Blog Posts

Hi Friends.....

A note that’s slightly off-topic (ie - me me me, us us us), but well worth it.

Those of you who listen to my Future Rock and Roll Radio Show (link on the front page) will know that a few months ago I gave a band called The Boxer Rebellion their first new LP spin on UK radio with a track called ‘Flashing Red Light Means Go’ and i'v been hammering their demos for some time.... well the guys self-released their album “Union” digitally last Tuesday, and within 48 hours it broke into the Top 5 of the iTunes US and UK Albums Chart with no label backing or radio play, no press, no bullshit - just the music - and a little love from i:tunes - who - refreshing as it is - totally backed em all the way - it really is nice to know that the biggest music retailer out there is run by people who actually love their music - irrelevant of spend or leverage or major label priority......In an effort to support what the guys are doing, wholly independently, I’d like to suggest you visit your local iTunes store and take a listen to the ‘Union’ album as well as their debut ‘Exits.’  They are both great records and well worth the $, £ or €.....check em out live if you can too - they rock the house down.....

itunes.com/theboxerrebellion/union

As for the 3rd Fink record, we’re fast approaching the finish line - some days we're closer than others (this weekend was a totally frustrating write off) but, hey, it can't all be fun.....we’ll be posting a new demo up on the ‘space’ any day now so keep your eyes peeled.....

all love....

fin

hi there you lot....sorry for the lateness......to everyone who came out in germany - to hamburg and Berlin - cool gigs - that really WAS a pleasure - to end the gigging year with a set in Berlin that we all really loved - and on the last note of the last chord of the last encore my guitar packed in - with stuff literally falling into it....the pick up just fell out - as if to say - dude - seriously - i quit !! - it is fixed now and recouping upstairs - i think the loving Brady 1 will now be set out to graze, the new Brady will be ready for March - for tour-time !!!.....great times - thanks to sennheiser for hooking that up....Berlin is so cool in the autumn - it really makes you want to move to kreuzberg and become and web designer or something - .......

since then we just launched full on into the new album - lots of late late nights and difficult chorus's, and the whole ego rollercoaster of new stuff...but we reckon we've nailed most of it....it's sounding like a cross between Biscuits and Distance - which i guess is kinda perfect really....as soon as we have usable demos (well permission from ninja really) i'll post em up....some more uptempo stuff - it's just great to stay in all the time - but am kinda studioo jetlagged - late nights and late mornings mean i see about as much sun as a scandinavian winter...but all definitely good.....we'll be roadtesting it next year as soon as possible for sure ....

in other news, Sideshow album is out february - our kinda side dub project....keep an eye out for it - i'm supposed to be dealing with the myspace for ir over christmas so on the other side of the spcial day i'll knuckle down to it - then you can hear it !!

aaaah christmas - a time of reflection - what a year we've had - thanks for everyone who came to every gig.....it really was a pleasure, and everyone who bought, downloaded ripped ansd recomended the Distance And Time Album....big thanks....we hope you like the new one as much....

festive love

fin....

yeah - a crazy couple of weeks - before me and Guy trundled off to the other side of the world we gathered in Poland for the Off Centre Festival....playing in a railway station with our good friend Bonobo dj'ing in another part of it...again - the lovely Anna was an exceptional host, and the crowd were excellent - the Train announcers though - well - let's just say the ambience of the moody opening acoustic version of Biscuits was "enhanced" by sporadic bursts of Polish train announcements ....it was a great gig though, and the vodka flowed - and some even made it back in the kit bag too....gotta love the Polish Rider....then - a breakneck set of rehearsals before 12hours to Jo-burg flight, a gig in a theatre, a pimped out apartment.....South Africa....its very far away, and Africa is a big place - after all the trans Atlantic flights over the sea to spend basically 10 hours flying over Africa was immense - i spent most of the flight checking the map and looking out of the window....awesome....the hospitality - was incredible.....admittedly i'm on the lucky side when i'm down there, and the escape from the politics is almost total when you're behind big locked gates....so jo-burg kinda freaked me out a little....but the gig was a delight - a light installation kinda happened on the stage - loads of lampshades by this girl Anthea - really cool - the stage kinda looked like a bizarre TV from the theatre, and Capetown was just beautiful - definitely one of the most beautiful places i've hung out....it definitely contributed that we had a jacuzzi and a sun deck and were basically forbidden to spend any money - an avalanche of great weed, pizza, free beer, sun, great people and lovely gigs - and the best burgers are to be had at Royale - it was the Daddy - thanks sasha.....my grandfather said before he died that it was one of the most beautiful places he'd ever been....so right....come join us in Germany this weekend for the last few gigs for a while.....hamburg solo on friday, berlin full monty on saturday...

aaaah - Switzerland in the autumn.....the radio station couleur3 invited us down to christen their new studio - so we christened it....baptised it in Fink....such a great crew of peeps - had a lovely time - afterwards in the hotel bar we were chilling, drinking beers and smoking indoors - just like the old days - the smoking bit i mean - the drinking beers thing is a kinda daily occurence right now whether i like it or not - y'know, sometimes you just can't avoid it...apart from that, i ducked out for a little beach time for a week which was ace, read some books, listened to a lot of albums i hadn't got round to (new Kings album is a bit dissapointing - maybe it will grow on me) and generally got a tiny bit less pasty - however - now back working on the studio tan big time as we put the new set together - loving it.....

a few months ago we did a remix for the legendary Verve Records in the USA - a remix of Nina Simone's classic "Chilly Winds" - there were no parts for it, so we just had to grab what we could from the original - but then we went kinda all disco, even, as skev the a&r from ninja pointed out, Balearic Disco (be afraid) - but yeah - it's out on Verve now on their new Remix album - i'll post it on the space later on today....

and yeah - if you're in Krakow on thursday - come and say hi - we're playing the "Off Camera" film festival there thanks to our lovely friend Anna - which will be great

this week we played all 17 minutes of Justice's Dior soundtrack on the radio show - hit the button on the myspace to check it.....!

right - i'v been doing interviews all morning - just finished - so i'm gonna watch The Daily Show and chill for a second....

fin

Got back from the electric picnic damp, my nice trainers destroyed, with a pocket full of euro's and some blurry memories of irish cider, the orb live, sharing a stage with laura Marlin, Yoav, and a fantastic but harrassed Martina Topley Bird, whose set was stopped half way through (for security reasons....bizarre) - she was amazing actually - really loved it - the Body and Soul stage is like sunk into a natural amphitheatre of grass, and made of wood, so it's kinda lord of the rings meets glastonbury, all the hippies were very nice, and it freaked me out hearing the name Fin getting shouted all the time (according to one drunk new friend, at least half the crowd were probably called Fin) and i was grateful of an upgrade from a yurt (which was being used to give the staff free massages all day) to a caravan, admittedly with no power, and a happy hardcore tent literally shaking the earth about 40 feet away, but hey - it was raining VERY hard by this stage, and i ended up wearing, and sleeping in, every item of clothing i had packed - i had virtually hitched onto the site by catching a lift with Foals on their bus, and i virtually hitched out again, as hippies don't do mornings, with Rory and his glorious Audi....aaaaah - happy days....

we got some great gigs coming up in October - a few dates in South Africa, aaaaah !!- amazing - Distance And Time has just come out down there.... (like duo gigs - just Me and Guy), finally, after our Haldern festival gig, some decent gigs in Germany, i'm gonna do like a solo showcase in Hamburg, then do some sennheiser sponsored thing in Berlin - it's a pretty big place....- and apologies to the Germans for not coming sooner.....can't wait to see my Berlin mates again - i'm gonna hang after for a few days and live the dream....- it's been a while since i used to dj there and hang out.....damn them with their cheap rents and achingly hip t-shirts !! - talking of achingly hip - these new trainers i got are SICK - Hederuss K-swiss - all like modern art in trainer form....mmmmm....angular.......

alright - after a week of a full house and studio i'm gonna chill....

and don't forget the Future Rock N Roll Show - our figures are great - really chuffed - and we're coming up to our 100th show for Juice Fm, and we still suck !!!! - amazing really, but the music's good !......there's a link on the myspace (it's got a big eagle on it - eagles are cool right? - i guess it should be a pigeon or something urban) or if you're not in Brighton, www.totallyradiohas the archive....

One day in august the boys literally travelled through 5 countries in one day....Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France (where i ducked out of the convoy to chill for a few days) then the UK....No Roman Ruins this month, nice festie in Germany - where we got to hang out with labelmates The Heavy around a big backstage campfire. Actually - that was a pretty genius festival - the sound guy from my gig in Portland, Oregon earlier this year was randomly there with another band - which was cool, but each band had their own Caravan, like a real old school caravan, to hang out in.....with a bar in the middle....genius really....it reminded me of one of my happiest childhood memories...when my friend Ben's Dad gave us a hammer and screwdriver - and told us to send the day smashing up his caravan as he needed the chassis...happy days....

oh yeah - two weeks ago our friend Stef said - "Hey man, i'm making a movie - and i'v got to smash this car up - wanna, like, be in the car while we do it or a video or something" - i said yeah, actually thought about it for a second, then tried to get out of it - but he'd already hired the Rave Grinders (you know those people who like grind on pads attached to them then shoot the sparks)....and besides....Guy was down recording basslines....what's the worst that could happen - oh yeah - and at the end of me being in the car while all the windos are smashed by ten people with assorted weaponry, they set it on fire with a molotov cocktail.....i asked Stef - the car is empty of petrol yeah? and he was like - yeah man totally, and then the DP got in it, started t up and parked it into place......safety first !.....just a normal saturday night in Brighton.....We Lived.....We also had a lovely day at Beachdown Festival in Brighton last weekend - everyone came down and had fun despite the grey skies.....nice vibe...last festie of the season is tomorrow with Electric Picnic i Ireland, where Andy and his hippy hordes are making me stay in a Yurt...really though....a yurt.....

August is weird......looking forward bigtime to september and acres of studio time....

Fin

The US tour is over!  Next up - France....