Best Coast! I do live on the best coast.
M83 being amazing as usual. Tense times ensued when at least 100 people in the crowd tried to fight their way down the steps onto the ground level. Dozens of bouncers couldn't control it. 
In particular, I can appreciate what a vital lifeline the internet has become for someone like Jen - an expat American - to keep up with the world she left behind when she moved to New Zealand nearly three years ago.
Mostly, though, I love internet that is not New Zealand internet, as New Zealand internet is rather slow compared to what I’m sure many of you know and love. We also have rather Draconian “data caps”, which reduce our speeds to a slow crawl (worse than dial-up... seriously) once we’ve exceeded our pitiful allowances.
In these uncertain times, I’m even thinking of buying shares in the internet. Ironically, however, even Google (great site, by the way!) has been unable to advise on how to do so thus far.
Hot Water Music
Probably only a year or so ago, I’d resigned myself to the fact that I’d probably never get the chance to see my favourite band live. I was unable to attend the first time they came to New Zealand (I happened to live in the wrong island), and two years or so ago, they’d unofficially disbanded before making a return visit. But it was only a few months ago that Jen and I finally got the chance to see them play (with the esteemed Bouncing Souls, no less). It was an incredible and truly memorable show topped off with a riotous encore, with a mixture of members of both bands performing some of their most popular songs.
As a somewhat washed-up and jaded music journalist, I’m completely out of the loop with music happenings these days. So imagine my complete surprise only a matter of days ago when I learned that a new HWM e.p. (The Fire, The Steel, The Tread / Adds Up to Nothing) was available right then and there. As expected, I’m completely enamoured with it, and the only criticism I can level at it is that, at a mere two songs, it feels like the beginnings of a kick-ass new album... and then it just leaves you hanging. Still, it’s the first thing to come along in a long while to reinvigorate my currently dormant love affair with music (and certainly the first release from HWM in about seven years!). And the revelation of this e.p.’s existence brought with it the fact that the band is set to release a full-length early next year.
American fast food
I can’t tell you how much time I spent recently seriously trying to come up with a way that Jen could bring me back a grilled cheese sandwich from In ‘N Out when she returns to New Zealand. It makes me wish that, like Cristina Friday, I’d developed an interest in science, as I don’t think my “ice-pack and tea towel” method would quite cut it for the 12-odd-hour plane trip from LAX to Auckland. Also, like most other things here in New Zealand, Mexican food is ridiculously expensive and, obviously, not up to the standard that Americans enjoy. The list goes on, too. I’m super jealous of Jen right now, whom I hear has been making up for lost time ;)
Under from WATERCOLOURS Music on Vimeo.
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