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Working To A Brief
I had another DIP into the world of ADVERTISING last night, as I got sent a brief for another one of those viral campaigns. The idea was to present an IDEA for an ad, which was all rather EXCITING and like on TELLY, so i set to PONDERING with one idea coming along just before i got on the TUBE and another when I got home. This latter was what I think they were probably after from me i.e. a SONG which I must say I was rather happy with... tho it DOES have an EXTREMELY catchy tune which lodged in my head all night, only to be replaced this morning by the theme tune to "Moving On", the Adult Literacy programme starring Bob Hoskins which seemed to be on ALL THE TIME during the summer holidays of the 1970s. All together now - "Moving on, moving on, we're on our way again... every day, something new, la la la la la la." A CLASSIC!
In other news I am EXTREMELY relieved to see that the new single is now available on iTunes. I love it when a plan comes together! My only worry NOW is whether or not it'll be available on AMAZON on Monday - if that happens then EVERYTHING will have gone according to plan, that can't be right, can it?
posted by MJ Hibbett, 18.7.08
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(0) comments The New Look For Summer
As is TRADITIONAL when we have a new release I've had a bit of a REDESIGN of the main webpage. Nothing too drastic this time, as I quite like the way it works at the moment!
In other news... er... well, not much right now, it's all a bit quiet today! I'm STILL looking for the first airplay of It Only Works Because You're Here - i know it's not OUT until next week, but it'd be nice to know someone had played it! Apart from that it's just a case of waiting around until a) RELEASE DAY on Monday b) Indietracks a week tomorrow and c) The Fringe the week after that, by which time I shall probably be looking back with YEARNING to a time when not much was going on.
AHA! But this reminds me of TWO things - first of all, if anyone's thinking of coming to see me in Marylebone tomorrow night I should mention that SUPERMAN REVENGE SQUAD are ALSO playing. I found this out the other night and am now EXTRA excited about the gig as a direct result!
Secondly, it looks like the Friday Night Show for Indietracks, where we'll be playing the full-band version of My Exciting Life In ROCK for the first and, possibly, ONLY time, will now be open to people who DIDN'T manage to get one of the first 100 tickets. It'll be 3 quid entry, and we MAY be playing it in the main tram shed instead of the church.
If this occurs then I'm hoping we'll be able to play it IN THE ROUND, rather than on the stage. If this goes ahead I would recommend anyone attending to bring CUSHIONS or BLANKETS or SOMETHING, as sitting on the concrete floor might be a bit cold!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 17.7.08
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(1) comments No Heroics
Let my name be MR SHOWBIZ, for LO! last night I was off to an advance screening of the ITV2 sitcom "No Heroics". This was at the invitation of Mr Rich Johnston of Lying In The Gutters, who's just featured the video for It Only Works Because You're Here in this week's column. He's very kindly plugged quite a few of our VIDS recently, and it was GRATE to find out that, in real life, he's a dead nice chap. We met in the pub beforehand and almost inevitably fell to discussing what ALL British comic-reading Gentlemen of a certain age will ALWAYS end up talking about i.e. Alan Moore's run on Captain Britain. The word "VARRR!" was, as ever, spoken quietly.
We then wandered round the corner to a VERY posh Production Company where they were holding the screening specially for Comics Blog TYPES. Supplied with free BEER we sat and readied ourselves to rather nervously - it's a new comedy on a digital channel, and it's about superheroes, SURELY we were all about to EARN our beer with laughing politely?
NOT SO. It turns out that "No Heroics" is BLOODY GRATE! It was actually PROPER funny, witn proper likeable characters, DEAD GOOD special effects bits, and lots of LAFFS. I was EXTREMELY a) pleased b) RELIEVED, and I don't think I was the only one. After we'd watched the first episode they showed a DVD extra where the producer/writer wandered round the set pointing at all the amazing background details. Frankly, once they'd pointed out the clever names for ALL the drinks ("V For Vodka" being my favourite) and the MASSES of 2000AD references in EVERYTHING then we were all pretty much sold. It would've been SO easy to make a crappy Laugh At Comics Idiots MEAN show, but this was so obviously done with LOVE you couldn't help but like it. HENCE when we watched another episode the laughs were even BIGGER, and HAPPINESS reigned.
Afterwards we all stood around chatting, and I had a LONG talk to the director. This didn't start off to well as, like an IDIOT i said "Oh yes, Actors and Actresses, they're a bit weird aren't they?" He was, of course, MARRIED to an Actress, but I think we got past that and ended up discussing Carlos Ezquerra for AGES. Turns out both he AND the Producer were MASSIVE Comics Geeks (Drew The Producer was VERY proud that the fonts used in the Bar ["The Fortress"] was EXACTLY the same as 1940's Captain America!) of the same vintage of Rich and I and, indeed, everyone else in the room, and from the casual useage of PROPER TERMINOLOGY and the EXCITEMENT with which they spoke of everything else, it looks like the rest of the series will be as good.
I'm all excited about it now - it's on in September, I reckon it'll be GRATE!
It was, basically, not QUITE as glamorous as I'd thought it might be, but a LOT more fun. "No Heroics",
posted by MJ Hibbett, 16.7.08
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(0) comments The Press Launch
It's not far from my work to The Cross Kings, the pub where we were having the Press Launch for My Exciting Life In ROCK, but it FELT like it last night. For LO! I was carrying not just my guitar and ukelele but ALSO the easel, the signs, badges AND a huge box full of CDs for sale. CUNNINGLY I had taken a spare shirt with me, for it was a very sweaty Hibbett who arrived at the pub.
I discovered Mr Pete Green there already, along with Atomic Beat Records' Marianthi, and after a quick chat I went downstairs to meet the lovely Soundman, Alex, who was very keen that we should LOVE the sound he was giving us. The sound was LOVELY and so, indeed, was the room itself which had been set out in the THEATRICAL style. I briefly considered changing it to CABARET, but it looked so COOL I decided not to bother.
With that all done it was time to wander round the pub saying hello to the SEVERAL people who had come along, including The Songs In My Musical, who rather brilliantly arrived bearing a CAMERA. HOORAH! After a while it was time to start the round up, to get people downstairs to the basement where we were set up. Mr S Hewitt, STAGE MANAGER, stood and did the door while I did the traditional Promoter's Ritual of going upstairs and looking down the street to see if I could find new people. Surprisingly this kept on WORKING, so well in fact I even managed to get some Mylands in - featuring the gentleman known as Mileage who features in so many songs.
The evening kicked off with Pete doing a HITS set, which was brilliant, especially as he did a LOT of talking between songs and thus, as ever, completely WOOED the audience. After that we had a quick break and it was time for ME to go on, and do the show as follows:
It all seemed to go pretty well - I was trying out doing Fucking Hippy instead of The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B) but it felt a bit AGGRESSIVE so I'll be changing that back. For some reason the whole thing last 69 minutes, rather than the target 60 - I'm not sure how, I took several bits OUT from the 61 minute version we did the other week, and I certainly FELT as if I was rattling through at a fair old pace!(theme from) My Exciting Life in ROCK
I Did A Gig In New York
Fucking Hippy
Professional, Competetent, Rocking And Tight
Do The Indie Kid
Sod It, Let's Get Pissed
Hey Hey 16K
It Only Works Because You're Here
The Lesson Of The Smiths
Easily Impressed
Boom Shake The Room
The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B)
The strangest thing was a couple of points where I found I couldn't say my words properly. SOME PEOPLE may suggest this is hardly UNUSUAL, given my delightful Fenland BURR, but I think this time it was a bit of the NERVES as they came out quite strangely. Still, I think I managed to get it under control and people DID say they'd enjoyed it, so looks like we are GO for the next performance, which is going to be Indietracks. I can't believe it's FINALLY almost upon us!
The evening ended with another BEER and a bit of chat, before I once again struggled MANFULLY with my various items on the train. I'm not looking forward to trying to lug it all ALL the way to Edinburgh, but hopefully I'll be coming back with less than I take!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 15.7.08
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(0) comments And We're OFF!
At last, today's the day when everything gets GOING! Earlier on I emailed the Mailing List with an EARLY BIRD OFFER, to allow them to get copies of the new single early, should they wish. I've just had confirmation that it WILL be available to buy from July 21st on Amazon, HMV etc, and it'll be on the site from then too. HOOPLA!
We've also launched the VIDEO for the new single today - if you've been reading this over the past few months you'll know we've been working VERY HARD INDEED on it, and the results are now on YouTube, HERE:
This is ALSO all tied in to the Press Launch for My Exciting Life In ROCK, which is happening tonight in the downstairs bar at The Cross Kings in London Town. If you fancy coming be sure to be there early, as it all kicks off just after 7pm with the ever fantastic Mr Pete Green, before I go on and do the WHOLE SHOW. Do come if you can - there will be BADGES!
And as if all THAT wasn't enough, there ALSO my "celebrity" MUXTAPE online over at Sweeping The Nation, featuring sleevenotes which I spent most of Sunday morning worrying about!
I think that'll probably do for today!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 14.7.08
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(0) comments Rocking In The Annex
The Sophisticated Rehearsals continued yesterday as I made my way up to Leicester and then to Tiger Towers to meet Tom for our traditional trip to his EXCELLENT local Offy and then to get our tea. This time we chose Chinese: DELICIOUS.
Fully fed it was HO! for The Tigermobile and Woodhouse Eaves, where once again we were due for a practice. We picked Tim up, looked at the progress of the Pattison's Extension (SO grown-up) and then nipped back down the hill to the Village Hall... or, rather, to the annex.
Apparently something was going on in the main Village Hall, so I was expecting us to be playing in a tiny little shed stuck on the side, but the annex to Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall is of a kind which MOST villages would be proud to have as their MAIN hall. There were proper toilets, kitchen, large cupboard (labelled "The Council Would Prefer It If You Kept This Door Shut": polite, but FIRM) and even a POOL table in the corner, which I am sure GENERATIONS of children have looked at longingly, WISHING that once, just once, they'd arrive for the christening/birthday/nursery class to find it plugged IN. Also, the annex was very clearly labelled: "ANNEX", it said it large bold labels on the outside. GOOD.
As is becoming traditional Tim had forgotten something so he and Tom went back to collect it while I set up the drums, which i set up EXPERTLY. All right, it wasn't anywhere NEAR a full kit, but still, I could tell from Tim's face when he returned that he was IMPRESSED. I also had a quick GO, and discovered that replacing the foot operated bass drum with a stick walloped floor tom makes it MUCH MUCH easier to play in time. Bobby Gillespie: consider your early career FOUND OUT.
Francis arrived shortly after that, and we couldn't help but notice that he'd not bought his Euphonium. He explained his carefully thought out reasons - basically, he couldn't be bothered with it - and, JUST when he judged that our faces had become SAD enough at this news, whipped out the replacement instrument - a HARMONICA! HOOPLA!
We WHIPPED through most of the songs, then Emma arrived and we WHIPPED through them again. Well, I say "WHIPPED" but it was more like a gentle STROLL, as between each song there was time for HILARITY. Band Confidentiality prevents me from revealing what this was about but, as you would doubtless expect, it was the usual mixture of incisive comment about the current political scene and not AT ALL a giggling blend of rude jokes, Dr Who, and GOSSIPING about mutual acquaintances.
It was all sounding pretty good - we're getting there with The Balance, helped by Emma using a microphone, though i think I'll probably need one to. The songs were sounding good, ESPECIALLY (theme from) My Exciting Life In ROCK and the ACAPELLA section in Sod It Let's Get Pissed and it was, i think, a markedly more CONFIDENT Validators that left the annex promptly at 10.30pm.
We said our goodbyes and then Tom and I ZOOMED back to Leicester for a fairly conventional post-practice wind-down, consisting of a BEER and a repeat viewing of the aforesaid Doctor Who. I bet Pete Doherty finishes off his gig evenings in EXACTLY the same fashion.
posted by MJ Hibbett, 11.7.08
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(1) comments Waiting For The Future
The Waiting Around For Stuff To Happen continues APACE as I gently wander through the "quiet" time (tho with all these GIGS just lately it actually feels quite ROWDY) before we kick off the My Exciting Life In ROCK stuff properly next week. I'll be sending out an email to the mailing list on Monday which'll have details of the VIDEO, and also of the Exciting Two For One offer we'll be doing for the Press Launch, and ALSO also, as usual, details of how to get the new single a week early. As ever, SIGN UP to get the GOODNESS!
And talking of the press launch, I've done a FLYER, LOOK!
It's "Officially" a press launch, but it's VERY VERY VERY much open to anyone who wants to come, so if you get a chance, please do!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 9.7.08
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(0) comments The Red House
When I arrived in The Ibis, Sheffield last night I got a nasty surprise: my room was SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT to usual!
PANIC! FEAR! DOOM! Surely the whole POINT of the Ibis is that the rooms are always, give or take the odd stain or chipped formica, are EXACTLY the same where'ere you do wander? This one was a little bit larger, with a DOOR which could be opened into the next door room to make a SUITE! I was badly shaken, and it was all I could do to eat my TEA (cunningly pre-bought from Marks & Sparks in order to avoid Bad Chips/No Chips) before heading out to The Red House, where I was due to play a Sparklemotion Promotions night.
I got the tram most of the way there and arrived to find it was the same place me and The Validators played in a little while ago - we'd DRIVEN that time, which was why I was a bit confused about where it was. I got in to find Mr P Green, PROMOTER, on the door, and Slow Down Tallahassee soundchecking, and fell into light CHAT and a BEER.
Mr Green's Corporate Juggernaut soundchecked next, and I was AMUSED to see him "have" to go through the Guitar SOLO three times to get the pedal sound right. OK, it was the soundman making him do it, but the newly re-banded Pete could not hide his GLEE at getting to do this. I was JEALOUS!
My soundcheck was dead quick and then there was plenty of time for more CHAT with the lovely people who kept turning up. I'd been a bit worried about what to actually DO - it was advertised as a preview of The Show, but I only had half an hour to fill. I DID briefly toy with NOT doing and of The Show at ALL and just doing a normal set (NB The Easy Way Out) but decided to get up and just do some BITS. These are the BITS that I did:
(theme from) My Exciting Life in ROCK
I Did A Gig In New York
Sod It, Let's Get Pissed
Hey Hey 16K
It Only Works Because You're Here
Easily Impressed
It all seemed to go pretty well - to start with it felt ODD, that I was just stood there GABBING ON, but after a while it changed so the singing bits felt like they were starting to get in the way of the stories, which I _think_ is a good thing. I did the setlist by asking (in a slightly leading way) which stories people would like - AMAZINGLY everyone went for the one with NUDITY in it straight away!
The rest of the night was BRILLO. There was yet MORE chat (which may have featured SOME discussion of Doctor Who...) and some FANTASTIC bands. The Pete Green Corporate Juggernaut continues to get GROOVIER with each outing, and Slow Down Tallahassee were, as ever, GRATE - especially so for me this time, as all the excellent TUNES were familiar from their rather wonderful album. I was MOST excited tho to see The School, who I've HEARD lots of but never seen. They did not disappoint, it was a big proper set of big proper songs done A) BRILLIANTLY and B) CHARMINGLY.
It was all really really good - so consistently so that you pretty much FORGOT how good it was while it was happening, only to look back later and think "WOW! That was an AMAZING line-up!" for lo! it was!
Afterwards there was more chat of a, some would say, SLIGHTLY geeky, also RATHER BRILL, fashion, before it was time to go home. Foolishly I decided to take a shortcut, forgetting that I have never actually WALKED from this particular venue before... and got LOST! PROPERLY lost too - I had a map, but appeared to have walked off the end of it and couldn't see ANYTHING familiar. Luckily after about 15 minutes of trying to solve the problem by Walking Purposefully a taxi came by and SAVED me. I did appear to be going the WRONG WAY, which was a bit of a shocker, and was pleased to be secure in the back!
A pretty bloody GRATE evening all round ... although the getting up early wasn't much fun, and the carriage PACKED with Leicester teenagers on a school trip to London, SQUEALING for an hour, wasn't very helpful either!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 8.7.08
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(0) comments Lazarus Clamp
Not content with going out TWICE in one night on the weekend, myself and The Days Off On My Annual Leave WallChart went out AGANE on Sunday night, to Shoreditch to watch Lazarus Clamp.
As we strolled down Shoreditch High Street it was UNUSUALLY clear of tits in silly little hats... as they were all inside the many BARS that now litter the street, watching The Wimbledon. It all looked VERY exciting and I kept thinking "Ooh, I wonder who's winning?" then realising I didn't actually care either way.
We got to Catch and said HOLA to The Clamp, including our very own Mr T 'Tiger' McClure. We'd timed it well as we had time for a quick chat before they went off to get ready, and I noticed A Figure From The Past standing nearby. I went and checked and LO! it was Tony The Manager, formerly manager of the band Prolapse. It was he who used to CHIDE me when i'd OPENLY MOCK Tim for having almost NO Rock & Roll adventures when on Proper Tour, saying "That's not what it's like in the real world of touring." This is probably what put me off trying to do it "properly"!
There wasn't much time to do more than say hello tho, as The Clamp were about to start and we HIED it down to the front. Brilliantly, it was a continuation of seeing Bands We Like Being Really Good, as they were GRATE! Lazarus Clamp are the ONLY band from the Durham Ox bands of Leicester, mid-90's who are still going (well, apart from us, obviously) and they TOO have matured into one of those grown-up bands where everybody's clearly a) doing EXACTLY what they want to do b) really good at DOING so and c) REALLY enjoying it. Some people, twits, mostly, say that the most exciting bands contain Young People, as they are HUNGRY and EAGER, but I find this to be INCORRECT. Bands of Young People are usually DESPERATE to be LIKED and/or COOL, whereas bands that have been on the go for over a decade without being troubled by the NME etc are ONLY doing it because they want to and therefore do not have to give a flying shit about what ANYBODY thinks.
HENCE: excitement, experimentation and also GOOD TIMES. I also noticed during the set that Lazarus Clamp have become somehow FUNKY. My inner vision of them is coloured by many many gigs many many years ago when it was all JERKINESS and RAGE and LOUDNESS and, while that's still a part of what they do, it's ALSO mutated into Melliflous Melody, LOVELY interplay between the instruments and a TIGHTNESS of playing that becomes DANCEY, even in the varied time signatures they play in.
Is this starting to sound like Music Journalism? If so: APOLOGIES. Basically it was GRATE to watch, GRATE to hear, and all round FAB. The Words On My Lyric Sheet had been nudging me to ask for a REQUEST throughout ("that one that goes 'we're underneath the moon and the stars'") which happily they DID at the very end (although I'd always thought of it as the one that goes "we're UN! derNEATH! the MOON!and the star-ARS!") and she was so pleased she went and bought a CD. We finished with hugs and congratulations and then strolled off to the train station, singing as we went. Lovely!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 7.7.08
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(1) comments Poptimism/Gresham Flyers
This Saturday for, i think, the third year in a ROW i was NOT watching the Dr Who Finale when it was broadcast, as I was going OUT. I don't know why this keeps happening - it's not like I am a regular goer-out on a Saturday night, but I set off once again for POPTIMISM not knowing what on earth was going to happen.
Well, OK, I had SOME idea, having foolishly read SPOILERS, like I always do and regret it, but the full picture ELUDED me. I arrived at POPTIMISM to find Mr S Hewitt ALONE in a basement covered in truly GHASTLY pictures (the cellar bar of The Cross Kings, where Poptimism takes place and where our Press Launch next week will also be happening, has been DONE OVER with a TERRIBLE mural depicting scenes of "hell" as seen through the eyes of a 14 year old heavy metal fan with wrists WEAKENED from Other Activities - CURTAINS, apparently, are on order) wandering round on his own as, it turned out, THE ENTIRE NATION was sat at home watching Dr Who.
It's lovely that, isn't it? Five years ago you'd not have BELIEVED that Dr Who would EVER be so very massive, and also so very GRATE - i DID watch it when I got home from the pub and it was UTTERLY BRILL. Exciting and funny and daft and MENTAL and with crying bits and also GOOD in all senses of the world. As usual I went online this morning and got depressed, AS USUAL, by the idiots on Certain Doctor Who forums complaining stupidly about it (why do people who don't know what "deus ex machina" MEANS keep saying it?). MEMO TO SELF: Next year, TRY and avoid!
ANYWAY people gradually arrived and we sat around having a DELIGHTFUL chap, during which I discovered that the Posadists are a movement combining UFOlogy with Trotskyism. For some reason this pleased me IMMENSELY.
I had to tear myself away from the CHAT, also BEER, and head down the road to The Water Rats to go see The Gresham Flyers. I arrived to find it was a MAD night with about a MILLION bands playing, with the act on stage being trailed as "Morrissey's favourite support band." You could see why - a trilling screeching howling woman dressed like a cartoon throwing herself around playing whoopy keyboards acoompanied by a drummer in one of those little Shoreditch hats. It was all very exciting and dramatic and you could see why the audience who'd come to see her (mostly the kind of very slightly odd looking men of a certain age who probaby have VERY clear views on both Dr Who AND Posadism) really liked it, but it's ALSo the sort of thing that LOSES me very quickly. Yes, it's all DYNAMIC and DIFFERENT but it doesn't DO anything. You remembered the strange frocks and gyrations, but none of the actual sounds.
But still, the odd chaps liked it and CHEERED for ENCORES for TEN WHOLE MINUTES - despite the lights coming on, background music being played, the singer herself coming back on and taking off all her gear, it took The Gresham Flyers setting up to make them realise that, on a night with 500,000,000 bands playing, MAYBE the ten of them shouting wouldn't bring her back on.
This was good for me, as I'd not seen the Flyers for AGES and was EAGER to see them NOW. I stood with Mr C Gilmour and MARVELLED at quite HOW very EXCELLENT they are now - last time I saw them there was a LOT of changing round of instruments, which I personally find All Well And Good In The Practice Room, but REALLY distracting in The Live Arena, which has now calmed down A LOT. In my opinion they could just stop it all together - Thom and New Drummer Guy are such an OBVIOUS and GRATE rhythm section together it feels WRONG to see them parted.
Also in the time since I last saw them there seems to have been a Great Relaxing amongst them, as suddenly it all looked like LOTS of FUN - I always think the KEY to a good band is when the band members A) look at each other GRINNING throughout and B) sing along when they don't have. Everyone was dancing, everyone was happy, and it brought the TUNES rollicking out to the front. It was EXCELLENT, and the fact that Waz was sporting a Back To The Future-ESQUE DOUBLE TIES was pretty much the icing on the cake.
I dashed off as soon as they'd done, which lead to a good evening being topped off by making the last Easy Train home with 2 minutes to spare! HOORAH for Saturday nights!
posted by MJ Hibbett,
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(0) comments Lucky for some
There's been a bit of kerfuffle over at the Edinburgh Fringe site, as their booking system hasn't been working properly. Happily it is now MENDED, and is even generating reports to tell you PERFORMERS how many tickets they've sold.
This morning I went to have a look, expecting it to say "Don't be daft", and was AMAZED to find that we've ALREADY sold 13 tickets! THIRTEEN!!! That's almost as many as the pair of us sold PUT TOGETHER last time we both went! Thirteen! ZOINKS!!!
If you'd like to get in on the ACTION (and hey, there's only... er... LOADS of tickets left) you can do so HERE (I think that'll work anyway). In the meantime, I'll be practicing EVEN HARDER - double figures!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 4.7.08
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(0) comments The Quiet Week
The last batch of promo CDs finally went out this morning, to OVERSEAS media types, and now that's IT. According to my GANT CHART (NB I am of course NOT making this up, there very much IS a Gant Chart) i have now done pretty much THE LOT, and all that's left to do is put the video online and do some GIGS.
It feels WEIRD, but then it always DOES when it gets to this point - after MONTHS of dashing around trying to get everything done I suddenly find myself with nothing much LEFT to do, but still in ROCK ACTION mode. In a week or two then I can get all worked up again trying to see if we get any reviews or radio play, but at the moment it's too early to worry about any of that. Thus I sit, ITCHY FOOTED, RARING to go but unable to go. Actually, it's quite a GOOD bit, this bit!
Having SAID that, we've had a couple of mentions already, with a rather nice write-up of the dress rehearsal over on Fire Escape Talking and a jolly PLUG in today's CMU Daily. It feels like it's about to actually HAPPEN!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 3.7.08
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(0) comments The Dress Rehearsal
It was a short but VERY SWEATY stroll across Bloomsbury for me last night, as I strode manfully from work to The Lamb carrying a heavy bag of STUFF, an EASEL, a bag of placards, a guitar AND a ukelele. When I arrived to find Steve and Pete in situ i was very MUCH in need of a pint. As luck would have it, there were plenty of these available at the bar!
We sat around chatting for a bit, with me getting more and more NERVOUS, as this would be the first time I'd done My Exciting Life In ROCK in full in front of a proper audience. If it all went horribly wrong I'd be a bit stuck! ALSO, among the many delightful people who turned up was Mr S Evers, the bloke who commisioned me to write a book a couple of years ago and who features RATHER HEAVILY in the first story. I was a bit worried that he might not take its telling in the way it was meant!
We got the room set up, I did a LOT of pacing around, and people gradually arrived until just after 7.45pm I was ready to get going, so after a quick bit of Housekeeping I went off "stage", Steve introduced me, and I came back on and did THIS:
It all went REALLY REALLY WELL. I was EXTREMELY relieved! I don't think I did too many serious mess-ups, added some EXTRA GAGS, and got it all done in 61 minutes! HOORAH! I was worried that when faced with an Actual Audience I might go on a BIT and go over our time slot, but I think this was counter-balanced by me doing everything a bit QUICKER. Also quite a bit of time was saying "And there he/she IS!" and pointing at whoever I was telling the story about, which I don't plan to repeat when doing it in Edinburgh!(theme from) My Exciting Life in ROCK
I Did A Gig In New York
The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B)
Professional, Competetent, Rocking And Tight
Do The Indie Kid
Sod It, Let's Get Pissed
Hey Hey 16K
It Only Works Because You're Here
The Lesson Of The Smiths
Easily Impressed
Boom Shake The Room
Payday Is The Best Day
Everyone seemed to enjoy it, even those who were IN it (much to my relief), though we did run into an unexpected problem when there was an ENCORE as I didn't know what to do... EVENTUALLY I told the story of The Mobile Phone Song and did Payday Is The Best Day, though I should really properly learn up Mental Judo, which would be VERY fitting, should it ever happen again.
Once finished there was time for dishing out of BADGES and CDs and general CHAT which as usual became a bit of a mini-SESSION with MANY lovely people, some of whom I hadn't seen for YONKS. Rather brilliantly The Legs On My Easel and The Landlady had taken quite a bit of stuff HOME for me earlier on, so it was a rather less heavily encumbered (and slightly more TIDDLY) Hibbett who staggered home, full of JOY that it'd all gone off OK.
I hope it goes down as well when people who AREN'T in it come to watch!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 2.7.08
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(0) comments Unprecedented Levels Of Practicing
Whilst getting on the train to Leicester at St Pancras last night I noticed a bloke walking nearby had a satchel with "Gavin Estler - Newsnight" written on it. "Unusual", i thought, "I'd've thought these days it'd be Funeral For A Friend or My Chemical Romance, rather than news presenters". Half an hour later, on the way to the buffet, i noticed that the REAL Gavin Estler - Newsnight - was sitting in the same carriage as me, with a BBC TEAM. I was IMPRESSED with their sensible use of licence payers' money, not just for going Standard Class but going when it was CHEAP. When we got to Leicester they had an argument about which way to get out of the station, so i told one of them which way to go. Later on we saw a bit of the Newsnight Special: NHS Midlands. I didn't watch long enought to see the bit where they said the ENTIRE PROGRAMME was saved by my help, as otherwise they'd all be still wandering around in the car park, but I'm sure it was there somewhere.
ANYWAY I then HIKED, VERY sweatily, across town to Tom's to meet him JUST as he got home from work. We went and got ourselves a PROPER CHIPPY TEA from the PROPER CHIPPY down the road and then set off for Woodhouse Eaves, where we were due to have our first (NOT our only!) practice for My Exciting Life In ROCK. We popped into Pattison Mansions to say hello to the younger Pattisons (and to find myself PHYSICALLY COMPELLED by CENTURIES OF EVOLUTION to say, upon noting that Edie's front teeth had fallen out, "Ooh, have you been fighting?" It was all I could do to stop myself from MAGICALL producing a farthing from behind her ear) and to look upon the BUILDING WORK. They have basically built a whole OTHER HOUSE on the side of theirs, it is AMAZING.
Down to the Village Hall where we were joined by Mr F A Machine for a DELIGHTFUL practice, quite possibly my favourite EVER. Tim set up a quieter (NB tho not actually QUIET) kit of just a couple of drums, while the rest of us gathered round. I had my ukelele and guitar to hand, while Francis rather outshone me with guitar, trumpet AND Euphonium. Tom had his POSH violin out, while Emma I think found the RACKET of us, even acoustically, a bit much without a microphone. I was BELLOWING as per, but I think we'll bring a little amp for her next time.
It was LOVELY tho - we sat around running through ALL the songs in the show and they sounded really nice. We practically CONJURED UP a CAMPFIRE in the middle of the room, such was the relaxed VIBE of it all. Rehearsing for us is usually a RIGHT pain and involves spending time in horrible, stinky, HOT rehearsal rooms - I wish we could ALWAYS do our practices this way.
HIGHLIGHTS, apart from discussion of Topics Various throughout, including us all trying to give Euphonium Guidance, a bit of HARMONY, and a SMASHING try-out of CHORAL SINGING for the middle bit of Sod It, Let's Get Pissed.
We packed up, said our goodbyes, and then headed variously home, me going back to Tom's where we drank WHISKY and watched Dr Who - he'd not seen this week's, so the rest of us had to NOT SPEAK OF IT. It was very difficult, especially when actually WATCHING it. I think I managed OK.
And now I'm back in town and gearing up for tonight's DRESS REHEARSAL. Life In The Theatre, it is ALL GO!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 1.7.08
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(0) comments They're Here!
The singles are HERE, and they look GORGEOUS! HOORAH! Almost unbelievably this means everything has so far pretty much gone to PLAN - THUS I await news of a lightning strike by postal workers with a sense of foreboding.
Despite this fear most of the promo CDs are now in the post, and really all I need to worry about now is actually DOING the show. CRUMBS!
Meanwhile, the latest issue of the newsletter has just gone out. As ever, SIGN UP if you'd like to join the GLEE!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 30.6.08
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(0) comments Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse
What a DELIGHTFUL weekend that was - a Friday night spent in the pub with an old pal was followed by a Saturday afternoon sat in my STUDY with my colleague Mr S Hewitt doing another run through of My Exciting Life In ROCK. I found myself a bit SHAKY at the start as I've not had a go at it for a couple of weeks, but it soon came back AND was all wrapped up in 58 minutes. EXCELLENT. We then settled down to BUSINESS... only to discover that we're pretty much on top of everything. ALARMING!
Then i watched Dr Who. Quick Summary: OMG! EEEEEE! MAKE IT BE NEXT SATURDAY NOW!!!
I quite enjoyed it, yes. Yesterday consisted of some BOATING, some COOKING, and some FOOTBALL and now I'm back at work waiting for a DELIVERY of CDs! Excitement: INCREASING!
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(0) comments REAPING
Today I think I've pretty much spent the LAST big chunks of CA$H i need to spend before going to Edinburgh, as the tide turns and GOODIES start coming IN!
Yesterday's big thrill was the arrival of BADGES from the lovely firm Wee Badgers (recommended for ALL your badge needs!), which look [design 1] even GRATER than I expected and [design 2] even more TERRIFYING than I dared imagine. HOOPLA!
Today I have been putting folded press releases and flyers into pre-labelled envelopes then sticking Large Letter STAMPS on them. Buying stationery is always the LOVELISET Big Spend of a Release Campaign, and buying 100 52p stamps today felt a LOT more fun than, for instance, shelling out a similar amount for train tickets. Once that was done I nipped down to my friendly neighbourhood ARGOS to buy a SURPRISINGLY nice easel. It was really cheap so I was expecting something a bit tatty, but it's a lovely arrangement of WOODS which I'm now very much looking forward to utilising.
Now all we need is the actual singles! These should, in theory, be arriving on Monday, which would be EXTREMELY handy as it'll mean I can take some up to Leicester with me for our Vlads Practice that night. Which pretty much DETERMINES that they'll not come. But when they DO it will be FULL STEAM AHEAD - once they're in the post all I need to do is make final adjustments to the VIDEO and then everything is GIGS and BEER and GOOD TIMES!
Very INTRICATELY ORGANISED good times, but GOOD TIMES none the less!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 27.6.08
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(0) comments Back To Work
Sing hosanna and ring the bells, after a week off LARKING i am back at work. Whoop. Hoopla.
The week off BEGAN last Wednesday, when I went to The Buffalo Bar to play with Keith TOTP's band, The Indelicates and Lily Rae. All was good, tho the highpoint of STRANGENESS came at the start when I realised I Sort Of Knew nearly EVERYONE in the TOTP all-stars, but from very different places. I had a nice chat with Mr Les From Carter (a lovely man) and when I did my set i did THIS:
The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B)
The Gay Train
I Did A Gig In New York
It Only Works Because You're Here
Do The Indie Kid
The Lesson Of The Smiths
Easily Impressed
THURSDAY was my birthday, and LO! It was GRATE! Any day that features PRESENTS and ends with BEER, CURRY and THE FOOTBALL (and OH! what football) is a GOOD day!
On Friday we headed up to Sherwood Forest to meet our lovely pals Stu and Ange and then to go and see Crowded House. This too was excellent, we met the manager of support band DELAYS (I was surprised to find he WASN'T their Dad... but their other manager WAS) and Crowded House were BRILLIANT. Really REALLY good, also quite funny, especially when the bass player appeared to tell EVERYBODY from Nottingham that their children were SLAPPERS. This didn't go too well, so Mr Finn swiftly took over.
Saturday saw us up EARLY and off to Birmingham Airport... to wait around for our flight to Cornwall, which was DELAYED (not DELAYS). Still, we got to Newquay in SUPER fast time and were met by PARENTS. We had an ACE weekend with them, featuring LOTS of beer, more presents, and TONS of walking around. It was LOVELY.
We'd then intended to go on to see more pals, Suzie and Steve then Phil and Pam, but had to go home on Monday for the reason of STUFF. This was a bit of a disappointment, as it would've been LOVELY to see them, but it DID mean that when we DID get home and got into the aforesaid STUFF we were left with a couple of spare days, which I utilised by... well, not doing anything really. It's been such a DASHAROUND these past couple of weeks it was actually rather nice to loaf about a bit. I did manage to SQUEEZE IN a few episodes of "Absolutely" tho, which i got the box set of: people who know me! Prepare for me to once again keep going "MMMMmmm, Very ZENZIBLE!" at any opportunity!
And now it's back to work, both WORK work and ROCK work. The latter, rather excitingly, has so far today featured a delivery of BADGES, which look rather SMASHING, and the promise of CDs by Monday! It's good to be back!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 26.6.08
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(0) comments Out Of Office
Apologies for the lack of updates - I had a dead good night out on Wednesday night playing at The Buffalo Bar with (amongst others) The Keith TOTP Allstar Band, which was almost totally made up of people I knew from VERY different places, who I was surprised to see all in the SAME place. Yesterday i went on a Birthday Trip to see an exhibition of BEATLES stuff, then came home for CURRY, BEER and THE FOOTBALL. It was a pretty much ideal birthday, especially as it has left me with the "Absolutely" box set. PREPARE for me saying "It's a VID-AY-O" and "ZENZIBLE!" all the time, despite incomprehension from all around.
And now we're off for a couple of days to see some pals in Birmingham, Crowded House in Sherwood Forest, and then my Parents in Cornwall. We WERE going to see some other pals on the way back, but a Change Of Plan means I'll be back on Monday night, so i shall report back then, when hopefully I'll be ascending the final ramp to ROCK OCCURENCE with the single and all that. In the meantime I DID intend to keep the My Exciting Life In ROCK blog going and INDEED posted two entries AHEAD... but WordPress seems to have lost them, so I'm afraid they'll have to wait until I get back to work. SOZ!
Right then, PACKING!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 20.6.08
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(0) comments Investing In The Future
JINKIES! There is a whole lot of CASHFLOW USAGE going on at the moment, as preparations for My Exciting Life In ROCK continue. This morning I sent off about a GRAND's worth of cheques for accomodation in Edinburgh, the mixing/mastering of the new single and, perhaps MOST excitingly, for BADGES!
BADGES! We're getting some BADGES made for everyone who comes to a show - hopefully there'll be enough for everyone who comes to the Dress Rehearsal (July 1st, The Lamb, That London), Press Preview (July 14th, The Cross Kings, That London), World Premiere (July 25th, Indietracks Festival) and The Actual Edinburgh Run (August 4-9, Medina & Negociants, EDINBURGH). Blimey, that seems like a LOT of gigs, doesn't it? It's all I can do to stop myself PANICKING and ordering a MILLION more - I've got 600 coming, I'm sure that'll be enough, won't it?
I'll probably have 550 left over at the end won't I? I'm ALSO getting 100 rather special OTHER badges done, JUST FOR FUN. Originally I ordered these ones, as I say, JUST FOR FUN, but I think what we'll do is AWARD them to anyone who comes TWICE, so long as they're wearing the badge they got the first time. How about that? It'll be like the BLUE PETER badge... except it won't get you into any museums. But otherwise, EXACTLY THE SAME!
posted by MJ Hibbett, 17.6.08
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