Just heard that "The Chronicles of Modern Life" has been picked as BBC Radio Wales Evening Show's album of the year. I have to pop into Bangor's BBC studio tomorrow to do a pre-recorded "down the lines to Cardiff" interview/mini session with presenter Alan Thompson.....He'll be playing tracks from the album, but also has asked me play something from Chronicles, and also something new....hmmm, what shall I do?..I think either "A Pint of Bitter and Twisted, Please", or perhaps, as it's Christmas, the more heart-warming "Her Ladyship".
Both went down well at recent gigs, including a packed "in-store" that I played last week at 30th Birthday Party of the legendary Cob Records in Bangor. Strange playing under old florescent lights, behind racks of vinyl and CDs, and in the middle of the afternoon...
 

As you can see from the photo, Cob is like something from "High Fidelity"; I've been buying LPs/CDs there for 20 years, and it's gratifying to see it's still going strong, despite the current musical climate - it's a record shop run by music lovers for music lovers (not many stores like this left).  Thanks to everyone who turned up...I was a bit nervous as it was the first ever gig I've done entirely on my own (well, bit of a fib there, as Owen from Cob joined in on cahon on the last song...), but I had a great time..at one point, despite the lack of my trusty side-kick and guitar "wunderkind" Pete Riley, I was able, mid-song, to brag about my guitar-playing prowess, and how I was "on fire, today"!!..Needless to say, pride comes before a fall,  and the more customary fluffed chords followed!
Then on Friday I was at The Wild Swans gig in Liverpool..this time as a punter rather than playing keys for them (I helped out as stand-in pianist at the gigs they did the other month); they've now got a new younger, & frankly, better permanent keyboard player, Richard, on board now!...it was another amazing line-up including 2 Bunnymen, 1 ex-Spiritualized-er and 1 Brian Jonestown Massacre-ee...singer Paul Simpson was heard to exclaim "How cool is my band?!"...Great evening, and nice to see that the latest Wild Swans single "Liquid Mercury", (which I co-produced with the band), is picking up some play on Janice Long's Radio 2 Show, amongst others.
Oh, and the interview mentioned at the beginning of this blog will be broadcast in a special Evening Show "end of year" round-up on Christmas Eve on BBC Radio Wales or online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/radiowales/sites/eveningshow/

See you soon
H

So it's all change in Wales...
I'm afraid, due to unforseen circumstances, the promoters have postponed the gig on Friday at "Acapela", Pentyrch, near Cardiff...but it has been rescheduled for April 29th 2010, and I believe tickets held will still be valid for that show...(check with box office 01446 799 100).
Apologies to anyone who's bought tickets and made plans....
But a gig (of sorts) has come in in North Wales....the wonderful Cob Records store in Bangor is celebrating 30 years of existence, and have asked me to do an "instore" for them on Saturday 5th December at 2pm...so I'll be getting up to do a short set, on my own..and I'll try and leave the shop without buying too many CDs..
H x

I've been scaling down the gigging while I concentrate on trying to get my album finished for end of Jan (if poss)...think we've got all the songs...had a good session last week with my customary co-writer Tom Gilbert, and joined on 3 songs by Pete Riley...
here are some song titles to perhaps whet your appetite : "Huntin' and Gatherin' Ain't What it Used to be", "A Pint of Bitter and Twisted, Please", "We're All Farmers Underneath", "Same Circus, Different Clowns", "Her Ladyship", and "Goodbye Common Sense".
So apart from a performance tomorrow night at the 21st annual, and final, "Scouseology" Awards (a Liverpool Arts award ceremony in the posh Crown Plaza Hotel), where I'm to perform "Grey's The New Blonde" live, and on my own (that'll be interesting!), the only gig I'm doing before Xmas is in Cardiff at "Acapela" next Friday 27th (details in gig guide). Pete played it the other week with my good mate Amy Wadge, and it's apparently a renovated chapel, which houses a beautiful venue and a studio, owned by brilliant Welsh harpist Catrin Finch.(http://acapela.co.uk/)

While we're down in Cardiff we'll be doing a live session on Thursday night's Alan Thompson Evening Show on BBC Radio Wales...a couple of my songs (old and new), one of Pete's, and 2 songs by Kite Runners, which is a side-project that Amy Wadge, Pete Riley and I have been working on in our "down time".

Had some good news today, that one of my old songs "Something So Wonderful" (written by myself and Irish singer/songwriter Eleanor McEvoy in 1996) is on a new album by The Dublin Gospel Choir and currently in the Irish Top 30. And it's picked up some good reviews along the way in The Irish Times, and Hot Press (see below).

That's all for now..see you soon
H x

= ....

If anyone's in the Aigburth area of Liverpool tomorrow night, I'm performing a full set (with Pete Riley) at the Little Green Cafe on Aigburth Road....(The Little Green featured in the lyric of my last double 'a' side single  "The Coolest Dance (is the Irish Jig)", so the least I can do is do a gig for them).
It's a free gig (The Little Green put on gigs every Thurs, and it's a great atmosphere) and I'll also try out a few new songs in preparation for the new album I'm about to record....should be on "stage" around 8.45....
Otherwise, I've just been hard at it working on songs for album #2 ("Chronicles of Modern Life Vol 2"??), so have downscaled the gigs...only other gig I've got on before Xmas is the Chapel near Cardiff in late November (details in gig guide).
I'm planning a short UK tour for April (hopefully to tie in with release of album 2, if it's finished!)...just waiting for the gigs to be confirmed, and then I'll put them all up on the gig guide shortly.
Bye for now...
Henry

Back on the road this week with a vengeance: Pete Riley & I have got 6 gigs in 7 days....
The first 4 are all at the Everyman Theatre (Thurs, Fri and 2 shows on Saturday), with Liverpool favourites Deaf School, reformed in order to play a handful of ultra rare gigs...they're returning to the venue where I first saw them back in 1975 - and so blown away was I by their performance that, as mentioned in the song "Did I Fight in the Punk Wars for This?", the very next day I "cut off my hair, took in my flares and joined the Art School band"!. Apparently the London gigs last week were amazing, with the likes of Holly Johnson, Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and Kevin Rowlands all in attendance.
I can't stress how influential/important the band where for me (and for Liverpool music in general in those dark pre-punk days)....they were mostly in the 3rd year at Liverpool Art College, but had just signed a RECORD DEAL with Warners!! We were the snivelling 1st year band, but they took pity on us, lent us all their gear, gave us advice, got their manager to manage us, took us on tour with them; and guitarist Clive Langer (who would go on to have phenomenal success as a producer for the likes of Madness, Dexy's, Bush, Bowie/Jagger etc) was the first person who, on finding out our set was full of cover versions (albeit very obscure), said to me, "why don't you write your own songs?"..."eh, how d'you do that then?" was my reply....luckily I took his advice and learned how.
So we're on first tomorrow, but also on doing a short guest spot on the Thursday/Friday gigs is Ian Broudie...I caught him a few weeks ago with the Lightening Seeds at The Liverpool Philharmonic, but I'm looking forward to seeing him tomorrow with the music stripped back, and just a guitarist with him.

Then on Tuesday Pete and I have a gig in York (The Duchess, with good friend Amy Wadge), and finally, on Wednesday, I've been asked back to Biddulph (there's an album title!). I was there a month or so ago doing a lecture (as mentioned in an earlier blog), and the fools have invited me back to do a proper gig at the Biddulph Town Hall ...can't wait...these support slots are fun, but trouble is, I tend to want to natter on so much at my gigs, and don't get a chance at the support gigs...on my own gigs I can really relax, and gab for as long as I like (or as long as the audience let me!!).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to all these gigs...time for my vocal exercises, I feel...

yes, it's official, I'm a big hypocrite...all that talk of "Say No To the Logo" on the album, and here I am putting slogan-daubed T-shirts up on the site...but anyway, I'm reliably informed they're organic (eh?), and contain the wonderful and pithy slogans "grey's the new blonde" and "r.e.d.u.n.d.a.n.t. spells misery", with a pleasingly discreet "Henry Priestman, The Chronicles of Modern Life" on the back of the shirt...on sale here!

And is anyone else watching "Rock of Love" on Freeview's TMF (10pm)?...chanced upon it yesterday, and it is hilarious, and possibly signals the end of western civilisation as we know it!

Been a bit lax on the blogging front...apologies, but been pretty busy: have started writing songs for Chronicles 2 (as we're calling it)....somehow managed to write three in a day the other week...it's basically the same approach as Chronicles 1: find a title/subject matter, sit round talking & laughing for half an hour, then a hit a G chord and we're off...."Huntin' and Gatherin' (ain't what it used to be)", "Her Ladyship" and "Rant and Rave"....

Great reaction to two of the above new songs when I played them at my first ever full solo gig, which took place at the wonderful Processed Pea Folk Club near Beverley last week...was a bit weird not having Pete (Riley) at my side...the guitar sounded a lot more lonely and scratchy, and the odd bum chord kept the audience on their toes, but it went really well...the chap who ran it, Stuart, said I was the most entertaining person they'd had at the club in their 40 year history (yeah, bet he says that to everyone who plays...also note he said "most entertaining" not "best singer" or "finest musician"!!).....my brother Will joined me on electric guitar for a few songs (we worked out that the last time we were "onstage" together was 1971, on the landing at home, in front of my Mum and Dad).

Also enjoyed playing with Paul Simpson's "The Wild Swans" at their first gig in 26 years....2 nights at Static Gallery in Liverpool....a lot of love in the air, people had travelled from as far away as Wisconsin and Japan, and witnessed a bit of an all star line-up, including Les and Will from the Bunnymen playing onstage for first time in 10 years.
It was strange me being back playing keyboards again, almost forgotten how they work.

A few bits of live news...I'm returning to The Georgian in Coatbridge (near Glasgow) on Aug 29th: we had a brilliant time when we played there in February, and I'm made up to be asked back...Pete will be working hard that night, as well as doing a set with me he'll also be doing his own set beforehand.....and the Biddulph Arms gig (near Stoke) on 23rd September has been "upgraded" to the Biddulph Town Hall (details on gig guide).

Bye for Now
H x

A week in rawwwk:
So, despite this new fangled career thingy of me being a "solo artist", I haven't given up my day job, writing and producing.
I'd agreed to get involved with Absolute Radio (formerly Virgin Radio) and their "One Last Dream" competition. The idea was that the station would hold this competition to find a band from "back in the day" who'd never made it and give 'em one last chance, and I'd co-write and produce a brand new song.

The winners were a lovely bunch of lads, "The Original Sinners" from Amersham....a full-on hairy-arsed rock band, and no mistakin'!!
So we met up last Monday (22nd), bonded in the pub, threw around a few ideas for a new song which all parties agreed should be called "One Last Dream" and should basically describe the madness that the band had been through in the last few weeks...it's all been a bit of a blur for them as they only met up again 3 weeks ago, after having not seen each other for 15 years .
Tuesday we wrote the song, then Wednesday we found ourselves in Abbey Road Studio 3 with 12 hours to record this brand new opus...nothing like a deadline to keep you focussed...at one point around 6pm I was thinking "this is madness, we're never going to get it finished", but the adrenlin kicks in and everybody delivered, and 11pm we had it mixed...and I do believe we got away with it!
Thursday morning 7.45am I was interviewed live on Absolute Radio on the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show and the song had it's first play, and since then they've been hammering it (I've heard it twice today already)... it's being rush-released as a charity single today on i-tunes, 79p and proceeds from sales go to Teenage Cancer Trust...(so if anyone's feeling charitable?).

It was only after we finished that I admitted to the band that I've never really "raaawwwkkked" before..I'm strictly Pop, with occasional indy, singer-songwriter (and country!?!) tendencies....but it felt good, so thanks Pete, Dan, Mark, Al and Dave.

PS.....Then on Saturday the band capped off a brilliant week as they played to 40,000 people opening Saturday's Hyde Park concert on the same bill as Neil Young, Fleet Foxes, Seasick Steve and Pretenders...Go, Sinners!

PPS...the only slight downside to a most enjoyable week was that, in return for me giving my time for free, Absolute Radio had promised to promote and play my new single and the album....then it turns out that the stuff on my album doesn't fit into their format...(yer what?!?...)...hmmmm, maybe I need to learn to rawwwk more...