I used to compose my own critical notices in my head

Firstly, I found two new reviews from the wonderful Room Thirteen and Whisperin And Hollerin. Maybe that Drowned in Sound review will turn up in May?!

Secondly, apologies for the lack of updates, I've been recording lots and writing. I went up to my parents house in Sheffield to record some piano for 'The Doctor' and for some of the demos I'm working on. I'm really happy with how that's come out, it almost sounds like I know what I'm doing! The day after that I traveled to Leeds to play the Cardigan Arms. Much fun was had. I met some lovely people, sold some EP's, hung out with Neil and Tom (another former Forward Russia member!), had some drunk girls dancing to my songs and then fell down a grass verge running for the train back to Sheffield. All round good evening. The next day I got up and caught the train to Peterborough where Simmonds and I recorded the floor tom part for the single. Sounding very good, very atmospheric I think. I also found my MP3 player so traveling was kind of fun. A hectic but enjoyable weekend.

I've acquired some cheap but very interesting musical instruments from Hobgoblin and Ray Man in London. Regardless of whether you write music or not those places are worth a visit as there's a plethora of great stuff to strum, pick, blow or just look at and wonder how the hell it makes a sound at all. So yeah, this new stuff has made it's way onto the songs I'm working on which I think has given it all a very different edge. The single is being recorded in a very different way to the EP which I'm really excited about. I guess you'll (hopefully) hear what I mean when I'm finished. On that front we're mixing on Friday and it'll be done probably by the end of the first week of February. Uncle Dave has lots of other commitments so it's a case of us finding the time. We could do it all in a day I guess but a) it'd be a VERY long day and b) it'd sound dreadful!

I'm booking the tour for March as February is gonna be very busy so a bit of a no go live performances wise. So yeah, I'm really sorry there's been little or nothing coming up with me playing. It's really frustrating for me too, the other week in Leeds made me realise how much I miss it when I'm not playing regularly. Still, it'll all be much better organised this time round. All the single details SHOULD be in the next post I do.



As Jarvis Cocker once said "It may look to the untrained eye that I'm sitting on my arse all day..." as there's been little been updated recently and I talk of new songs, new recording and new touring without it being concrete. Behind the scenes I'm working hard, just difficult to update you on albums and stuff when there's nothing recorded to any sort of decent standard. "...I'm biding time until I take you all on" Well, not all of you but you get my point...sort of.

Year of the Trooper vs Year of the Ox

So happy new year to all of you. Hope you're enjoying 2009 aside from watching thirty companies per day loose 90% of their workforce and reading about the Gaza Strip with disbelief and a tear in your eye. Still, Wednesday managed a draw on Saturday so it's not all bad, right!?

Apparently the Ox likes: tradition, appreciation, organisation, sobriety and routine. The Ox dislikes: gimmicks, parties, gossip, laziness and being teased. Hmmm...maybe it won't be my year after all.

At Trooper towers things are starting to move along for this year. The single of 'The Doctor' is being recorded this week at my house, I'm using my parents piano up in Sheffield and Simmonds and I are going to record some drums in Peterborough on Sunday. In-between all that I'm playing at the Cardigan Arms in Leeds on Saturday night. Uncle Dave and I are going to be doing the mixing sometime in the next week or so. So it shouldn't be too long till you can hear the single. I'm looking at a release date of the beginning to middle of March. The plot thickens as there's gonna be much more going on with this release but we'll keep the details of that for another time.

I've got another interview up online with Tasty Zine. Thanks to Shane for all his help and support over the last few months. I'm also doing a little feature for Maps Magazine which should be up by the end of the month I think.