Truck and pissed dancing

My stomach muscles wince when i laugh at the moment, because they exerted themselves with too much laughter at this years Truck Festival and wore themselves out. Amazing scenes.

Highlights were not only playing to a decent crowd at the barn stage at 10am, seeing the crowd almost scarily flood in to see us when we strummed our first chords, and enjoying the whole playing truck experience despite all of us having a wrecked head each, but also, moments of enjoyment went as thus:

The pissed dancing to Ash - WILD SURF!! - and pissed dancing to Britpop in the village pub tent until 2:30am; seeing alphabet backwards storm stage main and make everyone happy - the pissed dancing went along with this, and yes it was only 1pm; seeing Stornoway become oxford legends; getting angry at the fact We Aeronauts were not on the bill; remembering meeting Mark Hamilton from Ash immediately after their show but being too shy to say anything since he's from the band who were my boyhood heroes; the broken glasses on the floor; DOGS IN 1930's CLOTHING and the impromptu BBC Oxford interview; warm hugs from someone you dont want to let go of, ever; arguing with Mark from the Gullivers about Ash: ''why aren't you dancing!!'' I ask ''because they are fucking shit!'' replies Mark;

Being happy in the country air in the fields 2 miles from where you grew up, the summer, the summer. Say goodbye to the last days of summer and i'm waiting here for you...(because lets face it, Truck won't be topped until it comes around again next year)

Love x

Introducing the Cat and the Rat

The cat and the rat have been enemies for centuries, but now they have decided to make peace and collaborate. With the cool elegance of the cat and the brazen attitude of the rat a new hip hop crew from the sewers and back alley ways of inner west of Sydney is born. Cat and The Rat are like Tom & Jerry, if they were mates and loved funk, hip hop and soul. While only in its infancy CATR plan to fill your saucer and rock your nest. No cheese!

www.myspace.com/catandtherat
So this is a new musical project from my friend Paddy who is an Australian and lives all the way over in that freakin crazy place called Australia. Paddy is a good friend whom i met when he was living here with his girlfriend Intan, both of whom i don't see anymore because they both live all the way over in freakin Australia. Paddy and I once dabbled in a musical experiment of folk-soul-rap. One of these days i'll see him again. But this is my way of saying what a great guy he is and i look forward to hearing more stuff from him and his crew.

I think this kind of music could only ever come from a place like Australia. Laid back colourful and cool with an honest edge.

Freddie loves it.

It's ropey...but you get the idea

As of yet, we haven't yet recorded anything properly with a full quota of 'Coles. We're hoping to get something 'proper' recorded in the next couple of months. Some kind people have offered to help record us. In the meantime here are a selection of ambient recordings from a band practice recently. Please note this makes us sound like we enjoy practicing in a small toilet. And voices are a bit haggard and guitars a little out of tune. But there's an energy on their which is captured quite well. So i'm popping them up on here. Things can only get better recording wise at least.

Sad Eyes

Small Rooms

The Deer Song

Magnet

Ho-dowwwn!!

Saturday 11th July was a brilliant night. We were playing a very much looked-forward to show at the Bullingdon Arms in Oxford, alongside our good friends We Aeronauts and Alphabet Backwards, who were headlining the night celebrating the release of their fantastic mini-album and debut record (buy online here - sunshine cider and shagtastic).

Despite the summer rain rearing its ugly head a lot of people turned up for the show, and it was a great show for alphabet backwards to kick start their record-release with. We all got drunk on a big self-procured rider of carling and various quantities of rum. Cue some flashdance style dancing at the zo2diac afterwards for some of us. For those who remember. And i don't.

I have been playing in We Aeronauts recently, to help them out as their tertiary guitarist is out in Africa chasing baboons and frolicking in the jungles. I've had a really great time playing with them and thank them for letting me loose on their live show, and entrusting me not to fuck up. It's surprisingly nervewracking playing in a friends band. You are put in a position where fucking up royally and hitting bum notes is much easier to achieve, and the fear of letting down your mates band is quite nerve-jangling. But I got through it all unscathed. A particular highlight was playing with them at brixton windmill on a bill featuring Ute and Jonquil and other oxford bands. With a free bbq thrown in to the mixer. That was a fine way to spend a june afternoon.

Today i am ill, i have come down with this man/pig flu stuff. It means i'm locked at home and pretty upset because I can't go to see Ute at the Wheatsheaf, a gig hosted by 3 blind mice (the boys and girls from the gullivers promotion arm). Ah well. Cuppa tea and the alphabet backwards mini album will cheer me up.

We really need to get into the studio

It's frustrating, as the only songs currently on the minor coles myspace are two acoustic demos hastily bashed out on cubase - one at ruben's grandparents house and one in my bedroom. Although they give a little hint as to what are songs are like, in reality they don't sound anything like the full band. Some people seem to like them, which is great, but it's akin to preferring lambrini over a veuve-cliquot. Not that I happen to spend my days quaffing veuve-cliquot.

So we are all itching like flea ridden dogs to get into a studio and lay down some songs with the full band as soon as possible, partly so that those of us who haven't seen us live yet can actually know what we're all about, and aren't misled by the songs on myspace. I can't help but feel they lack a lot of energy and feeling, and generally are a little weak. We are hoping to enter the studio sometime in June. We will probably record 3 songs if time permits.

We have 9 finished songs now. One of those will probably never be played again though, due to an infamous outing at the Bully at our second gig - so technically we have 8 songs. At our 4 gigs so far we have only been able to play six song sets each time, so this bodes well for our next gig. We might be able to play for longer than 20 minutes without having to resort to stringing out faintly witty banter and trying to sound like we're comedians. Or resorting to me talking about the Villa. And ruben complaining about me talking about the Villa.

At last weeks practice we wrote our second 'ballad'. I can't wait to get in the Coldroom's up in sleepy Cumnor again tonight to give it another run through. It seems to have stuck in my head at least, which is always a positive thing with new songs. If you forget them, it's generally for a reason: they are probably shit and not worth remembering. The ballad is not so straightforward, at least it doesnt sound like Snow Fucking Patrol, it's not overly cheesy and doesnt follow a verse chorus verse chorus structure. It also involves both Ruben and I singing different sections of the song, which has actually become quite a useful feature of our band on a lot of our songs.

On a secondary note, i have managed to see Jonquil again, so I am now not quite so crushingly disappointed about not being able to attend their June 12th gig. Jody managed to get myself and my housemate Laura onto the guest list for Wood festival to see them (big thank you Jody), and Laura has wheels unlike I so kindly drove us up there, and we watched their set in amongst the beautiful surrounds of Braziers Park and (unfortunately) the cold and sodden ground. It had lashed down with rain for a good hour or two before the set. I think the festival is a little early in the year - although had it happened the weekend before when the weather was much kinder, then perhaps that would prove that theory wrong. All in all it was a really good show and it was a pleasure to see 4 new Jonquil songs being aired. I'm convinced they will shift some units with songs like those on their next album. Vibrant, quite poppy, summery, and exciting.

Tra for now
Mark x

Old stuff - Goodbyehigh Fives



So there's a few old songs (well more than a few) knocking about on my pc, mainly of me and james from Alphabet Backwards, from a time in yonder past when we wrote many a tune together. This was probably about 3 years ago or so now.

I've put a few up here. Some are recorded fairly well, others are just little jam session songs.

6am Morning Walk (New York)

A little jam session jingle:
The Day Buddy Holly Died

This song was written i think on the day England got knocked out of the World Cup to Portugal back in 2006. World cup themed. As you do:
Defence Defense

This next song is one of my favourites of the goodbye high five era, the chorus could have been improved but the ending is definitely a winner:
Lung Capacity

Gigs I am looking forward to:

On July 11th we Minor Coles are playing at the Bullingdon Arms with the amazing We Aeronauts (yes yes yes!) and Alphabet Backwards (double yes!). It should serve, potentially, as a release party for Alphabet Backwards mini album too. It should be great fun playing with them two bands. Mainly since we generally know most of one another and will no doubt get our party pants on afterwards.

Then on August 22nd at The Wheatsheaf we are playing with the Backwards again, as main support. Yipeeeiii ayyy, yippeeeiii ohhh.

I would also say i am looking forward to Jonquil at the Zo2diac on the 12th June, but I have now realised I can't attend that, as we Coles are playing at the Jericho Tavern that night. I do wish I could see Jonquil again though, I haven't seen them since they supported Foals in December. And that's 5 months now without a Jonquil fix. I'm gettin tetchy. I have resorted to drunkenly singing Lions with Jody Jonquil and James Aeronaut whilst walking the streets of Oxford in order to get my kick.

Also looking forward to seeing The Gullivers again at the Jericho Tavern on 3rd June.

I've just realised i have a tetleys teabag in my pocket. That's a bit random.