I'm never going to call it the O2 Empire, it has too much history to be reduced to the name of a massive corporation. I've been to a lot of great gigs at The Empire and surprisingly it seems a hell of a lot bigger standing in the crowd than on stage. The reason for this might be because you can't really see anything from the stage at all due to the preposterous amount of dry ice being pumped out. Bexhill was the most ridiculous example of this, I remember looking out from the stage and I literally couldn't see anyone at all, I could have lit a cigarette and no one would have noticed. That whole day was a bit of a haze 'cos I couldn't even see the sea due to the blanket of rain and fog covering Bexhill.
Lisa Marie Presley duetted with Richard Hawley at The Empire which made the after show pretty mad 'cos of her entourage surrounding her like a moat round a castle. We decided to stay out of the way and play space invaders whilst drinking bourbon.
must dash, off to see Robin Hood now, maybe I can get a quiver off him for my viola bow.
8.10.09
Part 4 - Ipswich + Birmingham
The day started off well when we arrived at The Regent in Ipswich to discover the usual sights of Richard Hawley's crew setting up a legion of shiny guitars nowhere to be seen. We were at the wrong venue. After a brief panic where we thought we might not just be in the wrong venue but the wrong city all together it turned out the show had been moved to the Corn Exchange, which was just round the corner. Phew!
The Corn Exchange is a lovely hall, not that you can tell from my typically bad photo below, and the sound was marvellous; Kaf and Jessica's voices really soared in that place.
Birmingham Town Hall, below, was built in 1784 and it's a rather wonderful and imposing building, it also promped the man Hawley to say "who'd have thought Birmingham could be so beautiful"
Tonight: Shepherd's Bush Empire!
The Corn Exchange is a lovely hall, not that you can tell from my typically bad photo below, and the sound was marvellous; Kaf and Jessica's voices really soared in that place.
Birmingham Town Hall, below, was built in 1784 and it's a rather wonderful and imposing building, it also promped the man Hawley to say "who'd have thought Birmingham could be so beautiful"
Tonight: Shepherd's Bush Empire!
5.10.09
Part 3 - Holmfirth, Manchester, York, Bristol
I'm back in London, albeit very briefly, and now have access to a proper computer which means I can type lots of nonsense about the tour.
Miles travelled so far: 764.5
Four dates in and I'm thoroughly enjoying the experience, everyone on tour is really friendly and Richard Hawley in particular has been very kind to us, even letting us share their dressing room on the first night due to a dressing room shortage.
Smoke Fairies' post Holmfirth, must have been a dismal performance!
Bridgewater Hall in Manchester (pictured below) was a rather swanky establishment, cleverly built by people who clearly know their acoustics 'cos the sound in that place is astonishing. It's usually frequented by massive orchestras, which was made apparent to us when we were told we'd have to pick up all our equipment at a ludicrously early hour the following morning due to the (something) Philharmonic loading in. Following a somewhat late night I woke up fully clothed (brogues, coat, suit and tie) remembering that the entire the band were staying in a one bed Travelodge room. Cosy!
Despite being incredibly picturesque, York was a stressful place to arrive at. It's like a miniature version of London with scores of people buzzing about and no bloody parking spaces, we ended up driving round for over an hour trying to find somewhere, which eventually we did at the cost of SEVEN pounds. Next to that car park was a shop selling TVs for almost the same price! The York Opera house (which we're all standing outside below) was an amazing venue though, it's a lovely old theatre and we played our best set yet.
The Bristol Hippodrome (below) was a marvellous establishment, our set was less than spectacular. Thanks to Rowena for letting us stay at their lovely house, come studio, come farm!
The rider situation is an interesting one, we get a crate of beers between the four of us each evening and at the York Opera House they gave us a bottle of Marker's Mark too which was great! The rider situation is interesting, or dull, because if you have a look at the Government's Guidelines it says that men shouldn't drink more than 4 units a day. By my calculations, given that there are only 3 of us drinking the rider due to the fact that one of us has to drive, that means we're drinking 8 cans each every night, which comes to 17.6 units which is 4 and a half times more than the recommended amount. Considering this rider is provided by the promotions company, that means they're effectively encouraging us to break the Government's Guidelines. Now, that's my kind of business!
Right, off to Ipswich...
Miles travelled so far: 764.5
Four dates in and I'm thoroughly enjoying the experience, everyone on tour is really friendly and Richard Hawley in particular has been very kind to us, even letting us share their dressing room on the first night due to a dressing room shortage.
Smoke Fairies' post Holmfirth, must have been a dismal performance! Bridgewater Hall in Manchester (pictured below) was a rather swanky establishment, cleverly built by people who clearly know their acoustics 'cos the sound in that place is astonishing. It's usually frequented by massive orchestras, which was made apparent to us when we were told we'd have to pick up all our equipment at a ludicrously early hour the following morning due to the (something) Philharmonic loading in. Following a somewhat late night I woke up fully clothed (brogues, coat, suit and tie) remembering that the entire the band were staying in a one bed Travelodge room. Cosy!
Despite being incredibly picturesque, York was a stressful place to arrive at. It's like a miniature version of London with scores of people buzzing about and no bloody parking spaces, we ended up driving round for over an hour trying to find somewhere, which eventually we did at the cost of SEVEN pounds. Next to that car park was a shop selling TVs for almost the same price! The York Opera house (which we're all standing outside below) was an amazing venue though, it's a lovely old theatre and we played our best set yet.
The Bristol Hippodrome (below) was a marvellous establishment, our set was less than spectacular. Thanks to Rowena for letting us stay at their lovely house, come studio, come farm!
The rider situation is an interesting one, we get a crate of beers between the four of us each evening and at the York Opera House they gave us a bottle of Marker's Mark too which was great! The rider situation is interesting, or dull, because if you have a look at the Government's Guidelines it says that men shouldn't drink more than 4 units a day. By my calculations, given that there are only 3 of us drinking the rider due to the fact that one of us has to drive, that means we're drinking 8 cans each every night, which comes to 17.6 units which is 4 and a half times more than the recommended amount. Considering this rider is provided by the promotions company, that means they're effectively encouraging us to break the Government's Guidelines. Now, that's my kind of business!
Right, off to Ipswich...
4.10.09
Part 2: We Will Rock You
I'm sitting in a dressing room at the Bristol Hippodrome, sipping Stella and wearing three ties for no apparent reason other than for my own amusement, it feels like im wearing one massive tie. This venue hosted the no doubt ridiculous We Will Rock You musical, which is pretty crazy. The posters are still up and the evidence of Rock is still evident, there's two whole dressing rooms dedicated to wigs! Despite the fact we were a little 'tired and emotional' last night at the amazing York Opera House we played our best gig yet, but more on that and other exciting and less exciting things tomorrow once i have a proper computer in front of me.
1.10.09
Part 1: the tour begins!
Here we are then, Smoke Fairies are on the road for the first date of the tour. I am literally sat in a car right now on the M1, being disgustingly 21st century and mobile blogging. And yes, we're in a car not plush tour van cos they're way too expensive for the likes of us. There's not much to report on the motorway; a parade of speeding tin cans, War of the Worlds style pylons and huge road signs pointing to uninviting places like Milton Keynes. I wish i'd bought some booze with me. Soon we'll be arriving in Holmfirth, the picturesque town where they filmed the award winning classic series Last of the Summer Wine! Where's my beanie hat?
19.9.09
Goodbye, Faithful Kingdom! present... Mephisto Grande, Years of Rice and Salt , Adam Beattie
Goodbye, Faithful Kingdom! present:
Mephisto Grande
Years of Rice and Salt
Adam Beattie
DJ Toby Woby
6th October @ The Macbeth, London.
Doors @ 8pm
ADVANCE TICKETS HERE
MEPHISTO GRANDE
http://www.myspace.com/mephistogrande
Formed out of the remnants of revered Oxford band Suitable Case for Treatment, Mephisto Grande tread a dark and magnetic path that evokes the great Tom Waits.
“Blown away ... they are like nothing else around” - Tim Bearder, BBC Introducing
“Welcome to the strange and frightening world of Mephisto Grande, a band of devilish mischief who have chosen their name well” - Oxford Nightshift
YEARS OF RICE AND SALT
http://www.myspace.com/yearsofriceandsalt
Named after an alternative history novel with religious inflections, Years of Rice and Salt’s music mirror that ethereal mood. Despite only forming a year ago, this 5-piece post-rock/folk band have already been signed by American indie label Future Recording.
ADAM BEATTIE (solo set)
http://www.myspace.com/adambeattie
A deep love for the blues, in all its forms, and an affection for folk’s modern margins is all evident in Beatti’s work; his songwriting lurches happily from genre to genre as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Beattie has just released his debut album, Abu Bozy. He Recorded with Hijacked Records at 4th Street studios in Glasgow.
“distinctively rich vocals with carefully crafted lyrics and simple folk-rooted guitar melodies" - Brazen Magazine
Mephisto Grande
Years of Rice and Salt
Adam Beattie
DJ Toby Woby
6th October @ The Macbeth, London.
Doors @ 8pm
ADVANCE TICKETS HERE
MEPHISTO GRANDE
http://www.myspace.com/mephistogrande
Formed out of the remnants of revered Oxford band Suitable Case for Treatment, Mephisto Grande tread a dark and magnetic path that evokes the great Tom Waits.
“Blown away ... they are like nothing else around” - Tim Bearder, BBC Introducing
“Welcome to the strange and frightening world of Mephisto Grande, a band of devilish mischief who have chosen their name well” - Oxford Nightshift
YEARS OF RICE AND SALT
http://www.myspace.com/yearsofriceandsalt
Named after an alternative history novel with religious inflections, Years of Rice and Salt’s music mirror that ethereal mood. Despite only forming a year ago, this 5-piece post-rock/folk band have already been signed by American indie label Future Recording.
ADAM BEATTIE (solo set)
http://www.myspace.com/adambeattie
A deep love for the blues, in all its forms, and an affection for folk’s modern margins is all evident in Beatti’s work; his songwriting lurches happily from genre to genre as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Beattie has just released his debut album, Abu Bozy. He Recorded with Hijacked Records at 4th Street studios in Glasgow.
“distinctively rich vocals with carefully crafted lyrics and simple folk-rooted guitar melodies" - Brazen Magazine
Warren Ellis talking beards and wardrobes
"“Clothes and manners do not make the man; but, when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.” - Henry Ward Beecher
I recently read a great interview with Warren Ellis where he predominantly talks about clothes. I think Warren Ellis is great and I have a penchant for fancy attire so this was an interview that I was more than a little excited about! It's on Line Of Best Fit.
The next interview is Josh T Pearson, of Lift To Experience and massive beard fame. They both lock beards and have a jolly good natter, as you can see here.
I recently read a great interview with Warren Ellis where he predominantly talks about clothes. I think Warren Ellis is great and I have a penchant for fancy attire so this was an interview that I was more than a little excited about! It's on Line Of Best Fit.
The next interview is Josh T Pearson, of Lift To Experience and massive beard fame. They both lock beards and have a jolly good natter, as you can see here.
The Tour of Dreams
Smoke Fairies have been invited on tour with Richard Hawley. We get to play Shepherds Bush Empire and equivalent type of venues up and down the UK for two whole weeks. It is the Tour Of Dreams and I'll probably be writing a lot more mawkish gushing nonsense about it here in the near future, not to mention a no doubt massive tour blog. But for now, here's the poster:
9.9.09
"in 200 years no one's going to care who won"
great words of encouragement from Jools Holland moments before announcing the winner at the Mercurys.
Son: "I've just won gold at the Olympics!"
Dad: "no one will care about that in a few years son"
Congratulations to Speech
Son: "I've just won gold at the Olympics!"
Dad: "no one will care about that in a few years son"
Congratulations to Speech
3.9.09
I.U.M.I.
I thought I’d share my collection of funny little sound making devices. A fair number of people, let's call them 'friends', have commented on these objects saying they make the most annoying sounds known to man, right up there with finger nails down a black board.
Here's a list of the some of these incredibly useless musical instruments:
The Groan Hammer: a plastic hammer shaped object that makes a sound so ridiculous you end up laughing ‘til it hurts, then it becomes incredibly irritating. It’s like the sound you'd get if you kicked a football in the stomach of a drunk who'd just consumed 40 fags and 4 litres of White Lightning. I bought it from one of those sea side shops when I went to All Tomorrow's Parties, along with a fetching pirate disguise. This one scores 9 out of 10 on the Incredibly Useless Musical Instrument Scale.
Stylophone: you know the thing, the small electronic organ you play with a metal prodding thing. Surprisingly, I haven’t yet found the need for a metallic wasp-like sound in any of the songs I play. IUMI Scale 8/10
Wooden Rattle: one of those football type rattles that you spin around and it makes an incredibly loud KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK sound. IUMI Scale: 9/10
Thunder Tube: a long tube that's open one end and at the closed end hangs a long metal coil, again it requires a shaking motion to release the glorious sound of rolling thunder. It sounds like a drum roll using mallets on a crash cymbal and it scares the cat. IUMI Scale: 7/10
Bamboo Panpipes: when I hear the sound of pan pipes I’m immediately transported to the pharmacy in my home town where they had Pan Pipe Classics constantly on the stereo. I had lots of health problems when I was younger so had to visit the pharmacy on numerous occasions you see. It completely baffles me why anyone would feel the need to re-record songs like Hey Jude on the pan pipes. This one is way off the IUMI Scale. It was an xmas present.
I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, we'd be sat in the studio listening to a song that doesn’t sound quite right and after I add a carefully placed Groan Hammer to the recording it transforms the song into something wonderful and unique and everyone showers me with praise, aint gonna happen... or maybe one day I’ll create an amazing piece of musique concrète with the instruments, highly unlikely.
Anyway, the main point of this stupid rambling blog post was to declare my love for the glass harmonica. It creates a similar sound to when you rub the rim of a wine glass but considering it’s a ‘harmonica’ you can create multiple notes, i.e. it’s an instrument of dreams! It was invented by American revolutionist Benjamin Franklin, popular in the 18th century and described as having the sound of angels. More recently, artists such as Bjork and Tom Waits have used the instrument and apparently it features on Richard Hawley's new album too. This highlights the fact that it’s an incredibly useful and wonderful instrument and I NEED TO GET ONE. Definitely not an IUMI.
I went to Rome recently and discovered this little museum of musical instruments and in it was a glass harmonica! Unsurprisingly, along with all the other instruments, it was secured behind a see-through plastic box so you could only imagine what the sound would be like. It was an odd experience wandering around this museum in deathly silence, so many amazing instruments yet no sound.
I've had a look online for glass harmonicas to buy and to my joy it seems they're still producing them but sadly they're cripplingly expensive. Oh well, at least it's not as unattainable as this sea organ.
Here's a list of the some of these incredibly useless musical instruments:
The Groan Hammer: a plastic hammer shaped object that makes a sound so ridiculous you end up laughing ‘til it hurts, then it becomes incredibly irritating. It’s like the sound you'd get if you kicked a football in the stomach of a drunk who'd just consumed 40 fags and 4 litres of White Lightning. I bought it from one of those sea side shops when I went to All Tomorrow's Parties, along with a fetching pirate disguise. This one scores 9 out of 10 on the Incredibly Useless Musical Instrument Scale.
Stylophone: you know the thing, the small electronic organ you play with a metal prodding thing. Surprisingly, I haven’t yet found the need for a metallic wasp-like sound in any of the songs I play. IUMI Scale 8/10
Wooden Rattle: one of those football type rattles that you spin around and it makes an incredibly loud KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK sound. IUMI Scale: 9/10
Thunder Tube: a long tube that's open one end and at the closed end hangs a long metal coil, again it requires a shaking motion to release the glorious sound of rolling thunder. It sounds like a drum roll using mallets on a crash cymbal and it scares the cat. IUMI Scale: 7/10
Bamboo Panpipes: when I hear the sound of pan pipes I’m immediately transported to the pharmacy in my home town where they had Pan Pipe Classics constantly on the stereo. I had lots of health problems when I was younger so had to visit the pharmacy on numerous occasions you see. It completely baffles me why anyone would feel the need to re-record songs like Hey Jude on the pan pipes. This one is way off the IUMI Scale. It was an xmas present.
I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, we'd be sat in the studio listening to a song that doesn’t sound quite right and after I add a carefully placed Groan Hammer to the recording it transforms the song into something wonderful and unique and everyone showers me with praise, aint gonna happen... or maybe one day I’ll create an amazing piece of musique concrète with the instruments, highly unlikely.
Anyway, the main point of this stupid rambling blog post was to declare my love for the glass harmonica. It creates a similar sound to when you rub the rim of a wine glass but considering it’s a ‘harmonica’ you can create multiple notes, i.e. it’s an instrument of dreams! It was invented by American revolutionist Benjamin Franklin, popular in the 18th century and described as having the sound of angels. More recently, artists such as Bjork and Tom Waits have used the instrument and apparently it features on Richard Hawley's new album too. This highlights the fact that it’s an incredibly useful and wonderful instrument and I NEED TO GET ONE. Definitely not an IUMI.
I went to Rome recently and discovered this little museum of musical instruments and in it was a glass harmonica! Unsurprisingly, along with all the other instruments, it was secured behind a see-through plastic box so you could only imagine what the sound would be like. It was an odd experience wandering around this museum in deathly silence, so many amazing instruments yet no sound.
I've had a look online for glass harmonicas to buy and to my joy it seems they're still producing them but sadly they're cripplingly expensive. Oh well, at least it's not as unattainable as this sea organ.
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