And we're underway, which is more than can be said for Digital, whose programme seems shot to pot already. Lovvers appear to have rescheduled, as it was Cadence Weapon onstage when we arrived.
Up at Revenge, Gentle Friendly had "kick drum pedal issues" and stopped slightly early.
Levis' night at Audio downstairs started busy with Collapsing Cities, a kind of Kasabian-by-numbers collection of bopping boys. Slightly more interesting than some of the dross the denim fetishists have lately promoted (I'm looking at you, Joe Lean).
And now back to Revenge, with its terribly lovely door staff, for Telepathe...
Security people are urging a sizeable gathering of people off the roads around Audio where we've just left We Are Scientists playing an impromptu set perched on an outdoor stage.
But I'm awaiting tonight's writing assistance, last seen at the bar of the Queen's Hotel... And he's just turned up.
Annie Nightingale was magically replaced by sometime musicOMH.com scribe and talking telly head John Robb, looking spiffing in a shiny lime suit as he chaired a Great Escape panel of acid heads spouting about the glory - gory? - days of aceeed house.
The Grid and Orbital's Phil Hartnoll, variously grey and bald, weighed up the democratisation of music making and the advent of ketamine for our pleasure. Apparently there'll be no Orbital reunion just yet, as Phil's brother Paul isn't keen.
Earlier, the opposite end of the music spectrum was served by the woozy acoustica of Peter von Poehl at the Spiegel Tent, which this year is in the grounds of St Peter's .
Reports from last night's Stag & Dagger back in London meanwhile suggest queues there gave the Great Escape a run for its moolah...
This afternoon throws up a wealth of possibilities. Peter von Poehl, who supported Camille at KOKO on Wednesday, serenades delegates attending the wonderful French Music Bureau's reception about now - I'm about to head there at a dash, as I've yet to catch him live.
In about half an hour from now, Mr Hudson and Soweto Kinch will take to the Theatre Royal Balcony for a secret gig collaboration. It's where The Noisettes played last year - so far the weather's holding as overcast rather than wet, so it should be possible to look up without being drenched.
Various bands are being interviewed all over the place, though not by us. We don't have enough writers here to take on all the opportunities, alas, but if you're out and about at Horatio's at the end of the pier, look for semi-famous faces.
Up at the Old Vic, Annie Nightingale will be charing a panel on, of all things, Acid House at 2pm. Phil Hartnoll is among the panelists. Later still, Sire Records co-founder and A&R legend Seymour Stein gets interviewed. Both look like they're worth witnessing.
We'll work out our evening plans a little later... Any recommendations?
Eventually our other scribe made it to Brighton and rushed headlong into band sets, checking out Broken Records, Umdomskullen, Ladyhawke and The Futureheads (huge queue and huge crowd at the reprofiled Digital, the bar of which has swapped sides since we were last here).
But the lack of entry to Bon Iver's gig started to set the theme. After 11pm, the strange schedule meant that only two gigs were taking place before the 'club' strands - Peggy Sue & The Pirates and Envelopes. Our man tried to get in to the former without success and we heard reports from the latter that the same was true.
After catching Okkervil River at the Pav Theatre, I was about to head to Barfly for Yeasayer's set when we received a text report saying the venue was at full capacity, with no more admission. Yeasayer play an earlier set tonight, so maybe we'll get to see them this time around.
At least it left us with an early-ish night, ready for the next two days of conventions, secret gigs and main programe. Another scribe arrives this afternoon - let's hope the trains don't derail him too.
So we can't get in to see Bon Iver, Pressure Point remaining its far too small self. Doubling back to Revenge, another new GE venue, in the hope of finding Cadence Weapon, but things are running late.
Which gives me the chance to mention Seeing Scarlet, possibly the dullest band I've ever witnessed. No spring chicks, these boys are tightly rehearsed and dressed for what might have been '80s success but... Oh dear. Imagine A-Ha trying to please but without their melodies, panache or cheekbones.
An American accent has taken to the mic. It is indeed Cadence Weapon. And his DJ.
With further writing assistance sat on a train looking at sheep, I'm doing what one person might. That is, leaving Seeing Scarlet's gig at the welcome venue addition that is The Volks and going to Pressure Point to catch Bon Iver. Big and inexplicable queue at Audio for Ida Maria.
There have been various secret gigs during the afternoon which, as is the way with such things, weren't really all that secret. Indeed, anyone subscribed to the now sold out Great Escape's text alert service will have been aware of John & Jehn (who are later subbing for a sadly absent Emmy The Great at the Spiegel Tent) playing at 3pm.
The programme of events for the evening proper gets under way in some venues at 6:45, with most others staging bands and artists in half-hour bursts from 7:15pm. Music is then non-stop through till something like 2am, at Barfly and Pressure Point at least.
Spare a thought for The Ting Tings, who take to the Barfly's stage at 1:30am tonight and show up at Concorde 2 at 2am tomorrow. If memory serves, their recent London KOKO show was after midnight too - they'll be getting a reputation.
On the subject of the-really-quite-far-away-from-the-centre Concorde 2, it's headlined by Vampire Weekend tonight. It looks like a long way to walk to not get in - anyone who remembers trying to get to see CSS at the same venue last year will know the score. And as for out-of-the-way venues, taxis might be a good option to travel between there and The Old Market for Iron & Wine.
After a run of beautifully sunny days, today, the first day of Brighton's Great Escape festival, is grey and damp. This is a nuisance, as this festival means moving between venues almost constantly. I have the impression I might need to find time to buy new shoes at some point, if existing footwear gets too wet and icky.
By my reckoning we've been asked to interview over 40 artists, have the option of seeing hundreds of gigs over three days and have the distinct chance of collapsing in an unkempt heap by Sunday. Twas ever thus at this event.
If you've not seen it yet, our Great Escape preview is live now, featuring a picture of Santogold pouting. I've listed 'Six Of The Best' to get going with, including Esser and Bishi, but doubtless you'll have your own recommendations and reports.
There are three of us covering the event this year and it's likely we'll all have our favourites, but there's no way we can cover everything. So if there's something going on that you think we should know about, we'd love it if you'd let us know. This you can do either on this blog or by email on greatescape@musicomh.com.
Anyway, we shall be indulging in it at selected festies this year, thumbs willing, starting with Brighton's Great Escape this week. And this post is the first of the moblog kind.
On the subject of the Great Escape, a healthy number of you entered our competition to win a pair of wristbands for the three days.
Whether you were the lucky winner, bought your own or are heading down in an industry capacity, it'd be good to read your thoughts on the fest here as it progresses.
As you might have noticed, this month marks the release of Indy IV, and while it's hard to have any faith that George Lucas won't have pulled a Phantom Menace on us all, anticipation is still running high. And the publicity machine is doing what it can to keep those fires burning.
And here's the latest: an interview with the British Museum that gets to grips with the myths and truths of those strange Aztec artefacts, crystal skulls. Questions are posed like "What is it?", "Why was it produced?" and "Do they have special powers?"
So if you were one of those people who said "Indiana Jones and the What?" (only to be hit again by the Quantum of Solace pratfall), this is for you....
The skull on display British Museum is life-size and carved from a block of rock crystal (a variety of quartz), and was acquired in 1897. At time of purchase the skull was said to have been brought from Mexico by a Spanish officer before the French occupation of 1863, and it was on display at the Museum of Mankind for many years.
Unfortunately, however, it's a fake. The Museum tells us: "scientific research has established that the skull was most likely produced in the 19th century in Europe". They go on to add that there is one other crystal skull on display in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, and a few others in private collections but "it seems highly unlikely that any are genuine Aztec objects".
In fact, in answer to the question, "Are there any genuine Aztec crystal skulls", the Museum says no. "No quartz crystal skull has
ever been found on any of the many well-documented official archaeological
excavations of ancient sites." It seems the mythology of crystal skulls was instead constructed by European art dealers in the 19th century when popular interest in all things Aztec was high. So the Museum concludes:
"As
entertainment the movie will surely appeal to the public, but it is very much a
work of fiction. We hope, however, that it will encourage visitors to see the
skull at the British Museum and to learn more about Aztec culture."
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