DEcided to check out the opening day of the Springboard festival. Started in Hallgate Tavern, Derek waudby kicked off with a great set of songs, Excellent guitar playing and a Neil Young cover. The James Dean Syndrome were next with some raw R&B. Black Lips meets Cream and a cover of Come Together. Next we wandered to The King Billy, were we're playing, great room, but the soundman from Hell! Back to Hallgate later to see Mamal Hum, it took ages to get a taxi back to Hull. And then we had the misfortune of Johnny Norris in Zest. Carnival.

Listening to Ethiopiques vol4 by Mulatu Astatqe. I keep coming back to this album it's amazing, Crazy jazz rock, thin fuzzed up guitar solo's and arabian sounding horns. Amazing. I also just got 'Nigeria Rock Special: Psychadelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk in 1970's Nigeria'. It is exactly what it says it is and amazing for it. Other than that i've been listening to The horrors, Sleepy sun, Woods, The Pink Mountaintops, Akron/Family, The Assemble head in Sunburst Sound, Karen Dalton, Wooden Shjips and Lee Hazlewood and Nancy sinatra. Not sure how I manage to fit anything else in really.
There is also a really good video for Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear out at the moment and also a track by Sharon Van Etton called For You which is really haunting and has an equally haunting video.
Finished the guitars and vocals of one track yesterday at Nova Studios, In again next saturday to record Bass and Keyboards. The songs we are recording are 'How can you take me dancing?' and 'The Lies". Going to Springboard festival tonight to see some bands and Playing on Sunday at 7:30 at the King Billy.

First time i've Played Ten Pin Bowling for about five years and I won. 150 points. I've never got that many points in my life!
We played at The Buffalo Bar in London last friday (22nd May). It went really well. Loads of people came and Dinger, a friend from Hull, said "it was like watching all your favorite bands at once but in a new way". That will do me! Got really wrecked and ended up in The Lexington pub listening to a d.j. in a Sunn O))) t shirt play Joy Division and Killing Joke records. It was a good night. Stayed over at John Mcarthers place in Stoke Newington. I fell to sleep around 3 luckily as Carl and John ended up playing internet Poker into the early hours. Woke up the next morning and me and Archie had breakfast at a sicilian place with really moody waitresses. Stoke Newington seems like a really nice place, the high street is like a village. Nice pubs too. on the way there we went past Highbury stadium which was very impressive. The drive home on Saturday was a nightmare though, loads of people leaving London for the bank holiday, took about 4 and a half hours to get home.
Hull City played on Sunday so went to watch that, City lost to Man U 1-0 but still stayed in the premiership due to Newcastle being useless. I left after the match but was told that the evening got messy with loads of fat heads singing football songs in overcrowded pubs. Hideous!
Gig on Sunday at the Springboard Festival in Cottingham, we're playing at the King Billy at 7:30. The festival starts on Friday other acts playing over the weekend are; Awash with Antler, Derek Waudby, The Notebook, Jeremy Warmsley, Mammal Hum.
Going to go on Friday to catch some bands, and then see whatever else I can on Sunday.
We seem to have loads more gigs coming up. Sheffield, Lancaster, Manchester, Hull, and the prospect of The Big Chill Festival and Carling Leeds Festival. Rory from The Notebook is also trying to put on a local festival at a farm in Long Riston.
We have also got a good review of our e.p. on thisisull.com it is above.
James

Pictures from the recording session at Nova Studios

This picture is of Hull from the roof of Chi Chi a night club. We ended up there last friday after recording. The main room was Dub step which was a bit annoying but there was a back room of heavy dub, which was great. Spent most of the time in there bouncing off the walls.
Started reading the Bob Dylan chronicles so to celebrate, i'm listening to all his albums in order from 'Bob Dylan' to 'Together through life." It's a long enjoyable process.
We've been practicing hard for the London gig at the Buffalo bar next Friday (May 22nd). All going well. I've also put some new pictures up on my flickr - some form the Marble Valley tour, some from a trip to Filey.

Finished the Marble Valley tour, had a great time. This picture is from a lift in Aberdeen with Richard from Copy Haho, his friend, West-e and myself. I'll get the photo's i took on my Holga developed and put up on the flickr soon.
I've been reading loads of biographies recently; John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Marlon Brando, Bill Hicks. They all run the same. Talent success, troubles, misunderstood. Genius, death. (apart from hicks who missed out on most of the success bit).

There is a Marble Valley interview on Drowned in Sound. You can find it here: www.drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4136637

Started recording two new Horse Guards Parade songs at Nova Studios last friday (May 8th). We did 'How can you take me dancing' and 'The lies'
both sounding great, but a lot more work needed.

Playing At the Buffalo bar in London on Friday May 22nd for a Fortuna Pop night. Then the Springboard festival in Cottingham the next Sunday.