Myself, Jay and Adam will be chatting and playing tracks from the new album with Dean Jackson on The Beat (BBC Radio Nottingham) between 6 and 10pm on Sat 22nd November.

It'll be online too if you can't make it.

And here is the link:

BBC Radio Nottingham The Beat

We're on the last half hour of the show.

Michael.

Our new album is finally ready for release. It's been a long but rewarding road.

We've called it 'The Carrousel Awaits'. Here's the tracklisting:

1. Whores and Vipers Ride the Welcome Wagon

2. Welcome to the Sorcery Clan

3. Bakare's Secret Space Station

4. 1970s Projection of the Future

5. The Carrousel Awaits

6. Weak are these Hands

7. Ferocious Ass

8. Miss July '89

9. Monstro says 'Sound the Horn'

10. 22055

11. Wind Her

The album will be available for FREE at our launch night at Nottingham Rescue Rooms on Saturday 29th November.

In the weeks leading up to the launch, we'll be previewing tracks on our myspace.

Thanks for maintaining an interest,

The Hellset Orchestra

Good day one and all.

The new album is very close to being 'done'.

We are most pleased with it.

Just need to get someone to release it now.

Won't be long.

It is with great joy that we announce that our debut full-length album is ready for release.

'Spectre At The Feast' will be brought to you by Wicked Wicked Bird Records, to be officially released on 2^nd April. It will feature an electric dectet of musical splendours, alongside two equally splendid promotional videos and an assortment of pleasant ephemera.

We will be celebrating with a most magnificent and spectacular performance at the Nottingham Maze venue on Sat 31^st March.

Here's the track listing to whet your appetites:

1.      Glamazon Rides Compsognathus

2.      The Same Old Crow

3.      Come Back Cavalry *

4.      Old Emmanuel

5.      King Arthur Would Be Proud

6.      Both Hands On The Altar *

7.      I Have Escaped Grimmer Dungeons Than This

8.      The Amazing Railway Set / Vortex

9.      Lizard Bobsleigh

10.  …The Other Side Of Town

* Promotional video included

The album will be initially available at live shows, through www.thehellsetorchestra.co.uk and Nottingham Selectadisc.

We shall be gracing the following venues at the corresponding moments in time:

Sat 31^st Match – Nottingham Maze ***Album Launch***

Sun 1^st April – London Water Rats

Sat 7^th April – Leicester Sumo

Sun 8^th April – Nottingham Audio Montage Festival (Mansfield Rd)

Weds 11^th April – Hull Adelphi

Sat 14th April - Sheffield Casbah

Hope that we meet soon.

The Hellset Orchestra

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is with great pleasure that we inform you of the fabulous news that we shall be releasing a download-only single via our website on Friday 13th October.
'My Boy, The Battledroid' will be available for purchase through Paypal at the cost of 99p. The single is backed with b-side 'Son of Sharpshot' and comes complete with associated artwork.

The release is our first since July 2005's 'Greetings From The Great Humongous', still available from www.thehellsetorchestra.co.uk, Rough Trade and Nottingham Selectadisc.
A full-length album is in the pipeline, earmarked for a February release.

Fair thee well.
The Hellset Orchestra

Hot. Hot that should be pronounced 'HAAAAT'. As in 'Haaaat like the sun'.
We like the Maze. Even when it is dead hot.
We did a nice long set amidst some projections and some heckling from who I like to call 'contradiction man'. He seemed to be enjoying himself though - a lone Scot in a sea of English fools. He did a good job of reminding us how much worse we are than everything North of the border.  ;)
Nice crowd, it seemed 'ok' to play some of the slower, quiet ones - which isn't very often - and then launch into some gut-blowing power rock.
A few beers and then home.

I have never experienced an apocalypse. At least, one that I have noticed. There has been a couple of times I've thought one was coming - but none as yet.
Saturday afternoon was one of the times when I thought there was one imminent. As we pulled up to collect the gear from the Maze it started PISSING IT DOWN. 'We'll hold on 5 mins', I thought, 'then it'll clear'.
No.
Bollocks to it - we're going to get wet.
Chivalry, however, is not dead. Relieving the female members of the band of their gear lifting duties, us males went about doing what any male would do - remove our shirts and lift some heavy equipment. In the rain.
Numerous passers-by thought we were recreating our favourite male Baywatch moments as some kind of homo erotic escapade, such was the ripple of muscles on show.

Gear in the van, rain easing off, all of our worries washed away?
No.
Long story short. We now know how to get the spare tyre from under a transit van.

We arrive at the venue just in time. The soundguy at the Windmill is a legend. We've missed soundcheck pretty much every time we've played there and every time he does a sterling job. Nice 'select' crowd - not too busy, but not dead either. Enjoyable performance - job done.
When we finish, the soundman puts on 'Mule Variations' by Tom Waits. Lovely. I'll listen to that on the way back.
On leaving, a woman inquires if we have thought about playing in Toronto. We ponder on how this would be good.

FOGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

So, onto Leeds.
We've never had much luck in Leeds. It's always a bit of an 'uphill struggle' for us. Could today turn those fortunes?
We arrive to find out that the proposed 4 band bill has now halved and, knowing that we can only bring a meagre crowd in Leeds, I began to think that a repeat of previous visits was in store.
Gig was ok. We were one violin down due to Dan having to work, but a good soundman and nice monitor mix made everything sound ok. On a personal level I was a little 'put off' by my sheer annoyance towards my drum/piano/organ stool.
The stool was a present from last year. It wasn't cheap. It's one function as a stool is to provide the 'seater' with adequate height and stability whilst sitting on it. I'm not expecting my stool to do anything else but THE ONE THING IT IS DESIGNED TO DO. Adam had the same stool, but his frustrations got the better of him (same problem) a few weeks previously. So, there I am, mid-song, and I start to 'sink' until my chin is about the height of the piano keys. Not happy.
Going to have to buy a new one tomorrow.
Post gig I have a wander to find some 'fod'. The only establishment open within a mile radius of the venue is a McDonald's. I try to hide my shame as I indulge in their specialties.
On the way back we reminisce how this time last year we were in Germany.

On our travels, via the excellence of my mp3 phone I have been enjoying:
Alkaline Trio, Final Fantasy, Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, Dresden Dolls, Tokyo Police Club, Tom Waits, Ben Folds Five, Wolf Parade, Fantomas.

DAY FIVE – Oxford

Oxford is always great. We've played about five times in various venues there. People seem to 'get' what we're trying to do. The crowd swells as we begin playing. None of us are worried about playing the new songs – we seem comfortable playing them now.

The Same Old Crow

My Boy: The Battledroid

Temporary Stronghold Of The Weather Thieves

I Have Escaped Grimmer Dungeons Than This

The Amazing Railway Set / Vortex

Son Of Sharp Shot

It Takes Twice As Long (When You're Half As Big)

Come Back Cavalry

Protect Us From Our Nightmares, O Lord

King Arthur Would Be Proud

Orpheus' Incredulous Eyepop

DAY SIX – London

I'm writing this at 2pm on Saturday – before we set off for Leeds tonight. We got back into Nottingham at 6.30am after deciding that it'd be better to drive back after the gig rather than face a gargantuan 6 hour drive from London to Leeds today. Right now, it seems fitting to describe last night in snippets:

SatNav is bloody great. Very late sound check. Trying to find friends and family in the cold. Underground part of a three-floor venue. Fucking cold. Some blokes have a massive fight. Bouncers in luminous orange waistcoats. Not playing until incredibly late (we didn't start until about 1.30am). Top gig – seems very natural and tight after all the gigs this week. Nice crowd – braving the cold and lateness. Meet some nice people. Flog some CDs. Decide to go home. Not being bothered about paying £4 for a panini – melted cheese is always good.

We played (again, order may have been different):

The Same Old Crow

My Boy: The Battledroid

'Come Into My Lab', He Said

The Amazing Railway Set / Vortex

Son Of Sharp Shot

Temporary Stronghold Of The Weather Thieves

Born In The Winds Of A Hurricane

Come Back Cavalry

It Takes Twice As Long (When You're Half As Big)

Protect Us From Our Nightmares, O Lord

Orpheus' Incredulous Eyepop

-------------------------------------

Thank God It's Judas  

DAY THREE – Wakefield

We'd played at this venue before and were delighted to see our photograph on their small 'hall of fame' towards the back of the venue (10 ego-puff points). Slightly more cramped set-up than in Coventry and I think I may have got the angle on the 'attacking V-plow' organ/piano layout a little too tight (note to self: protractor required). Gig was ok, nice to see some familiar faces. I think we all agreed we played too many new songs.

We played (order might be wrong, can't remember)

The Same Old Crow

My Boy: The Battledroid

I Have Escaped Grimmer Dungeons Than This

Old Emmanuel

Temporary Stronghold Of The Weather Thieves

Come Back Cavalry

It Takes Twice As Long (When You're Half As Big)

King Arthur Would Be Proud

Orpheus' Incredulous Eyepop

DAY FOUR – Manchester

Mad for it.

With two native Mancunians in the band we knew we shouldn't get lost – which is pleasing. I had my first bottle of Lucozade today: I normally require at least one every time we leave Nottingham, but I'm trying to cut down.

Manchester is nice, if slightly cold and drizzly. The venue has a deliberate boudoir sleaze to it with tiger skin panelling (not real tiger we presume). When we arrive there are lots of people eating and there seems to be no obvious place for a band to play. We managed though. They give us two serving plates of sandwiches, which was nice. Jay has a Spinal Tap moment trying to create the optimum filling. I go for the 'two at once' strategy. It was most rewarding.

Adam's cousin runs a nice pub round the corner, which we go to have some beers and say hello. Quality pub with loads of Classic Rock tracks playing. We enquire as to what 'Satan's Hollow' is. A bloke asks if we have any Satan's Hollow flyers. We want to play there.

Performance was good – there were a few people that seem to have heard 'Lab' before. Our job was made a bit harder by the abundance of tables and seats near to where we were playing but it didn't have the affect that a 'half seated audience' had done before. An old mate was thrown out for being too drunk.

On the way home, we feel it would be rude not to sample some a local curry house.

Oh yes.

Day off tomorrow – good job. 

Protect Us From Our Nightmares, O Lord

My Boy: The Batteldroid

'Come Into My Lab', He Said

Temporary Stronghold Of The Weather Thieves

All To The Centaur

Son Of Sharp Shot

It Takes Twice As Long (When You're Half As Big)

Come Back Cavalry

Orpheus' Incredulous Eyepop