I love photos of the abstract expressionists. Here’s Joan Mitchell.
Because they didn’t depict anything specifically recognisable, the portraits became important signifiers of what the paintings might be about. Here’s an untitled pastel from 1978 to brighten up your computer screen.

P

Morning all, sorry to be a pest but there are tickets now on sale for some shows i’m putting on. Click here for tickets: http://bit.ly/bljRf5 don’t be shy and snap ‘em up!

I’ve tried to keep the prices down in these lean times but the Sage and Bush Hall venues cost a little extra to hire out hence them being a couple of quid extra.

See you at the venues,

Paul

So, it comes to pass that I test the Wayne’s World 2 theory of ‘book the shows and they will come’. If you’d like to see me play the songs from Margins then have a look at the tour dates below. Tickets go on sale Thursday 26th August at 9am.

November:

26th – Bodega, Nottingham (TICKETS)

27th – Brudenell, Leeds (TICKETS)

28th – Glee Club, Birmingham (TICKETS)

29th – Thekla, Bristol (TICKETS)

December:

01st – Bush Hall, London (TICKETS)

2nd – Deaf Institute, Manchester (TICKETS)

3rd – Classic Grand, Glasgow (TICKETS)

4th – Sage 2, Gateshead (TICKETS)

I’ve been waiting to play these songs live for a while now so that should ensure an excitable performance although the songs will require a different execution to those of Maximo Park; less frenetic movement but no less emotion or commitment. You have been warned!

To drum up support for the tour I’m going to dip my solo toes into the world of the single and put out Our Lady Of Lourdes on November 1st, a toe-tapper and a grower, I’m told by my pals. On the 7inch vinyl, there’s a new song based on a guitar loop, called, cunningly, Loop For Becca. Digital customers will get my version of the Arthur Russell classic, A Little Lost, which consists of just my voice and the first recorded example of my inexpert bass-playing. You can pre-order the album here from Amazon

Spread the word, people – I’m coming to a town near (ish) you!

Paul

Untitled (Portrait of Emmanuelle Huynh) by Isabelle Waternaux, 1996

At the Pompidou Centre in Paris yesterday, I saw a whole bunch of art made by female artists collated from the museum’s permanent collection. I suspect there’ll be a few more posts to come of the more fine-art-oriented material involved but, for a start, here’s some beautiful glassware from the 1975 Vignelli collection.
I’m not sure at what point in my life I began to appreciate the serenity of a casserole dish, but there we are.
P

Captured Tracks seem to be releasing lots of murky, motley-pop at the moment and Cosmetics are currently amongst the cream of that crop. This cross-legged image is a real peach but it wouldn’t be as perfect were it not for the type and its careful positioning. Just so.

P

Saw this film in Berlin last night, with German subtitles running across the bottom of the screen and rodents making noises underfoot. The main character is an aimless oddball in a world full of people who make him look sane. He’s a drifter in a film that drifts along to the strains of John Lurie’s saxophone…

P

Annemarie Schwarzenbach by Marianne Breslauer, 1931

The Berlinische Galerie is showing a retrospective of Marianne Breslauer and the timeless woman on the poster has been haunting me as I walk around the city. Having just returned from the exhibition, postcards in bag, I would recommend it highly. A vision of a time when (admittedly weatlthy) androgynous women were depicted as feeling comfortable with themselves and their role in a changing world. Truly striking.
P

Wild Nothing – “Bored Games” from Ian Perlman on Vimeo.

I saw this band in a Berlin club called Bang Bang last night. The sound was perfect and chiming and nostalgic.
P

It’s appropriate to see a photograph of Maya Deren asleep, since her images fuel the dreams of others.

P

To celebrate the official launch of my website, here’s a painting by Brendan Lancaster.

P

I’ve got a bass-accompanied  Arthur Russell cover up my sleeve and so has Frankie Rose (and The Outs). Further testament to the great man’s power of simplicity.