patrícia furtado

… when we grow up?

A few of them lose themselves around the Lisbon flea market stalls. Some look empty, some look sad, some look terrified. Some have a doll orgy.

After many years without setting foot on that part of Lisbon, I visited Feira da Ladra again today. A few questions lingered on my mind: Who wears second hand shoes? How much of a market is there for rusty tools? How desperate do you have to be to buy a used vibrator from a floor stall?

Birds chirrup in the trees, bees buzz by, and the two maiden cats dream idly on the windowsill. Springtime surrounds them with light, warmth and cheer. Suddenly something draws their attention to the ground. A dazzling and dashing young cat of black velvet fur and bright button eyes serenades them through the gate, and steals the heart of the eldest cat.

Out of reach in her tower, the fair maiden has no choice but to watch the handsome pretender sulk away. Alone again, she dreams on…

In a band’s history, second album gigs are usually the best. When a band has only one album, they can’t afford being picky, and just have to play everything they have. If they have a few more albums, they have to be too selective, and sometimes losing some really good songs, or risking very long concerts. However, two albums is just the right amount of material. All the hits get to be played, a good selection of the other songs is made, maybe a cover or new song manages to sneak in, and the gig will still have a pretty reasonable duration.

Unfortunately, tonight I was a bit too tired, hungry and thirsty to fully enjoy the Editors concert in Campo Pequeno, Lisbon. Still, I have to say it was quite the perfect gig. The venue is great, the sound was quite good, and the pace, line up and length were just right. Even lead singer Tom Smith, who tends to be over dramatic, was very well behaved. And, as always, very cute.

Lots of new-school London cafes have seating by the huge windows. People often choose them to watch the world rush by while they chat, munch, nibble and sip.

Do they realise they are on display as well, like living adverts for the food they are eating, real mannequins on a shop window?

Beautiful sunny Sunday outside, but work got me trapped at home. The office window wide open, to let the elements in, left nonetheless a feeling of being caged, due to the anti-burglar iron grid. On the windowsill, looking out, the cats must have felt the same.

Stepping outside with my camera, made the cats want to stretch through and join me on the other side. But my break had to be short, and in a few moments, I was back in captivity, gazing out, melancholic like them.

No escaping today.

Saturday, 26th January 2008, Coliseu dos Recreios - Lisbon.

What a great night! The No Smoking Orchestra play music-to-make-you-happy, which the people who name these sort of things decided to call “Gypsy techno-rock”.

As expected, the show was as much a rock concert as it was a circus act, with a big ensemble of quirky characters, part musicians part jugglers and clowns, who mesmerise us with their theatrics while spellbinding us with their crazy tunes.

I’m still shouting “Pitbull… Terrier!”