Parisian Skeletons

So following the release of our charity single, things have been ticking along nicely behind our dormant looking exterior. Contrary to the recommended protocol of ‘finsh album, tour album, promote band, sell, sell, sell’ geographical restrictions have resulted in a short hiatus of sorts…….(see below)

hiatus |hīˈātəs|, noun ( pl. -tuses ) [usu. in sing. ] a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process : there was a brief hiatus in the war with France.

Brighton has become the new place of residence for some of the band and appears at this moment, to be full of creative treasures, awaiting discovery by intrepid map carrying Yorkshire men. With links still remaining strong in the East of Yorkshire, doors are open… in a fashion…. as it were…. so to speak………. ambiguous ? (see below)

ambiguous |amˈbigyoōəs|adjective (of language) open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning : the question is rather ambiguous

So enough flannel. Among some remix work, some swimming in the sea of an Indian summer and new recordings, there was a trip to gay Paris, which besides including a wonderfully macabre trip to see the 6 million skeletons beautifully arranged in the underground Catacombes beneath bustling streets, also resulted in seeing a seminal band perform an incredible show.

Having the pleasure of attending my first New Order gig in Paris was a memorable experience indeed and one I am indebted to Jayne H for   …Charismatic city, electric atmosphere, and meeting the band afterwards was certainly something to tell the grand-kids. Shared a taxi with Ed from the Chemical brothers, met the Pet Shop Boys and scored a free suitcase on the way back to the hotel…. bonus.

In the synchronized words of myself and my gig buddy Ian (when the lights came up at the end of the show)…. Fuckin Great!

Charity Single Night and a New Video

Check out our lovely new video below for the charity single Glamorous Cake Stall Holder.

Much love to the super talented Dominic Trimm who made it for us.

Thanks To John Watson for taking us for a spin in his VW camper although I think it probably weirded him out somewhat with us crooning in the back! Ta also Brian Gadie for assistance on the day, the Red Cross Shop and the cake shop for letting us film inside albeit scaring the customers away. Tonight we have a launch party at the Adelphi club for the charity single with local legends The Hillbilly Troupe supporting. The disc will be £2 and is also available in the Man Made Noise Shop with a downloadable version on iTunes and Amazon.

If you live in Hull its available at Strung Out Audio (the guitar/music shop in the indoor market) and at Chinese Laundry Vintage shop on Saville street.

Me n Chanwell played it live on the Burnsy show this morning on BBC Radio Humberside… thoroughly nice chap indeed.

Cheers

xx

Sun Studio session in Memphis and Launchin things

As I type, Gavin drummer boy has 15 stitches in his forehead and that’s not because he didn’t do the washing up at his mums. It was more of a sidewards horizontal bike dismount in the wet, involving a wall and his noggin. Prior to the incident, we had a cracking (no pun intended) show in Barsley at the ever awesome BOMfest. Saw some great underground music and then threw a few shapes in the jungle/dubstep tent during which time we became surrounded by the pigs.

Surrounded by the pigs

Apart from Stay Calm almost becoming Stay Clam, the new album discs turned up a coupla weeks after the launch gig in top shape and we are reet proud. Cheers to everyone who came to FRUIT for our launch, it was a top night indeed.
If yer wanna get hold of the disc or download the album, just go to the man made shop or the crash tested shop.

Admiring the workmanship in some hotpants (BOMfest)

I was recently lucky enough to spend a week or so in Memphis at the Stax music academy working with some awesome people including Ralph Sutton (Prince, Stevie Wonder, Rick James) and was treated to an impromtu lesson in off the hook jazz wizardry by the sax legend Kirk Whalum. I managed to record an new track in the legendary Sun Studios, with the talented Phil Codd supporting on the studio’s old B3 Hammond organ. It was the place where Johnny Cash and Elvis sang… The song will be ready as a freebie for y’all soon.

The Drummer's Cracked Noggin

chanwell and the man with the cracked noggin

We are playing at Hull’s Adelphi club on 5th August and releasing Glamorous Cake Stall Holder as a charity single to raise money for Cardiac Risk In the Young. We are supported by the reet good Hillbilly Troupe. Cheers x

Glamorous Cake Stall Holder

Making this album has been a labour of love with some awesome moments. Being in the epic St Augustines church and doing backing vocals was definitely a highlight…… vocals on a squash court was pretty interesting too… We have some clarinet, courtesy of the talented Matt Smith, Viola from Awash with Antler’s super Sally Currie and Cello from marvelous Missy Steer.

Reverb Chamber

Next week we will put on the finishing touches ….sound like a broken record dont I !? Well it WILL be finished next week. Our launch party gig will be at FRUIT near the marina on Saturday June 11th with Special guests and some freebies so if yer about, come down…. the ticket price will be £5 and you will get a downloadable copy of the album and yer can even upgrade to a CD for £2. Its coming out on ‘Crash Tested’ (records)

Tomorrow we are putting together a video for ‘Glamorous cake stall holder’ with Dom Trimm and Brian Gadie. Its gonna be in and around the historic town of Hedon so if yer in the area you just might feature. We will be releasing it as a single to raise cash for CRY -Cardiac Risk in the Young, a charity raising awareness of heart problems in young people, as it is in honour of the late, talented opera singer, Amy Black. It will be a special release over the summer.

On the 24th of April, thats a week this sunday, we are doing an acoustic spot at the Adelphi for the Jam for Japan appeal. We are all hoping things in Japan are settling down as well as can be expected and that all our Japanese friends are staying strong and resolute. Hopefully when the time is right we shall arrange the next tour.

Chancat

After that we are down with Mak at one of our faves, ‘The Sesh’ on 3rd May, so if yer wanna know what yer get for your money at FRUIT check it out.

The last song to finish on the album is called upstairs for not thinking, downstairs for stamping….

There is a virtual place where is a virtual race to be the brightest star

and the scores are low

and you cant beat the end of level baddie 

Disrespected by the Lord Mayor but what lovely canapes and we're off to Japan :)

It seems like the last few times i bashed these keys, I bashed em in an order which told you that the new man made noise album is approaching completion. We did some more drums for the final three songs just before xmas and are laying up the rest of the instruments reet now so not long to go. Oh yeah…happy new year! Along with the studio work, we did some impromptu gigs and had loads of stuff played on BBC Introducing, plus we are heading out to Japan again in spring for another two week tour so plenty to smile about

Lord Chanwell III in a Larkin style with poet and muso journalist Michelle Dee

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Clocks back, chin up, teeth grit, mix mix mix

I can hear a bristling world of glitch. Analog dirt sickens brittle bones…the flock all seem to take it in turns popping sacred cherries and violating the coughed up seed of youth. Believe in the sick Tommy…believe in the sick.

Lost in a BBC style

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If in doubt.. make a hole in the bottom of the ocean.

HEADLINES

Men record sound of steel wires vibrating at different wavelengths.

Men record sound of sticks hitting plastic membranes in rhythmic fashion.

Men record sound of human vocal chords reciting colloquial English.

Album number 2 shaping up nicely.

Beautiful Studio friend bites dust

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Rabbit eggs

The murmurings of a Radio 4 presenter and the clinking of crockery leak out of the kitchen, intertwined like musique concrete, gently soothing the rabble of a chattering mind. So now you are here. Lets talk.

Mr Markham utilising laptop case as fashion accessory

Legend has it that a man was killed. He was put in a cave. He came back to life again. We celebrate this event by eating chocolate eggs. Somewhere among folklore, some rabbits got involved. Rabbits don’t lay eggs…. they lay lots of tiny black egg shaped things….these are not chocolate….they are not edible.

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Man-made ditch parking

Xmas came and went like a pair of flares in the night. We gathered in the warmth of ruddy faces with woollen neck bandages and frosted finger blood. News reporters blew and blew until things were out of proportion, scaring the shit out of the gogglebox junkies, while a proper disaster smashed it up on the other side of the globe. I came off an icy road and wrote my car off into a ditch. It got pulled out like a loose tooth by a mammoth tractor courtesy of Animator Nick’s pal. See the recovery.
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Poetic License – Extreme BBQing

.. I saw a man walking a whippet that was wearing a leather jacket…  I finished my Japan tour and flopped back into the UK for an Xmas Sesh special with the Legendary Mak, amid puffed out chests, loose giblets and a few pigs looking for blankets.

Last gig at Lagg time - Courtesy of Paul Church

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