Havamal

Sudoku played live on Friday night for the first time ever! Ninja metal was unleashed upon an unsuspecting Icelandic Public in the Dillon Sports Bar at Hafnarfjörður. Hrafnkell told me about the opening as Steppi from Thingtak was still fucked from hi shoulder operation and they couldn't play, so Sudoku stepped up to the challenge. Quickly recruiting the bassist Sayonara Hiroshi and the button presser/dancer Saru Shokushu Goukan, we had a few rehearsals. Well when I say we had a few rehearsals, I mean on Thursday evening after work I showed Hrappi how to play the songs, then we went to his house and amped up, and did a few run throughs of the set list. He kept me awake til the early morning putting Linux on the computer and showing me family photo albums...

On Friday evening we (Jo, Hrappi and I) went down to Hokus Pokus to pick up three Ninja Costumes. Jo had mentioned the day before that I aught to maybe think about buying them then. Friday night was definitely a case 'told you so'. The store had sold out completely, there must have been a fucking rush on Ninja parties in Reykjavik, we asked the toothless simpleton behind the counter if he knew of anywhere else that would sell Ninja Costumes. He said he had no idea and only knew what went on in his shop. What kind of attitude is that? I would have thought that if you worked in a shop with such a narrow sales line (i.e. Fancy Dress Costumes) you would have done your research and found out what competition you had in the surrounding area. Especially in a place as small as Reykjavik. All you have to do is open the fucking telephone directory and they are all there. Needless to say, we didn't have a telephone directory and the twat behind the counter probably couldn't even use a telephone anyway. It's not something I generally have about my person, a telephone directory.

I digress, it threw us into a bit of a panic. Jo suggested getting some material and making our own costumes so we bombed over to a haberdashery and I bought several meters of black material at a fucking astronomical cost. Who would have thought the economic crisis would strike at the heart of haberdashers as well as the layman. Or maybe they put their prices up in order to milk as much out of other peoples misery as possible. Fucking haberdashers. They are worse than Paedophiles.

Duncan, Roz, Jo and I called over to Hrappi's place, much to the consternation of Iris and we managed to squeeze another rehearsal and get dressed ready for the big event. The costumes looke much better than the shitty ones I was going to buy at Hokus Pokus, so for one thing I was happy that the toothless idiot behind the counter wouldn't be able to feed his children tonight with my money.

We hit Dillon Sports Bar and walked in dressed as Ninjas. There was no one there to see us. The bar was heaving with about six people in it. Most of them formed the other three bands that played. We were told that we would be on after Skorpulifur, who were meant to be headlining, but had decided since we were from 'England' we should go on as headliners instead. My first live experience and I would be headlining... Anyway Skorpulifur were excellent, even if their singer was smashed out of his head and fell over several times during their set. Rock and Roll. Then it was our turn. By this point the other supporting bands and their attendees left thinning the crowd down to my friends and Skorpulifur.

We played 'Ninja Porks a Babe' as the intro and launched in 'Ninja is for Life', well when I say launched, we hobbled into it as Duncan had set up the track but had failed to press play. I hit the play button and we completely fucked it up. Hrappi had forgot to turn his bass amp on, so there was just me thrashing on the guitar. It went from bad to worse. I pressed play on what I thought was the drum track for 'Do You Wanna Get Pumped' and began hammering away at it. It turns out that it was the drum track to 'Ninja is for Life'. It didn't seem to affect the song though...

It was only during 'A Furious Aural Beating at the Hands of a Ninja' that we started to pick up our mojo and we played this one excellently if I say so myself. Duncan again ruined it all with the segue between 'Ninja Plays and Awesome Fucking Solo' and 'Ninja!', but Hrappi's and my professionalism managed to keep it on track. I fucked up during 'Seppuku' but managed to pull it back together for 'Ninja Hammer' during which the bar was bing closed and chairs put on tables. We finished the show with the Sudoku version of 2unlimited's 'No Limits' playing whilst we all danced like we were being electrocuted. It may have been a fuck up but Sorkpulifur still wanted us to play with them again, maybe to make them look better I don't know. I can now tick the 'played live with a band' box. I spent the rest of the night driving around in Hrappi's car in a vain attempt to go drinking.

In other news I beat Atli at Memoir 44 twice on Wednesday, this also includes another beating last Wednesday at Axis and Allies. But being a gentleman who doesn't like to gloat, I only have this to say:

In your face, in your face, in your face, in your stupid fucking face, Atli you retard!!!