Woodstick 2009

Last weekend my friends Harri & Nicola from Little My organised the second annual ‘Woodstick’ mini-festival. This takes place in a park in Cardiff and is a small unamplified festival. This year it was sunny, last year it rained. This year more people just happened to wander past and sit down to watch which is a nice thing to have happen.

Anyway I played, here’s a video (which I’m designating #14 of the 15 films thing):

Vimeo link

Also here’s a video of me playing in Silence at Sea:

And here’s a link to a YouTube playlist with a song from every band that day, including the Gentle Good, Picture Books in Winter, Zissou, Lucky Delucci, and an exclusive never-to-be-repeated Gindrinker song.

[If any of the bands stumble upon this post and want to let me know what the songs are called please do so.]

‘Millionaires Need People Like You’ video

Here’s the video for the last song on the album. It’s called ‘Millionaires Need People Like You’ and this version should help you decipher the lyrics as they’re maybe not so clear on the album.

Vimeo link

‘The Memorial Hall’ video

The latest video is now up. My busy life has meant any notion of scheduling weekly video uploads has pretty much gone to hell but this an idea that’s been knocking about for ages. Enjoy:

Vimeo

Whilst I’m here, have at look at the latest gig listings. Been a few changes…

18/05/09 – Cardiff, Dempseys – Freakshow presents… PWL ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY w/Mewgatz, Stairs to Korea & Them Squirrels
22/05/09 – Cardiff, Small Weekend @ Milgi’s Yurt – acoustic show
24/05/09 – Cardiff, Buffalo Bar – Bethan Elfyn presents… w/Piney Gir
28/05/09 – Liverpool, Leaf Cafe @ Elevator Studios – w/Musica Violeta
29/05/09 – Manchester, Fuel – Pull Yourself Together
19/06/09 – London, Kennington Dog House – Bearded Magazine presents… w/Paul Hawkins
30/05/09 – London, Brixton Windmill – Brainlove All-dayer
27/06/09 – London, Brixton Windmill – Zonino! 4.5
02/07/09 – Leeds (tbc)
06/08/09 – Leicester, Firebug – Sweeping the Nation Summer Sundae Fringe
14/08/09 – Woolfire Festival – Winchester (date tbc)
21/08/09 – Green Man Festival – Brecon

The Gentlemen’s Game – Dreamtrak Video

Hi all,

It’s been a manic few weeks for various reasons so videos have kind of fallen by the wayside. I’ll finish it though, don’t you worry.

Here’s the other track from the Dreamtrak session a few weeks ago. It’s a version of ‘The Gentlemen’s Game’ featuring awesome hornz.

Normal service will be resumed soon.x

England Expects live video

This week’s video. An ace live-in-the-studio session with various friends from the Brainlove family.

Vimeo link.

Recorded and filmed by Oli who also mixed the album (that’s him on piano) at his Dreamtrak studios in London. Chris Alcxxk is on drums, Laura Wolf is on synth, John Brainlove is doing tape machine vocals. I’m playing the omnichord via a kaoss pad. It’s fun.

We also did one other song which will be posted soon. See if you can guess which one it’s going to be.

This week’s video

Vimeo

Made by the guilt mirrors.

‘Ten Cities…’ video/Internet Forever

This is a video for ‘Ten Cities is not a european tour’. It’s a live version from a gig in February. Kind of murky visually, perhaps one to have playing in the background so you can listen to my awesome drumpad shenanigans and imagine what they might have looked like had the ambient lighting been better…

Vimeo Link

In London-finding news I went there this weekend (hence late blog) for some exciting collaborative recordings which will emerge in due course.

In possibly-related news my New Favourite Band are Internet Forever who I saw live at RoTa. Featuring my old buddy Chris ‘Used to be in Junkplanet’ Alcxxk they do the kind of unadorned pop magic that reminds you why you started liking music in the first place, before the demons of cynicism set in and started gnawing on your brain’s pleasure centres, forever numbing you to the simple magic of a tuneful refrain joyfully sung…

Anyway they’re great. I predict they’re going to write a summer pop hit so unwittingly awesome and chart-bustingly huge that they’ll all be able to buy a yacht with a swimming pool onboard containing another smaller yacht made of gold… each.

You can listen to me playing one of their songs (and getting the lyrics wrong) here.

Anyway I’m playing with them at the Lexington in Big London on the 17th of April, so why not come? (Other gigs are available).

‘Anger Management’ video

Latest video:

Vimeo link
15 Films Website

This one was hard going. Filming your own face in a public place for two uninterrupted 25 minute takes can make you feel pretty weird. Seemingly only person actually noticed what I was doing. Still that’s London for you. Maybe I’ll post the raw footage on YouTube to appease any really bored stalkers I may have.

Anyone spot themselves in the background? I was hoping to catch someone engaged in nefarious activity, in a google street view stylee…

The 15 Films thing got a mention by Bearded this week. Rapidly becoming my favourite magazine. Their new issue is out now. Sadly it doesn’t feature me but it does feature my friend and fellow Isopod enthusiast Paul Hawkins.

Also another music site has done a review of the album. Other exciting things are happening but I’ll save them for another time.

Until then…

Two Videos for ‘Knots’

Quick post before I go off to watch Animal Collective in Bristol. Here’s a video I made for ‘Knots’.

Vimeo link

And here’s one the Guilt Mirrors made:

Which is your favourite?

15 Films website

15 Films #4 – ‘2.0///The Bridge of Sighs’

Another late blog – I was on HOLIDAY alright? I deserve a holiday don’t I? You people make me sick…

Anyway here’s the video for ‘Bridge of Sighs’ which I made myself. There may or may not be a ‘proper’ video for this when it’s released as a single but for now here’s one I made at home using nothing but my own intuition. It’s a poignant satire on the nature of life in the post-internet world, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry….

vimeo link
15 Films website

Please share this around. ‘Like’ it, send it to friends. Put it on your own blogs and things. Such acts of patronage do not go unnoticed.

I also welcome anyone who wants to contribute a video themselves. A couple of people have already chipped in so there’s no reason why you can’t. Get in touch. If you can’t work out how to get in touch then I pity you.