A Democracy of Sorts That Justifies the Sun
We were in two minds as to whether or not a caption competition would
be appropriate in this issue, as we felt the international situation demanded
a degree of gravitas normally absent from the kind of inane imbecility
which the now-enshrined ritual evokes. But then, we thought, as the whole
of the world has now gone completely mad, who are we to go against the
grain, so we thought we might as well be really stupid this time, as anyone
penetrating the fog of the latest offering will discover. Last issue it
was, as many of our more senior readership spotted, Deptford punk pioneers
Alternative TV, and the Lemon connection was to an obscure lyrical reference
on their live What You See is What You Are LP. Obvious isn't it.
TDL managed to drag himself away from a pile of little plastic cluster
bombs long enough to authorise the latest captions. We hope they evoke
as much joy and as many happy memories for you as they do for us.
Why Do I Find it Hard to Write the Next Line
So have we been idle while nations collide? Not at all. Firstly, we are
pleased to announce that dates have been booked at Trinity Heights for
recording at the end of February. Mr Fred Purser will be at the helm again,
and we can assure you that the band will not be allowed in the room during
production, so there is a very good chance that they will emerge at the
end of the day with something that doesn't sound like it was recorded
underwater, in a cement mixer, with all the instruments wrapped in cotton
wool. Fred produced both Paradise Razed and Out From Under the King, and
we reckon that by early April he should have assisted us in the completion
of the definitive Blyth recording. Track list is provisionally Mary's
Mad Army, Bomber Harris, House of Cards, On the Viking Station, Sometimes
I Wonder, McCullough and Guinea, Horse and Away, Rebel Angels, After the
Horse Has Bolted, Wintersfiend, Cider Dreaming Time and Edward Lay Bare.
About time too. We hope to have the thing by early April, but naturally
we will keep you posted. Hurrah.
Also of note is the arrival in our midst of Hemlock Music, who are now
the UK agents for Blyth Power, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Mr Joseph Porter
and also The Whisky Priests. Hemlock has taken over from the previous
be-suited avaricious one, whose incompetence and lack of business acumen
has become a byword. We would like to thank him for all the hard work
he has done over the years ensuring that the band has been touring regularly,
and that all the gigs have been well-paid and arranged to everyone's satisfaction.
We would like to, but we can't. Henceforth any queries regarding booking
the band for regular concerts, parties, or anything involving them making
loud noises through amplification equipment should be directed to Hemlock
Music on 020 8992 8691.
You Are Gold
Those of you who caught the last couple of shows in September will be
aware that the very lovely Jessi Adams is no longer with us. Mr Gary Miller
is now playing guitar, and Mr Adams has signed up for panto, appearing
in Mother Goose at the Scala in Leicester this Christmas, with the bloke
who plays Ben from Byker Grove.
Actually that's a lie; Jessi is proceeding with the Eastfield master plan.
It is not usually the practice of this firm to focus on personalities,
preferring a bland corporate identity instead of keeping you all informed
of who plays what, why, when, and what their favourite cheese is, but
in this instance we will make an exception long enough to recognise the
contribution made by Mr Adams to the soul and spirit of Blyth over the
years. Certainly for 15 years or more he has been part of the band in
one way or another, and will no doubt continue to be so. Some contributions
have been bigger than mere music. TDL points out that he probably spent
more time on railway platforms in the North East alone with Jessi, than
he did on smeggy stages with all the other Blyth guitarists put together.
That the man from Yate made the Bricklayer's Arms CD with us as well,
and helped us rewrite our first chapter in a more authoritative hand,
is our privilege, and yours too if you want. If you haven't reconciled
yourselves yet to the fact that it knocks the original into the kind of
silly cocked hat that TDL once affected to wear onstage during the introduction
to Stand Into Danger, then you'd better get with it soon, because we're
doing The Barman next.
The arrival of Mr Miller has seen the return of a whole load of songs
not seen for years. With the Wicked Women re-enactment complete, the band
has now moved into phase 2 of its ruthless revision of the ghosts of Blyth
past. Acoustic guitars have been seen, and songs like Burning Joan and
Rowan's Riding are back on the agenda. The really big news in all this
is that TDL has finally learned how to play the drums properly on McArthur.
Now if only he'd learn to sing it as well….
Round and
Round We Go
Or not as the case may be. Before we launch into cancellations corner,
we would just like to thank everyone again for Ufford. For those of you
unable to check the results on the website, we lost the cricket (boo hoo),
but the event was a huge success, and will almost certainly be repeated
next year. Bigger, better, faster, stronger - and we'll nail that Bishop's
Stortford lot good and proper. See you there if not before, though we
certainly won't be seeing many of you over the weekend of 2nd/3rd November.
Never in the band's history has such a monumental lack of consideration
and professionalism blighted a single weekend of dates in such a fashion.
Firstly, The Folk House in Bristol blew the date, as they have to rewire
the entire venue. OK, fair enough, they have problems, but thanks for
waiting two weeks to tell us, and your considered response to our last
communication has been duly noted. Fortunately Mr Henry Lawrence has put
us in touch with an alternative venue, and the band WILL play in Bristol
on November 3rd. The gig will now happen at The White Horse in St Pauls
with Mr Attila the Stockbroker. See you there.
Next to go was The Rock Garden in Easington, which was to have been on
the Thursday. The promoters informed us at very short notice that they
were stopping Thursday gigs, as they hadn't been working out, which was
only marginally less pathetic than the reason put forward by the guy at
The Market Tavern in Birmingham. He blew us out as he'd had a lucrative
offer from a private party for that date. This has, of course, had the
beneficial effect of reducing our Christmas card list by three. Henceforth
we will not be seen dead anywhere near the aforementioned venues, but
don't feel that you need to spurn their ale on our account….
At the moment of writing, we are still trying to arrange an alternative
venue for Birmingham on November 2nd. There is a very good chance that
we might be able to sort out a venue at the eleventh hour, but nothing
is so far confirmed. Keep an eye on the website, and give us a ring before
you travel. You know it makes sense.
Some gigs are happening though. Blyth are returning to Kent in November,
with a date at The Royal in Rochester. We urge all interested parties
to come to this one, as it's a new venue for us. Most of the gigs on the
list below are for Mad Dogs, as that trio are switching into overdrive
this winter. Blyth Power will, of course, be out and about in the New
Year, and with a new CD on the horizon, look out for the epic promo tour.
Communication Always Leaves Me Incomplete
Now that TDL is drumming for The Whisky Priests as well, we felt it only
fair to allow you all the opportunity of keeping abreast of their travels,
the better to go along and throw buns at him. If you want to join their
e- mailing list, then send your details to wp@whiskypriests.co.uk The
band's dates will be listed on the Blyth site in future, so go along and
check them out if you haven't done so already.
Our good colleague Damian, from Pressgang, has been in touch. His database
went into meltdown, so anyone out there who was on the Pressgang list,
and would like to stay in touch, please contact damian@voxpop.demon.co.uk
and he'll see that you get back onto his mailing list. Likewise if you
have fallen off Attila the Stockbroker's list then you can re-enlist at
attila@attilathestockbroker.com
The Sound of My Soul
(Courtesy of Our Late But Glorious Chairman Meow. A Haiku, found among
his personal effects)
Cat
shit sticks
like tar
to the sole
of your boot
When you've trodden in it