flickersflickersflickers in the sky created by vandals or exhibitionists? remember remember the 5th of november.....

as our ailing sporting interests continue to disappoint we remain engrossed by the recording of our very first record. from synth to sample we are constructing something we like... and hopefully so will you.

said music shall be created and finalised by the turn of the year and there are a few things you will have to firmly keep your beady eye upon as we shall have a few things to clarify with such release.

on other matters, the drones have pulled out of their european tour through illness and thus the nice & sleazy's performance is up in limbo. we may enquire as to whether or not we should hijack said concert however all will be revealed by word. i would, however, urge you to go see our love beast Will Hanson perform his new album at King Tut's on the 12/11/09.

that is all


i love you very much


Rx

Believe it or not, I have just returned from an afternoon spent forraging for wild berries.  No, that is not a metaphor for some kind of sordid, communal sex gathering but merely a pre-cursor for an evening of, how can I put this? Chutney making?  These are truly regrettable times indeed when the simple description of the preparation of a tangy, fruit based preserve cannot be made without conjuring nightmarish images of dimly lit public facilities.  Anyway, I digress...

I am currently cocooned in womb-like comfort at my family home in rural Aberdeenshire where I am recovering from a particularly painful fractured rib. Or was it heart? I'm still trying to work that one out actually.  However, the Lourdes-esque healing powers of simple pleasures such as home-made sweet potato soup and showering with adequate water pressure cannot be under-estimated and are already going a long way to help fuse together my broken bones (and organs).

Self-restoration apart, this Zeppelin III style escape to the country is also serving as a welcome break from the rigours of contemporary urban exictence.  Despite my interest in Tolkein having plateaued somewhat since an exhaustive viewing of "The Return of the King's" comprehensive DVD extras, I am nevetheless, a firm believer that periodic immersion in bucolic surroundings can only good for the soul. And heart. And ribs?

While Page and Plant used the countryside's idyllic surroundings as dubious inspiration for their mostly lamentable (yet pompously enjoyable) foray into the world of Prog-folk, work on Nacional's debut continues to (hopefully) strike more relevant notes.  With the "Mother" himself, Sam Smith guiding us with the aura of an 18-30 rep leading a group of coked up, breezer swilling lads from Guildford to the happy hour at the "Prince William" pub in Magaluf, I am more confident than ever that the finished product will in fact not be shit.

On the live front, the dust has just about settled on our triumphant gig at King Tuts last Saturday when,  for the first time in our careers we were handed clean, fluffy white towels at the end of the show. As I dabbed at the perspiration on my brow with the fabric softened material I couldnt help feeling a little bit like Bono.

Well, due to the glaring fact that this chutney is by no means going to make itself, I'm heading downstairs to the kitchen to spend the next few hours sweating while leaning over a hot stove... 

Viva Fox Hunting!

Jamie x

hello everyone,

just a quick update on Nacional's movements........

so the tour went well, we played to lots of people in lots of fun places and made lots of new friends including Maggot from Goldie Lookin Chain. Peace out brother. We failed however, to make friends with Kaiser Chiefs. We just played pool instead. We drank lots of fun things too and I can safely say that Bollinger is best served at just above room temperature whilst strolling along a canal in North London at 9am. Cheers Lisa and Barnes. Lovely.

Cheers to the new age sex tourist that is Will Hanson for his support slots and steely nerves when faced with the long arm of the law somewhere outside Aberdeen. You can check out his album on Myspace. Eric Hall described it as "Monster" and thats good enough for me.

Thanks also to Pat, Sparks, Anya and the rest of the London massive for their support and hospitality.

Rockness was a blast, we even managed to play the Cazoo on the Main Stage. Go on Parks ya mad Buckie bastard!. A big shout too for Macca for a sterling performance behind the wheel of a less than sterling van despite an apparent lack of footwear.

We're back in Glasgow now where we have been drinking Tennents lager by ourselves because our girlfriends dont like us anymore. Its ok though, pints of Tennents dont ask you to change the channel when you're trying to enjoy another gripping instalment of Ross Kemp On Gangs.

We have also started recording our debut album with Sam Smith (Mother and the Addicts) at the helm. Its all going well and will hopefully be completed by the time we play King Tuts in August (Sat 22nd). Thats right, get yer tickets now for what promises to be a lovely evening.

Until then folks

Keep it Krishna

Jamie x

PS if anyone has any wizard ideas for the title of our new album please post them below.....

SO... heres a wee update of the latest goings on at Nacional HQ.

The gig at Club Snafu in Aberdeen was a lot of fun, although I must say we were a little worried about the rate at which punters were trickling into the club - which ended up being absolutely jam packed. Unlike the Research Club on the Saturday, which was a great set, but due to the blistering Glasgow sun and Kelvingrove beer sessions, the turn out was a bit disappointing - but worry not Glasgow, next Tuesday nights' West End Festival performance at The Captains Rest promises to be a blinder, so get your tickets now!

We had a good laugh in Bristol and I had the honour of joining Mr. Will Hanson, tour manager extrordinaire and all-round hero on a couple of songs. The journey down had been a little disorientating for those of us in the back of the van which had no windows and very little light. Then on to London...

Waking up to a parking ticket is never good, but all seemed to brighten after breakfast in Chelsea. The Wilmington Arms in Islington is a very good venue. The crowd were fantastic and everyone seemed to have a great night. Some of us (me) had a little too much fun. Probably just as well we went on first that night cos it ended up getting a little messy!

After saying our goodbyes to Will as he jetted off to do some gigs in New York we headed for Leeds. We were all really buzzing about this one. Rob being a Leeds boy was expecting a big turn out of his mates and family, Matt from our label Art/Goes/Pop was coming and Josh Armitage who has made 2 ace videos for us and designed our sleeves and tour poster would be there, along with many other long term supporters, friends and colleagues. Another great turn out, and what I felt was quite possibly our best performance to date. We ended up staying in The Faversham pretty much all night throwing shapes and partying.

The only downer was having some fucker stealing all the money we'd made selling records that night from beneath our very noses.

So now it's off to Inverness for goNORTH on Thursday (@ The Ironworks) then Rock Ness on Friday. We're playing at around 10pm so if you're going then please come check us out. Then it's the West End Festival in Glasgow next Tuesday and then back down to London on Thursday to play a showcase for Live Nation at The Lexington with We Were Promised Jetpacks.

All thats left for now is to thank everyone who has helped us out thus far by giving us beds, food and drink, for making us laugh and making us dance, for coming to gigs and buying our records, for all the encouragement and for making it all possible. 

Col
x

hello hello,


here are some nice links for our Radio 1 session last week. we had a lot of fun, twas muchly enjoyable!!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/vicgalloway


and huw stephens played our next single On TV at.....


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jwrvn/Huw_Stephens_In_New_Music_We_Trust_22_04_2009


this is a good thing.


Nx

hello hello,

we shallt be out and about this week and there are two opportunities for you to catch us this week.....

on wednesday 22.04.09 we will be doing a live session for the Vic Galloway Show on Radio1, broadcasting commences at 12.00 midnight.

on thursday 23.04.09 we will be playing The Mill at the Oran Mor from 8.30pm. tickets are for free but you will have to text MILL91 to 82500 to receive 2 free tickets sent directly to your telephonique. texts are charged at your networks normal rate (aka 10 british pence).

this is all for now.


xxx

hello good people,
i haven't had the opportunity to touch down base since arriving back from texas, however i assure you that i shall be posting a blog with haste regarding our journey to sxsw. we currently have a video diary being scanned to place on our page so keep your eyes steady and peeled. as for other remarks regarding sxsw we have received this lovely blog in which you should read, yes you should!
http://onlyaprawninaustin.blogspot.com/

closer to home we have also had the honour of The Skinny Mag compiling the very first feature of Nacional, something which has made us very happy young men and here it ist!!
http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/45422-nacional-bright-young-things

we shall be playing shows of excitement on these shores over the coming weeks with The Mill at Oran Mor avec Diamond Sea being a highlight. with that we are also recording a live session for the excellent Vic Galloway Show on Radio 1 and also intend to come to a town near you in may and june!! busy as always dear friends. i also would like to indicate on this dear blog that our debut album, with working title 'Forward Killing', is ready and we are awaiting finances to begin recording such. i anticipate that this will be very very soon. however, if you cannot wait for such or do not possess patience, you will be able to buy 'On TV' & 'First Killing' on vinyl and itunes via the quite fantastic label art/goes/pop.
this is all for now,
love
Rx