web dizzy(ne)

Oh gosh.

Web design is one of the most infuriating things I have chanced my hand at. You think you've got something nailed but then you look at it in a different browser and BAM! Added to that I was trying to edit a Flash 8 file using Flash CS3 which was mostly fine but there were one or two things that just weren't as they should have been. Something which I can only guess at attributing to the discrepancy between the two versions..

Still. I think I'm done now. Until I get another raft of changes that is, I suppose.

Anyways.

Half-term is lovely thanks. Got band practice tomorrow, something else on Thursday, the usual on Friday and ohmygod David Ford at Shepherd's Bush Empire on Saturday. Hella.

I suspect it's all going to be over far too soon.

But I will enjoy it!

overout

what a sport

Hiya!

That one's just in case Nigel reads this. Oh ho.

So now. Here's what has all gone down in these last couple of days. (day's - day is?)

Yestermahday we played in good old Islington. Very good fun. Surprisingly the voice held out. The just boiled water wins the day hooray. Although I was discussing the relative merits of different brands of honey with someone in one of the other bands beforehand. Very rock and roll.. Actually, I can make that statement more rock and roll quite easily. Watch and learn:

I was talking about honies with someone backstage before the gig.

I win!

Today has been a lazy-ass day (lazy ass-day?). Which was nice. Then I watch-ed the rugby. In a kind-of reverse situation to the one that Rants was facing. In that we were a room full of brits with one Saffa. The Saffa no less. I've never watched rugby before. It's pretty brutal. My ambition now is to watch an Australian Rules game. Cos I hear that's even more brutal.

I digress. (Cos I haven't used that phrase - to death - before).

My point is that television was a bad influence because not 5 minutes after the match we found ourselves in a big-off scrap on the landing. There was some scrumming, a lot of sean-piling and some definite crash-bangs. The funny thing was that the Saffa was the one that (undeliberately I *think*) ended up with a black eye. Ho ho.

Was good though. Not had a decent scrap probably since I was living with the Badger and the 'Noock. Maybe since I was in the studio.

So there you have it. Conclusive evidence that TV can make you do stuff. Or somethings.

ovorondout

steaming

Back to work today it was.

Not too bad. Still fightin this chest infection madly yo.

Now there's a song I haven't heard in a while. Just Jinger's I Like You Madly. Check it out if you get the time.

Today's post is a little freeform in its.. um.. form. So whilst I'm thinking about freeform, check out Flight of the Conchords on youtube. Specifically this song. Brilliant.

You'll also notice that I have been checking out radiohead's new album. I love it. I paid a fiver, but I would have paid more had I had more money. It's very atmospheric. I like music you can get lost in. Radiohead are good at this. As is Nitin Sawhney and also for me, Lemon Jelly. I need to find more like this though.

I made a new strangeday website as well. Check it out. There's some hidden pages in there. I'm going to try and make it more and more labyrinthine as it goes on. Whilst not trying to rip off radiohead too much. Although their web presence presented me with some influence for my confluence yo.

Speaking of strangeday, we have a gig this Friday. Hopefully this one will be quite important for us. Which is why it's so neat that I have a chest infection. Which is why I gotta be leaving you to stick my head above a bowl of just boiled dihydrogen oxide.

What fun.

Peaceoverandout

fancy buying an album?

So many to choose from. You could try this one.



ahem

beware the red mist

This post is all about today. OK?

Today we went to the London and for to record some. We were recording some for a tee vee programme. It's a pilot for an entertainment programme that will be pitched to zeetv. We had to mime two songs. That was strange. You can see the studio set up on the right.

After we got back myself and the misses went for a spot of dinner with Anwar and Hanwar. That was nice. Nice food and nice chats. So thanks for asking..

I went to play foop-ball after that and let me tell you, that was not the best of times.. I hate to see grown men turn to pricks because of a game. Really I do. Especially when I follow suit. I have to confess I did yell at someone to "copulate" off because it all became too much. Not my finest hour. My own prickishness arrives not because of a game but because of people taking said game too seriously and becoming asshats. That doesn't excuse it of course. But hey, it's all square now. We're all good and I'm sippin' wine and chillin' and I'm leavin' you with a lovely sunset.

Yo Yo

Finality

Hello my good peoples. Here's what you've all been waiting for. I was way too tired to do anything by the time we got back. And also, and plus, I didn't do anything Monday because perhaps I forgot.

So. Sunday was HOT. I feel sorry for all you sun-worshippers in England because damn that was some hot weather. Did I mention it was hot? You wanna know what I did? I stayed in my tent. Which was also hot. I was big fat lying in a puddle of my own sweat. I'm a very attractive person by the way.

Ok. So after a shower (length of time that that was effective for: 10 minutes) we headed up to Exit. Slight crossed wires meant that I didn't realise we weren't supposed to be up there until later and so there was no-one to give leaflets to. But since we had performer passes we were able to get in and have a wander about.

Eventually Aetar, Morris, Boban, Marco and Damien turned up and we had some fun chillin', illin', doin' tv and radio bits and getting ready to play.

The gig itself was very cool. So much fun. There'll be pictures and some video. We had a lot of room to move about which was nice. And people seemed to be into it.

All in all a great weekend. Monday was spent packing and travelling. Tiring yes.

Speaking of tiring, this has been a long post. Time to move on to Operation Shuteye maybe soon.

Yuh-huh

Magain

Well today and yesterday have been rather different. Sleeping in til 11 definitely helped. A lot less exhausted. We went to the Belgrade beach. Which is a man made lake. We ate a lot of meat, drank some beer and swam. Across the lake and back. Hard work. Then after a bus back to Novi Sad we explored Exit. We caught most of Basement Jaxx, ate pizza, saw our stage, danced like hoons to latin music and chilled out in the chill out cafe. Nice.

Long day

It doesn't feel like everything that happened today actually happened today. It feels more like a pastiche of days. I got up at 5 and the music from exit was still pumping. I had to catch zs wherever I could all day. First on the coach, then later at Morris'. Anyway. I met Marco and we went for breakfast at a very nice place that was closed. Had my first ever tv experience. I was being translated by Igor from Aetar which was a little strange. We all met up later and went to Aetar's rehearsal studio to practice a little and to eat the biggest watermelon you've ever seen. In the evening we played Club Danguba and it was a wild gig. We were chatting and drinking outside with Aetar and Broken Strings and the atmosphere was golden. After the long day was the reward of proper beds thanks to Boban. Good day. Good sleeps.

Report i

It will be interesting to see if this goes through. I'm currently in my tent listening to Groove Armada across the river in the fort. It's been a mad day. We travelled for most of the day and when we got here I got whisked away to do my first ever radio interview (it was short, since you asked) in a well communist building whilst the others had a beer and relaxed. This evening we caught the end of the Prodigy and got stuck in a very stupid beer queue. I will be getting up in two and a half hours to do breakfast Tv. How very rock and roll.

Good to go..

cusp

or verge if you like..

So tomorrow we're off to Serbia. God knows what the bloggin' situ will be out there but he ain't telling me so like you I wait to see.

I'm rather excited but also tired.

Star Chamber got some new tunes up. Good skills to them. Yummy..

au revoir. Or whatever them serbs say.

How's aboot two lame things?

One is one of them cat pictures that are lame but make me laugh a bit:

It's not that sad though because I'm pretty sure it will make at least my 'rents laugh.

Second lame-o thing is new song. I'm running out of things to post about so that will have to do. It's about a boy who lives on the moon and he's called Zack Plank. And did I mention that he lives on the moon yet?

Zack Plank

I wouldn't like to be in your shoes
Follow your feet into the emptiness
Desolate in the skies
You're on your own oh no.
Do the stars shine that much brighter for you?
It's a long way down
A long way down
If you choose to think about it

Hey
I just wanted to be far away
Don't take me down
Hey
Just like me to wind up lost again
Came in last again
Looking down
I can't see the end

It's the boy without an atmosphere
Faking fear and an attitude
Finding you've got space to spare
Star of the whole show oh no
With the real world that much smaller to you
Are you coming down?
Coming down.
Or is it easier to stay?

hello dear boy

What is up with all o' y'all?

I am down and diggy.

I have a hurt toe due to a cricket ball.

We are playing at midnight on the Future Shock stage of the Exit Festival in Serbia on the Sunday nite.

Things are moving with the band. At last.

And I keep forgetting to blog.

And I'm going to drink some wine and play poker tonite.

All is well with the world.

Go busy yourselfs elsewhere whilst I ruminate.

Thanksbye.

Spangly

It's a good word.

I've been keeping myself busy. How about all o y'all?

Well that's good to hear.

Recommendations? No not today. There's nothing that springs to mind that I haven't already told you about. I need to hear/watch/read some new stuff.

Band practice tomorrow. New song sounding very swish. Possibly called Trademark Failure. Word.

Overandout.

few and far between

I realise I've been thin on the ground lately. Something to do with something I shouldn't think.

We played the River Bar in Maidstone last nite. It was good. My 'rents will be pleased to know that there was no further deterioration in the throat department at least.

Not much else to report. I've been kept busy (and tired) recently and my fingers really aren't in the typing game this week, alright?

Tonite is Jack's Open Mic for those in the know. Tonite I will mostly be falling asleep during a David Ford song probably as that's what I mostly seem to play.

Booyar

3 good things

1. Aran and Carla are here. YAY x 8 and a half

2. We (strangeday - or three quarters of anyway) had a meeting in London with a potential manager. Good meeting, funny times.

3. Aran just taught me a wicked new trick.

Byethen.

ah the weekend

My favourite of all the ends.

I know that technically it's not the weekend just yet, but we almost there. And there aren't many kids in our school today so it should be a little less stressed than yesterday was.

But having said that, this weekend is anything but calm. Tonite, as I believe I mentioned, we're playing in the NAG. Then tomorrow we drive to Cambridge to set up for tonite, we drive back for a 40th anniversary party, we drive up to Cambride and are onstage at midnight. Then on Sunday (and how's this for foolhardiness?) we drive back to play for church at.. 10.30am! Plus we've got to be there early for setups.

We win the game of stupidity.

Then on Sunday I sleep.

And if you didn't want to hear any of that then close your ears.

Overoutand

oh I know

Hello.

Bet you didn't think you'd see me here ever again didja? You did? Well okay then.

We rocked the face off of the Village Hall and not even my evil chest infection could stop the good times to be rolling. I've been gobsmacked by how supportive our friends are. We couldn't have done a sliver of the stuff we did on Saturday night without such amazing people around us. God's been good to us.

So. The album is launched and all. Give me a shout if you'd like to pick yourself up a copy for a tenner.

This is us on Saturday nite. If you peer in you will be able to see someone's towel that is a-bout to catch fire.

Not sure what else to tell you. Now that I'm not so busy thinking about a launch you might get some blogging again. Jury's still out as to whether this is a good idea or not.

You can't have it all..

yay

I know it's lame and all but it keepeth me happy.

We're going to Center Parcs today. Until Sunday. Fun fun fun. Although I can't go down the rapidding something like 400 times because last time I did that I went deaf in both ears for over a week and we can't have me being deaf in both ears whilst rocking it up at the album launch now can we?

Two posts in two days. That hasn't happened since 2006. Oh. Actually no I think it has. But don't let it get you down.

Overandout.

'citement

OHMIGOSHYOU'LLNEVERGUESSWHATHAPPENEDTODAYITWASSOWOWetc.

The CDs came back today. So good. Can't believe we've got an actual real album. Amazing. Anyway. Our reporter (me) was there on the scene to document the joyous scenes (me), and I will preserve it here for you:

Wonderful times. Wonderful times.

Toby

untitled

I love the looks of this pool. Click on the photo for more pictures.

Here we are, anyway, on a rainy Saturday afternoon sat in the living room watching King Kong. We played at Winterwalrus last nite and that was some good fun. Star Chamber were headlining and it was a joy to listen to them again. They've got some new tunes up at their myspace. I recommend that you check them out.

Today is the final christmas day. Because we were skiing and whatnot we didn't have a proper Harding Christmas. So this evening there will be eating, drinking and general merriment to the delight of all.

I will bid farewell to you all now as I feel I have rambled on enough. Byesies.

goshdarn

These has been the busy days. Perhaps the busiest of days.

The album is finally off for duplication. We're getting close. Oh yes.

Aside from that I've been doing 'other stuff'™

Switzerland tomorrow. Who knows what the blogging is like there. I'll let you know.

Have a great christmas if I don't see or speak to you before then.

Peace.

And goodwill to all men and out

Blowin' on my own trumpet

I wouldn't ordinarily do this kinda thing, but I'm quite proud to have been involved helping the Hat put this lovely thing together..



Big love on a Tuesday nite to all of yous.

By the way, check the link to Matt's youtube page above to see the video that I mentioned filming here.