Christmas time with a bullet.

I've yet to get into the festive flow.

My solo date was possibly the hardest gig I've ever had to do. I tend to play to the people I don't know in the audience...and there was a lot of friends there. I felt like I was stood on a stage reading out my diary. Not pleasant. Here's the set:

• Superman Is Dead!
  
• 99% Sunshine
  
• Portable Sun
  
• We Know How But We Don't Know Why
  
• Just One Word
  
• Waiting For Answers
  
• How Turns The Tide
  

Like I said...hard work, although the new songs were highlights, which is promising.

We hit Kerpow! with two half hour sets of very loud...how can we describe ourselves now?...shoegazing without the shoes? Or the gaze? We began with the old stuff:

• Coast To Coast
  
• Blow
  
• Seroxat
  
• Just One Word
  
• Repeater
  
• Open Letter (To Mrs Foy)
  
• I Will Run After You (solo style)
  

Now, I admit...some of these songs were very, very under-rehearsed. Surprise best song of the set? Seroxat. It rocketed along like I'd never heard it do before. Then we came back with the newer stuff:

• Superman Is Dead!
  
• 99% Sunshine
• Portable Sun
• Amethyst
• We Know How But We Don't Know Why
• Waiting For Answers
• How Turns The Tide

Superman became quite noisy (I like that!) and restricted itself to an ear-friendly seven minutes-ish. Portable was ace, as was We Know How and How Turns The Tide. The crowd (and for a change there was quite a crowd) were really, really appreciative and I'd like to say thanks to them all - I really appreciate your appreciation (apart from the lady who told me I was her "bitch"). Actually, on second thought, even her.

Musically, I've got some new ideas beggining to float about in my head, which usually means new songs are on their way. They'll be played in some form by myself, but as yet I'm unsure who else will feature. I'm going to record a batch of new stuff for a mini-album of sorts when I get the chance. Expect the new stuff to be feedback drenched noise. Except with tunes your mum will hum.

In other news, someone the band knows - Dan Knowles - is in a new Nottingham band called Amusement Parks On Fire. We met him when recording in Mansfield and got on like a house on fire. He used to be in The Grips (who scared the living daylights out of me with their 12 minute set in Nottingham that me and Nick saw), and knew how to work the studio equipment where we recorded. APOF are very good if you like noise drenched rock. I recommend.

Right. I'm off. See you later.