We’re on day four of our epic UK tour. Because we drove to Swindon on Tuesday then went back to Cardiff for a day off on Wednesday, it only really feels like day two!

We got on a tourbus for the first time in over a year yesterday, then played the Cavern in Exeter. It was great fun, but it’s hell getting a ton of equipment in and out of that place. Narrow stairs, heavy boxes. I’m going to look like the hulk by the end of this tour with all the heavy lifting!

Straight Lines, who are supporting us for the first half of the tour are living on the bus with us and helping to carry things, so it could be worse! We’re like one big happy tour family.

We’re playing at the Princess Pavilion in Falmouth this evening. It’s lovely here, like wandering through a postcard! I’ve never seen so many Cornish Pasty shops in my life, though! I might hit the beach later..

We’re playing in Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall this evening as part of St. David’s Week. Daffodils, male-voice choirs, The Automatic. What could be more Welsh?

I’m really looking forward to being able to come home in less than four hours this evening. I’ve spent almost twenty-four hours on the M4 already this year! Tour starts soon, then I can really start to log the motorway hours..

Rob

We don’t control our own page yet. I’m writing this blog to try and prove to them that I am who I say I am.

I just de-spammed all my blog posts.

“Your article was one of the most informative I have ever read on this subject, where do you get your information?”

..was a response to me talking about frozen peas. Hmm.Almost had me

I want to play a drinking game where someone is nominated to read a short story by HP Lovecraft, a horror writer from the first half of the last century. Whenever a horror is “indescribable”, “too terrible for words” or Lovecraft in any way cops out of an explaination or description, everybody drinks. Everyone would be hammered at the end of a 20-page story. He was a pretty solid gothic horror/fantasy writer, but he knew well that your own brain can scare you much better than he could. It is anybody’s guess whether he really was leaving it to our imaginations to fill in the blanks or if he was just very lazy.

I’ve eaten my bodyweight again! My waistline is looking little too festive now, and I feel like I’m at immediate risk of a heart attack. It’s hard to believe that only two months ago I was fit enough to run a half marathon!

I hope everybody in Automaticland has had a very merry Christmas. Rage Against The Machine are number one and snow has crippled the infrastructure of Britain, so put your feet up and chill out.

Bye bye!

In no particular order, albums that have for some reason or other mattered to me from the last ten years: -

At The Drive-In – Relationship of Command

Radiohead – In Rainbows

Million Dead – Song To Ruin

Why? – Alopecia

Future Of The Left – Curses!

Busdriver – Roadkill Overcoat

Muse – Origin Of Symmetry

Glassjaw – Worship And Tribute

Peeping Tom – Peeping Tom

Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid

Have a listen to some samples from those albums here. Hopefully, you’ll find something you like!

..so, in the interest of internationalism, here’s my last post again, but in Esperanto: -

Mi estis malŝutonta la lumo por dormiĝi, kiam subite mi sentis min pli veke kaj vigle ol dum tuta hodiaǔ. Ŝajnas ke, ju pli mi lacas, des pli tio okazas. Mi intecas bone uzi ĉi-tiun krevon da energio, per skribado.
“Interstate’ havebliĝis ĉi-Lunde. Nia unua havebligo el nia brila, tut-nova rekord-haveblig-organizo, kiu nomiĝas Armoured Records. Ĝi estas sole elŝutebla, se oni ajn scivolis kie inferene ĝi estas! Ĝi iom ludiĝis ĉe Radio 1, kaj la filmeto aldoniĝis al la ludlisto ĉe MTV, sed vere, tio nur estas paŝeto – ĉi tiu rekord-haveblig-organizo afero ankoraǔ novas al ni! Ekscitas min, senti ke io okazas post jaro de skribado kaj planado!
Ni ludis (iom) senelektre trankvilatan “okcidentan marbordon”-stilan version de “Interstate” ĉe Live From Studio 5 ĉi-vespere. Estis tiom nereal-ŝajne, ludi kiam malantaǔ mi Ian Wright kaj Melinda Messenger dancas kaj kantas, sed tamen bonege. Eĉ miaj sonĝoj ne tiom strangas! Mi kredas ke ĝi fartis bone, sed mi iom formensiĝas kiam mi ludas, lastatempe. Mi vere ne konas tiel, kiel mi ludis. Mi pli malpli certas ke mi oreloj fermitis. Laǔŝajne, niaj koramikinoj multe preferas la senelektran version de “Interstate” anstataǔ la “ĝusta” versio. Mi ne certas kion pensi pri tio! Mia koramikino Ellen diris ke ĝi estas pli taǔga kaj pli komprenebla tiel, priskribinte ĝi  kiel nia “am-mesaĝo al Usono”. Tio estas tiom pli vort-lerta priskribo ol mi jam kreis, do mi ja ŝtelos tion! Koramikecoj estas tute pri partoprenado!
Ankaǔe, aliatage ni ludis “Lupino”, de Shakira (Ŝakira?). Aǔskultu ĉi-tie, je cirkaǔ 1:10:50 en la programon. Kaj estas kelkaj da niaj propraj kantoj tie, ankaǔ.
Ĝis!

I was about to turn the light off to go to sleep, when I suddenly found myself feeling more awake and alert than I have all day. The more tired I am, the more this seems to happen. I’m going to put this burst of brainpower to good use and write.
“Interstate” came out this Monday. Our first release on our shiny, brand-new label, Armoured Records. It’s download-only, in case anyone was wondering where the hell it is! It’s had a few plays on Radio 1 and the video got playlisted on MTV, but it’s just a baby-step for us, really – this label thing is new to us! It’s exciting to feel that we’re actively doing something after a year of writing and planning.

We played a laid-back “west coast” style acoustic version of Interstate on “Live From Studio 5″ this evening. It was quite surreal playing with Ian Wright and Melinda Messenger dancing and singing just behind me, but also awesome. Even my dreams aren’t that weird. I think it went well, but I keep zoning out when I’m playing at the moment! I honestly have no idea how I performed. I’m reasonably sure that I had my eyes closed. It turns out all our girlfriends much prefer that acoustic version to the “proper” version. I don’t know what to make of that! My girlfriend Ellen said it makes more sense to her that way, describing it as our “love song to America”. That’s a far more eloquent summary than I’ve been able to spout out so far, so I will be stealing it! Relationships are all about sharing.

We also did a cover of “She-Wolf” by Shakira the other day. Have a listen here, at around 1:10:50 into the show. Aaaaaand there’s some of our songs on there, too.

Night!

The pace is starting to pick up here in Automaticland, we’re busy writing and planning and preparing for releasing and touring once more. I miss touring, I can’t wait to get out on the road, play some shows, get sweaty and meet new people. I feel optimistic and I’m looking forward to everything that comes with releasing a new record.

I’d like to say more about the record, but it’s not quite finished, so I’ll keep it under wraps for now. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprises.

As I’m still home in Cardiff, I got the chance to see the awesome Frank Turner in Solus at the student’s union last night. Frank was in a band called Million Dead, who were my most favouritest band ever, and supported us for a tour when he was just starting to do his folk-punk thing. He rocked, and dedicated a re-worked Million Dead song, “Smiling at Strangers on Trains” to us. As my girlfriend put it, there were warm fuzzy feelings all round. We managed an all-to-brief chat after the show. I was tempted to stow away on his tourbus, I’ll be honest. I miss touring!

I can’t wait to be able to write some tour blogs. See you all soon!