Library Corner

Hello Friends,
Hope you're well. I've been getting into the habit recently of quoting a poem by Norman MacCaig at our live shows and so many people have asked about it that I thought I'd do a quick blog. It always gets everyone into the right mood to hear our song "This is a War" - which it inspired - and is called "A Man in My Position"...

Hear my words carefully.
Some are spoken
not by me, but
by a man in my position.

What right has he
to use my mouth? I hate him
when he touches you
the wrong way.

Yet he loves you also,
This appalling stranger
Who makes windows of my eyes.
You see him looking out.

Until he dies
of my love for you
hear my words carefully -
for who is talking now?

Hope you enjoy it. Here's a few words from the great Scotsman himself...

"I feel like writing a poem the way you feel hungry or thirsty. And if it's possible, I sit down always in this particular chair, and with a particular size of blank paper, no lines on it. And I have not an idea what's coming. Not a clue. And very quickly into my head comes a memory of a place or an event or a person or all three. But far more often it's a short line, a short phrase – four or five words, nothing extraordinary about them. Down it goes, and the poem trickles down the page until it's finished. They come very quickly, very easily. I'm asked "how long does it take you to write a poem, Norman?" And I say "two fags". Sometimes it's only one."

Best,
Tom

LIVE AT THE SLAUGHTERED LAMB - 10TH MAY

Hello Friends,

We’re warming up for a cracking summer by playing at a few of our favourite venues over the next month or two. First up is the Electroacoustic Club at the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell on Monday 10th May. This has got to be one of the coolest places in London to see live music and we’re very excited to be supporting the simply fantastic Paul Armfield. We’ll be using the opportunity to road test a few new tracks and dust off a couple that we haven’t performed for a while. So come and join us next Monday night – the cider is strong and the fish finger sandwiches rock.

Details and tickets here.

AWARD WINNING EMPEROR

Pictured above are Michael Nyman, Ashley Jones and our very own Andy Simms, collecting the award for Best Soundtrack for feature documentary 'Erasing David' at last night's East End Film Festival awards. Michael and Andy scored 'Erasing David' (which also features a contribution from Pulp), and Ashley produced the film. It's a riveting and dramatic exploration of the data-base state and surveillance Britain, directed by and featuring our good friend David Bond.

It's a brilliant film (I would say that, since I worked on it too, but it really is!), which you can see at cinemas around the country right now, and on the telly on More 4 this Tuesday, 4th May at 10pm. And, of course, it has a fantastic, award-winning soundtrack.

Don't miss it!

More about Erasing David (including trailers etc) here