Sydney Fest was great for live music. And I'm really glad I chose to spend my money here rather than endure the big one-day festival experiences this summer.

I was happily surprised by Al Green - I've seen performers that were past their prime and its been disapointing - but not here. Al brought it, he put everything into the performance. A complete professional. Lots of fun. A notable mention to Dan Sultan - captivating, mesmorising persona - hard to look away when he's on stage.

Neko Case was trapped by the venue in the recital hall. An unnessasarly formal event that didnt really bring the best out of the band or the audience. When the expectations are so high its hard to listen sitting down. There was no warm-up act either, so everyone started cold and stiff. These guys would have been better suited to the Enmore or the Metro. Or any rock and roll pub - they seemed a little intimidated by the venue. But you can't deny Neko's voice, especially live, chilling and powerful, nothing was lost there. I went to both shows - and was rewarded with the best songs from all four albums - great sets, great performance, I just which the stage was better suited to the act performing on it.

The two becks bar shows were great. It's really growing on me as a venue. Even if the band isnt at the best, it always ends up being a positive social experience. And lots of fun. I went with Skye to see Grizzly Bear and Camera Obscura. Strangely, both acts ended up being almost upstaged by their support acts. Patrick Watson was talented and engaging throughout - one of the best shows for the whole festival. And the innaproriatley named 'Slow Club' (with Rebecca Taylor, needs to upfront, on drums, for the fricken entire set - she was incredible) put so much life into an otherwise dull set from Camera Obscura. Grizzly Bear were a lot better, it was especially rewarding to see how much effort the band were putting so much effort into the vocal harmonies, and had already extracted had a really polished live sound from the production-heavy 'Veckatimest'. I don't think anyone walked away dissapointed.

Theres been some interesting new releases over the last month or so.

Four Tet's new album is amazing: Theres some catchy stuff up front, some melodic, quieter stuff at the back. Really amazing. And you can tell some of the collabourations he did with Burial have really rubbed off in a good way. We'll be hearing this played a lot throughout the year.

Massive Attack: Nothing really grabs me about the new album. Theres none of that sweet soul - its all very mournful. Nothing will ever surpass Mezzanine, I guess. But I am very much looking forward to seeing them live next month. The last time I saw them was at the 02 festival in london in 2006, but it was still a festival, and at a great distance. The opera house should be something special.

The XX (xx) - this has grown on me a lot since i first heard it. i think, at the time, i called it effectively a little too simple, but thats really not true. More than anything its the implied sultryness/sexyness that gets me over the line. A really good album. Interesting to see where they go from here.

I recant nothing of what I said about Florence and the machine. If you like 'jagged little pill' and never really moved past that point then this is for you.

Lately I've been listeing To a lot of Nick Cave, Angus and Julia Stone and Sarah Blasko. Some of the best australian albums over the last 15 or so years, absolutle top-notch stuff. And I've started listening to the new albums from Midlake and OK GO, although I don't quite know what I think of them yet.

The Hottest 100:
The most disappointing thing about the hottest 100 is that there was some really amazing music released in 2009. But if you listened to the countdown there's no fucking way you'd know it. The trashy, gimmicky stuff dominated, and all of it will be forgotten in a few months. It really is all about timing. Release a half decent album in the last 4 months of year and you're garenteed some play at the end of the end of it all.

I did enjoy Lisa Mitchell's high placement. And both Sarah Blasko songs sounded really amazing. And Mumford and Sons deserved the win - their natural sound really stands out against the crass, heaving electro mess that made up the rest of the countdown - but even with mumford I could see myself getting sick of them through overplay over the next few months. There were only cursory, singular mentions going out to grizzly bear, dirty projectors, neko case and animal collective, even though these guys put out the best sounds of last year, the highest any of them charted was #61

Its just a shame. Nothing in the top end of the hottest 100 seems selected for its potential longevity. Nothing that resembles anything timeless. It isn't ment to be I suppose, its just a snapshot of cheesy, catchy pop music from 2009 - no different to any 'smash hits' kind of release - when it has the opportunity to be something that really stands out.

On Sunday night we went for a sunset walk around the rocks on the north side of Clovelly. This area is known as shark point, its ment to be one of the best dive sites in sydney. Unfortunatley the waves against the rocks creative a dangerous entry point for divers, and I havnt been able to find any school willing to take people in.

We were around at absolute low tide and the rocks were full of all manner of life and activity. Mostly crabs I admit - but low tide is a great time to be near the water, you get a sneak peak at what would otherwise be under the sea. Critters, cucumbers, urchins, and all manner of tiny fish hiding out in the rockpools. Some fishermen were there as well, and a few kids doing an incredibly dangerous 'run and jump' off the rocks and into the ocean, and then being swept back on to the rocks by the next wave.

The waves were only 3 feet or so but force of the water against the rocks, and the massive spray that came up from each wave was awe-in-fucking-spiring. The power of the water is phenomenal, I could watch it forever.

( another picture behind the link )

I've just finished watching every episode of "the Wire".

And it's really good TV, the best I've seen in a long time. Some great stories, characters, performances, some of the most absorbing, potent, powerful scenes I've ever seen on telly, and definatley worth the box-set if you ever want to settle down for a week or so.

This series works for me because really they're arnt any straight out good guys or bad guys. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do. And all the characters, to a certain point, are slaves to the corrupt and broken institutions they are a part of, this inescapable tragedy.

Having finished it, and thought alot about it, i have some reflections on it all,

( but don't you dare read ahead if you havnt seen it )

If you havnt seen any of it yet and you're a little curious, the this rundown of the synopsys on youtube is a good place to start

weekend report from gordons

- only a quick dip in on saterday, it was warm in the morning and about to get overcast in the afternoon. saw lots of fish, all the groper. prize spot was a cuttlefish, slightly larger than my hand, swimming around the shallow areas. i was the only one to spot him,. i saw the brief movement, then he hid under a rock, blended right in, colour and shape. but i could still see his eyes. very cute. and the largest one i've seen whilst snorkling. other fish? no stingrays for a while. plenty of groupers. lots of little ones.

- sunday again, in early. reports of bluebottle stings from other swimmers. undettered and stupid, i went in anyway, swam around. actually went in three times over 3 hours, but as more people began to hit the rocks i saw more and more swimmers coming out with stings. at the end of it it was my turn, after a long snorkle, came back out of the water, and wading through the rocks to get out i noticed the sharp sensation around my chest. and saw the stinger, like a thick cobweb with blue dots, wrapped around my chest. peeled it away and watched the blisters come up over the next 30 minutes. annoying pain. beachtime over.

if i remember, the bluebottles always seem to hit at the end of summer. the water is warm now (22) and i'm just assuming they're here early for that reason. i never actually saw any bluebottle tops in the water, nor any washed up on the beach. just, it seems, a lot of loose stingers/tenticles in the water. probbably time for a rashie from here on until the end of summer.

this weekend down by the water was the one i'd been waiting for all summer

there was sunshine the whole time, and i had visitors both days (thanks ruth, kylie, jenny, anna, zara, skye)

my personal highlight?

a pod of baby cuttlefish

i was ecstatic when i found them and identified them. me floating on the surface with my snorkle, and i saw 7 or 8 of these guys who semeed to be looking up at me. im not sure if its just they way their little bodies sat in the water, but i dived down and got closer, not far from the rocky bottom in about 3-4 metres of water. unmistakable really, the little skirting at the back, the beak-like thing at the front, the big eyes. translucent bodies. they bobbed about with a motion like no other fish. they were all curious at first but then they all darted away in reverse once i got a little closer, just as i've seen the big ones do. i dont know how old they were, but i doubt it was very much at all.

they were kinda like this, but smaller, and without the colour. sadly, googling for 'baby cuttlefish' brings up mostly recepies.

other exciting things about gordons bay this weekend:

the water was very very clear the whole time, and on saterday it was still as well, and for the first time I could see completley to the bottom of the bay. what I didnt realise untill now is that there is actually a ridge, or trench, in the middle of the bay, and theres another dropoff, about 3 metres further down

my estimates might be off, but i was pretty sure i had 12m+ visibilty on saterday, it was incredible, i could see right to the bottom at the deepest point.

and snorkling in the middle of the day, with the sun above me, i could see the refracted beams of sunlight, splintering and wobbling around me, searching out the depths below, in this random psychedelic pattern, like a hundred spotlights in all directions. giddy with happiness.

the water temp gordons bay is still 21 degrees, possibly even hotter. the water got warmer, earlier this year than 2008 or 2007. and thanks to my saterday purchase of a brand new snorkle / mask / flippers set, sunday was the first day i actually got in the water to have a look around, rather than just do laps of the bay. and the weather on sunday was perfect.

i do recall their being a bit more fish last year.

i did like watching the shallow areas, as swimmers stepped off the rock into the water, a collection of fish would follow behind them, forroaging for anything turned up by the footsteps. the big prize on sunday though, i saw my first stingray at gordons. medium sized, grey thing, resting in the shallows, half covered by sand, then he moved around for a minute before settling into a different patch of sand

saw 8 divers getting taken out for their first open waters.

i really need a buddy to swim with me regularly out here. i can do laps of the bay by myself but its more reassuring (and i swim a lot further) when i have someone with me.

the animal collective gig: last friday night at the enmore theatre.

my thoughts are scattered about this event, bells ringing through my head.

overwhelmingly: spellbinding and mindbending. better than the albums. better than most live acts. pulsating lightshow that i could never keep my eyes away from. the band stood shilloutted, working in the freedom of the darkness.

not sure they needed all the reverb, but overwhelmingly the sound was fantastic. turned all the way up, we were right in front of the massive roof-mounted speaker. samples beats shimmered and pulsated, a hypnotic, trance like experience. i do wonder how many drugs theyve done over time. as a straight audience member, the experience for me was sounds drenched in acid and ecstasy, and with the lights, created a beautiful euphoric synesthesia for my mind.

they never really engaged the audience and i dont think it mattered at all. unfortunately the best i could get was seated for the first half of the show which was really, really impossible to sit down to. not music i can stay still to. we rectified that for the encore, got into the back of the GA area.

big highlights: "what would i want? sky". new song off the brand new ep. very easy listen, instantly resonated with me. 'summertime clothes' and 'in the flowers' where also amazing. they held back a little on 'my girls'. awesome, fantastic versions of 'fireworks' and 'peacebone'. spinetingling sequence at the end of 'daily routine', an amazing rendition of 'in the flowers' for the encore.

i walked in loving em, and walked out having an ever greater and wider appreciation for what theyve produced. truley astonishing. they have a sound that no-one else has. its very inspiring, i think the future of music is in very good hands.

ive been to so many festivals this year, sydfest, playground weekender, days like this, bluesfest, lollaplooza. blah. but this was the best experience. easily my favourate show of 2009, and best live experience ive had for a very long time

So last friday I took a 'work from home' day.

And I needed a coffee to get going, so going out to get it, walked out the door, and saw a plume of smoke rising from the house across the street. doubletake. not right. I walked up around the side of the house, a small cubbyhouse/shed about 1x2 metres was on fire, from the inside, and smoke coming out the side. The owner screamed from the backyard, I called 000.

Useless attempts to use a hose from around the back, within a minute the fire had burnt the whole shed, the flames licking out and up the sides, within a few seconds touching the walls of the house itself, and the fence on the other side. With a neighbour, went into the house tohelp the owner. The heat from the fire cracked and shattered the glass in the bathroom. We did a couple of relays, getting some boxes of photos and mementos out of the main bedroom. The owner of the house was in an absolute panic. Inside the house the smoke was already hovering near the cieling, some more windows smashed because of the heat, i saw flames on the inside. At that point we stopped doing relays, got the dog, and got out of there.

After leaving the house quite a few neighbours, onlookers had gathered around. And I remembered seeing a fire hydrant in the foyer of my own unitblock. I went back, waking paul, grabbing the hydrant, fumbling around with it to make it work. Paul actually used all the foam against the fire and although there was some effect it was not that useful, those things i think are designed for small kitchen fires, not for something this big. Some more neighbours hooked up a hose from next door, this had a slightly better effect but at exactly this time the fire brigade arrived, and they quickly put things out over the next 5 minutes. The the whole thing took maybe just fifteen or so minutes form start to finish. the fire moving, growing, destroying, took no time at all.

That was the stunning thing more than anything: It was incredible to see the fire move so quickly. just consume and rise above, the smoke moves first, softens the structure, the burn marks, and the flames follow seconds later. superfast rapid infection. and so incredibly fucking powerful.

It ended up taking out 5-6 windows, a good portion of the entire side wall of the house, the shed, the fence, and a tree sitting next to it. If the fire brigade had taken any longer there would have been a real risk to the block of flats next door as well as the house itself. I walked past the area today, everythings bordered up or swept away, you'd hardly know what happened.

now that i've moved,

here are three things that i'll probably miss about enmore and the inner west

the courthouse hotel: the most relaxed pub in sydney. and who am i kidding, of course ill be back there.

the sultans table: enmores finest, fantastic fresh turkish food. basically i've eaten here once a week for the last two years. theyve rarely disappointed. it requires a troubling amount of self control to deny the best takeaway in the inner west when its right at the end of your street.

the ecosystem around the enmore theatre on a show night. punters crammed into all the pizza joints and thai restaurants, the duke and the queen, the lineup out the front, waiting to get in, and the theater itself, in art-deco splendour, one of sydneys more beautiful live music venues.

honourable mentions go to: living under the flightpath, erko main drag, artwise amazing paper, the food at the the carlisle castle, the dodgy underpass, dendy cinemas, head over heels.