tour – and so she thinks

Death by Unga Bunga

admin — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 08:30:51 +0000

Norwegian garage punk group Death by Unga Bunga have been going for ten years now, but have not lost any of their urgency and energy. So Far So Good So Cool is their fifth full-length album since they formed a decade ago. The band are all in their late twenties, and combine the vigour of youth with the skills of a few years in the trade. Fast guitar solos show off their talent, heavy riffs their emotion and dynamism. Touring with Ash on their anniversary tour this year, the five piece continue to rock out in a feverish manner, with plenty of vibrant melodies and malicious chords, effervescing with unbridled vitality.

Catch them with Ash on the following dates:

Tuesday 16th October – The Leadmill, Sheffield, UK
Friday 19th October – SWX, Bristol, UK
Saturday 20th October – O2 Institute Birmingham, Digbeth, UK
Sunday 21st October – Waterfront, Norwich, UK
Monday 22nd October – Parish, Huddersfield, UK
Wednesday 24th October – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK

Shirley Valentine on Tour

admin — Sat, 20 May 2017 14:07:39 +0000

The tale of a middle-aged woman demarcated by society. The story of a mother with grown children who finds herself without an identity. The saga of a wife with a complacent husband who finds more stimulation in a beige wall. Shirley Valentine is familiar to many, not only as a result of its absorption into popular culture, but its acute display of the stereotypes and social roles that women play.

It might have been thirty years since Willy Russell introduced us to Shirley Valentine, played in the Oscar winning film by Pauline Collins, but the themes of social expectations, emotional stagnation, ageing and loneliness still remain relevant, as the UK will see on this new tour.

The age of 42 isn’t even half way through the average British woman’s life expectancy, but when the monotony of housework and tedium of daily life set in, it’s easy to wonder whether life has anything more to offer. But, with some hope, things change. You can’t avoid reality, and you know you’re never ‘gonna be a girl again–because you can never be that; but instead of sayin’ ‘Christ, I’m forty-two’. I’m gonna say – ‘Shirley, you’re only forty-two, isn’t that marvellous’.’

That’s what Liverpool housewife Shirley Valentine found, played in this one-woman show by the vivacious and charismatic Jodie Prenger. Escaping from her claustrophobic world to the sunny climes of Greece, courtesy of a sudden offer from a friend, the story may well be a cliché of mid-life crisis and holiday romance, but the familiar and witty script keeps it fresh. So much is similar that it’s only really through Amy Yardley’s stage that audiences are aware that the action is set in the 1980s, not 2017. Power dressing and blonde highlights, novelty Milk Tray and wine, the suburban northern kitchen – all of it enhances the chattering and musing, everything combining in a kind of merry hum that perfectly reflects the story and moral. And, marriage still is ‘just like the Middle East. There’s no solution.’

From the opening scene with Shirley making chips and egg for husband Joe while she drinks wine and talks to the wall, to the white walls of Greece, there’s a warm humour and natural vulnerability permeating throughout the monologue. This latest production of Shirley Valentine may not revolutionise either our ideas of womanhood, but neither will it rock the pleasure of the story. Nostalgic yes, cliched, a little – but still highly resonant and enjoyable.

Lowly – Deer Eyes

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 19:15:49 +0000

Mesmerising is a word bandied about a lot by music journos and bloggers, but it truly applies to Lowly. Textured, oneiric, shifting and mysterious the Danish band’s latest track Deer Eyes is full of cascading synths and panoramic sweeps of rich keyboard melodies that synthesitically meld together. Restless and shifting yet also calming, the five piece have blended together the influences of their own musical backgrounds in an inventive way. Their debut album is out next year, and they will be popping to the UK in October.

https://soundcloud.com/bella-union/deer-eyes

Looking up for the spirit of Spitalfields

admin — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:13:59 +0000

If you’re anything like me, or indeed 97% of London’s population, you spend the majority of your time whilst wandering the streets either looking at your phone, watching your feet to make sure you don’t trip over any remains of last night’s chicken wings or discarded copies of the Evening Standard, or staring daggers into the back of the dawdler in front of you. What you don’t do, is look up. Up, beyond your eyeline, to see some of the parts of the city that we so often miss. Up there, beyond adverts and hoardings, hustle and bustle, are icons and information about the history of the city. It’s spirit if you will. And that’s what Katie, who runs Look Up London, is showing us on this Sunday morning, encouraging us to lift our gaze and look up to learn more about the spirit of Spitalfields.

Katie is an engaging guide, her enthusiasm for the city fluently conveyed. She’s clearly done her research, having been blogging about London for the last three years, and she imparts enough knowledge to educate and interest us without it being overwhelming. ‘On a mission to reveal the secrets hidden above your eyeline’ she runs walking tours around the area.

‘There are three things to remember about Spitalfields’ she tells us. ‘Radicalism, immigration and industry. Sitting just outside of the city walls the East End has always been a place where the rules and regulations of the financial and government stronghold doesn’t quite stretch. It’s something that is represented by Kenny Hunter’s Goat sculpture that stands at the entrance to Spitalfield’s Market; the goat being a somewhat wayward creature that doesn’t follow the crowd, unlike sheep.

Taking its name from the fields around the hospital – ‘spital – the area has seen huge changes, the economic ones accelerated over recent years. Street names like Gun and Artillery give clues to Henry VIII’s selling of the area to convert to army barracks. After the immigration persecuted Huguenots in the 17th and 18th centuries, the area became home for the fabric and textile industries, particularly silk weavers. This was due to large attics and airy light rooms available at the top of buildings on streets such as Fournier Street. Waves of Jewish communities fleeing Russia moved over in the 18th century, and many street signs are still written in both Yiddish and English. Today it is home to a large Bengali community; Brick Lane famed for its curry houses.

There’s plenty of clues to what the building that are now trendy pubs and coffee shops once were. The A Gold store in Brushfield Street was originally opened in 1880 by Amelia Gold, and the original shop front can still be seen. The signs of a bakery are found in the form of Philip Lindsey Clark’s Sculptures in Widegate Street. Frying Pan Alley is so named due to the frying pans hung outside by the ironmongers who used to operate there. We look up to see what some of them might have been before – warehouses, weavers, pubs, and the art deco Mayfair cinema.

One of the most fascinating buildings was built on the corner of Brick Lane and Fournier Street in 1742. La Neuve Eglise was a Huguenot chapel, then in 1809 started to be used by missionaries as The Jews’ Chapel, where they promoted Christianity to the expanding Jewish population, before being adapted as a Methodist Chapel in 1819. Then in 1898, the building was consecrated as the Machzikei HaDath, or Spitalfields Great Synagogue, and most recently in 1976, to serve the expanding Bangledeshi community, it was adapted again as the London Jamme Masjid (Great London Mosque). The fluid and ebbing nature of the area is something that fascinates me. How people make a place their own but with echoes of the past.

It’s hard to imagine now with all the glass buildings and money dripping from the surrounding banks that Spitalfields was once one of the poorest areas, up to twenty families houses in each building and the slums being no go areas for many. The decline of the textile industry in the 19th century led to a poverty-stricken, over populated area with little work available, where drinking and prostitution were often the only escapes from a troubled life, and crime ran rife. These were the days of Jack the Ripper, and the Ten Bells pub on Commercial Street, where victim Mary Kelly drank, still stands. We see the Jewish Soup Kitchen in Lehman Street, and the Providence Row Night Refuge.

One of the most striking things is the echoes of past years that run through the threads of the story. Immigration from refugees fleeing conflict, tension between communities, concern for jobs, and steady gentrification pushing workers further out to the suburbs continues. We finish up in Altab Ali park, named after a 25-year-old Bangladeshi clothing worker of the same name who was brutally stabbed here in 1978. It prompted mobilisation and protests and a coming together of communities, and despite ongoing friction this has been repeated over recent years. Along the path down the centre of the park are letters spelling out a fragment of a poem by Rabindranath Tagore: ‘The shade of my tree is offered to those who come and go fleetingly.’ People may come and go, but the spirit of Spitalfields lives on – and as Katie taught us, you often have to look up to find it.

Read more about London on Katie’s blog here, and book on to a tour here.

Andy Hamilton's Change Management

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 12:06:00 +0000

Born in 1954, Andy Hamilton has seen a number of changes throughout his life. As have his audience, as the number of raised hands shows when he does it a quick poll as to how many others were born in the fifties, and again to ascertain the number of Radio 4 listeners in the room. In the surrounds of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, this was a middle aged, middle class, audience, and Andy Hamilton played to his audience, with a middle of the road show. Change Management is his new show, all about, well, the changes, vicissitudes and shifts that have taken place over the years.
There are some changes that are a concern for Hamilton, due to being rooted in three things, as far as he sees – fear, marketing, and narcissism. Whereas his parents raised his generation based on the premise that whatever was happening, at least they weren’t being bombed, today’s society is one obsessed with risk management and protection, and so we have the expected but no less able to raise a smile jokes about insurance ads and accident claim hotlines. Politics has sold out to marketing and sport is drenched in advertising, and we’ve moved from a society where we make stuff to a ‘society where we sell advice to one another.’ And finally narcissism – well you’ve only got to look at social media and selfies to see how technology has enabled or enforced that change upon us.
But this isn’t a grumpy old man moaning about how life was so much better when he was a lad. Instead Hamilton delivers soft and easy observational comedy about the changing flow of life, not passing judgement (mostly), just remarking on the alterations. Hamilton is engaging, mixing cheerful quips with thoughtful observations and insights. One thing that certainly has changed is the way that comedians today are expected to be close to the bone and as controversial as possible. The conversational tone of Hamilton doesn’t subscribe to this – it’s not about generating as many column inches as possible or inciting drama, just making people smile at the absurdities of life. This isn’t to say that everything is safe – jokes about Hitler come up – but it’s not provocative for the sake of it.
Over the two hours the audience come to like Hamilton. Granted, they probably appreciated his humour anyway, having paid the ticket price and come out to the show, but throughout the live experience they come to like Andy Hamilton the man. He is the kind of uncle you’d love to entertain you at a family gathering, the guy down the pub filled with stories as his sups his pint, or the teacher who would tell you down your textbooks whilst he regaled you with far more educational tales. Witty and laidback satirical anecdotes are his style, and it’s one he wears well.
As if to summarise the off kilter but safe nature of his show, the finale is a crowd rendition of Ging Gang Goolie, sung to the tune of the German national anthem. Eyes gaze around, slightly confused by the bizarre ending – but everyone is smiling. That’s what comedy is about.
—
Andy Hamilton is renowned for his long-running BBC Radio 4 sitcom Old Harry’s Game appears as a panel regular on The News Quiz, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Have I Got News For You and QI along with co-creating and writing for Ballot Monkeys and hit sitcom Outnumbered. Change Management is touring until the end of November 2015.
The Canterbury Festival is one of the most important cultural events in the south east, bringing music, art, comedy, performance and literature to the beautiful city of Canterbury. For more information and the festival calendar click here.

Introducing…Hero Fisher

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 13:52:00 +0000

Hero Fisher‘s new album Delivery is steely, stark, and sexy. Full of edges, the tunes scratch at the skin like only an old lover can, but despite such resonance and immediacy, they’re not necessarily what Hero heard in the first place, and she acknowledges that it can be difficult to get what is in her head in to the instruments and on record. ‘I don’t always hear what I want to hear and so I’ve given myself the job to put down what I can hear in my head and hope it’ll either please me or someone else.’

Her work is more descriptive of an atmosphere rather than storytelling and following a character, evocative and charismatic, raw and dirty. Scratchy melodies and glitchy beats are melded together with pounding synths into resoundingly strong tunes that are not without a hint of sass. Born in London, raised in France, lived in Australia, now living in London and having recorded the album in New York, she says that all the locations have ‘all have different appeals for me although I think the English weather is what’s ingrained in me the most. If I’m imagining a landscape, chances are you’ll find somewhere like it in the UK!’

It’s been something of a process, and the songs have evolved and developed as Hero has herself. ‘I don’t think it’s possible to foresee what an album will sound like until you decide it’s done. Especially a debut album. I didn’t even have a band when we started! I’m really happy with it though- I think it’s a very special piece of work and I don’t regret a thing. I’m so glad it’s finally out and that I got to do it on my own terms.’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrR7CnS889U

The grungy and dirty sounds to the songs are deliberate and reflective of Hero.’ It suits my mood.’ she says, and it’s a mood well conveyed on single Brutish Words. Her work is very much collaborative, with producers Bradley Spence and Charlie Russell giving the tunes a power, and she credits Saul Wodak who plays guitar in the band with ‘great visions when it comes to arrangements, soundscapes, rifs, and live performances. He also inspires me to branch out and work on other things than my own songs. I’d be lying to myself if I said I was solo.

Whilst touring the UK this autumn she’s also putting the work in writing songs for a new album. It’s going to be a busy few months for Hero Fisher.

‘See you there suckers.’

Catch her playing acoustic shows at The Star in Tuffnell Park, before a tour with Fufanu.

B_Tour – Belgrade

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:17:05 +0000

You might not be there, but listen to this tour of Belgrade. I’m in there somewhere…
B_Tour is a platform that provides a chance to explore contemporary conditions of urban life and to consider how art can be used as a tool to reflect on these conditions and aims to develop new perspectives on urban environments and to inspire community life and civic participation. B_Tours rethink storytelling and suggest innovative, experimental approaches to the conventional format of a guided tour.

Cycling to 'Siberia', wheels to wine

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 10:36:00 +0000

‘So just a kilometre from here is the spot they call Siberia,’ Stuart tells me. ‘It gets so windy there that in September a train was blown off the track and ended up suspended, carriages hanging off like a piece of string.’ I am significantly smaller than a train, balancing on a bicycle, and there is a cyclone coming, funnelled through the Cook Straight by surrounding mountain ranges. This doesn’t sound ideal to me. But then for someone who has travelled around the world, covering thousands of kilometres through Europe, Central and South America, on a bike bought for only fifty dollars (and subsequently sold it on after), and confesses that he loves to ‘feel the pain and achievement’ from a good hill, the Rimutaka Incline, part of the cycle trail by the same name, is nothing. Stuart runs Green Jersey, a cycling tour company out in the Wairarapa, a region just outside of New Zealand’s capital city Wellington, and he’s offered to show me around.
The Rimutaka cycle trail is a 113 kilometre long path that loops around the Rimutaka range, east of Wellington. One of New Zealand’s Great Rides, and a part of Nga Haerenga – The New Zealand Cycle Trail, it takes riders from Petone’s foreshore across the Rimutaka Range to Wairarapa’s wild south coast. Along the way cyclists go through the thickly wooded Rimutaka Forest Parkand, along the gentle gravel trail of the Hutt River, mouth of the Hutt River at the historic site of the Hikoikoi pā, one of the largest Māori settlements in pre-European New Zealand, hills formed by the country’s seismic shifts, rugged farm tracks, right out to the tumultuous seas of Ocean Beach and Turakirae Head, home of the largest seal colony in the Wellington region, and the trail’s end at Orongorongo River.

But we begin with the rail incline – a steep hill that trains struggle with. The Rimutaka Rail Incline is part of an old railway line connecting Wellington and Wairarapa, with 4 tunnels, 2km single track, 6km double track and 15km of unsealed gentle slope on the Hutt Valley side. It runs from Cross Creek in the Wairarapa through to Summit, at the top, funnily enough, the highest point 18km trail, along rugged paths and gritty trails. A particular section, the fell, is famous. The 4.8 km 3 ft 6 in gauge railway line between Cross Creek where we start, and Summit, on the original Wairarapa Line, has an average the grade is 1 in 15, which is pretty steep, as I see from the exhibits at the nearby Fell Museum in Featherston, home to the only remaining Fell Engine in the world. After every downhill journey the brakes on the engine had to be replaced, having been clinging on to the track so tightly, and the worn metal is there for evidence.
New Zealand seems to be going through a phase of turning disused railway lines into cycle trails, right from the Huaraki in Northland down to the Otago trail bisecting the South Island. It’s easy to understand why – scenic and sensible in terms of getting from you a to b, as well as readily routed, the trails are an ideal way to see the country.
Or at least that is what I tell myself at the start of the trail, as Stuart is unloading our bikes and packing our bags full of cereal bars, before we set out on this famous incline. It’s not as bad as I fear. Cyclone Luci appears to have drifted past us, and the main result of the breeze is a delicious scent of grass and trees wafting past. Although at a steep gradient for trains, even my little legs are able to cope, once the gears have kicked in. We’re only going a short way, up to the Summit, but it’s the toughest part – as those train brakes are evidence to.
When we reach the 576 metre Summit Tunnel, we turn the cycle lights on, although we soon switch them off again for fun. There’s something almost existential about cycling towards a hole of light, we no idea just how close other people or objects are to you. The practical and philosophical nature starts to unnerve me a little, and evidently Stuart too, as he suggests that we flick the beam back on again.
At Summit I am rewarded by flushing toilets, hurrah, but more importantly, a sense of achievement. The clouds block most of the view, but it’s rolling hills and farmland all the way from here and through to Cross Creek where the trail opens out in the ‘agricultural breadbasket’ of the Wairapapa.

I’m short on time, so to show me around, Stuart drives me to Ocean Beach, an area of ridged coastline formed only seven thousand years ago. It’s still a workout though, the steep stairs up to the lighthouse leaving us both breathless. We stand for what seem like ages, talking life and love, and cycling – the broad skies and brash waves, white tops pounding the rocks and gusting winds wailing around us seem to incite that sort of big thinking.
As this is just a taster for me, we go and taste: as well as fine scenery, there’s the option of trying some of New Zealand’s finest wine along the way. The Wairapara is known for its Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc, courtesy of low rainfall, hot summers, and long dry autumns, and Green Jersey can either cycle with you, sort a cycling route for you, or pedal you around in their rickshaw as you get slowly sozzled on samples. The main town for the wines is Martinborough, and the tiny spot (only 1330 full time inhabitants, rising to up to 30,000 at weekends) is unique in that all the wineries are accessible from the town centre without a car. Founded by a man named Martin, the roads span out from the centre in the shape of the Union Jack, and are named after places that he had visited – and so it is that Kansas is on a diagonal to Strasbourg, and Cambridge cuts across New York. We stop for tastings and lunch at Poppies.
On the way I ask Stuart why he chose to Poppies. He sighs. ‘Everyone wants to marry Poppy.’ He’s right. I want to marry Poppy, although she is happily wed to childhood sweetheart Shayne, after a chance meeting whilst working at a wedding twenty years after they had parted as teenagers. Standing in the contemporary grey walls that feel comforting with their glorious light bulb chandeliers, piled barrels and grand Italian opera playing, she oozes enthusiasm about the vines, their grapes, and ultimately, their wines. The Pinot Gris in particularly is sweet, fresh, and the perfect accompaniment to a tasting platter which tumbles with stuffed vine leaves, fresh salmon, roasted peppers, homemade hummus, frittata, seared courgettes, and toasted flatbread.

Even without the wine diversion, I can understand why this part of the country is a haven for Wellington weekenders. Windy, steep, and sometimes too much for a train, but beautiful, vibrant, natural and exhilarating for cyclists of all skills. Inhale deeply, press down with the legs, and roll through some of New Zealand’s most beautiful landscape.
There’s a glass of wine waiting at the end.

I travelled with Green Jersey, who organise guided and supported tours along the trail and local wine regions, over one or more days. http://www.greenjersey.co.nz/ Located in the Wairarapa, they are an hour train journey or drive from central Wellington, and can meet riders from the station. They use Avanti Discovery 8 bicycles, and provide helmets, pumps, full repair kits, maps as well as food and all accommodation bookings, depending upon tour choice.

Flash! Bang! Crash! A chat with Flash Bang Band

admin — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 12:34:48 +0000

Flash Bang Band are something of a visceral and muscular band, their pop-psych merger and bounding energy flooding and flickering through everything they do. Having amassed quite a fan base in their home town of Brighton they are off on tour this month, taking their boundless energy and bustling rhythms around Europe. The fun and frantic nature of the band is pretty evident from their video Thinking Above My Station, filmed in a squat flat.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHo768HuHU8&w=420&h=315]

I had a little chat with Andy, singer and guitarist in the band. It was fun.
Who are you? And why are you?

Basically, Rod met Andy online whilst living in South Africa and then moved to Brighton to start the band based off of the early Flash Bang Band demos Andy sent him. Rob used to be the reckless silly one in the band and now is definitely the most sensible one. We all really want to go round playing in a band and having good times with similarly minded folks. We share an attitude towards getting the best from any situation in life which means the band is our source of joy and release in the crazy big bad world. We all tend to like the wonky, noisy, fucked up sorts of musics as well as pretty ones. Lots of people mention the 90s when they talk about us and that’s sort of unavoidable being who we are – we’re not offended by that or anything. Tis but a thing 🙂
You’ve been playing together for a little while now. In that time has your sound changed or evolved at all?
Our sound changed a lot when we went through the formation process of members dropping out, from being a bit more family friendly to joining the dark side and basically letting it hang out a bit more. I kinda don’t wanna go on and on about the background and beginnings cos to be honest, save for a few neat tidy coincidences and fateful kindliness, the band we are today ain’t the band we started life as. Although the things we have been through, in their own way I guess, contributed to the substance of what we are today. Ha – I kinda went on about it didn’t I?
What influences the music you make?

Chaos, absurdity, serendipity, nostalgia, grooves, noise, friends, nature, other people’s music, nothing to do with music, reading, crowd response, money, trying to be good at it, wanting to communicate in this alternative form to speech and everyday flawed communication methods which (maybe) stem from a sort stifled frustration of youth or something.
You are pretty creative in how you spread the word about your music… Like the bus! (The band played a sold out gig on a Brighton & Hove bus). Do you think music or being in a a band has to be about more than the music?
THANKS 🙂 I guess most bands we like are about more than just the music. There are always a plethora of other creative ideas going on around a band who pricks our ears, whether it be aesthetic or as a method of getting the ideas across. For us it just seems like it’s not that difficult to include other artistic ventures in what you do, especially as it’s such a stupid media easy make world these days… everybody is multidisciplinary. I don’t think you can do much with just music. Even if your creativity comes through your approach to social media, marketing, whatever… it’s all extra stuff which goes with the territory. Plus, it’s fun.
Brighton has a vibrant and creative scene – the bands, the music, the media, the vibe…how has this had an affect on you? Is there a Brighton sound, and does that help or hinder?
Its funny but to be honest, we have always felt a little disconnected from the ‘scene’ in Brighton, not to say it hasn’t help us hone our craft being down here, but a lot of the bands here feel like this – it stifles you a little being where there are so many bands. It also serves what you do and you always feel under scrutiny by the people around you, if you involve yourself with them. If you constantly emerge yourself in something then when will you find the time to just do your thing and create something new? For us, we are interested in finding something new… to explore and push things rather than stagnate and just go along with whatever is cool / the ‘kids’ are into or whatever. That’s the sort of stuff that inspires us, so we basically just choose to try and inspire others the way we have been inspired. The best thing about Brighton is the people, the sea, Dark Star, Northern Lights and it’s accessible liberal lifestyle options…
Talking of, who are your pals in Brighton music?
Actual friends, I would say OTTI ALBIETZ, P for Persia, The Beautiful Word, Nordic Giants, 900 Spaces, The Bright Ones, Parker and The Flowing Wow, AKDK, Fragile Creatures, Clowns, Electric Soft Parade, Written In Waters… there’s loads more… I’m forgetting loads…
Your music is a bit wonky, trippy, exploratory…who are your influences?
Nirvana, Zun Zun Egui and Girls Aloud.
What is music to you or what does it do for you? Is it for fun, is writing cathartic, is it a way to explore new ideas, or something else?
It’s a vehicle to travel with, meet people and relate to the world, plus it’s a release for that which can not be adequately channelled elsewhere. Emotions and such… it makes it easier to meet people in parts of society that you can’t access simply by buying a plane ticket or staying in a grubby hostel.

What is success for you as a band?
Living off our band.
Do lyrics matter? Should people listen to them and read into them?
Yes. The lyrics are pretty considered and I (Andy) as a songwriter am very much into lyrics. All our songs are about something and have a message hidden in them albeit somewhat abstract, but I like lyrics like that so I guess it’s natural. Themes appear in the lyrics of bands that we like, and so I guess they must appear in ours. But that’s for you to interpret as people usually have different favourites and stuff with our band, and our songs can be all quite different in form and about a lot of different things. The lyrics are under scrutiny by the whole of the band at all stages of the songwriting process and indeed contributed to by everyone. We’re very critical of one another artistically actually, so we hope that means that ‘filler’ doesn’t really slip through the net. Well… I guess it’s up to you if you think that’s true or not ha but we sure spend a lot of time decision making at every step of the way. It’s never really ‘easy’. We’re a muscle memory, instinctually motivated band, and indeed, people. So as a result, it is the process by which we create… over thinking then over thinking some more… reflecting on our second guessing… that kind of thing 🙂 Sounds boring but when you match that up with the sort of spontaneity that we demonstrate in the most of the rest of our lives, it sort of makes for a good combination and a worthwhile filter for what comes out as music.
What’s next for The Flash Bang Band?
We are heading off on tour all around Europe from the 1st of November to the 1st of December. Our album came out in August and we’re actively promoting that. We have a few music videos on the boil as ever and a few other bits n pieces going on. Having been working on the album release for a year we’re all spewing ideas for a new one too, writing new ideas and scratching them into slate constantly. Just playing, meeting like minded individuals and trying to add value to our lives.
And of those around them.

Make sure you check them out on their ‘terribly optimistic European tour’ – the information on which is here.

Bear's Den – Agape

admin — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 12:29:03 +0000

American jangle, rustic jaunts, banjo balladeering and stupefied skiffle, Bear’s Den’s five track EP Agape is a heartfelt and inspiring record. Sweet and simple, it unfolds quickly and is a seamlessly involving collection of music. Signed to Communion Records, they are completely representative of the label’s sound. Authentic and stirring, raw and dreamy, hook laden and emotional – and complete with beards.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr6G6oqDiRo]