The weather is improving... and with it is a raise in
spirits. And glasses, I suppose. So much activity/inactivity to think about,
and the only constant is the noise and the state of flux itself. The incessant
hammering of bass drums and walls going up, almost in equal parts. We’re
thinking about how to get our first party/show past those lovely folks at the
council - we've never been an unplugged band, and now less than ever.



Thought I’d put some blogs together for the record; as it takes shape, I’d like
to keep a record and make some of the ideas public. More as it appears, which
it is - and slowly finding its form and themes. The record is not a political
statement; nor should it be. Don’t make music to give yourself a soapbox; but
why hold back? You’ve been given a platform and the immediate world around
should influence that. don't sing songs about how worn-out your clothes are and
how many times she's knocked you back - unless that's the most important thing
to you right now. Too much safety, too few risks. And as Edwyn Collins said -
too many protest singers, not enough protest songs. Take the 'mongrel' project.
Far from being a shy nod to liberal politics in the music industry's
traditional way, these guys don't hold back. Whether you like it or not, you
can't question the project’s integrity. Make your statements and stick to them,
and then take them out on the road where you can shout about them more. Musicians
spend too much time complaining about how they don't get any money for their
art, and not enough time trying to impact on the world around them. You’re
doing what you do to create a legacy anyway, so at the risk of sounding
flippant, what does it matter? If you have somewhere to play and something to
say then you're doing ok.



"I was born out of time...” Something that John McClure said in a recent
interview. Never has it been truer. Where are they? The trailblazers, the
artists, the glorious dead? This summer is an important one for the youth of ....Britain....,
however young you indeed are. March and protest is on the rise; and the country
runs the risk of serious direct action thanks to its governments inactivity. This
is not to condone; nor to complain, and not to offer complaint. But as the heat
rises with the midsummer sun, there will be words uttered, and they won't be
quiet. ....Athens.... erupts. ....Paris....
takes to the streets. I wonder if the lemons and the teargas are heading our
way?



This is not a call to arms, nor an incitement to riot. But there are more angry
people out there than there have been in a long time, and a lot don't quite
know how to articulate it. the good people at 'instigate debate' had much to say
last night, and to sit 100 men and women in a room full of strangers, who then all
begin to address the issues of the day... we have a start. But these are people
who care passionately, and the task is amplified as it spreads thinner. Get
involved. Whatever it is you give a shit about - speak out join in, or do your
own thing...

.. ..

Apologies for the rant. I sat down to say that we were
playing some shows, that we were getting our live act to where it needs to be. But
it all came out a bit differently to that, as it often does. Anyway. Gigs and
festivals. Come check ‘em out at the usual places.

.. ..

Much love....

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