Red Light Company

I paid my first visit to the Cardiff Barfly for a while, to catch Red Light Company in concert. Opening were locals Scissorkick Victory – punky hard rock in the Biffy/Foos vein, and very enjoyable. Next up were The Hugs, teenagers from Portland, Oregon currently resident in London; likeable power-pop, perhaps insufficiently distinctive as yet, but they displayed an admirable tendency to rock out. The headliners - what with the long hair, and the ridiculously skinny trousers, and the cheekbones - look far too cool, but the music is excellent; sparkly pop gems delivered with élan. Rather a short set (40 minutes?), but they played all the singles (“With Lights Out”, “Meccano”, “Scheme Eugene”), so there were no complaints.

I’ve spent some time trying to get people to attend my play-reading at London’s Young Vic on November 20th, via Facebook and e-mail; no point having a high-profile big city showcase if no-one turns up. My current task is doing another draft of my sit-com script, after some encouraging feedback from the BBC – obviously a long shot, but one has to make the effort.

Delighted, of course, to see Barack Obama’s historic victory; my sincerest hope is for a boringly efficient, uneventful two-term presidency.