this december: a non-christmas party

hi all

so i've confirmed gig #20 of my twenty-gig tour to end the year, so we are officially at full capacity. the final gig, on the 11th of december, is something like a party, and it's also in December, but let's make this very clear, this is not a Christmas party. i mean, come in christmas wear if you like, but it's September so don't even begin thinking about that now. you should still all be thinking about what you're going to trick or treat as this year, right?

right.

so anyway, this party is less like a get-drunk-and-throw-up-on-yourself party, and more like an excellent gig-party, at which i'll be joined by a couple of very special guests to be announced this very weekend. the show is on a Sunday night so doors will be at the earlier time of 7pm, and we'll be done by 10.30, so if you're feeling brave enough to trust me that the line up is superb, you can part company with £5 in exchange for a ticket right here:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/136096

the full list of dates is now like this, and hopefully shall remain so:

SEPTEMBER

17 Glastonbury The King Arthur

OCTOBER

1 Manchester The Garrett

2 Kidderminster The Swan (matinee show)

7 Bristol Louisiana

8 Birmingham Bright House

9 Nr. Swindon House Show

29 London Borderline

NOVEMBER

4 London The Wheelbarrow

6 Portsmouth Edge of the Wedge

9 Oxford Port Mahone

11 Bath Green Park Tavern

12 Leicester Crumblin' Cookie

13 Cheltenham Slak

19 Reading Rising Sun Arts Centre

24 Swindon The Vic

DECEMBER

2 Nr. Kettering House Show

3 York City Screen Basement

4 Leeds House Show

4 Huddersfield House Show

11 Reading Ben Marwood's Non-Christmas Party @ Rising Sun Arts Centre

Obviously you're too late to come to the Glastonbury show, but hopefully I'll see you at some others.

Take care

b. x

one down, nineteen to go

2011 careers towards winter and, if today is anything to go by, the sky looks set to hang heavy in autumnal grey anytime.. now. Or perhaps it was just because today was Monday, a day when even the brightest tapestry is reduced to the texture of soggy microwaved lasagne.

Actually even that's not as poor as the BBQ Chicken pizza I just attempted to eat. Oh Monday, i'll get you back for this.

As I type this I am one date into the final tour of the year - that one show being a delightful, smalltown show in my new favourite Glastonbury pub, the King Arthur. Friendly hosts, nice locals, and a couple of greatly entertaining supports - and with that out of the way, nineteen dates remain. Originally we were looking at one more, but due to that old enemy Miscommunication, the Oxford house show on 9th October is no longer going ahead. I'll still be at the Port Mahon on November 9th though.

The next leg of the tour takes us to the following places, all of which are with Oxygen Thief, who has been recording a new video this past weekend. More on that when.. he tells us more on that. Dates!

OCTOBER

1 Manchester The Garrett (onstage 8.30pm)

2 Kidderminster The Swan (matinee show, doors 3pm)

7 Bristol Louisiana

8 Birmingham Bright House

9 House Show

Take it easy, kids!

Ben

new song goes Mile High / tour dates confirmed

Hey all!

Stalkers take note - I've moved house. Alas, this means I'm mostly without internet until later this week, so hello from my parents' lounge with this important news update. My mum is currently down the pub, my dad is.. shortly on his way to the pub. It's good to have a routine.

NEW SONG EXCLUSIVE TO iTUNES

After the warehouse fire that destroyed more or less the entire stock of Xtra Mile Recordings back at the start of August, those cheeky chaps are bouncing straight back into action with a compilation called Xtra Mile High Club Vol. 3 which, would you believe, is the third instalment in the Xtra Mile High Club series and is an iTunes exclusive.

Naturally I'm delighted to be included on such an awesome compilation. The track in question is a solo acoustic version of 'We Are No Longer Twenty-Five', which proved a big hit at shows this year. Also included on the compilation are the likes of Frank Turner, Chris T-T, Dive Dive, Franz Nicolay, Crazy Arm, Fighting Fiction and many, many more.

More information is available here - go see!

ALSO, TOUR DATES CONFIRMED

Yes, at long last, the full list of tour dates have been confirmed for the upcoming tour. Alors!

SEPTEMBER

17 Glastonbury The King Arthur

OCTOBER

1 Manchester The Garrett (OT) - free show

2 Kidderminster The Swan (OT) - matinee show, 3pm, free show

7 Bristol The Louisiana (OT)

8 Birmingham Bright House (OT) - free show

9 House Shows

29 London Borderline (DG)

NOVEMBER

4 London Wheelbarrow (KE)

6 Portsmouth Edge of the Wedge (KE)

9 Oxford Port Mahon

11 Bath Green Park Tavern (OT)

12 Leicester The Crumblin' Cookie (OT)

13 Cheltenham Slak (OT)

19 Reading Rising Sun Arts Centre (OT)

24 Swindon The Vic (OT)

DECEMBER

2 House Show

3 York City Screen Basement Bar (OT)

4 House Shows

(OT) denotes with Oxygen Thief

(DG) as a guest of Dave J Giles

(KE) with Kyle D Evans and Mynameisian

See you out there!

b. x

armchair punditry

happy saturday!

further news on the below tourdates soon. but first: sport, or, if you're american, "SPORTS!".

not only did the riots of a few weeks ago send the album up in flames (note to self: flame-retardant second album required), but they also led to the eventual postponement of my beloved Everton FC's first game at Tottenham, in a match which we surely would've won, right? er..

anyway, the good people at This Is Fake DIY recently asked me for my thoughts on the upcoming season and I donned my realistic hat and told them my predictions right here

you can call me up on the last day of the season and tell me i'm wrong (but i won't care because normally football is dead to me again by May).

it's a game of two halves etc

b. x

Something For The Weekends

Hi, cherubs.

You might have noticed that I don't get out on tour very much, and some days this saddens me. Not days when it's pissing down with rain outside; not days when it's snowing a blizzard; not days when there is something good on TV that I don't want to miss. But it's not long before I miss the road trips and adventures associated with playing new places and catching up with people in favourite ones.

Sure, if it wasn't that I have rent to pay and thus a job to hold down, I'd probably have a regularly-increasing list of shows to impress onlookers with, but I do have rent, so I don't live on people's floors and on their sofas and I do go to work.

A challenging scenario reared its head earlier this year: I went out on tour with Frank and Franz and, in doing so, exhausted pretty much all my holiday from work for the rest of my life, amen, and the only time I'm freed from my desk to gig between now and the end of the year have got to be the days when I'm not scheduled to be there.

Yes, the weekend.

Hanging up my touring shoes (which, er, I don't have) until 2012 when I'd have more time to spend on the road simply wasn't an option. So instead, me and some friends have devised a series of weekend shows to keep the people of England entertained. The criteria were simple ones:

1. On a Saturday, we can get as far away from base as we can

2. On Sundays, we play house shows or ones on the way home

3. If we can't fit a gig in on the weekend, we can do ones close to home in the week

The Saturdays filled up almost instantly, and so the past month or so has been spent filling in the gaps where we can. Apologies to Scotland, the East, the South West and Wales - we can only really get to you on a Saturday, and they went pretty fast. I'll be back out in 2012 and we'll get something sorted for then instead.

Also, we're looking to do some house shows (the ones below marked HOUSE SHOW TBC). Essentially, if you'd like to host a house show on a Sunday afternoon, drop me a line on benmarwood@gmail.com and we can get talking. I'm aware that we haven't hit many towns/cities on this fair isle for reasons I've already listed above, so if you're feeling hard done by, put in for a show. Nothing silly though, please. If we have a gig in Manchester and we need to get back to Bristol, we aren't going to play for you in Paris, or Essex, or Dublin. You don't need a PA, just a friendly smile and a cup of tea. Deal?

Anyway, the shows..

BEN MARWOOD: SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND

tour of england, autumn 2011

final list updated 11th September 2011

SEPTEMBER

17 Glastonbury The King Arthur

OCTOBER

1 Manchester The Garrett (OT) - free show

2 Kidderminster The Swan (OT) - matinee show, 3pm, free show

7 Bristol The Louisiana (OT)

8 Birmingham Bright House (OT) - free show

9 House Shows

29 London Borderline (DG)

NOVEMBER

4 London Wheelbarrow (KE)

6 Portsmouth Edge of the Wedge (KE)

9 Oxford Port Mahon

11 Bath Green Park Tavern (OT)

12 Leicester The Crumblin' Cookie (OT)

13 Cheltenham Slak (OT)

19 Reading Rising Sun Arts Centre (OT)

24 Swindon The Vic (OT)

DECEMBER

2 House Show

3 York City Screen Basement Bar (OT)

4 House Shows

(OT) denotes with Oxygen Thief

(DG) as a guest of Dave J Giles

(KE) with Kyle D Evans and Mynameisian

Extra special thanks to Oxygen Thief and Kyle for booking a lot of the above shows. Apologies to those in Scotland and Cornwall where we had to turn down shows due to being unable to fit them in.

See you out there.

B. x

things i have done in the past month

1. i ate a lot of cake

serious amounts, in fact.

2. my album became slightly more limited-edition

you might have heard that rioters/future fathers for justice members torched the Sony distribution warehouse in Enfield at the height of the riots. "no worries", you probably thought, "the world can survive without those unsold PS3 units". but, if you haven't heard, it was the distribution unit shared by Sony and PIAS, and home to the stock of around 100 independent labels (if the stories are true). what i can confirm to be true is that the good folk of Xtra Mile, who have put their nice butts on the line for me this past year, lost all stock past and present in the blaze, including my album. there is/was talk of PIAS fundraisers to help out the labels concerned, as far as i'm aware there are ongoing discussions about who is owed what, but the fact that cannot be escaped is that it has happened, it has been accepted, and people are starting to move on. if you get an opportunity to help, please do.

3. i have been in the studio with Bobby Bloomfield

for the first time since I recorded 'More Good Propaganda' for the original Four By Four Broken Tail compilation back in 2007, I recently went into the studio with Rob (Bobby) Bloomfield, these days of Does It Offend You, Yeah?, to record some new material for a second album that is so far (touch wood) proving to be not-so-difficult.

4. i have been booking a tour of England

.. but more on that tomorrow..

5. i have been searching for a new house and a new job

.. and i've found them both!

So you see, I have been doing things.. expect news on the autumn tour of England tomorrow evening (Wednesday), 10pm, and news of new material by the end of the month.

Update complete.

Ben

incoming: 2000 Trees

Hey all,

Long time no see, hope your summer's been good so far. This is summer, right? Something about the constant running theme of blue-sky-grey-sky-sun-rain-sun has left Reading and the surrounding area in what seems like perpetual April.

To combat this I've actually been out to gigs to, you know, see them instead of play them. Once the bizarre feeling that i should have been doing something instead of standing and watching had subsided, I finally got to see Death Cab in Brixton last week, and also Bright Eyes at the Albert Hall, plus i caught Tom Williams and the Boat for the first time in too long at Reading's Outside:Inside festival last weekend on a day when the sun actually came out like it was still 2010.

Also, I know it's summer because Seattle's premier online-and-in-the-airs radio station KEXP.org had their summer pledge drive in June, which is a cause I'm always 10002% keen to support. This year they broadcast live from Sasquatch festival in Washington at the end of May, taking in sets from Guided By Voices, Death Cab For Cutie, The Decemberists, Modest Mouse, Wilco, Flaming Lips and more, and if those names mean anything to you, you can still stream the gigs from their archives here. Go crazy!

and this weekend.. 2000Trees!

Indeed, it must have been summer at some point, because everyone's shedding their Glastonbury mudpacks and this weekend is the fantastic2000Trees festival out near Cheltenham, and I couldn't be more excited. For those of you going, you can find me on the Greenhouse stage midway through Friday (15th) and you can also expect storming sets across the weekend from the incredible Dive Dive, Oxygen Thief, Jim Lockey and more, including Exit Ten and Malefice representing the Reading metal scene. My personal highlight this year will be if it doesn't rain.. I don't think I've been to a dry Trees yet.

.. and then a festival warmdown in Reading

Whilst I'd love to be joining the Trees crew all weekend, I have to jet back to Reading on Saturday for a festival warmdown show. There just wasn't enough time for a festival warm-up, as it turns out. So, you can find me at Rising Sun Arts Centre in Reading alongside Aubrey Dye and Dylan Louise this Saturday 16th.

on tour from September!

These are likely to be my only shows of the summer, but I'll be back out on tour in September for a jaunt around the country. So, if you have a night near you that you'd like to see me at, feel free to drop me a line and point me in that direction. Obviously i can't cover everywhere, but i'm hoping to cover as much ground as possible by December. It's sadly not looking likely that i'll be getting to Scotland, but the rest of the country is fair game, and it should be a great end to what has thus far been a great 2011. I'm trying to drag along plenty of friends of mine, including Oxygen Thief, Quiet Quiet Band and more.

Stay well!

Ben