Paul Carerra writes for Nightshift and is a Little Fish squid. He has arranged this accoustic gig to support pump aid. It takes £250 to build an elephant pump and provide water to a village. He has gathered some fine artists who are friends of his, including Juju from Little Fish and Reverse E who are also friends of mine, Joe Allen who I've seen a couple of times and Brooks from Pennsylvania who is playing his first gig in England. It's a fine evening. Juju is leaving on holiday in the morning and is a little distracted. Her Patti Smith song which gets its first performance doesn't come out quite right. I suppose you might call it an off night, but even so she still blows away most bands.
Reverse E are going through something of a transition; tonight they are stripped back. It is a slightly odd as I am so familiar with their normal show, which features virtually a live performance of their cd. It is difficult to put myself in the shoes of someone seeing them for the first time. Overall I think their show more visual and makes their musicianship more visable. Playing computers (as they essentially do in their normal show) doesn't neccessarily require any ability to play all the instruments you hear. Seeing instruments played is more satisfying (especially for photographers).
The crowd is good and largely watch the bands from first to last with appreciative applause for each. £240 is collected from the door and somewhere another £10 is donated so that the evening pays for a pump for a village in Africa. An excellent evening all round. James on the sounddesk also deserves a mention for donating his time.

Last time I was at the Fly it was an awful venue, not just for us photographers, but for anyone who likes to see bands at their best. I am shocked to find that it has been transformed. They have built a stage and put in lights (and replaced the corner where the bands used to play with a bar. It is a very pleasant surprise.
When Little Fish play I often find it hard to pay proper attention to the the other bands on the bill. But tonight I have been told that The Slow Blade are good and I happen upon the soundcheck of Eugene Machine. I decide to photograph all the bands although I miss some of The Slow Blade to get a drink. The evening has been organised by     to celebrate the launch of their new magazine. They seem to know some good bands. Both Eugene Machine and The Slow Blade are worth checking out - have a look at the pictures and have a listen at their myspaces.
Little Fish have a bit of a nightmare, Juju breaks a string at the end of the second song. She has another guitar that she keeps tuned for 'Closer to You' and 'Party' so they play those songs, then there is a gap whilst the second guitar is re-tunned. Meanwhile Nez's base pedal has broken in some way. Normally if one of them has a problem the other covers whilst the situation is rectified. In this case Nez is still trying to fix his drums whilst Juju retunes, rather than offering us a little drum solo. The crowd shows signs of being invited to a magazine launch rather than a Little Fish gig, but are generally attentive and appreciative. They close the set with Am I Crazy, as is often the case; during the song Juju loses a string on the second guitar. So maybe not their best gig. I chat with photographer Daniel Miller who has come to see The Slow Blade, but is very impressed with Little Fish. I have enjoyed the evenings and all the bands were worth seeing. My Black and White period continues.
 

Little Fish have their name in lights; it may not be the most prestigious gig, but it's nice to see this landmark. The band are scheduled to play at 12.30, but they insist on playing at 11.00 as that is the time it says on the ticket, and many of us have work tomorrow. When I arrive at 10.30 the crowd is slim, but by eleven it has swelled nicely. Little Fish experiment a little with their set order. This is the only time in all the many gigs I have seen them play where they didn't start with Devil's eyes.
There is a sense of lateness. Juju doesn't lead people as fully as she usually does. Quite a few of the crowd sing anyway, probably they were Punt or the last Jericho gig. Having seen them play so many times it is difficult to judge whether the set order change is good or bad. For those of us who typically see the band 2 or 3 times a week it adds to the variety, but its not what we expect. There seems good interest in CDs and mailing list at the end, so I guess the altered set has gone down ok with the audience.
 

Tim and Dave from BBC Radio Oxford Introducing' are doing a 1 hour special on Little Fish. As the band are playing in Camden on Saturday, they will be sound-checking when the show goes out at 6pm, so they are recording the show tonight. They have invited me to take a few snaps. The evening starts with Juju recording an accoustic track for the show. She plays it, they record it and move on to the show. Nez looks a bit grumpy as there isn't room for drums in this little studio, but brightens up when the recording proper starts. There are a number of surprises, and some excellent songs which have not been available before. I will not reveal the surprises, you must listen yourself before Sat June 7th.
There are also some wildblanket pics on the website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2008/05/19/little_fish.shtml

 When I heard that Little Fish were playing this festival I thought I might buy a ticket so that I could take in some of the other bands. When I investigated further I found that everyone was playing at the same time. To be sure of getting in to see a band you really have to be at a particular venue for the previous band. So with most interesting bands playing at 8pm, 9pm or 10pm  I can't see anyone at another venue as Little Fish are playing at 9pm. If I hadn't been going to France the next day I could have stayed up to see Crystal Castles at 1am. But I am leaving for France at 6am the next morning. So I arrive at 7.55 and am lucky to find that parking meters are free after 8pm. Unfortunately I don't know where I am as I don't have a map. I know thatthe venue is between the railway station and the sea, and at one point I was near the railway station. Fortunately I find the right road. I'm not so sure I will find the car afterwards, but have taken the precaution of writing down the name of the road where I have left the car.
I'm still dressed for last night's gig, with loads of clothes to keep out the cold. The Hope is packed when I arrive and everyone is dripping with sweat. There are several people here I know and others with whom I have exchanged e-mails. The crowd sing well when required and everyone is dripping with sweat by the end of a stirring set.Fortunately the car is not too difficult to find.

Little Fish are playing at the Thirsk Lodge as part of the Oxford Punt. Last time I visited the Thisk Lodge was for the Supergrass aftershow; I did not notice the basement. The evening starts with a fairly traditional metal band. Ear plugs are necessary. The basement is a reasonable size but is full by Little Fish take the stage. Their are people standing on the stairs trying to catch a glimpse of the show. A good crowd inspire the band and the inspired band whip up the crowd to a frenzy; they force the crowd to sing a song which might be called 'come to bed' as an encore. It has truly been a momentous gig. The crowd disperse excitedly to the Wheatsheaf or the Cellar knowing they have seen something very special.

Little Fish are playing a party at the Exeter Hall in Oxford. They have asked the Joe Allen Band to support them. The whole gig starts and finishes early which is nice for a change. Both bands play good sets and I'm home by 11.

I am somewhat trepidous of the venue, not because of the name, but because it is an expensive nightclub in central London. When we go in shortly after 10 there are more bouncers than punters. JuJu is to open the evening, but this is put back a little. The place is transformed when a coachload (literally) of people arrive for one of the later bands. THe stage is a nice size and there are lights. The bouncer near the stage is somewhat officious; he asks afterwards whether I have a photopass (although I am clearly with the band) like this was Wembley stadium or something. As it happens none of us have ay sort of pass, including JuJu. Her guitar seems to work as a sort of pass, we stick with her.

It's a strange gig. After a couple of songs she breaks a string (see picture). She plays a song with 5 strings. Someone offers her another guitar; this has 6 strings but is tuned differently. She manages another 2 songs with this borrowed guitar.