Hi All, We have just returned from our 3rd trip to the land of the rising sun and it's safe to say it was the best yet. We played our own headline gig at Tokyo's Astro Hall where we had a great turnout. It was our first chance to air some of the new album live and we had a blast. 2nd was our appearance at British Anthems, sharing a stage with the Charlatans among other great UK acts. The crowd was huge and it really was a highlight of the trip. Thanks to everyone who turned up and made it such a special gig!

I should reserve special thanks to all our friends in Japan, in particular Miki & Sachiko who took us to the infamous Maid Cafe and a quality little sushi place. We also had some serious rivalry at the karaoke where we had renditions of Bee Gee's, Rod Stewart, Gilbert O'Sullivan & Los Lobos classics to name a few. Thanks also to Ichi for once again treating us so well and arranging some great promo appearances, Emi for keeping us organised and making sure we arrived at the gigs on time, Patrick & Alex the horn players who made the gigs so great and for inventing some new cocktails.

There will be pictures posted as soon as we have a chance. We will return as soon as we can as it's always a joy to visit Japan.

Don't forget we have 3 UK dates coming up next week, check our gig listings for details. Please come down and bring your badself along.

Cheers, Big Strides.