Glasgow was great! Last night I had the pleasure of playing at the Slow Club at Bar Bloc, which boasted a brand new PA and offered free cake (what more could you want?). The show kicked off with a set from Nyla. It was her first ever show and I kept wanting to tell her …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails (Glasgow) – brownies and the house on the hill”
I feel most alien in the suburbs of Birmingham. Pulling my suitcase and carrying my guitar, I walk up and down the slopes of Kings Norton, searching for this illusive venue ‘Tower of Song’ where I’m due to play this evening. I ask a girl with an asymmetric haircut for directions, but it’s her boots …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails (Birmingham) – Defying space and time”
I’m stuck on a 4 ½ hour bus journey from Leeds to London with a laptop full of music and no headphones, which is something my friends back at home would lovingly refer to as “white people problems”. Last night I had the pleasure of playing at the Gaslight Club at Oporto – show number …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails 2 (Leeds) – Friends and Guitar players”
Perhaps it’s the black coffee that’s making my head spin, perhaps it’s the inevitable ache in my shoulder from carrying my guitar, or maybe the rumbling noise of the trains in the background, but this feels familiar and it feels good. I’m back on the proverbial road, or indeed rails, with the first show of …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails (Manchester) – small places and the white rabbit”
So voting for the Kinks competition is now closed. We’ve had a MARATHON last couple of hours of mobilizing, tweeting, sharing and I’d like to thank you all SO much for helping me out!! I’m pleased to let you know that we’re fourth in the ranking. This means we have not won the prize of …
Continue reading “THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP WITH THE KINKS COMPETITION”
As an artist and holder of intellectual copyright, I still feel that there is a lack of constructive solutions to this ever-growing problem: How are artists supposed to make a living. There is no reversing in the road to “Open Everything” and this is a good thing. Yes, the majority of the entertainment industry with …
Continue reading “Thoughts on Intellectual copyright, crowd-funding and other fun stuff”
Here’s the very first track off of my debut album, to be released in 2013. This Hypochondriac Anthem was recorded in arctic Berlin a couple of months ago and produced by the lovely Gordon Raphael (who’s also responsible for the wacky guitar solo at the end of the song!). Im sure you can hear just …
Continue reading “Red and White Blood Cells is available as a free download”
Since I had the opportunity to speak at Spiegel Online’s panel on music copyright at Re:publica, I’ve learnt more about the structure of the PRS and the German equivalent, GEMA. Before you fall asleep in front of your screens, let me tell you one thing: Copyright is everybody’s business because we are all now creators …
Continue reading “PRS & GEMA – you get to pay but don’t have a say”
“I tell you there are no problems, only solutions” (John Lennon, watching the wheels). Copyright was one of the most prevalent topics at this year’s Re:publica conference in Berlin. However, the common denominator of most discussions around the subject was the lack of solutions and concrete suggestions for moving forward. We are all familiar with …
Tails from the rails now back on British soil with a show at the Ritzy Cinema Club in Brixton. Unchartered territory for me: As a north Londoner, I can count on one hand the number of shows I’ve played below the river… My friend Patrick from the band Heart Kill Giant hosted the event. I …
Continue reading “Tales from the Rails part 11: Harps and sunsets”