Can You Hear Us?

The John MacLeod Band, L-R: Paul Hancock, Angela Lazenby, John MacLeod, Matt Tyrer -  making our first appearance at The Sugarmill, the West Midlands' top music venue, Friday 7th June, 2013

"Don't it always seem to go / That you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone..."

That, ladies and gents, is bollocks.  Of all the myriad examples that I could pick to highlight my point, I can go for nothing more obvious than the present.  I am very aware how lucky I am to be in a band with three caring, funny and talented people, who all want to make music with me, and do this the best we can.  I am equally aware of how a shift in the timing of this could have stopped it before it started.  We are sturdy, fragile, prone to the whims of the universe, and I know exactly what I've got.

  Anyway.  Hello.  There is music further down this page, after my witterings, but don't let that tempt you to skip all my customary waffle.  I'd hate that.  It has been a long time since I wrote on here, too busy writing elsewhere, I suppose, that and playing shows in expected and unexpected places (not to mention unprecedented places - more later), piling into our recording studio to crack on with our debut record, or rehearsing at The Garage Of Dreams.

Playing a new song, 'Please Come Home', at The Sugarmill, Friday 7th June, 2013

  It's been all go.  When last I spoke, I had just played a solo acoustic set during Burslem Festival, when a wee-stained inebriate stood in front of me, erroneously counting me in on songs he'd never heard, and I was anticipating our first ever set at the Sugarmill.  Well, as the above picture may suggest, we did it!  It was a magical evening, loading in for soundcheck, working with the very helpful sound technicians to get everything set up & ready for us to walk on, plug in and play (and they did an equally quick job getting Matt's keyboard & synth set up right before our set, as work commitments had meant he couldn't make soundcheck), and the crowd were really with us for the show.  We were supporting Junction 16, and we played for half an hour (three different guitars over six songs, folks!), and I am pretty certain that it was the best & slickest show we've played to date.  (Also, one has to love Chris Wilson, the booker/promoter for The Sugarmill, whose energy propels him from one end of the building to the other, seemingly in no time at all.  One second he's there, the next, a Chris-shaped cloud of dust settles where once he stood.  An enthusiastic ball of energy, which suits us well.)

  I am finding it very interesting the way that working in the studio informs what you play live, and, conversely, taking tricks you've learned on the stage into the studio.  There are songs we haven't gigged yet, and are in the process of putting them together in rehearsal ready for recording, and it'll be through that process that we know what to take to the stage afterwards, yet there are songs such as 'Six Bodies, Strange Noises', which we have played extensively in a variety of different styles & venues, and in our last recording session, re-recorded the last half of the song on my new Cort Sunset guitar to add a cleaner guitar solo and add controlled amp feedback, which I had just learned how to do, two gigs previously!

  But my mind is a whirl, tonight.  After The Sugarmill, I spent a weekend in Stroud, taking it in turns with Matt to chase a lovable Labrador called Dylan around our friend Ed's expansive garden, pausing only to drink agreeable beers, walk through fields in the dark to find pubs, and play croquet.  I felt as damn near civilised as it's possible for a chap to be, mallet in one hand, glass of Pimms in the other, sunglasses hanging off my jeans pocket, black Converse taking in heat like water in the Titanic.

John, Paul and Angela, minus a virus-stricken Matt, playing an acoustic set at Moorlands FM, Monday 10th June, 2013. (Taken by Gary Wilcox)

  The following Monday contained an interview & session with Gary Wilcox at Moorlands FM, in a band debut on the programme.  Moorlands have been very supportive over the last two or three years, and I often credit them with re-igniting my drive to write and play, something which also comes back to Paul, seeing as he got me my first slot on the station.  It was great to come full-circle and take songs, that they debuted as home demoes all that time go, back in with my friends.  It was sad that Matt couldn't be with us, as he came down with a virus shortly after we returned from Stroud.

Photos from the drums, taken by Angela & compiled by Paul.  At Middlewich Folk And Boat Festival's Alt Folk Stage, at the Cheshire Cheese venue, Saturday 15th June, 2013.  L-R: Paul, John and Matt.

  This weekend just gone, we played Middlewich Folk And Boat Festival, at the Alt Folk Stage curated by Andrew Tranter, of Headsticks.  It was a jolly gig, and as seems to be the case with this year's festival appearances so far, we were engaged by a pissed-up man with a beard and (get this) a fluorescent jacket.  He also accosted us before we even got to the stage.  I stood at the stage's steps, guitars in hand, as he asked me if we knew 'House Of The Rising Sun' (no), or 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain' (no).
"So what do you play?"
"Our own songs."
"Eh?!"
"Enjoy the set!"

After our set, we watched Giro Junkie play a storming half hour, in some ways literally, as the heavens opened for him, and cleared away almost instantly.  I've seen him do a similar show before, but it is truly majestic nonetheless.  It includes a loop station, and the addition of all the layers he creates is so subtle that you don't realise he's doing it until this lavish orchestration just appears out of nowhere.  It's beautiful.

John, Paul and Angela - waiting to be lead into the studio, Saturday June 15th, 2013.  (Taken by Matt,)

  

Matt and John during the interview on BBC Radio Stoke, Saturday 15th March, 2013.  (Taken by Angela.)

From the Cheshire Cheese to Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, for an interview with Rob Adcock on BBC Radio Stoke's Introducing show.  I haven't been in the BBC Stoke studio since 2006, back before the BBC Introducing initiative was rolled out and standardised across the UK's local radio network, and it was truly thrilling to become part of the Introducing picture, and talk with & about the band on the show.  Another case of feet-not-touching-the-floor to match The Sugarmill.

Listening to Dan Rowley mix down the day's work, Sunday 16th June, 2013.  (Taken by Matt.)

  Work is going very well in the studio, too - with three quarters of album tracks almost or halfway finished, and a tiny handful yet to start.  From thence it will be adding finishing touches, correcting things we're not quite happy with, and so forth.  I can't wait to announce when the record will be out - that will be amazing!

  And so tonight has been my first night of doing little.  I have spent it grooving to Queens Of The Stone Age and writing this blog entry.  Last night we had a rehearsal for the next weekend session of recordings (in July), and had it interrupted by the discovery of a wasp nest above the garage doorway.  Luckily it was a small one and Paul & Angela combined their skills to render it safe and out of the garage.  Matt & I hid round a corner and waited.  We are men.

  In the meantime, these tracks have been released for you to listen to, and I'm putting them at the end here for you to enjoy.  Thanks for reading, and I'll try to write more in future.  Also, sorry this has seemed more like a photojournal!  Bloggy blogginess will resume asap.

Much love,
John xxx

The Sugarmill, Friday 7th June, 2013.  A truly exciting moment.  (Taken by Angela.)