INTERWEB!

Finally, after 7 weeks of phone battle with BT, i have the internet. So expect to hear from me from now on. I have just moved into a new studio/home. It's pretty much a guitar shop with a bed in it. So now i've been working on the album songs constantly. 12 hour days with no windows. I'm starting to get a studio tan. Some working titles include 'masterham', 'guitarmania' and 'ike's song'. Yes, they are working titles. Been thinking up album titles, it's much harder than i imagined. I am dangerously obsessed with prog at the moment so expect some ridiculously pretentious concepts.

Rosie x

A ROMANTIC ESCAPADE

We are super excited and very pleased to annouce Samantha will be playing bass for ROMANCE at Ulterior's single launch on the 2nd July at the Hoxton Bar and Grill... Come one, come all, will be a cracker of an evening.

Can't wait!

x.

Bands

So i suppose it's the latest re-up of a genre this year. Two awesome new bands to listen to - Trailer Trash Tracys and The XX. I have been best friends with the lead singer and guitarist of TTT since i was 18 (am i biased?) No. Not only are they amazing people but their music kills it too. They've been loving and learning shoegaze their whole lives. Currently recording new tracks they'll be out with a single at the end of this summer. With shows lined up i'd highly recommend going to see them. Have a listen at http://www.myspace.com/trailertrashtracys

The XX are also on fire right now. With their current single Crystalized getting massive recognition you can listen at http://www.myspace.com/thexx and see tons of shows they have coming up.

I'm digging the bands Salem and Telepathe as always, i guess it's a duty as a band blogger to let you guys know what we like !? Check them out if you can.

Salem - http://www.myspace.com/jjhhmm

Telepathe - www.myspace.com/telepathe


Victoria.

Hannah Marshall New Collection

As you guys know, we like fashion designer Hannah Marshall's stuff. We rarely have a show without one of her pieces. She has lived up to her big hype and has produced an awesome Autumn/Winter 08/09 collection that will blow your socks off. Her inspiration includes architect Santiago Calatrava, his work described as "swooping lunar shapes, monolithic Modernist warehouses, curvilinear airport terminals, and strange white arcs of towers"

You can check her out at http://www.hannahmarshall.com/. We recommend you join Gok Wan and Lady Gaga along with many others and get this stuff !

See below a clip from the on/off fashion week show of Ipso Facto and Hannah Marshall at the On/Off Fashion week collection display and a picture of Ipso Facto with Hannah Marshall in UK Vogue April Issue.






Victoria.

Body Percussion

I recently discovered that long before Bjork's Triumph of the Heart and mid way through Timbaland's "vicky vicky uh" a vocally percussive group was forming named Barbatuques from Brazil. You can listen and watch at http://www.myspace.com/barbatuques . They explore every cavity and clap that make up body percussion. Percussive groups using irregular objects often sound inventive but lack imagination when it comes to rhythmic pattern. Range of sounds available with the instrument can also suffer. But Barbatuques create challenging rhythms and sounds that make you wonder how that noise could ever come out of a human being. Currently running workshops in Chicago's Human Rhythm Project (i wish i were there), they are incorporating tap,rap and a little vocal magic into their performances. Who ever knew hitting yourself could be so entertaining. Please come to Britain soon !

I suggest you check out the myspace. Or if you just so happen to be in Chicago - the festival at www.chicagotap.org

Meanwhile here's an example video.




Victoria

3

It's been a time for the number three. We recently went on a three day mini tour, as the new three piece, with three new songs. It's weird playing without Cherish, and I miss her alot, but the wheel keeps turning, and the show must go on...
I was absent minded on this trip, and didn't take ANY photos, fortunately Victoria was there with her trusty phone... This was our first trip without Mark Scurr :( 

Mark is the MAN. SoundMAN, tour MANager, VAN(man with a v?) driver. He's a good egg. We missed you Mark. We also were without management...  So we set off, like a child learning to ride a bike, when their stabilisers are removed... Could we survive? Would we survive? It was anyone's guess...

DAY ONE:

Liverpool. I really like Liverpool. The last time we played here we met our favourite fans in the world. Dave, Mike and Rick. They're super amazing. They faithfully came to this show too. We played at Korova, great gig. All next three photos are Marc Mcnulty. CHECK OUT THE MIRRORS IN THE VENUE!

Now, Matt, our temporary soundman, is brilliant at his job. He does what he says on the tin. However, he CANNOT do sat navs. This was a constant source of amusement for the next three days. For example... Hotel off a motorway, it's on the right hand side of the roundabout... clear as day, sat nav says turn left into a field... Matt turns left into a field. Silly boy. We do love him though.

DAY TWO: 

Crewe. Now Crewe was a funny one. The venue was amazing, drums on the wall, AMAZING incredibly expensive guitars, just there to steal, hanging up, Rosie, very proud of her, resisted, and a killer sound system. 

The people we met were great. But the town itself, a little scary. The accommodation was above the venue. Was free, so no complaints. Me and Vicky Jean took a little walk and got a HUGE curry, £14 for both of us, and we got the WORKS! Cheap as chips, happy as Larry! Probably not the BEST idea to eat this kind of food an hour before you play... There was no way the disco pants were coming out tonight... Nice baggy t shirts all round... The gig itself was incredible. Have NEVER been so hot on stage in all my life. This place went all out. Lights, smoke machine, and can honestly say, was one of the best shows we've played. We met a really nice photographer and his wife, his name escapes me! Waiting on some ace shots he showed us afterward. So. It gets to about half one and we decide to go to sleep.  NO CHANCE. Like i said, the accommodation was ABOVE the venue. And mine, Matt's and Victoria's room was LITERALLY ABOVE the venue. You wont hear this from me often, but the bass was SO loud it was actually shaking the wardrobes. So no sleep till the early hours. Fed up, I go to the bathroom, slide the door open, and it comes off the hinges and twats me in the face. Nice. I love this place. Couple hours later, Victoria does the same thing. Joys joys joys. Photo below by baconation

DAY THREE: 

Darlington: It's a Sunday. It's Darlington. There's not a GREAT deal to do. We get some food, after searching for about half an hour at Yates'. LOVED the barman... "Are you with that black goth group over there?" Yes. I am. There were no yorkshires left, so he gave me the equivalent of TWO roasts. One cinema, one showing. Night At The Museum Two. £5.50. Nice. Film was shockingly bad. But it passed a couple of hours. The next couple of hours is passed listening to Titchmarsh's radio show, and seeing how long it takes to clean the windscreen using just the washer fluid. We then go to see Lord Auch. Haven't seen them since their new line up. Leo is great. I love leo! Good show guys!! My mum came to this show, camera in hand. I love my mum. Show was ok. 

Samantha.x.

recordings and reeboks.

So. We are now in the studio recording our next single... Queen Sophia the Last... As engineered by the wonderful Rory Atwell... Here he is, hard at work!

So a few Lemsips later, and the drums are down for the single, and a few demos of new tracks TROPIC OF CAPRICORN, SCRAP METAL and DREAMS OF JUSTICE... All now featured in the set.

After that... REEBOK asked us into their "lounge" to look at their trainers. I'm not entirely sure why sports brands seem to be throwing us complimentary things... but never the less we're excited to visit the lounge so we happily go... we meet Siobhan? (I think this is her name) Lovely, lovely girl, and VERY enthusiastic about Reebok trainers. Kind of get the feeling I'm on an episode of the apprentice and she's REALLLLY trying hard to sell those trainers. No need, we'll take them. :)

We end up with a couple of standard "limited edition" numbers. Even Andy nabs himself a pair or shoe/ trainers.

 

Now, what i REALLY liked about the Reebok lounge, other than those snazzy egg chairs, is that it had a Wii. Now Victoria, is pretty good at this...

I, on the other hand, couldn't even hit the ball. So i get stroppy, and blame it on being left handed. So it's decided.  I don't like the Wii. It also brings back painful memories of how shit I am at guitar hero, and people ask me "Aren't you meant to be in a band..." 

Samantha.x.