Thursday 31 March 2011

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Sunday 27 March 2011

Factory Floor warehouse show

My favourite band Factory Floor played very early this morning, in a warehouse in EC1. It was brilliant and I hope you were there, even if I didn't see you. Truly a band from who we should all learn: stirring - albeit noisy - stuff.



Wednesday 23 March 2011

April

I've some new shows added for April; one with God Don't Like It and another with No Time For Heroes. Have a look at the particulars on the MySpace, and do attend.

Here's another sunny song; Spring has sprung!

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Brighton photography

I had my picture taken in Brighton by Gem Bowles, whose photographs are very flattering. Look up her photography page on Facebook to see more of her work.


Sunday 20 March 2011

Brighton

The esteemed Hatcham Social/honourary Charlatans drummer Finnigan Kidd and I took the train to Brighton on Thursday and he, Arran, Sarah, Dee, Billy, Tim, Mark and I had a lovely time. The Charlatans were fantastic as usual - onstage and off - and I was blown away by Blue On Blue. If you've ever had nagging doubts about how a band could realistically recreate their records onstage, you'll know what it's like to have all doubt removed by a staggering performance. I think it's official - I believe in Blue On Blue.

I'm glad Arran and I got some time to look around the town as well. I took some tourist type photographs, which are always fun. It's a shame not be playing with the Charlatans again until early this Summer but the three shows were such fun and I feel very lucky.

Here's to the next one.




Friday 18 March 2011

Union Chapel

Fun, though perhaps not at the time. I wish you could have been there.


Wednesday 16 March 2011

The Measles

I used to be in a band called Picture Pretty with my best friend (I think I posted some time ago about a cassette we released through northern label Tye Die Tapes), and although we moved on fairly quickly to a much more pop territory, we started making out-and-out noise music - think a very crude Melt Banana mixed with a very heavy and completely technically incompetent Throbbing Gristle.

I've recently started revisiting this kind of sound with a little side-project I'm calling The Measles. It's less defined and much more guitar based than Picture Pretty, perhaps you'll like it. Visit my Soundcloud page to listen to and download a "song" called "Feeling Better". It's not a serious project, though I do feel that I'd like to develop it a little further and perhaps release a very loud record by The Measles, perhaps this time next year if I can fit it in.

Me as a very noisy sixteen-year-old with Picture Pretty

Wrexham shots

This evening, Ross Roberts of ROPE. kindly sent me a couple of shots taken at the Wrexham show.


Tuesday 15 March 2011

Quoting Eric

"At age 50, every man has the face he deserves."

Monday 14 March 2011

Feels like Spring now

Thanks for coming last night. I forgot to mention before that the club night is run by a folk/pop group named Dirty Nelly; the idea of bands running clubs appeals to me immensely because it's how I started to play shows, and they're always more sensitive to the needs of the hired artists.

I'm not sure how regularly or frequently they'll be putting on shows - I haven't even been able to find a link to a promotions website, just their MySpace - but see that you go along to one shortly.

Next up: Union Chapel! This should be exciting, look at the room I'm going to be playing to.

As you may have seen, the show is unfortunately sold out (though I am in Brighton the next day); you can be sure I'll get some photographs to show for my time on stage.

Since the Sun is out, here's a song for the day that reminds me of good weather.

Saturday 12 March 2011

Tomorrow

Just a reminder about the show at The Hideaway tomorrow, I think I'll be onstage quite early. Doors are at eight. Turn up, look sharp, say hello afterwards.

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Wrexham/Sunday

I got back from the concert in Wrexham early yesterday afternoon, with the excellent Nik Colk and Arran Goodchild.

Despite being visibly frustrated onstage by the fact that I couldn't hear a note I was playing or singing, I did enjoy myself. Arran thumped his tubs very well, as per usual. The Charlatans' performance was good, have a look at a crude picture I took of them using my telephone. It is below this sentence, that I am typing right now, period.


Oh, and, speaking of me (and definitely not of the Charlatans, who are they anyway?), I'll be at a venue called The Hideaway in North London with some other groups on Sunday evening to play some songs. Send me an email so I can let you in through the back door for free, because I don't like the idea of you paying for things.

This post has become strange now, come and see me on Sunday and you'll see that I'm not very strange at all in Real Life.

Sunday 6 March 2011

Tuesday 1 March 2011

In which I talk more banal nonsense, and give a present to those who frequently read this blog

I decided to change the title of the blog, as you may or may not have noticed; I thought Like Custard was in fact perhaps too silly, so I've gone for the slightly more obvious and unambiguous The Letter J.

I also realise that lately I seem to be posting about anything other than music, but I promise there'll be plenty to report back from Joseph land when I start taking to the stage next week. As you know, my first stop in March will be Wrexham and I hope to get hold of some footage of the concert to show you when I get back to London. I'm looking forward to playing in front of a sold out audience...

So, to the 'present' alluded to in the title of today's post. Some of you may remember the EP I released on my own JCR imprint last year, called Animal Sweethearts. This has long since been out of stock, though it's still available from iTunes. I think I've put all the tracks up on MySpace at one stage or another, except one.

It's called "Christopher The Carrier" and is available to download for free by following this link. It's one of my favourite tracks because of the techniques Daniel Lea and I used to record it; throughout the song there are included several clips and samples from my original tape demos, and we also used lots of fun ideas like cymbal bowing and using gas canisters and scaffolding as percussive instruments.

Anyway - enjoy, and thank you for reading.