Seems a little odd to be writing a blog with nothing to look forward to, but hey. Here we are at the end of another bizarre old hurtle-round-the-sun on the crust of this vast spinning top we call home. And what a year it was! May I say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout the year, especially those who turned up to our recent shows in Germany. It was a truly amazing tour (UK included, but I've already done that) – great venues, nice crowds (apart from a psycho Russian dude in Berlin who simply couldn't stop bellowing in our faces the entire time) ...and the general feeling that our music has finally reached an audience we've always felt it deserved (albeit mostly on the continent!) ...also, big props should go out to Damo Waters and Chris Pollard, our drummer and soundguy/ driver/ TM/ guardian-angel for this tour, who did a sterling job, and as ever, Mr Matthew Twaites, who needs no other introduction…

Anyway! As you may have read from Min's earlier mailout, there will be some shifts in the camp in the new year. Nothing certain yet, but there are many roads this whole thing could travel down, and all options are open at the moment. I just hope that whatever we do next, whatever guise it's under, we have a little more support from the British Music Industry. For Me and Alex to have made the records we have, and to have been met with such indifference from the 'industry' in general, and in the case of certain people, downright hatred for what we do, has been a kick in the bollocks, and at times a thoroughly depressing experience I never want to live through again. I only hope that whatever we do next pleases them better.

And with that, I shall sign off on this year. It's been a blast. I feel we've made our best record yet, played some of the best shows since we started making music together, but most importantly I have a feeling that our best is yet to come.

Merry Christmas one and all!! TW X

Are we really 11/12ths of the way through 2007? Shit that was quick. I'll have to do less next year. Anyway, tour's been going well. Lovely response to all the toiling that's gone on making it all happen. Particularly good in Glasgow may I say, where we spotted none other than Sophie Ellis Bextor (she'd been supporting Take That across town earlier in the night) in the crowd and loving it. Anyway, she was an absolute sweetheart and stuck around 'til the end to say hi. And she bought a record!!

Must give a mention to Mr. Paul Steel, and of course Dear Britch, who have been whipping the crowd up into a froth for us each night. If you haven't heard him (and his band) Paul Steel is a kinda mash of lots of different things, mostly revolving around a bunch of gadgets, loops and samples, all underpinned by rather lovely songs. Dear Britch on the other hand is like Elaine Stritch lunching with Autechre, Dame Shirley Bassey jamming with the Ceephax Acid Crew. Excellent stuff. Can't wait for Germany. TW x

Ho-Ho-Ho!! Stick it to the man!! One up the jacksie to the corporate bum-holes… etc, etc… Yes. That's right, kids: Restlesslist's mighty 'Dirty Pint' art-short-Benny-Hill-spilt-drink-pop-promo-extravaganzoid will be playing this weekend on your very own 120 Minutes indie-fest on ol' MTV2!! Well whaddaya know?! Tune in and at some point you should see it! It’s also viewable on youtube and the band's myspace, should you wish to see it now, or again (afterwards). More of that, please, Mr. T. V. 2.

Also, just in case me and Bruv weren't doing enough, in between rehearsing with ESP's new drummer, Damo Waters (Muddy Suzuki) for the Nov/Dec tour, and tearing our hair out getting the projections sorted in time for it, next week Brakes shall enter an undisclosed location, and begin writing/demoing/recording for a third, as-yet-untitled album. Brilliant. TW xxx

So, tonight – free gig at the Greenhouse Effect, Hove. Kinema are on first, then MC Cashback, then the 'List. We're a 5-piece for this one: M. Twaites on git, casio and ephemera, Bo Diddly Bobbins on seagull shit and ampathy, Matt and Birdie of Zettasaur on bass and git/casio respectively, and myself on drumminge. Should be good. Anyway, come on down – we're on about 11-ish, though maybe slightly later/earlier, and, for fuck's sake's's, it’s blummin' free! No excuse Myspace Bye! TW x

What can I say? Amazing French tour. Besancon was my favourite, and not just because Al fell ass over tit off the stage! No – lush venues, good food, and great audiences who (take note, England) actually fucking listen. It was also a pleasure having Stuart Flynn on with us doing 'Help' and 'Moonraker', which went down a storm every night (can't imagine the same happening at the Hull Adelphi, but there you go. Europeans have a certain class Brits just don't get) He also managed to squeeze in a Britch set in Besancon and Brussels, which was a real treat. That we will return in the new year is a certainty.

Off to Bilbao verrrry early tomorrow. It's a place we played with Brakes/Maximo Park a couple years back. Beautiful theatre/venue type shenanigan. Right next to the Guggenheim too.

New Underworld album's sweet. Wicks. TW x

Well, hey. What can I say? Amazing first night in Rennes last night. Couldn't believe how many people turned up, us having not toured properly in France for four years. Very encouraging. We had an excellent first show and the venue staff were helpful and charming throughout. A brilliant first night. We're in Paris tonight at the lovely Maroquinerie – last time we were here, with Brakes and Yeti, they served us one of the best meals I think I've ever tasted: roast rabbit, mixed with an assortment of vegetables and herbs, all tied up in a bag made out of rabbit skin (sounds disgusting, tastes fucking heavenly) and served on a pile of pesto'd pasta. Glorious. With any luck they'll do something similarly fantastic for dinner tonight. Which is in about half an hour. Brilliant. Should just add that the two bands we have on tour with us are lush too. Check 'em.

The Strange Death Of Liberal England and The Love Bandits

What's the best thing an interviewer can say to a band just as they've finished an interview?

"Err, ze tape eez blonk…"

No, it's not a joke.

Bye for now!

TW x

Got the finished Restlesslist 'The Rise And Fall Of The Curtain Club' LP back from the printers last night, and it looks/sounds lush. Can’t really expand on that – Mr Elliott did a fantastic job on the artwork, and the record itself is exactly how we planned it, so top marks all round.

Other happenings in the world of Brighton: Misty’s Big Adventure were ace last night at Audio, though Audio itself leaves a lot to be desired: shitty sound, shitty promoter (some tarted up bint who thinks looking like that cock out of The Violets is a GOOD LOOK???!) who insisted on letting the band know, like, EVERY FUCKING FOUR MINUTES that they were nearly out of time, and shitty decor (who wants to watch a band in what looks like a cross between a gay sauna and the fucking refurbished God-awful Hanbury Ballroom. Not me…) Oh, don't know if the band went back in after they'd loaded out, but if they had I'm sure they’d have let her (bint) know that they were clear of the building with 11 MINUTES TO SPARE. Time enough for three, maybe even four songs. Waste of time, people. Don't even go there. Anyway, Misty's battled through, and good on 'em. Their new record is rad, too.

Oh, and Appropriate Ending comes out as the fourth and final single from NN2BD on the somethingth of November. Check it out, for it comes bearing two covers – 'Happiness' written by Elliott Smith, and 'Friends Of The Heroes', by San Francisco's Aisler's Set. Find them at aislersset.com

Bye for now, chow-heads. TW x

Fucking brilliant as usual. Alex got to do 'The Weight' with Garth and Maud Hudson, and I boshed drums along to some Danny and The Champions Of The World. Cracking. Other than that, I thought Fonda 500 were hilarious and heavy and all the things a good Truck band should be, Buck 65 was on top form, as usual, I missed Youth Movies, which pissed me off, The Mules were just as good as when Brakes played with them at the Luminaire, if not better, Chris T-T was spot on for mid-sunday, and well, everything else (especially Easy Tiger). May I just say again, thank you to Robin, Joe, Chris, Katie, Edmund and Deborah for putting on the best festival the UK has, year after year. My kind of people.

On a completely different subject altogether: there are two albums everybody should be loving this autumn – the new Kevin Ayers record, entitled The Unfairground, and Robert Wyatt's new creation, Comicopera. Buy them both. You will not be disappointed. If yr unfamiliar with either of them, there's plenty of shit up on Youspace or whatever. Apparently Kevin Ayers doesn't own a computer, so don't expect no bloggs or nuffin. The album's lush though.

I'm going to schleep. T X

Well hello to whoever may be reading this. Had a grand last couple of weeks. End Of The Road was as spectacular as any festival could hope to be. I won't say who I thought rocked, as that would entail me typing up the entire line-up, but hey, fuck it – Actress Hands were glorious as usual, Yo La Tengo blew my face off, King Creosote was a pleasant surprise, Scout Niblett has an ace new set-up on the go and some cracking new songs to go with it, Joan As Police-woman was new to me and also good, and last but not least Lambchop finished the whole thing off as lush as would be expected. (note to Reading and Carling and Shit Festival 'N' Shit: sack yr Nazi security – they neither succeeded in making the place any safer, or ensuring folk in bands could get where they needed to – an absolute disgrace. No. They should take a fucking leaf out of EOTR's book and in the future employ a security agency who have more than one brain cell between them. Fucking Amen to that.)

Anyway, Truck next weekend – the redux. My fingers and toes and hairs are all crossed for them. Should be a verrry good 'un.

On the ESP front, we are in the process of booking a short tour for the end of November to round up the UK leg of the NN2BD World Tour. It's gonna be about a week long and will entail a recital of No Need To Be Downhearted in it's entirety at each show, with complete visual (projected) accompaniment. I know I've been promising this for eons, but I'm over the moon to say that the whole project is nearly there, and will definitely be happening at all of the shows on that tour, and hopefully some of the European dates too. More news on that when it comes.

Look after yrselves. Hopefully see you all at six in the morning on sunday, kissing cows in the camping field.

...and I'm out… T X

99Matters – What is really important to you? (click link for video)

Thomas: Right now, the most important thing in my life… I think it's the ability music has given me and the rest of the band and everyone I play with – it's allowed me to communicate with people. I don't speak any other languages other than English, fluently, and music is a way of communicating… at different times, with different pieces of music or whatever, it can touch anyone on the planet in a way that language can't break through that barrier.

Also the way music allows me to communicate with my friends and friends I've made through it, and it continues to. And we've been doing what we do for seven years. You see a lot of bands come and go. It's a cliche, but it is a fickle business, but to still be doing what we do and still be playing to the kind of crowds we do and to have people appreciate what we do this much… and like I say, the main thing for me, what's really important, is the music – it transcends all of those barriers; race, language, whatever, everything, you know, and it puts everyone on the same plane. Everyone's free to experience that and I think that's the most important thing in my life right now.

Home: Spent the day sifting through demos and working film I took in America onto iMovie, which is an arduous task if ever there was one… The idea to create a video for every song on the record is still happening, it's just taking much longer than I thought. Anyway, I was on Life In The Backseat today and I'm about half-way altogether. If all goes well and I get up to mission control (where most of our digital flotsam and jetsam ends up before being pressed/uploaded/abandoned) in London in the next few days, there should be something up on the net for perusal by the end of the week.

Currently listening to: 'How I learned To Write Backwards' by The Aisler's Set and Sex Change by Trans Am

Currently loving: Peter and Katie's Baby Diaries. Absolutely fucking hilarious. TW

Just returned from the Truck fundraiser. Long day, but fucking worth it, just to see those Bennett brothers smile. Truly bizarre. Good driving, Al. Actually, bro ate something rotten from Marks 'n' Sparks on the way up (the irony being everyone else opting for Bugger King) and spent the first ten minutes of what should have been our set hurling in the toilet. He seemed to sweat it out quite easy though, and managed to join us onstage for a relaxed, if a little queasy, set. Geronimo!! Anyway, what with his stomach being in puke-mode (and him being in driver-mode) we couldn't really hang about, and I'm writing this on the comp back at home. I trust the Garth/Maud/Goldrush 'ting worked out well. I'm sure I'll hear of it either way. Again, I want to thank all at Truck for being so God-damn fucking resilient, and by Christ is September's version going to kick off. Yessssssssss!

Single's out tomorrow I'm off to watch a rom-com. Possibly Wimbledon. Adios. TW

So... Club NME last night. Usual stuff – don't meet anyone from the 'NME' or their representatives. They really make you feel WELCOME, knowwarrameeen?? Whatever. Gig was generally OK (thanks to the ever reliable Harling out front on sound), and I thought we played a particularly good 'Misunderstanding' and 'If That's The Case…' but these are people without an attention span whatsoever, and we really shouldn't have wasted our efforts on 'Everybody Wants' – they just don't care (though I did see some folk with their fingers in their ears right at the end, which is as good as someone clapping these days)

After the show I was chuffed to find that the dancing dude on the balcony (who I gave a shout out to in 'Misunderstanding', though I couldn't make him out at that point) was none other than Tom, a friend I met at High Wycombe University years ago. Anyway, it was great seeing him again – swapping tales of travelling and the odd paths both our lives have taken in the past few years. It was also sweet to see Ed, a guy we used to see quite a bit at shows. He complimented the current line-up and was generally encouraging, which was nice. He's also a Young British Sudoku Champion, and has represented us as far away as Hong Kong, so don't mess.

Anyway, the whole evening was kinda overshadowed by the fact that we heard on the way up that the mighty, the one and only, the undisputed champion of the world, Truck Festival... is under about a metre of water, oh, and it's off. Whole thing – cancellotronned. Well, kinda put the shits on our whole day really – aside from the fact that Restlesslist had rehearsed for four and half hours the previous night/morning and had our shit worked out moreso than ever, I was actually really looking forward to chilling in a field and seeing some great bands. Oh well, it'll have to be September (22nd/23rd, just in case you hadn't heard).......and just in case you ain't heard about the fundraiser either: today and tomorrow at Oxford Brookes Uni

Our thoughts are with Robin, Joe, Edmund and all who are currently trying to piece something together out of this bizarre, unfortunate mess. Good luck boys, and we'll see you tomorrow. ESP on 'bout 6, Goldrush after, then Garth and Maud Hudson. Wooooo-eeeeee!! TW

First of all, sorry to have not filled you in with the second bit of America – it was simply too massive and quite frankly I got too far behind to carry on with it, and anyway, I could see Marc tap-tapping most days, and anything I would have said is probably in there anyway, so check his/our comprehensive look at America through the side of an RV here: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3

So, we fall off the plane from NY at Heathrow feeling, well actually not half as bad as when we got to LA – only a six hour flight home, which really is a blessing after all the 12-13-14-15-16-hour drives we'd been doing. America kicked our collective ass, though I'd like to think we gave it a little boot ourselves. After hooking up with Matt Eaton – proud bearer of an impressive 'wave-on' this time (that's nothing rude – a wave-off is simply to drive someone TO an airport, and a wave-on is…) ...in the form of our beloved Sprinter van, we make the trek to Brighton, which actually feels like about ten minutes compared to the real trek behind us. Anyway, back in Brighton, me and Twaites hook up with Ben Elliott, who is oh-so-chuffed to see us, and we all head out for breakfast at the Kemptown Deli. Lush. Soon enough though, the lag starts to kick in, and I'm afraid the next day or two are a mash of sleeping and waking at ever more bizarre times, until something resembling a routine is achieved.

Of course, the night before Glastonb. we have a show to do – and fucking good it was too. A Unison Charity show at The Concorde 2, Brighton, if I remember rightly. Restlesslist kick it off, with our usual set gaining previously unheard fat-ness, thanks mainly to the fact that we're leaning right into it – we haven't done this for a month – and unlike most bands, we actually sound pretty good in the Concorde. The Hat are up next – I didn't actually see them, but they sounded sweet, people said they went down good, and they had a fucking double bass. And they're called 'The Hat'. What's not to like. Brakes finish the night up. At this point it feels less like a gig and more like some kind of bizarre army drill, soundtracked by Violent Femmes. All good though, and we end up sweatier than ever.

Straight after the gig we jump in the bus and hit the motorway. Arriving at 6 in the morning is apparently the only way we're going to bypass the famously horrendous Glastonbury traffic. Except when we get there, they won't let us onsite 'til 8!! So, we play frisbee and smoke weed and drink cider until the gates open. Woo-eeee!! Glassssstonnnburyryry!!! Feels amazing to have actually made it, considering the insane year we've had so far. Even more amazing is that we find a sweet spot to pitch our tents – right by the backstage bar, and as far away from any considerable gatherings of mud as possible.

Highlights of Friday would be: Super Furry Animals. And that's it. Despite my inital excitement, a quick glance across the bill reveals something else. Now, don't get me wrong, Gruff Rhys in the Park was an absolute highlight, a great show, and a beautiful end to the weekend… I dug The Stooges (if only for getting to watch Mike Watt kill it on the thud-staff and see Iggy try and control a stage-invasion of muddy Brits – hilarious) ...It was sweet seeing Simon from Biffy very briefly – though ESP clashed with them, and so I missed one of the only bands I wanted to see… The Go Team were OK (despite ALL their 'songs' doing exactly the same two-note 'Three Is The Magic Number' thing) ...but the sheer amount of corporate indie bands crowding the main stages – I'm not going to name names, and I'm also not going to give them column inches on our site. Fuck 'em all.

In amongst the mess and the mud and the noise, ESP managed to rock the Guardian Guide Tent to a packed crowd, and Brakes managed a sweet 12.40 on the Other Stage, then 2.30 the next morning in the Leftfield infront of about 1500 people – my personal favourite of the weekend. It was also nice to know Brakes woke Gruff up on Saturday morning!! That’s OK, though… cos in his own words, we play 'two of his favourite types of music – country AND rock!!' Nice. We do this Kent Music Festival tomorrow. I'll let you know how The Feeling get on, and of course I'll send my best to Chantel and Theo R. Dinaryboys.

And I'm Out. TW X

So here we are. A week or thereabouts into a month of shows in the U.S. of America. I'll try to be brief. We began at The Casbah in San Diego, a great little bar we did back in March. Just as good second time round. We're supporting an ace Merge Records band called The Clientele who are sweet both on and off stage and we play to about 80-100 or so people. All good. I must especially thank Jason, the drummist for a band called Divided By Zero and an enthusiastic ESP-head, whose hospitality was second to none. From there we came back up to LA for a show at Club Moscow. Lush, semi-outdoor venue out the back of a bar in Hollywood, but we only got four songs in and it did my head in bad. Shi-bli-de-bo. My memory becomes vague at this point (please bear in mind that throughout all this we're all battling pretty severe J.Lag)

...but basically we get up at 6 in the morning and go to a radio station (KCRW) for an 11 o'clock session Listen & Watch which goes better than anything ever. It's a blur, a mixture of nerves and full-on buzz, but it's all good and the job's done by 1 in the afternoon. Afterwards we make the 7 hour journey to San Jose and arrive just in time for a crazy, all-ages punk show in a Christian Community Centre in the suburbs. The promoter and sound guy are sweet though and the audience seem intrigued. I tell them 'We're The Electric Soft Parade from Brighton, England, and we're going to play you some good old English pop music'. It's also our first show with a dude called Eric, who we'll play all the rest of these dates with. At the San Jose show he plays with his 'rock' band Facing New York For us it's the beginning of the tour proper – a fucking special gig. For America it seems like just another band. Anyway, we do the gig and get the fuck out of San Jose.

We stay in San Francisco that night, and before hitting the hay in the motel, we scope out a fresh karaoke dive-bar and duly take turns (I can recall 'I can see clearly now…' and 'Somewhere over the rainbow'), until we're simply too pissed on Patron Tequila to do anything other than sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. The next show is the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, a great venue – perfect for watching Eric do his electro/r'n'b thing as Wallpaper, his side project of sorts. It's a fucking ridiculous band, but check it out on myspace Very funny indeed. I defy you not to dance.

We were in Sacramento last night, and I have to say we were treated SO well again. It just so happened that Mr. Mathew Priest was in the liquor store across the road from the venue and got talking to a guy… and the guy only ends up feeding us (in his own words he's a 'Bomb-Ass Cook', and he is!!) and watering us and, like, everything!!! Seriously, the best hospitality we've had so far, and frankly from someone who didn't have a clue who we were. Brian, you're a star. We owe you one. Good gig too – if you're ever in Sac, hit the Press Club. Sweet place, and according to some folk who've been at a few of the shows, one of the best we've had in States so far. Big shout to Aaron again for being a legend and rocking a second guitar in Everybody Wants at 5 second's notice.

That pretty much does it for now, other than that we just did a lush acoustic instore at Fingerprints in Long Beach this evening. Eamon and Marc turned up very lagged just before we started. Everyone's here in one piece. Feels good to know the gang's together and fucking ready. Heads up. More when it comes. TW x

Sorry to anyone who's been checking for ramblings… I had to get away for a week or so between that UK tour and America, and I have to say it was lush – a much relaxing week in the sun (South of Spain to be exact). We flew to Jerez, and from there took random buses East along the coast, taking in Cadiz, Conil de la Frontera, Tarifa, La Linea and Gibralta (an embarrassing home-from-home, tasteless shit-heap full of ex-pat, british-bulldog cunts. Eurghhh. Very unpleasant. Don't ever, ever go there.) The rest was beautiful though, and I actually managed to relax for a couple of days, in-between giving myself severe sun-burn and drinking small vats of sangria. The tapas was also out of this world… if you're ever there, you have to try Iberican Pig Cheek. Sweet.

Arrived back on solid ground just in time for a couple of Brakes shows: the 'Built for the city' show in Glasgow (bit of a shit bill, bit of an empty crowd, bit of a let-down all-rounder. BRILLIANT!!!!!!), and the far better Club NME at Koko in Camden the next night (fucking insane crowd, good sound, all good. Did I say it was good? It was good.) ...then a day off, then what we've all been waiting for…

We arrive late in Liverpool for the first of five dates supporting The Twang and I realise I'm a little nervous. It's been a while since ESP supported on shows this size – in fact, we've never, EVER, been asked personally by a band to come on tour with them, and we've really no idea how this is going to go, let alone how The Twang are going to welcome us into their fold (or not). Needn't have worried. As crowds go, they could probably be compared to when we supported Ian Brown a few years back. 'Fucking rowdy' for the main band, and a mixture of 'detached/ focused/ chanting the name of the headliners' for us, and as touring buddies go, The Twang are next to none. Literally the friendliest bunch we've come across in a long while. Add to that Martin and Phil (the two singers) marching into our dressing room on the first night singing the guitar solo from 'It's Wasting Me Away' (me neither!?), and proclaiming the song 'Like a fucking rave tune!!!' ...well, we had to oblige, and by Glasgow (the last night) we'd learnt the tune, and ended our set with it, making their day.

Anyway, there's simply too much to tell… just a fucking good-time band, having the absolute time of their lives on the road. A pleasure to be a part of. Oh, and did I say we played some blinders along the way???!!! Fun times! At the moment I'm trying not to think too much about what lies ahead for us in the U.S. of America, but as it duly unfolds I shall try and piece everything together into some kind of digestable blog-nuggets… speak soon. TW x

As you may or may not know, we finished our UK tour last night at Kings College, London, and a fine time was had by all. We began way back on the 18th of April in Stoke, which was an alright, if a little quiet, start to proceedings. From there we travelled to Newcastle, where Stuffy/The Fuses (our support for the first English dates, along with Chris T-T) were politely told that they were never booked to play the gig in the first place. Not one to shy away from a challenge, keyboardist Lucy Fuse promptly walked across the road and into the nearest pub (The Dog and Parrot, I think??) and found them another one! All good.

From Newcastle, our travels then took us way up north to Dundee, where we kicked off the Scottish leg. Great shows in Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow, and I have to say what a pleasure it was to have The Hazey Janes (thanks muchly to Liam and Caroline for top notch accomodation in Dundee.) and Le Reno Amps on with us again. Do check Le Reno Amps' myspace, as they're out this week on a joint tour with Actress Hands, and shouldn't be missed.

After Scotland we drove downhill to Sheffield, where I think we did OK in front of a rather discerning club NME crowd, then to Manchester, where we tore it up live in session on Marc Riley's show, before heading back across town to play at The Roadhouse (thanks again to Kat for great sound.) Shows in Hull, Leeds, Bristol and Southampton followed – all with the Chris T-T band back on board, and all good, especially the Southampton Joiners, which I believe was the best sounding show of the tour for all three bands, no small thanks to the ace soundman, Mike. Sweet.

I shall also skim very briefly over last night, which for me was the pinnacle of the tour, as all last nights should be. Chris T-T played a blinder, and we had a reet good 'un, too. It was also my 23rd, and of course I got a cheeky surprise: halfway through the set, I'm trying to start the next song and Andy (our Tour Manager) only goes and brings a fuckin' cake onstage, candles and all! Very sweet of the guys to bother, and like I say, it rounded off an extremely rewarding tour perfectly. As always, there are simply too many people to thank for making this shit happen, but I will try. Without whom: Matthew Twaites, Mathew Priest, Matt Eaton, Andy Winters, Sam Smith, Phyllis Belezos, Amanda Freeman, all at Truck Records, The Chris T-T Band, Actress Hands, The Hazey Janes and Le Reno Amps. Thank you all.

I'm heading to the south of Spain tomorrow for a week in the sun with my lady. I'm thinking Tapas, sunbathing, snorkelling and no small amount of Sangria. Ariba, Grandad!!! Look after the place while I'm gone. And go see Actress Hands. TW x

If anybody's about, Restlesslist will be playing the Joogleberry Playhouse tonight. There's no floor in the club, and at 9.15 there will be a break in the music that will last until the 15th of October. See you there, chow-heads!!

First rehearsal yesterday was all good – apart from not having keyboards (our van was at the garage and is now back from the garage), and Matt Eaton literally having a meltdown when we tried to get through 'Life In The Backseat'. Wuss. Too many chords spoil the rock, apparently. Anyway, everything's sounding fucking sweet… hopefully we'll get through whatever we've not tried today and, if all goes well, we'll have the whole new record ready to play, in it's entirety (the plan for Glasgow, at least) ...which is kinda daunting, but we try and do it at some point with every record …so …here's hoping. Anyhow, I cannot wait to kick this fucker off in, errr, Stoke, I believe… oh, well… do take a night out of your life to go to your local venue and watch some men concentrate on a stage. It's life affirming, or something. TW x

The unhinged production and wayward vocoder of RTX's 2004 debut, 'Transmaniacon', established them as a band operating firmly on the outer limits of what we call rock. Drums were compressed to within an inch of their lives, and Jennifer Herrema's vocals reached new dizzying heights via often hilarious abuse of modern technology. Needless to say, it pretty much vanished without a trace, but to those in the know it set brave new standards.

With their follow up, RTX have all but ditched the psychedelic leanings for an altogether more straight-forward (comparatively) sound. They begin with the title track, which (like the sleeve) seems to cast Herrema as some kind of renegade Pied-Piper, all wandering flutes, distant bongos and cracked, rattling acoustic guitars. It's beautiful, and it's misleading. No sooner than you think you've nailed them and they’re off with track two, and first single, 'Balls To Pass'. It's vintage Royal Trux for sure, but it works, the guitars exploding out of the intro, ploughing into the verse, Jennifer's vocals hectoring and straining, agitated and angry. Elsewhere, 'Money Will Roll Right In's slack riffs and tom-rolls combine to make wonderful slabs of thick noise and 'Black Banana's processed intro gives way to a thundering verse, but, and it pains me to say, in the main this record is just too prosaic, too (dare I say it) contrived to cover any truly new ground.

With 'Transmaniacon', RTX appeared fully formed – the production, look and attitude of a band cock-sure of themselves, breaking new ground and combining to awesome effect. With 'Western Xterminator' they have taken a full step backwards into retro-rock territory, sounding not unlike a 21st Century Guns N' Roses, and at worst, Saxon. Herrema remains a maverick, an outsider in this tame, tame world, but she needs to let it all hang out.

So… another mini Brakes Scando tour done and dusted, and it was grand! Good show in Stockholm – small crowd, but we did our best for a band who haven't played for a month or two. Ended up in a very classy beer-hall with some very friendly Swedes – most accomodating. Some dude turned out to be a bit of an ESP-head. He kept on at me about how the new record has to get a proper release there, so when I presented him with a CD-R advance copy, his jaw duly dropped. Nice.

Oslo the next night was a proper belter. Hadn't been to the Garage (used to be Club So What?) for about six years, which is always a mixture of 'fuck, I'm old' and 'wicked, we're still at it!'. Hmmmm. Wee crowd, but they were up for a boogie. Great to hook up with our pal from Brighton, Mikey, who's been living out there for the past four years. He and his girlfriend took us out for a walk round a quite incredible park before the show. Truly, I have never seen anything like it – a huge park, pretty much filled with these oversized, imposing, sensual human figures, sculpted from what looked like granite. The overall effect was incredible – basically a lifetime's work. I'll have to do a proper post about it when I find out the guy's name. An absolute must-see if you're ever there. After beers and smokes in the park we headed for spicy shrimp and pineapple pizza before returning to the venue for gig. Ace.

Last night in Copenhagen was sweet, too – an amazing place called Vega, which we did a year or so back with Editors. We were supporting The Fratellis this time, which was a laugh. Me and Al met Mince, their drummer, at South By South West in Austin and he was just as friendly this time! Our gig was OK, slightly more ragged than the previous night (I did a fuck-off jump and managed to fall on my stoned ass… on the first NOTE of the gig!!?? Twat) ...but we got props from the other support bands and the crew, so all good. Afterwards we ended up in mini-Vega, and saw an extremely funny, but great band call Robots In Disguise. Very Nathan Barley. As I write this, I'm back in the hotel, it’s five in the afternoon, and I just ate pig's heart and mash. Obviously getting stomach-rot from Lobster Bisque hasn't quelled my adventurous tastes, and that's how it should be. For a moment back there I thought I'd never be able to look a clam (or anything even vaguely mucoid) in the face again. But I can. Brilliant.

Our plane leaves for England in a couple of hours, so I think it's beers, then cab, plane, then home. Nice. We've a couple of days off, then rehearsals, then this fucking tour. I genuinely cannot wait. Hope to see all of you and yr grandma at the shows. If you do bother, be sure to get there early. All the supports are fucking brilliant and are as follows, just in case you haven't read the Shows page.

Scotland:
The Hazey Janes / Le Reno Amps

England:
Chris T-T / Stuffy + The Fuses (Newcastle and Stoke) / Actress Hands

Wicked. TW x

Had a good week. Got a video done (Misunderstanding: Alex does lots of running, I wear a strange mask and chase him). Done shit-loads of press. Read some nice reviews of the album, especially MOJO, who compared us to the awesome Earlies (very nice, but I can't really hear it myself) and the even awesomer Field Music (even nicer, and I can totally hear it in places). I've also just started a new project which will probably take a while to come to fruition, but basically involves a video (stop-frame animation and random stuff edited shonkily by me on t'Laptop) for every track on the album. What form it will take when it's done, I've no idea (DVD/Website…) but I’ve already done Appropriate Ending and Woken By A Kiss, and it looks like it could be lush. More about that later.

Saw the Sun piece today. Another nice write-up. I’m beginning to see people's perception of the band come round again, which is an extremely nice feeling indeed. Many thanks to Jacqui (not Jackiey, or Jackiieye) Swift for making me sound half reasonable. Anyway, on with the baggy show. I'm off up to Glasgow tonight on the overnight-mare (Silver Choice Bus). Back in Brighton on the 10th, just in time to fly to Stockholm for da Brakes touros. Back from Scando on the 14th, just in time to rehearse for the UK tour. BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TW x

It's been a full-on one. Saturday night began at Ben and Matt's (Restlesslist house), and kinda ended there, too. Anyway, in between we stopped by the Metway for a few hours, where Kefi, wife of Mark Chadwick of Levellers, was having a Birthday do. And a mighty do it was too… typical debauched Metway fare. Brilliant. And Chadders did an impromptu version of Just The One. It was also cool to run into Small White Light, who used to be called Ox. They'd caught our set at Maggie Mae's in Austin, and totally re-assured me of what I thought had been the shonkiest show we'd had in a long time. Anyway, that took us to about 7 in the morning on Sunday. Just enough time for forty winks, then up for a Roast at Circus Circus in Preston, um, Circus for our friend Bridie's Birthday. Lush food cooked by our pal Scott. And of course the party didn't end there. From Circus Circus we all took various transport on to The Queens Arms, quite the kicking place in Kemptown on a Sunday. Karaoke was the theme (as Glitter had been the night before) ...and I got roped into a duet of 'Uptown Girl' with our friend Holly. Good times, good times. Very pissed good times. Sooo looking forward to this UK tour. Check the Shows page for updates on the supports as I think they;re all confirmed now. Fresh. I need to sleep. TW

p.s… I sincerely apologise to anyone who has been upset or insulted by our involvement in the Billy Mackenzie Tribute night.

I'll begin this wee outpost of blogness by thanking/congratulating Mr. Gary Williams on his efforts on the 28th. Shepherds Bush Empire was packed, and all who were there witnessed (what I believe to have been) a fitting tribute to one Billy Mackenzie – we had a slightly weird one, only so much as that we were without doubt the youngest folk on the bill, and I believe everyone else kinda knew him first time round. Didn't really know how to play it, but we did what I thought was a lush version of 'Blue It Is' (a home recording of which is now on myshite… HERE)

The following night was fucking fresh, too (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) – amazing, sold-out one at The Fly (capacity: 4) ...no, seriously, really nice gig – lush crowd, and great sound, courtesy of one Joe Harlingo!! Top marks to Eamon, too, for battling a hangover extraordinairre, acquired in Paris with Hey Gravity the previous night (check out Eamon's duet with Justine on their new record) to rock a Hammond/Double Guitar 'Cheney'! Sweet 'n' heavy! Cheers everybody, and sorry again to anyone who tried to get in but didn't. Next time.

Oh, and last but surely not least, I have to add that the new RTX album 'Western Exterminator' is one of the records currently messing with my head. Got it in LA, but it's taken a few listens to get my lugs around. Straighter production than 'Transmaniacon', and dare I say it, ever so slightly formulaic, but just as loopy, and still miles ahead of the pack. Will furnish you with a review when I have a minute. Anyway, buy it, for it be some truly Hexagonal dope….

Cheers… TW x

So, another US trip done and dusted, and a blast it was, too! I cannot communicate in words how good the last week has been (Lobster Bisque aside…).

The show in San Diego (The Casbah) blew our minds (dudes had flown down from San Fransisco and Sacramento to see us) ...and LA (Spaceland) was just as lush. Diego was particularly special as it felt there was a large portion of the crowd who not only knew who we were, but had waited a fair few years to see us live, knew the 'Human Body' songs, and seemed almost as excited as us to be there – truly, it was one of those moments where you go 'This is as good as it gets'... and I think it pretty much was. LA was just as great – played a blinder, nice venue, super- accomodating people, and again the crowd were ultra-appreciative – all good!!! Should also mention/thank the fine folk at Better Looking Records (Paul and Dave) who put us up throughout the west coast leg of the trip and whose hospitality was faultless throughout. Both guys have lush places, and didn't seem to mind a skanky band roughing up their living rooms for a couple of nights, and that deserves real props – thanks guys. Oh, and the two bands who lent us their gear for the shows (I'll find their names and thank them properly in the next blog – they saved our asses, big time!).

So, to recap… we ate well (amazing 50's Diner 'round the corner from Paul's place – forgotten the name, but it did awesome 'shakes and breakfasts like you wouldn't believe – pancakes, bacon, sausage, egg, maple syrup etc… the lot, basically), played well, saw the sights: the Hollywood sign on the hill thingy and Amoeba Records – without doubt the biggest record store I have ever seen – being particular highlights among many (I finally managed to track down the new RTX record – sweet!) ...Anyway, I could go on all day – it really was that good. Hopefully back over there in May for more shows, with added Brakes, I believe… sweet! I’m gonna go rest my jet-lagged head.

Love to you all, and please, go to California if you get the chance – it's lush. TW

What a week. Just landed in LA and it is lush. We're here for tonight, chillin' at Better Looking House in Sherman Oaks, then off down to San Diego for a show tomorrow, then back up here for a show on Wednesday. But more about that later.

The Austin/SXSW leg of the trip began, of course, in England. Then onto Chicago where we take our connecting flight to Austin and… rock. But no. People in Chicago O'Hare airport tell us to go to Terminal 1, when where we need to be is quite obviously Terminal 2. So we miss the flight. Not to worry. We can get the next one. Oh, there isn't space on another Austin flight 'til the 20th (it's the 14th). Bugger. That's alright, we'll just get on the next to one to San Antonio in the morning and drive from there to Austin. Let's go find a hotel. Anyone peckish?

Four words: Lobster. Bisque. Food. Poisoning.

By the time I've puked my way through every cubicle in O'Hare airport, they've managed to get us on a flight, approximately 9-ish, though I was hallucinating by this point. To be honest, I'm fucking surprised they let me on the plane. I managed to hold down a couple of mouthfuls of Pepto Bismol, only to pretty much chunder it in the face of the lovely United Airlines lady trying to squeeze us onto said flight. "Are you sure he's OK to fly??" "Yes, please, just please let us on" And she did. Though I proceeded to puke my way through the flight, until another lovely United Airlines lady gave me some other remedy of some description. She just said "Now, it might taste a bit earthy (???) but get it down and it'll settle your stomach." And it did! Though I was still poisoned, and spent the first two days of the trip in bed. Bugger. Anyway, I'm told the rest of the guys had a lush first night – saw Sparklehorse, Buck 65 and a bunch other good shit. Damn!

Began the second day feeling OK-ish. Did a cool session for ol' Dermot O'Leary, then had a real lush show at the outdoor Bar-B-Q space at Guero's. Sweet show and I think we may have found the youngest ESP fan ever in a crazy 3-yr-old boogieing down the front to most of the set – watch the video – She started crying at the end of Everybody Wants though, so… Then had to get kip. OK showcase that night at Maggie Mae's. Audience seemed to dig it, I didn't think we rocked it, but hey, jetlag kicking in and all that…

Woke up yesterday feeling almost completely normal. Had a chilled day – actually saw some bands (!!!!) ...The Pipettes were great, The Young Knives had a sweet last gig of their SXSW at Waterloo Records and we wound ours up with a show at the Cedar Street Courtyard, which actually turned out to be the show of the weekend for us – good fucking crowd, good fucking gear, good fucking venue all round (thank you again, Seb, for cracking FOH) ...woooo!!! After the show we ran across town and caught The Hazey Janes, followed by The Presidents Of The United States Of America. A dream come true for me and Al and they didn't dissapoint. Very nice end to a weird weekend. And that's about it… Bring on next year! TW

I am sitting in front of the computer at home trying to remember what I did last week. Amsterdam and Antwerp I can remember quite vividly. Hertogenbosch and Gronigen not so. Mmmm. All good shows though – played with a lush bunch of guys who go by the name of Gem – kinda like a Dutch Libertines, and very charming indeed. In Amsterdam we took a trip to the Jazz bar we always find ourselves in – Matt Eaton Merch's first time there, and he could not quite believe his ears or eyes. As always, an alarming display of musicianship, and to top it all, a random lady singing 'Girl From Ipanema'. Perfect. Pre-rolls all the way for me, psycho crystal shit for Eamon, and Andy Tour-Manager even went out and got some cookies, just for a laugh. Brilliant.

Which pretty much brings us up to now – off across the pond on a metal-death-bird tomorrow, and if we make it in one piece it's gonna be a fucking mighty week. I believe one of our first shows (at Maggie Mae's on the Friday) is on a rooftop, just for that Saville Row vibe – oh, yeah… Then more shows in Austin, then up to LA/San Diego – can't fuckin’ wait! And need I mention the band ESP is most looking forward to?? Field Music, of course. Brilliant band, and if the rumours are true, it may be the last time we hear from them for while. Which would suck. Anyway, we're gonna make a b-line for them and whatever other kick-ass bands there are (let me remind you just for a second that there are an estimated 14,000 bands turning up in Austin this year… huevos rancheros!) ...anyway, that’s all from me. Hope everyone's well, and may I just say a big, big, big thank you to all those folk who made the Round Table/Rebel Playlist stuff happen. It means a hell of a lot to be back on the radio, so thank YOU!

Love, TW x

We're now two dates into the English leg of this tour (in support of 'Cease…') ...and I think we've all just about recovered from playing 6 gigs straight in Scotland (apart from a nasty bout of tour lurgy I seem to have acquired in the last day). Scotland was a blast, truly – good shows in Dundee, Inverness and Forres (don't even go there…), and awesome shows in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Cumnock – Cumnock being the show where we kinda auctioned off Brakes for a night to any fan who could answer the eternal question correctly – Porcupine or Pineapple? – the correct answer of course being… well, let's not go there.

Anyway, I can speak for everyone in the band, and Matt Eaton (he of Merch and Actress Hands): Cumnock was possibly the most insane/memorable/twisted night of any of our lives – playing in the upstairs function room of a hotel to a Brakes fan and thirty of her (rather refreshed) mates – pure bizarreness, but great in every way… and we drank some VERY scary things: A Green Monster, anyone? How about a Crazy Vimto? Have you tried a Jager Bomb? The mind boggles. Anyway, a big thank you to Sadie and Jane for making it so worthwhile and being ultra accommodating to a rock band turning up in their lovely hotel (The Mercat in Cumnock – check it out), and cheers to The Hoydens for going on first. Also, props to Le Reno Amps, who accompanied us on the Scottish dates and kept us in fits of laughter pretty much all day, every day! Very fucking funny chaps ("What the hell is your face and hands up to??!!"), and a darn lovely band – they'll be helping out on the April ESP tour too, so watch out for 'em (we're in the process of finalising all the supports for it and it's shaping up very nicely – will let you all know the details as soon as…)

I should just add that Manchester was sweet 'n' rockin' 'n' shit – good to play the Academy 3 for the first time in four years – and the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham was right on. Quiet at first, but we had 'em by the end. Always do. Right, I've got some failing to be getting on with. Speak soon. TW

Note: The above comment may be something to do with an NME review though I can't remember exactly.

I trust all who came had an OK time. My thoughts were that the Astoria didn't rock as much as it has in the past. For some reason the sound didn't seem up to much all night. We had a tough gig (Eamon at the end of the gig: 'you guys have been… OK…!!') and The Long Blondes seemed a little irked at something too, though the crowd went mental enough for them, and I thought it was the best I've seen them.

Anyway, here I am, back in Glasgow after another painful 8-hour dose of the ol' Megabus, grabbing my last day of rest for maybe two months – doin' this Brakes tour, then us ESP'ers are off to Hamerica, then back for more shows here, then the record's out in April. Phew!

I should also take this opportunity to mention the Restlesslist album, which has been coming together, bit by bit, over the last year or so, and is now really starting to take shape. The boys (Matt and Ben) are currently holed up in The Metway back in Brighton, and I believe they have begun the mixing. It's due out in June, and if it's anywhere near as good as I think it's going to be, it's gonna fucking slay people. Maybe see some of you in Dundee, hmmm?? TW x

Forget Cassettes rock. Not to begin with, though. The girl-guy two-piece (with added bass-player for one song) start out all shonky, thudding trip-hop beats and, like, distorted synth bass and shit. But give 'em a few tunes and they've mutated into an awesome, freeform-rock monster. Think The Dead C with PJ Harvey on vox, or even better, a less cluttered, slower, bluesier Ex, with one guitar and shitloads of delay. Lush. Couple this with the fact that they look amazing: lady w/guitar, voice and skinny white dress up front/jazz Keith Moon up the back, and the Glasgow kidz are well on their side by the end.

The last time I saw 'Trail Of Dead was Reading 2002, and boy did it suck: main stage sound, audience waiting for Bowling For Soup or some shit, hungover band trying to rock at 1 in the afternoon – didn't work, to say the least. They gave me some nice bud though. Sweet. Anyway, here we are in Glasgow, five years down the line. Now expanded to a six-piece with added keyboard/producer-guys and new bass-player, they wisely ignore the recent 'So Divided' stuff in favour of some heavy-as-fuck oldies, hurtling straight into 'It Was There That I Saw You' and 'Relative Ways'. And it sounds SO good. How the fuck they've lost their way so badly on their last couple of records I don't know, but tonight they seem to know they're up against doubt, and play accordingly – 'A Perfect Teenhood', 'Blood Rites', 'Stand In Silence', 'Totally Natural', even rolling out 'Mistakes and Regrets' ('For the first time on this tour, kids!!' – yeah, right) ...and it works, if only in highlighting how skull-crushingly brilliant most of their back catalogue is, and how taken for granted our best bands can become. To recap, then… 'Trail Of Dead: one of the most brutal, powerful and intelligent live bands working today. Go see them before they fucking jack it in. TW

Sorry to have not been on since London – 'twas a hectic wee club tour, that. Good shows in Oxford and Bedford – Oxford was, well, Oxford (Holloways playing upstairs – friendly chaps… Alfred, the singer, came to say hi during soundcheck, and unwittingly witnessed us jamming out old Oasis b-sides (Round Are Way/Listen Up/Stay Young) like the chumps we are – very funny), and Bedford was almost exactly the same as when we played there 6 yrs ago – sweet, but very reserved crowd, like they don't get enough practice going to see, like, err, bands and shit. Anyway, it's been a buzz playing these shows as a five piece – new stuff sounding just right, and the old stuff sounding better than ever. I should also give Ben (Elliott) and Matt (Twaites) a wee shout for providing our audiences with some Restlesslist fat-ness on these shows, too – sounding better than ever.

So, this little tour-ette (sorry!) over, I got dropped off at Gatwick, so I could catch a train to Victoria, so I could get my bus to Glasgow, so I could see my lady for Valentine's. Aww! And a good Valentine's it was too – went to see the 'Trail Of Dead absolutely tear it up at Oran Mor (ESP's Glasgow date in April). Lush venue, and the band were on fucking fire. I'll furnish you with a proper review sometime in the next couple of days. Which just leaves the Brits, and a fair game this year, I thought. Well done you Fratellis/Monkeys/Winehouse (especially Winehouse!!!) ...and fuck you Allen/Nutini. You got what you deserve – zilch, baby!!

Next: Brakes tour starts with the Long Blondes Astoria/NME fandango on the 20th, then off to the Highlands with Le Reno Amps for Haggis, Neeps, Tatties and more gigs – woo-hoo!!!

I can't say how much we've all enjoyed the last coupla shows – Pressure Point in Brighton was a pretty damn cool first show of the year, but ever so slightly nervous – home town crowd – awww! Props from Nobby Sea Power, Becki / John / Seb Pipette and plenty other Brighton folk though, so a good start! Club Frog (at the lovely Mean Fiddler) last night however, was an absolute blast – possibly the most discerning crowd you could place a band in front of, but I think we slayed them. Had a rocking team on the go: Me + Al up the front, Matt's Twaites (low end), Priest (drumming) and Eaton (on extra gtr – needs to be seen/heard to be believed!), Phil Sumner on Cornetto and Joey Knuckles on the desk, and of course, they treated us very well indeed. Fucking brilliant! Anyway, hopefully onwards and upwards – we're stoked to be doing the Zodiac (Oxford) tomorrow (lush venue upstairs or down) and of course Bedford Esquires the day after for the first time in about 6 yrs!! Should be fresh. Oh, and just another – we're going to SXSW again… wooooooohoooooooo!! Speak to you all after Bedfordorama. TW x