On The Case
There’s definitely a pattern with me and photos. I’m always trying to do something stupid or distracting – climb up somewhere, grab something, jump, look busy, ANYTHING to avoid just standing there being normal.
I suppose being open is quite Continue reading »
HMV Next Big Thing – The Jazz Cafe – 12th February
On 12th February my band and I will be playing a special concert at The Jazz Cafe for HMV’s ‘Next Big Thing’ series. Also playing will be Sam Brookes and Liam Blake. It’ll be the curtain raiser for what will hopefully be a big year of tours and recording.
For tickets, just click the link below.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
I did send this to mailing list before christmas, but I’m only putting it online in January. Boo!
Even worse I’ve artificially changed the date of this post to before xmas so it looks like I posted it in time. Why do I do that? I feel like a fraud 
Still – it doesn’t change the fact that it’s an awesome custom Christmas Card. Thank you to my dear friend Kevin Pollard for designing it!
The Next Big Step
A few weeks ago I put pen to paper on a one-album deal to release Many Fish To Fry in every record shop in the land, along with a big marketing campaign. It’s going to be released on my own label – Sandwich Emporium Records – but through Universal who are right behind us. With a little luck, and some support from you, it might even get a bit of radio play and press to go with it.
All physical copies will be special editions of the album, including a bonus DVD of a full-length concert and a track-by-track interview. The album is now off sale until its release in March, but you’ll be able to pre-order it well before then to get it on your doormat first. If you’ve already got a copy that’s cool – no pressure to get this one too!
We’ll be working closely with HMV, and they’ve been good enough to give us a headline slot at their Next Big Thing Festival in February at The Jazz Cafe in London. Tickets went on sale this morning – so get your tickets fast! Here’s the link: http://www.hmvtickets.com/events/4941
We’ve booking up another big tour too. Tickets aren’t really on sale yet, but they will be soon…
I was once told a great little nugget of wisdom – “In many areas of life there’s good, there’s fast and there’s cheap, and you’re allowed to pick two”. With this album it had to be good, and we could only afford cheap, so its progress has taken a little time. But we’ve got there in the end, and we can now release it the way we always wanted to. All guns blazing!
I know some of you have had this album for a while, but if you could support it just a little bit longer while we tell everyone else that would give us such a boost. Then we can move onto recording album two safe in the knowledge that we did all we can to make this one a success.
Big love to you, and have a wonderful Christmas. Bring on 2012!
#31 Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
There’s something quite intoxicating about a silent crowd.
When you first start doing gigs the crowd is like a wild lion to tame, and more often than not you expect to get mauled. Rise up through the ranks and one day the crowd might become yours – silent, compliant and rolling over like a house cat.
But be warned, don’t forget the value of a few claws, a few play fights. Those who can’t help but shout things out, remind you they’re still there, rage against the dying of the house lights. Otherwise that generic film line starts creeping in… “Hmm…. It’s almost… too quiet…” Continue reading »
#30 Bootleggers, Kendal
Do you like goalkeeping dogs? Minty cake? How about excellent hospitality? You should think about a visit to Kendal.
Remember Wendy who buildingified herself at Mama Stones? Well Jonty has done the same. “All I know about is building and music” he told me, so what did he do? He renovated an old butchers shop, bought the cafe next door, hollowed an extension out of the rock, built a stage and decorated it just way he likes – with a big bar, a motorcycle and a bust of Elvis. The result is Bootleggers, a quite excellent place to make music.
Continue reading »
#29 Greystones, Sheffield
Everyone comes to a gig via their own route. You might have just broken up with someone, maybe you had a great day at work, maybe you miss someone, maybe you want to party, maybe you want to talk to no one and be miserable.
As well as that everyone has their own relationship with the music. Is this song uplifting or depressing? Is that song about relationships with others or our relationship with ourselves? What does it all mean? Your favourite song may be someone else’s least favourite. Continue reading »
#28 CB2, Cambridge
Should all artists be good raconteurs? Just because you’re comfortable communicating using music doesn’t mean you’re comfortable communicating using words in general. In fact maybe you started to communicate using music exactly because you struggled to communicate like everyone else does and you felt isolated.
That’s what sort of happened with me. Then one day I find myself in front of a radio voice asking me to pick my ‘weirdest story’ on live radio. I’ve heard other people do this well, but my mind is blank, the question is too generic to fire any particular weird story synapse. Why can’t this question just piss off? I’m a songwriter, not a clever story slash witty comment conjurer. Continue reading »
#27 Mr Kyp’s, Poole
Photo: James Dark
God I love this job. Tonight a massive crowd sang all the songs back at us, and I shared the stage again with Tom McQ. Continue reading »
#26 Mama Stones, Exeter
I must admit I wasn’t totally convinced it should be me who hands her the ring. What if she gets confused as to who was asking the question?
I do love how there are just no two days alike on tour. That’s partly because if you’re gigging at this level you don’t control very much – you get what you’re given – which is different every time.
Here in Exeter we had to wait until 10:30pm for the diners to finish before the fans who had come to the gig could get in. Some had been waiting outside for ages, one was heavily pregnant, some sacked it off and went home. Everyone was apologising to each other. Continue reading »