Recording mode / Christmas compilation

Three things:

Firstly, we have a song included on the forthcoming Little Red Rabbit Christmas compilation. It will be a home recording of '100 W bulb' - so its a work in progress - but evidence suggests that there's something rather nice happening there.

Secondly, there is another home recording on the L. Clamp Facebook page. That one is a draft of 'Magpie,' a song that I wrote during the anxious months prior to my daughter's birth, a couple of winters ago. There was some risk of a rather unpleasant viral syndrome, at the time, which couldn't be disconfirmed til birth (happily, it was a false alarm). I've played the song at a couple of solo shows this year (usually in a style less deadpan than in this recording) and people have asked to hear it, so I've uploaded the draft until something more 'finished' is available.

Thirdly, we'll be doing some studio recording in March/April for the next LP. Will keep you posted.

Onwards, to 2012 ....

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One thousand years of Lazarus Clamp, part 2

To celebrate the digital [re]issue of our first four LPs, courtesy of Damnably, this compilation is now available. Its free.

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One thousand years of Lazarus Clamp, part 1

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London Brixton London, Fri 11th of November

We are delighted to be playing at Damnably's birthday party on Friday 11th November, 2011, at the Windmill, Brixton.

Details here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101584743289284

And here:
http://www.damnably.com/2011/11/damnably-5th-birthday-party-11-nov-11/

According to the latter, apparently, we are 'ancient', and have 'softened'. Like a good prune. You can't beat a good prune.

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Leeds Leeds Leeds

This is the first date in the diary for autumn gigs, and our first time in Leeds since we played at '120 Rats' [is that still there?] with Half Seas Over and a couple of other bands in about 1999. Obviously we will party exactly like it is 1999, but I'm not promising any actual bleeding this time.

Runners, Lazarus Clamp, Chips For The Poor and [new ex-Cissy band who don't have a name yet].

At The Fox & Newt.

Saturday, October 29 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154902507935154

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September already - Autumn gigs, digital back catalague, and next LP title.

Since the last post, we have not been completely dormant. Birthdays, illnesses, ebay addictions and pedal-building aside, we have been doing a few things. We got together at John's in July [without Huw], and worked out two new songs ['100W bulb' and 'We are in water'], one with everyone singing in a most un-Clamp-like way. And then we got together on a farm somewhere in Buckinghamshire [without Huw], and hacked our way through a few old songs, and a few of the new ones.

In a few weeks, we will get together all 5 of us [I'd have to check through the blog to work out when we last managed that], and prepare for some Autumn gigs. These will start in late October, to coincide with the formal Damnably/Shellshock digital release of the Lazarus Clamp back-catalogue. The dates are not firmed up yet, so drop us a line if you'd like a visit.

And it turns out we have more than enough songs which sit quite nicely together now, for the next record [13 I think - that's lucky right?]. And a working title: 'The bird is not the metaphor.' We plan to book some studio time early in 2012 for those.

There's a story there.

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Dirty weekend

We spent the weekend together, for the first time since February. New children, poorly children, broken stuff, and busy lives kept us occupied in the interim.

It wasn't dirty, not really, but it was wet. We tried to barbecue on Saturday night, and ended up leaving a defiant John out on the grass with the charcoal, while we sheltered in the kitchen and tried to persuade him to let us finish the food off in the oven. He wouldn't.

Anyway, we spent two productive afternoons in dimly lit, badly soundproofed rooms for your eventual pleasure and/or disappointment. We managed to fit in a hospital visit and a round trip in the car to pick up gear that we forgot, too. We nearly went to see Tera Melos too, but I made them Clampers stay in and try to figure out some plans for October instead. That part wasn't entirely successful.

On the plus side, it turns out we have quite a few things that are in fair shape for the next LP. The plan will be to figure out a couple of the subtler details without drums [not that Huw isn't subtle, you understand] in July, get together for another weekend in September, play a few gigs in October and then record them late 2011/early 2013.

We don't have an LP title yet, but we have working titles for most of the things that are likely to end up on it: Let's get fired; Latch; Things are sticky; This is how I cut my own throat; Magpie; Tethered not caged; Bow down; Dirty names; The horse you rode in on; Simple and easy. I think all of them except 'Dirty names' have been played out live once, either at the Grubbs gig, the Farina/Brokaw one, or the Bellini show. So [I say this mainly for my own benefit] it seems we are making progress, even if sometimes it doesn't feel like it.

As a whole, the songs sound quite different to those on 'Against entitlement.' It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

One last thing that everyone should do: see if you can spot our good friend George inventing the word 'pronunciate' in the latest edition of Damnably Radio. Once you've heard it, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. Go ahead: pronunciate it right now.

See?

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