Once Upon Another Time there was a world where the compass faced south. On this Planet (named Water after it's source of life) lived water beings who could neither live in or without water. Most of the world were salt water oceans that they couldn't drink.

Water makes ambient sounds, as do many animal sounds, and the breeze through the trees. The water beings have always reacted to music of all kinds. In the 21st Century's age of aquarius, people are still affected by the supernature magic of music.

Music is where a few, or thousands of people, can gather together in peace to have fun and feel good. All faiths realise the uplifting value of music. The music way of life could teach the world on the news a thing or two...

Between 1st October and Halloween, Artful is an organic part of the Once Upon Another time tale, that began in Year 003, the magic number. A random finding each other type stuff has grown a family tree that are all connected to each other - like via this forum, for instance. All the time the past makes the future.

Not all stars are famous, but for instance the music by bands on this forum has affected people enough for them to gather more than once to see them live, hum their tunes and follow their story. The internet just makes it obvious how much is going on outside the limits of national media taste making. There are so many other worlds in cyberspace. Sensation saturation.

Planet Water is wavelength. Planet Earth turned upside down. It has alternative idols, and, being only 006 years old, finding it's way, but along the way, people that just get off their arse and make things happen. Revolution isn't a word you hear bandied about much these days but the playing class, as i think of these inspiring people, makes you believe things could turn around. And that's a start.

I'd better get dressed and in the shower now as I've got to take some leaflets back up the road (funnily enough to Revolution Way up Deptford High Street!) and talk to some printers. But I'll hold this thought, come back and get to the point when I get back.

What a week it's been. It made the point for me.
Last Tuesday was our first night at The Good Ship. It's a great ship thanks to Captain John. A man on the wavelength.
Jane (P.O.L.E. booker) did the door with me, our friends Karen and Satoko helped out and took photos, Wayne Lenny Love of Dirty Sounds DJd.
Mates like Deep South were up from Sarf London (and Venus Kicks are from Deptford anyway), so it was a nice mix of friends old and new out for the night.

It struck us how skint we are. At Dirty Sounds in Camden (mid Fridays) it's £8 in (tho £5 flyers/list etc are widely circulated) and tonight at The Good Ship, a fiver was cool and raised no requests for discount. In Sarf London, it's often £1 or £2 cheaper, yet it's all the same city. We know loads of people that make things happen, who are also skint too. Some of them wouldnt have been able to afford a fiver AND some drinks. Hopefully now that they are spreading all over London (Wolfgang Bopp are in the West End, Toy Pirate/Angular posse are in Shoreditch, 2bob and The Blue Light District are all over) and we are in Camden/Kilburn, everybody will be less skint soon...

They sort of prove money isn't everything despite everybody's tales of woe from banks, landlords and their DIY chic held together by gaffer tape. I've faced scorn for giving up a well paid and pampered job, some people don't believe I'm really enjoying myself these days, and although some may find it naff, twee, weird, annoying, pathetic etc, others understand what truer friendship it can bring. At The Good Ship, we made enough to pay all the bands and even a bit for ourselves (though everybody was saying what a brilliant night they'd had before they even knew they were getting any money - the bands and atmosphere had done that). Ace feedback. A High...

Plus we had some first images for Artful, what with this being a warm up. Karen Toftera will be an Artful photographer. She was at the afternoon session last year and got some fab pix of Indigo Moss and the Lancaster Bombers in the derelict house next to Amersham Arms (now boarded up) on New Cross Road. Those will be part of the screened galleries this year. This year's session will be on the afternoon of October 14th if anybody wants to do anything there. Some still life drawing? Some naked ballet? Or just come and have a drink and imagine you're in another world... because there are quite a few bands in one room at one time, and a lot going on, it's actually not all that hard. The Walpole Cafe Bar was surreal like that last year.

Digital Sneakers filmed and did interviews with the bands and with Earwax Radio who were also doing interviews, while three or four photographers got candid shots of the bands who all got to meet up with each other. Got closer to God Is In The TV who staged a great night at The Windmill in Brixton which formed part of the Artful Broadcast which went out on Earwax Radio (along with a P.O.L.E. night from Amersham Arms which included Korova who appear on the forthcoming God Is In The CD and Once Upon Another Time CDs, and Seeing Scarlet, who were main support at The Good Ship!). Gawd bless the bands that get involved in these mad shenanigans that wouldn't exist without them!

The greatest reward of the first Artful has to be the amount of friendship that blossomed, towards the end of the month we were at the Black Wire show at Goldsmiths and The Ducks were saying how much they didn't want the month to end and we had to agree. That was it's great success. It's great that quite a few of the bands that took part have come on a step this year, too, and that people who got involved have started their own labels / clubs / bands / dj sets etc and become part of this year.

Thrilled with how The Good Ship went, how excellent the Mansun videos looked as the visuals (gonna try to have all sorts of stuff on screens for as many Artful gigs as possible), we were bursting with excitement about the All Ages Show yesterday. The kids are already the coolest audience ever, (we'd only had one quietish gig at the end of July when loads of people were on holiday - but even then the over sexy Dead Pixels and a riotously rocking set from The Needles made it another legendary show).

I turned on my phone and there was Jim Rhesus confirming that Subliminal Girls would play on 26th October at Goldsmiths, it was gonna be a really good night out. I got home, showered, then Satoko and I went up to Iceland to get 30 packets of orange juice to give out free to the kids, and two bags of assorted sweeties and lollies (which the older teeens seem to like best!) - and set off for Dirty South. It's only about 20 minutes on two buses from Deptford, but the whole of South East London's gas pipes are being dug up (all at the same time, good planning!) and it took us about an hour and a half.

We were late but at least the soundcheck would be on the way. Chaos. No sound man yet. We caught up over the afternoon and evening but not before I'd had a bollocking from a bloke in a bad temper (nothing to do with any of the bands who were just enjoying themselves) and a load of other stuff than went wrong. So although it was a huge success financially, packed out, kids going bonkers etc, the sound went wrong for the last band so everything deflated and I felt crap for them, and deflated. Yeah, its definitely not about the money, but the music...

Another day, another week, another adventure. I'm off to a meeting now to see what's happening with The Venue in November, then I've got to get some flyers for Artful to James at Swing Riots who is doing LCC Freshers today, then some posters off for the gig at Dirty South on Friday, and Satoko wants to get some more pix of Seeing Scarlet tomorrow (they're supporting The Webb Sisters at The Water Rats, perhaps should ask Nebraska if they have any flyers/posters we can take up for them), and of course, I have to ensure that the next Access All Ages event we put on isn't a shambles. I don't wanna muck any bands about.

Dirty Sounds used to help run the Paradise Bar, so it's good to see them going from strength to strength. Their October show for Artful (The Bronx and Magnificent Shimmering Beasts - the latter include members of Gemma Ray Ritual / Unemployable Welsh Scum / Ten Benson) is sold out. Their November show hasn't even been announced yet but a quarter of the tickets have gone, plus they're DJing at some big industry bashes these days from people wanting them because of their name.

There's another God Is In The TV event this year too, and just being allowed some space to spout like this on the forum is another link in the chain that makes a family tree out of everybody on here, everybody they play with and for, and a parallel dimension to the world on the news, exist.

Right then, I have to find my other shoe before I go out...

So anyway, after a day of trying to get Artful flyers/posters artwork off (should have been having it back today, now it's tomorrow, grr). I'm meeting James to make up the goody bags of flyers etc for Goldsmiths on Friday morning, so PLEASE Nature let something come back tomorrow!

Satoko enjoyed Seeing Scarlet so much last week that she wanted to go and see them again. I'm a big fan anyway, so didn't take much persuading. They were supporting The Webb Sisters, a bit Corrs type band on Mercury Records who had bought all the tickets for the night. Despite a small crowd for Seeing Scarlet's early set they went down a real treat. And I'm a sucker for bigpop tuned new wave rock delivered dramatically.

I keep drinking too much, so after watching a bit of the Webb Sisters and finishing our drinks I suggested we leg it over the back of the sofa (doors were open behind it) and get the train home. I'm such a homing pidgeon... There was no rush though, said Satoko, and she was right. We had conversations about what a lovely theatre Water Rats was, and how being Mansun fans had made things happen in our lives. (Satoko used to run their official zine in Japan, I'd worked with them). We've mad lots of friends through them.

Wanted to say goodbye to the Seeing Scarlet lads before we went, and while we were chatting, another friend I hadn't seen in there came over and said they had some future work for me!!! Can't believe it. It was meant to be. Earlier that day I'd been pondering that my current employment ends on Friday when Artful begins. Woo fuggin hoo! I'm so excited. It was lucky that we didn't go home when I said.

And so we are meeting next week to discuss it. Fingers crossed. We went back to the Thameslink station to catch the train but really needed to let out a couple of pints of beer, so had to leave and go to the main Kings Cross station for the bogs there. In true lucky that we made that move style, when we got to the platform of the northern line we bumped into Jean (DJ Stereoslapper) who is putting on the Panda Power Party night of Artful.

She showed us the new Artrocker (also the last one with Jenny Hardcore's Art Brut pix on the cover and inside), as we often have trouble getting hold of what is basically the main music paper of the gig circuit that we operate on. The new one, Art School Explosion has published Jean, and also has the Artful preview in it, so it was a high way to end the evening. An upward wave to ride after Sunday.

It's full circle, because on Friday it's back to Dirty South, but this time I'm making sure that one of today's tasks is to go down to the venue and MAKE SURE that everybody is clear about Friday. Some really good bands playing, appreciation starts at soundcheck...