Saturday Night, Sunday Morning

Went to Cobra Bar at The Tote on Saturday night. First up was Hate Club. They were a grungey, no wave-y outfit heavily influenced by Sonic Youth. They had a shouty woman on bass and a man with an odd haircut wearing flanellette playing a weird guitar and everything. They locked into grooves hypnotically and it was a very enjoyable show.

I got a lot more out of this sort of jam band than I may have in the past because for the entire month of February I am listening to nothing but Krautrock. I am in the headspace of musical repetition and seeing the same idea from various perspectives. The only problem is I have a rather small collection of Krautrock, so this month is further limited from the genre to three bands - Can, Kraftwerk and NEU!

The idea of Krautrock month stemmed from a frustration at my ignorance of that style of music. As with all my interests, extreme action was necessary. I am also keen to push out of the habit I got into through spending a couple of years with my iPod on shuffle. Everything became a wash and I stopped properly listening to music a lot of the time. Recently I have enforced the 'album' rule. That is, if I listen to something, I must listen to the whole album in question. I may not enforce a genre on myself every month but the general thrust of intentionality in my listening will continue.

Next up at the Cobra Bar was Group Seizure. They do a noisy electro rock thing and do it very well. There were some parallels with bands like Future of the Left, mainly because the keyboardist uses a Roland Juno to great effect like Andy Falkous. We went to the Tote on a whim and these two bands rocked out like nothing else and repaid our trust in this fine hotel with interest.

It was now about 12.30am, and we had to walk into the city because we missed the trams back in. We were delayed from leaving the pub immediately due to the purchase of the last two tickets to The Dirtbombs show at the Tote on the 29th. Even if the rest of the night turned out to be a waste of time (which it didn't), this achievement alone would have made the trip from Croydon worthwhile.

A stop at McDonald's on Alexandra Parade was more disappointing than usual, as I discovered that everyone's favourite family restaurant no longer sells the McOz burger. I was ravenous so when the girl serving me said she'd put through a double quarter pounder meal instead of what I ordered I emphatically said it was okay so I could inhale it as soon as possible.

The McOz burger was the crowning achievement of McDonald's in my eyes. It has become necessary to eat at Maccas more than I'd like (more or less not at all) since being in a band that gigs and sees you driving past the inviting golden arches in the wee hours of the morn. Last Thursday I ended up at the Nunawading Maccas when I should have been in bed and it wasn't available there either, but I thought it might have been a mistake - a temporary problem with the beetroot supply, perhaps.

Alas, no. So it was time to send a disgruntled letter to McDonald's.

To Whom It May Concern,

I have been disappointed in recent weeks to discover that the McOz is no longer served in your restaurants.

I realise that I must be one of a select few wise enough to consistently order the McOz but as you continue to serve Fillet-O-Fish I get the impression that you hold your niche customers in high regard.

I would like an explanation as to why this glorious burger - this apex of human endeavour - is no longer being served. Is it just sales? Is there a beetroot shortage that makes it impossible for one of the world's largest and most profitable companies to order the sacred purple root? My future as a McDonald's customer hangs on how you answer this question.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Daniel Kahn.

I sent that on Sunday night. On Monday morning I received this cursory reply from McDonald's Customer Service.

Dear Daniel

Thank you for your email. Unfortunately the McOz Burger has been deleted off the menu as it was a low seller. We are sorry for your disappointment regarding the deletion of this burger and will forward your feedback onto the Operations Department for their information. At present there are no plans to run the burger again. Once again we would like to thank you for feedback.

Regards
McDonald's Customer Service

How can burgers be deleted, but also run? They must perceive their food, like their staff, as computer programs. Damn Maccas. Give me my beetroot burger! It is not too much to ask! It's just beetroot! I have visions of my future where I am a crazy old man with bifocals and a cheeky little moustache, who does not care whatsoever about the opinions of others, and brings a can of beetroot into the restaurant to make the necessary addition every visit.

But back onto topic. After the disappointing Maccas stop we were headed to the Pony for the free 2am Children Collide show. As their first song was coming to a close the stage experienced a blackout, which took 10 minutes or so to resolve. Once power was back on the stage, they started the show from the top. This was a curious decision, but one probably justified by the fact the show was being filmed. Their music, while relatively unimaginative, was supported by a very energetic live show which was great to watch, especially in a semi-inebriated state. Frontman Johnny looks like a young Steve Buscemi with a Thurston Moore haircut. Just putting it out there.

In Canadian music news, Godspeed You! Black Emperor have split up. Founder Efrin Menuck has cited "an existential freakout" relating to the Iraq war as the reason for the split. More details in this NME article.