Tours coming in, songs churning out.

so shit, we've got three tunes for the new record already...this is most unlike us. Any of you who may have read this come 2008 and we were writing for New Hopes, may recall a vaguely manic and panicked edge to the text....big news being another new tune once every 2 months.

I had the misfortune recently of having to re-visit a lot of our old emails from that period, looking for my old passport number as it so happens, and had to sit glued to the computer scanning every email in my inbox in a desperate attempt to locate it, the result: nadda. Luckily my mum had a photocopy of it, but thats not the point, the point is what I had to read in the process of said scan. Untold waves of misery fell upon me, I think in my traumatised state I'd blocked out the worst of what was being exchanged between us, from angry rants about lack of productivity to simple desperation and despair as the weeks ground by with so little to show, the endless practices where we'd leave silently and scurry home to glare at the television and turn our backs on our instruments.....

My least favourite one of all, entitled ' 4 weeks to go ' ( until the studio, which was all booked ), documented on a day by day basis our final writing itinerary, and I include it now just purely cos I believe it needs to be purged, note also my wedding is tucked amongst this!

OCTOBER

Week 1 commencing Mon 6th - 12th
2 practices with Tom
Finish new song Music + Tom Vocals
Finalise fast song Arrangements/Parts
Finish Guitars for Pre-prod 1st session. If possible burn CD for everyone especially Gaz and Tom.
Work on new song(s)
Plan Pre-production 2nd session

Mon 6th Record Guitars @home w/Gelang + Practice w/Gaz work on current songs
Tue 7th Record Guitars @home w/Gelang + Practice w/Gaz work on current songs
Wed 8th Picking up drum kit London. Practice w/Tom on current set-list
Thur 9th Practice 6:30-9:30 w/Tom on current set-list
Fri 10th Record Bass @home w/Gaz?
Sat 11th Sweden show. Meet Pelle.
Sun 12th Rest


Week 2 commencing Mon 13th - 19th
Discuss recording arrangements/sound with Pelle
Book Pre-Production for next week w/Guy
Confirm Travel for Equipment to Sweden
Confirm Travel for Me, Jag and equipment to Guy's studio
Work on new song(s)?
Obtain gear
3 Practices for Studio
5 Recording sessions

Mon 13th Practice w/Gaz work on new songs + Vocals
Tue 14th Practice w/Gaz work on new songs + Vocals
Wed 15th Practice w/Gaz work on new songs + Vocals
Thur 16th Record Bass @home w/Gaz + Record drum parts on v-drums
Fri 17th Record Bass @home w/Gaz + Record drum parts on v-drums or Record Vocals @home w/Tom
Sat 18th Record Vocals @home w/Tom
Sun 19th Obtain all equipment inc skins/percussion/strings etc by today + Record drum parts on v-drums

Week 3 Commencing Mon 20th - 26th
Drum Pre-production 2nd session (may need 2 days?)
Send Pelle complete Pre-production sessions via email
2 Practices for Studio
4 Recording sessions
Plan Studio itinerary w/Pelle. Finalise studio days/week for Gaz.

Mon 20th Drum Pre-production w/Guy £150/£250 Note that we may need to push this a few days back to ease logistics? Discussion needed.
Tue 21st Record Guitars @home w/Gelang
Wed 22nd Record Guitars @home w/Gelang + Record Percussion @home and or practice
Thurs 23rd Record Vocals @home w/Tom
Fri 24th Record Bass @home w/Gaz and or practice
Sat 25th Record Bass @home w/Gaz + Send Pelle complete Pre-Production sessions via Email
Sun 26th Tom/Jenni's wedding

Final week Commencing Mon 27th - 31st (only 5 days)
1 Practice for Show
2 Practices for Studio
Confirm travel + driver for show on 1st Nov Leeds
Pick up van for Studio Equipment
Finalise studio itinerary w/Pelle

Mon 27th Rest or Record Guitars/Bass @home
Tue 28th Record Guitars/Bass @home and or Practice
Wed 29th Record Tom vocals @home
Thur 30th Record Tom Vocals @home
Fri 31st Practice w/Tom on current set-list + Pack

Quite how we didn't kill each other is remarkable, I think I've put this up just as a warning to all bands, don't expect anyone to write your record for you, also, don't leave it up to anyone in the team to carry you! It's all on you. Also, this is for the rest of the band so we can all pat ourselves on the back for NOT killing each other, and infact having a ball in Sweden when we did get out there.

Oh, I forgot to mention the tour, next time.

Big balls, but with a twist.

So , our good friends the Plight have had to drop out of the valentines day we're doing this year at the Camden Purple turtle, which is bad, I think they're whole tour is down at the moment which is a right fucking shame, hopefully it'll all get sorted for them soon.

Thankfully the nice lads in Turbowolf are stepping in, and good for me too cos I meant I could pull the original poster for the show down ( as I really really hated it ) and put something far more slapdash and thrown together up, hurrah! amazing what you find if you type badger into google image search eh kids?

Front Magazine! Us in looking cool shock!

Holy fuck, this is actually genuinely cool, we're terrified of photoshoots as we always seem to end up looking, at best, gormless, or, worse, like cunts. Those of you reading this on iphones I apologise for the tiny tiny images, for the rest of us, enjoy! Or buy the mag and get free boobs and football shite, if that's your bag.

Ahem, and this is pretty sexy.

http://sxsw.com/music

We appear to be playing! Ha!

London Show, Feb 14th

Yes I know, I know I'm sorry we're ruining valentines day this year by playing a punk show, but come on people, it's not all bad. thrilled about the Plight being on there, been listening to their record over the last week, shame on me for not having the chance sooner, but shame on you too if you haven't bought it because it's excellent.

Oh fucking hell.

So...er...its been like 6 fucking months since we blogged on this...so I think we should officially start again because occurred to me that actually this only gets filled in when we're not touring. Which is kind of the opposite of what its meant for.

So if you're looking for tour and show updates, in fact any type of up to date news on the band then this is not the blog for you. But lets be honest, if you were looking for that coca cola , bright coloured, neon sign style discourse then you're probably not a fan of this band. So I figured a nice dour approach will fill the void much more than any kind of flash bang theatrics.

We writing again. This means home time which means rummaging through old albums, me doing lots of drawing, Jag sitting in his room playing guitar for hours and occasionally emailing me about a record he's heard, or me doing the same.

I like it, not that I don't love the touring but just because its Ghost without the performance bit, just the songs slowly coming together. We'll practice for the first time this year this week hopefully, the first time we'll have played since Helsinki last year, so it'll be good to dust off the old songs just bring in the new. I've got a few album titles running through my head, all dark and terrible ( terrible as in ominous, not shite, well maybe both ), and when I've rejected them all I'll put them up here for you to throw verbal apples at.

We'll see how it goes, both songs and new blog policy, you lasted a six months old girl, time to re-kindle that love affair.

Tour blog July 09!

Yeah! So we'll update this daily if I can and internet connection and heat rash allowing, heres to a stonking tour!

Ok, so we've played Liverpool, one show down, thanks to everyone that turned up last night its been ages since we played there and we were really surprised at how many of you turned out..alas The Computers couldn't make last night but they've assured us that they'll be getting bail so they can join us for the rest of the shows. If any one has pictures from any of these shows let us know and we'll put them up here, lets make this a caring sharing tour!

And we begin with one I knicked from the young lass who's commented below, here's me looking sweaty and knackered after playing, man alive it was hot.

Ok, so continue, we're in Carlisle and the venue is beautiful and we actually have natural light in the dressing room which hasn't stopped us all just sitting in ebay looking at vintage guitars and Mem is currently choosing another snare...that'll be 4 for the tour then...ALSO very exciting out banners turned up which means we're officially a massively famous stadium rock band now....how easy was that? See Andy below with Amp flag stage left...

What a smug bugger...we've got a drum one and the biggest back banner but we'll build up to that. And if anyone says anything about Andy's straight edge credentials just cos there's a bloody great Jagermeister logo on his amp then note how he's cunningly hidden it beneath his cab! Huzzah!

Not going to bore you by going awesome show! every night, but it was and what a fucking cool venue. Stood in the glasgow Apple store writing this as its throwing it down at the moment and we've only got plastic bags for coats, so if you see a bunch of idiots with Borders bags on their heads in Glasgow town centre then its probably us. What we didn't let you know about was that when on tour myself and young Andrew enjoy playing the " who can fall asleep in the most ridiculous position " game, and in the Travellodge in Carlisle the game came to its logical conclusion.

...So, thankyou to Hey, Vampires! for playing with us, we all ended up after the show in Nice'n'sleazys enjoying a glass or two of Buckfast, which if you don't know what is then don't look it up, don't try and find it and for gods sake don't give it to anyone thats pregnant or enjoys daylight and being happy, its the devils work I tell thee.

Nice being out and about in town though, I've said it before and I'll say it again Glasgow is a cool little town full of warrior Scotts. Good dust.

Had a lovely drive up to York listening to the new Costello album, which is fucking mint.