Sunday 18 April 2010

Record Store Day and Visual Diabetes

Let's just stop pretending there's anything good about tumblr. As far as these things go, it sucks. It's not easy to use in the slightest, it's just like mega twitter, and I haven't quite worked out the appeal of twitter, either. So screw you, tumblr, i'm posting all of my ramblings on blogspot.



Have had an amazing weekend. Went to Spillers for Record Store Day and had a nice chat with Nick here. For those of you not familiar with it, Spillers is the oldest record shop in the world and is currently under threat by the rising rent prices resulting from the new St Davids 2 shopping mall that's opened up across the way. We here at the Headquarters are big fans of Spillers, and they even stock your favourite magazine. What's not to like? Support independence! Visit Spillers in Cardiff or online here.



Oh, and we met this lovely little rat. Isn't he cute?

We ditched Bullet For My Valentine's record signing for a £10 of jelly beans before heading to the Castle Arcade for Part I of Kylie's epic 2-Day photoshoot of awesomeness. I could say that we actually shrunk Kylie and stuck her in a dollhouse (because we have been watching Harvey Birdman ALL weekend), but that would take away from the awesomeness that this place actually exists. And you can buy cheese in it.



Today we walked down to the Bay and took a boat out to Penarth where we wandered around aimlessly for an hour, passing a surprising number of derlict apartment buildings on our quest for soda pop. Eventually we ended up back at the Bay and grabbed some ice cream before getting on the carousel. I wanted to ride backwards with my camera, but settled for side sadle and we ended up with my favourite picture from the weekend. We call this one "Visual Diabetes."



Mmm mmm good.

In other news, The Antagonist will be appearing at the London Zine Symposium at the Rag Factory on Saturday, 29th May, so come out and see us! We'll have plenty of back issues on sale and we might even bring a few more t-shirts. Good stuff!

Saturday 3 April 2010

Issue 5 is coming!



Right! So Issue 5 is slightly behind schedule, but that's only because we're having a hard time packing so much awesome into forty advert-free pages. There's a lot to catch up on, so I'm just going to go for it.



We've got a review of Joey Cape, Tony Sly, and Jon Snodgrass' gig at the Croft in Bristol (which I'll spoil for you right now by telling you it was totally bitchin')...



an interview with No Use For a Name's Tony Sly who has just released the terribly exciting solo album 12 Song Program on Fat Wreck...



an interview with the amazingly talented "piano guy" Brian Wahlstrom who's Claremont has the Headquarters feeling all jittery...



the very first column by Antagonist favourite Niki Lee, all the way from Cali-frickin'-fornia...



a literature section that will knock your socks off with abundant sex, violence, and writer's block from Gillian Brightmore, Rhys Owain Williams, and Yours Truly, AND tons of pictures of Emily V., who I'm sure you'll agree, is really, really incredibly hot.

How does all that sound? I am overwhelmed by all of the excitement!

In other news, the t-shirts have sold out except for one lonely size L in a bag in my closet (any takers?) and all of the special edition copies of Issues 2 and 3 are gone. Issues 4 and 5 to follow! We have a printer now and he's so good, we're completely overwhelming him with our enthusiasm. The Headquarters has a new staff member, Vince, the Long Arm Stapler, and he's been very busy. Joy abounds!

Speaking of joy, I am thrilled silly to report that Jace Everett is playing The Chattery in Swansea (random much?) next month and we're all going. Like, all of us. If you want to go, contact The Chattery directly and book yourself some tickets!

Don't forget, The Antagonist is participating in the 24-Hour Poetry marathon on April 23rd at the Elysium Gallery in Swansea. Sponsor us, come down and support our writers, and read something, bitches! It's going to be a great night!