Raising Steam Twit-reviews

Today I decided to write a word association twitter review for the other acts performing at the Raising Steam Festival. This is what I wrote:

Thy Last Drop – playing punk with folk instruments and singing songs about naughty goings on. Vagabondy.

Gladstone: bit ‘eavy bit Iron Maiden Judas Priest telling stories about mummies and madness in the 19th century

The Mysterious Freakshow: Double double! rocky psychedelic bits o’ punk ‘n’ 70s rock. Hedge Witch= great song

@Steampunkfunk Montague Jacque Fromage – What a beard!

@TheMechanisms character costume narrative storytelling fiddles and drums I am slightly scared of them

@BirthriteUK slapback Bowie psychedelic metal filtered through 80s new wave vampires arpeggios and plenty of wah-wah

Crimson Clocks: Folky jumpy fiddles storytelling atmosphere of dark red cogs blood and bad people do-niverse?

@METbandUK 1880s new wave numan bowie synth’n’rock’n’neon’n’rayguns reverbnation.com/metbanduk

@MissVonTrapp cello vaudeville murder ballads and scaring young children from the back of a trike

Helicopter Quartet: Mad Loopy Droney Violin Guitar Crunchy Dreamy Sudden Gradual Bam!

It has begun!

Wednesday was the first rehearsal for September’s gigs. New drummer, Michael was bloody good, Joe on bass and backing vocals was good, I was mildly dodgy.

I actually haven’t played a lot of my newer songs since recording them, and this time I’m using my new steampunky electric guitar so we can play some of the more energetic twiddly songs. Some of this stuff is a bit difficult!

Nevertheless, lots of fun and it’ll sound bloody good by next month.

Here are the dates and facebook events.

London 5th Sept: https://www.facebook.com/events/156214677900965/
Reading 21st Sept: https://www.facebook.com/events/123942861133075/

And here’s some footage. I filmed this with my new zoom recorder. I got the sound settings right but not the video settings, so have compensated by turning up the brightness. I shall do better next time!

Men of the World

This will be on the next album. Yes there will be a next album. I haven’t been discouraged yet.

At some point there’ll be a proper version of this with instruments playing those ‘ooh oh oh’ melodies and an extended middle section with a solo or two. This is the acoustic version.

Went to sea in a sieve or say they say
Where the devil fish roll in the boiling waves
Coming home is such sweet joy
Coming home a man, the boys that went to sea stayed away

Went to sea,
Sharpening a blade
There were serpents to hunt, there were monsters there
And the black waves rolling in
Come to drown and come to sink
Oily graves for us all

We’re men of the world,
But is this the world that we were men of?
Oh how it’s changed
has nothing stayed the same?
We’re men of the world,
But is this the world that we were men of?
Oh how it’s changed
how it’s changed

Islands in the dark
Islands in the blue sea
Islands in the dark
Islands in the blue sea

We’re men of the world,
But is this the world that we were men of?
Oh how it’s changed
has nothing stayed the same?
We’re men of the world,
But is this the world that we were men of?
Oh how it’s changed
how it’s changed