Warszawa, Lublin, Łódź and one bearded guitarist

Tim. Cat. Beer.

Thurs (7th) came the start of a Polish adventure, with friend and musician, Tim Holehouse. As in the past, me and Tim enjoyed a classic curry and spent the evening with my housemates sharing videos, music, dance, drink and song. Tim is currently on the European part of his never ending world tour, recently playing in Lithuania and Lativa, he stayed in Poland for the weekend before making his way to Amsterdam.

Warsaw

I had my first 'official' Polish lesson on Fri (8th) and made my way through remembering all I've been taught and catching up with new words, phrases and grammatical rules. Only time will tell how much I can grasp of this sweet language. I am now though really enjoying the sound of Polish, the inexplicable lyrical and poetic qualities are becoming more apparent to me after initially being lost in this Slavic language. Later made Baked Apples and Pancakes with the help of fellow sweet toothed housemate, I will attach the recipe above! A simple, easy and sweet vegan dessert.

Gigs past at Tektura

Had my first adventure on Polish trains to Warsaw with Tim, as most people have mentioned, the trains are pretty slow, but we got there in good time and was a pleasure to have non-stop chats about travels, music and expectations. The gig was in a small cafe at the Arts Department of the Warsaw University. Though not playing any gigs that weekend, I was treated to an awesome level of hospitality; food, drink and somewhere to sleep, it couldn't've been better. The gig had a quiet turnout, I was hoping to see more of The Loft Conversion, but the company and welcome made the night great. Sat (8th) we were treated to a breakfast at Relaks, a cafe on the outskirts of the centre, walking through the doors and hearing The Cinematic Orchestra's - 'The Man with a Movie Camera' soundtrack and seeing the walls covered in old Polish Tourist Board posters cheered my little face. Though only seeing a small part of Warsaw, I know I have to see more, and I will be doing very soon...

Front Room Gig pt.1

We arrived into Lublin at about 17:00 and made a long walk to meet our host and organiser, Michal. Lublin, also looked like a beautiful place, with many of the old medieval buildings still in tact and a well of Eastern European history seeped into the city. Again, another place I must return to. The gig was at the Tektura, one of the only alternative venues in Lublin, usually hosting Punk/Hardcore/Crust shows, seeing the amount of bands these guys put on is astonishing. The collective of the venue have recently been branching out into; film nights, folk music, 'world' music (if anyone can find a better phrase for this, please send...) and regular political discussion group meetings. Feeling like a squat, and like all good squats, we met friendly and interesting folk within, with the walls decorated with graffiti, art, sketches, posters, slogans, bright colours, all keeping the eyes busy at quiet times. The gig too, was relaxed, with some nice audience participation and watching non-stop excitement of upbeat drunks.

Front Room Gig pt.2

There were plans for Tim to play another gig in between Warsaw and Lublin, but it fell through, so we were left with an empty slot. A last minute text and phoning session ended in Tim playing in the front room of our flat on Sun (9th). Fine friends from Łódź came and the night was rather awesome. Tim played to a small audience of no more than 15, with candles and a backdrop projection of Polish Animation. Trying to sum up how this night was is difficult (not due to alcohol....), but in all it was a pleasent gathering of Łódź dudes, and Tim. See photos below for details.

Tim Holehouse plays a dirty, raw and exciting form of acoustic folk blues, which can be heard here

Food Dudes

He also plays under his full name, Timothy C Holehouse, delving into the territories of noise, drone, ambient and minimalist performance and composition.

He's likely to be playing in your corner of the world in this year or the next.