Brew's are in.

Get your copy of Brew Volume 1 tomorrow from Brew.

It features us, Vessels, The Pattern Theory, Jon Gomm, Humanfly and loads more. It's bloody ace.

Merry Xmas!

x x x

Finally...

...got the masters back and sounding hot! Not long to go now.

We're already planning the next single. In fact we're heading off to a studio in darkest Elland to record it. This time we're working with Tom Woodhead (Forward Russia). If his production skills are anything like as good as his music then it should be pretty special.

Bit quiet in here!

Sorry for the lack of blog action. We're just dead busy sorting stuff out for the single.

We have however played with the brilliant James Apollo (have a listen at www.myspace.com/jamesapollo) who'll be returning next year fingers crossed (if only becaasue they want to stay in Toby's lush new palace.

Talking of Toby's palace, you'll notice that the website is currently looking a little out of date. This is due to Toby's recent move to a new pad and a distinct lack of broadband action. It'll be back on full power soon and will probably have a new look too.

No gigs for a while, we're talking it easy until March when we'll have a new single and a rather large tour.

Raw Talent...

...is back on air!

Well done Leeds.

Raw Deal for Leeds

Raw Talent, a really good (and important) local radio show for local music is no longer being aired on BBC Radio Leeds. This is bad news as it means that local bands are getting next to no radio exposure. It's criminal considering how vibrant the local music scene is in Leeds at the moment.

This is from a local music writer and friend Sam Saunders.

"The work that Raw Talent has done over several years now has given a lot of Leeds artists some experience/fun/exposure. And their contribution to getting the Raw Talent stage up and running at Leeds Festival has been way above and beyond the call of duty.

"More on Leeds music has come thorugh that one Hull-based programme than all the Leeds broadcast media put together. BBC Leeds has now stopped broadcasting Raw Talent at all It's a programme for and about the music scenes in the North. It has NO presence in Leeds - as of this week.

"Last week DAB. This week and next week NOTHING. The only way to hear it is through the glitch-prone audio drainpipe of internet streaming.

"Messages expresing shock, dismay, unhappiness, derision, calm resignation or floods of joy can (and bloody well should) be sent to one or more of the following contact points:

"BBC Leeds, Broadcasting Centre, 2 Saint Peter's Square, Leeds, LS9 8AH BBC.
Leeds e-mail: leeds@bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio Leeds: 0113 244 2131

"The BBC, I believe, are sensitve to "community response". So let's make it a big one. Ask them to get the DAB or FM back. DO IT PEOPLE."

We've written in. If you can please do.

THE NEW SINGLE

You might have noticed that we’re putting our debut single out on Brew Records next year. It will be a pretty 7” vinyl and download. The label seems pretty enthusiastic and they’ve been bigging us up already:

BBC.co.uk and Subba Cultcha.

Good guys.

The single will be a double a-side of Build Around Me / Lucky Jack. We wrote a blog on the recording process here. More next year...

www.myspace.com/brewrecords

Lamo plays The Pattern Theory

Lamacq played Lakes by The Pattern Theory on Radio 1 last night. What a guy!

Good work boys.

Brainwashed

We played at an amzing Leeds festival at the weekend called Brainwash where all the proceeds went to various charities but especially Oxfam.

Our gig was a real buzz, playing in front of a pretty full Royal Park, with lots of close friends, well respected artists and lots of new faces watching us.

Other major highlights includes Wintermute and Napoleon IIIrd not long after us on Friday. Vessels, Humanfly, the amazingly aggressive Unsane (we got to meet singer Chris after at a party - really top guy!) and the mega ace Clark who was absolutley top notch and got the party rocking on Sat night. Finally on Sunday, The Pattern Theory, Glissando, Fran Rodgers and, after we got to the Brudenell after our Gevenhurst support at The Fav, the beautiful Adem who was just amazing. Can't wait to see him again at the EITS ATP in 2008.

All in all an amzing weekend. Well done Haydn!

Check out his night here - www.myspace.com/brainwashpromotions

Top pod

The wonderful Leeds based spoken word artiste, Penny Broadhurst, has added one of our tunes to her rather ace Podcast.

Here's the full gen:

----------------------------------------

Instant Classic Podcast Episode Twelve

Autumn strikes with the twelfth episode of the Instant Classic podcast, hosted sparkily but inexpertly by writer and musician Penny Broadhurst. All MP3s have been made available for free legal download by the artist or label - the Radiohead album doesn't count, skinflints! This episode features tracks from Chopper Harris, Lisa Moorish, The Rosie Taylor Project, Wintermute, Sarandon, i concur, Adapter Adapter, Jackson Analogue, Armchair Songs, The Dirty Projectors, Language Of Flowers, worriedaboutsatan and The Plimptons. Not in that order.

Tracklisting as always available at the shownotes - http://www.pennybroadhurst.com/instantclassic

Also available from iTunes.

nice interview...

...by Music Spotlight.

http://www.musicspotlight.co.uk/features.asp?id=56

Local radio a-go-go

Tim will be appearing on Yorkshire radio on Saturday (29/10) at 6:15pm (GMT) for an informal chat about the state of all things concur related.

To tune in you can listen on DAB in Yorkshire - On Sky Channel 0209 - or online at http://www.yorkshireradio.net/

Note to self: *must not swear*.....*must not swear*.

Get the Brew's in.

We're on the first compilation from Leeds' newest label Brew Records.



The compilation includes 18 quality yorkshire tracks from the likes of Vessels, The Pattern Theory, Immune, Glissando, Jon Gomm, Humanfly, Bilge Pump, Pixel Pixel Pixel, Cowtown, Chickenhawk, The Butterfly, Mucky Sailor, These Monsters and Year Of the man as well as us!

It's out on 10th December but you can pre-order it now from the Brew Records myspace.

LITE

"Crazy math rock from Japan"

We're supported LITE last night at the Royal Park, Leeds. Jesus they're good. Check them out duggga dugga dink dink dugga!

Pic of the tour

Margate Toby

Toby took some ace pictures of beautiful Margate. Check them out.

Gigwise

We've been recommended to students by Gigwise. Ace.

NUS

(scroll to the bottom section)

More tour...

Carl breaks finger in door. D'oh.

What you looking at Nottingham.

Beer.

Floor.

Manchester had silver balls.

Head of Steam.

Sofa Theory

Spraydog = loud!

Newcastle smoking crew

Joel Gets Involved

Tour so far...

Toby's lost in Margate.



James goes Battles.




Easy on the beers lads.

Beware of the bogeyman.

Singstar!

The Shell Grotto. Wow!

99!

Margate beach.

Chris feet.

Toby annoyed.

James on the way.

Vessels turn up for London and go to bed.

Pattern Theory trash the kit.

With consistent form

We have new material ready for the tour. One song, ‘Captors’ is probably the heaviest and mathiest thing we’ll ever write. It’ll hopefully blow people’s heads off.

It’s ready just in time for the tour which starts on Thursday in Margate. Excited is an understatement.

Studio (part 2)

Due to a slight change of plan we can only do a quick stop off at the studio. This sees us laying down Tim and James vocals plus messing around with an old tape machine on Build Around Me. It’s sounding good. The results should be very interesting.

Mixing next...

Su..su..studio (part 1)

This weekend we headed into the recording studio to lay down the tracks for what will hopefully be our first single.

We worked with Jamie Lockhart (from Mi Mye and The Old House) at Greenmount studio in Wakefield – which is also his home. Jamie’s produced records for the Wrath label, The Research and The Piskie Sits amongst others.

Jamie lives in what can only really be described as a tower. Inside it’s littered with old amplifiers and strange looking pieces of recording equipment.


In the lounge is a beautiful piano, piles of vinyl and comical memorabilia from his days in local band Little Japanese Toy (the band he used to share with James Mabbutt, aka Napoleon IIIrd, who lives two doors down). The kitchen is a complete shambles but is beautifully wallpapered in pages from Reader’s Digest.

Upstairs in the attic is the actual studio. Everything is based around a giant 3M reel-to-reel tape machine and a giant handmade mixing desk which should have at one point in its life gone on tour with Dire Straits.

Day 1 – Saturday 11th August ‘07

The tracks we set about recording on the Saturday were Lucky Jack and Build Around Me. We wanted to record these songs in as ‘live’ an environment as possible so the four of us spent most of the day in a cramped tiny little room, rocking out together but at the same time trying not to knock each other out with our guitars. Saturday was also really warm so our little room became very hot and sweaty. Yum.

We didn't want the red hot valve amps in the room with us so Tim’s amp was stuck in a closed cupboard next to the ironing board two floors below whereas Chris’ amp was in the corridor near the bathroom. The occasional friend wandering in and out to see Bob (Bob Taylor, photographer extraordinaire and Jamie’s patient flatmate) must have wondered what was going on, especially as Chris’ amp was connected to a strange looking giant Sunn o)))) bass amp with a stupid amount of speakers.

Despite Chris and Toby turning up with a hangover and Jim making everyone late by demanding that a rather ill looking Toby cooked him breakfast, the morning’s takes of Lucky Jack went pretty well thanks to a relaxed recording environment and random conversations about unusual recording techniques.

Following two string breakages in as many strums lunch was called. This involved a swift Greggs banquet, a couple of Malboro and a few cold cans of Grolsch before we crack on with Build Around Me. Again everything went top notch. In fact Jamie thought it sounded like Godspeed so I guess it must have been good.

We shut up shop on Saturday with a quick reminisce about old bands and a homage to the wonder of The National. Apparently tomorrow Jamie’s going to make our guitars sound like they do on ‘All The Wine’. Ace!


Day 2 – Sunday 12th August ‘07

Hungover. Well Chris and Toby are (again!) although Toby won’t be at the studio for another three hours as Sunday is all about the guitars. Same goes for Jim.

So a delicate start to the morning sees Tim laying down some guitar lines for Lucky Jack while Chris takes a nap on the sofa.

However some extra strong Guatemalan coffee and a play with some retro amplification wakes Chris up and the conversations about off-the-wall recording techniques are going again.

This time Jamie’s using three different mics on the guitar amps to get individual tracks for the high, mid and low frequencies. It’s all mad technical stuff but it seems to be doing the trick. Jim and Toby arrive at the studio just in time to hear the almost finished version of Lucky Jack. It’s sounding HUGE.

After a quick trip out in the rain for pasties we set about putting down the guitar tracks for Build Around Me. Tim had clearly been hammering the Wilco when he wrote his parts for this one and a the occasional twang on his new Jaguar’s tremolo means everything sounding a little Twin Peaks. Which, obviously, is ace.

After Chris finally nails his one guitar line on take 28 we sit back and take a listen to what we've done. It’s early days yet, these tracks still need vocals, mixing and mastering, but it’s all starting to sound rather good.

We come back in three weeks to finish the job off. Can’t wait.

TOUR! TOUR! TOUR!

The tour with The Pattern Theory is pretty much sorted now. Check out the poster for details but we might have to add one more date in Brum. Maybe.

Dance To The Radio: Out of the Woods and Trees

We've been asked to put 'Decimal Places' on the next Dance To The Radio compilation CD which we're really very pleased about as we'll be sitting alongside the likes of Forward Russia, Howling Bells, Snowden and You Slut. Ace!

Our mates Vessels and Fran Rodgers are also on there. This is also ace!

Kotki Dwa - 'Pad' The Taste - 'Till There Was You'

The Wallbirds -'Desperate'

You Slut! - 'MyBloodyJesusExplorerOnFire'

Snowden - 'Black Eyes' (Le Castle Vania Remix)

Bobby Cook - 'Homesick'

Grammatics - 'The Manageress'

Howling Bells – 'This City's Burning'

Shut Your Eyes And You'll Burst Into Flames - 'Futures Rewired'

I Concur - 'Decimal Places'

Prego - 'The Longest Calm'

The Pigeon Detectives - 'Left Alone'

Mother Vulpine - 'The Hand That Cracked The Bell'

Fran Rodgers -'She Dwelt Among Th'untrodden Ways'

¡Forward, Russia! -'Don't Be A Doctor'

The Displacements - 'AKA The Train'

Sky Larkin - 'Keepsakes' (Napoleon IIIrd Remix)

The Chapman Family - 'You Think You're Funny'

Vessels - 'Happy Accidents'

Held By Hands - 'Trading on Past Treasures'

You can read a bit more about it on Drowned in Sound. As you can probably tell we're quite chuffed.