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.

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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.

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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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.

IB

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Hello,

OH MY GOD HOW AMAZINGLY GOOD WAS SATURDAY?!? I really enjoyed it and yet again all the acts went beyond all expectation. The place was packed out for most of the evening and I think everyone had a really good time.

I did the whole 'host' thing and announced each act which was good as people knew who to ask about the bands. Everyone got interest from the crowd which was really good to see.

The impishly lovely Lizzy opened the night with her delicate and insightful tunes. Certainly a candidate for the alternative folk night I want to start somewhere.

I'd been looking forward to seeing Young Husband for a while as I'd taken an interest in the scene surrounding Emmy the Great. He's been playing guitar for her for a while and had a gig literally right before mine at the Barfly. So he had to run down the road to get to TF's and perform. He must have been a bit gigged out by the end of it.

Rebbecca Jade was as quirky and emotive as I imagined. In her bespoke golden cocktail dress she wooed the audience with her combination of whimsical and darkly influenced songs. She certainly won over the crowd and I look forward to getting her involved in a bigger event. You must check her out at some point.

Daniel Flay and the Irreperable Guilt were all I hoped. TF's is possibly not quite the venue for his soft touch songwriting but once the set was in full swing the strength of his material was easy to hear. Really enjoyed the set and I'm looking forward to seeing how his material progresses over the coming months.

King Hermit were mental. Loud, very loud and reasonably mental. But also bloody good fun to watch. They were telling me their last gig had a bit of a moshpit thing going on, I said you don't get much of that from the usual Camden glitterati but there are venues/nights around London which are good for getting something like that going. Shame the Red Eye was knocked down.

Anyhow..... KOJO WERE AMAZING AND ONE OF THE BEST LIVE ACTS I'VE SEEN IN A WHILE. They were the first band I've put on that weren't allowed to leave the stage without an encore. People walking past the venue would stop, look through the window at what was going on, then come in the venue to see the band. That was a first for me aswell. You can hear a lot of influences in there and I heard Prince being mentioned in the crowd when people were chatting about them afterward. Plus I had several punters ask me for details of when they're next playing. The band dynamic/chemistry and a fantastic frontman make Kojo one of my personal 'one's to keep an eye on' for 2008 I think.

OK, video matters. I met up with a couple of people at the venue and discussed something slightly more professional in the way of video'ing. They're an independent company who specialise in music videos (I think) and said they're willing to start filming and editing these nights. All early stages yet but some months ago discussions were held in the blogs about establishing some kind of regular podcast/video podcast. So hopefully this could be the start. As regards the first one I filmed, thanks to Fooligan I have something to stick on here. Unfortunately, my poor skills as a cameraman were highlighted and he didn't have much to work with methinkgs. But please check out the below for a flavour of what the showcase nights are like.

Hope all is well with you.

IB

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Hello hello hello,

It's all confirmed, the bands are booked, the artists are in the right country, the venue is ready and I haven't pulled all my hair out.

As usual, I'm excited. The panic is over and the excitement has settled in as I really want to see each of these bands. One of whome I don't know much about but sound good, the rest I have admired from afar for a while.

Headlining the night is Kojo. I was meant to see them last night at Dingwalls but couldn't make it over there. Saying that it means I get to see them for the first time at my night which will be excellent. "N.E.R.D. meets George Clinton" is the best description I've heard of them so far.

King Hermit was forwarded onto me by Emsar management and highly recommended. A high energy rockabilly type thing which promises to be lotsa fun live.

Daniel Flay and the Irreparable Guilt! If you read my blog much you'll know I've mentioned this a lot. I don't like to draw comparisons with Snow Patrol because I think they are much better. It was difficult to decide on the headliner tomorrow as I think each of the acts is worthy, especially this one.

Young Husband. I was going through the submissions of some of my lovely online scouts and came across this whole little network of musicians. Originally I was looking at Emmy the Great, but found various cool acts connected to her and they all seem to contribute to each others music in one way or another. The guitarist of Emmy the Great has his own thing going. Quite trippy and psychadelic with hints of Elliot Smith in there which I like a lot. He'll be playing solo tomorrow so you'll hear his songs in their purest form methinks.

Rebecca Jade is someone my mate Chalky couldn't recommend enough. As it's his venue I thought I should give her a look. Golly, seductive and wierd are the first words that come to mind. I think this is going to be a really memorable set. In some way she reminds me a little of Beth Gibbons when she did the album with Rustin Man. Difficult to describe so be sure to track down her music.

Lizzy was introduced to me by Johnson, who was responsible for getting me in touch with the Lost Levels (who I still love). So as far as I'm concerned if he say's she's good live I'll believe him. I've had a listen and I find her songs quirky, insightful and honest. I get the impression that she can charm an audience with little effort.

So tomorrow is going to be a massive night I think. I'm going to try and get a camera crew down as I want a record of this. In response to the This Morning Call comment, I've been told that I'm getting the video today. So we shall see what happens. :-)

I hope to see a few familiar faces down there, if you see me please say hello as it's always good meeting other Vox folk.

Hope all is well with you.

IB

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I've got a lineup for Saturday which I'm pleased with, no flyer as yet so any contributions to graphics welcome. If I get it fairly quickly I'll get it made into a big poster (or two) on the day.

I've got a ridiculous hangover today so I will try and keep today's post quite brief.

So lineup wise I think we have

• Kojo
• King Hermit
• Daniel Flay (amazing)
• Lizzy
• Rebecca Jade

I'm really looking forward to hearing Daniel Flay, he's coming over from Germany especially for the event, so get yourselves down there as I think it could be a rare treat.

I will write a proper post once I'm fully in focus.

Hope all is well with you.

IBx

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Had a late lunch/really early dinner meeting with a manager yesterday.

I don't do many of these but have to think carefully when I do as I get paranoid as to where to go. One of the first lunch meetings I had was with a manager who was your steak n chips type of person. But I took him to a swanky sushi place. Totally misjudged that one and the meeting was crap as a result. Though I did get great Sashimi.

The meeting was with a lovely female manager which is rare (not lovely females, female managers). As a result ended up chatting for hours and having a few drinks. It's great meeting people who've been in the industry for a while. It amazing how much things have changed over the past 20 years. Even the past 5 have been pretty mad. As a result I got drunk for the first time in months.

I'm not a fan of being drunk, it's an accidental thing. A by-product of socialising in a bar. I need to start arranging meetings in KFC. I'd probably make less of a twat of myself as a result.

Other than that I'm booking for the next End of Camden night (26th Jan). I've already got Daniel Flay and the Irreperable Guilt who I'm bursting to see live. I mentioned them a while back, really enjoy a couple of their tracks, especially Millionaire.

Will see if Ashley Hicklin is available, was going to book him a while back but it was a bit of a squeeze as regards his schedule. Maybe better luck this time.

I want it to be of a more folky flavour, so I'm hunting bands of that ilk. Drop me a line and say hello if you think you fit the bill.

Ok, time to shift the worst hangover I've had in a long time. So far, the cure has consisted of two bacon sandwiches (one with egg), dark chocolate kitkat (amazing) and a Snickers. Lining up the second can of coke now. I think I wont get drunk for another 3 months now.

Hope all is well in in focus with you.

IBx

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