You're My Favourite Waste of Time

An Arab Strap gig is kind of a fitting affair to attend on the eve of Valentine's day. They paid a visit to Berlin on Monday night; Magnet was totally packed out by around half past nine when I got there..yes i missed the support band. Everyone was quite happy that Arcade Fire was being played while we waited for the band to come onstage. It was hard to move..or avoid getting pressed up against the people around you in a rather familiar way. The crowd still tried to dance along despite the total squish, but most people ended up sort of hopping up and down on the spot.

Arab Strap have these intoxicating songs that you just get lost in. I loved when their songs kicked into the upbeat ending: the crowd, drawn into the realm of seedy affairs and jilted lovers that Aidan Moffat depicts so well in his gravelly voice, would be lulled out of their stupor and liven up. People seemed to enjoy just shouting "MALCOLM!" at random intervals. My favourite song was probably "New Birds". 1998. Most of the time each song was introduced not by name but by the year it was from. "19..what the fuck?...98? Ooh that was a lawng time agoo." I felt kind of disappointed when it was over. The ticket was quite expensive, i'd missed the support band, Arab Strap didnt give us much talk and I was waiting for "Love Detective" all night, but it never came. You can never count on anything when you go to a gig though, I know that..They did play two decent encores and finished with a cover that I can't remember. "Malcolm hates it." It was a lovely gig.

FUNNY:

AL: Why do you write these sort of lyrics?

Aidan: I just write to piss off my girlfriend.

AL: The lyrics seem like a diary.

Aidan: I never kept a diary. I like to think of the album as a diary. Just key events. Just what I'm mulling about at any given point. I like to mull. That's something I'm very good at.

Malcolm: Some journalist described it as picking scabs once.

AL: But from what part of the anatomy?

Aidan: The brain. A scabby brain. I don't care what anyone says. Doesn't matter.

Found that here.