Bit of a pattern emerging, isn't there?

OK, I know, even by my woeful standards, 6 months is a long gap between posts, but I think I've got a pretty good set of excuses:

(1) Our recent line-up changes have necessitated a lengthy period of introspective reflection, practise and self-improvement, mostly at an exclusive Retreat in the Maldives.
(2) Frankly, I couldn't be arsed.
(3) Errr...
(4) That's it.

Well, that's the ritual excuses out of the way...

This should be pretty short and sweet frankly, as there's several gigs I can't remember a thing about - the Village Inn in March, for instance, I know we were there, but damned if I can recall one single thing about it. I could make something up, but then I'd be compromising my Journalistic Integrity, and you wouldn't want to be complicit in that, now, would you?

After that one we did the opening night of Charlie's Bar in Westbury - an unpromising start loading in all our gear over the heads of a small herd of apparently completely unsupervised toddlers, but a great little sweaty gig in the end - some good photos by Andrew Bert Greaves as well...

April saw a return to the wonderful Beeses Tea Gardens in Bristol - an unlikely sounding venue to anyone outside of Bristol, but a legend to anyone within, and it didn't disappoint. We headlined their Beer Festival a couple of years ago, and we'd been itching to get back there ever since - a lovely place to play, run by people who know their music and are happy to put up with a bunch of whinging musicians and still keep a smile on their faces - good luck in your future endeavours, Ma Beese & Co., we'll miss you!

We finally took the plunge and went into the studio to do some recording in May, at the splendidly 1970's-feeling Alma Vale Studio - the intention being to 'do it properly this time' and record a full 10 or 12-track album.
We started on the first day with recording the drums and bass guitar live, and it worked so well, we'd recorded 14 tracks before we'd quite realised what we'd done. so we decided to stop there and let the other guys do some work.
As we go to press it's in the Mixing stage - a few more stirs, and it'll be ready...

 We were supposed to play the Bradford on Avon Beer Festival in May, and we turned up and soundchecked as per,but unfortunately one of DFP's mares was having a difficult delivery, which obviously he had to stick around for to sort out, so we had to pull out at the last minute.
(You can insert your own 'Stud Farm Related Coitus Interruptus' gag here, I'm not doing all of the work for you...)
What with all the recording we've been doing recently, it's a wonder we've managed to find time to play live at all, but we managed to drag ourselves onstage - protesting all the while, and covered in capes like James Brown...(could've done with capes as well, it was bloody freezing...) at the Holford Arms in Knockdown, playing outside in a frankly rather under-lit marquee, to an audience of of around 200 tree surgeons.
I have no idea why there were that many tree surgeons in one place, but they seemed to enjoy it, which is just as well - never a good idea to antagonise a man with a chainsaw, in my experience.

I've always maintained that we do our best work in the dark...