Saturday 19th September 2009
Southsea Fest - GangBang Stage @ Little Johnny Russell's

JAMES YUILL
CHRIS T-T
LOVE LIKE FIRE
BILLY VINCENT
REVERE
THE DAWN CHORUS
THE B OF THE BANG
HOLD FAST
LOZ BRIDGE
THE DEADS
CHRIS PERRIN & THE MINOR FALLS
EMPTIFISH
RACKETEERS

You have to love Southsea Fest. The sun always seems to shine even though everyone is inside venues. LJR's was VERY LOUD this year, which is funny considering they have problems with residents complaining about loud music. I didn't see a huge amount of our stage since I was nipping around venues, but our good friend and new collaborator Wit of The B of the Bang fame was curating the stage, and he put a bloody good line-up together if I may say so myself.

Everything went off without a hitch, and we are now looking forward to finishing the bloody album at last, preceeded by a new single in February.

Ta-ra!
x

Southampton Lennon's
10/09/09

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool
Fresh Legs
The Dawn Chorus

We did a little Bestival Warmup at Lennon's. It was pretty good, Wit played with us on accordion, glockenspiel and melodica, and I also made my melodica debut. Ben was also playing a snare and floor tom alongside his mandolin and banjo (which Neil sometimes plays too.) Things have certainly progressed since the old days of the four-piece. It was more or less impossible to get all 7 of us on stage but we gave it a go and had fun. Not too many people there but enough. We did lots of the new album stuff and then watched Fresh Legs, who were mighty powerful, and Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, of whom I won't comment.

Afterwards me, Ben, Wit and Keeef stayed at Sally's (Ben's sister), and she made us Jam on toast. In the morning.

Wednesday 29th July 2009
Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth

The Dawn Chorus
The B of the Bang
The Steve Bland Assembly
The Boy I Used to Be

Argh. This was originally meant to be a full band show but became an acoustic show due to noise restrictions, though the pissed up punters at the back were making more noise than the four bands put together could have. Because it was so noisy we couldn't really get great dynamics going for our acoustic set, though it was nice to do 6 new tracks, many for the first time. I did, however, completely balls up 'Heart of Hearts' and make myself and indeed all of us look like complete amateurs, which is often how I feel when playing an acoustic set.

The SBA and BOTB were good though (those eagle-eyed will have noticed the SBA playing 2 days after their 'last ever gig', but we'll overlook that for now), and both covered one of our songs (SBA did Michael, BOTB did an amazing 'Hope will kill us'), which was very humbling. I'm now going on holiday for a much needed break.
x

Monday 27th July 2009
The Miller, London

The Steve Bland Assembly
The Dawn Chorus
The Adam Smith Effect

This was the SBA's last ever show and they were absolutely brilliant. It made me sad that they've stopped playing but at least we got to share their last ever show. We played pretty well too, for a small but perfectly formed and very attentive audience. We really seemed to have tightened up about 5 or 6 of the new album tracks. We've pretty much decided now that it will be out at the start of 2010 and that's when we'll be touring next. Just a few more shows this summer now.

Friday 24th July 2009
The George, Andover


The Dawn Chorus
Transcend

An interesting start but a predictable end. I'd let the diesel in the van get too low so we ran out on the hard shoulder in Fareham. Luckily Big Al and my Dad came out to save the day and we headed off a few hours late. After this, everything that happened was incredibly predictable: Steve the soundguy was lovely, we ate in Wetherspoon's, the support band were much heavier than us, we played to almost no-one but still quite enjoyed it. Probably won't go back to the George now though, I think it's just a bit too rock for our country-folk heads to handle.

Thursday 23rd July
The Swan, Ipswich


The Dawn Chorus
Mr Christopher

Woke in Cambs and Neil was a bit sick after his 2 pints. He blamed it on his lack of a proper meal.
Walked into town and had breakfast at Wetherspoon's with the local alcoholic community. Neil got sunburned in the pub garden.
Went to Fopp and had the traditional splurge. I got albums by Morrissey, Sparklehorse, Tokyo Police Club, Of Montreal and The Stills and Brick, An Inconvenient Truth and Premonition on DVD all for less than £20. I love Fopp Cambridge.
Didn't go to the Folk museum again after a poor review from some locals.
Played quite a bit of Bum (it's a football game) on Parker's Piece (it's a field) after have a lovely ice cream.
Got caught in a brief downpour so we ducked into a hardware shop and bought a tape measure.
Made our way to Ipswich, where we played at apparently the only venue in Ipswich, which was a pub with a temporarily installed PA. What a great place though; they played good music, everyone was dead friendly, they were going to let us stay though we decided to head back, they fed us, gave us drinks and paid us well. All you can ask for really.
We played fairly well, the crowd certainly got more into us as we went which is always nice.
Drove back home despite fear of being mugged in a service station and a downpour that reduced visibility to zero and made Neil and me nearly soil ourselves.
All in all, most good.

Wednesday 22nd July 2009
The Corner House, Cambridge


The Dawn Chorus
Paul Goodwin Band
Roadside Poppies

The boys picked me up in the van straight from work, and since it was the last day before summer I managed to steal a copious amount of buffet for us to have on the way. It was a bit trafficy on the way so we did lots of car games, including 'Would you rather?' which is a new favourite. Wit was joining us on bass for Cambridge and Ipswich, and he put in some good work on 'Would you rather?', including 'Would you rather have a penis the length of a baguette but 1 cm wide, or the girth of a coke can but only 1cm long?'. I can't remember which I chose.

We got to Cambridge at about 8pm, but that was fine since we don't really seem to sound check at the Corner House. They gave us a few free pizzas and shit loads of chips and Neil got a bit pissed on 2 pints. We played pretty well, Wit was awesome on bass. We did have to cut our set a bit short but it happens I suppose. Paul Goodwin was great in support also. We sat around and had a few more drinks afterwards, until things got slightly odd with the bar staff and their confusing relations to one another, so we went upstairs and shared a very small room between six of us, which we are getting quite good at.

Saturday 11th July 2009
Fuse Festival, Lichfield

Good fun, this. Paid much more than usual, played to a packed tent (thanks, rain!), people seemed genuinely into it and we sold out our CDs. It was a family festival so we shoved a bit of Johnny Cash in their earholes to cushion the relentless indie-folkery. Nice strong cider and lager led to tipsy kyle, half price belly buster burgers (2 x burger, 2 x bacon, 1 x egg, cheese) though i didn't have one. Tug 'o' war, nice few games of bum (it's a football game), lovely accomodating organisers, slightly dodgy sound set-up but certainly bearable. Good fun all round.

Saturday 27th June 2009
GlastonFerret @ The Mad Ferret

The Dawn Chorus
+ millions of bands

This was more like it. It was a bloody long way from North Devon to Preston, but just about worth it. The Mad Ferret had been fully grassed and hay-bailed and was packed out. Very different to the day before. There were also dodgy burgers, just like a real festival. You know the kind where the bun provides greater resistance to the teeth than the meat? It didn't make me sick though, and it did hit the spot, so that's fine by me. We succesfully tackled the intensely hectic 15 minute changeover in which we had to get all our 800 instruments on stage and line checked, and managed to play pretty well. We were paid much less than the day before, drove much further, but played to more people, including some who were listening. As a whole, a very enjoyable weekend which just about paid for itself. I guess that's what doing this is all about. Oh, and Keith was offered to smoke an E. Good, good times.
x

Friday 26th June 2009
The White Horse, Barnstaple

The Dawn Chorus

Good points:

Neil, Ben, Paul and Keef went silly early in the morning to surf play in the sun in Woollacombe. I say surf, Ben had a go and the other three carried the wet suits and boards and tried to pass themselves off as surfers. They were also kind enough to put the tents up for me and Matt (who had work) and to set up all the gear at the venue.
The campsite was very swish and had a sauna and steam room. Very useful.
Had a clotted cream ice cream at Woollacombe beach.
Got to play 5 or 6 songs for the first time live without bodging anything too badly. 2nd album is pretty much written now.
Got free food for everyone at the venue, including Joe (our, erm, driver) and Simone (our....girlfriend. well, neil's)
I sang my guts out for 2 hours and kept my voice
Nice cheque to pay for the weekend's camping and diesel.

Neil was a silly boy and didn't sun cream again, leading to extreme lobster boy skin. Paul and Keith also felt it a little bit the next day. Silly boys.
The gig was a bit of a damp squib, unfortunately one of those where the punters would probably have preferred if we weren't there so they could get their friday drinking done in peace. Ah, well. I had visions of a nice little smokey old pub, but unfortuantely it was a modern, swanky chain-style bar with a recently installed stage. But what can you do?

After Drift Bar show 03/05/09


4 or 5 Magicians, 900 Spaces, A-Custom, Acropolis, Action Speaks Louder, Afrosnatchers, The AKA Band, The All-Singing Razorblades, Allo Darlin', Andy & Jack, Angelgear x 5, Apologies I Have None, The Arkwrights, CM Arnold & the Delta Breaks, Arty Karate, Ashford, The Autons x2, The Aviators, The B of the Bang x 17, Rob Ball, Philip Barebones, Emily Barker, Chris Bath, Batrider, Beans on Toast, Belligerence, Bendigo, Black Carrot, Steve Bland x 4, Blue Fox, Emit Bloch, Bodyhost x 2, The Boicotts, Adam Boucher x 2, Brenda, James Bright, Burn the Witch, Captain Fantastic, Carmen Rosa, Carmichael, Citizen, Lester Clayton, The Clowns, Cocos Lovers, Contra, Kurt Cooder x 2, Alex Cornish, Covernote, Creepythinguy, Cymbiotic, Dali's Cat, Steve Dalzell, Tom Dangerous, De Squeran, Dan De Squeran, Dead! Dead! Dead! x 2, Deadbeat Descendent, Del Nil x 3, Stanton Delaplane, The Deads x 2, Delboy French, Depot, Deville, Different Day, The Dirty 38s, Dlugokecki, Dropstone, Dumbfounded, Alex J Dunne, Dutch Husband, Echobeat, Elaine Dismissed, The Elements x 2, Elle Milano, Enjoy Destroy, Fade Out x 2, Fake Ray, Luke Ferre x 2, Fly Monkeys Fly, Fresh Legs x2, Frisbee in the Jewel Box, Funk Yer Mum, Geko, Get Amped, Gilbert, Gilkicker x 2, The Glad Rags, Golden Section x 2, David Goo x 2, The Good Intentions, Alaistar Goodwin, David Greeves GROOVE, The Gun Show x 5, Luke Haines, Frank Hamilton, Hardly Heroes, Hats are for Heads, The Heights, Hexicon, Higgy, Rob Himself, Hobos and Eskimos, Hold Fast x2, Holy Roller, The Housewives, Hudson 10 x 2, HUMANS, I Am Jack, Idiot3, The Incredible Flight of Birdman x2, The Inklings, Introducing: Emergency Music, Ida Jacobsson, Joey Nightmare, Jukebox Vandals, The Kabeedies, Karmatribe, Kate Goes, Kid Idiot, Kill Kasper, Kody, Last Days of Lorca, Leptany, The Levels, Life of Byron, The Light Divided, Lisa Lindley Jones, The Lights Shine, The Little Ones, Little Things, Living in Cities, The Lonely Cardinals x 2, Looking Through Glass, Lost Aura, Peter Lyons, Richie Madisun, Mantis & The Prayer, Mantra, The Marvellous Mechanical Band, The Masters x 3, Jo McCafferty, Dave McPherson, Melodramas x2, The Metropolise, The MFV, The Mindless Ones, Misty's Big Adventure, The Model Village, Momentum, Mono, Monsters Build Mean Robots, The Mopes, Moses x 2, Mr & Mrs, Mrs Poopars Automobiles, Mumble, The New Root, No Skidoo, Stuart O'Connor, Octograph (?), Operahouse, Openroom x 2, Ornament Birds, Otaka, Matt Park, Mrs Burns, Palais x 2, Jackie Paper x 2, Joe Parker & the Power, The Plymouths x 2, Poppy, The Racketeers, Kyle Rage, The Rebs x 2, Red Campion, Reikidogs, Relentless, Retrofect, The Ridgeway, Rivers of Sound x 3, Rockshore, Roland Shanks, Rolling Dog, Room 6, Rosie and the Goldbug, Rossco x 4, The Rudimentary Confusion, Rushing With Apathy, Sallyforth, Salvage, Sarah & Lewis, Saturdays and Sundays, The Shake, Shit Hot Llamas!, Silent Radio, Silhouette Showgirls, Sine Star Project, Sister Divine, Six Nation State, Something Pretty, Charlene Soraia, Spearmint, Jessica Spencer Band, Niall Spooner-Harvey x 2, The Stations x 6, Leigh Mary Stokes, The Strange Death of Liberal England x 5, Straylings, The Summons, Supergrass (DJs), Surprise!, Chris T-T x 2, Tali Trow & The Well Being, Tamerlane x 2, Paddy Taylor, Temple, They Don't Sleep, Thomas Tantrum x 2, Tim and Sam's Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam, Tomboy, Trinity, Frank Turner x 3, Umdongskulen, The Undefined, The Veils, Venice Ahoy!, The Vice, Videosprint, The Visitors, Jon Walbrin, The Waves, The Way, The Waysters x 2, Rich Webb, Whitewash, Wilf, JD Williams, Vaughan Williams, Winners, Wireless, Wiservice x 2, Michael Wookey, Wyldside, Yellowgroove, Zodiac

Sunday 3rd May 2009
Portsmouth Drift Bar

The Dawn Chorus
The B of the Bang
Hats are for Heads
Dan De Squeran
Rossco

There seems to be no such thing as a normal DC/BOTB show any more. You know, where we turn up at a normal venue, play our sets and then go home. Not applicable any more.

The Bang had double booked themselves tonight and had an acoustic show at Porters at 8 o'clock, so we all trundled over there to help them out on 'Last Day...' and then popped back to Drift. They were obviously very very good and their musicianship shines through when playing acoustic.

Lyrebirds were meant to be playing but pulled out, so Hats are for Heads stepped in at the last minute with a splendid set of acoustic spontaneity (sp?). At a conservative estimate I'd say that Wit and Jack BOTB probably played about 5 different instruments each tonight, and sang. The bastards.

We had a surprising amount of fun considering it was Drift, the only downside of the evening was that people couldn't get to the function room upstairs where we were because downstairs was rammed with a soul band and lots of, well, chavs getting their groove on. I should also mention that instantly after we played some DJs started playing incredibly loud shit music, including Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face' (which i regret to say is growing on me) which they managed to fuck up and have to play 3 times.

No more shows for a while now; a few festivals and new album writing. Can't wait for album 2 now, it's going to be a beaute.

Saturday 2nd May 2009
Bridgwater Labour Club

The Dawn Chorus
The B of the Bang
JD Williams

An interesting weekend which we christened 'The MegaBunny Reprise'. We had a practice in the morning to hammer out a few newies, we probably have 10 songs at least 80% ready to go now. The latest is 'Heartbeat in 5/4' which we rolled out this weekend for the first time. It isn't in 5/4 though.

We got to Bridgwater (where's the 'e'?) at about half six, it would have been earlier but we drove and then walked past the venue - it was literally a Labour Party club. We thought we'd be playing to 5 old men at the bar. How wrong we were....

First however, we had to deal with a couple of quite pissed off sound guys who weren't expecting a drum kit - we forgot to put it on the tech spec. We thought it was assumed. Though they turned out to be top blokes and did a good job. When we finished soundcheck and left the venue we noticed that there was actually a queue of teenagers outside, which isn't usually a hallmark of a DC show. When we returned from our fish and chips - I had a nice vietnamese Pengasious - the place was full of jailbait dressed up to the nines and guys who looked even younger than me. It was like a less fashionable version of Skins.

Of course the inevitable downside of this is that I'm about to complain that no-one was listening. It's always the way - either there aren't enough people or the people present aren't listening. Bloody self-important folk'n'roll stars. We played our set loud and fast - after the raffle - and got out of there, though not before someone had stolen our post-gig doughnuts. Most not good. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the first thing we saw when we got into Bridgy was someone lying in the road who'd been run over. Good times.

Friday 17th April 2009
Eastney Cellars, Portsmouth

The Dawn Chorus
The B of the Bang
Hold Fast
C.M Arnold & the Delta Breaks

Awesome, awesome fun. We had a bit of a love-in with B of the Bang, lending a hand on Last Day on Earth and New Road, whilst they helped out at the end of 'Blast'; Wit taking over from Keef on bass so Keef could play trumpet, Jack doing some impressive work on the tambourine and Elliott getting in on the tom action. Tom didn't seem to mind.

Before this Hold Fast and Clym & co put on an excellent show, I reckon this was probably the best bill in Portsmouth for a while and certainly the best bill we've played on for some time. A contender for my favourite gig ever. Possibly even better than Ringwood.