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Bad noise, good noise

Thursday, 24th July 2008

So I was sitting in the local Starbucks yesterdayafternoon when the background music, which is normally mellow enough, suddenly veered into a sequence of indie rock and dancehall reggae. Not the sort of stuff I want to hear when I'm reading a newspaper. Only I can never think of a polite way of asking staff to turn the hi-fi down. I always sound unbearably grumpy. Next time perhaps I'll just lie and say I have tinnitus.

The volume levels were actually a lot higher at Neil Cowley's exhilarating jazz gig in Soho last night, but this time it was noise with a purpose. Apologies for the blurry image - I was using an unfamiliar camera, and had only a second or two to grab the shot. With any luck, you'll be able to make out the T-Rex that he kept on the piano. Very appropriate, given all the roaring sounds.