Merry Christmas! It's my 60th blog!

If you didn't make it to the Jamboree last Monday, boy, did you miss a great night! It was a festive frenzy with George forcing Christmas hats on the audience. He had a vision, a sea of bobbing red and white. He got in return - steely eyes and quaffed bangs.. The Martyr's headlined what turned out to be an eclectic night of music and poetry with a whole bunch of performers, all very different but almost all uncannily unified by an inclination towards bestiality and innuendo. Weird! It was a great laugh, though our set ended with me almost trashing tommy's drumkit but remembering, first, that I'm not really that "rock and roll," and, second, drum kits are expensive. Damn you conscience! Thanks to everyone who made it down to celebrate the "Jingly Jamboree" and our see our last gig of the year.

And what an amazing year it's been! The Martyrs formed in February and played our first gig at Mr Wolves, Bristol, in March. My solo songs were played on BB6 Music and London Radio and at about the same time we slickly converted from a 5 piece to a 3 piece band, around Easter. Having signed to Big Red Sky Records, we supported the fabulous Secret Sisters in May. We then recorded our debut EP in the same month, before appearing on The Joanne Good Show and BBC London Radio.  And then there was the nervy journey to meet Tom Lewis from Decca Records in June (OMG!).
We played loads of awesome festivals including Cornbury and Wilderness Festival in July and August. Spetember was the gig that almost never happened at The Croft, Bristol,  which turned out to be one of the most fun gigs ever. I recorded my solo EP, "Lover", in September, which has just arrived through the door (so if you want one for a stocking filler, head to my store and I'll get it in the post). Another highlight was when The Martyrs and I were filmed on the roof of the O2 in October and then supported Charley Coombes and the New Breed for BBC Intro O2 Upstairs. November was about chillaxing and rehearsing with Tom Sharp, our new guitarist. The Toms are weary from "beers, beers, beers" (so good, apparently, they named it thrice..), Huck's red leather hang-over suit is beginning to curl at the edges (a sure sign of overuse) and me, well, I need a whole tanker-load of beauty sleep.

Hopefully see you in 2012 for another epic year, and our debut album. Eek! Merry Christmas!

Upstairs at the O2

Photo by Becks Compton

What a night! The Martyrs and I had been looking forward to this gig for quite some time. It was an awesome line up. ToLiesel played a fine set as in streamed the undead masses of ghouls, gremlins and some guy dressed up as a tall box?!? Samuel Zasada were brilliant as always. I loved the way they were dressed up as dead music icons. Buddy Hollie on bass and Billie Holiday on keys were especially cool! By the time we got on stage the O2 was heating up nicely. It was great to play to such a big crowd. The best part of the evening might just have been turning round to see Humphrey and Tommy rocking out in their Zoro masks! Actually, bringing our new guitarist, Tom Sharp, on stage for the first time for the final three songs might just beat that. It's a mighty honour to be playing with Tom! Charly Coombes and the New Breed brought a classy end to what was a really fun night of bands, booze and bad-ass costumes. Thanks to everyone at the O2 Upstairs team and BBC Introducing. Click on the pictures here to view more images from the night. There will also be a special feature on the BBC Introducing in Oxford show this Sunday. Tune in from 9pm.

Tamara and the Martyrs on the Roof

The Roof Team

On Monday night we clambered up the fire escape of the O2 Academy and played our new song 'Get Him Out,' for the cameras of the O2 Upstairs/BBC Introducing team. The sun quickly set and the wind was ahowling, which led to a spooky scene for the video. Just right for the Halloween weekend show. If you still haven't heard then we are playing at the O2 on Saturday night with Charley Coombes and the New Breed, Genuine Freakshow, ToLiesel and Samuel Zasada. Thanks to Vicky, Dan and Sam for making such a cool video, here it is:

EP Review by Oxford Music Scene Magazine

Oxford Music Scene Magazine have reviewed our EP in this month's issue. Read the full review here on page 26. And, if you still haven't got your hands on a copy, then you can purchase one in our store here.

'Reclaim the Night' Launch gig

Monday night was all about charity. It was 'Reclaim the Night' at the Port Mahon organized by Nicola Jane Peters to raise awareness about violence against women.

First on stage was Jazz singer and pianist, Rachel Hughes. She opened with a new song of hers called 'Sometimes Love is Poisonous.' After a softly spoken preamble in which she explained she'd have to reapply frozen peas to her scolded thumb between numbers, her voice was an unexpected delight, rich and deep. Her songs were heartfelt and personal and the audience drank it in in silence.

Up next was Anna Hobson, a poet I've seen perform before at the Oxford Pride Festival, which she helped organize last summer. Her poetry is dark and visceral, performed with confidence and a sharp wit. I especially liked 'A Tale of Modern Courtship'. Read more of her poems here

Claudia and Jessie closed the first half with an awe-inspiring bunch of operatic arias. From Dido's Lament to The Flower Duet from Délibes' Lakmé, there was something to suit every taste. Claudia sang in Italian and Jessie in English. Both with pantomime eyebrows and thespianic gestures, they zigzagged through different operatic registers with ease, making us all well up one minute and belly laugh the next. It's funny how even when presented ironically, Dido's song still triggers a very real emotional response. There's something in it, innit? My favourite performance had to be Jessie singing The Laughing Song from Strauss' Die Fledermaus. A rare and wonderful thing to see, especially from two meters away!

Exonic, an MC from Witney, opened the second half. Her music blasted out over our heads as she snapped into the mic. Her performance evoked in me memories of marveling at the verbal dexterity of Laura Dockrill and Kate Tempest. With a style all her own, though, she tampered with the lyrics of popular songs, sharpening and bending their meaning. The audience were plenty warm by the time I got on!

I chose to open with a cover of 'Behind the Wall' by Tracy Chapman, in keeping with the theme of the night. It's a haunting accapella piece about domestic violence, and has been a favourite song of mine since I was small. I then tested out a few new songs and got a lot back from a delightfully attentive audience.

Lucy Aryton then took to the stage to share some of her poetry. In a highly skilled performance, Lucy took us on a journey through the poetic past of a political activist to an increasingly political present. She charmed us too with tender observations, reaching deep into childhood memories. I especially liked her poem about her best ever summer.

Hannah Bruce saw us to the end of the night. Her cold-kindled, husky voice fitted the close of the night perfectly. Everyone sat huddled around the stage, as the room began to emanate a kind of Autumnal festival vibe. I had to watch from the door as the room was at bursting point. Hannah closed-up with a stunning rendition of 'Me & A Gun' by Tori Amos.

I won't lie. It was so nice to be part of an all-female bill, and to play for a largely female audience. This night stands as proof of all the fantastic female talent that exists in Oxford today. The best thing for me about the event was the atmosphere. Despite any nerves the performers might have had, all these were dispelled once on stage thanks to such a friendly and warm audience, who were as quick to hop on stage to help move a piano or pin up the lights as they were to applaud the huge variety of acts on show.

If you want to find out more read some info here or join the march on the 28th October in Glouscester Green.

Solo EP available and the Martyr's album begins...

Humphrey hams it up

Since our journey to the South the Martyrs and I have been slogging away in the rehearsal studio, learning a batch of new songs. Tommy 'Octopus' Longfellow has been getting creative on the drums and trying to prove he ain't just a pretty face. Humphrey 'The Squid' Astley continues to nauseate with his bravura axe wielding. He even finished off one recording session with a bit of slide guitar using a ham and salad bap.

Can it get any more ROCK & ROLL?

The weather was so good  on Saturday that we decided to spend the whole day in the dark windowless rooms of Studio 101 recording 'Charon's Boat' for the album. This is the first track we have laid down for the album and we spent the day getting the bass and drums just right. It's quite a complicated song to record as most of the action takes its cue from the vocals, so with no vocal to guide us timing was no walk in the park.

 

It's great to have finally started recording our album. We aim to have it complete by the end of the year, ready to take on tour in 2012.
  

I've now finished recording my solo EP 'Lover' and the first order of CD's should arrive at the end of the month. If you fancy one sent to your door, as soon as they come in, you can pre-order them from the Martyr's store.

The Croft, the Beach and lots of Wet Feet...Martyrs on Tour! (well, kind of)

Lone Ranger at the back

Ace weekend in the Martyr's camp! Friday night's gig almost didn't happen. Our convoy of 2 vans were as tight as anything at the petrol station inside the Oxford ring road, but the closer we got to The Croft, Bristol, the more disparate our happy caravan. I arrived in van one (call name: "big black mamma" - yes, we did have radio contact) as the night began and checked out the two music rooms, taking in a little thrash girl-punk metal, nioce. The boys, however, (call name: "lone rangers") failed to hit the M4 and a steely battle of attrition against time and Bristol's dreaded one-way system ensued. Just as we were billed to come off the stage, I began a solo set thinking all hope was lost, when the boys burst onto the stage, 3/4 inch jacks and cymbals in hand, and set up like Tasmanian devils behind me. The crowd were buzzing by this point and ready for something loud so we gave them LOUD. We played a frenzied set of 6 songs before my A string gave up the ghost midway through the last song, Payday Slag. It was definitely one of our most fun and frantic sets. The late start meant Humphrey missed his train home so he was forced to saddle up once more alongside "lone ranger one" and ride down to Devon for a weekend of surfing and campfires. "Welcome to Dennis," he muttered scratchily over the short-wave talkie as we entered Devon on the M5. After some heavily sardonic dreams he awoke on Saturday afternoon a broken man, so we bundled him in a  boxcar at Tiverton Parkway, heading North, and set a course for Putsborough Sands and some 6 foot, onshore slush.

We arrived via Pheasent Country and the winds were racing. We traded in our drums and guitars for wetsuits and surfboards and "hit the surf!". It was all getting a bit spiritual before Tommy almost knocked himself out with his surfboard, during a rad freestyle move called "biting the board without opening your mouth." He rose from the brine, dreads akimbo, with blood gushing from his toothy grin. Luckily he  had only managed to bite a chunk out of his lip and his pearly tombstones were all pretty much present and correct. We packed up and flew the windy beach in search of food and shelter.

In the evening we revisited a favourite haunt of ours in Mortehoe and set the world straight again with beer, fish and chips and whisky chasers. Come bedtime the wind roared and rocked our vans as the rain like nails hammered down. No one slept a wink and I almost froze to death. Who's idea was this?
The next day we decided to visit the old Victorian seaside town of Lynton, twinned with Lynmouth and famed for its cliff railway and valley of the rocks. The brochure read: "fun in any weather" - Tommy would probably agree. This is bullshit. We bid farewell to Tommy, as if for the last time, who strolled on into Lynmouth Gorge like a ghost from 1958.

Can't wait 'til the next Martyr's weekend tour!