I suppose being open is quite scary. It takes guts to just stand there and go “here it is, no tricks, this is me”. More guts than I’ve got usually. It feels like being naked except with your clothes on.

Before Christmas I spent a day with photographer Mat Quaeck and his assistant Chloe Rivers. Before long I started climbing up things and playing with a hammer that Mat just happened to have on him. After a few dates with the concrete I decided we weren’t right for each other and I got the hang of balancing. What do you reckon? I quite like it. I think I’ll make it my tour poster for the big launch tour in the Spring.

Check out this mean baseball bat stance one too…

And this not so mean one…

There we go. There were a bunch more but I don’t think I can handle any more right now. Personally, I think anyone that really enjoys hundreds of photos being taken of their face from every angle has issues and needs to check theyselves before they wreck theyselves.

Laterz! x

For tickets, just click the link below.

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!

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!

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…”

Warwick Arts Centre – the last gig, and by this point some fans were coming to their 4th date of the tour. We were in high spirits, as we almost always are, at a good job well done so far. All gigs are important, but it’s good to end a tour on a high.

All kinds of things happen before a gig that are too boring to talk about, like soundchecks and technical blah. Every gig is like when you put on a big party and on the day you wake up and realise the place is a mess and you’ve not bought any paper cups. You have to spend a few hours making it look nice. I know party guests don’t want a tour of the supermarket and a detailed account of how you rigged up the soundsystem, they just want to have fun. So I’ll keep this bit brief, but suffice to say the supermarket had definitely run out of paper cups, through no fault of our excellent soundman.

Not that any of the guests had any idea – everything was sorted in time, and I felt full of the theatrical excitement you get playing arts theatres. Respectful applause as the house lights dim, walk on stage… It’s SHOWTIME!

There’s definitely something quite intoxicating about a silent crowd. We played well, and moved through the songs like a ship through calm water (uggh too pretentious?). It took a little time for everyone, including us, to feel comfortable there. But we did, and by the end the place was buzzing and charged. As the last notes rang out I felt totally thrilled – the end of an epic journey and one we can be really proud of making.

The Ripps, a great band we were sharing the bill with, were quite a bit more rock than us. This gig would not prove to be easy for them. Rock music is not music to sit down in tiered stands and stroke your chin to. Standing, dancing, clapping, screaming, fidgeting… all the things that good rock music makes you want to do, you’re not allowed to do in an arts centre. So you end up sitting on your hands and observing, detached like a scientist, when you should be goofing and jumping about like a lab monkey.

What now for me? I’m taking December off to write, and we’re planning for an awful lot that’s happening next year. I’ll write it all up in a different post, but we’ll certainly be touring again. Exact dates will be confirmed, but keep March and April free.

I’ve talked a lot about venues and gig atmospheres throughout these blogs – it’s something I care about a lot. After all if we’re going to the trouble of getting together for a party let’s do it right ey? And music matters to us, so let’s find out the best way to experience it.

I’d love to get your thoughts – maybe post them as comments or email me? If you’re buying tickets to see me play, what’s your idea of a perfect gig? Where is it? How big is the venue? How much to get in? Are you standing or sitting? Who else is playing? Feed this stuff back to me so I know how you’re feeling. What are the good bits to do more of? What might make it even better? Think about it – and don’t be shy – I actually want to know.

I want to thank anyone’s come to a gig, nearly come to a gig, posted a comment on Facebook, watched a video, bought the music, told their friends… If you’re reading this I bet you’ve done one or more of those. So I suppose what I’m saying is thank you. THANK YOU. I’ll be writing other posts in the meantime, but that’s it for this year’s tour diary. See you next year
Jake
x

Final Postcard to: Alasdair, James and Jessie
Next Postcard to: there isn’t one! Not til next year
Free t-shirt to: unclaimed (I think?)
Thanks to: Warwick Arts Centre, The Ripps, Keiran, Sue and all of John’s friends, so many others who came, many that I spoke to after the gig. I hope to see some of you again next time!

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.

And play music we did – in fact we played one of the best gigs on the tour. John and I by this point were playing as one, expressive and comfortable on stage with a zen-like calm focus about us.

What a pity then that there was almost no-one there to see it. Kendal on a cold, wintery Monday night is a quiet place to be. Why venture out to see live music from someone you’ve never heard of? What if they’re rubbish? You could have sat in with a DVD and an M&S chocolate pudding.

About 15 people had taken a punt, and I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever had a better überfan conversion rate at a gig. I think we’ll all remember this gig long after the plot of a film would fade away and the M&S chocolate pudding would have left us. Every single person left promising to bring another 20 people next time. Something was shared between us all that we’ll remember fondly whether I come back or not. Everyone filled the big gaps and spaces between each other with a feeling of happiness at being there. So although it was empty of big crowds it was full with a kind of brief community.

Challenges do seem to bring out the best in us as performers. Whether it’s the pressure of an important sold-out gig or coming a long way to an almost-empty room, like Carlisle or now Kendal, we love a good challenge and want to meet it head on. It’s a very encouraging pattern.

The end of the tour is now starting to hit me. Very mixed feelings about it – will be very sad to see it end, but am thoroughly ready to go home, relax a little, buy some christmas presents and write a bunch more songs in time for the next tour. One more gig, and it’s over…

Postcard sent to: Rich, Victoria, Mark and Denise (not sent yet – soooon!)
Next postcard sent to: lovely Jessie (aged 5), Alastair & James
Free T-Shirt to: No one emailed me asking for one, so we didn’t give any away!
Thanks to: Jonty and family (especially Jessie), Stu Macfarlane, everyone at Bootleggers, I always pride myself on getting to know whoever does our sound but I’m writing this so late I’ve forgotten his name agggh! sound was just amazing though thank you, everyone who came to this gig you know who you were – don’t be strangers! Hold true to your word and let’s make next time even better.

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.

Our differences are to be celebrated, but they may give us a different agenda to the person next to us. Do I sit or stand? Sing along or not? Front or back? Beer or wine…? Why should an audience always be on the same page as each other? We’re not always in real life.

Support acts can help – they become a shared experience for the whole crowd to enjoy, putting everyone in the same headspace.

The scene was set perfectly in Sheffield. The room was almost full, some of my biggest fans had travelled in from far and wide, one had even made me peanut butter flapjacks (which were so yummy), everyone was up for it in their own way. I really wanted it to be epicly brilliant.

As it turned out it was a storming night, everyone loved it, two encores, and the guy from the venue said it was the best gig he’s ever seen there. We played really well.

But deep down I was kicking myself, because I know I could have done better. I felt frustrated, and after a lot of thinking I know why.

It’s not enough to simply play the songs and really mean them. You have to unite everyone’s different agendas and bring everyone to the same party. And that’s what I could have done better.

Which direction the gig goes in – whether it’s thoughtful, reflective, uplifting or whatever – almost doesn’t matter. The point is we have to get there together. That’s what makes a good gig – wherever we go we all go there together. I let everyone down a little bit on that front, and I want to try really hard to get better at it.

So next time we all decide to spend an evening sharing the same space Sheffield, (and there will be a next time) let’s make each other a promise. Whatever we’re feeling when we show up, and wherever the gig goes, let’s go there together. That way it’ll be truly memorable, not just flippin fantastic.

Postcard Sent to: Rea (but not quite yet Rea – I’m on it)
Next Postcard to: a whole bunch of people!
Free T-shirt to: Jamie Lingwood
Thanks to: wow I felt like I knew almost everyone at this gig. Abi and her friends, Niki and her brother, all the crew from Y-Not, Dave Hunt and friends, and many more. Thanks to Mark Nichols for supporting – best wishes for the future I’m sure I’ll see you around again. Thanks to all the staff at Greystones – loved the venue.

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.

The truth is sometimes the more serious you are the more seriously you’re taken. Everyone knows that there are more comfortable interviewees than Laura Marling or Bombay Bicycle Club, but their slight awkwardness makes them all the more beautiful, and their music all the more powerful. After all, if they’re clearly not in it for the interviews, fame and hangers on, then what reason is possibly left but the music? That’s more important right? Unless it’s all an act, and let’s hope it’s not.

Plenty of people have said that they like my music because it makes them smile or laugh. Or they say “you guys really look like you had fun on stage”. I like that and hate it at the same time. I can’t honestly say a song like ‘Many Fish To Fry’ has no humour in it, and I fucking want to have fun on stage. But, cliched as it sounds, I want to make people cry as well as laugh.

By the time we went on in Cambridge I felt like a serious man on a serious mission. Like a lion tamer walking into the pit knowing no lion is going to give him shit today. Might sound a little dramatic… Especially as the crowd were so totally lovely and Tom Copson had just played a fantastic set. But if you want your songs to have meaning to people, you need to mean them with your eyes and your arms and your torso. Otherwise give a low bow, get off the stage and start again.

It was an important gig for Kev too – with family based in the area we were almost blessed with the complete collection of Pollards. Chris and Pippa Pollard even put us up for the night and gave us scones, clotted cream and home made jam! We watched Super 8 in our sleeping bags the next day and it was heaven. Even if you’re selling out an arena, why would you ever prefer a boring hotel room to a good friend’s house? Well… I can think of one or two reasons… but if you ever think you’re too good for your mate’s spare room you’ve lost the plot.

Next time you hear an interview with a singer or band and they’re not sounding too interesting, let their music do the talking. If it’s good… well that should be good enough. Similarly if you hear someone enrapture you with their chat but their music is rubbish then wish them well but tell them to try again next year.

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.

I barely knew McQ when he called me up a few years back and suggested he come over to mine for a bit of a jam. I said yeh why not? He turned up and instead suggested he lay down a few of his songs in my little home studio. I said yeh why not?

14 songs later and Tom had finished recording his first solo acoustic album. It proved to be the first of many we did together over a couple of years. I think he once got 22 songs down in a single day. The recording quality was usually terrible (my fault), but there was no doubting the quality of the music. Several times I sat there aghast, headphones off my ears, at the first hearing of songs like That Was A Different Time, Written In Stone and What A Difference A Day Makes.

We went along to the open mic nights I used to do, and before long he was a legend of the scene, stealing hearts with his unique charm and positivity. We both found ourselves playing Tonefest, which is a big reason 150 people came to hear us play tonight in Poole. He’s a genuine inspiration to me, as he says I am to him. Maybe that’s why our friendship flourished. I could write pages about all we got up to! Maybe one day I will?

I’ve been playing more with the electric guitar recently. It’s a bit of a departure from the last few years of slapping acoustics about, but it feels right not to restrict myself. What do you think? Surely it’s about making the best music we can, and if that means I have to play electrics, ukuleles and theremins then that’s what I’ll bloody digeridoo.

If you asked me about Poole a few years back I’d not have much to say. Just sounds like one of those places you’ve heard of but doesn’t mean much, right? Not any more – it’s one of my favourite places to play in the world. A place turning from nothing to something is what I love most about touring.

Postcard sent to: Emma, Steve and Paul
Next postcard to: I need to check but there’s a few!
Free T-Shirt to: Charlie Buck
Thanks to: Crap this will take a while. Mr Big T Tony Davies for making it all possible, Susan for letting us eating all her food, Mikey, Emily, Lucy and William for being the coolest kids ever, all at Mr Kyps, Percy who calmly nails our sound every single time, Tom McQ, Alex Beds and Adam, James Dark, Andrew Stevens, Jo, Alex Shepherd and family, Gary Trudgett, Sarah and her gang…..

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.

Although it was a shambolic night, part of me likes the unpredictability of it all, and everyone we met was just lovely. Charismatic matriarch Wendy has painstakingly buildingified herself – a new word I’ve invented meaning creating a version of yourself using bricks and mortar – and in her case lots of colourful wall paint too. She’s lively and passionate, and so is her venue. Each corner has another little touch of her love and dedication. She’s a big character with a big heart, and good on her for daring to dream it. Our problem was that we were playing the wrong night of her week. Sorry to everyone who it didn’t work out for – I’d love to come back on a weeknight and do it our way.

I’d been in covert contact with Rob for weeks leading up to it. His girlfriend Sarah is a massive fan and was eager to shout Banana Hammock at me to receive her free t-shirt. As it turned out she got much more than she bargained for, as I helped Rob propose to her after the gig. She was initially shocked (I won’t repeat what she said!!) but then delighted, and I felt priviledged to be such a part of their story. I hope it’s a long and happy one.

There were many important people to me there, and more stories to share, but the most important thing of all is that we played well. Next time will be even better.

I’ll leave you with this classic poem which John and I were discussing during the day. If by Rudyard Kipling. There’s a very good reason it was voted the nation’s favourite ever poem, it’s breathtakingly good:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Postcards off to: Alex and Cam Shepherd
Next postcards to: Paul, Emma and Steve
Free t-shirt and engagement ring to: Sarah Hands
Thanks and shoutouts: Wendy and everyone at Mama Stones, Oli & Jen, Emma & Lack Of Afro Adam and family (!), Andy and Sarah, Rob and Sarah (congratulations!!), Elizabeth & her friends, Steve and his gang. If you came along too – THANK YOU.