Nick and I are back at our London HQ after two huge Leisure Society weekends in Barcelona (Faraday Festival) and Latvia (Positivus festival) followed by 4 headline dates around the UK.  Thank you to everyone who came to all and any of those shows - we have been overwhelmed by the crowds.  Truly.

Latvia was a tumultuous weekend.  The people and place were incredible, as was our show.  In sharp contrast, we also came into contact with our fair share of drama; a car lost control and flipped into a ditch in front of our van and we were the first at the scene, thankfully both girls in the car escaped relatively unscathed.  The next day our flight out of Riga hit a severe storm, prompting a bizarre steep bank and a breathless period of dropping out of the sky then climbing again only to plummet once more as hailstones hammered down all around us.  Nick and I are now wondering how we will tour abroad - the current plan is to play cruise ships to our destinations.  Water seems so much more appealing than sky at the moment.

Being home feels gooooood.  Tomorrow I am definitely, definitely, absolutely, unequivocally going to finish the Climbers record 'The Good Ship'.  It can not go on any longer!  That will mean my friend Tim West can start the process of releasing the thing with the wonderful people of Willkommen.  Look out for it.

My second solo record is now going to get some love and affection now.  I have been scribbling and noodling and plotting and hatching non-stop whilst working with The Leisure Society.  If I can get the studio hours in I'd like to think it could be ready for release early next year, but I've learned not to make too many timing promises these days.  A minor point of interest - I'm thinking of dropping the Christian Silva moniker and releasing as Christian Hardy.  I think I just need the one identity.  Finally.

Sometimes I think I take myself far too seriously.  Mostly I just think I'm a big cartoon duck.