Pikes at Bila Hora

I'm quite a fan of the pike - the weapon that is, and I've often looked on youtube to see if anyone has posted some good pike fighting clips but all there is is the inauthentic wigwams done so often in the UK until this clip from the reenactment of the Battle of White Mountain turned up that is. Bila Hora was fought outside Prague in 1618 kicking off the 30 Years War. This segment was very pleasing to this old pikeman - at last seeing it done properly. Notice the crab-like gait of the unit in the background. Excellent. More clips here here and here.

Bad Detectives on Frome FM

Managed to catch the BDs on Frome FM last night - it's the last night tonight if you want to tune in - amusing stuff with plenty of good sounds...

World War One RTS?

I've been wondering if there are any WW1 real time strategies out there - after all the Great War was the ultimate war of attrition and I imagine it could be great managing your resources and come up with a tank...you know the sort of thing. First one I found is a new one called Aggression: Europe 1914 which goes from that date up to the 50s with the atomic bomb.
Trailer here
This was made by the same company who released Entente - a 1914-18 Rts - from 2003 so likely to be a little out of date but maybe worth a try.
Anyway I'll keep looking - anyone know of any more?

Everett True reviews our gig in Brighton

Yes indeed - here you can read about Animals and Men's foray to Brighton in a write-up by the legendary Everett True.

Skip Jensen 'On My Trail'

This raw slice of garage is from Montreal one man band Skip Jensen. I love it. Give it a shot. One man bands can operate a great monotonous beat where drummers would get bored hence they can get a great minimalist groove going. The Myspace songs are well worth listening to - sort of raw and traditional but also modern - touring China at the moment.

Crimean War photographs of Roger Fenton

Hank Mizell Jungle Rock

Pan's People dance to this classic side - it's one of the best songs ever combined with one of the naffest dance routines ever - that enough for you? This obscure record was a hit in the 70s when it was reissued by Charly - story here - I absolutely love it - bassline, percussion, the monotonous vocals, - I also remember it being on the Youth Wing jukebox and we used to bump it so replayed all night. Hank Mizell wiki

Campaigns of 1914

This clip from the acclaimed BBC 60s documentary series the Great War focusses on the French army of 1914 with its Victorian uniforms and outmoded dedication to the attack in an era when the firepower favoured the defensive. I have always had a bit of an obsession with 1914 - in a way a completely different war to the later trench phase with all sides fighting a war that was based on theory rather than fact. So much enthusiasm existed in all levels of society in all of the major European powers that was soon to dissipate as high casualties reduced their fine armies into shadows of their former selves as a war of attrition set in bleeding them of the flower of their youth. I love the insanity of it all. Only a long period of relative peace would make people so war hungry. Such forgetfulness. I could watch these old clips - mostly with the sound down, I admit, all day - watching history from almost 100 years ago as you see these scenes unfold is marvellous. Plan VII wiki

Die Hölle von Verdun

If you are interested in the Great War you might find this German language documentary by ZDF on the battle from the German perspective worth watching. I didn't understand most of it but it is visually impressive. Quite a few parts - 9 I think ... reconstructions are good quality.

Home-made pickled onions

These turned out to be pretty intense, our home-made p'onions that is. The first thing you notice is the sweat forming on your brow and top lip and then the chest palpitations start till your heart is pounding like a jackhammer. Really harsh, but strangely moreish... I am making some more and giving them out as gifts...

La forteresse assiégée

I am making some ICM 1/35 Franco-Prussian infantry at the moment so I thought I would look for something on Youtube to go with my current interest and found this little video of images shot during the making of the movie set in that era - quite colourful and worth a look - might track down the movie... La forteresse assiégée

Subway Sect

I'm an early Subway Sect fan - I didn't really like the What's the Matter Boy album much - it seemed like power pop and a little ordinary so I lost interest. I always held fond memories of the scratchy early punk rawness of Nobody's Scared and the early tracks which appeared on comps so I was interested to hear that there is a release of a redone version of the 'Lost album' from 1978 - redone because a studio flood destroyed the masters. New musicians recreating the original feel, sort of thing. Pretty exciting - looking forward to buying it - and I also noticed they are playing the Thunderbolt Inn on Bath Road Bristol on Saturday December 8th. I shall definitely toddle along to that. Postman Punk article
Vic Godard Myspace

'Monk Chant' The Monks

Our gig in Brighton went well if you're wondering - anyway just noticed how similar this song by the great outsiders of the 60s the Monks is to the Adam and the Ants song 'Dog Eat Dog'. Probably just a coincidence.

Sonny and Cher 'And the Beat Goes On'

We're getting excited about our gig in Brighton so apologies for all these music postings. This is 60s easy listening at its best I suppose - lyrics here. I remember them being on the light programme radio all the time - they did the original of 'Bang Bang' and I think them quite charming in about 19 per cent of their output. OK so they are Las Vegas hippies or even Fake-niks really but they do sort of fill a gap between some middle of the road folk rock and the Spector sound. I am sure many 60s suburban housewife's identified with Cher and wished their husband was like Sonny Bono. Baby Don't Go clip on youtube

Tomfoolery on the set of Sovereign's Servant

Watch behnd the scenes mucking about by the extras of this 18th century Russian epic here - and here - and here

Sam the Sham 'Monkey See Monkey Do'

'Woolly Bully' hitmakers in a segment from the film 'When the Boys Meet the Girls' from 1965. I think it is worth watching - might make you laugh. The film itself also has Herman's Hermits and Liberace as well as Louis Armstrong!

Letters from Iwo Jima

I don't usually like movies about World War 2 - in general I avoid them like the plague - everything has been done and been done badly - but this had a different approach to all the usual rubbish by showing the action on Iwo Jima through the eyes and letters of Japanese soldiers speaking their native tongue as they prepare to receive the American invasion of their island. Obviously still a Hollywood film it was nevertheless a giant leap in the depiction of historical events with subtitling pretty much throughout and very little focus on the Americans.

The Avengers 'We are the One'

Great simple clip of this great American punk band from 2006 performing the song that I first heard about thirty years ago.

Somerset and Dorset railway

If you are interested in old railways you'll be glad to see someone has uploaded the documentary 'Return to Evercreech Junction'. Shot in 1985 it has at its centre impressive colour cine film shot by Ivo Peters going from Bath onwards with the rest of the documentary revisiting the sites seeing what was left. Part 2 and 3 also up. This railway used to run at the bottom of our garden in Radstock but I don't think our house is on it.

The Ghost In the Invisible Bikini (1966) trailer

This is one of the best trailers I have ever seen. If you wondered what Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone were doing in 1966 look no further. If you want to see the sequence with Nancy Sinatra doing Geronimo its here. It's basically a beach party movie set in a haunted house and is the last in the genre. It bombed. Wiki on it here