25th June 2009

What. How. Why. Hello.

24th June 2009

AND

NOW  

THEN

Today, in this modern slice of existence, perhaps we sometimes get caught up in bizarre caffeine fueled turmoils, which threaten our survival.

Can You Digg?


We all have amazing friends. And it's important , in the summer haaze, to at least attempt to become absorbed by the alcohol fuelled companionship which will begin to surround us when festival season kicks off. Forget about the mundane thoughts that occupy every cell in your slowly decaying body... let us all celebrate being 50 years old. These are the moments for the cameraaaaz. We should all get in front of the lens and pose like we're on the front cover of Good Housekeeping



see you all in the field z


x

11th June 2009

ALBUM PARTY & THE LITTLE SCOTTISH INSANITY

11th June 2009

Firstly a quick thank you to everyone who sauntered down to the Lexington last week for our album launch. We had an amazing evening, apologies to those of you who couldn't get in or we didn't get to speak to. Thanks to to My Tiger My Timing for opening up for us, We Have Band, Plugs, Chess Clubbers, Jez, and Ben Mumfy for smearing lashings of banging shit into everyones ears all night long, and also to YOU and YOU and YOU. I fell asleep on my arm at about 5am and woke up with numb limb.

We are currently sat in a cafe in Carlisle. Back in the comfort of dear ol' Blighty after a merry skip around Scotlands many cobbled playgrounds. The following is based on a true story...

Saturday

We set off from London in high spirits in our beloved red postal van. The wind in our hair and socks on our feet; life was carefree, fresh and new.

On the M1 the red van decided to die. The workshy bastard. I've never liked that van.

*VAN DEATH

Now the wind in our hair felt cruel and chilling. The socks on our feet useless, soggy and damp against the torrents of rain dripping down our pimpled legs. Life was cruel, short and miserable. 

Thanks to the RAC, a rental van company in Nuneaton, Tom's mum and some random people in the Coventry Arms. We eventaully got back on the road to Edinburgh. Late in the evening we arrive at Pete's house in Leeds and congratulate ourselves with a small wine and STAR TREK IV [we usually do the Last Waltz at Petes house, but there are only so many times you can stare at Neil Youngs coke infested nostrils]

Sunday

They like to keep it under wraps but Edinburgh has a castle. It's very nice. Edinburgh is in fact gorgeous, vast gothic monoliths and architectural wonderments abound. We ate food, played a gig and then Elle and Sophie baked us a carrot cake with gravy icing and put us up for the night in a real bed [ Thankyou kindly ladies - x ].

*GRATED CARROT GLASSES

In the morning we ate toast. and then left for...

Monday

Aberdeen. Great gig with lots of happy smily faces and a nice venue (The Tunnels), we rocked the socks that have been adorning our feet all tour clean off! We also then slept in the back of our sexy hire van** on the east coast of Scotland, waking up to a beautiful view and slight insanity/cramp.

**[We should point out here, that our hotel budget has been swallowed by the seven million english pounds it is going to cost to fix the red bastard van of death]

Tuesday

On our way to Dundee we stopped at two beaches. TWO BEACHES. They were both beautiful,  one was pebble with blue sea and skies and a stream running through it that we unsuccesfully attempted to dam up, the second was essentially Miami beach but just not in America - beautiful golden sands, grasses lilting in the wind, a calm sea bringing back memories of childhood, you know the sort of thing. We sat and inhaled the sharp, bitter reality of life into our tar-filled lungs.

**MIAMI BEACH IN DUNDEE

That very eveningningning we played Dundee Doghouse, famed for the part it played in the rise and fall of the white spirit swigging, jangle-meisters 'The View', Great gig, the support band; Gong Fei were awesome and kindly put us up for the night: a hearty Scotch session ensued and the three squid breakfast the next morning was warmly welcomed. Thanks to Mike and co for being sound! xx

Wednesday

Glasgow today: The Box. A venue that brings back memories of SXSW, with it's stage positioned in the window and the cans of Red Stripe, where are Will and Max though? Watched the England game (6-0, ha!), then played.

**BOG BANNERS IN THE BOX BOGS

Thanks to everyone who purchased our album and stuck around for drinks at the end,  drove for a bit and then slept in the van again, this time at Cairn Lodge services (the scariest services in the UK!). I ache incessantly (might not make sense, does to me).

Thursday

Brings us to our current location. After breakfast and a shower in the services we embark upon a short drive to Carlisle, leaving the joys and beauty of Sotland behind us and ready for more action, whatever that means...

** ROMANCE IN CARLISLE

Adieu x x x [more to come]

Blog-tastic

2nd June 2009

You can now read all of our blogs - old and new - right here on this site....grab a cuppa or nice cold beer and get reading folks

'The Greats and the Happenings' is GO

1st June 2009

The last month or so has largely been spent in our sweaty, airless rehearsal room preparing for the album tour. We've already shared some live action-force with audiences in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Oxford and Coventry on the current tour, but up until this point we haven't performed the album in its entirety. This Wednesday 3rd, we shall do exactly that at our official Album Launch Party at the Lexington in Islington. Further to this, the following things are guaranteed:

• My Tiger My Timing and Milke will wet your whistle with live delights.
• Plugs, We Have Band, Chess Club DJs and special guests will play intoxicating rhythms behind the decks.
• Fred will almost definitely expose large portions of his human flesh to the audience.
• Tom will take to the dancefloor after our performance and exhibit his latest contemporary dance piece.
• Si will be giving away free hugs.
• I will most probably collapse in a puddle of my own sweat, only to be resurrected by copious aftershow drinks.

Doors are at 7.30pm. Tickets are £6 Adv and £7.50 on the door. Buy tickets now to avoid disappointment:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/48877

We'll be keeping a regular tour blog from here on in, so stay in touch, ya?

H x

Also...

R.I.P. The Russian Club Era

On Sunday 31st May we said goodbye to our home of two years and have moved on to pastures new. We shall always hold you in our hearts, old flat of filth, fun, intensity, high times, creativity, ambiguity, zero daylight, jubilation and memories. xxxx

Sleep Deprivation: The Tale Of My Ticking Clock

3rd April 2009

Bucharest is in Romania apparently and they are 3 hours ahead of us here in England. That is to say, not technologically or owt, as I doubt they measure how far advanced a country is in increments as small as hours, but rather geographically. Tomorrow we fly to Bucharest for a gig, and I am hoping that somehow this move forwards in time will balance me out, as currently my body clock still thinks it’s in America. If this were the case then New York time-wise it would be 10.30pm, which would be okay. It is however 3.30am and I am still wide awake, which is mildly annoying and somewhat unhelpful as I have to get up soon. Also, the time confusion was further added to when the clocks went forward. Thanks God.

This is the sky:

Today I looked unto the skie, and it looked back at me and winked.

Monday last we played a gig, thanks to all and sundry. Tuesday we DJed a new night at Notting Hill Arts Club called Nothing To Display. Good work. Wednesday we played a show at the Barfly for John Kennedy’s X-posure, which will be broadcast on the wireless via XFM. We were joining the fantastic Yuillmeister and My Tiger My Timing, who we have got to know a bit over the last year or so but only now got the pleasure of sharing a bill with. Radical.

Si gets emotional while playing pool, it's best to let him win otherwise he might batter you a sausage.

So the flight to Bucharest will be our sixth flight this year, once we’ve flown back that’s seven flights in total, which is more plane journeys than my dad’s taken in his whole life. Probably actually true. When we return I will keep you posted about the state of my body clock, I know you all care deeply, and I might even tell you something of our adventure too… This is an artists impression, tastefully rendered in watercolour, of what some of our gear might look like being loaded onto a plane when viewed from a plane window:

Artist's impression. Definitely not a photo. Not one iota of photo here. None. Nope Ma'am.

That is all for now I guess, just remains to say we’re playing

*CANCELLED* ARTROCKER @ VIBE BAR -> BRICK LANE on TUESDAY (7th) *CANCELLED*

and

BIRD ON THE WIRE @ BARDEN’S BOUDOIR -> KINGSLAND ROAD on SATURDAY (11th)

which should all be fun. Come down and be out of sync with me!

Hope you’re good,

Fred xxx

SXSW Blog by Fred

27th March 2009

We have posted a round-up of our trip to America and SXSW festival on The Russian Club Blog, have a look.

x x x

Austin Space or A “SXSW Diary and Letters Page.”

26th March 2009

Hello Monty, I have been handed the task of breaking SXSW down for you in a rap. Here it is in three succinct stanzas:

Tuesday: Arrived in Austin, Texas, dropped off bags with the kindly Paul and Erin who were putting up with us for the duration and headed in to town. The festival doesn’t start until tomorrow but it’s already pretty hectic as there is another festival running which we are playing the closing party of tonight. Our heads are broken from sleep deprivation and general confusion, as mine still is now, all this adds to the energy of our show as well as the quality of my writing I’m sure.

Paul and Erin have two dogs who are now like family to me. This is Baxter chilling with his legs casually crossed like a true player

Wednesday: We arise and head out – today we are playing the Levi’s Fader Fort and our showcase at the Chess Club party.  First we get free jeans (always nice) and then head to the stage where we bump in to Esser, who is playing before us. The sound on stage is terrible but the sun is shining and after the set we enjoy a beer with Micachu before moving on and chilling out. At Chess Club we enjoy Wave Machines who borrow much of our equipment, do our piece and then enjoy a bev whilst watching Mumford and Sons, albeit without Ben on keys. It’s weird, we want to stay out drinking but everywhere shuts down pretty early by our standards, so we retire for the night with a final beer back at the flat.

We were all completely flummoxed by this gravity-defying tap, how do they do it?

Thursday: Day off today so we get out and enjoy some other bands. First on a tipoff we check out Love Like Fire who are awesome, then a little mission out of town to see Local Natives, who do a Talking Heads cover and didn’t disappoint, top quality.  Next off to see Bang Bang Eche, all the way from New Zealand, an energetic bunch of youngsters who have got a good buzz around them at the moment.  Nice. After this the day gets a little hazy, I think more from sunstroke than beer consumption, I remember Gomez at Stubbs (who were pretty weak), some beer, chatting to the young guy from Third Rock From The Sun (nice chap) and Peter, Bjorn and John (alright, really just wanted to hear the whistle tune). Finally, bed.

Ben from Mumford and Sons starts on our Si after an erroneous peanut comment.

Friday: Today we play West Rocks at Beauty bar, after breakfast tacos in the sun we watch a few bands before setting up, the highlight of these being Chief. After we play I drink quite a lot and then, unable to get a taxi, the kindly Dollyrots give us a lift with our gear – thanks a lot guys! We duly promise to come to their show and then don’t, check out White Lies even though we’ve seen them a million times (they don’t disappoint!), get bought a beer by Steve and then watch Maps and Atlases, who were absolutely the best band of the festival for all of us. They totally blew my mind and I still cry sometimes.

If only we had this in London!

Saturday: Early start as we head to a studio to do a live session for WOXY radio. They have the nicest studio I’ve ever been in and are pretty good guys to boot. This was fun and I think can still be found at woxy.com… This is it, game over and time to get on it, we seek free drinks in as many establishments as possible, completely fail to take in any music, I stumble around like a British tourist and contemplate a tattoo (which I thankfully can’t afford) and then get refused entry to the Vice party despite my protestations (“but I RPSV’d!”). Good work.

Chilling by the lake on the last day - absolute bliss.

Sunday: Most people head home today but we’re staying a day longer to chill out, we spend the day sat by the lake and then spend the evening shooting pool with a load of friends. A relaxing day to be followed by 24 hours of travel fun, but you don’t need to hear about that…

Si was mesmerised by the swan I made thanks to origami skills learnt from the wonderful Heather.

Finally: We got gigs!

MONDAY @ MADAME JOJOS in SOHO

TUESDAY DJ slot @ NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB

WEDNESDAY @ BARFLY in CAMDEN w/JAMES YUILL

Check the myspace for more stuff and things!

Lots of love,

Fred

X

AMERICACACACAAAA PART 2…

25th March 2009

SUNDAY! By god was it Sunday. And I’m not just talking any old Sunday. Nope. Sunday the 15th.

We started the day as we meant to go on, with breakfast. I was quite hungover and decided a nice blue Gatorade might help the situation:

The Gatorade was of such a vivid hue it actually sucked out all the other colours from the surrounding area. However it did little for my hangover. I look like I'm saying "Hey, Gatorade!"

After this I snuck off for a mini adventure and went to Grand Central Station, which was awe-inspiring, before taking the subway to Central Park and lying on a rock, which was pretty chilled out. Later on I bought some shoes and then Magic Pete, Elsie Elspeth and myself went to see Mumford and Sons, Slow Club and Casio Kids in Brooklyn. This was good. Afterwards we hung out in a small Brooklyn bar with the Chess Club boys and Mumfords and ate far too many Cheetos. Top.

New York is generally regarded as a place in America. This is Grand Central Station.

MONDAY. Tom and B went up the Empire State Beedleding (his words not mine!) while the rest of us went to Max Brenner’s chocolate emporium for a cuppa hot chocolate. We then met Moose from CMJ and he explained the music business to us a bit over a slice.

The Museum of Sex was right round the corner from our hotel. This is unrelated but quite amusing.

Next it was time to head to the Delancey where we played that night with We Have Band and Slow Club. Once again a fun night and thanks to everyone who came down and helped make it possible. We finished the night off in our hotel room with some forties and a bottle of Moet kindly bought by Tom’s uncle and aunt (who are both legends).

Je suis un petit wast non?

Tuesday morning we had to get up at 5.30 and head to Austin but that story doesn’t bear thinking about right now, maybe next time…

Love

X

X

X

PS: We play Madame Jojos on Monday x