Sunday 6 June 2010

We've been wearing caps, to keep our thoughts from tumbling out

We've done very little lately, publically, this is true. Last September we went into the studio with producer Richard Formby (Wild Beasts, Herman Dune et al) and spent 10days recording the music for our first full length record. It went exceptionally well, I was touched.

However, our band teamsheet often reads more like a football injury list and on this occasion it was I that couldn't very much open his mouth to sing a note. The recording was postponed. Unclear as to what had caused my admittedly already laconic nature to slip into mute, I embarked on a true medical adventure. Three GPs, two ENTS, and a speech therapist have defined my last 8 months. I have had innumerable cameras pushed inconceivably through my nose and have repeated with all seriosity, sentences such as 'Irritatingly ink oozed over the oats' until conversely the words start to make sense.

It fixed it. Dr Sue Jones and Dane Chalfin I am forever indebt to you.

Sadly it has meant months and months of (im)patience. Our stand up manager Ed Mason and Richard Formby have been a dream. My bandmates have been saints and I hope that those who enjoyed our first record and have been waiting patiently for new material will be spurred by our new songs.

The interim gave us some time to reflect and there has been a change in personnel. Joel, who has drummed with real invention on our new offering, has departed and is replaced by ex-Mother Vulpine drummer and co-director of our 'Lovers or Something Like' it video, Ben 'Shakey' Waddleton.

And so to more concrete news, we have a show booked at the Camden Entreprise, London 18th July 2010. We are playing with Dear Winesburg (www.myspace.com/dearwinesburg). The album will be completed this summer, it's 12 tracks long, Tom Fleming from Wild Beasts guests on it and it has the working title 'Twin Beds'. This, to round up, is the state of play and the start of much more.

Yours in good health,
Jonny / Rosie Taylor