2011 – Drumming Mad!

So 2011 has been a busy year, the busiest yet for me! Therefore I thought I would have a review of my year with music and try to remember what I have been up to…

Live Shows:

Sunless ’97: 6
Mean Poppa Lean: 7
Mechanical Bride: 23
Holy Vessels: 2
Saint: 44 (Functions)
Caroline Buckley: 1

All shows: 83 (4 Tours, 2 UK, 2 European).

Supported, Friendly Fires, Yuck, Toro Y Moi, Kwes, Summer Camp, Smoke Fairies, The Heart and the Hand, Liam Finn, Dry the River, Graham Coxon.

Standout venues visited: The Garage, ULU, St. Giles Church, London, Flèche D’or, La Boule Noir, Paris, Le Cargo, Caen.

Releases:

2 Albums: Mechanical Bride – Living With Ants, Mean Poppa Lean – Live on Twelve Legs.
1 EP: Sunless ’97 – Making Waves.
3 Singles: Mechanical Bride – Colour of Fire / Young Gold / To the Fight.

2 Radio sessions: Radio 1 Huw Stephens session, Selector Radio session.
Radio Plays: Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music, XFM, Selector Radio in over 29 territories.

1 Album recording session, Holy Vessels.

1 Endorsement deal, C&C Custom Drums.

4 Auditions, Left 1 band, joined 2, currently playing with 4, Sunless ’97, Holy Vessels, Mechanical Bride & Saint.

That just about wraps up my year, I’m hoping 2012 has more to give, looking forward to next year and implementing some new years resoultions, I already have a few that I have started early, cause I want a head start!

Merry Crimbus and a Happy Neu Year to all! X

Supporting Friendly Fires & Yuck in France

Tomorrow I travel to Caen in France and then onto Paris on Saturday with Mechanical Bride to play Festival Les Inrocks. This French festival takes place across the country in multiple venues, and we will have the pleasure of supporting Friendly Fires at Cargo in Caen (Nov 3rd), and Yuck at Le Boule Noir in Paris (Nov 5th).

More info here:

http://blogs.lesinrocks.com/festival-les-inrocks/

UK Tour, Philip Selway & C&C Snare Drum

Firstly I have just got back from a week long tour around the UK with Mechanical Bride, we began in Brighton at the Komedia, and took in the sights of London, Oxford, Cardiff, Bath, Cambridge and Cheltenham. The Highlight of the tour would be our support band in Cambridge, Bathing Blonds, check out their music they are a very talented bunch and one to look out for, and the lowlight would be getting stranded in Cambridge due to the van needing a well earned holiday..

http://soundcloud.com/bathingblonds

I also had the huge privilege of meeting Philip Selway from Radiohead at our show in Oxford at the Jericho Tavern, where 20 years ago they were first spotted and signed up. We had a lovely in depth chat, and he remarked on how interesting and accomplished my drumming was, which obviously was a huge compliment from one of my biggest musical influences, Thank you Philip!

Here is the Philip in action with new Radiohead member Clive Dreamer on double drums duty..

Also I my C&C snare drum is finished…

Mechanical Bride UK Tour & European Dates…

KOMEDIA STUDIO BAR

Wednesday 19th October, Brighton
01273 606 312 / Komedia

OLD QUEENS HEAD

Thursday 20th October, London
Old Queens Head

JERICHO TAVERN

Friday 21st October, Oxford
Jericho Tavern 

SWN FESTIVAL – TBC

Sunday 23rd October, Cardiff
SVN Festival 

MOLES

Monday 24th October, Bath
Moles

PORTLAND ARMS

Tuesday 25th October, Cambridge
Greenmind

FROG & FIDDLE

Wednesday 26th October, Cheltenham
seetickets 

LES INROCKS, CARGO

Thursday 3rd November, Caen
FNA Tickets 0892 683 622 (0,34€/min) / int +331 41 57 32 28
Ticketnet 0892 390 100  (0,34€/min) / intl +331 46 91 57 57
Digitick / Alias Production

LES INROCKS, LA BOULE NOIR

Saturday 5th November, Paris
FNA Tickets 0892 683 622 (0,34€/min) / int +33 1 41 57 32 28
Ticketnet 0892 390 100  (0,34€/min) / int +33 1 46 91 57 57
Digitick / Alias Production

CROSSING BORDER FESTIVAL, THE HAGUE

Saturday 19th November, The Hague
Crossing Border Festival

CROSSING BORDER FESTIVAL, ANTWERP

Sunday 20th November, Antwerp
Crossing Border Festival

Loads-a updates!!

It’s been a busy few weeks, firstly Living with Ants is up for a Schmercury award, best folk album of 2011 up against Fleet Foxes and the such like…

Plus a UK Mechanical Bride tour coming up in October, and european dates in November.

Joined up with London based band Sunless ’97, rehearsing for Live, tours planned.

Recorded an album with Brighton band, Holy Vessels in Oxford with producer Iain Harvie (Del Amitri).

Plus loads of functions and drum lessons, woooo busy is good!

Live Selector Session, Aired Around The World!

Here is a live selector session I recently did with Mechanical Bride. It was recorded at Red Bull Studios in London, for the British Council and was aired around the world to 29 countries, whilst being played on NME radio in the UK. It features 3 live tracks off the new album ‘Living With Ants’, Colour of Fire, Young Gold and Magpie. Enjoy!

Vinyl !

My first appearance on vinyl, the brand new single ‘Colour of Fire’ by Mechanical Bride. Listen on my discography page or download for free at www.mechanical-bride.com

Smoke Fairies / Mechanical Bride UK tour.

I am currently in York with Mechanical Bride halfway through a UK tour supporting the Smoke Fairies. Here is the list of dates we are doing..

May 2011

12 – BRIGHTON – Great Escape Festival (Prince Albert)

14 – CLITHEROE – The Grand At Clitheroe (w/Smoke Fairies)

15 – HEBDEN BRIDGE – The Trades Club (w/Smoke Fairies)

16 – EDINBURGH – Cabaret Voltaire (w/Smoke Fairies)

18 – YORK – The Duchess (w/Smoke Fairies)

20 – LONDON – ULU (w/Smoke Fairies)