I don’t even know where to start… D. and L. went away to Scotland last week, and thus began a whirlwind week of gigs, music, late nights and sunshine, the strange wakings to silence and missing my little boy. But the major event was the starting of the new record!!
Paul Turner called me on Sunday to say he had spare tickets to the Lovebox Weekend gig, where Jamiroquai were headlining – a perfect way to finish a great weekend – and the band sounded great. That track “Deeper Underground” has always been my favourite Jamiroquai track, and it just rocked the whole place as the last track of the night. Awesome.
Then another gig on Monday. Last minute – my friend Foy Vance playing support to Raul Midon in La Pigalle, Piccadilly. Foy is awesome, as I have iterated many times before. I have also never seen anything like Raul Midon – he plays guitar in a very unusual style, whacking the strings to get a bass / kick drum vibe, then flicking the strings to get choppy snare sounds, backed up with funky chords and Stevie Wonder-inspired vocals and uncannily real-sounding trumpet solos. Some of his songs were a little too simplistic for my tastes, but as a sheer spectacle it was extraordinary… definitely worth seeing. On the drive home, Foy got the guitar out and we all sang songs, driving south and having a laugh.
So, the big news is that I’ve started the new record… the tracks are called Time Once A Friend, Stage Door, Dodging Bullets, Summerlight, My Concrete Heart, Be My Saving Grace, Welcome to the Light and a couple of others as yet untitled. The process has been amazing – Jules Maxwell is producing the record, and his working methods have thrown a spanner in my life. He has me singing very low, in my bass register, and I’m actually learning to enjoy it. I can sing really low, but just rarely do – he thinks thats where the magic is, and who am I to argue? He’s always been a big inspiration to me. Of course, I want it to be known that this is a record for completely free release. When its done, it will be uploaded for anyone to get.
Right – must go. I’ll be back on later, hopefully