Our debut album From The Ground Up will be released on Static Caravan on Monday 28th May and will be available to download from Monday 14th May. The dates of our UK tour are up now in the gig section. See you along the way!
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Our debut album From The Ground Up will be released on Static Caravan on Monday 28th May and will be available to download from Monday 14th May. The dates of our UK tour are up now in the gig section. See you along the way! |
It's been an eventful year. In January we were interviewed by Phill Jupitus on the BBC 6music Breakfast Show and were tipped by Channel 4 Teletext as one of their ten names to watch in 2006. In February, we launched our debut Treelogy ep, a limited edition collection of home recordings in hand packaged sleeves, painstakingly assembled by members of the band and released by Static Caravan.
To coincide with the release we embarked on our first UK tour. In the meantime, the CDs sold out on pre-order and have since been going for silly money on ebay. We recorded a live session for Janice Long on BBC Radio 2 in March and were played in France, Spain and the Czech Republic.
In late Spring, Jasmin and Alex made an appearance on iLiKETRAiNS' mini-album released on Fierce Panda. They also lent their services on Liam Frost's new single due for release in 2007.
An extra warm summer of gigs across the UK concluded with a performance at Green Man Festival in the misty Brecon Beacons in August, alongside the likes of Gruff Rhys, Calexico and Donovan. In the meantime, we headed into the studio to start work on the new single.
In October, we released Penguins on 7" ice-clear vinyl. Backed by a home demo of Dust on the flipside, with a cut-out polar animal playset, the record has now sold out. To promote the release we headed out on our biggest UK tour to date, with sold out shows in London, Nottingham, Bristol and Edinburgh amongst others. Penguins has been played by Steve Lamacq, Phill Jupitus and Mark Riley and earned us favourable praise from such indie institutions as Losing Today and Drowned in Sound.
For much of the autumn we've been travelling back and forth to Stockport where we've been recording the debut album, based on our original recordings, with producer Robin Housman. The album is scheduled for a spring 2007 release on Static Caravan and we're in the final stages of mixing as we speak. Meanwhile, We have also contributed a track to a split ep with Tunng, Woodcraft Folk and Eighteenth Day of May, which will be released in early 2007 on The Great Pop Supplement (Earworm Records).
Plans to release a cover of Stay Another Day by East 17 and surreptitiously claim the Christmas Number One slot, were sadly never realised, though we did manage a performance at our festive December show.
Next up a very special gig (in a church!) in London on Jan 6th. See you in the New Year!
Wish you well,
Lawrence, Jasmin, Alex, Aidan and James
08.12.2006 MORE 6MUSIC PLAY & FIRST GIG OF THE NEW YEAR
Mark Riley gave Penguins a play on his 6music vinyl show, Mint on Sunday 3rd December. You can listen again here.
We can also announce our first gig of next year which will be presented by Fortuna Pop and take place in St Giles-in-the-Fields Church in central London. We'll be playing with The Clientele and Sodastream. Tickets available now!
01.12.2006 CRAFTWORK: NEW BOOK, MINI MART & PINEY GIR SHOW
For any craftsters out there, Jasmin will be down at the Oasis Market on Saturday in Birmingham helping to run Marvin's Magical Mini Mart which features art, craft and DJs and is curated by the good folk at Capsule. There'll be stalls with records, bags, badges and assorted crafts, plus music from Static Caravan. The Mini Mart runs for another two weeks until Christmas (Saturday 10am - 5pm).
On Sunday, Piney Gir brings her country roadshow to the Sunflower Lounge (doors 8pm). Jasmin will be running a stall at the gig where you can make your very own pine cone angel to hang on your Christmas tree! She has also contributed artwork to Piney's new album so be sure to check it out!
As if that's not enough, some of her craft designs have been published in a new book called Making Stuff which is published by Black Dog/The Guardian - the perfect Christmas gift for the novice or dedicated craftster!
24.11.2006 LAMACQ PLAYS PENGUINS
Steve Lamacq played Penguins yesterday (Thursday 23rd November) on his BBC 6Music Show which we were all very pleased about! If you missed it you can Listen Again here.
22.11.2006 TOUR COMPLETE, PENGUINS SOLD OUT, NEW SHOWS
Operation Icepark is now complete. Our biggest tour to date ended with a great night at the Water Rats. We've travelled many miles and seen lots of new places. Big thanks to everyone who made it along to the shows.
Penguins has now sold out. Lawrence is up in Stockport working on the album this week. Our next release will be the split ep with Tunng, Woodcraft Folk and Eighteenth Day of May to be released on Earworm Records early next year.
On a similar note, we're playing an Earworm Records event with Woodcraft Folk and Flowers of Hell at ROTA (Notting Hill Arts Centre) this Saturday (25th November). It's 4-8pm and it's free!
06.11.2006 TOUR & SINGLE UPDATE PLUS NEW GIGS
Thanks to everyone who's been down to see us on tour so far. Still to come are trips up to Lancaster, Lincoln and Edinburgh, an excellent Drowned in Sound night in Nottingham with I Was A Cub Scout and New Rhodes, and a cracking lineup at Club AC30 at the Water Rats in London.
Meanwhile, copies of Penguins are selling fast but we still have a few copies left available exclusively at the live shows.
We can also announce three new and very exciting gigs after the tour:
Monday 20th November at Birmingham Bar Academy supporting The Veils (Rough Trade), Saturday 25th November at ROTA/Notting Hill Arts Centre presented by Earworm Records/Great Pop Supplement and featuring Woodcraft Folk and Flowers From Hell, and Wednesday 20th December at Birmingham Jug of Ale playing a special Christmas show with Distophia.
More details on all of this to follow!
30.10.2006 MANCHESTER: CHANGE OF VENUE
The Manchester show on Friday which was originally scheduled to take place at The Waldorf, will now take place at The Phoenix on Oxford Road.
The promoters have been forced to make the change at short notice but the lineup remains the same. Doors are 9pm. See you there!
27.10.2006 TOUR: NEW DATE ADDDED
A last minute addition: we'll be supporting Vincent Vincent and the Villains tonight at the Brunel Rooms in Swindon. We'll be on around 10pm and tickets are £5 adv.
Meanwhile, we've had great gigs in Cardiff, Bristol, Wolverhampton and the excellent Brixton Windmill. Thanks to everyone who's been down so far!
21.10.2006 PENGUINS ON DROWNED IN SOUND
The review of Penguins is up on Drowned in Sound. You can read it here.
11.10.2006 PENGUINS: SINGLE RELEASE, TOUR & 6MUSIC PREVIEW
Phill Jupitus has previewed Penguins on BBC 6Music. Final release details to be announced VERY soon. We can reveal that it will be on clear 7" vinyl with a cut and play icepark animal funset free inside each one.
It will be distributed by Cargo and available to purchase from Norman Records, Smallfish, Picadilly, Boomkat, Covers 33 and Rough Trade as well as through the Static Caravan shop.
There will also be limited numbers on sale on tour in October and November. See the gigs section for full details!
Finally, the brown, pink and green handmade demos have all sold out. There will be two more colour batches available exclusively on tour. Then that's it!
09.09.2006 AUTUMN TOUR: HERE IT IS!
We're heading out on a national tour this autumn - our biggest set of shows to date. There are a few more shows to be confirmed but most of the information is now up in the gig section and (in more detail) on our myspace. The tour kicks off with a great line-up in Cardiff, playing alongside Placid Casual signings El Goodo and rising American stars, The Essex Green. See you along the way!
28.08.2006 GREEN MAN AND BEYOND...
Thanks to everyone who came along to our set at Green Man Festival. It was a brilliant weekend amidst the mountains and trees. The food was great (lamb burgers, pancakes and cumberland sausages being the standout dishes on offer), the music was great (including a weird and wonderful set from Gruff Rhys, a storming performance by Micah P Hinson and a triumphant turn from our former label-mates, Tunng, to name but a few) and even the rain couldn't hamper the beautiful atmosphere.
Next up, we'll be doing an acoustic set at the Birmingham Arts Festival in Centenary Square at 2pm on Sunday 10th September. Then we're supporting Kelley Stoltz (Sub Pop) at the Flapper & Firkin on Tuesday 19th September. He's recently toured the US with The Raconteurs and is tipped for big things over here too. The gig is presented by Show & Tell.
Following that, we'll be playing two OXJAM FESTIVAL dates in Alex and Aidan's home from home, Leeds (Brudenell Social Club, Oct 4th) and Jaz's old hood, Chippenham (the magnificent Neeld Hall, Oct 12th).
APRIL 2006
03.04.06 IT'S JO & DANNY SUPPORT, DVD AND SINGLE
Thanks to everyone who came down to the Glee Club on Friday. Big thanks also to our special guests - Andy, Sam and Ashley. The night was filmed so hopefully we'll have some clips up on the site soon.
We return to the Glee on Thursday 4th May as special guest support for It's Jo & Danny, organisers of Green Man Festival. Once again, tickets are available from www.glee.co.uk.
On the horizon...the Treeology DVD is nearing completion and we'll soon be bringing you news of our next single release.
MARCH 2006
15.03.06 CRAFTWORK BY JASMIN ALICE
After a month of furious non-stop crafting Jasmin has finally made enough bits and pieces to open her own shop.
Some items on sale at the moment include... a mini cassette tape key chain, a hand knitted wristband and earrings made from smartie lids. More to be added in the next few days.
You can visit it here: http://jasminalice.etsy.com
Happy shopping!
13.03.06 GENLTY ROCKING, RADIO 2 & GLEE CLUB
A warm thanks to everyone down at The Dog House and Kennington Recordings for a gently intimate gig on Sunday.
Our series of stripped down gigs continues apace with a performance on Radio 2's Janice Long Show (tune in just before midnight on Monday 20th March).
Then it's the Glee Club on March 31st where we'll have special guests joining us for a series of new arrangements and old favourites. Tickets £4 adv. from www.glee.co.uk.
09.03.06 MARCH GIGS AND FESTIVAL APPEARANCE
We are pleased to announce that we have been added to the bill of Green Man Festival in Powys, Wales. We'll be playing alongside the likes of Gruff Rhys, Tunng, Euros Childs, Bert Jansch and organisers, It's Jo & Danny. Visit www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk for more details.
Due to circumstances beyond our control we have had to cancel our show at Night & Day in Manchester.
We will still be playing The Dog House in London this Sunday, and a very special acoustic performance at the Glee Club on Friday 31st March.
02.03.06 TWO MORE REVIEWS
The Treeology ep has been reviewed in Losing Today magazine. You can read it here.
The flapper gig has been reviewed in issue 18 of Vanity Project. To read it pay a visit to www.vanityproject.co.uk and go to the live reviews section.
01.03.06 NEW LONDON SHOW, MORE RADIO NEWS & REVIEW
We'll be playing at Kennington Rocks (But Gently) on Sunday 12th March at The Dog House on Kennington Road in London.
In other news, we'll be heading to Jaz's hometown this Saturday (4th March) to appear on Chippenham Hospital Radio. Rest assured, you can listen to the show (10am-1pm) on the interweb. Meanwhile, the good folk at Teletext had this to say about the sold out Treeology ep:
One of our Faces of 2006, ambition and beauty resonate from every note of an ep that's both beautifully tender while rocking like Lost's polar bears. Hard not to say how gorgeous this is wihtout being pretentious. How about 'lovely'?
FEBRUARY 2006
19.02.06 END OF TOUR, MORE TRIPS & GLEE CLUB SPECTACULAR
The tour drew to a close last night with a packed night at the Flapper. Thanks to everyone who supported us along the way - audiences, promoters, service station coffee ladies.
March will see us play Night & Day in Manchester and a very special gig at the Glee Club in Birmingham playing quieter arrangements and new songs, followed by a fuzzy bird disco party afterwards til late. Tickets are available cheaper online in advance and they're limited so make your way to www.glee.co.uk to make your booking.
JANUARY 2006
31.01.06 NEW WEBNEST & 6MUSIC
Welcome to the new shady bard webnest. We hope you find it to your satisfaction. It's almost all done now so bear with us while we make finishing touches. Well cyber.
You can listen again to our BBC 6music interview with Phill Jupitus here.
23.01.06 LUMINAIRE TICKETS
Tickets for the London show on 15th February are now available to buy online. Click here!
16.01.06 HIGH VOLTAGE REVIEW
The 'sold out' demo has got demo review of the month on High Voltage. You can read it here.
15.01.06 FIRST DEMO ALL GONE
Due to the huge demand for our original three track demo, we regret to announce that we've given them all away! A download of the demo version of Torch Song is available on the music page or visit our myspace page. Our next release, Treeology ep, is available from Static Caravan.
13.01.06 BREAKFAST AND CARAVANS
shady bard will be interviewed on the BBC 6music Breakfast Show with Phil Jupitus on Friday 27th January. Tune in from 8am!
Treeology ep is now available to pre-order from the Static Caravan website: www.staticcaravan.org.
5.1.06 TELETEXT'S HOTLY TIPPED BANDS FOR 2006
We're one of Channel 4 Teletext Planet Sound's top tips for 2006. You can read their review on p.353.
03.01.06 RELEASE, TOUR AND MORE
Treeology ep will be released on Static Caravan at the end of January. The numbered limited edition six track CD will be parcel wrapped by the band. We don't know the exact release date yet but we'll keep you posted!
To coincide with the release, we go on tour in February. The dates are:
01.02.06 Leeds Mixing Tin
03.02.06 Manchester Late Room
10.02.06 Oxford Corner Room
13.02.06 Bristol Louisianna
15.02.06 London Luminaire
18.02.06 Birmingham Flapper & Firkin
In preparation for all this. We're playing the Jug of Ale on Wednesday 11th January. It's £1.50 in and £1.50 a pint. There's a rumour of Grandscope sharing the bill so fingers crossed for that.
DECEMBER 2005
23.12.05 WINTERTIME
Best winter wishes to you all.
See you in the New Year!
14.12.05 BIRMINGHAM POST
The Stars gig was reviewed in today's Birmingham Post. If you'd like to save some trees you can read it here.
13.12.05 STARS (CANADIAN AND CHRISTMAS ONES)
The Barfly gig went down well and we made some new Canadian friends in headliners Stars. Hopefully we'll get to hook up with them again soon. Our set ended with an emotional interpretation of East 17's seminal Christmas uber-anthem Stay Another Day. White parkas have never seemed so appealing.
That's it from us til the New Year. We're sorting out our debut release (more on that soon...) and an accompanying DVD. Our next gig will be Saturday 14th January at the Jug of Ale. See you there!
2.12.05 SPANISH RADIO PLAY
This just in...Some of our tracks have been played on Spanish radio on a brilliant indie programme called Cielo Liquido which goes out on Monday nights on RCS 107.2FM. You can hear the show online at www.cieloliquido.net. Torch Song and Bobby have both been played on the 21st and 28th November respectively sandwiched between the delights of Grandaddy, Sigur Ros and Arab Strap.
1.12.05 MYSPACE ANYONE?
shady bard have entered the strange world of myspace. Log on and be our friend! We're still learning our way around. More songs will appear soon:
www.myspace.com/shadybard.
Don't forget tomorrow night is Feed The Birds Night at the Flapper. Slight change to the support arrangements. Instead of Everest you can enjoy a solo set from The Kid Sleep, alongside James Summerfield.
NOVEMBER 2005
14.11.05 FEED THE BIRDS NIGHT
The Feed The Birds campaign continues apace, all building up to Feed The Birds Night at the Flapper & Firkin on Saturday 3rd December. We'll be taking to the stage at 10pm. Support from James Summerfield and Everest. Come down and collect your complimentary shady birdseed and information pack!
Our final date of the year will be supporting hotly tipped Canadian newcomers Stars at Birmingham Barfly. See you all there!
02.11.05
Operation Migration drew to a close at the weekend with a homecoming gig at the Jug, followed by an extra date at Birmingham Uni with iLiKETRAiNS last night. Thanks to indiesoc and the Honourable Andrew Drinksville Esq for sorting it out and looking after everyone.
Feed The Birds 2005 continues apace. We visited the Botanical Gardens RSPB event on Sunday and we're now in talks with the society about some co-campaigning. Watch this space. In the meantime, if you'd like a packet of complimentary birdseed please email: info@shadybard.co.uk
OCTOBER 2005
27.10.05
Operation Migration ends tomorrow with our homecoming gig at the Jug in Moseley. Both Oxford and Leeds were great nights - thanks to everyone who came along.
Feed The Birds 2005 is fully underway thanks to rigorous birdseed distribution. If you'd like to learn more about feeding our feathered friends, pay a visit to the Botanical Gardens on Sunday for the RSPB's annual campaign day:
www.rspb.org.uk/feedthebirds
For your free sachet of shady birdseed (and a free demo for that matter), head down to the Jug or email us at info@shadybard.co.uk
17.10.05
A few bits of news for you...
Firstly, iLiKETRAiNS' new single, A Rook House For Bobby, featuring Jasmin and Alex, is out now. It's the story of a deranged chess player and has nothing whatsoever to do with our Bobby. On the B-side, all three shady bard vocalists join forces with about a million other friends of the Leeds heroes to form an enormous post-rock choir and sing in protest of the branchline closures 40 years ago.
Secondly, shady bard are playing at the beautiful Electric Cinema tonight and filming some songs which will appear on the site soon.
Finally, don't forget that Operation Migration begins on Friday with a gig at Oxford's Jericho Tavern. Then it's Leeds on Monday 24th and back to the Jug in Birmingham on Friday 28th.
13.10.05
Preparations are well underway for operation migration. We're flying the nest and visiting Oxford's Jericho Tavern (21st Oct) where we'll be playing with French post-rockers Hitchcock Go Home. Then onto Leeds (24th Oct) to visit our friends in the north, iLiKETRAiNS and play with them and Redjetson at the Brudenell Social Club. Finally, just like homing pigeons, we will return to Birmingham to headline the Jug of Ale (28th Oct) with support from Friends of the Stars.
We are also launching the Feed The Birds Campaign 2005 - a bid to save our feathered friends as winter shrouds us in its frosty cloak.
09.10.05
Well, the move to St Mungo II took place this weekend. Curry was eaten and enjoyed thereby officially christening the new house. The studio will be set up shortly and then it's time to crack on with some new recordings.
Coming soon: Operation Migration (watch this space)...
SEPTEMBER 2005
25.09.05
Bard has updated his column with a new adventure. Just click on the little batman!
In other news, the Flapper was packed on Friday. Shortened sets and broken strings didn't stop it being another top night. Next up is the relocation to St Mungo II and the reassembly of our home studio, after which we're going to get some more recording done. More gigs to be announced shortly.
20.09.2005
Our live radio debut was an heroic experience! Ned Sherrin proved to be a legendary host as we lined up next to the guy from Spooks, a lady talking about horses, a linguist, two comedians and Mercury Prize Nominee, Seth Lakeman. Other celebrities spotted over the course of the weeknd included: Dermot O Leary, Trevor Nelson, Trevor MacDonald and Vanessa Feltz, and Olly struck up a friendship with various members of Dogs.
You can hear the session until Friday at: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/looseends
An evening of celebrations was had in Camden. We took a page out of the Great Indie Textbook (Shine On, priced 8.99 and available from all reputable indie bookshops) and headed down to the Good Mixer, followed by Camden Barfly where fine rock jumps and ironic dancing to the Bravery were the order of the day.
Sunday was spent seeking inspiration from the beasts and birds at London Zoo. Stars of the show included: the massive, seemingly hung-over tapir, the sloths and jambats in Moonlight World and a menacing looking owl which appeared to have no beak and looked to have been designed by Peter Fowler (of SFA artwork fame) with the simple aim of intimidating all those who set eyes upon him. Legend.
We had hoped to be attacked by a giraffe like Liam G at Chester. Instead we just chilled out with the tigers and penguins and lapped up the zoological vibeage.
The next gig is at the Flapper on Friday which promises to be another classic headliner, with pioneers, diry soul and Leeds band, the pigeon detectives also on the bill. See you there!
15.09.05
NEWSFLASH
We are going to be on Loose Ends on BBC Radio 4 this Saturday 17th September, 6.15 til 7pm. Previous guests include Magic Numbers and Richard Hawley. We will be playing Bobby and we cannot wait. Make sure you all tune in!
08.09.05
Well, we've been setting time aside for lots of recording at the moment and testing McPeter, the electric drum kit's ability to produce at the rapid rate required to complete Treeology (155bpm - that's almost dance music, isn't it?!). Alex and Jaz have also been dipping the track in lush strings. The vibe is ominous.
Our next confirmed gig sees us headlining at the Flapper & Firkin on Friday 23rd September alongside Pioneers of Industry. We hope to see you all present for such an occasion. We'll also be launching the 3rd issue of fuzzy bird fanzine featuring many local delights and delicacies.
AUGUST 2005
30.08.05
Back from our Home Counties adventure... The four piece shady bard (Alex was at Leeds festival) had a great time - although this was more down to our leisurely stay at the Forrester family home, rather than our somewhat hit-and-miss gig at The Railway where our loaned piano died, the casio got up to its old tricks and we had to make up some guitar parts on the spot. Still, it went down pretty well and we turned our minds to the barbecue the next day...Thanks to all who came. We'll be sure to return to the Deep South soon!
21.08.05
A double shady bard outing was had this weekend. Part One...we headed down to the Sunflower Lounge on Friday for a great night hosted by Envy & Other Sins and Murdoch. Our natureful ecotunage went head to head with Grandscope's incredible electro futurescapes. We must all hook up again soon...
Part Two...An amazing night was had at the Jug. Big thanks to everyone who made it down and to Andy, the soundman, for putting in so much effort. The night also saw the first leg of our cultural exchange with Winchester-based Dotstar (aka, drummer Olly's brother's band). The second leg takes place next Saturday (27th August) at the Railway, St Paul's Hill, Winchester, if you fancy a journey...
10.08.05
Thanks to the peacocks for letting us visit their gardens on Saturday. A great day was had by all and the weather was kind to us as we took to the beautiful Victorian bandstand to play a 10 song set to the picnicking crowd and a newly wed bride and groom (plus wedding entourage) who were inadvertantly (and perhaps a little inappropriately) serenaded with Summer Came When We Were Falling Out...We enjoyed it all so much that we might just have to do it again next year!
Incidentally, Lawrence's mum's recipe for flapjack (as tried and tested at the botanical gardens) will be up on the website soon.
Incidentally part two, today is Lawrence's name day (he's Greek don't you know, and in Greece celebrating the day of your namesake saint is as important as your birthday). Basically, it's just an excuse to eat loads of cake, so have a slice on us.
01.08.05
Thanks to everyone who came down to the Bar Academy gig. Little known Birmingham band Editors were playing next door but singer Tom got his priorities sorted and came and paid us a visit beforehand...In an unprecedented turn of events, shady bard were confronted by the sight of a dancing jester of a man who it seems had just been exiled from some distant castle only to stumble across a few friendly cans of Stella en route to Dale End. He was soon escorted out of the building but at least we got someone dancing...
In other news, we have now purchased our electric drumset (known only as McPeter) for our home studio so look out for new drum action on record soon. The scotsman is rumoured to be making an appearance at the fuzzy bird garden party this Saturday (6th August) at the Botanical Gardens - draped in greenery, naturally. Don't forget the cucumber sandwiches (and perhaps some porridge for McPeter).
JULY 2005
11.07.05
Thanks to everyone who came from far and wide to enjoy Friday's gig at the Flapper. Our new-found friends, iLiKETRAiNS played an incredible set to an awe-struck crowd. We had a brilliant time as we battled against the intense heat of mid-summer. Hope you all picked up the free fanzine, badges and CDs. If you didn't, email us with a postal address and we'll send some to you!
An especially big thank you to everyone who helped with making the gig a success - roadies, torch-bearers, promoters and friends, not to mention Jaz plus housemates for provision of their home afterwards for partying purposes. Alriiiight!
Next up is Bar Academy on the 28th July. We'll also keep you posted on the next fuzzy bird event which is pencilled in for Saturday 6th August at the Botanical Gardens...In the meantime, the bard cru will be DJing at Panic! at the Sanctuary again this Saturday so come down, make some requests and have a bit of a dance.
JUNE 2005
20.06.05
Beckodek vs. Caine Dingle @ Resurrection
This just in...Lawrence will assume his alter-ego DJ persona to play Birmingham's top indie night, Resurrection, at Subway City on Friday 20th June.
Hilariously, he will be supporting none other than Emmerdale's Caine Dingle in perhaps the most unlikely indie pairing since Justin Timberlake joined The Flaming Lips on stage on Top of the Pops. Any requests, just email info@shadybard.co.uk!
Meanwhile, we're gearing up for the fuzzy bird night featuring shady bard, iLiKETRAiNS and Augustine on Friday 8th July. There's going to be a new issue of the fanzine too. See you there!
14.06.05
A great time was had by all at the Birmingham Uni Grad Ball. We played to an enthusiastic crowd, debuting new songs and new cellist/pianist/vocalist, Alex. Big thanks to everyone who came to watch and to the organisers for looking after us really well. Apologies to all the people who were promised 'These Quiet Times' - Lawrence omitted it from the set list and we all forgot to play it!
Finally, thanks to the members of Embrace who came to check us out. Hope you liked the demo, guys.
Full steam ahead (ho,ho) for the iLiKETRAiNS/shady bard gig at the Flapper on July 8th.
06.06.05
We're reviewed in the June edition of the Fly which you can pick up from record shops, venues and studios nationwide now. We'll put the full text up on the site as soon as possible.
MAY 2005
14.05.05
Bobby was aired on Radio 2 again on Janice Long (Thursday into Friday morning show).
You can still catch it on Listen Again (www.bbc.co.uk/radio2). It went out around 0:25.
04.05.05
We're on Channel 4 Teletext's Planet Sound again today. Check out page 356 (New Indie) for a full interview! After years of dedication to the Teletext cause, this is something of a lifetime milestone for the band. The text of the previous review can be found below.
03.05.05
We've had the text through of our Demo of the Week Review from Planet Sound on Channel 4 Teletext. The good people there had the following to say:
'Great name (the reason is too prosaic to reveal here), the Birmingham duo
mine folk that's quirky enough to rival King Creosote and the Fence scene.
Singer Lawrence Becko croons with the conviction of a Nick Cave, while organ
and violin by Jasmin add to the gently sepulchral haunting feel.
Worthy of being tested by Fierce Panda at the very least. Quietly magical.'
APRIL 2005
11.04.05
We're taking a short break from gigs whilst Olly and Jaz head to their rural homes to bury themselves in books before their finals begin. In the meantime, we've been working on the tracks at home and we had a great weekend recording cello parts with latest recruit, Alex Housden.
Some of the demos with new drum and string parts will be appearing in the download section as soon as they're mixed, so watch this space.
MARCH 2005
19.03.05
The next gig will be Wednesday 30th March at the Flapper & Firkin, Kingston Row. Not only that, but it's also the birthday of our webmaster, Andy Trevers, on the same day. Two great reasons to come and see us play!
10.03.05
Thanks to those who came to the Jug! The next gig will be at Birmingham University on Monday night so if you can get into the tightly guarded Guild of Students, we'll see you there!
For those with access to BURN 106.9FM, you can catch an interview with the band on The Tiverton Sessions airing at 10pm.
Meanwhile, the band spent last Saturday at Blue Whale Studios in the Custard Factory, recording Olly's drum parts so look out for all new mp3 mixes of those soon.
FEBRUARY 2005
21.02.05
Thanks to everyone who came to our headline gig at the Flapper last Friday. We really enjoyed it and there was a great turnout. Hopefully you all picked up the newly launched fuzzy bird fanzine as well as our free demo. If you didn't and you want either of these things, let us know by emailing info@shadybard.co.uk.
Our next gig is Wednesday 9th March at the Jug of Ale, Alcester Road, Moseley.
See you there!
07.02.05
Our next gig is at the Flapper + Firkin on Friday 18th February. It's our first headliner and we're well excited so the more the merrier!
Also, thanks to everyone who made it to the Tsunami Benefit Gig at Birmingham Uni. In the end, we were on at 1.30am which was way past our bedtime but we had a great time anyway.
JANUARY 2005
25.01.05
Two gigs to look forward to this week. Thursday sees us play Bar Academy. We're on at 8.45pm. Then, on Saturday we're playing the Tsunami Appeal festival at Birmingham University. Details are sketchy - licensing restrictions mean that you might have to be something to do with the Uni to get in so please check with them before you head out. We're on at 11.35pm in one of the big marquees so wrap up warm.
03.01.05
shady bard played their last gig of the year to a rammed living room at Bards flat. The emotional set included songs by Coolio and East 17, guest appearances from loyal members of the cru and even some Greek rap. If all goes to plan, the event will be available on DVD soon. Thanks to everyone there and most of all to Bard for having the idea in the first place and letting 40 people take over his home. Happy New Year everyone!
The next confirmed dates are
Thursday 27th Jan @ Bar Academy (not sure where on the bill)
Friday 18th Feb @ The Flapper (headlining with Silversuit supporting)
DECEMBER 2004
3.12.04
Thanks to everyone who came to Bar Academy. It was another fun night, if not without it's hitches. The casiotone we use on Torch Song, bought from homeless charity warehouse Emmaus for a mere tenner, decided to play up and started doing this crazy distorted noise. Then, we weren't allowed to hand out our promotional bird seed packets in case people opened them and spilled them.
In the face of adversity, we braved the cold and finally distributed the bird seed outside where not one person spilled any.
That's our last gig before the New Year so we're heading inside to hibernate for a while. See you all soon and in the meantime don't forget to feed the birds.
NOVEMBER 2004
8.11.04
Musical fireworks on Friday at the Flapper...Brilliant turnout, so thanks to everyone who came to the gig - we had a great one! Cheers to Zoot and co for sorting it all and a big well done to our new bandmate Jaz for her debut appearance!
Next up: Bar Academy, supporting Ballboy on Thursday 2nd December. See you there.
2.11.04
Don't forget we're playing the Flapper on Bonfire Night. We're on first, around 8.30pm. See you down there.
24.10.04
Thanks to everyone who came down to the Jug of Ale. It was pretty packed and we had a great time. Thanks Bard and Adie for the party afterwards, and to the Cambridge posse for making it up.
20.10.04
Big news: Bobby was played on BBC Radio 2 on Thursday (14th October) on the Janice Long show and you can still hear it on Listen Again on the Radio 2 website. Thanks to everyone who stayed up to hear it and sorry to those who just missed it (or who we woke up in our excitement). Rumour has it she might play it again, too.
10.10.04
We've confirmed some autumn gigs:
Saturday 23rd October, Jug of Ale, Moseley
supporting Dirty Soul. On around 9pm.
Friday 5th November, Flapper & Firkin, Kingston Row
supporting Deluka. On around 8.30pm
See you there!
OCTOBER 2004
8.10.04
Here's the new website...Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to Andy for making it happen!Meanwhile, last night (Thursday 7th October) saw the launch of our very own night, fuzzy bird, upstairs at the Bull's Head in Moseley. We played to a packed room, followed by a brilliant set from Chris Tye and DJ Sophie Scott playing top indie tunes. Check out the fuzzy bird link (top right) for more.
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