The headline says it all. I’m doing a streaming online gig on Sunday 21st September. You’ll be able to watch it right here on my website. You can find the facebook event for it right here.
Category Archives: Gigs
The Crossness Engines Steampunk Convivial – 28th September
On September 28th I’ll be performing at the Crossness Engines.
I got to have a look around them the other week. I had my own little private tour by a lovely bloke called Dave.
Now I’ve performed at Kew Bridge Steam Museum and at the Markfield Beam engine, and both are impressive Victorian waterworks buildings, but Crossness is something else. Bigger, better, beautiful. If you’ve any interest in steampunk or Victoriana you need to be there.
Plus I’ll be playing and I’m great.
Here’s the link and here are the details:
“Supplement your visit with a free guided walk from the Ancient Lesnes Abbey ruins to the front door of the Pumping Station. Assemble at Abbey Wood Station by 10:45am. Startle Thamesmeaders with your fancy apparel as you promenade through!
Come and join us for
– Electrifying Tesla Coil demonstrations in the Eastern Engine Room
– Trader’s market
– Exhibitors
– Tea duelling
– Umbrella fencing
– Shark racing
– Costume appreciation
– Promenading
– Finest music from Tom Slatter
and a multitude of other eccentric escapades!:
April 1865
The culmination of the great Metropolitan Board of Works’ epic civil engineering project devised and led by Sir Joseph Bazelgette. The Crossness Pumping Station is a lasting testament to the genius, craftmanship and foresight of the great Victorian engineers and notables. A gargantuan project that saved London from disease and decline, the benefits of which we still enjoy today.
Experience this magnificent 150 year old building with its 1,000 tons of cutting edge Victorian construction hailed in its day as a modern wonder of science and engineering. Decorated in the highest of Victorian design the architecture of the building is a feast for the eyes. The multi coloured wrought iron interior is both beautiful and practical.
A hidden gem in the hinterland of Erith & Thamesmead, it is rightfully described as the ‘Cathedral of the Marshes’. This is a rare chance to experience this beautifully restored Grade 1 building and grounds.
Enjoy our facilities: a lovely cafeteria, modern toilets, wheelchair access to the Visitor Centre and Engine House floor.
Ample parking with disabled spaces. Riverside walk. Wildlife Garden and a treasure trove of old engines.”
Some Live Photos
A lovely bloke by the name of Rick Forster took some pics at a couple of my recent(ish) gigs:
The Third Annual Surrey Steampunk Convivial
Yesterday I played a solo set at the Third Annual Surrey Steampunk Convivial – and it were bloody good fun.
The event was organised by the lovely, quite mad Ben Henderson, of the band Moth. It included a Hat Stacking world record attempt, shadow puppets, corset limbo, a recreation of the battle of Waterloo and, of course, snail races.
Lots of fun, well worth attending if you’re in Surrey next February.
I played the whole of the Miser’s Will, something I’ve done live only a couple of times – material I am rather proud of. Even more pleasantly, there were actually people in the audience who knew some of my songs. Not many, but some.
Probably the last solo gig or a while, as I’m busy elsewhere for much of the year. However, there will be plenty of recorded music over the next year, and hopefully some online gigs.
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!
A Spanner in the Works
So things haven’t been going so well in the Slatter family the last couple of weeks. Things have difficult, my better half has been unwell. Now you may have noticed from the lyrical content of my songs that I’m not given to confessional writing. I’m not one to share deep personal things with you. So I’ll be all British and spare you the details.
However, I’ve been forced to cancel my appearance at this weekend’s 2nd Annual Steampunk solstice, and pull out of a couple of gigs with The Superminx 70 as well (Luckily they found a lovely bloke to dep for me). I’ve never pulled out of gigs before, and despite having very good reason to do so I can’t avoid hearing the director from the youth theatre group I spent many years in saying ‘You only miss performances for hospitalization or death’. Intellectually I know it’s fine and people understand, but emotionally I can’t help but feel bad to be breaking commitments.
But enough of this maudlin stuff. Instead I’ll tell you about the lovely things people have said and done that really cheered me up.
Lovely People
First, Andy comissioned me to write him a song for his steampunk character. I finished it last week and sent him a copy – he liked it, and said nice things. You can hear it to over on the fan page.
Second, Leo and Brian and Ian. Ian played Three Rows of Teeth on his podcast, which appears to have led to a few new people discovering my music. Leo bought the last of my double album special offers and Brian bought one of the last five copies of Ironbark – and they both were generally very nice. Which is good.
Thirdly, a couple of nice reviews over on Sea of Tranquility and ProgPlanet cheered me up no end.
At the risk of sounding all sincere and decidedly un-British, it is genuinely wonderful to have people I’ve never met saying how much they like my music.
The Next Gig, and a Free Sampler
I’m performing on Sunday 14th July at the Markfield Steam Museum, Tottenham Hale. I’ve put together a free taster/sampler thing, which I have called ‘Coghead – a free sampler consisting of songs, ditties and shanties that may or may not be performed in the course of Mr Slatter’s solo engagements in the Summer months of the year of our Lord two thousand and thirteen.’
Snappy title eh?
So if you want a free copy, go ahead. If you already have the tracks, feel free to send a link to a friend.
Onwards, upwards and all that.
On gigging and economics
Last week I played my first ‘solo artist’ gig with a full band behind me.
We played well, the band were great and more importantly I crossed a new threshold – people came because they know me as a musician, rather than a family/friendship connection.
Okay, not many people, but considering that I don’t often play live it was a good start and I am very grateful to those that came.
So in terms of a piece of art I was happy with it.
However, in economic terms it was awful. Rehearsing a band costs money, and this was one of those ‘bring enough people along and I’ll pay you’ gigs, rather than a straight cut of the door.
I just missed the threshold, I didn’t get paid. I’m not complaining, this was the deal I agreed and my main motivation was to make the gig happen rather than to cover costs.
Even if I’d kept every penny that people who came to see me paid at the door, I still would have been out of pocket by more than £50.
I can’t afford that.
I enjoy gigging?
What to do?
The obvious solution is to cut costs and cut middlemen. My next little project, after initial online promotion of the new album, will be to have a go promoting my own gig.
The princples I’ll follow will be:
- Small, not too expensive venue
- Solo – just me and one or two other solo artists. I love playing with a band but economically it doesn’t make sense at this stage.
- Good quality – I’ve asked my family and friends to come to too many gigs where they don’t see any great acts apart from mine (That sounds conceited, but I think it’s fair comment).
- Make very clear to all audience members the costs and be exceedingly grateful for their contribution. Get a bit of fellow feeling and support.
- Record – get a decent recording audio and/or video that can be shared.
That’s the plan, as vague as it is. Only good gigs from now on!
New London Show – Friday Feb 22nd
I’m playing a gig in London on Feb 22nd.
This is exciting because it’ll be the first live performance of my solo songs with a full rhythm section. My brother Joe is playing bass, and Stefan Kallmeier is playing drums.
It’s on Friday 22nd Feb at the Comedy Pub in OXendon street, near Leicester square.
Here’s a widget with details!
Freedom of Expression and the Sound of the Ladies
Last Tuesday I performed for the fourth time at the Green Dragon in Croydon, for Tim Eveleigh’s Freedom Of Expression.
Freedom of Expression is a lovely little night run by lovely people on a pub with lovely beer (and, on Tuesday, a cider that was to die for – but alas so strong that more than one pint might indeed have been potentially fatal).
Before I performed, Martin ‘The Sound of the Ladies’ Austwick played a set. Martin’s a great songwriter who writes quirky little indie songs about sciencey things. And Bricks.
He has a new album out soon – you can find out more on his blog.
I hardly prepared for my own set – I had a vague notion of which songs I might perform but mostly I played it by ear.
The set list was :
1. Sing for a Sail
2. Beast of the Air
3. August and Whiteface
4. Something’s Bound to Happen
5. Self made Mad
6. Demon
Next from me will be the new album – that’s probably a few months away still, and I’ll be moving house at some point in the next couple of months so that’s going to take up quite a bit of my time. We’ve just bought our first house, which is exciting, but what with having to have a day job as well I might not have enough time to devote to the new album over the Christmas period.
If you want to stay up to date with the new album, I’d suggest subscribing to the mailing list: