Here Is The News

TFC had fun at the Heart Of Gold, Heart Of Glass festival in Camping Les Tours, Saint Amans Des Cots (en France) on Friday. 

We then had quite a schlep back to London in order to be up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for a performance on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One telly.

I had the rest of the day to myself in London. 

I visited The National Gallery (Rembrandt's self-portrait at the age of 63 is a favourite), The National Portrait Gallery (great William Eggleston exhibition; memories of meeting the man himself once in Memphis, and memories of Alex Chilton too), I ate Mexican food, I saw a West End show (matinee performance of The Play That Goes Wrong - which was fun), and the new Pedro Almodóvar flick which unfolded pleasingly.

I also bought these books as a birthday gift for - me.

So now I know all about art. Ask me anything.

Tomorrow (as I type) we’ll do a live session for Lauren Laverne on 6music and in the evening we will play an in-store at Rough Trade in Brick Lane. Then it’s home for a bit.

The recent gigs in Bristol, End Of The Road Festival in Dorset, London, Edinburgh and Manchester have been increasingly hot and sweaty...

Manchester audience spontaneously combusting last week

But it is all worth it when someone from Japan gifts you a nice new pair of socks (thanks, Keiko).

A pair of Japanese socks last Wednesday

Recent tour chat has included theorising on the construction of a grosvenor pie (I think Gerry cracked it); the difference between a sauce and a reduction (unresolved); and a brief Norman routine about trombone players being able to practice on their way to a gig with the sliding handle on their suitcases. You had to be there; well-oiled and giddy with sleep deprivation...

I got on a wee nostalgic country kick the other nights and made a spotify tour soundtrack compilation called Gems. Thanks, Norman, for the Tom T. Hall discovery. I have been overdosing on "Ony’s Bop" in particular…

TFC’s new album “Here” is finally released, of course. Hurrah. (You've bought it, right?)

And it is worth it's own blog but at the risk of repeating myself, (*coughs*) I am very glad to be a part of “The Lost Songs Of St Kilda” (Decca Classics). It's not often I get asked to write for 20-piece string orchestra and harp  (The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra) conducted by James MacMillan with vocals by Julie Fowlis. 

More about this amazing story here.

Au revoir. x