we’ve been bloody recording and writing lots. it’s been so bloody GOOD. here are some bloody family flicks from our hols… xxx   max’s masterpiece: daniel’s masterpiece
      
  

Although we had perhaps found our feet, and the sets were possibly tighter, the “homecoming” leg of tour was somewhat more gruelling than the outward journey. There’s a tricky balance to strike, because lapsing into routine bodes well for 'slick’ performances but not necessarily for excitement and spontaneity. That’s not to say the gigs weren’t enjoyable - I found the Leeds show particularly atmospheric. The robbing of Luke by another band on the Birmingham date forced us to change set and throw in “Buttercups” at the last minute, which was not played at any other venue. The Oxford gig saw an embarrassing guitar-strap “malfunction”, followed by my first ever onstage string-breakage (a trick deftly repeated in the same song at the ULU show). So hopefully, the shows retained some individual character.

Nevertheless it was with some degree of relief that we returned home and began to prepare for the ULU show. The decision to play with strings at that gig necessitated a fair a bit of planning - I wanted to involve the players we had used for acoustic shows in the past, all friends of mine, some of whom now study at music conservatories across the country. A whole morning of setting up was needed for only two hours of rehearsal, which given travel arrangements was all we had to put the show together. I was still frantically trying to slot scores into folders on the tube on my way to the studio!

Despite the frenetic nature of that Wednesday, hard...

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Although we had perhaps found our feet, and the sets were possibly tighter, the “homecoming” leg of tour was somewhat more gruelling than the outward journey. There’s a tricky balance to strike, because lapsing into routine bodes well for 'slick’ performances but not necessarily for excitement and spontaneity. That’s not to say the gigs weren’t enjoyable - I found the Leeds show particularly atmospheric. The robbing of Luke by another band on the Birmingham date forced us to change set and throw in “Buttercups” at the last minute, which was not played at any other venue. The Oxford gig saw an embarrassing guitar-strap “malfunction”, followed by my first ever onstage string-breakage (a trick deftly repeated in the same song at the ULU show). So hopefully, the shows retained some individual character.

Nevertheless it was with some degree of relief that we returned home and began to prepare for the ULU show. The decision to play with strings at that gig necessitated a fair a bit of planning - I wanted to involve the players we had used for acoustic shows in the past, all friends of mine, some of whom now study at music conservatories across the country. A whole morning of setting up was needed for only two hours of rehearsal, which given travel arrangements was all we had to put the show together. I was still frantically trying to slot scores into folders on the tube on my way to the studio!

Despite the frenetic nature of that Wednesday, hard...

Read More