even bigger surprise that Mr Gary Numan was playing! So of course I had to go.
It seemed every rocker, old and new, turned up for the gig. Older folk who knew him from back in the day, and younger folk who know him through his obvious influence on bands like Nine Inch Nails. Me, I was a bit of both, but thought that hearing “Cars” live by the man himself would be a bit of alright.
And was it? Yeah! It was pretty cool. He certainly still has it, prowling the stage and putting on a good show with his band, which did sound incredible. A focus on new material, which was very How To Destroy Angels sounding, did give way to his classics like Cars, Metal, and Are Friends Electric.
Super glad I went. For 20 quid, to see the man in directly responsible for many a band that I listen to was a real treat. Good one Leamington Spa!
A quick update. Not that I have done too much worth blogging about, but just to say hello really.
As you will have read in my Bletchley Park update, I am now at the University of Warwick, and in the first few days here I have settled in really well. The busy time for everyone here is just winding up, so I have only had sporadic meetings, but I have got my nose stuck into some good research projects (as well as trying to finish a few things off) so am excited about the next month. Jane, my host here, in particular has been amazing at getting me settled in.
Anyway, just a few random pics and minor stories for you:
1. Lady Godiva
watch out for peeping tom!
The University of Warwick is just near Coventry, home of Lady Godiva. There is a statue in her honour (which I have written about already) but I forgot to show what happens on the hour in the city centre. Yep, Lady Godiva rides out of the clock with Peeping Tom watching. Of course she does.
2. Kenilworth Castle
castles castles everywhere
You can’t go a mile without bumping into a castle around these parts, but Kenilworth Castle is quite cool as it is still in its state after years of wear, tear, and wars. Haven’t been in yet but had a nice stroll around.
3. Dandelion and Burdock
mmm… burdock
Of course I had to try it! Quite tasty actually. On the way to a root beer type drink, but not quite. Would happily drink again.
That’s it! There is a chance I may end up seeing Gary Numan tonight as he is playing near my lodgings which could be quite cool. And then tomorrow it is off to London Town to see the man himself, Jack White. Woot! More updates later.
I arrived yesterday from Sweden, where I flew into Birmingham and straight away made my way to the University of Warwick, near Coventry. I was met by Michael, my work colleague from Oz, and Jane, my host here at Uni of Warwick, who then whisked me away to the university campus. Straight away I was met with lovely hospitality, boding well for my next 5 weeks working here.
After some dinner together, I retired to my temporary lodgings here in the small town of Leamington Spa, where I am for the next week until me flat at the uni becomes free. But enough of the work talk! What have I been doing?
Well, today was a grey Saturday, and it was the last chance Michael and I had to catch up before he heads back to Oz and I start my research trip in earnest. But rather than talk shop in a hotel or at the campus, we decided to do it on the train… to Bletchley Park!
bletchley park!
Bletchley Park is only an hour from Coventry, so it was a good excuse to visit, since I had not had the chance. Bletchley Park, for the unaware, is the home of the codebreaking effort of WW2, as well as the spiritual home for all IT people. Why? It is really the birthplace of modern computing, with Colossus, the world’s first programmable digital computer being developed here to help in the codebreaking efforts. So super exciting!
i have trouble enough understanding how it works let alone cracking the codes
We arrived to Bletchley Park and were greeted by the fairly new main visitors centre, which I believe is in the once decrepit, now gloriously restored, Block C. Immediately we set eyes on one of the famous Enigma machines. Holy cow it was exciting to see one in the flesh (or metal as it were).
part of the brain of colossus!
english code making machines
And from there our exploration began in earnest. We made out way through the opening exhibit, seeing all kinds of other historical gems, such as Typex machines and pieces from Colossus itself.
the great man
Block B housed a large historical exhibit, covering most of the detail of what happened and how it all happened. Especially prominent in this section was the great man Alan Turing, considered the father of modern computer science and artificial intelligence. The exhibit was a great dedication to the man, including a very cool slate statue, and the formal apology from the British Government for his disgraceful treatment after the war.
the first rule of bletchley park is… you don’t talk about bletchley park
Dotted around the whole site were many posters from the era. My favourites were the ones warning personnel not to talk about anything. Who knows who you may be talking to!
the heart of bletchley park
From there it was to the famous mansion at the heart of the site. It is incredible to think that, aside from one close (but apparently accidental) bombing incident, the whole site went unnoticed to the enemy.
doing my part for the war effort
The rest of the site comprised on very cool displays and recreations inside the many blocks and huts around the site. I gather that a lot of work has been done in the past few years to restore the huts, and it was certainly worth it to be able to wander inside them and get a feeling for exactly how they would have been back in WW2.
much more productive than my desk
Hut 8 included Turing’s work desk. Amazing to think on that desk he cracked many of the communication mysteries of WW2. A bit more than happens at my own work desk 🙂
In the blink of an eye 5 hours had passed. It really is an amazing site and it is great to see they are continuing to restore as much of the original buildings as possible.
the joke will never get old
So with that we decided to head back to Coventry. I couldn’t resist snapping a pic of another classic English tabloid headline. The Suarez jokes are running thick and fast (and still hilarious)!
coventry cathedral
Rather than head straight back to my digs at Leamington Spa, Michael gave me the quick 10 cent tour of downtown Coventry. The most impressive feature is the old Cathedral. What makes it different to others?
not much inside huh?
While it survived WW2, all that survived were the spire and shell… everything inside was destroyed. Quite incredible that it could stay standing, but apparently the iron work was that good. Super amazing to be in the middle of it.
i elected not to have my own lady godiva moment
I also got to see the statue dedicated to Lady Godiva, who famously rode through the town naked in the 11th century to oppose the immense taxes her husband was placing on the towns folk. She presides over the main town square, as well as pops out of the Broadgate Clock (while Peeping Tom leers on). Suitably kitschy.
world cup pint
We were done in time to arrive at a pub about 15 minutes in to the first Round of 16 match in the World Cup. What good timing! And to continue my rubbing it in to my friends, I then proceeded to watch the thrilling Brazil v Chile game in a pub, while having a good meal and pints. Sadly Chile went down in penalties, but I wasn’t complaining (being full of cider).
With that, it was back on the train to Leamington Spa to watch some more World Cup in the comfort of my hotel. I even got to watch some Jack White from Glastonbury! Muttler for the win.
As I mentioned yesterday, this was my last day in Sweden before heading off to work at the University of Warwick in the UK. Since Uppsala is quite small, and I felt like I had explored it sufficiently, I decided to head back in to Stockholm for the day.
The nice thing about today’s agenda was that there really wasn’t any. I saw the museums I wanted to in my first visit, so today was just about wandering the streets of Stockholm and seeing where I ended up. So after a casual morning, I hopped the train and in no time at all was back in Stockholm.
heading into gamla stan
And today was the most glorious weather I’ve had for the whole Sweden trip. It has been unseasonably cold and grey, but today the sun was out in full force, meaning I could rock the Socceroos colours proudly! It is incredible to jump off the train and in 5 minutes be on the water and wandering cobblestoned streets in Gamla Stan, or the old town of Stockholm.
peeking through the cracks
Gamla Stan, which I did visit on my last visit, is nice to just wander the narrow streets. It is delightful to be in a tiny street and look up and see the cathedral or royal palace peeking through. It is those moments that are the beauty of the old town. In many respects, the tourist vibe (and by that I mean not the wandering tourists like me, rather than dozens of borderline tacky souvenir stores) undoes some of the charm, but not quite.
So around I wandered. I had been given word of a Tintin store in the old town, but alas found out that it had closed only weeks ago. Boo. I continued to just wander aimlessly, eventually buying some very cool yet strange black crystal tumblers made by a local artist for my “Swedish” souvenir. They will look good amongst the other trinkets that have made their way to our house from our many trips abroad.
fotografiska
Eventually I poked out the other end of Gamla Stan and headed across the bridge toward Sodermalm. I then remembered there was a gallery I was keen to visit, so off it was to Fotografiska, the Stockholm photographic museum. Unlike most other galleries, it doesn’t have a permanent collection, rather has rotating exhibits by local and well renowned international artists. I was super fortunate to arrive to an exhibition by the amazing photographer Sebastião Salgado. If you have not seen his work, Google him straight away, in particular the “Genesis” exhibit, which is what I saw.
It was jawdropping and huge. He spent many years visiting places that have thus far avoided civilisation, and his images of animals and people are incredible. The Antarctic images in particular took my breath away.
even the view from the cafe is picture perfect
Even the views from the cafe in the gallery were spectacular. It just reinforced what a gorgeous city Stockholm really is.
thumbs up!
After spending a considerable time in the gallery, I then decided to grab some more herring from Nystekt Stromming. Mmmm. Still delicious. Thumbs up!
postcards everywhere
Otherwise, it was just back to wandering. I cruised along the water mostly, soaking up the glorious day. All the views along the stroll were great and I happily wandered for quite a while, before deciding it was time to head back. Even the tree lined walkways were glorious to stroll along.
this is the life
On my way to the train station I popped into a local record store called Bengens. They had a fair selection of vinyl, although it was the used section that caught my eye. Two in particular…
herreys? herreys!
The first I had no idea who it was but worked out they were a local Swedish band. As it turns out they are 3 brothers who are Eurovision winners from the early 80’s! I can’t believe I didn’t realise. Alas I didn’t end up buying it.
i’ll give you a good reason
The second was one that was flying the Aussie flag. Good to see Jason Donovan is in bargain bins all over the world.
rekorderlig… yay! only 2%… boo!
And with that, it was back on a train to Uppsala. On my way back to the hotel, I popped in to the local supermarket and picked up some drinks for my World Cup watching. Rekorderlig! Score! Alas, due to the odd Swedish liquor laws, the cider was only in the order of 2% alcohol. It was super cheap for 4 cans though (about $3.50 for the 4 cans) so who am I to complain?
All that’s left is to post this blog and then pack for my trip to England! Thanks Sweden… you were gorgeous.
