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Saturday May 15th 2010
The Abbey Lodge launch party - Lee's big other quest before we head off to Dallas - somehow the man has, built a recording studio, arranged this party and had enough time to keep working on the new album as promised in the last month - he looks exhausted, but I'm suitably impressed
The party was a messy affair - There was a barbeque, loads of DJs, beer, sunshine; of the bands Vessels played first (by first I mean at about 11.30, then Middleman, then finally Two minute Noodles (pictured - although that's not from the party, its at the Brud and I didn't take it) and they were the highlight of my night - Moz (left) drums like a man posessed, and everyone who ever gets the chance should see it...
We loaded back to the studio at 5.30am, which is the last time we'll have to do that before Dallas - yes yes yes yes yes yes
Friday May 14th 2010
The Pattern Theory at the Packhorse, on their triumphant return from Berlin. Jimmy Theory (pictured) has appeared on my blog a few times, as a solo artist, or in a fotoautomat in Berlin at six in the morning, but at the exact moment captured in this image, he was blowing my mind with the reincarnation of his beautiful band...... immense
Wednesday May 12th 2010
The Books at Manchester Deaf Institute. Pete + forgotten camera = snap rinsed from the net, although if you combine the previous snap of the Deaf Insitute with this snap of the pair performing it's pretty much what it looked like. None of which however will give you any clue what they sound like - and I'm not even going to attempt to explain, save to say that its always interesting and often times truly beautiful......
Tuesday May 11th 2010
Another thing under represented by my blog of the past year is Pete on drums.... yip yip yip. For the past six weeks or so I've been heading to Neil's recording studio in Headingley to play drums 9-11. He gives me a really good deal because he's rarely there before noon, and so I plug a set of headphones in to my laptop and plug away at these babies as my morning workout. Give me another 6-9 months and I'll have it I reckon......
Saturday May 8th 2010
Vessels at the Vine in Sowerby Bridge - The Entire toilets were done out in pages from old Punch magazines. I took this picture in the gents just before we left and one of the locals, who had wandered in for obvious reasons made an endearing but nonetheless tepid attempt to communicate with me by simply grunting the word 'picture' and nodding drunkenly.... I couldn't very well deny it now could I.....
Friday May 14th 2010
Vessels at Band on the Wall in Manchester - this venue has had something like £4 million of lottery funding pumped into its recent refurb - and it shows.....
Monday May 3rd 2010
I've included this snap bacause my blog from the last year does not represent the amount of time that we have spent down in this basement working on our new album - but then too many shots of the same five skinny pale unkempt folk in the same small room would remind me of Prisoner Cell block H - So suffice to say its a lot..... a whole lot....
Saturday May 1st 2010
Today was a Vessels double gigger - Cockpit at 3 in the afternoon to some 400 people as part of Live at Leeds (I blagged this snap from an online zine, but I can't remember who to credit).......
.....and then on to pick up Jeff (Juffage) and across to Bolton to hook up with Ivan and play at the Dog and Partridge with Juffage as support. I've seen Jeff play five or six times now over the past few months and he has to be one of my favourite artists in the city - maybe its just beard envy......
Friday 30th April 2010
Woolford - who over the years has popped up from time to time on these pages has just turned thirty and he and Sarah set up a casino in their kitchen to celebrate the fact - awesome night that resulted in wooziness the next day....
Sunday 25th April 2010
Bear in Heaven at the Brudenell - of course I forgot to take my camera - so here's a snap from online, although there were only three of them when I saw them????? and for at least half an hour it was captivating, but then I got tired and went home..... their drummer is awesome.....
Thursday 22nd April 2010
We have had Stu (Jacob's Stories) with us for three days recording vocals for a track on our upcoming album. It sounds beautiful. We can't take him with us to Texas, so we borrowed another awesome valve mic and pre-amp from Bruce and laid down all of his parts in our lovely little rehearsal space - Vessels album 2, recorded in Dallas Texas and underneath a chip shop in Leeds.....
Monday 19th April 2010
Tonight we went to see Cariou perform his new album Swim at the Deaf Institute - it was amazing. This photo that I found online is not it. But it is of the Deaf Institute, and since its taken from so far back it could be anyone on stage really.....
Friday 16th - Sun 18th April 2010
After returning from our three day tour of Chippenham, Luxembourg and London I developed a horribly bad back - This picture, taken on the ferry during me sleeping in roughly the same position I slept in for the entire weekend (I had a floor to lie on for approximately four hours in Luxembourg) may begin to explain why.....
Vessels on tour - Chippenham - Lee tried to get to bed, but he just didn't make it.....
Thursday 8th April 2010
Here is Ellie from Glissando recording on the Steinway grand at the Howard Assembly Rooms - I was there in my role as expensive microphone from Bruce blaggerer, but I learned a thing or two about stereo recording - note the mics in the bottom left and top right of the snap - this is gonna sound sweet.....
Tuesday 23rd March 2010
J is in Scilliy, and so I took the opportunity to set up four full hi-fi systems and listen to Zaireeka by the Flaming Lips - an album of music mixed in Octophonic (eight channels) rather than stereo sound. It comes on four CDs, which need to be put into four CD players, and then all played at exactly the same time. Not only is it really interesting, but its an awesome album as well - my favourite Flaming Lips album by a mile..... Must have had about 20 people round over the two days I left it set up, and I must have listened to it five or six times, but I won't be doing it again any time soon, as I had to borrow a couple of full stereos from my neighbours and it completely took over my living room.....
Sunday 7th March 2010
This is Tom, playing at the Brainwash Haiti fundraiser, as part of Lee's live electronica act...I played a solo acoustic set, using delay and loops and banter. Sz filmed it, maybe one day I'll actually get round to watching it....
Saturday 6th March 2010
This is Murg's 30th birthday party at Akbar's.... Everyone ever was there....
Monday 22nd February 2010
David Thomas Broughton at the Brud, I have heard so much about this
chap that it was ace to finally see him live. It wasn't what I was
expecting, and it's not to diminish the brilliance of his voice or
lyrics or melodies that the best bit of the show was when he wandered
off into the crowd and set off two rape alarms....
After Lone Wolf and DTB played, Shearwater headlined, which I would tell you about, except I missed most of the set because I was outside with Martin trying to figure out how to get his car off of the tree-stump that he parked it on.... in the end it took a tow rope and a four wheel drive.... hard things to come by at 11pm on a week night.....
Friday 19th February 2010
J was away for a few days, so I watched seasons four and five of the wire back to back. Everyone should do this. It should be on the school curriculum....
Wednesday 17th February 2010
Fionn Regan at the Brud - Fionn's gone electric, and it repeatedly missses the mark.....
Saturday 13th February 2010
Kong at the Cockpit - picture by Bart. Like Zed from Police Academy let loose on a stage....
Saturday 6th February 2010
Hard to believe I used to be in this band - here are White Boys for Last ever gigs in Leeds playing at the Packhorse. An epic show but it made my ears hurt....
Friday 5th February 2010
Vessels and Oceansize pictured outside Nottingham Rock CIty after a successful show and a successful tour..... Gambler is about to summon brimstone from the sky......
Thursday 4th February 2010
Brontide joined us in Cardiff, to play the final two shows of the tour, although they were so late they didn't get to sound check, ran over their start time and only played three songs.....
Wednesday 3rd February 2010
Vessels and So I watch you from Afar, backstage in London after another sweet gig and a sweet mini-tour....
The view of the stage in Heaven, fitting in as many of the 700 or so faces that were staring back at us as possible....
This snap was taken in 'Heaven' in London, by Mike Copus. This gig was a beast. One reviewer said, in reference to my chat, that I was like 'a chronically unfunny Clement Freud'....
Tuesday 2nd February 2010
This is the view from the stage at the Manchester Academy 3 as we onceagain opened up for Oceansize. Prior to the show we were filmed in the toilets for Rocksound......
Sunday 31st January 2010
I took this snap on the way to our Glasgow show, where we played at King Tut's and my mid set chat was well received....
Saturday 30th January 2010
Aberdeen - the Tunnels - Photo courtesy of Adrien Reid. Oceansize were awesome at this show..... and again monstrously heavy....
Friday 29th January 2010
Vessels in Dundee - After a cosy night's sleep at Chris Esperi's yard we wandered round Dundee in the morning, in the chilly Scottish air. I bought a guitar in a charity shop for ten pounds, and Chris' girlfriend took photos of us on the swings and at the beach.....
Thursday 28th January 2010
Oceansize in Liverpool at the Masque - the first date of our tour, in an awesome venue and with awesome sound. Oceansize previewed some new material, which seemed to be monstrously heavy......
Wednesday 27th January 2010
We played this gig at the Library with Juffage and Quack Quack as a precursor to the Oceansize support tour that we were about to embark upon. Tim, Lee, Moz and Turpin (the two drummers from QQ) had a four way drumathon inbetween the Vessels and Quack Quack sets, which I titled 'Unwieldy din for a quadrangle of mammalian beater scoops'
Thursday 7th January 2010
I took this shot and a hundred like it after the heavy snowfall that obsessed the British media during the first weeks of January
Friday 1st January 2010
And..... the megascran.... 24 sorely hung over souls fed by J and myself in the cottage of justice - note how it looks almost identical to last year's......
Thursday 31st December 2009
NYE 2009 - The Rage band reunited to perform to a sold out Brud just before midnight - this was one mega party - Nath is a gem.... next year Jonnh Cash methinks....
Wednesday 23rd December 2009
This shot, taken on the 23rd of Dec is taken on day 4 of a four day marathon of 20 hour days trying to rush finish the music to the Astronomer's Sun because the animators only just gave me the final cut.... In all honesty, I'm pleased with my composition but not with the recording of it, because I was so pressed for time - and the adventurous folks at C4 insisted on turning the music down and down and down until it is present but has all the impact of a slap in the face by a foetus.......
It's over now though, I can spend some time with my family at Christmas instead of neglecting them yet again for a project....
Sunday 20th December 2009
Party party party..........
Saturday 19th December 2009
J wanted a 'slightly' bigger tree this year, I left her to it......
Friday 18th December 2009
Music workshop in Bradford for some cause or another that I have yet to determine, was really good fun but was made much better when Lee turned up - I bailed shortly after that to get to Manchester to meet Dave and watch the Doves.... Taking this snap of Manc Santa after the show as we wandered round town trying to find a bar that wasn't vile....
Monday 14th December 2009
For the second year in a row I went with my brother and some friends to see the Pogues Christmas show at the Leeds academy - however we didn't sit till the early hours getting drunk with Shane MacGowan this time - although we did with Marky B, who is in many ways even more of a legend.....
Thursday 10th December 2009
Production still from 'The Astronomer's Sun'
Friday 27th November 2009
Samay at achurch in York - I bootlegged this entire gig - I'll put a track up on the front page at some point....
Tom has cracked the screen on his mac book, and the offical repair quotes are enormous, so as a surprise for his birthday we bought him a screen off ebay, pinched his macbook, and then with the help of Clem, I endeavoured to fit it DIY style.
Never do this - just pay the money....
On the plus side, we did eventually succeed.....
Thursday 26th November 2009
Three Trapped Tigers at the Brud - Their drummer is a behemoth of sound....
Wednesday 25th November 2009
Jimmy, Wally, Ad and Saren did a one off Faith no More tribute band at the University - the band was brilliant, but the attendance was poor - An awesome idea (and a ton of prep) squandered on a poorly marketed concept.....
Monday 23rd November 2009
J has organised this month long display of facts about and portraits of refugees on display boards in the Light shopping centre, helping to dispell one or two popular myths about immigration in this country in a location where the folk who see it might not know this stuff already.....
Sunday 22nd November 2009
Szymon playing in Polish legends Stracony at 120 rats - the man is a monster on the bass.....
Saturday 21st November 2009
Music workshop at the Leeds Summat - me Lee and Tom setup Ableton, a mic and a teble full of instruments in Leeds Uni and many of the summit attendees popped by and contributed a sound or a riff to a collective track that was mixed mastered and being distributed on CD-R before the day was done..... Listen out for it on this year's Christmas CD.....
Thursday 19th November 2009
The Antler's in Cockpit 3 (I didn't take this picture) - I did however nearly cry during their heartfelt and epic performance....
Tuesday 17th November 2009
Chick Corea and Stanley Clark and Bela Fleck and Victor Wooten at an afternoon show in London - all none jazz nerds look away now.....
Friday 13th November 2009
The Paper Chase at the Brudenell - One of my favourite bands ever at one of my favourite venues ever. With Vessels as support and a live exorcism, of me, by Congleton (pictured) midway through the show - Anyone remember this chap from producing our album, he's a different beast once you put him on a stage.....
Saturday 7th November 2009
Martin's 30th birthday at Milo - Lee pictured Djing techno - I got out whilst the going was good.....
Sunday 1st November 2009
Vessels at Brainwash 09 - before Oceansize and Efterklang - picture courtesy Bart Pettman....
Friday 23rd October 2009
The delivery of our new fridge and the removal of our old one led to the discovery of the 'wet rot' underneath our kitchen. This picture shows the 'before' stage of treating it.....
And this one shows the after.. - Although there is an 'after after' shot, but it looks identical to the 'before' thanks to the impeccable workmanship of Dylan and his dad....
As I remember it, most of this occurred whilst we went away for the weekend to Mordue's to work on writing our new album, which I have not a single photo of...... meaning that mainly J and again (as with the fleas) not I were inconvenienced by our household woes.... Woman has the patience of a saint....
Tuesday 20th October 2009
Vessels - somewhere - 20th October 2010
Saturday 17th October 2009
This tour, must be when I started failing to take snaps of everything - because this snap taken by Martin in Ediburgh is one of the only pictures I can find of an entire tour that we did in Ocober that I can barely remember (or should that be 'distinguish' as we've toured these same venues so many times it seems) - anecdotes on a postcard...
Friday 16th October 2009
Vessels in Glasgow - didn't get cut off this time - score....
Friday 2nd October 2009
Vessels - Cissy - Humanfly - Bellini and another band at a gig that I remember was ace, but I can't remember, if that makes any sense....
Friday 25th September 2009
25th Sept 09 - This is Andy 'Madness Baldwin', pictured in a snap that I can't put a date or a source to that I found online. I didn't know him well, but I had known him as well as I didn't for a long time. He died a few weeks ago and tonight Red Stars Parade reunited at the Brudenell in remembrance of him. We did a mass group cossack in his honour, and it was a fitting tribute to a man obsessed with Red Stars and by all accounts at the centre of their world.....
Wednesday 23rd September 2009
On the set - trying not to be a nuisance.....
Saturday 19th September 2009
J's birthday - ordinary digital photo transformed into pseudo polaroid for added nostalgia - quality party - exceptional woman.....
Wednesday 9th September 2009
This production still hopefully captures the scale of the ambition of Simon and Jess and whatthey are trying to achieve in Simon's shed.....
Friday 4th September 2009
Vessels on a log stage somewhere in the Lake District at this year's Fell Foot Sound. Picture courtesy of Bart Pettman - Not a great show from our side, but this view was contradicted by many who were present....
Tuesday 25th August 2009
In Ilkley recording music for film with new laptop - Sense of professionalism starting to germinate within....
Friday 21st August 2009
21st August 08 - As a send off to Garside, who is London bound, Transpangaean played what could be our last ever gig, with Garside's drumming group joining us for the finale, then we reunited the Rage bandbut Garside had had such a busy week that he depped most of the guitar out to Nick Svarc (pictured) who did a bang up job on two day's notice..... Garside still joined us for the encore though..... sweet deal.....
Thursday 20th August 2009
20th August 2009 - The fleas have been destroyed in a full on chemical attack - They will think twice about messing with this yard again......
Saturday 8th August 2009
Moor Fest 2009 - Bilge Pump in a shed - I have awoken to the glory of the Bilge - We played on the second stage - We opened with a new tune that we've all written together - working title July 1st.....
Saturday 1st August 2009
Unity Day 2009 - Mostly cold and wet and Pete mostly tired - Fortunately I found this snap on someone else's blog that makes it look entirely the opposite......
Friday 31st July 2009
New laptop half paid for by the film I'm working on - Technological induced happiness maxed out....
Thursday 23rd - Monday 27th July 2009 - Secret garden party
Rodrigo and Gabriella......
Caribou (Martin took this snap - I was too busy gawping)
Till next year boon flunkers........
Sunday 19th July 2009
Picking some form of berry in the sun with Ben, Andy and Murphy the hound......
Saturday 18th July 2009
Ashwood Stock 09 - Jacob's Stories performing in a gazebo - his voice is ridiculous - remind me to get him on the next Vessels album - I also performed, and bantered a lot, to the distant neighbours via Public Address if I remember correctly...
Wednesday 15th July 2009
Summer 09 - The summer that fleas terrorised my girlfriend (but not me for some mysterious reason) - If I'd known how bad it would get I would have just paid the money up front as soon as we saw even one to have the whole house fumigated....
It'll be fine........
Tuesday 30th June 2009
Seb gave me new pickups for my birthday - my attempts to wire them in to my strat have thus far failed....
Friday 26th - Sunday 28th June 2009
Pete's 27th birthday:
Friday night - A Hawk and a Hacksaw at the 1 in 12 in Bradford (mint.....)
Saturday night - Huge garden party at the cottage, shenanigans till dawn
Sunday morning - less than 3 hours sleep - Cleaning of garden followed by light hearted acoustic performance at a guitar shop...
Wednesday 17th June 2009
Tom at a rehearsal - Momentum gathering in process of constructing new Vessels album.....
Monday 15th June 2009
the Thermals visit the Brudenell - poor quality snap taken on phone - tremendous show....
Tuesday 9th June 2009
Waste of rations at 120 Rats - Szymon on bass - brutal......
Sunday 7th June 2009
Cara's christening - Christenings I could live without, but this child is ace.....
Wednesday 3rd June 2009
Another production snap from the film that may never get finished but if it does expect music by me.....
Tuesday 2nd June 2009
2nd June - Sun was out - recorded my guitar in the back garden - no room sound - birds singing - destined for Christmas CD....
chirp chirp chirpatron...
Saturday 30th May 2009
Erin's naming day - Like a christening but less boring......
Saturday 23rd May 2009
Lee's 30th birthday - Transpangaean at Baraka - no photos or sound recording seem to exist of the best Transpangaean show ever....
Thursday 21st May 2009
Vessels at Liverpool Sound City - Korova bar perhaps - phot from a press review - deafeningly loud.....
Saturday 16th May 2009
Stayed on in London for a Gaza solidarity demo - Big gaping open prison.....
Friday 15th May 2009
Vessels at Barden's Boudoir, London on May 15th - Failing to see why so many folk struggled to find the place.....
Wednesday 13th May 2009
Quack Quack at Brud - Immense - This is a stock photo, but it had to be included because they were so mind alteringly good that night....
Monday 11th May 2009
Video lesson with Gary Stewart - Will learn to drum......
You didn't really read this far did you - D-hude...
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