Friday was supposed to be moving day

Catternberg's new flat was supposed to be ready and available on Thursday. He duly went to pick up the keys, and the agency let him know that the oven wasn't fitted yet, but with a sigh and an "Oh darn, a few days of takeaways, how traumatic", Cattenberg took the keys and went off to show Mummy Cattenberg his new house. And this is where things went awry. Not just the oven was missing. The kitchen hasn't finished being fitted, absolutely no furniture or white goods are present, plug sockets are still hanging loose from the walls, the bathroom isn't finished, and the water is off. You can't exactly move in without things being fit for the water to be turned on... No curtains, or even curtain track anywhere, which again would be manageable in the living room, but not in the bedroom. In short, it's nowhere near ready, no one present doing any work, and the landlord unavailable on the phone.

So yesterday was not moving day. But it was Chris Corsano and Mick Flower day! Flower Corsano Duo were playing at the Robin Hood in Cragg Vale, with support from the Sophie Cooper Band. Sophie Cooper Band consisted of Sophie Cooper, twitter pal Joincey and potter extraordinaire Pascal. They weren't tweeting and sculpting live on stage, though that may have been an interesting proposition. No, Pascal on drums, Joincey on guitar. I'm not going to say much, save that they were good - Nick, one of my car passengers for the evening, said that he's heard them be better, and I would certainly say that although I enjoyed them immensely, I strongly suspect that he's right. I felt that there was something missing, that they had much more. Hope to see that much more soon. Apparently the soundcheck went somewhat askew, and such things can make a major impact on the success of an evening. Here's Sophie Cooper's soundcloud.

Swift pint (of water for me) in the shrubbery (best beer garden ever, basically four picnic tables in a bush) then Messrs Corsano and Flower, doing what they do best, blowing people's minds. Mick Flower playing shahi baaja (Japanese banjo) to Corsano's drums, this was incredible. Both guys working intuitively with each other, building to the point you can bear it no longer before easing off momentarily before taking you straight back there. Corsano is mesmeric to watch. With sweat flooding from his face, he maintains with incredible stamina not just physical, but creative focus and concentration through a long set. The energy, precision and joy of the performance doesn't wane throughout, despite playing an exhausting looking set in a hot crowded room. It was immense, and I was grinning like a fool throughout the entire performance. Bloody awesome.

Suddenly it had become night. Joincey and Pascal were also risking my driving on the way back to Manchester, so their kit made its way to the boot of my car, drinks were had, and Suicide followed by Simon and Garfunkel soundtracked the drive home. A great night, with great people.