News
ESP 'do' PSB / Cakes
02/06/08 So, a brand new cover version of the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Jealousy’ is up right now. Go to the ESP Myspace to hear the sounds of the 1st of July 2008. It is very sweet indeed, we-thinks. It is also available for yr delectation at the Buffetlibre site along with the rest of the compilation. Enjoy!
In other news – Restlesslist (myspace) The debut LP, ‘The Rise And Fall Of The Curtain Club’ is out now in all good grocer’s.
In yet other news, Stuart Flynn’s Dirty Cakes (myspace) have been booked for the ‘At Home By The Sea’ Festival, which is being held at The Concorde II, Brighton, on the 8th and 9th of August. They will open Friday’s (8th) proceedings in the main room, ‘bout 7. The event will also feature sets from such new and exciting groups as Chrome Hoof, Restlesslist, Brakes, Camera Obscura and Shout Out Louds. Banzai!!! TX
P.S. I should just give a lil’ mention to the new Cottonmouth Rocks 7” single, ‘Witch Doctor’. It’ll be out on the 14th of July, on the ‘fast becoming extremely reliable’ Drift Records (possibly just the website – I dunno, innit) ...anyway, it’s bound to be lushatronic, so check the bad-boy out y’all!!!
Sorry for delay in posting (webmaster had no net access)
I Dream Of Black out now
The Thomas White debut LP “I Dream Of Black” is out now nationwide and to the world via all good download sites. Available from the Drift Shop ships worldwide for £10 – delicious digipack (whilst stocks last!) Also at iTunes
Stream album track Starry Nite #2 at NME.com’s Media Page
Preview tracks on Thomas’s Myspace Info: Drift Blog — Drift Website
Q Mag August 2008: I Dream Of Black (Drift, **** Q Recommends) recalls the psychedelic-rock splendour of Spiritualized at their peak.
“Largely experimental, slighly mental, ‘I Dream Of Black’ may very well be the best thing Thomas White has ever produced” – Culture Deluxe
“He seems to be in possession of some sort of magic quality music elixir, one that’s capable of stretching out genre boundaries while never losing sight of the qualities of a good tune… Chalk another one up in his credit column” – Sweeping The Nation
“Overall proceedings are versatile, essentially original and engaging. Moreover ‘I Dream Of Black’ is a somewhat unusual album, in that it is as much of itself while simultaneously sounding like some distant album soundtracking a lost, forgotten 60’s film” – Subba-Culture
“It’s delightful and you can’t but marvel” – Clash
“In a word, brilliant. A striking slab of old-school lo-fi indie, if you like early Domino or Drag City stuff then you’ll lap this up. It’s out on Drift Records who are fast becoming one of the best UK indie’s ever” – Is This Music
“...a lo-fi record, likened by the man himself to what ESP’s songs often sound like in their embryonic form. ‘I Dream Of Black’ contains snippets, slightly unformed songs, which befit the scratchy home recording style of the whole. It’s rewarding, not least the incendiary, swirling My Bloody Valentine-esque ‘The Runaround’, which is possibly the most impressive and innovative thing on offer and makes you wonder how White would get on with the kind of time and money Kevin Shields had to record ‘Loveless’. As it is, we can enjoy another album from a prolific artist showing an admirable do-it-yourself ethos” – CMU Daily
Read the latest album reviews here (updated 30th June) Win a signed album from Drift in their Anagram Competition – use as many of the letters as you can for extra points (closes a week from 20th June) Entries to – info@driftrecords.co.uk
Most suitable anagrams please of: “drift presents thomas white I dream of black”
The Dirty Cakes at Water Rats
Blog 16/06/07: Just a quick one. On the 26th of this month, Brighton based psycho-cabaret-metal-showtune band The Dirty Cakes (as seen on BBC9’s ‘Come Dyke With Me’) will be performing at The Water Rats in London’s Kings Cross. The show will feature a revolving line-up of some of Brighton (and London)‘s top bods, including:
Stuart Flynn (Vocals)
Max Earl (Keys/Bass)
Alex White (Drums/Keys)
Thomas White (Guitar/Drums)
Matthew Twaites (Bass/Keys)
Damo Waters (Drums)
Monster Bobby (Keys/Noise)
Marc Beatty (Bass/Keys)
BRING IT ON x More info and Tickets
Latest Blog + reviews
Album reviews Updated 24th June with the Culture Deluxe review.
Thomas White Tour News Updated 16th June with a Louisiana review.
Blog 14.6.08: Good gig/album launch/dress-up last night with Restlesslist Despite The Hope kinda suckin’ as a venue, Vile Imbeciles properly ripped it up (they’re at Belushi’s in Brighton tomorrow if you missed last night), and I guess we had an ok show too. Well, it was rammed at least. Good on the Shindig! folks for having a third consecutive corker!!
In other recent news, ESP had a fucking storming night with Sparks at the conclusion of their 20 nights of insanity at the Islington Academy. We did the Hello Young Lovers show, and I have to say, the audience were particularly accommodating and lovely, considering the obvious number of total die-hards in attendance, and the fact that we hadn’t actually played together since April. Lush evening (Photos by Kirstie in the Gallery)
In yet other news, I just finished my debut solo tour. A strange and brilliant experience – too many stories to tell, so I won’t. I’ll just say what a pleasure it was hanging with The T-T, and getting to air some of my tunes before the record comes out. The release date is now set for July 14th, with a digital single, ‘The Runaround’, out a couple of weeks before. Drift have done an admirable job on the sleeve, and nice wee reviews are starting to come in, so I’m happy! TW x
CMU Daily – Thomas White – I Dream of Black LP (Drift Records)
As if Thomas White didn’t have enough going on with Electric Soft Parade, Brakes, Restlesslist and the rest of the Brighton scene, he has now joined the Devon-based Drift Collective and is set to release this, his debut solo album. Recorded at home on a four track tape machine, with White playing all the instruments himself, this is a lo-fi record described by the man himself as an idea of what ESP’s demos might sound like. ‘I Dream Of Black’ contains several snippets, slightly unformed songs which befit the scratchy home recording style of the whole. It’s rewarding in parts, not least the incendiary, swirling My Bloody Valentine-esque ‘The Runaround’, which is possibly the most impressive and innovative thing on offer and makes you wonder how White would get on with the kind of time and money Kevin Shields had to record ‘Loveless’. As it is we can enjoy another album from a prolific artist showing an admirable do-it-yourself ethos.
Restlesslist Album Launch + ESP Sparks support
Restlesslist Album out now: See their Myspace Blog for the latest. They have a launch party at the Hope, Queens Rd, Brighton, Friday 13th June 9pm – 2am, the band will be playing live and they have a fancy dress theme of Seaside Horror.
Electric Soft Parade supported Sparks on the 11th June at Islington Academy, this was also streamed live at CD PULSE There’s audio at Brothers Electric Stuart Flynn finished the set and sounded out of this world even on the MP3.
Read TW’s latest Blog: Bullet Train/Tour/Sparks/Brakes Thanks to all the folk who’ve been at the shows so far. We’ve had a great time, I feel like my singing’s really going somewhere exciting… TW Myspace
TinternetRadio Sun 8th June: Read TW’s quotes here You’ll notice he says in no uncertain terms he turned down the invitation to play at Truck Festival so therefore this date has been removed from the website. Apologies for posting incorrect information – there has obviously been some misunderstanding…
TinternetRadio: He talks about his new record “I Dream Of Black” out soon, touring with Chris T-T, also Alex and The Pipettes: Transcript
Restlesslist on BBC6 Music: Transcript New single Butlin Breaks is out now. More info and where to buy: Myspace – iTunes – Recordstore offer
Marc Riley: Butlin Breaks has got to be one of the records of the year, when it comes through to Christmas and we’re putting that programme together with all the best records, I can guarantee that that will be in there…
ESP in Paris April 2008: Visual Music Review and Interview
Thanks to Ghostchild. Photos by Stéphane Lazreg in the Gallery
The latest Blogs + News
30/04/08: As promised, here is a home-made shonk-marathon, set to “The Runaround”. I need to apologise in advance for the shit quality – trust me, it looks fresh on my laptop, it’s just lost a bunch of the definition in translation. I shall endeavour to improve this soon, and upload the results. In the meantime, enjoy some seriously pixellated psychedelia!!! HERE
I May Be 24 Now, But I Still Fucking Hate Jim Davidson: So, I’m 24 today!! Whatever. I’d like to take this pivotal moment in my life to start a Jim Davidson thread. Or rather, an ANTI-Jim Davidson thread on the Myspace Blog
26/04/08: Firstly, there are some fresh shots recently posted here: kymmo.com of ESP playing at Lyon In Rock (click on gallery then festivals) and Ninkasi Kao, Lyon, at the end of last year (click on gallery then concerts) Very lush indeed.
ESP have been asked to contribute a cover of an 80’s song to a compilation, the exact details of which I don’t know at this moment. Any ideas – bearing in mind the only guidelines are that it has to be a song from the 80’s?! Post your suggestions on the Myspace Blog
Europe Has It Right/New ESP EP
22/04/08: They do, believe me. In every way. It is just such a pleasure, on every level, to play on the continent. Apart from great venues and even greater crowds, we had the best meal of the tour in Lyon, on our day off. A small Italian place next to our hotel, me and Al opted for the Roquefort, apple and walnut salad, and we weren’t dissapointed. The waiter even got his bass out from behind the bar when he realised we were a band (photo) The shows weren’t bad either.
We had an absolute stonker in Vienna (Lyon, too) ....and supporting Ian Brown again was great, not to mention Matt and Damo stepping up to the 3-piece challenge at The Bataclan like true professionals (photos) After which we sprinted across town to be reunited with Al and play our own little headliner at Le Showcase. Brilliant. Can’t wait to go back in the autumn.
More photos in the Gallery HERE thanks to Damo Waters.
Also, and this is a very tenuous tit-bit, me and Alex have begun preparations for the next intallment of ESP-ness. At present, the plan is to issue an EP of brand new material in the autumn, with a bunch of touring to accompany, followed by our fourth (!!!) LP proper. Currently un-titled, the EP will certainly feature new live-favourite ‘Things Snowball’ and ‘We Don’t Need To Fight Anymore’, as heard on our myspace.
On a completely different note, we (myself and Chris T-T) are in the process of organising our May/June tour. The dates are up on both our myspaces, and we’ll be looking for floors/spare rooms to kip on/in where possible. If anyone’s feeling kind enough to help out, do not hesitate to contact me at my Myspace or the ESP Myspace Anyone providing a floor/bed will get as many guestlist places as they need at whichever shows they wish.
Many thanks,
TW
X
Thomas White news
New song – The Devil In A Trojan Horse: Thomas White Myspace
May-June solo shows: Venue & Ticket links here
Debut Solo Album – I Dream Of Black: released 14th July on Drift Records
His first solo outing, I Dream Of Black, is a home crafted dream-scape of whirring synths, psych-guitar, and the instantly recognisable vocal. With the self-imposed remit of “making a cohesive record without going anywhere near a studio”, Tom set himself up with a Tascam 4-Track tape recorder and began brainstorming.
Inspiration is derived from a myriad of different sources including The Dandy Warhols, RTX, Broadcast, Money Mark, Clearlake and The Wicker Man. Amid ambient electro-acoustica and playful surf ‘wig-outs’, the single The Runaround sees Thomas “channeling Courtney Taylor-Taylor circa 1998”, while the albums’ “only love song” Starry Nite #2 conjures up The Beach Boys at their beatific best. Starry Nite #3 splices Robert Wyatt’s early seventies recordings with the dusty beats of Money Mark, and closer Wartime Love/Solar Collapse imagines the sound of a solar implosion as heard from earth.
Thomas played a session on 6 Music: read the Blog and interview transcript
ESP in Europe
Le Bataclan 19th April photos: Photos And Gigs and Sound Of Violence
ESP were on FM4 radio from Austria on the 15th April. They had an interview and played an acoustic session: interview transcript and Listen here
Jagermeister Rock Liga, Germany: Video footage HERE Updated 12th April. Watch Broadcast, If That’s The Case… Everybody Wants, Have You Ever Felt Like It’s Too Late and Silent To The Dark. Thanks to Kirstie & Stuart Flynn.
Photos here New pics by Damo Waters, for larger View Pics at Myspace
30/03/08: Such a well organised, fun, friendly tour!! Munich, Stuttgart, Leipzig and Dresden all blew us away, though Dresden was my favourite. Ferry home was a buncha laughs, as was getting Damo on a train just in time, but we got there in the end, and are now safely ensconced back at home.
Anyway, I must extend a massive “TA” to all involved in the Jagermeister Rock Liga, especially George, who did our onstage sound every night and was awesome; Axel, who, despite having his own band took time out to emcee the whole caboodle and introduce each band every night, take the scores and generally whip the crowd up – he was wicked; I have to also mention Richey, who was tour manager for the whole thing and did a fine job of keeping us all under control!! God knows we needed it. Lastly, a big cheers to Chris P, our own tour manager and front of house engineer. And driver. And everything in between. We cannot thank him enough. All good.
In a couple of days I head up to Manchester for this session and gig. Very much looking forward to seeing Marc Riley again as he is one of the funniest people alive, though the thought of my first EVER solo radio session is a little daunting to say the least. Only one thing for it: Gam-ba-te!!!!!!!! TW X
25/03/08: Gerrrrrrmannnyeeeeee!!!!! Good one last night in Essen – big crowd, and we seemed to go down very well. I am writing this from the dressing room at the Backstage club in Munich. It’s a rotating bill, so we were on first last night, second tonight, headlining tomorrow. The venue is currently heaving to the sounds of Zoot Woman, we’re on in 20 minutes, and the place is absolutely fucking rammed… BANZAI!!! More when it comes. Sorry to anyone who may be trying to get into contact with us over the next week – we’ll be in Germany for the next week, then it’ll be back to business as usual! TW X
New ESP Myspace track + Thomas White news
Hand In Hand, Kemptown: Visit the Myspace Blog for live videos from Thomas White and Stuart Flynn, filmed by Alex on the 3rd March.
New Shoes??!!! New one of Alex’s up right now in myspaceland ’We Don’t Need To Fight Anymore’ had been heard by quite enough people for the time being, thankyouverymuch. In it’s place is ’Things Snowball’... think Queens with a Brighton accent, or maybe Supergrass with semitone-based OCD. Though really there’s so much more to it than that. Won’t have this ’un up for too long as we’ve an album to write and more to share. Enjoy!
Thomas White news: Thomas will be Marc Riley-ing it in the early evening of the 3rd of April. 6Music, about 7.30/8.00pm. He will then sojourn to the Night And Day for a wee acoustic set of loveliness. Marc Riley website & myspace
A new Thomas White solo show has been added for the evening of the 6Music session in Manchester. Thomas will perform a short acoustic set at The Night And Day Cafe, onstage around 9pm, 5 quidz on the door. Maybe they’ll even let him use their piano! Other acts are as yet unconfirmed… Thomas White Myspace
Current Reading Mark (Eels) Everett’s autobiography…