Hi there

I think i must have been in a funny mood this morning, because it's a Saturday and I woke up at 6:30am and I decided to start a blog for the band Minor Coles. That doesnt happen every day. Especially days when i actually have to get up and drag my arse into work. I have barely seen 6:30am on them days.

This photo above is from a house party we played last weekend, at our bassist Martin's hobbit hole. It was a great evening. His house is detached, so we didnt disturb the neighbours too much. We had forewarned them, and also invited them, so I think on the whole they were kept appeased. Playing house parties is a dangerous but exciting thing. Like an extreme sport.

We played our set and it was really good fun. Our friend Olly had brought a PA around (many thanks to Olly) so the sound was really decent for playing amongst the sofas and tv sets. Apart from the tingly sensation on my lips whenever i moved my mouth to the electrically charged microphone. That was slightly unnerving. I half expected to be fried alive mid-set, charged by 240 of your finest english volts. In the end though I kind of enjoyed the random tingly sensation. It was a bit like that lip balm, out there on the lip balm market, which gives you an instant botox. Not that I have ever used that on my lips. Not when I was down the pub and had had a few and thought it would be fun to play with my friends instant botox lip balm. I've honestly never done that. Honest.

So it was a great set and we played the songs we have nailed down pretty well on the whole.

Our friends The Gullivers followed us onto the carpeted living room stage. I was really glad they played. They had already played a set earlier in the day, at an all day outside gig so it was in fact their second show of the day. They have a really great, sheogazy sound and some beautiful songs. The assembled throng lapped them up. You can listen to them here www.myspace.com/thegullivers

Alphabet Backwards, well, my friend James (who basically is Mr Alphabet Backwards), then rounded things off with a solo acoustic set. There were singalongs to polar bears and 80's pop video (the hideously infectious 'na na na naa na' song). Ruben and I tried to mimic the sound of the absent Bob Tom's keyboard synth with our voices, at one point. It actually worked quite well. Bob tom should be concerned he might be out of a job soon, with skills like that. I of course am only jesting, because bob tom is the synth-whiz-king of all the world. I saw Black Kids at the Zodiac last year and they couldnt do with two synths what Bob Tom can do with his little finger on one synth. Fact. www.myspace.com/alphabetbackwards

We all then had a bit of a drink and indulged in various other associated vices. Some people did a bit of dancing. Martin's chilli was devoured by a half dozen or so liquored up hungry vultures at about 1am. There was a giant pan of the stuff but it all disappeared at frantic speed. It was the nicest chilli I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I have to also reveal that I had double helpings. The secret ingredient was....well I can't say can I. it's a secret. It wasn't banana though.

Special thanks must go to Beth, whose house this was also at. Beth was a very kind and good host.

We hope to do more exciting little shows soon, perhaps another in the summer, and hopefully we can get some more of Oxford's bands playing too.