BOREDOM
Show Diary
Saturday 20th April - NO presents Fawn Spots @ Power Lunches
Paid £40 / no refreshments
Now the resident band for the weekend, Jon had managed to get his amp working again and things seemed to go well. Our Friends Duncan and Laura turned up which was ace and we got to see all round nice guy of the year Joey Fourr again. The show was fun to play I think we did a decent job, when asked for an encore we managed to play one of the new songs without it collapsing. I remember being a bit negative about it but the others said it was good so I will go with that.
Friday 19th April - Critical Heights 2nd Birthday Party @ Power Lunches
Refreshments / Paid nothing
TO be asked to play this show was really exciting knowing that it would be a sell out show in one of our favorite London venues. There were some nasty technical issues going on; Jon’s amp mysteriously went bad and had to swap mid set and my guitar just wouldn’t stay in tune.We managed to get through it though and got blitzed on the Critiale beer and ended up sleeping over at Fire HQ. Jon somehow managed to sleep on a blow up bed on a small sofa. We also got salt beef bagels. They are incredible.
Saturday 6th April - NO FUN Presents Fawn Spots / Furrow @ Heart Attack & Vine
Refreshments / Paid £30
Walking into the venue was like walking into the Red Room in Twin Peaks, the guys who were running the event were really friendly and it was cool to play a show with Furrow again. I think we played well, the crowd seemed to get it and it was nice to be able to turn our amps up for a change. The guys running the show were spot on and I look forward to seeing the new incarnation of Heart Attack and Vine.
Friday 5th April - Fawn Spots/ Collider @ TDT HQ, Sheffield
Breakfast / paid £40
After playing Daytrotter we were all on a high and excited to be playing with our friends at TDT HQ in Sheffield. Even though we only really ended up playing to Collider and 2 of their mates it was still a lot of fun. It was actually nice to be able to enjoy each other and they went pretty nuts when we played and their energy was awesome to feed off. Good vibes all round.
Friday 5th April - Daytrotter Radio Session
Somehow being allowed to play a Daytrotter session was a pretty big thing for us, typical then that our Sean gets the Norovirus 2 nights before we were due to set off. Worried that he may soil himself and everyone around him we bundled him in the back of the car with some bin bags and hoped for the best. Luckily when we got to the session he brought his A-game and we all managed to get into it. The studio was incredible, all the gear was like porn and the engineer was spot on - not really knowing what to expect from this and being a bit shy about being on the mighty Daytrotter radio we soon felt at ease thanks to his mad skills.
Friday 8th March - Acrobatic Society EP Launch @ New Bridge Project, Newcastle
Refreshments / paid £50
It is always fun playing for Tiny Lights and the guys behind it are so so nice. The band had hired a big PA rig and gutted out a decent sized room in an art studio for the show, it looked great and may have sounded good? we don’t really know… I don’t think the majority of the people there really got it but I think we played well and I guess that’s all we can do. It was a fun night though and we felt pretty honored to be chosen by AS to play their EP launch.
Wednesday 6th March - Yo Wastoid @ The Washington, Sheffield
Refreshments / paid £30
This show was fun, at least more fun than the last time we played in Sheffield… The stage was tiny, the room was pretty small too and there were issues with the PA cutting out on the band before us but there was a certain charm to it that made it all OK. The promoter was super nice and our friends from Collider aborted band practice early to come see us. Good Vibes. I don’t think it was the best we had played but considering the poor sound we all agreed it went well and were happy with that. Also a Spanish person bought our last copy of Spanish Glass because she thought it had something to do with Spain.
Thursday 28th February - Supporting Fiddlar @ Cockpit, Leeds
Free refreshmets / No Money
This was the first time we had been given a chance to play at Cockpit, I think we all played really well and together, the room was packed and people genuinely seemed to enjoy us - it is one of the first times we have come away positive from a show in Leeds.
Saturday 16th February - SHRED-WEST @ Zephyr Lounge, Royal Leamington Spa
Free food, refreshments/ Paid £80
There isn’t so much to do in Leaminton Spa aside from drink. That was the vibe we were running with anyway. We got there early, set up and proceeded to get totally and utterly wrecked - so much so that I (Ol) fell backwards off the stage during the set and Jon was sick in the dressing room. The guys who put us on and who run the place are totallly awesome, really nice and accomodating. I dont remember much about playing if I am honest, people seemed to enjoy it so I guess that is OK. I think we all learned a little lesson on how much to drink before playing - I certainly did. I was pretty ashamed at myself for getting in such a state and it just isnt cool. Onward and upwards.
Friday 15th February @ Flashback Records, London
Couple of free beers / no money
This was our first show after coming back from LA, I think that week we had all been depressed about being back and not being on tour, so this was just the ticket. Considering the complete lack of space and that we had to play so quietly I think it went well, there were some glitches but we played through and I think we may have got away with it. The Flashback guys were all super nice and the shop is amazing. Feel bad that they had noise complaints and that Jon dropped/broke their PA but I think we got away with it. Flashback, if you are reading this - we are sorry!
Saturday 2nd February @ Harold’s Place, San Pedro, Los Angeles
Free Refreshments / Paid Nothing
Great way to end the week. Played with The 87s again (so good) in this amazing little dive bar. And I mean proper dive bar. Was fun. Small and intimate and just right for the last night…Oli had to leave at like 8am the next day.
Friday 1st February @ Yard Show, Ontario, Los Angeles
No refreshments / Paid $160
What an incredible show. We were supposed to be playing elsewhere but that got cancelled. So the guys in Anne Frank and the KKK organised this (they are an INCREDIBLE band - old school hardcore, and one of their songs has a Judas Priest riff in it!). We turned up and had no idea what to expect, there was just an empty yard. Within a couple of hours it was rammed, like well over 100 people there. It was crazy. First band the No Nos played awesome garage, then Take Pictures sounded like a new No Age, then Af&KKK (amazing), us then Cumstain. So much went wrong when we played…my amp stopped working, my guitar kept going out of tune and we had to share one mic. But it was so good, and people were smashing around all over the place. So much fun to play. Cumstain were electric that night…but then five police cars turned up and the show got shut down. The people who’s house it was were so sound and made sure we were ok. Really made us feel welcome and showed us support.
Thursday 31st January @ The Smell, Downtown, Los Angeles
Free refreshments / Paid $40
Love this venue. It just feels so special to be where so many of our favourite bands have been (esp. No Age). The sound was kind of weird so i think I had my amp way too loud but we played ok. It’s such a big space I’m always surprised. Had fun as per usual. It really has a special feel.
Wednesday 30th January @ The Continental Room, Fullerton, Los Angeles
1 free refreshment / Paid $130
What a fantastic venue. Kind of 1930s burlesque feel inside. The stage was a little crescent in the corner, with a curtain that pulled up when we you started playing. Got to borrow some great amps from The Shrills (an incredible garage band) so sound was good, but my guitar kept screwing up. Still people seemed to be dancing about which was good, and no one seemed to mind the fuck ups. A lot of fun. None of us remember getting back that night.
Tuesday 29th January @ Burger Records, Fullerton, Los Angeles
No Refreshments / No Money
It’s always weird playing in shops and this was no exception. All the guys at Burger are really great and the crowd watching were responsive, but we just seem to struggle with the shop atmosphere. I guess with record racks in the way and not our real amps we couldn’t get the sound or volume we really wanted. Still people seemed to enjoy it. And I totally found Black Monk Time on vinyl which was worth the trip!
Monday 28th January @ Redwood Bar, Downtown, Los Angeles
Free Refreshments / No Money
First show in the US. Played this pirate ship themed bar - totally not tacky (genuinely!). Every other band were amazing, The 87s and The Red Onions (these guys reminded me of Nation of Ulysses one of my favourite ever bands). And of course Cumstain - blown away by how good they were. We’d practised in the day but hadn’t gone well. We played well I think, especially seeing as we didn’t have any of our own equipment, all borrowed. People really respond at gigs here. We played a cover of Fear’s “I Love Livin’ in the City” that seemed to warm people up a bit I guess.
2013 — 2013 — 2013 — 2013 — 2013 — 2013 — 2013
Saturday 8th December, ‘Nothing Like Christmas 2’ @ Cluny 2, Newcastle
Free Refreshments / No Money
A lot of fun and always a pleasure to play for Paul. Cluny 2 is a great smaller venue and Newcastle is always good to play. Good sound and people watching seemed decent. I think we played ok from what I remember.
Sunday 25th November supporting Iceage @ Bar Lane Studios, York
Free Refreshments / No Money
My favourite gig we’ve ever played. We had practised loads, and worked hard to get up to scratch. Tried a whole new amp / pedal set up that seemed to work and add the missing depth to the sound. The Iceage guys were really nice, they were incredible live. And of course Bar Lane is like our home of sorts.
Tuesday 23rd October supporting Dope Body @ Brudenell Social Club, York
Free Refreshments / No Money
I think Sean and Oli disagree but this was by far my least favourite show we’ve played since we became a trio. Didn’t think we played well, it didn’t sound great and we didn’t really fit on the bill. We basically hadn’t practised enough, it’s our fault and though i’d like to make excuses i can’t. i guess we let recording and mixing Wedding Dress take over.
Monday 11th October supporting Nine Black Alps @ The Duchess, York
Free Refreshments / Paid £25
Supporting our friend Sam’s band was a lot of fun. The sound was pretty good - on stage at least, not sure at the front. Seemed pretty busy from what we could see. We made some errors but enjoyed ourselves and whatever, so that’s the main thing. First time i’d seen NBA but they ruled. Proper good songs.
Monday 8th October @ The Harley, Sheffield
No Refreshments / Paid £50
Disappointed with our first show in Sheffield outside of DIY spaces. The Tie Dye spiritual brothers came which was good. Don’t think we really fitted on the bill - there were some kind of dubstep bands or something on after us. The sound wasn’t good. And we didn’t play well. But the organisers were pretty sound.
Thursday 27th September @ Stereo, York
No Refreshments / No Money
First show back in York as a 3 piece. We played ok from what i remember but as the only none blues-2 piece on the bill i guess we stuck out like a sore thumb. I don’t remember it being a particularly stand out show. Drenge were loud.
Monday 17th September @ The Loch, Enschede, Holland
Free Drinks, Food / Paid €60
We played in what I guess was an abandoned mechanics place. A massive squat full of crazy art including a sonic cannon (!) with a smaller central room with the hole in the floor where I guess people would look up under a car. We played there. Sound was great, crowd friendly and we played well. Got asked to play an encore and just as we were about to my amp broke, genuinely! The hospitality we were shown was so good.
Sunday 16th September @ Incubate Festival, Tilburg, Holland
Free Drinks, Food / Paid €400
Friday 14th September @ Den Eglantier, Antwerp, Belgium
Free Drinks, Food / Paid €130
Thursday 13th September @ Amersham Arms, London
No Refreshments / No Money
Saturday 26th August @ Packhorse, Leeds
Free Food / Paid £30
Played for Nodwell in Leeds. Great promoter and nice guy. Fun day, and good crowd who seemed in to it. Saw Bitches who were amazing and sooo funny. We played relatively tight, but not the best we had, and we sounded ok I think. Broke a string and ended up using my second guitar which was less than fun. Still feel positive about the new lineup though.
Saturday 25th August @ Office Space, Hackney, London
No refreshments / Paid Nothing
Took us a long time to get from Brighton to London due to traffic. What a great space we played in. It was Joey Fourr’s apartment come work space. Great atmosphere, great people. Joey and Laurie (playlounge) were great people. Night was a lot of fun. Got to see old friends and make new ones. We played well, were tight, fast and expressive i think. Felt good after this.
Friday 24th August @ Green Door Store, Brighton
No refreshments / Paid £60
8 hour drive down to Brighton from York. We were on at 00.10. Great venue, bit of a weird atmosphere. None of the bands on before us stuck around which was weird. We played tight, but on stage the atmosphere wasn’t great and we didn’t have a lot of space. Thought we were ok. Saw some old friends and had a great time hanging out though! We got clamped and fined £100 even though we had bought a ticket.
Friday 17th August @ Beacons Festival, Skipton
3 free refreshments each / Paid nothing
Our first show with Sean on drums and Oli on guitar (power trio \m/ ) went really well. Surprisingly good crowd. Sounded great…although the sound man came on during the first song and turned my amp rightttt down. We played tightly and I fully felt more in to the songs than I had done in ages. For the first time we played I thought it went well. Just found a review that says our punk has been replaced by hip. Ha. Well informed reviewer.
Wednesday 8th August @ Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds
Free refreshments / Not paid even though agreed to be paid
Nation’s weird, sometimes the sound is great and it’s fun, other times it’s not. It was good, though we played pretty poorly and I don’t think we sounded good at all. We also got told we’d be getting paid in to our bank account but that never happened. This was the last show that Lee played drums for.
Saturday 22nd July @ The Audacious Space, Tramlines Festival, Sheffield
No refreshments / Paid nothing
Always a pleasure to play for the Tye Die Tapes guys. Never been to the Audacious space before - such a great venue, got a great feeling to it, and is a total reclamation of an abandoned area of Sheffield. Wandered in to the main city once and it was like the last days of Rome. We played ok, sound wasn’t quite right, but we had our energy. The guys who run Audacious are great. Bought the Nope record the next day from them, so so so good. The other bands were pretty good, particularly Dry Heaves.
Friday 21st July @ Officers, Stereo, York
No refreshments / Paid nothing
Jamie from Officers is a friend of ours and asked us to play. Fun night. Every band was very different, and there was a good atmosphere. Not sure how well we played / sounded but was not as bad as the night before! Officers totally aren’t our kind of music, but they were really impressive live, and are clearly amazing at what they do. Their control of sounds and effects (particularly guitar) is awesome. I spoke to Jim this weekend actually - the band are really DIY and sacked off deals with major labels to do it all themselves (in a very concise nutshell) so I respect them for that.
Thursday 20th July @ Lockjaw Records showcase, Stereo, York
No refreshments / Paid nothing
Our friend Dave plays in The Fear on Lockjaw Records. I don’t like skate punk, but his band are incredible - they’re so fast. They didn’t play. But he promoted it. Egos at the Door played, they had a bad name but played the gig without a singer and still blew us away. I was really unhappy how we played that night, felt like there were a lot of mistakes and I don’t think we should be playing like that now. I guess it’s hard to step back from things a bit when you try and invest so much effort and time in to them.
Saturday 7th July @ O’Messy Life, Newcastle
Refreshments / Paid £50
We didn’t know what to expect form this show. Turned out the building was all old offices or something and each room is now a practice space / recording studio. What a great venue and great atmosphere. Lots of positive people. The guys promoting it just seemed to not give a fuck about cool and were just doing their own thing which was great. No hassle getting money and really accommodating. We played ok, but people seemed to really get it which is always appreciated!
Sunday 1st July - Joie de Vivre / Football etc… @ Fulford Arms, York
No Refreshments / Paid Nothing
We saw Joie de Vivre the night before in Sheffield for Adam from TDT’s birthday. Considering we don’t really like modern emo, they were awesome, really enjoyed both bands. Football etc… reminded me of Autoclave which is always good. Anyway, this was supposed to be put on by our friend at our space, but the venue cancelled last minute so it was moved here. Nice pub but not sure how well it suits this sort of thing. They all stayed at mine and are super people.
Wednesday 27th June - VICE Issue Launch with Virals @ Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds
Refreshments / Discount Food / Paid £30 (I think)
Our friend Ed is in Just Handshakes - funny line up as they are VERY indie pop, and we are less so. But I guess Virals treads a line between noisey and poppy. Was relatively busy - not sure how we played really, didn’t feel great and I wasn’t convinced about the sound out front, but who knows. Matt from Slowcoaches came which was nice. Tom the promoter is really sound.
Monday 11th June - Upset The Rhythm presents Mikal Cronin @ Shacklewell Arms, London
No Refreshments / Paid £40 (I think)
Drove down to London earlyish. Parked up, loaded in. Went for a kebab. We were really looking forward to this show as we’d enjoyed playing for UTR so much last time. The venue was really busy and all acts got a good crowd. I seem to remember it going well.. the sound was so good both out front and on stage. I think we even sold a tape or two… Drove back to York late. Got home at about 4am. End of tour. Back to the life.
Sunday 10th June - Fawn Spots/Furrow Tour @ Fox & Newt, Leeds
No refreshments / Not paid
We got to Leeds late afternoon and loaded our stuff in. Had a full sunday roast for £5.95! Turns out it was the same sound guy we had at Nation once. The promoter Andy had done a good job and gave us a poster each as a momentum. Hagman and City Yelps were both great, although City Yelps left immediately after playing as they had a train to catch. We played well and people seemed to dig it. Power and Iggoire came to see us. Went to the Brudenell afterwards to meet the guy we were staying with. Saw about 30 secs of the Jack Lesser Lewis and saw City Yelps catching their train there too…
Saturday 9th June - Fawn Spots/Furrow Tour @ Tye Die Tapes HQ, Sheffield
Refreshments / Paid £70
Having spent the night in Sheff, we got up and went for breakfast at Hercule. James was lovely to us. Went down to the space mid afternoon and mulled around until the gig. We played really well that night, as did Furrow. Saw the TDT guys’ new band Collider that eve - they were awesome. It was good to turn the amps up loud. Also played to the backdrop of a Jeffrey Dahmer documentary. We were told that at one point Jon was ‘shredding’ to the scene of a man’s head being caved-in. Adam was very nice to us too. They are all round great people.
Friday 8th June - Fawn Spots/Furrow Tour @ Wigan
No refreshments / Paid £30
We thought this gig was going to be on a boat - turns out it wasn’t. Every shop in Wigan closes before 6pm apparently. Still, the show was great. We played with a few other bands who were pretty good and the sound overall was ok. The gig was busy, crowd were positive and there seemed to be a good scene there. We had nowhere to stay so drove to James’ (Collider/Bhurgeist fame!) house in Sheffield. Took a scary route over the A57 in extreme weather conditions. Truly thought that the end was near. Jon did well.
Wednesday 6th June - Fawn Spots/Furrow Tour @ Bannerman’s, Edinburgh
No Refreshments / Free Accomodation / Paid £30
Nearly died twice on the journey up to Edinburgh. Stopped off at the England/Scotland Border and listened to some guy play the Bagpipes in the rain. Bannerman’s was a cool venue. Everyone there was really friendly and they put us up for two nights above the venue. The show wasn’t too busy(!) and it rained A LOT, but Alan the sound guy was cool. I think 2 people walked in at one point during Furrow’s set, but then swiftly left. We went out to some horrible club until the early hours. Edinburgh is a good place.
Tuesday 5th June - Fawn Spots/Furrow Tour @ Fishtank, Durham
Some refreshments / Not Paid
Got up earlyish to drive to Durham and do some flyering in town for the gig. Stopped off at Lee’s parents’ house for some food. Flyered the uni/pubs/venue’s and random people in street. The Fishtank is amazing and the guys who ran the night were really nice and enthusiastic. the gig was good but fairly quiet. We stayed there for the clubnight afterwards which was rammed.
Monday 4th June - Fawn Spots/Furrow Tour @ Night & Day Cafe, Manchester
No Refreshments / Not Paid
First day of our tour with Furrow. It was the Jubilee weekend and we were already ruined from the weekend’s antics. We drove over to Manchester early-ish with Blood and OG. It was an afternoon gig and the first time we would meet Furrow in the flesh. The Balotellis played first and they ruled. Furrow were killer and we played well. The promoter didn’t come and say hi and I don’t even think they were there for msot of it. Heard them later on saying to a friend they weren’t going to pay us - they basically hadn’t promoted it. We put their band on at WSOTR - so yeh thanks for that. Anyway, overall a good start to tour, we eneded up going for cheap Chinese then to Kraak afterwards. We stayed with our friends Luca and Louise. THANKS.
Saturday 2nd June - Fawn Spots @ YO1 Festival, York
No Refreshments / Not Paid
Craig Charles headlined. The sound was bad - we’d sent through a tech spec (including levels) etc… weeks before, turns out they hadn’t looked at it. Can’t really say too much about it - kind of fealt more like a fete than a festival.Lesson learned.
Wednesday May 16th - DZ Deathrays @ Soup Kitchen, Manchester
No refreshments / Not paid
We were excited to play Soup Kitchen. Got the train from work to Manchester with all our gear. Had an awesome burger at Soup Kitchen before soundcheck. Venue is a really cool space. The guys from Embers were sound. We played well. John Robb came down to see us and we ended up chatting about Nirvana and old school punk a lot! Our friend Louise and Azuma Vega boys were there too. Went for a post-gig drink, then ended up running to the station to get the last train at some ridiculous hour.
Thursday May 10th - Big Stupid Horse presents NGOD & Ninetails @ Basement Bar, York
No Refreshments / Paid nothing (I think!)
One of the promoters saw us at Bar Lane one time and asked us to play their show. This was one of their first ever shows and it went really well for them. Mononoke were awesome as always, we played okay I think. Didn’t see too much of Ninetails and NGOD as we were prettty drunk by that point. Not really our kind of thing anyway. Leant them a drum kit, when we asked to use a bass amp they were weird about it. We went out afterwards and got ruined. Work next day was not fun.
Friday 4th May - Cheap Sleaze 3 @ Bar Lane Studios, York
All proceeds to WSOTR
We played upstairs in the gallery at Bar Lane for the first time. It was great playing in between some structure that was built for a temporary exhibition. We played with Badge(r)s and Endangered Species, two of the best bands in York at the moment. It was a fun night with good friends.
Saturday 21st April - Record Store Day @ Bar Lane Studios, York
All contributions to WSOTR
We played a special Record Store Day show at Bar Lane in York - it marked the release of The Babies’ single “My Name” on Bad Paintings (J’s label) so we did a cover of the song. Somewhere there’s video of it! I remember being very drunk when we played but it going ok. I think I ended up being sick on the floor. It was fun!
Saturday 7th April - Flipper + Eagulls @ The Duchess, York
Paid £25 / Free beer
To get to play with hardcore legends Flipper was a great opportunity that we’re really grateful for. And it was the first time we’d seen Eagulls - really great guys and an incredible band. They just work. Flipper were a little disappointing but that could be as much to do with the venue as anything. Our sound is never quite right at The Duchess, not sure whether it’s the big stage throwing us off or the venue itself. Still seem to remember it going ok.
Thursday 5th April @ The Budget Movement, Black Heart, Camden
Paid £40 / No refreshments
This was one of the worst promoted shows we played. We emailed the promoter time and again before the show saying we couldn’t find anything online - it costs us a lot of time and money to go down to London so it sucks when a promoter doesn’t seem to put the effort in. We were told backline was provided including Marshall and Fender amps. It turned out they were 10W practice amps. Given the situation I think we were ok. We did have a great night out in London tho, woke up on the floor of some random hostel and Lee was sick in a burger restaurant called Meat Liquor.
Wednesday 28th March @ TDT HQ, Sheffield
Paid £30 (I think) / Free beer
The guys at Tye Die Tapes are some of our best friends, so an excuse to play with them is always good. I remember we played ok, but not spectacularly. I think our overall sound had got a bit better than last time Adam from TDT saw us (he’s the one we are scared of). As usual with TDT shows it was pretty busy and people were friendly. Good house party type feel.
Saturday 17th March @ Hope House Studios, Leeds
Paid nothing / Free beer
Got a taxi to Hope House - it’s in the middle of the industrial area in Leeds. Such a cool space, behind these big walls and big closed gates, it’s what I guess used to be offices. loads of great bands played, our best buddies Bhurgeist and Slowcoaches were highlights. Great atmosphere, really chilled. We played pretty well, used a Marshall amp i hadn’t tried before and it sounded huge. We played at 2am. No idea how we stayed sober. Got a taxi back to York was soooo tired.
Saturday 18th February @ Fulford Arms, York
All proceeds to Bad Paintings / Free beer
Our first show back after the US. Fulford Arms is such a good pub and there were a whole bunch of our friends there which was ace. The night was as much about Bad Paintings as anything. We played well for first couple tracks then tried Sergio, where J played the sampler with his foot, it went wrong and threw us off and we sucked.
Saturday 28th January @ Franky’s, Silver Lake, Los Angeles
Paid Nothing / Free beer
Last night of the tour and possibly our favourite show. With White Murder again who killed it a second time in a week! Also played with Cold Volts who sound like a mellower Ty Segall - loved them so so much! Total buzz at this show, great shop, really friendly crowd and packed. Was like playing a house party!
Friday 27th January @ Backside Records, Burbank, Los Angeles
Paid in Vinyl / Free beer
Really looked forward to this show - George from Backside has been so helpful and nice, really, really great guy. Awesome, huge store. Our sound wasn’t good that night (our fault) and I feel we let George down a bit, but people seemed to like it still and our performance was decent. Vin Scully who opened are really on top of their game, amazing band. All the guys at Backside were amazing people.
Thursday 26th January @ The Smell, Los Angeles
Paid Nothing / No free beer
To us The Smell is legendary, we love so many of the bands that have come through there. To say we were shitting it would be an understatement. As usual everyone was friendly, zero pretentions, and genuinely wanted to talk and help out musicians. Much bigger than it looks in photos! Location is pretty cool too, right by Skid Row. We played pretty well and the sound was awesome (thanks Danny). Bill came to this show too, and Ricardo! Met promoter (Deseret) and photographer (Amy) who both ruled. Opening band Tropical Popsicle were sick.
Wednesday 25th January @ Silver Lake Lounge, Los Angeles
Paid Nothing / No free beer
Silver Lake Lounge was right by our hotel - cool little dive venue. Friendly crowd - our friend Bill came from Phoenix and it was his first time seeing us so that ruled. Two bands we played with kicked it - Holy Roller with a kind of punk-post-punk take on Joy Division and Muzz who were like an even weirder version of Ariel Pink, and we mean weird. Think we played pretty well considering.
Tuesday 24th January - White Murder @ Burger Records, York
Paid Nothing / No free beer
The Burger shop is incredible, records, tapes, VHS and stuff. Good, really welcoming crowd, met some great people. White Murder ruled!!! Some kidn of post punk riot grrl stuff. we played pretty well, especially considering we are in america and not using our own gear. pretty pleased with the start to our tour. love burger.
Friday 13th January - Honeytone Cody @ The Basement, York
Paid £20 / Free beer
Sunday 8th January - We Sleep In This Machine @ Bar Lane Basement, York
Paid nothing / No free beer
Hungover, tired and really not wanting to leave the house, turned out to be an awesome show. Mononoke and We Sleep in this Machine were awesome, like really awesome. We played pretty well, made mistakes, but the crowd were all really into it. Was in the space we use, and thy really mad it there own! Played a new song for the first time.
Thursday 29th December - Azuma Vega @ The Basement, York
Paid nothing / Some free beer
Saturday 10th December - Alternative Christmas @ Test Space, Leeds
Paid nothing / Some cheap beer
Saturday 3rd December - Headline Show @ The Old Blue Last, London
Paid nothing / Some free beer
We went excited about playing the Old Blue Last. We’d seen Kong their before and it was insane. Got the 06.55 megabus to London and slept on a friends single hotel room floor. Show was weird. The original headliner had pulled out and it was kind of empty. Some people seemed into it, others didn’t. The band before us had a manager with them who had brough some A&R people down which at that point seemed to be their raison d’etre. First time Jonathan’s ever felt properly nervous before a show - to the point where he thought he might pass out. We didn’t get paid and the promoter had disappeared before we even left. They did respond over email afterwards though and had pretty valid reasons (they didn’t get their money from Vice). Still, made us think more about what kind of places we want to play, what to do in such situations and made us want to buy way bigger amps and make way more noise.
Saturday 26th November - Milk Maid @ Bar Lane Studios, York
Paid nothing / No beer
Got to support Milk Maid in the same week as The Babies which was fun. We played early and a short set. Seemed to go well and MM enjoyed it. Lots of fun drinking and dancing at the end. Got a nice review off of One & Other magazine too.
Monday 21st November - The Babies @ Bar Lane Studios, York
Paid nothing / No beer
Played at a night we organised. Loads of PA stuff went wrong. Getting riled up always makes us play better. By far the best we’d played. Sound was great - just straight from the amps. Everyone had a fun night - The Babies were awesome. First time we’d played at Wrong Side of the River too.
Sunday 20th November - The Twilight Sad @ The Duchess, York
Paid nothing / Some beers
Didn’t get a proper soundcheck. As the Twilight Sad wouldn’t let us use their kit we played on the stage floor. This meant Lee didn’t have a drum monitor and so couldn’t hear the guitar. As usual the sound wasn’t that great as it was just maxed out. The crowd were awful.
Saturday 29th October - Undersex @ The Basement, York
Paid nothing / Some free beers
We got moved down the bill last minute so their friend’s could play a set. We were annoyed given we were bringing some people down. Played ok. Think the sound was good - bottom end especially.
Friday 14th October 2011 - Honeytone Cody EP launch @ The Basement, York
Paid nothing / Some beers
Fun night supporting Honeytone for the launch of their Witch Hunt EP. They were great. Think we played ok. Some new faces from town which was nice.
Monday 10th October 2011 @ Levi Store, York
Paid in Jeans / Free alcohol
Our friend manages the store and asked us to play. We played three covers that we hadn’t practised. Generally we were pretty poor - it was weird playing amongst clothes and shoppers. There was a strange girl that kept asking about Brodie Dalle.
Friday 30th September - Soundsphere Magazine @ Bar Lane Studios, York
Paid nothing / Bottle of Morgan’s Spiced!
Dom has seen us at the O&O night and asked us to play. A bit dubious at first as the headline band had demanded a huge PA set up and we usually only use a vocal PA down there. The sound guys didn’t seem to get it at first - I kept asking for vocal delay and he kept adding reverb. Riling us up like that meant we played really well - our favourite up until that point. Ended up being an ace night. Dom kindly bought us some rum too!
Wednesday 28th September - Burning Fences @ Fulford Arms, York
Paid nothing / Some beers
Our friend Si’s birthday! Didn’t even know, but really happy he asked us to play. Fulford Arms is a great pub. Not sure it’s the right kind of place for us to play though - couldn’t turn it too loud, and didn’t have the same kind of atmosphere of somewhere like Bar Lane. Lots of friends their though so was fun.
Tuesday 27th September - Cave Painting @ Stereo, York
Paid £15 / Some beers
Andy did our sound really well again at Stereo. We opened the bill and don’t really understand why we were on. The headline band had a lot of gear (none of which they’d share) and had managers and stuff. Seemed like they were going to be pushed somewhere somehow. We played ok, nothing special.
Sunday 11th September 2011 - One&Other Launch Celebration @ Bar Lane Studios, York
Paid nothing / No beers
We organised a programme of music to celebrate the launch of One&Other magazine. We provided the PA, drum kit etc… They’d decorated the space to look really great. Really fun show - we seem to play better when we have a lot of organising to do. First time we’d seen a whole lot of people dancing properly which was cool. Up to that point, best we felt we’d played.
8th September 2011 - Flails @ The Duchess, York
Paid nothing / Some beers
A few friends down we hadn’t seen in a while, which was good. Don’t think we did ourselves any favours with how we played, but wasn’t helped by the sound being awful. The sound guy said he just put everything right up, not getting that “noisy” doesn’t mean “as loud as possible”. When we asked for delay on the vocal he added a stereo sweeping delay that made our voices sound mush. My ears hurt afterwards.
7th September 2011 - Imp @ Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds
Paid £30 / Plenty of beer
Ate at Nation cheaply which was nice. Sound was pretty good, sound guy listened to what we wanted, though we weren’t allowed to crank our amps too much. Really generous with beer. Paid us without having to hassle them.
26th August 2011 - Sic Alps @ Upset the Rhythm, The Victoria, London
Paid £60 / Some free beers
Got to support Sic Alps the day after seeing OFF! in London. Everyone at Upset was really friendly. Chris paid us without us having to ask, and we got some free beers. Jonathan ended up with one of Sic Alps’ t-shirt which was nice. Sound guy Simba ruled. Good friendly crowd, good atmosphere. Our friend Richie let us stay. He rules.
24th August 2011 - Air Cav @ Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds (POSTPONED)
Postponed Show
Venue double booked with Vice Magazine launch night.
23rd August 2011 - Miaow Miaow @ Stereo, York
Paid nothing / No free beers
Played a show with our sexually deviant friend Pete Wise. Was pretty fun. Sound was excellent that night.
31st July 2011 - Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister @ The Tyne Bar, Newcastle
Paid £60 / No free beers
Our first out of town show and we were appalling. Took the train up early, drank from about 3pm until stage at 8pm. It was hot. Still, we got paid very generously and the promoter was nice enough.
16th July 2011 - Honeytone Cody @ The Basement, York
Paid nothing / Some free beers
First time seeing / playing with Honeytone. Great live show. Intense and original sounds. Think we played ok, but again nothing special from our end.
30th April 2011 - Avenging Force @ Stereo, York
Paid nothing / Some free beers
Sound was pretty good compared to the first time at Stereo. Played ok, nothing special. Was our friend Dave’s birthday and Jonathan’s (Fawn Spots) the day after so lots of friends and lots of bad behaviour.
28th April 2011 - Times New Viking @ The Duchess, York
Paid around £30 (we did some good flyering) / Some free beers
Joe Coates gave us this awesome opportunity. Sound at The Duchess was ok, not great, but to play with TNV was great. Had a day off work the next day so enjoyed it more. Dignan Porch were pretty good. Broke two guitar strings and borrowed Dignan’s guitar.
13th April 2011 - Fawn Spots @ The Basement, York
Paid £30 (I think) / Some free beers
Joe Coates put us on headlining at The Basement. Think this was the start of our dark period where we thought getting absolutely smashed before playing was a good idea. This might have been the show Lee had to ask for a bucket for the stage as he felt sick. Good fun. Gutted Slushy Guts couldn’t play.
19th March 2011 - Wrong Side Of The River Fundraiser @ The Basement, York
Paid nothing / Some free beers
This show was to help fund the PA for a night we help run Wrong Side of the River. It was the first time I think we’d seen Burning Fences and remember them being awesome especially considering it was one of their first shows.
Tuesday 15th March 2011 - Nodzzz, Mantles @ The Basement, York
Paid maybe £10 (Joe is very good at paying)? / Some free beers
Supporting two awesome bands at a fun show. In all honesty I don’t remember how we were, but I don’t think it was bad. Mantles were particularly lovely and friendly. Although one of them did ask if we were going to get a bassist. Joe Coates has put us on a fair bit, and this is one that we’re most grateful for.
9th February 2010 - Skyrocket Jack @ Stereo, York
Paid nothing / BYOB
Remember the sound being bad and the guy who organised it hassling everyone to start earlier than their allotted time. Was an ok show, pretty busy with new faces.
5th February 2010 - What the Cat Dragged In @ Bar Lane Studios, York
Paid nothing / BYOB
Our first time at our favourite venue in York. Was the best we’d played at that point. Lots of friends down, generally good time. Remember Missing Kids giving it everything that night.
23rd December 2010 - Jonjo Feather @ The Basement, York
Paid nothing / Some free beers
A Si original at The Basement. Again remember it being good. Jonjo Feather had a pretty cool sexual energy. Not sure he liked us tho. Still pretty scrappy at this point.
14th December 2010 - Please Please You… Birthday @ The Basement, York
Can’t remember pay but knowing PPY probably £10 + / Some free beers
Promoted by Joe Coates, stalwart of York promotions. Fun show with a bunch of our friends, in a venue run by our friend.
11th November 2010 - The Vaccines @ Stereo, York
Paid nothing / Some free beers
Promoted by our friend Alistair as part of the “Communion” night he ran. We didn’t play well. The room was full and it was great of Alistair to put us on for our first show.
