Hello everyone.

We’re into our three months of LoadsOfGigs. It’s been fun so far. People seem to be really getting into the album, too which obviously makes us very happy.
We kicked off our new bout of gigging with a support show with King Creosote at the sold out Cellardyke Town Hall for the final night of Haarfest. It was flippin’ brilliant. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it was great to see so many people flinging themselves about to our music. Below is a rather fun .gif made from photos taken by Michael Kampff. We managed to assemble the biggest Wild Life Choir yet, for a stage buckling performance of You Only Went Out To Get Drunk Last Night. HMS Ginafore had partially covered YOWOTGDLN during her set earlier in the week long festival which if I’m honest made me a little emotional. It was terribly flattering. Even if she did introduce it with a classic Jen back-handed compliment We watched Kenny (after wringing out and/or changing our clothes…Scottish halls by the sea are built to keep heat IN), sang along and all managed to resist (well…limit) the temptations of real ale and Buckfast in order to be fresh enough to drive for our lunchtime set at Sky Ride 2010 in Glasgow. It really was a top night. And what a discovery The Milnes are!

The Sky Ride gig was a strange experience. For a start we took to the stage at 12.30. On a Sunday. What can I say though, the sound was excellent, and the audience very polite and receptive. A lot of them were sitting on bikes which made it quite surreal. I would say it would be even more surreal for Admiral Fallow who had a stage time of 9.45am. Sadly blood alcohol levels didn’t allow us to make it in time to catch their set (considering we’d had to have left Ainster at 7.30am. On a Sunday.) which is a real shame. We did manage to catch some of Washington Irving’s set which was quite the tonic for a hangover. Had the pleasure of meeting both Bryan Burnett and LORAINNE KELLY backstage. Lorraine likes penguins. Lorraine likes Kate’s pink penguin jumper that she is wearing. I am disappointed that I am not a penguin. Bryan was polite enough to let me ramble on at him. Sir Chris Hoy was also about looking statuesque. Wanted to tell him “on your bike”, but didn’t fancy a sore face. He’s probably far too nice to punch smart-arses who think they are being funny in the face, but it didn’t seem worth the risk.

It was the Wizard Festival up next. We went up on the Friday night so we could see James. Well, I dragged Kate and Rose on the Friday night so we could see James. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I’ve seen James before and they were great, but I had to leave after 7 or 8 songs as the were destroying some of my favourite songs from when I was younger. Tim Booth was all over the shop with his vocals and seemed to be wilfully hanging on to notes that were more than a little off-key.  Bah. We had the elements on our side the next day. We were playing on the Banshee Stage which fortuitously happened to be in a big tent. The skies opened just after we started playing and we finished playing to a busy tent. It was really great fun. I did have a bit of a technical fail in that after spinning round and round so much my guitar lead had tangled into something that closely resembled a ball and chain. I also managed to coat bits of my guitar in blood again, which normally means it’s been a rather good gig. Perhaps we should take up metal to go with the organic, crimson special effects.

After heading back to Anstruther that night for some band R & R, beer & cider and pizza & pizza, we had the pleasure of The Ship and deciding who got to sleep on the Gary Coleman Memorial Mattress. We played at the Kinloch Beer Festival in Carnoustie the next day and event which now allows us to be known as “the band Jim Gellatly left his mother’s birthday party for”. It was an enjoyable occasion that allowed us to catch up with some old friends. Managed to break a string in the first song. Smooth movez.

We made a return to Club Fandango at The Bull and Gate in London on Saturday there. It was only the second time we’ve headlined a show in London so we were a wee bit apprehensive. Out of nowhere the venue started to get rather busy for our set and we had an absolute ball. However Kate received a number of electric shocks from the microphone due to an earthing problem in the house amp and I enjoyed a rather sharp crack of ‘leccy during the sound check. No matter. It was a tremendously enjoyable show. We ended up at Kate’s sister, Gayle’s birthday party and Rose put her cardigan in the oven which wasn’t discovered until long after we’d head up the M1. It might have been something to do with the Sanatogen Tonic Wine*

So, yeah! Tomorrow night we’re playing at The Captain’s Rest in Glasgow and the weekend after we’ve got Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, Independent’s Day in St Andrews on the Sunday and a BBC Radio Scotland session on the Monday. Crikey. So come along to whichever of those you are closest to. Well, it’s probably best to tune into the last one…
My living room is currently covered in dials, keys, pedals, stringed instruments and lots of cables. I’m trying to empty all the ideas i’ve been having for new songs out of my head and into the portastudio. If you want to know how it’s going, I refer you to the fact I’ve just written all of this in one sitting.

Hope you’re all well

Keep safe

davidx

*Tonic wine does imply medicinal or health giving qualities.