Saturday, February 17, 2007
The Greatest Thing in the World
I just saw Nick Cave on The Culture Show (BBC2) and he was saying how live performance can either be the greatest thing about being in a band - or the worst. He knows what he's talking about. We had such an amazing night at the 100 Club last week, supporting Wilko Johnson. Loads of people showed up, some of them expected, others not - all very welcome. Everything felt right. The sound was good (thanks Ray) and there was just a really nice vibe in the place. It seemed like we were walking on air.
Picked up our heels and headed south to the Boom Boom Club in Sutton the next night, to rip it up with Nine Below Zero. We had to work quite a bit harder at that one, but a great night just the same. The gig also produced the strangest sighting of the year, when David Hargreaves, who used to manage my group Blunt Instrument, appeared like a ghost from the dim and distant past.
The distribution of the album has been picked up by Proper from February 12, and you can now order and buy it from all good record shops in the UK. Please do! It is called Hey, the label is Critical Discs and the catalogue number is CDISCS 001. Sue Williams at Frontier has been doing promotion and Lisa Agasee has done a brilliant job of getting the record out to the press. There have been some good reviews and a couple of revealing interviews. Here's a taste:
"There's a post-punk/Stones feel to it, but then I can also hear some Kinks/Paul Weller in the lyrical style, and some early-Beatles George Harrison picking, some Peter Buck-ish riffing... But it all hangs together in a unique way. I think that’s when you know you’re on to something worth listening to." getreadytorock.com
Interview here
Review here
"A music critic who plays guitar and harp and fronts a band…looking like a taller version of Johnny Dowd, Sinclair plays a sharp Telecaster but his words are even sharper – ten self-penned tracks here, with intriguing titles like Bouquet of Weeds and Fajita Hell.... More please." Blues Matters
"Down With Whatever.....mixing witty lyrics with slightly raw pop melodies, whilst Pennies On A Plate, with its semi-spoken vocal, recalls the Stranglers’ sneer; all very English without being twee.... it hits the spot more than satisfactorily." Backlash
Interview here
"You hope he's kept the day job." Q magazine ¶ 10:50 pm
Picked up our heels and headed south to the Boom Boom Club in Sutton the next night, to rip it up with Nine Below Zero. We had to work quite a bit harder at that one, but a great night just the same. The gig also produced the strangest sighting of the year, when David Hargreaves, who used to manage my group Blunt Instrument, appeared like a ghost from the dim and distant past.
The distribution of the album has been picked up by Proper from February 12, and you can now order and buy it from all good record shops in the UK. Please do! It is called Hey, the label is Critical Discs and the catalogue number is CDISCS 001. Sue Williams at Frontier has been doing promotion and Lisa Agasee has done a brilliant job of getting the record out to the press. There have been some good reviews and a couple of revealing interviews. Here's a taste:
"There's a post-punk/Stones feel to it, but then I can also hear some Kinks/Paul Weller in the lyrical style, and some early-Beatles George Harrison picking, some Peter Buck-ish riffing... But it all hangs together in a unique way. I think that’s when you know you’re on to something worth listening to." getreadytorock.com
Interview here
Review here
"A music critic who plays guitar and harp and fronts a band…looking like a taller version of Johnny Dowd, Sinclair plays a sharp Telecaster but his words are even sharper – ten self-penned tracks here, with intriguing titles like Bouquet of Weeds and Fajita Hell.... More please." Blues Matters
"Down With Whatever.....mixing witty lyrics with slightly raw pop melodies, whilst Pennies On A Plate, with its semi-spoken vocal, recalls the Stranglers’ sneer; all very English without being twee.... it hits the spot more than satisfactorily." Backlash
Interview here
"You hope he's kept the day job." Q magazine ¶ 10:50 pm
