May I

 

From the start of May

Takashi's return; "21"??

 The photos on this roll of film lay dormant in a drawer for two years with nothing but a "21" scratched neatly into the side of it. I always assumed the 21 meant "21 photos taken" but lo and behold, a fully exposed roll of 36 negatives. So who knows what it meant. Sometimes I think I do this stuff on purpose to introduce minor doubts into my future-self's life. I have actually considered doing such things in the past and for all I, with my atrocious memory, know I have gone through with many of them. It's like I'm living a self-inflicted, boring version of the movie "Memento".

Anyways that aside, I was really excited to discover the bounty contained in that film - photographs of the first house gig Paul and I organised. It was supposed to be the last Fairy Fort gig of the summer, before Takashi went home to Matsue to get going on his plan to open a café. But the gods of that crappy sort of rain that doesn't really rain but just sort of hangs around and clings to everything like a jerk had other plans and the fairy fort had to be abandoned in favour of Paul's sitting room. It was still great! And was the start of a series of really nice house gigs. Takashi's presence in Galway was short-lived but so hugely affected those he met. For me, he completely opened my eyes to the potential in everything: a discarded pipe for a bugle; a bag of crisps on the head for percussion; a field for a concert venue... It's coincidental these photos appear now, as Takashi's coming back at the end of next month and has been in touch recently about doing a tour with a few friends (Darugaries and Rokumantai). Yesss!

Some other out and aboutings:

Several seconds before (by Michelle) (though I'm possibly not right about that)

 

VHI's Behind the Music

 I just finished doing this, these are the photos I didn't use.

Looking at this photograph

Staring competition

I dropped my camera in the pub and the back popped open, hence the wonky few photos with bits missing. I was briefly, but intensely, devastated but it didn't stop me flipping dropping it again a few minutes later.




A few bits of flotsam/jetsam/treasure:

Photo by Aoife Barry