Pet Sounds Weekly Playlist – Sub Pop

“We’re not the best, but we’re pretty good” So runs the strap-line on the Seattle label’s homepage. From being instrumental in the beginnings of grunge, putting out early records by Mudhoney, Soundgarden and of course Nirvana, to signing American Indie successes The Shins, Sebadoh and Hot Hot Heat to a forward looking roster including Fleet Foxes, Avi Buffalo and Beach House, there’s certainly plenty of evidence to support the second part of that self-effacing mission statement. This is just a sample of what the much loved label has had to offer so far. Check it out on Spotify HERE and grab all the other Pet Sounds Weekly Playlists HERE.

01 About A Girl – Nirvana
02 Bandages – Hot Hot Heat
03 Your Protector – Fleet Foxes
04 Smokey Taboo – CocoRosie
05 I Am John – Loney, Dear
06 Turn On Me – The Shins
07 The Distance – Dntel
08 Soul And Fire – Sebadoh
09 Rolling Sea – Vetiver
10 Grip Like A Vice – The Go! Team
11 Cue The Strings – Low
12 Used To Be – Beach House
13 By Your Side – Beachwood Sparks
14 Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car – Iron & Wine
15 Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) – Postal Service

Strong Island on BBC Radio Solent

Paul will be interviewed about Strong Island on BBC Radio Solent a little after 10am this morning, talking about how SI began, what we do, aspects of modern local community, our plans for the future, etc. Must not swear!

You can now listen to it again on the BBC Radio Solent website HERE. It starts at 0:35:35. I’m not sure if the walk on song was directed at us though….

Salsa at Fin’s

If you fancy trying a little evening salsa since the demise of Havanas, why not pop round to Fin’s Cafe Bar at 106 Palmerston Road in October and enjoy their free salsa night. It’s a small, intimate venue and salsa nights are from 8.30pm on 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd October. Pop in and see what they have to offer.

You can grab a bite to eat whilst there if you fancy it.

PS Join their Facebook group Fin’s Cafe Bar and you could win one of 200 free home-cooked British meals being offered as part of British Food Fortnight running from Sept 18th.

King of Southsea 2010 – Video

This is a great little video by Mike King showing some of the highlights from the weekend’s King of Southsea BMX competition at Southsea Skatepark. The riding looks to have been ridiculously good, the flatland as always is something special too, hard to even begin to comprehend the balance involved.

I still feel like going for a bike ride!

So it turns out there are quite a few people out on their bikes this coming month and what with Southsea Fest coming up on the 18th September I’m definitely in the mood for a little light refreshment at The Bridge Tavern and a casual cycle along the seafront and back to help me shake off the hangover on the 19th. I might even end up at Spice Island for a cheeky tipple after. I reckon I’ll get to the Bridge Tavern for a bout 12pm and set off around 2pm after some lunch. Give me a shout if you’re in the area. Nudge nudge. Wink wink.

New Tom Photos

Bored manager, skateboarder and photographer Tom McCaughan has had a bit of a website redesign and has been adding loads of new photos recently. Check below for a quick glimpse and then click on tomtimewaster.wordpress.com to see more.

Live Paint Jam

The live paint jam in the garden of Little Johnny Russells went off on Saturday with a strong turnout and some awesome artwork being produced. At the same time there was also an indoor market in the bar. Below are a load of photos from the day, be sure to click on Read More link below to see them all.

Read More…

6by4 – Call for Entries

To celebrate their 30th Anniversary Art Space Portsmouth is hosting ’6by4′ a secret postcard exhibition in GASP (Gallery Art Space Portsmouth). All proceeds will help support future Art Space projects and initiatives.

CALL FOR ENTRIES:
This is a great opportunity for young and emerging talent to be shown alongside mid-career and established artists. Additionally, it is a great chance for art lovers and collectors to purchase a hidden gem!

The brief is simple. All entries (up to a maximum of 3 per person) must be on card, 6 by 4 inches (15 x 10cm) and can use any medium including drawing, painting, photography and collage. There is no theme and challenging submissions are welcome. Sign and print your name on the reverse (otherwise it will not be a secret!), date it and add a title. Please include your contact details and e-mail address on a separate piece of paper, and post to:

’6by4′, Art Space Portsmouth Limited, 27 Brougham Road, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 4PA

THE CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES IS MONDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2010.

All details here.

Lost Handbag

Liz accidently left her handbag at The Little Johnny Russells last night. For a while it was tucked next to the DJ booth besides Gentle Bren. If anyone has grabbed it or handed it in anywhere we’d greatly appreciate any help. The LJR boys are burning me the CCTV disc so hopefully that will help. It basically has everything in it. All cards, purse, house keys, car keys, phone, you name it. Thanks for reading. Tristan.

Pet Sounds Weekly Playlist – Instrumentals Vol. 1

Something a little different from the Pet Sounds boys this week. Charlie explains. “I started compiling an instrumental playlist a couple of weeks ago and ended up amassing more than 50 tracks, when Tim and I tried it at the Dog we did all night. Probably far too many to digest in one go so I thought I’d do one for now and maybe follow it up in a couple of weeks with Vol. 2

Some absolute banging staples in here, Green Onions, possibly the most complete and perfect song ever written, the origin of Bittersweet Symphony, The Beastie Boys flexing their chops, a soulful cover of a Mamas and Papas tune, arguably the Small Faces finest moment and a guaranteed floor-filler from RJD2, still remember Bren dropping that on me years back, plus a fucking mean groove from Young-Holt Unlimited that defies you to stay still. Not least, the very song that represents our chosen path, the wonderful and odd Pet Sounds by Brian, where we borrowed our name from.”

Head over to Spotify to listen to this weeks offering and check out the past playlists HERE.

01 Intro – The XX
02 Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys
03 Green Onions – Booker T & The MGs
04 The Fly – David Axelrod
05 69 Police – David Holmes
06 Wah Wah Man – Young-Holt Unlimited
07 Glad – Traffic
08 California Dreamin’ – Baby Huey & The Babysitters
09 Spandex Man – Mr Scruff
10 Coffee In The Pot – Supergrass
11 Ghostwriter – RJD2
12 G.B.H. – Death In Vegas
13 Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake – The Small Faces
14 Sabrosa – The Beastie Boys
15 The Last Time – The Andrew Oldham Orchestra

Pompey Beer Festival – The Other Side

Now I’ve been to quite a few Beer & Cider Festivals in my time, but none quite so rawkus and damn right hilarious as last weekends Pompey Beer Festival at The Guildhall. With daft hats from the mechandise stand and Skull Splitter as standard the evening was off to an interesting start. Tony winning a bottle of Courvoisier on The Price is Right was pure scream fuelled entertainment for the whole room and the level of Golf putting skills was something to behold.

We’ll all definitely be going again next year and of course it’s not all about the fun & games, or wearing silly hats, but it does help take the edge off some interesting tastes that’s for sure. Check out the rest of the night over at my Flickr.

Family Ride to Portchester Castle

This Sunday the 29th, Portsmouth Cycle Forum will be running a Guided Ride from Victoria Park to Portchester Castle. Anyone wanting to come along should meet in Victoria Park at 10am. The ride will last 2-3 hours, and is perfect for a family day out. Everyone is of course more than welcome. For more info, please contact: cycleforum@southern.plus.com

Edit: more info from Pompey Bug “The 12 mile route (6 miles each way) is flat and will be mostly on cycle paths with just a little on-road riding. Starting at 10am in Victoria Park, we’ll take the cycle path out towards Mountbatten Centre, then along the foreshore to Hilsea, past IBM and Tesco Northarbour to Portchester. We’ll keep to the pace of those at the back, with a leader and tail guide.

In Portchester you can visit the remains of the castle built by William the Conqueror on the site of a Roman fort (English Heritage charges for entry). Or just look around the castle grounds and take in the great view of the harbour towards Portsmouth and Gosport – for free. We’ll spend about 30 minutes there but if you want to stay longer you can make your own way back. We plan to return to Victoria Park by about 1pm.”

Photo : Tristan Savage at Portchester

Sophies Cupcakes giveaway at Fins Cafe

This Saturday the newly opened Fins Cafe Bar on Palmerston Road will be giving away Sophie’s Cupcakes. I did promise to go in last Saturday and say hello, but to be honest The Pompey Beer Festival smashed me in. I don’t think I even left the house for fear of daylight and having to talk to someone.

Anyway…head on over, say hello, grab a Coffee and indulge yourself with a fancy cupcake. Lovely stuff as Alan Partridge would say.

COR’s Mark Persaud plays out Sunday

Well known Southsea man about town and top chap Mark Persaud will be helping bring the Bank Holiday to it’s inevitable close this Sunday 29th from 9.30pm at Drift Bar. With some underground disco and house entertainment to ease the pain, all you need is a few drinks and your dancing feet. To give you an idea of what’s in store, check out this mix that Mark did for COR a while back over HERE.

Miss Cufuffle Presents this Friday

You are invited to a brand new free night, brought to you by well known and undiscovered talent of local artists. All in the name of having a giggle and a lot of fun. Expect an eclectic electronic mix of music styles, covering Nu-Funk, French House, Disco, Swing, Electro, Samba, Salsa, Tech-House, Jazz, Big Beat and everything else in between that’s a little bit different! For its first outing Miss Cufuffle Presents Silas Greenback, UDY, Mayzee, Illustrious, Miss Funky Fox. For more information on these Artists and DJ’s keep an eye on the Miss Cufuffle Presents Facebook Group.

LIVE Paint Jam, Indoor Market & Record Fayre

A little reminder for this Bank Holiday as it’s certainly going to be yet another banger. It’s pretty much a given in Southsea that Bank Holidays are always jam packed with goodness. On the 28th Little Johnny Russells will host their usual Indoor Market and Record Fayre with a tasty little twist. They will be bombarded by the Monk Jam out back in the garden. What’s a Monk Jam I hear you say!

“Monk Jam is all about bringing street art back to the streets. Not too sure where its been but now its back with twelve dedicated (local and not so local) artists showcasing their talents free of charge in front of your very eyes. Majority of artist are locally based and most of their work can be seen around the city at locations such as Fratton Park Alleys, Wimbledon Park Sports Centre and Hope Street in the centre of town. We’ve even got a special guest appearance from locally based graphic design company PSEUDONYM, top boys. Also confirmed is Dom Williams, part of a team representing Cardiff in the European competition Secret Wars, check it out HERE.

We will also be running a raffle with the top two prizes being one off pieces by FarkFk and LEX and third prize a Monk Jam t-shirt. The first hundred raffle tickets will also get a free monk sticker, after that a kiss and a cuddle. Little Johnny Russell’s will also being running an indoor market on the day with a stall being dedicated to all the artists own work, so if you like what you see you can help fund your favourite street artist in future projects.”

Look forward to meet yo all. Monk.

Keep up to date at Facebook and www.littlejohnnyrussells.com

LJR Summer Party with We Are Scientists DJ Set

Club Tropicana drinks are free! Unfortunately not at the annual LJR Summer Party though. This year brings to you an appearance from American rockers We Are Scientists for a DJ set. This is a party not to be missed with lots of decorations and a club tropicana fancy dress theme. Updates are over on Facebook.

Strong Island Birthday Party at The Belle Isle, Southsea

For all your support over the last 2 years we’d like to say a little thank you and invite you to a bit of a bash on the 30th of September. Our good friends at The Belle Isle have agreed to let us hold a little social at their bar on Osborne Road and we’d love it if you could join us. I’m going to keep some of the details under my hat for the time being as there are a few more things to sort out, but keep it in mind and we will have more information for you at the start of August.

We’ve also moved over from our old Facebook Group and started a new Facebook Page. Keep up with everything happening and more information on our Birthday Party over HERE. Look forward to seeing you all and hopefully putting some faces to names.

Artwork : Tristan Savage

OPEN STUDIO – SOUTHSEA Exhibition

Local Photographer Diana Goss recently got in contact with us regarding a local exhibition this SUnday 28th & Monday 30th of August.

“As you well know Southsea boasts a vast array of artistic and creative talent. Maggie Ambler has decided to open her house Bank Holiday weekend to showcase creative work by talented local artists as she feels there are not enough venues for doing this locally. I have been invited to exhibit at Maggies Open Studio which is really nice and very close to me.

Maggie decided to use her home to showcase the artwork as this is where she likes to be creative and explore how colour can be used. Maggie will be exhibiting her textile work and the murals she is currently creating.

This event offers the public the opportunity to view a range of high quality work including textiles, glassware, jewellery, photography and wall paintings. The exhibition features work by Maggie and textile artist Chantelle Cheshire, glass designer Julie Dickson, jewellery designer Katherine Webber and photography by Diana Goss.

The exhibition runs from Sunday 29th and Monday 30th August from 10 am to 5 pm at 76 Collingwood Road, Southsea PO5 2QZ. Admission is free and some of the work will be for sale. Contact Maggie Ambler: Telephone 07789 286192″

Portsmouth Heritage Open Days

Join Portsmouth as it showcases and celebrates its exciting range of architecture and culture during Heritage Open Days. This annual, national event co-ordinated by English Heritage, allows visitors free access to a range of properties, specially designed tours, walks, events and activities, that are not usually open or available to the public, or that would normally charge a fee. Come and explore these curious and interesting places around the city that are sometimes hidden or unknown to even the local residents.

This is your opportunity to discover the wealth of cultural treasures that Portsmouth has to offer, during one of the biggest FREE events of the year. For more information and contact details please visit www.visitportsmouth.co.uk and be sure to look at the Factsheet HERE.