I need something new. The Chap!! :-)

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:01:59 +0100

Not whinging today.

Maybe a little.

But not too much.

Whenever there is too much of something it puts me off investigating acts of that genre, which is wrong. I am fighting it. I've had a gutfull of bad emo. Both signed and unsigned. Therefore, I'm having trouble listening to new stuff as most of it is a bit crap. I also met my first 'straight-edge' person recenty. Complete with 'X' tattooed on the back of their hand. I've been told that comes from underage gigs in the states where an X is drawn on the back of their hand to stop them buying booze. Sounds....special.

Anyhow, this has led me to listen to more quirky things, dance music, jazz, reggae, and a fair bit of wierdness from the dark corners of Europe.

The Chap

Something I came accross recenty that falls into that category is The Chap. I really really like the track Oozing Emotion. It's fantastic. Can hear various influences in there, but they've been around for a while, so I'm thinking they may have influenced the acts I'm thinking so I'll keep schtum for the sake of sounding dumb (well, more than usual). There are moments of real genius on the album, swiftly followed by 'what the hell were you thinking?!?!?' moments. I don't know whether this was done deliberately or if it is genuinely hit and miss. What is apparent is the complete lack of market driven production/writing. I think it's completely by artist preference which is something I really like. I could detail a long email to them saying do this with that track and that with the other. But I'm not sure they would be interested. I'm going to go to a gig and say hello anyway as I think it would be a really enjoyable gig anyhow and if this works live it's probably amazing. Please have a listen to the Oozing Emotion track. It's special. :-)

Hope all is well with you

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Sack Your Parents, frickin mutherpushers.

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:04:13 +0100

Hmm.

Probably going to get another telling off for this.

But I've had a few calls recently that have really worried or angered me. Yes, I do communicate via other methods outside the t'information superweb sometimes.

It's pushy parents pushing their pushy kids cushy music (try saying that pissed). I think it's great when parents support their kids' musical ambitions n such. Very important in fact. But it's when they completely overbake the whole thing, putting the kid on a pedestal that they can only fall off from that I get irritated.

Most of the acts do have talent which is great. But they're then surrounded by people and an environment that fuels a circular belief. What you end up with is a kid in a bubble, really believing they're the best thing since Michael Jackson before they reach their invitable ceiling too soon. They end up feeling they've achieved their peak pre 16 as a rule and that peak wasn't quite good enough. The reality of it all is usually they're not very good, been paired up with a not very good producer, got some not very good promo done and subsequently done some not very good shows/PR. Whilst the whole time being surround by mum/dad-picked disciples telling them how sucessful and amazing they already are.

What they simply need is support and elbow room to do what they do and experience regular doses or reality and creative rejection. Every artist I meet, including pop hopefuls and signed acts, have a sense of perspective, realism and maturity (irrespective of age). The sort that can only be achieved through exposure to the realities and limitations of both the industry they work in and, more importantly, themselves. When you see kids who are 'naturally gifted' obviously there is an element of that. But they didn't wake up one day as Bob Dylan. On closer inspection you see they are in an environment that encourages development and them to witness first-hand what they can and can't achieve. Then they can improve and develop into good acts.

I probably shouldn't write blogs after phonecalls that p me off. So I may end up deleting this tomorrow.

Hope all is well with you.

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I love nothing, ooh and Goldheart Assembly

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:21:10 +0100

Hello,

Another bank holiday snuck up on me which I was totally unprepared for. Which was good as it forced me to relax for once. I even did stuff in the garden (mainly bash the crap oot me heavy bag and scare the neighbours).

Friday was excellent. A mate of mine is driving a motorised rickshaw from the top to the bottom of India for charity n that. To raise the profile (an excuse for a pissup I think) she organised a gig at the world famous Troubadour. Well.... I don't know if it's world famous but it is where Dylan had his first UK gig (I think).

Goldheart Assembly

There were some excellent acts there. One of which I've tried booking previously called Goldheart Assembly. If this band were about in the 70's, Eric Clapton would have played in the band at least twice shortly followed by Jimmy Page I think.

If you've ever watched The Last Waltz and enjoyed it then you should see this band. A lot. I was half expecting Neil Young to shuffle out with a 12 string at one point. Now don't get me wrong. This is no 'music was sooo much better 40 years ago' faux tribute act. There's a lot of contemporary influences in there. But overall the music, image and performance gave the warm anologue fuzzy feeling of bearded folk rock. It done in such a way that everyone in that room could be left nothing but a feeling of being impressed, and wondering if they had just witnessed one of 'those' gigs that you incessently irritate your mates years later about how you were there.

A bit like pretty much any Smashing Pumpkins UK gig.

Apart from that it was a quiet weekend as I'm economising and recovering from my first allergic reaction to anything in my life. Ugh. Minging. Wont go into too much detail.

Apologies to those who have been trying to get hold of me for over a week now. I will get there eventually. I have 400 emails to get through and vast amounts of Vox messages too. Plus video editing, gig organising, gig attendance, management meetings, artist meetings, 2 months laundry, online meetings, seminar attending, n stuff. Though I will catch up I promise.

Hope all is non-allergic with you.

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"That's OK, I suck at life too"

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:31:01 +0100

Was the response to my chosen gig buddy of last night after I explained why I was an hour late for the Grammatics gig.

Grammatics

I really like this band. Their music is quite quirky and I hear a lot of different influences in there. Production-wise the stuff I've heard is quite 80's/cure-esque I think. Have a look at their page. The Vague Archive and Shadow Committee are great to listen to.

Missed the last tube so went to the chill bar thing around the corner for a while and watched some jazz/triphop thing. Then went for a wander and bought some cider (classy). Eventually went cab hunting which was unsuccessful. But managed to get into an Ibis hotel foyer for half an hour whilst we waited for one. Luckly a nice scottish bloke let us borrow his pass to get through the door. I had to spend half an hour looking like I was sort of queueing to get a room/sort of playing with my phone. My mate drank cider and took advantage of the free internet I think.

I'm off to see Goldheart Assembly at the Troubadour tomorrow as I came across them a while back and have been meaning to see them for a while. What gigs have you got coming up at the mo? I've had a shortage of 'We're playing here' emails. I'm out again tonight and on Satuday too I think. I should start cycling to venues maybe? That could be disasterous though I guess.

I've got a Columbia A&R meeting today where I'm going to really push an act I've mentioned before (but can't mention now ;-) in advance of meeting our Chairman. Got some really good stuff to present, most of which has come through here so I'm hoping to get a second blog signing some time soon. But that may take a bit of time I guess.

The reason I was so late for the gig was I got my new bike yesterday. The sales bloke looks exactly like Eric Idle and sounded like him too. Anyhoo, I got changed into my completly non-waterproof cycyling gear (monkey magic t-shirt and canvas shorts).

CHopper

It's the first time I've had proper gears, the whole shimano thing is at least 10 years old but I'm a bit behind. I was used to gear changes on the cross bar like on my chopper (it was my brother's actually)

I sort of had an idea where to go, so headed over putney bridge for barnes, came through Barnes, got lost and didn't know where I was until I re-appeared pretty much outside my ex's house. Would have been difficult to explain why I was there so I managed to pedal a bit harder and get to the Thames in record time.

Again, I got lost and it was embarrasing as to how many other cyclists zipped past me at high speed. Probably with a snooty expression on their face but I only got to see their lycra-clad arses disappear into the distance. Hmm, I wonder if I should go for the lycra look? :-)

Eventually I had the "Ahh, I'm here" moment, shortly followed by the "Oh f**k, I'm here!!" moment. I'd overshot by a few miles and had a long trek home. 2 hours later I made it. According to tfl's website it should have taken 35 mins. Shite.

Hope all is tranquil and easy to find with you.

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Twas excellent, video to follow.

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:03:43 +0100

Hello,

Saturday night was really rather jolly good. Murray James opened the evening with a strong set. There was some new material in there that sounds really interesting. Ball and Chain was my personal highlight and I'm looking forward to getting a recorded version off his manager soon. TF's crowd is quite tough for singer songwriter types, but he came across really well and got a warm reception. Though I did end up shouting at some hecklers afterward (I shouldn't be allowed a mic between sets).

It was weird starting a gig whilst it was still daylight. I guess it's now officially summer. Evening though it's sodding raining (again) outside.

Daniel Flay & The Irreparable Guilt followed. There was only to of them, so I guess it could have been Daniel Flay and the Nearly-Irreparable guilt, the Slightly Guilty, perhaps it could have been Daniel Flay and the bit Shifty? Anyhow, enough Michael-taking. His set was great.

Millionaire is one of my favourite songs and regularly features in my iTunes, as does The Antagonist which I hum a lot. As I raved on about that night, I find a really charming vulnerability in his music but real strength in its execution. (what am I on about?!?!?) But seriously, as a character, Daniel is quiet, reserved, possibly slightly introvert which is apparent on stage but the music expresses some really strong sentiments. The almost continuous two part harmony between Dan and Ellie Walker makes for engaging melodies and songwriting that works really well. Be sure to listen to both Daniels and Ellie's stuff. They finished the set with a really great Cyndi Lauper cover (bet you can't guess which). I hope they're doing some more London dates soon, if they are check them out.

Ched followed (I approve of the name change). The six string bass implied to me that it was going to be quite jazzy, or really frickin heavy. Jesus H Christ it was loud. There is a really strong reference to Rage Against the Machine in their style which is no bad thing. Lots of manic synchronised head banging interspersed with leaning back screaming vocals. Really taken aback by the performance and I was smiling the whole way through. At one point the bassist had his foot on the window sill to the left of the stage and was performing to his own little crowd gathering outside. Christian has real presence as a front man and knows how to grab a crowd by the goolies. They haven't got any gigs booked, which needs to change I think.

Occupying that uncomfortable space that followed Ched, Capisce? followed. Luckily their tight performance and stark contrast in style didn't highlight them as a lull in the evening's line up. I've never seen a guitar with a piercing before but that's exactly what I saw on Ian's instrument. Possibly early days for the band but Time Crisis 4 really stood out as a potential hit with moments of brilliance in its performance.

So, headlining the evening was Tough Love. I'd been looking forward to this literally all month. The only reason I got them booked is I've known the manager for 10 years and lived with him for a while. Otherwise I think this lot could have been an optimistic booking on my part. Because there's a lot going on stage-wise. I sound-checked them earlier in the evening. Two drummers, FIVE vocals, guitar and bass. Crazy sound. When listening to their stuff I hear Paul Simon (during the whole Ladysmith Black Mambazo thing), Adam and the Ants, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Scissor Scisters, and a whole heap of others. Getting Over It is another iTunes highlight of mine and I recently really started to get into Alpha Male which I think could be a hit for radio depending on the mix. They're currently working with a producer I'm familiar with and I'm really looking forward to hearing their new stuff. As mentioned before, they're really involved in the whole London burlesque scene and have picked up a lot of fans as a result. Their night White Mischief is eagerly anticipated and was described as the 'Event of the year' by Timeout last time. No dancers at my gig unfortunately. Hopefully this is something I can rectify in the future. Purely for artistic purposes. Anyhow, visit their page and say hello. Be sure to check them out at some point soon.

------

Apart from that, all in all a quiet weekend. I didn't get to bed until 7 on Sunday morning. I don't really get to enjoy the gigs as I'm too busy running about making sure everything is ok. Plus I'm filming n that. One day I'll just sit back and project manage, having my own 'people' for such things.

Napoleon

Will all this busyness I've lost track of time, and not been doing the excercise that I've meant to. Checking my diary my competition is 2 weeks away!!! :-s So I thought last night "Right, intense training, now! Nothing but training for the next two weeks" Then I looked at my diary and every night is booked up with something. As is the weekend. Hmm. Maybe I should use Condaleeza Rice as a role model (she gets up at 4am every day for the gym). Saying that, I get my bike tomorrow which Sony BMG has supplied me with. Hopefully I can take it off some sweet jumps.

Anyhow, hope all is sweet with you.

IBx

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End Of Camden Gig Tomorrow!!! Big Night, No Mentalists Please!

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:30:54 +0100

Hello,

Ok, you lucky people. There is one of those wonderful gigs happening.

This is what I put in my 'offcial internal message' thing:

Burlesque-tribal-pop scenesters 'Tough Love' will be headlining the usual mixed bag of quality acts @ TEOC.

After recently selling out Scala, press and radio are starting to champion what could be on of the more unique signings of 2008:

"With a genuinely different sound and an entertaining live show, they look and sound like no other act we've seen."
- Record of the Day (awarded Record of the Week)

"Brilliant - packed with pop hits and charisma and fielding two drummers. Somebody sign them post haste"
- Music Week
http://www.toughloveband.com/

Opening the night will be Warner Chappell's most recent signing, Murray James. He's just finished his second UK tour and has been courting various corners of the industry with his pop huskiness.
http://www.myspace.com/murrayjamesmusic

Also joining the bill will be:
Daniel Flay and the Irreparable Guilt
The Cheddington Incident
Capisce

Doors are 7.30, entry £4 and will play through into the morning. Will be excellent if anyone fancies it.

Have a look at the acts if you get chance.

Anyhow, hope all is stress free with you.

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Stop gigging! Seriously, think about what you're doing!!!

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:13:24 +0100

When unsigned, every gig you do should serve a purpose.

Now initially that may sound stupidly obvious. However, if it is why as a band would you aimless play toilet venues in London to f**k all people for no money and at a cost to yourself? Plus it looks terrible.

This is what thousands of bands do every week. I've spoken to lotsa A&R types, both at Sony BMG and further affield and it's a very rare occasion that an act just happens to be discovered because an A&R guy happens to be at a venue. The whole Frankie Sharp scenario doesn't happen very much. I rarely see an act I haven't planned to see, I don't have much time usually. :-(

There's you

Also, gigging a lot in London and not increasing a buzz around you is actually detrimental to your career. As an act can get stale, or seen as old news if on the radar of the various labels too soon. I'm guilty of it myself, with the hundreds of acts I come accross if I hear something that's ok, then see them still gigging the same circuit 6 months later with no increase in profile I'm less likely to see them again. Simply because I'm trying to find what's breaking. That is unfair to a degree as said band could have come along leaps and bounds since the first time. Though if they're amazing then they should create a buzz anyway.

So, why gig in London? Showcases are the first obvious reason. If a label, publisher, PR co. etc etc want to see you, then doing a gig near their office is a wise move. Stick to smaller venues off the beaten track, somewhere with a decent PA (it's amazing how many people don't think about that). If they're really eager only play your hometown with loads of support. (People singing along always impresses me)

Building a following? In London? You must be kidding. It's possible, but gig-to-%-fanbase ratio is pathetic when compared to playing other parts of the country. Simply because there is so much music, and other things to do in London there is no novelty, little passing trade and promoters are shite when ,well, promoting. To to acheive the Fanbase increase of an 8 date tour around the country at the right venues would probably take 3 or 4 times as many gigs in London to achieve the same effect. Don't get me wrong, the truly exceptional will win people over everywhere but some acts are born great, others achieve greatishness and others have greatishness thrust upon them. Plus any of those of you who've done both know how hard the crowd is in London to get to do anything other than talk over you.

You should only do a flurry of London gigs when you are at the crescendo of a promo campaign, when all your hard work as culminated in a co-ordinated campaign that has achieved some radio play, bits of press and interest here and there. Before I start getting the PM's whinging that that's impossible without loads of cash, record deal, pluggers etc IT'S NOT! Don't be such a whinging have-not and pull your finger out. It just takes a bit of thinking and knowing what bits and pieces to capitalise on as they come your way. When you're not in the sights of any of the labels, you've got breathing space to get everything the way you want it, think about it that way. Rather than feeling under pressure to 'get out there'.

Blow your own

So you've got good activity on your myspace, you've just got into the top 8 friends of some big pages, your name (& blog!! ;-)) appears everywhere in google, then you should start gigging London as you've got about 6 months to make a serious impression that would warrant investment. Of course there are exceptions to the rule as I know a band that was looked at for a year before anything was done.

However, I've seen that the bands that create the most excitement are the acts that seem to come from obscurity to everywhere in a short period of time, this is often luck or good placement. But if you get your house in order, build up a good head of steam as regards your promo material, fan building, online stuff and make sure your 'demo' could be something you'd release yourself you're in good shape to really pop out amongst all the good music being looked at.

Also consider when you're going to shop yourself to radio, the labels and such. For example, during the period of the summer festivals mainstream radio is saturated with all sorts of new things that were planned earlier in the year, a lot of new acts are being broken by the labels and trying to get shelf-space in the minds of those who provide opportunities for new music is really lacking. Plus I'm all over the place trying to keep up with stuff I've picked up earlier in the year. Try and get a feel for a bit of a lul in the sort of stuff your doing and then launch your little PR offensive.

So, if you've simply been rehearsing, gigging, rehearsing, gigging, recording, rinse, repeat... maybe stop and think why you're doing it? Ultimately these are the considerations of a manager (a good one) but if you're without management you should really think about when and how you're going to be perceived.

Anyhow, quick rant. Saw a really good band that had literally no clue, about anything.

Hope all is well co-ordinated with you

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Camden Crawled Home :-(

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:04:05 +0100

Howdy,

THis weekend was the Camden crawl. I lasted two hours then headed home, was ill, wet, tired and couldn't get in anywhere dammit!

Before I succumbed I managed to say hello to the rather brilliant Chapman Family who were in good spirits stood guarding the equipment in the rain. I've never seen a band queueing to get into their own gig before as was pointed out by them. Rather funny. Be sure to check out their page and say hello as they are great. If you are lucky enough to live near any of their upcoming gigs be sure to attend. :-)

Mumford and Sons

I really wanted to see Mumford and Sons open the event on the Friday but couldn't make it. I think they're fantastic and could present something really interesting to the market if given the chance. Described as bluegrass/folk (:-)) on their page, I think they cover a really broad area musically. Melodically strong and well written I think they could represent one of the surprise signings of 2008, I hope. White Blank Page is a truly great song. Normally I keep stuff like this to myself until I've got something going with them (mainly cos other unscrupulos A&R people read the page) but I really would like you to hear them and hear your thoughts on this.

I will be meeting a stylist this week, further to the post last week. I'm doing a bit of development with an act and they asked for a stylist. They said they've always concentrated on songwriting n that but never really though about how they're perceived. It's strange as the bands I've been in or worked with always had a very strong idea of self-image. It was quite refreshing to work with an act that's not that bothered about image, just their music.

Anyone who has met me knows I have zero sense of style in clothes and look like I'm sponsored by GAP (only cos their XS size is seemingly based on someone my hight and build, saves searching, ooh and £6 t-shirts). So in addition to the band I'm going to see if I can pick up any style tips. :-)

Saw this last night. Through a couple of mates I started reading up a bit on Turkish music after hearing a band I thought was really interesting. In Istanbul there seems to be such a diverse range of music with varying degrees of western influence, but the difference over there is it's all deemed acceptable and part of the larger community. Rather than radio a-lists influencing the musical choice of the masses it seems to be a pot of influences. Hence why I've decided for a quick trip over there with my camera. :-)

Turkish Music

Hope all is well with you :-)

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Stylists Over Substance?

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:52:43 +0100

Interesting few days, very busy at the moment.

I was invited to a charity event last night that was great. A really worthy cause. It's good to meet people from the music industry who are really into that kind of thing as you rarely meet anyone who isn't a decent type. Of course there are a few just wanting publicity dotted around but luckily I didn't meet anyone like that. I'm not sure I can mention any of the people or the charity as I don't like to without permission n that. But it was great to see the involvement. To the point where I now see one particular artist who I've previously hated in a totally different light.

After the event was an aftershow do with lots of uber trendy people. I am not cool, nor will I ever be. I wore a shell suit when I was a teenager (and had a flat top). I don't have the cool hair, defined fringe or girlfriend with lots of eye makeup. However, events like that are often a bit of a tw*t magnet. Again, luckily I didn't meet anyone nasty except a guy who took offence of me not standing on a table to get out of his way or something.

Anyhow, getting to the point of my babbling. This was a 'scenester' event. It was really easy to see defined subcultures in there, something I thought didn't really exist properly in London anymore. I figured everyone was simply a variation of the same theme, like Smarties. There was your 80's indie band sort of thing (imagine a really skinny Bon Jovi and you're there) your Camden alternatives (like goths but smell nicer) electro types (nice fringes, Devo without the stackable hats) plus a few more. I went for the geography teacher chic look I think.

Now really getting to the point of all this. I was chatting to an artist today who I'm really into. Now they're still in development, the songs are amazing, the live show great but they're overall 'look' and message of their promo material isn't very clear. Everything is a bit ambigious and you're not realy sure what they're all about. Now I was of the opinon of 'sod all that let's get on with music, getting it heard by the right people' etc. However, when getting it heard off the right people, they want to be perceived correctly straight off the bat. First impressions and all that. This is where I realised stylists do have a purpose and reason to exist. So I'm hooking them up with a friend of a friend to sort all this. It does remind me a little of when I was asked to start a label with someone and we spent weeks trying to get the logo right rather than getting on with the important stuff. But when having a narrow window of influence and the fact that misinterpretation of the act can mean missing out on opportunities I guess all this stuff is really important. So, it's going to be getting them to look right, good promo shots then a video I think.

I think I might actually get a night in tonight, the first in ages. It's going to be wonderful. I can do whatever I want and cook some food, wow. Shite, just remembered left the pots out from my last cooking session and haven't been home since. I probably have a post -it on my bedroom door by now. Ugh.

Anyhow, I will head home, play video games and eat some comfort food. :-)

Hope all is stylish n that with you

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Hungover and full of pie :-)

nobody@vox.com(Indieboy) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:24:48 +0100

Hello all,

Sorry for the lack of post of late, wanted to see how the discussions developed on my last post. I think the handbags have been put away now. ;-)

Anyhow, met a legal/development scout the other night. Went to Taro (my favourite) and the Sun and 13 in Soho. Had a really good chat and exchanged ideas on what's what and swapped band names. It was a bit like sticker collecting in school "Got...got...got...got.....NEED! got got....got...NEED!.

It was an interesting chat as she's the first person I've spoken to in her profession who's my age. Really knew her stuff too. What is really apparent in the industry today is the polarisation between the two schools of thought as regards the music business.

In very broad terms I'm referring to the new school and old school methods. Here's something controversial though. They both work well, currently. I'm talking breaking and developing bands early careers here.

In broad terms when I refer to old school I mean, find a band, give them a bit of money, get them in a studio, get them gigging, get radio pluggers and press people. Get album done, get good single and hot video, get music on radio backed with press and bingo, you may have a big success on your hands. This works really well though is quite capital intensive so has been the jurisdiction of the major labels until late. These methods are now being employed by non-music based companies such as starbucks and distributing the product themselves in some way. This method, irrespective of the new methods developing, will always be around to some degree.

The new school is simply everything available at budget/free of cost and easily available and controllable by artists or those supporting them. So this could start with finding a band, getting them recorded dirt cheap or using existing recordings of theirs, building a strong online presence in MySpace, YouTube, blog and their own bespoke page. Knock a video together with a handicam and series of vid pod casts to help the band along. Get stuff up on all mainstream digital distributors and promotional platforms - so get you stuff on LastFM, Pandora etc. Then start gigging your tits off outside London around various parts of the country to build little fanbases here and there. Make sure you brand every gig heavily, collect emails/myspaces using any incentives you can. After a while of this you can start joining the dots or fanbases around the country using your online stuff. Then the choice is up to you, to either start employing more oldschool methods if you're after chart success or international touring. Or develop a team/company/label around your band to enable you to sustain a self-sufficient business as a band, earning enough to make a living by doing the best job in the world.

In reality, everyone uses a combination of the two but I think it's interesting to think that currently there are two defined sides of a fence. More and more people are understanding the middle ground and realising that you can only dilute/influence established methods with new, not completely replace them.

I realised this after a few months working in this role I couldn't replace established methods with new ones. But I could fortify/augment and otherwise make stronger, faster, fitter, better, newer the activities as regards getting to new talent. It's still early days in all this gubbins. It will take years before truly established online processes take form in both artist development and A&R but it's interesting to be here now witnessing everything in its early stage and see its early successes.

I put a band into rehearsal at the Ritz on Saturday. I've never invested any money into an act before but I really believe this particular act is destined for very big things. So much so that I can't mention them yet until I know what's what. What I can say is at the band's heart is some of the strongest songwriting I've heard for ages and I think they could reach a similar scale to Coldplay because of the nature of the writing. I will get details out once everything is pointing in the right direction. Quite excited about it.

Anyway, as a favour please don't argue all over this post or I'll have to start authorising comments again which is a real ball-ache of a job to do. I'd prefer to keep this open.

Hope all is well with you.

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