Dub FX in Erzsébet Square

There was much comotion on Erzsébet square yesterday evening when the senior citizens of the area could not walk their minute dogs through it, Japanese tourists could not take satisfactory pictures of the fountain and all decent beer was gone in no time from the shelves of the closest supermarket. The reason behind this horror being an impromptu- well, in case you can call something trumpeted on Facebook for a day or so improptu- Dub FX gig.

Beyond the obvious excitement level-and somewhat futile satisfaction of having grabbed one of the last cans of proper beer- the gig itself drew a bit too many people to be thoroughly enjoyable. Though as far as street performances go, it’s kind of normal to have the sound system malfunction now and again and there’s always a fat bloke obstructing the view. So I guess I’ll just stop grumbling and admit there’s lots of cool stuff happening in Budapest these days- which was about time and I raise my can of fine beer to our city’s bright (musical) present and future.

Book Diary #6: Monica Ali-Brick Lane

But always there was a problem between us. How can I explain? I wasn’t me, and you weren’t you. From the beginning to the very end, we didn’t see things. What we did- we made each other up.

Best Concerts of Sziget 2014 #1: Queens of the Stone Age

It probably seems a bit lacking in imagination to go for Queens of the Stone Age for the best Sziget concert as they were of course one of the more hyped acts. Yet we can admit that, with a lot of expectations weighing down on their shoulders, their falling flat on their faces was also in the cards. Their VOLT show from the previous year felt a bit lukewarm based on the reviews we’d read (yes, yes, always check local festivals before booking your summer holidays, lesson learned) and I just could not settle scores with the fact that they’ll be actually squeezed before deadmau5. All of which did not really matter, as this turned out to be a great day for science- and for Josh Homme, who felt strangely at ease and even indulged in some good humoured banter. Unlike many major acts who seem somewhat pale at non-UK festivals, they looked and especially sounded as their hearts were in it- throwing in No One Knows early on, they still had the force to get better and stronger with each song- as the lights went out over Sziget, so did their music feel heavier and darker-would it have been an even better show if it was dark all along? The question now seems superfluous- this was day zero and you knew no headliner would quite match this intensity. And sure enough, they didn't.

Sundaying

There's been a bit of of an autumn chill in the air this Sunday, and judging by the (notoriously untrustworthy) Budapest weather forecast, this is how we'll roll until late September, so we'd better get used to it. There's nothing like an Eszterházy cake to warm your heart on such days and the very best is to be found at Ruszwurm in the castle. The cakes of the famous New York cafe are more prohibitve pricewise- and, to be frank, not as tasty, but every now and then you can drop by for a fine espresso and some gilded everything. 

Best Concerts of Sziget 2014 #2: Miles Kane

Miles Kane gets to be The Other Guy a lot. Being the other guy to Alex Turner is of course spectacularly better than being the other guy to say Macklemore, but it's still grandly unfair. And frankly the best he could expect in Budapest was to be no guy at all- many people crowding the A38 tent had no inkling of either the Rascals or the Last Shadow Puppets and were there only for the party. Which is exactly what they got-it's a great compliment to Miles Kane's craft as a songwriter and showman that he could have such a consistently strong show on the tail of only two albums. Well, calling it just strong is pretty much understatement: it started off great, veered into the amazing around half time and ended up being so good it makes you giddy. Just one of those concert moments that totally suck you in and you keep repeating to yourself, oh Lord, I wish this would never end.I still think it's unfair to always gloss on Alex Turner when mentioning Miles Kane, but I just could not shake off the thought that there is no way on earth Alex could ever pull off a solo show without looking and sounding awkward as hell. Which is exactly the opposite of Miles Kane- there's seemingly no effort is his being just cooler than mere mortals and there's so much raw energy in his reassured cockiness that it gets contagious and you walk around with a stupid grin on your face for several hours after the show. What on earth happened to you, your friends inquire. Miles Fucking Kane.

Best Concerts of Sziget #3: Triggerfinger

Our total awe at the might of Triggerfinger having already been plentifully expressed, we take the liberty of having them share the third place on the podium for best concerts with Yasmine Hamdan.  You might enquire why they aren’t first, given all that awesomeness bundled into one majestic unit of Belgianness, and the answer is, well, they can’t be first all the time.  (Or CAN they?!) Their effort from last year’s scorching A38 sauna tent was epic, so it’s hard to top that, and this year they were merely  superb- I dare any Sziget repeat offender to do that. Cause yeah, actually, it was never accomplished before. So there you have it, Triggerfinger are the best even when they are third.

Best Concerts of Sziget #3: Yasmine Hamdan

Jim Jarmusch is a man of many talents, like discovering the music you always wanted to listen to, but never knew where to look for it. On this particular occasion you’d have to go to Beirut via Paris (or Paris via Beirut, depends on how you look at it), just like Jarmusch’s eternally journeying vampires move around the world. There is something wonderfully befitting his timeless heroes in Yasmine Hamdan’s music: it seems, at the same time, extremely ancient and very modern, extremely calm and very unsettling. The ingredients are basic: her voice, some guitars, a sprinkling of traditional instruments here and there, but the result is as arresting as the source is simple, it doesn’t feel as much as music being made, but music that simply is, an existential element contained within itself.