Tamara and the Martyrs first reveiw in Nightshift: Secret Sisters gig at the O2

We have had our first review and it ain't half bad. You can read it here: http://nightshift.oxfordmusic.net/2011/jun.pdf

Thanks be to Nighshift Magazine.

Supporting the Secret Sisters in Oxford

So, last night we supported the Secret Sisters at the O2 Academy, Oxford. It was my first time at this venue, but the boys have rattled those walls many a time in their Sextodecimo days. I was quite nervous because the place was packed out, but after a few sonic gripes we settled nicely into our set, and Humphrey was grinning every time he picked up his bass. The crowd were great, so attentive and friendly despite the beer being £4 a can!



Backstage with the Secret Sisters

The Secret Sisters were really friendly, down to earth Southern girls. Their set was stunning, punctuated with funny anecdotes and sisterly jibes. It sounds like they've enjoyed the first leg of their UK tour, with crowds warming to them everywhere they go. After us came Simon Lynge, who announced that he'll soon be opening up for Emmylou Harris. He introduced himself as an Eskimo from Greenland and told other-worldly stories of a pastoral youth, watching the glacier fog roll in like a big slug, and mischievously robbing skulls from stone graves - apparently there's no topsoil in Greenland so you have to bury bodies under piles of stones.

Anyway, we're heading down to the Isis on Friday - so come and say hi: Mayhem.

Recording, Mayhem and "arrest those men"

"it was them, Officer"

A lot's been going on since I we last spoke. So listen up. The Martyrs and I have been gigging plenty and we had a great time in the borough of Witney, playing Witney Music Festival and Witney's Rapture records day. We also hot-tailed it to London - and Tommy's passion-wagon broke down on the way back (15 miles from Oxford). Maybe shrunken heads hanging from the rear-view mirror aren't so lucky after all..

We had a photo shoot with a mighty-fine photographer called Bruce Markos. It was all good clean fun until the boys turned on me having raided the props cupboard. When I was pressing charges at the local constabulary the policeman said it wasn't often a victim could produce such accurate evidence of an assault. I thanked him kindly, and that was last we heard of the matter.



Passion-wagon R.I.P

This weekend we've been holed up in the recording studio. Every time Humphrey picked up the guitar the song gradually morphed into 'Here comes the bride' (more than a little annoying) so we ended up letting him out to watch the royal wedding. He assured us that they were "happy tears" when we re-clothed him at the end of the ceremony. Tommy said he wouldn't mind doing this sort of thing for a living (recording music rather than dressing sobbing monarchists), but he was eating a big pink slice of French fancy cake at the time - so we could hardly take him seriously. It looks like we are going to have 4 kick-ass tracks by the end of the week. A massive bunch of thanks must go out to our loving Engineer and tea-matron, Mr Martin Newton of Studio 101 and our mixologist and drum-mic god, Jimmy Heatherington.

We're now looking forward to supporting the Secret Sisters next week on  11 May at the O2 Academy. This venue will be a first for us so we're excited. If you're around on Friday May 13th (lucky for some) come and enjoy some sunshine and fine tunes from us at our next event: Mayhem