A Message from Jon
Ring the Changes
CorrrOctober was good to us. A very fun House of FM party in Amsterdam (any of you guys there??), bucket list venues ticked off state side including Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and the famous Troubadour in LA! Also some exciting writing sessions in-between all that. Inching ever closer toward something that one day we might be able to call an album.. Bear with us please.
There’s a lot of change in the air at the moment. A feeling that can be a little daunting sometimes. Especially when the aim of the changes are to attempt to charter fresh and unknown waters. Or involve tough decisions and conversations. At the same time it can be incredibly exciting to try and break moulds that have been set in place for some time. They say a change is as good as a rest eh.
For us, and in the example of a new album on the horizon, I guess we’ll always feel there’s room for improvement with what we’re doing. We want to do everything we can to avoid getting stuck in a round, like a hamster in a hamster wheel. It can be easy to turn back to things that have worked well in the past and settle for that becoming the norm. Whether it’s in the song writing, production, bass lines, styling, logos, press shots, set design, touring set up, videos, lunch, underpants, etc etc there’s lots of different elements to a project, and a new album is a great chance to reset and go INNN. We feel very lucky to be in a position where we can try to create something which will be listened to by friends and fans, and with any luck take on tour… (providing you guys like it..) We want to make something which feels unique, special, and in some way connects with the listener / viewer. But there’s no point in just writing another Dopamine or Dance Moves, or releasing a similar style press shot to the last one, or having the same set list on tour. To a certain extent, we’ve done that, and we want to move on and find the next batch of goodies that feel exciting. (This isn’t to say the old tunes won’t be in a new set list btw!) For us now the challenge is taking the risks to get to a new place that feels good, but keeping the intrinsic elements that people know and hopefully enjoy.
I guess sometimes you have to push yourself into uncomfortable territory in order to move forward.. Sometimes it can feel that the right thing or right direction is obvious, and therefore it becomes quite easy to implement. Other times less so, and for me that's when decisions can feel more challenging. Often requiring a big ol' leap of faith.
Anyways, I thought I’d share a few of those thoughts. Broadly speaking. Maybe you know the feeling in some way, shape or form? Hope everyone’s well and enjoying the new single we have out with Mr Young Franco! x
A Message from Ned
Vlog 3
Whiling Away The Hours On A Tour Bus
One of the great skills of a seasoned touring band is the art of killing time. You tend to spend thousands upon thousands of lost hours wedged into various planes, trains and automobiles, not succumbing to the intense tedium and repetition of this is no easy feat. Each and every band will have their own particular strategies; I’m told Bono and the Edge play conkers obsessively on World Tours whilst Abba were notorious for fashioning shoe-horns out of matchsticks that they’d eventually sign and sell to their fanatical legions of fans.
Our own brand of distraction is a decidedly more 21st century operation, we like to photoshop photos of one another using the editing app Bazart. Over the years such has been our dedication to the craft that we’ve gone from relative amateurs to Pentagon-level editors in a relatively short space of time. In fact I’m faintly surprised we haven’t been recruited by MI5 to work for their deep-fake/counterfit department. We’re honestly that good.
A ‘good edit’ is normally a heady combination of a slightly compromising photo taken on tour and an inspired idea of what generic photo (normally from a google search) to combine/edit it with. This moment is normally heralded by the sound of infantile giggling from the back of the van as the rest of the band eagerly await the results. We store these pictures on our band group whatsapp and frequently return to them over the years, greeting them like old friends. The word 'masterpiece' is an overly used trope but as you'll see some of these creations wouldn't be out of place in the hallowed halls of the Louvre or other such notable institutions.
Picture 1 - "A Band Of Hoffs"
This particular piece simply replaces the band members heads with the head of our soundman par excellence Guy "The Hoff" Speakman. This would in fact be the ideal version of the band so potentially draws upon
our own subconscious feelings.
Picture 2 - The Band Asleep
Taken from the extensive catalogue of pictures of band members grabbing snippets of sleep in all manner of awkard spots and placing them in a quaint bar room. Again,
probably draws upon the subconscious.
Picture 3 - I Dreamed Of Oboes
Another slumber-themed edit. This one almost defintely showcases the subject of the dreams of my esteemed colleague, Senor J Moody. Analog synths could just have easily replaced the oboes. So too could Scotch Eggs, but you get the gist generally.
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