I can’t write. anything. Nothing of any merit is being achieved here I just seem to sit here for hours rehashing the same bullshit ideas over and over again like I’m the songwriting equivalent of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Why does it have to be like this?. Is it because i’m not angry about anything anymore? or just because i’ve simply run out of ideas. I’m bored to the back teeth of folk songs and acoustic guitars and being a ‘singer/songwriter’ so maybe that’s it, maybe the step away I wanna take on the next record is just out of my reach for now. I should’ve played bass.   Life would be simpler. 

I also dont really know why i’m writing this on here but its 2 hours til my wife gets back from work and she’s probably rightfully bored of me whining about my tiny non-problems. And I hope that venting these issues will somehow vaguely help my mental stability.    

There’s 10 or so ideas down for this next record and pretty much all of them have no lyric thus far apart from a few babbled phrases that are doing more to show how little I’ve achieved than the spark of new invention. And I dont know what they’re about, I mean i haven’t got the foggiest idea what I’m writing about. If it doesn’t hold my interest for 10 mins how can I possibly tour it for the next year or so. 

Maybe I’ve just been in this flat too long staring out at the sun and now my brain has finally given up in a hope that I’ll follow suit and get some much needed B12 on my soon to be translucent skin. 

Who knows, but at least one thing is constant. I’ll be here tomorrow playing the same old/new riffs and mumbling senseless sentences over it, again and again. 

Novella

As the sun began its morning lap of the city thick beams of light reached into every inch of darkness. Bringing with it a freshness of colour and life, weaving through the empty streets exploring the innards of corporation towers and monsterous apartment blocks. The city’s former finanical district was now a collection of these towering levels of black concrete facades, each of its four walls punched with a thousand port hole windows, each an exact replica of the last, each a portal to a perfectly square room. 

2012

I’m not one to get sentimental or nostalgic often but I feel like I should write something down about this year, if only as an aid to my already fading memory. 2012 has by far been the best for my band, probably the best of our lives to be honest. Since our first real single came out on Valentines day we’ve hardly stopped, notching up a couple UK headline tours, One more supporting Frank and a string of solo shows too. Also went to Texas in March for SXSW, something that i’ve always wanted to do and it was a great feeling to know my music has had the ability to take me to the States (i’m desperate to go back). The last thing about the year would have to be the weirdest, signing with Frank at the Olympic opening ceremony is something I will never forget, we had the best week chilling in London, casually getting up to shout “I Still Believe” as loud as we could in front of god knows how many people. Mental.

So here’s to 2013, may this long continue. Thank you to everyone for their support and help along the way it IS truly appreciated. Hope you all have a monsterous hangover tomorrow.   

Living the Dream

Touring has, and always will be my favourite thing to do. Despite its hangovers, loss of sleep, no food and constant waiting around, there’s nothing I’d rather do than get in a van with my 3 best friends and travel around playing our songs to people kind enough to listen. 

With this tour being our first since we put out our record, i think we were all a little nervous to see how it affected attendance and response from crowds etc but our nerves were short lived. Getting off to a slowish start in Leicester and Bradford was completely understandable as we’ve weirdly never made it to these places on previous tours but we threw everything into it and had a great response from the folks that were there including the other bands, which i’ve come to find is a rarity at most shows these days. We were still positive and excited going into day 3, but marginally nervous again about the nights show. And then Leeds hit. Unbelievable. It was so lovely to see so many folks out and, quite honestly being drowned out by their singing back at us. Its a strange and beautiful feeling to be that far from our small town home and find a great mix of people with beaming smiles and fucking loud voices willing to join in the show - a perk i’m sure of having an album out. The show was great, one of my personal favourites i think. Sweaty, close and loud as hell in a basement is almost perfect for me.

Similarly, York did not disappoint the next night. York is still easily the most beautiful town we’ve visited and Stereo as a venue has it ALL right.  Great promoters, amazing sound, great hospitality and ultimately a massive passion for live music and it shows. I’d like to think we’ll play this venue a hundred times in our ‘career’ but i’m guessing we can’t fit that many in OR be playing for another 50 years… but we’ll be beyond happy to revisit it on every tour in the future.  

Now, after a day off at home the nerves have restarted for me, not about tonights show in London but for our hometown show on Saturday at the Gloucester Guildhall. At around 400 cap it’ll be our biggest headline show to date and to be frank it’s scaring the hell out of me. I just want it to be great, I want to be able to look out over our local crowd, at the promoters that we’ve played for and at our friends and family and thank them for setting us up on this journey - for being the FIRST people to believe in what we do, to be the first ones brave enough to walk around with our name across their chest and for parting with their hard earned money to come into a show or buy a record. These folks have seen us grow from a mildy offensive 1 man show into the band we are today, so in my eyes they deserve the first round of thanks. We’re very proud of where we’re from, for such a small area we have an abundance of great bands that, unlike most other towns, actually support each other, they get out to each others shows and most importantly tell their friends about them. I’m under no illusion that Cheltenham and Gloucester has played a massive part in me developing what i do and for giving me the confidence to take it around the country.

If anyone can give these locals a little nudge to remind them the show is this Saturday night it would be greatly appreciated and please remember that its way cheaper to get an advance ticket. It feels like i’m pleading for people to attend which i don’t want to be the case but for me this show is more than just a one off gig, its a validation i guess, that for the 13 years of my life that i’ve been chasing this dream, I might, with the love and support of this band, our friends and family and our local community be on the cusp of living it.