vinny peculiar blogs

vinny peculiar blogs: Bonehead Continued

2012-01-21T02:08:00.000-08:00

vinny peculiar blogs: Bonehead Continued

Bonehead Continued

2012-01-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

We’ve recommenced recording after an extended Christmas break, Bonehead and I layering parts, building ideas, agreeing on songs. Dave the Cakes from Moolah is Engineering and it’s all going rather well. I’m at home today as I’m stricken with a horror hacking cough that’s keeping my girl up at night and not doing me any favors, especially where singing is involved. We have started drums with Che [he of such impeccable feel] and the older guitars have had a new set up, so we'll be hard at it the next few weeks - we were talking about filming stuff too so I'll add that to here and the usual places.

In the daily grind of coveting guitars I can ill afford I have fallen victim to a wonky neck ebay statacaster hoax - will I ever learn...most probably not, but I'm hoping to have at least learned a lesson for now. Forward the buff my friends, forward the buff.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

2011-12-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

Seasons greetings to all - I hope its warmer where you are than it is here, brrrrr!

Special thanks to everyone who came along and supported VP on the recent Oct/Nov tour, your engagement and encouragement is most welcome. Amy and I filmed a few of the shows, clips have been posted on youtube, some of them look pretty good. I have a couple of gigs coming up soon which really looking forward to at Colley Cantina in Norfolk Virginia USA on 28th December, there's a nice little interview re this show and other snippets in VEER MAGAZINE . I also play The Continental, South Meadow Lane, PRESTON Lancashire PR1 8JP on 19th January - I will be airing new songs at these shows.
I'm putting together songs for he next album, tentative recording plans are coming together for March 2011 - I'm just finishing off arrangements the lyrics. All the songs were recorded into the Iphone voice recorder in various places, the street, the shed, the garage, the garden, whenever the mood took me. I hope this sense of spontaneity can be replicated in the studio. I really excited to be in the writing zone again, it's far more comfortable than the promotion zone, ha.

The current album 'Other People Like Me' has received some good reviews, some of the best I've ever received, which is pleasing - it's available from the site store and via all the usual digital media including iTunes, Amazon et al. If you buy one via the shop I'll include a second album for free, just email me the preferred 2nd album. There has been some decent UK airplay, Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music should be singled out for his enthusiasm and support for the track 'A Vision' which he has championed relentlessly on his show. The WORD MAGAZINE CD Cover-mount track 'Artrockers' also boosted the albums profile and I received a lot feedback from WORD readers, so thanks if you were one of those connecting via WORD - all good.

The recording project with Bonehead is ongoing [several people have enquired], we'd had a little break but are due to recommence in January and I'll update everyone when we have something to put out. I guess we're looking at next summer but I will confirm as soon as I know.

best wishes and thanks as ever for the support

Vinny Peculiar

At Home He Feels Like a Tourist

2011-11-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

For the record...

I never did make the Tom Robinson interview, we are rescheduling for December - I broke down early doors some 10 miles from home and the breakdown people returned me to my local garage who replaced a faulty fuel filter [the one they'd changed the previous day, oouch] - our arrival in London was subsequently delayed so we had to go straight to the venue expending altogether unnecessary energy

pleading with the parking police [I wont bore you with the details but needless to say these things do not endear me to ye olde capital, no way]. The LONDON GARAGE gig felt a bit slow to get going but we eventually engaged and delivered. The evening will be fondly remembered for meeting up post show with my old Mood Elevator friend David Ditchfield - we'd not seen each other in twenty five years, it was a pleasure to reconnect and I'm sure the story won't end there.

Brighton Komedia followed London, the gig was superb, the venue exceptional, great sound and lights - shame there was nowhere to park, and I mean nowhere. The centre of Brighton should just go ahead and ban all cars and be done with it. That way we wouldn't delude ourselves that access to any kind of load in would be remotely possible. I ended up in the NCP car park, not a good move.

The OXFORD show the next day was also a very nice show - possibly one of the best gigs we've done, naturally we didn't film that one although we have done several others and I've posted a few clips onto you tube. here's a more recent clip from the Newcastle Show with opening poem At The Hairdressers [that seems to have sneaked its way back into the set when I wasn't paying attention] and 'Judy Wood' from the current album. I'm thinking of compiling a book of poems to amuse myself we'll see. VP x

Here there and everywhere

2011-11-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

Reality check number nine:-

The London Garage show in Islington on 17th November is another early affair. Amy and I will be onstage from 7.30pm - the tour gigs to date have been mostly inspired - (there was a brief moment of despair when we opened to two people in Bournemouth but it soon passed as the show went on (as it must) and the venue started to fill up. 'Man About the House' from the Fall and Rise album has sneaked into the set following an impromptu run through at sound check- we also have new songs to try out as we go on including 'Sentimental Music' which never quite made the cut on the last album. I'm aiming to start work proper on the new album after this tour, I just need to tweak and revise and arrange the parts to suit. I expect Amy will figure in some way in the new recordings - we're just trying to work out schedules commitments and such.

On Thursday afternoon on the 17th N

ovember I'm at BBC Portland Place in the heart of the London Village doing a little interview with Tom Robinson for his BBC Introducing program - Tom has been wo

nderfully supportive of the new album 'OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME' and indeed of albums past - I'm really looking forward to catching up with him. He's played 'A Vision' from the new album a few times on his show - and it features in the current podcast.

I love London but I hate having to negotiate it's logistics, parking, congestion zones, psycho drivers, biker loons, the TUBE and the price of beer - I could never live there, it's like one big obstacle course too many. The odd visit I can handle...but even now I'm getting in a sweat around the plans for Thursday, the zone, the parking, the load in and the likes. We were hit for a couple of congestion zone fines last time we played London with the band - perhaps my anxiety stems from then...

From London we play Brighton KOMEDIA on Fri 18th November and return to the midlands to play Leicester O2 Academy on Saturday 19th November - all the shows are early - so if you're coming bare that in mind.

Tour Updates & Video footage

2011-11-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

The tour picks up again on Thursday night, 10th November at Birmingham HMV Institute - I've not played there since it was all done out. Last time I was there, about a year ago to see EELS for one of the best shows I've ever seen - they were on in the big room and Mark E Everett changed guitars after every song with such speed and precision you had to hand it to the guitar tech - top job. I do like EELS although I don't listen to them as often as I used to - I'm currently vibing, if thats the word, which it isn't, to Gibert O'Sullivan, John Miles, John Howard and Sailor - the very cream of British MOR of the early 70s. And Elton of course, where would we be without Elton - ha. I'm especially looking forward to the Birmingham gig as it's threatening to be something of an old school reunion.

From Birmingham we travel to BOURNEMOUTH Fire Station for an early show on Fri 10th and to OXFORD O2 Academy on Saturday 11th. Tour dates are nicely split up for recovery time - Sundays drive back from Aberdeen probably the most grueling on the schedule.

I took a few videos of the shows, the Doghouse in Dundee came out best - here's 'A Vision' from the show, I'll post some more as we go on.

Vinny Peculiar & the English Crumpet on tour

2011-10-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Tour starts Friday…

Amy and I embark on our support slots with The Smiths Indeed at the Stanley Theatre in Liverpool on Friday 28^th October. A few people have asked me how come you are opening for a tribute band…the simple answer is they asked me and I said yes, they are great players, friends of mine, draw a decent crowd and we all need an audience.

I realise the Smiths connection is for me is a little bit closer than most what with Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon all playing in my band at various times but I like to think that an audience is an audience, people are people and this is a decent opportunity to connect with a fan base that likes to listen, think and engage with songs, words, ideas. We are looking forward it. Amy and I will be on early doors so if you are coming to any of the shows be prompt. We have just half an hour or so to blow your mind or to bore you tears, ha.

HMV ticket links here

Friday 28 October - LIVERPOOL, Stanley Theatre 7pm*

Saturday 29 October - SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy 7pm*

November

Thursday 3 November - GLASGOW, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut 7pm*

Friday 4 November - DUNDEE, Doghouse 7pm*

Saturday 5 November - ABERDEEN, Lemon Tree 7pm*

Thursday 10 November - BIRMINGHAM, HMV Institute 7pm*

Friday 11 November - BOURNEMOUTH, The Old Fire Station 7pm*

Saturday 12 November - OXFORD, O2 Academy 7pm*

Thursday 17 November - LONDON, The Garage 7pm*

Friday 18 November - BRIGHTON, Komedia 7pm*

Saturday 19 November - LEICESTER, O2 Academy 7pm*

Thursday 24 November - NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy 7pm*

Saturday 26 November - MANCHESTER, HMV Ritz 7pm*

Wednesday 30 November - BUXTON, Opera House, 7pm*

December

Thursday 8th December Leeds O2 Academy, 7pm

Levenshulme Festival

2011-10-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to playing the Levenshulme Festival show -[ part of Manchester's Irish Music festivities ]- they've gone for an older photo - but it'll be a duo set with Amy and I - hope you can make it, it's a great little intimate space, see you there. VP

Dirty Impound Album of the week

2011-09-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

I just had site of these interview questions below from an American reviews site called Dirty Impound - the name sounds a bit fetishy [I agree Rob], but it's just a really cool music place to visit [adapts US slacker persona and slouches off into the desert]...here are the words.

Vinny Peculiar

Smart people tend to have lots of interesting bits pinging around their heads. Whatever their chosen craft might be, their minds range into all sorts of subjects, grabbing at the world with an inquisitive yen most leave behind with sailor jumpers and wooden blocks. Vinny Peculiarstrikes us as someone who hasn’t lost that boyish, primal urge likes to poke at things, or perhaps peel the

m back and get a good look at the entrails. Solid measures of sweetness and cynicism play in his work, clearly a man who comprehends the tremendous power people possess to nurture AND destroy one another. While generally sway-ready pop-rock gold, his songs juggle big ideas AND the smallness of workaday life, finding connections we’d have missed without him. It helps that one can readily hum along as he digs around in museums and record shops for tidbits o’ wisdom in the paint and vinyl. Vinny finds humor and compassion in our universal foibles, which makes him a great candidate for Impounded Inquiries.

And do yourself a favor and check out his new video for Dave Davies-esque “My Generation (I said goodbye)” off his boffo new album, Other People Like Me, at the end of this piece. If you missed DI’s rave for Mr. Peculiar’s latest, here it is. Thanks to Vinny for indulging us.

What’s the first thing that springs to mind when you see the word “God”?Richard Dawkins, XTC and Joan Osborne

Which has the better cosmology, Star Wars or Star Trek? Why?To me Star Trek feels altogether warmer, cozier and decent, where as Star Wars is way too big for its own boots. Star Trek it is then.

Name one album that has spiritual resonance for you.How I Learned to Love the Boot Boys by The Auteurs is a reassuringly bleak, sour-kitsch masterpiece, and a right good spiritual resonator.

Woody Allen once said, “I don’t know the question but sex is definitely the answer.” So, what’s the question?

What’s the most fun you’ve ever had without laughing?

You can have a dinner party with any three people throughout human history. Who do you invite, what’s on the menu and what intoxicant do you share for dessert?

Julie Christie, Charles Bukowski and Lawrence Hayward (Denim, Felt, Go Kart Mozart) enjoy chicken in the basket, the beans on the toast, Nestlé Walnut Whips, tinned peaches and evaporated milk with an extensive selection of fine old English ales on draft. Everyone is gleefully wankered…

Here's the ARTROCKERS BLURB from the The WORD Magazine, new album is OUT NOW from the usual places, iTunes, Amazon, SHOP -

Vinny

My Generation [I said goodbye]

2011-09-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

New Video - My Generation [I said goodbye] - shot and edited by Alison Surtees, the opening track from the new album 'OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME' - out now on Shadrack & Duxbury Records - filmed on location here in SALFORD at The British Legion, Swinton, and at Weaste Allotments in Andrews cucumber patch in waiting. The featured band in the piece [in the absence of my own, who were washing their hair] are Rochadale's Buzzaldrins [featuring cousin John on the keys], they are supporting at The Kings Arms, Salford on Saturday 24th September. It should be a great night. Thanks be to them for stepping in last minute and giving the piece a real energy. The Ukulele Players in the video are Salford's Strummers & Grinners.

vinny peculiar blogs: Dirty Impound Album of the week

2011-09-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

vinny peculiar blogs: Dirty Impound Album of the week: DIRTY IMPOUND ALBUM OF THE WEEK [great new review from classic US web zine] September 12-September 18 Dennis’ Pick of the Week: Vinny Pe...

Dirty Impound Album of the week

2011-09-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

DIRTY IMPOUND ALBUM OF THE WEEK

[great new review from classic US web zine]

September 12-September 18

Dennis’ Pick of the Week:

Vinny Peculiar: Other People Like Me [Shadrack & Duxbury Records]

This one’s a stunner. It’s a great joy when all the promise and bright flashes in an artist bloom in happy fruition. Such is the case with Other People Like Me(released September 5), where Peculiar fulfills all the echoes of Ian Hunter, Robyn Hitchcock and Nick Lowe in his earlier work by becoming a peer to these greats. Just a hair over a half hour, this is a perfect album – and I don’t fling a word like ‘perfect’ around carelessly. The arc of this song cycle is utterly pleasing, each chapter artfully assembled, jammed with memorable verses and bookended by the right compatriots. Vinny cranks up the electric guitar a bit here, and it’s nothing but good for his music, adding an early Eno-esque touch in places and generally giving things pointier teeth to gnaw at the world. He’s a smart fellow and perhaps as big a fan as any serious music writer or record shop clerk, name checking the likes of Bryan Ferry & Howard Devoto and giving modern artists Christo & Jeanne-Claude get their own tune. His affections are exposed and sincere, yet threaded with a dark edged wit, an element that runs through his career. More simply, he’s often funny as hell if you’re bright enough to keep up with him. That he makes this art-wise stuff dance in pop outfits is impressive – his ideas may be weighty but his execution of them never is – and he’s got Morrisey’s gift for making lyrics swing that just shouldn’t work. It all comes together for Mr. Peculiar on Other People Like Me, the culmination of a decade in the trenches and a jolting harbinger of what the next 10 years may hold. (Dennis Cook)

A Vision in Preston

2011-09-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

Amy and I played Preston's Mad Ferret on 9/11 - I made no reference to the date at the gig but I wept watching the news earlier in the day, those speeches, so heart breaking, so sad. Heres a little clip from the night, a song from the current album called 'A Vision' -

A Vision

I had my hair shaved at the back like Terry Hall in 1984
I was waiting at the bus stop heading off to work at the mental hospital
Harrington Jacket, smoking B&H I spent forever in the record shop
It was just another routine summer’s day in Selly Oak

The sun it seemed a little too bright for the sky
Little figurines started to dance in my minds eye

I had a vision
I had a vision

I was transfixed and all I could see was a psychedelic wash of light
The cars left pretty trails behind and the road started melting
Like a Salvador Dali painting

A sense of inner harmony and peace took over me
Like I knew what I was here for and in what to believe

I had a vision
I had a vision

The bus drove by I was on another plain but the plane came down soon after that

I just sat there… a woman said are you OK?
People staring someone said ‘are you OK’ I said I never felt this good before and never will again…

So took the day off sick and went to bed in the middle of the afternoon…

Bonehead Sessions Update & WORD MAGAZINE ++

2011-09-10T02:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

A quick news update - NEW ALBUM / WORD MAGAZINE COVER / new recording with BONEHEAD / GIGS / VIDEOS

New ALBUM -

The new Vinny Peculiar album 'OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME' comes out on 12th September - CD copies from the online shop are available now and cost just £6.00 including postage [£8.00 overseas], digital downloads also available from iTunes, Amazon etc. It feels like a long time coming this one as release dates were staggered to give it a longer lead in time. The record sounds suitably old school, having been written written with 1972 in mind and recorded in the analogue tradition. Reviews to date have been uniformly wonderful.

WORD MAGAZINE

Here's some good news - WORD MAGAZINE have selected the track 'Artrockers', from the new album as a cover mount CD track on the October edition of the magazine. This is the first and I'm pleased no end to have the chance to be heard by a decent few readers. Another major plus is the new association with Amy Smith aka the English Crumpet [we're touring together see below]. Amy is a superb pianist and singer and has given the songs some welcome rejuvenation, we've also started working on new material.

VIDEO VIDEO

There's a new video due soon for My Generation [I said goodbye], the lead track from the new album, once again directed by local film maker Alison Surtees. The featured video band are The Buzzaldrins who are also supporting us at The Kings Arms on 24th September. Alison has also unearthed a video we shot in her house for the 'Two Fat Lovers' single back in 2005 with Mike Joyce, Andy Rouke and Ben Knott. It's worth seeing, Mike puts in a classic comedic performance, Andy does his Ernie Wise, Ben clings onto the ironing board, I sing along but not always in time, in fact, there's a mistaken second audio feed on the master so you can hear us playing/singing along - we left it in, it sounds kind of odd but good. The videos are on youtube, do check them out and comment if you can.

A New Recording Project with Bonehead,

Iconic OASIS guitarist Bonehead [aka Paul Arthurs] and I have begun work on a new album which we hope to have finished by Christmas, ready for release early in 2012. it's early days, we don't even have a name yet. We have collaborated before, on the current album 'OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME' [Bone played on a couple tracks] and in various VP live band incarnations. We are currently sorting out songs, co-writing and arranging, deciding what will and wont work. We spent the summer emailing each other ideas, works in progress and the first session was yesterday. It's exciting - we're also going to be filming key days in the studio, performances, interviews and the likes - I'll post links to this as and when. It's going to be great...I just know it is. Amy Smith [aka the English Crumpet] will be augmenting our project with her golden tonsil experience....

GIGS - Forthcoming gig listings below - be great to see people there,

Sun 11th Sept The Mad Ferret 55 Fylde Road Preston, PR1 2XQ [with the English crumpet]

Sat 24th Sept Kings Arms, Salford [duo show with the English Crumpet] + Buzzaldrins + Lovecraft

October

Sat 22nd Oct - Bar 19, 847-849 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3PW [duo show with the English Crumpet] - part of Levenshulme Festival]

Vinny Peculiar & the English Crumpet Live Tour Dates– [intimate duo performances with singer/pianist Amy Smith] – *opening shows for ‘The Smiths Indeed’ tickets via HMV ticketline - note the early start times, we'll be onstage pronto...for more info & guest concessions and venue onstage times email me vinny@vinnypeculiar.co.uk or check the facebook and twitter @vinnypeculiar

Friday 28 October - LIVERPOOL, Stanley Theatre 7pm*

Saturday 29 October - SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy 7pm*

November

Thursday 3 November - GLASGOW, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut 7pm*

Friday 4 November - DUNDEE, Doghouse 7pm*

Saturday 5 November - ABERDEEN, Lemon Tree 7pm*

Thursday 10 November - BIRMINGHAM, HMV Institute 7pm*

Friday 11 November - BOURNEMOUTH, The Old Fire Station 7pm*

Saturday 12 November - OXFORD, O2 Academy 7pm*

Thursday 17 November - LONDON, The Garage 7pm*

Friday 18 November - BRIGHTON, Komedia 7pm*

Saturday 19 November - LEICESTER, O2 Academy 7pm*

Thursday 24 November - NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy 7pm*

Saturday 26 November - MANCHESTER, HMV Ritz 7pm*

Wednesday 30 November - , Opera House, 7pm*

December

Thursday 8th December Leeds O2 Academy, 7pm

New Old Video Update

2011-09-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Heres a new old video for the 2005 single Two Fat Lovers - I say new because we didn't really promote it at the time as the single was already out the pluggers advised we'd ran out of time. The label saved some money and we didn't have anywhere near the hit single that would have sustained us a little while longer. Andy Rourke left the band not long after this and things were never quite the same again. I know it sounds cliched but read any Smiths biog; Andy and Mike have a musical chemistry that just works. After that we had three or four bass players come and go before finally throwing the towel in. The Two Fat Lovers EP is the only stuff we did with Andy and Mike playing as a unit - it's now available via iTunes and the likes and also from the site.

I've happy memories of shooting with our great friend Alsion Surtees in her house before it was gutted, the bedroom, the broom cupboard, the living room all feature. Ben makes good use of the ironing board and of course Mike steals all show with his chop sticks as drum sticks routine. Ben's dog Dingo [and what a dog he was] is also part of the show. Auntie Stella the Villa fan throws a strop half way through. The video has a double soundtrack glitch going on which you might well have spotted where we left the live feed in the mix in error but quite got used to it in the end, so you can hear Mikes high-hat and a few vocal double ups - it all adds to the live feel somehow I think.

I met with Alison on Friday last and we looked at the footage from the new video which looks great [and I know I've said this before but] is being edited as we speak. More on that to follow.

Word Magazine Cover Mount

2011-08-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

My WORD

I just had news that 'ARTROCKERS' a track taken from the new album 'Other People Like Me' has been selected for the cover mount CD on the OCTOBER edition of WORD magazine. I'm suitably chuffed -, I'm a big fan of WORD, it's probably the most well respected of the mainstream music glossies, I best get off to PUB to celebrate before something terrible happens. The issue comes out in September but its the October edition, these magazine schedules are always ahead of themselves, you know how it is. This is a first for Vinny Peculiar. 'Artrockers' is a track I've written about here on the blog if you want to know more. The physical release of the album is getting closer [12.9.11]. Since I finished dealing with Cargo distribution I haven't bothered setting up any alternatives so it's unlikely you'll come across the album in HMV, anyone who wants a copy is best going through the shop on the site.

BACK CATALOGUE re released

The old albums are making a progressive return to iTunes, Amazon, etc. 'Growing up with Vinny Peculiar', Ironing the Soul' and 'Two Fat Lovers' are there, the remainder will follow over the next couple of months. I had a listen to them recently for the first time in a long time - 'Ironing the Soul' still sounds like a masterpiece to me.

The new photos of Amy and I have been added to different bits of the site, I'll post a few on Facebook too - the photographer here is Liverpool creative maverick Paul Tsanos. The pics were taken in and around the grounds of his Sefton Park flat and in 'Ate Days a Week', a favored beat generational bohemian cafe on Smithdown Road.

In a riotous week of looting and disrespect lets hope the young kids who really do need help are not further marginalized by the wanton greed of the mob and it's negative reputation. There are a lot of great young kids out there trying to make a go of things, getting on with their lives, engaging, helping and contributing. I was as amazed as the next person to witness the riots, glued to twitter and the live news tv feeds, so saddened to see reports. I still cant get my head around the idiots stealing in full view of cameras, media, witnesses, thieves in jobs, opportunists, I mean, are they just plain daft or what? Plain daft...thats what they are. Is this less to do with social depravity and more to to do with bling envy than most people seem to acknowledge? I think so. The anyone can have anything mentality pervades, it's not right, we can't have everything we want, that's just not the way it works, and whilst I recognize the divisions in wealth, the poverty of life experience, the marginalized underclass, it's not a good enough reason, sorry.

Vinny Peculiar & the English Crumpet Press Release

2011-08-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Press Release

Vinny Peculiar & the English Crumpet – UK tour 2011

Manchester singer-songwriter and poet Vinny Peculiar [aka Alan Wilkes] has collaborated with Luke Haines, Bill Drummond and Bonehead and his various bands have included ex members of The Fall, Aztec Camera and The Smiths. The affectionately christened ‘Tony Hancock of pop’ [MAGAZINE] embarks on a series of intimate UK shows in the autumn/winter of 2011 performing a brand new duo set with acclaimed Liverpool singer-songwriter/pianist Amy Smith [aka the English Crumpet]. Amy’s myriad of musical associations includes Hot Chip, Francis Rossi and The Australian Pink Floyd. The duo hooked up again at a Peculiar band show in Liverpool earlier in the year, they have spent the summer, writing, rehearsing, recording and dressing up.

The forthcoming shows will feature songs from the Vinny Peculiar back catalogue to coincide with their digital re release via iTunes et al. They will also be showcasing songs from Vinny’s glam centric album ‘Other People Like Me’ released 12.9.11 [S&D Records]. They plan to record a new album early in 2012.

Vinny says…I’m pleased to be a part of the Smiths Indeed UK tour; it’s a good opportunity to connect. I’ve seen a number of Smiths tribute acts over the years; the Smiths Indeed are at the top of their game, they respect the legacy and deliver a great show. The Vinny songs have their own lyrical connectivity, something I think the Smiths Indeed crowd will appreciate.

Vinny’s previous bands have included Mike Joyce, Andy Rourke and Craig Gannon – Mike and Andy featured on the 2005 single Two Fat Lovers ; Craig and Mike played on the 2006 album ‘the fall and rise of Vinny Peculiar’.

More information Vinny Peculiar via www.facebook/vinnypeculiar

www.vinnypeculiar.co.uk - for free downloads, gig info, videos and more

Vinny Peculiars autumn/inter tour schedule with The English Crumpet, more dates tbc, we hope to see you there…

September

Sat 3rd Sept The Verge, Hyde, Cheshire [+the English Crumpet] tickets

Sun 11th Sept The Mad Ferret 55 Fylde Road Preston, PR1 2XQ [+ the English crumpet]

Sat 24th Sept Kings Arms, Salford [+the English crumpet] +Buzzaldrins + Lovecraft tickets £7.00

October

Sat 22nd Oct - Bar 19, 847-849 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3PW [ -part of Levenshulme Festival] tickets, details

tickets via HMV ticketline - for the Smiths Indeed shows, all shows are + the English Crumpet,

Friday 28 October - LIVERPOOL, Stanley Theatre 7pm*

UNCUTSaturday 29 October - SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy 7pm*

November

Thursday 3 November - GLASGOW, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut 7pm*

Friday 4 November - DUNDEE, Doghouse 7pm*

Saturday 5 November - ABERDEEN, Lemon Tree 7pm*

Thursday 10 November - BIRMINGHAM, HMV Institute 7pm*

Friday 11 November - BOURNEMOUTH, The Old Fire Station 7pm*

Saturday 12 November - OXFORD, O2 Academy 7pm*

Thursday 17 November - LONDON, The Garage 7pm*

Friday 18 November - BRIGHTON, Komedia 7pm*

Saturday 19 November - LEICESTER, O2 Academy 7pm*

Thursday 24 November - NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy 7pm*

Saturday 26 November - MANCHESTER, HMV Ritz 7pm*

Wednesday 30 November - BUXTON, Opera House, 7pm*

December

Thursday 8th December Leeds O2 Academy, 7pm

More shows tbc

Vinny x

Artrockers

2011-07-29T10:57:00.001-07:00

I've been rehearsing with Amy Smith now for a few months on and off, we met earlier in the year at a Liverpool gig and have upcoming shows including the OCT/NOV tour dates with the Smiths Indeed - It's fair to say we've hit the 'we just need to play a gig and get on with it'- stage [there's only so much rehearsing you can do] We had a gig planned for August that's been knocked back to September so if anyone has any last minute slots in need of filling we'd be most happy to oblige, all offers considered.

Yesterday we did a photo shoot Abigail's Party style in Paul the photographers garden before moving on to a local cafe, the one on the corner with all the beat generation paintings. We got a few good images but ran out of props; the ones we had in mind didn't materialize - so we're doing it again next week. It's a lot of faffing around but it'll be worth it. We're going for purple and lime green garish 70's kitsch. Lovely. I'll upload photos as we go...

New Album thinking

Thanks to anyone who has downloaded the album, it's still available to download, not run out quite yet...seriously, please do help yourself, if you're skint just download a track or two, it costs next to nothing and makes a big difference -

Artrockers

Here's a song about hanging around in cafes after school, going to pubs, copping off with girls, being on the dole, with friends, the kind of friends who mean everything to you at the time and then the time goes somewhere else; some where only the time knows. I mention heros of the time, these are a bit random and stretch across a ten year time frame [from Tyrannosaurus Rex to Talking Heads] but you get the idea - It's a song about identity, and feeling invincible. When I listen back to some of the music I have loved it can still makes me feel almost invincible, all over again. Music can do this, music is a time capsule, a portal into key moments. The song also name checks the likes ofof Bowie, Ferry, Roxy and Jim [Osterberg] - that's Iggy Pop to you and me, and so on. I like the Sax on this and I wish we'd mixed it louder...Jo Smullen is the Cadburys Flake Girl [you need to hear it] - The song nods a little to Sorrow, the Bowie cover not the feeling, in fact this one is, as Vinny Peculiar songs so, kind of upbeat, ha ha

Artrockers

What are you doing here where are you from?
Said a rat tail girl from Birmingham
In the lemon tree café after school
On the pinball machine I was trying to look cool

Are you some kind of jumble sale freak?
Try looking at people when they speak
Ask what me what are you doing later on
Is there a party and can I tag along

Artrockers , me and him
Bowie, Ferry, Roxy and Jim
Cutting up lines like William B
From books we stole from the library

She said I can tell we share the same sign
Can you get me a double vodka and lime
In the public bar a lonley old creep
Promised to get us fags on the cheap

Beaten up in the city for looking out of place
Beaten down at home the make up on your face
Those cross country cheats never finished the race
They get chucked out of school in disgrace

Art rockers, they’re coming back
We are under the kosh attack attack
The smart kids have taken to wearing black
Like Howard Devoto are you having a laugh…

We love Andy Warhol and the Talking Heads
Mott the Hoople and Tyranasuras Rex
Any old tat by Peter Blake
And the girl from the advert for Cadburys Flake..

Futurist Cubist Minimalist French kissed
Dad ist Surrealist Anachist Fauvist Op art Pop art
Working in a record shop art and never knowing when to stop art…

Artrockers, like scratchy guitars
Long legged girls in sticky out bras
Marvel comics and American cars
And the Selby book of the tra la la la’s

Artrockers me and him
Bowie, Ferry, Roxy and Jim
Cutting up lines like William B
From books we stole from the library

Artrockers

The New Album Blog

2011-07-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

The new album ‘Other People Like Me’ is available now to download from iTunes, Amazon and the rest. It’s a great relief to finally commit something to the product status as opposed to a load of working ideas banging around in the studio of my mind. The studio’s of my mind…I quite like that, hmm

I’ve no idea how ‘Other People Like Me’ will do, but I am genuinely thrilled to have made it. I think it’s the best Vinny Peculiar album to date record by some distance. Naturally I spent the time after making it thinking it could have been better, but now I’ve had chance to distance myself from it it’s started to really grow on me. It’s improving for Rob [the Producer] too. We were out the other night dissecting, reflecting and celebrating the release with several pints of Dizzy Blonde Ale in The Castle on Oldham Street where I was once again likened to Iggy Pop by some lads who should really know better. It’s the second time in a week – oh dear!
I’m hoping to have a few more radio sessions coming up in the next few weeks in the lead up to the physical release. I also need names of people who want to pre order a copy of the album in vinyl – these will come with drop card to enable free downloads of unreleased material, remixes and the likes. If you want one please email me – vinny@vinnypeculiar.co.uk we have a small but loyal band of committed types but need a few more to balance the books. They will cost £14.99.

Did I mention the ‘My Generation’ video is being edited this weekend by Alison Surtees – we’re all looking forward to that, we had such a good time filming it. As soon as it’s ready will post it here.

The SONGS revealed…
I’m also going to try and explain some of he thinking behind each of the songs in the coming weeks - this week is the producers favorite…

JUDY WOOD
The second track on the album, Judy Wood, [not her real name] is probably the most stylized, it’s the track we tried hardest to capture the Hunky Dory/Ziggy Stardust feel, moody cellos, na na na chorus, ‘Five Years’ drum sound, and a Les Paul sustain as Ronsoneque as I could muster. It’s lyrically retrospective, personal, takes snap shots from memories and lines then up like they happened yesterday. It’s about crushes and rushes and smoking and joking…it’s about being on the dole, copping your first feel, and my brother who sold my record collection in the Dog and Pheasant Pub for buttons. I was livid at the time, but he wasn’t very well. Judy Wood was a girlfriend of mine, we were 13 years old, she stars in the first verse and then we move on, we probably lasted all of three weeks, she had a lot of bad home stuff going on. Her brother sold me my first weed, he was like Bromsgrove’s answer to Howard Marks.

I hope you like it –x

JUDY WOOD
French kissing with Judy Wood
On a bench opposite the Forest Pub
In 1972
She looked a little bit like you
Judy’s brother died
In a boating accident
Her father hit the bottle
Before he left
Playing crazy golf in Sanders Park
Alice Cooper on TOTP
Signing on and feeling great
Fishing with my brother on the frozen lake
He sold my punk rock records
He wasn’t very well
And still today they talk about big Mel…from Catshill
Na, na na na, na na na na na
Na na na, na na na na na
Judy let me feel her up
Cars were hooting as they sped past
The flashing blade and the iron mask
Some local comic in a moped crash
And I dropped out of school
I wished I was a girl
As I listened to the man who sold the world
Na, na na na, na na na na na
Na na na, na na na na na
----------------------------------fin-----------------------------

Here’s that press release I mentioned -
‘Other People Like Me ’ is the new studio album from Salford’s odd ball song-smith and Bill Drummond/Smiths associate Vinny Peculiar [aka Alan Wilkes]. Inspired by early the 70’s, recorded in vintage analogue and featuring guest performances from Luke Haines [The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder] and Bonehead [OASIS]. ‘Other People Like Me’ delivers kitchen sink vignettes and glam stomping tunes through a retro-scopic haze of old skool Bowie, with a knowing sneer and droll wit of a lazy sixth form choirboy.

‘I had my hair shaved at the back like Terry Hall in 1984’ croons Vinny on ‘A Vision’ – a song that recalls the briefest moment of never to be repeated inspiration; it’s enough to make you go to bed in the middle of the afternoon. Album opener ‘My Generation [I said goodbye to…] is all hard guitar rock n attitude; it’s about reconnecting with roots, returning to face the music. Luke Haines’ guitar rockets along in a frenetic cacophony of stabs and wails. ‘I said GOODBYE’ chant the assembled bikers at the village fete – ‘I’m coming back at the drop of a hat it’s as if I never went away’ retorts our Vinny…

Shoe string ballad ‘Judy Wood’ is a little bit Park Life on Mars, piano led, cello driven, like exerts from an Alan Sillitoe story set in loves first failing flushes of wonky youth, ‘Alice Cooper on Top of the Pops, signing on and feeling GREAT’ - ‘Judy’s brother died in a boating accident, her father hit the bottle before he left’.
‘Other People Like Me’ is a compelling album, an album of truths and misdemeanors, hard guitars, two finger piano work outs, dirty synths, claps and beats and tape spool hiss. Adolescent insecurity, voyeurism, misplaced sexuality and middle age angst are the driving themes here an engaging intriguing re-collection from one of the UK’s most idiosyncratic talents.

Live Dates
Saturday 3 September HYDE Cheshire Ring
Saturday 10 September LIVERPOOL Static Gallery,
Saturday 24 September SALFORD, Kings Arms, - album launch
Saturday 22nd October MANCHESTER M19 BAR,
Vinny Peculiar & the English Crumpet – [intimate duo performances with singer/pianist Amy Smith opening for The Smiths Indeed]
Friday 28 October - LIVERPOOL, Stanley Theatre 7pm
Saturday 29 October - SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy 7pm
Thursday 3 November - GLASGOW, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut 7pm
Friday 4 November - DUNDEE, Doghouse 7pm
Saturday 5 November - ABERDEEN, Lemon Tree 7pm
Thursday 10 November - BIRMINGHAM, HMV Institute 7pm
Friday 11 November - BOURNEMOUTH, The Old Fire Station 7pm
Saturday 12 November - OXFORD, O2 Academy 7pm
Thursday 17 November - LONDON, The Garage 7pm
Friday 18 November - BRIGHTON, Komedia 7pm
Saturday 19 November - LEICESTER, O2 Academy 7pm
Thursday 24 November - NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy 7pm
Saturday 26 November - MANCHESTER, HMV Ritz 7pm

BIOG Brief - [promoters]
Vinny Peculiar [aka Alan Wilkes] is a UK Manchester based singer-songwriter and poet; he’s released seven critically acclaimed albums, toured with The Killers, British Sea Power and Edwyn Collins, created SOUP ART with Bill Drummond [KLF, The 17] and his various bands have included ex members of The Smiths, The Fall, Aztec Camera & OASIS. His kitchen sink confessional stye of writing is often described as quintessentially English -‘homespun tunesmithery in the Robyn Hitchcock/Martin Newell vain –wry nostalgia, witty wordplay’ ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE.

Assorted press quotes:-
’The Tony Hancock of pop' - UNCUT MAGAZINE ****
'Poignant, devious, life affirming pop obscurest' Q MAGAZINE ***
'Effortless jangle, copious talent,' ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE****
'Alt-pop music never felt so odd, so beautiful, so compelling' BIG ISSUE****
'Bedsit stripes Bowie plays retro-glam era power pop' THE INDEPENDENT****
'Adrian Mole the Opera as scored by Leonard Cohen' UNCUT MAGAZINE****
Live Review Edinburgh Festival – ‘with his flat cap, florid blouse and fidgety nervous energy pitched somewhere between Andy Warhol and Jarvis Cocker, there's an anarchic elegance to Vinny Peculiar which is both at once both thrilling and faintly unsettling. Storming through a set of oblique, tortured punk poetry, he wins over an initially skeptical crowd with his animated delivery and taut, frenetic pop hooks. Channeling all that eccentricity and barbed wit into something strangely compelling Vinny Peculiar is the sort of unlikely, heroic pop star they just don’t seem to make anymore’

Best wishes
Vinny x

Swinton British Legion

2011-07-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

We finished of the filming this past weekend at the British Legion Club in Swinton, the Buzzaldrins once again embracing the spirit of the moments, together with the local Ukelele Ensemble who treated us to so many sing along classics as we ate lunch, drank beer and generally mimed up a storm whilst the locals ignored our presence to order. It was a lovely day, rounded off by the Uke band chanting along to the final verse of the song - 'I said Goodbye, to My Generation'... moments of hysteria and abandonment ensued, I've no idea how it will turn out, but if the end results are as much fun as the making we'll be onto a winner. The video will be ready in a couple of weeks -

I did a great little session on the local radio last week with Becs Marshall, [Salford 94.4 FM] - here's a video clip shot by local film maker Tony Thornborough...

The new album is now available through all the digital media sites including iTunes and Amazon
- best VPx

Outdoor Pursuits

2011-06-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

The opening track on the new album Other People Like Me is called My Generation [I said goodbye] – I put the brackets in to avoid any confusion with the other My Generation, the mod anthem everyone knows inside out. I'll add the words to this post. It's about connections with the past, people in the place you are from, people you might have become once upon a time except the time wasn't to be, and you moved away in search of something else, jobs, girls, dreams, nightmares, educations - and then of course you go back, and further back as time goes on, and you say to yourself - how did I get here? You feel like David Byrne and David Bowie are one and the same person, the past becomes you, even when the mirror doesn’t.

So it came to pass that the scheduled video shoots for My Generation [I said goodbye] were planned in the Kings Arms Pub with Alison Surtees as follows –

SHOOT ONE - An allotment, local, accessible, must have inquisitive old men brandishing scythes and other garden styled weapons of mass cultivation –

SHOOT TWO – A proper English Working Mans Club, with silver stage streamers, a mini glitter ball and an entertainments secretary called Mr Turner – booker of TURNS.

After several date changes, permission requests and last minute reschedules my band declared none availability for the above, holidays, love-ins, Star Wars conventions, you’d think they were making it up. So I was really grateful and appreciative that Rochdale art-pop surrealists BUZZALDRINS were able to step in at the last minute for both SHOOTS. There are loads of photos from the allotment shoot on facebook. We had a pleasant days filming in baking heat, a number of us got rather sunburned, myself included, a most rare occurrence as I typically steer well clear of the sun, hot countries, beeches, fairgrounds, building sites, and KISS fans - I much prefer the great indoors. After five hours of outdoor tom foolery and musical posturing my forehead required Calamine lotion.

SHOOT TWO continues this coming weekend and features the Salford’s finest Ukulele Band just back from a performance at the George Formby Convention. Tom from the band also appeared in the Allotment shoot where he showed me how to flip his right thumb - a Ukulele rhythm trick that sounded amazing, and was so much harder than it looked. I don’t have a Ukulele; a situation I hope to rectify soon.

The new album digital release is on the 4th July, that’s next Monday! – It’ll be available through all the major online retailers, iTunes, Amazon etc. That said it might well take awhile to get onto iTunes – I just checked and its not on. I’ve also recently taken down the entire Vinny Peculiar back catalogue from all digital sales and I’m in the process of re-uploading all the albums through a new distributor [to do this I had to issue a take down notice on all online content]. Re uploading will take me longer than anticipated as these things always do. In the meantime if you want stuff I still have a few CDs here that are available via the shop on the site.

The CD/Vinyl release of Other People Like Me is Sept 12th. I’m expecting reviews to come in over the next couple of months; fingers crossed it will be well received. I’m also confirming radio sessions. I will update the relevant social media to that effect - thanks for getting to the end of this random update. A more structured promotional approach will follow shortly... VPx

My Generation [whatever happened to]
Working men down the club putting the world to rights
A supercockle sub on Tamala Motown nights
Walk the dog around the block put the kids to bed
Losing track of the time you’re gonna fall asleep in the shed

I said goodbye to my generation
I never heard from them again… not me

Kissing in jakes alley throwing arrows into the sky
They all fall down and they land in your eye
Your dinners in the bin it’s nearly half past three
Not seen you around for awhile no you wont remember me

I said goodbye to my generation
I never heard from them again…not me

The new estate is falling down they don’t build them like they used to
The old boy network well it didn’t really suit you
Those teenage diaries are better left unread
Miscarages of justice fester in the head

I said goodbye to my generation
I never heard from them again
Spent all my life running away from….

Easter parade at the village hall the minister for tea
Con men in the pulpit and gangsters on the tv
Take a look if you want to take a picture take a holiday
Let me back at the drop of a hat its as if I never went away…

I said goodbye to my generation
I never heard from them again
I said goodbye....

Hey! Manchester | Americana, folk, indie and alternative concert promotions in the rainy city

2011-06-06T03:06:00.000-07:00

Nice blurb for the forthcoming show at The Kings Arms - Salford, its only just down the road, date for your diaries. A few more gigs have been added to September lists in time for new album CD/Vinyl release...phew.

Hey! Manchester | Americana, folk, indie and alternative concert promotions in the rainy city

Something more & Nothing less

2011-05-29T02:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday mornings in bed - watching the politics show, eating home made cakes and drinking the a huge pot of PG - its the little things in life that make everything alright, right?

I just posted a video recorded at home last year, a song called ‘Something & Nothing’; it’s one of those songs I haven’t quite learned to live with as yet and have been surprised when people I know and trust have singled it out as a stand out track from the new album 'Other People Like Me' [it’s not out yet, this early feedback has come from friends, and a few early reviews]. Typically I’ve been finding ‘Something & Nothing’ the hardest one to live with, I wasn’t really that happy with the vocal, we ran out of time, I didn’t like the words, I wanted to return to the demo, the usual procrastination ensued. Eventually I was, after a lot of hot air, persuaded to leave it be by Rob [producer and sonic sparring partner] and Julie [the analogue moog-foogler]. The subject matter of the song is a bit of a departure from the rest of the retro-scopic album, there are elements of the here and now, and of unresolved relations, that’s where the discomfort sets in…

And so on, hope you like it... x

One Hundred Albums

2011-05-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

I spent Friday lunchtime with Brave Music's Damian Morgan in a high brow Italian eatery in the leafy Stockport suburbs – the name of the place escapes me but it was very nice – olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, home made pesto – Damian also took some photos of me in the room upstairs and a few turned out really well which of course isn’t always the case with photo shoots. I kept it all pretty real – no make up, no lip gloss and no mascara in spite of a longing to do exactly that. That’s a relief I hear you say. Glam Rock is my poorly thought through excuse…

Last week I rehearsed Vinny Peculiar songs with a Amy Newton Smith who will be doing shows with me in the not too distant future – it was our third rehearsal, it’s amazing what a second voice can do for the discipline and delivery. Doing so many solo gigs over the years I had almost lost track of the female vocal element in the recordings. It seems to be working. Amy has previously been out and about with the Australian Pink Floyd amongst others.

I’ve just noticed that the new album OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME is available to pre order from any number of download sites – the actual release date is July 4^th but if you fancy getting ahead of the game do go ahead and stake your claim. The album was most favorably reviewed on Jon Donalds 100 albums in 100 days web site – this gives you a good idea of what to expect – I’m even starting to live with the Springsteen comparison [in spite of not exactly being a fan – hmmm, best leave it at that]. Hope you like the review – I’m starting to think this album might just hold its own a little…we’ll see.

Here’s the review in full – the site is well worth a look, the writing is right up there…

Anyone can write a song. Learn three chords in a couple of weeks, buy a rhyming dictionary and knock something out. For your next song, add a new chord, maybe a minor one, they are good. Read a book, watch a film and borrow an idea for the lyrics. This is how many songs are written - they are almost constructed. It doesn't mean that they are bad songs, it just means they didn't demand to be written, they were conjured into being. But there are people who write songs because they have to, because there is an itch demanding to be scratched, an energy which has to be dissipated somehow. I suspect Vinny Peculiar is such a songwriter. Other People Like Me is his 9th (I think) album, and whilst I'm pretty sure he will carry on writing and recording songs, regardless of how well this album does, it's an album that deserves an audience.

There is a deliberate 70's feel to the music throughout Other People Like Me, there are big glammy guitars stomping all over the place and Alice Cooper and Bowie are namechecked before the end of the second song. Add to this the fact that the album was recorded in an analogue studio and you could be forgiven in thinking that this record is an exercise in nostalgia. But even though Peculiar is looking back lyrically and musically, there is a remarkable vitality to the record, an energy and imagination to spare. And there are of course the lines that only Vinny Peculiar could write:

'The tangerine underwear of nubile young mothers, flashing above the bridge of thighs.

Where we hid and gawped and giggled with joy. You naughty boy.'

This could go down very badly with Mr. Peculiar himself, but, lyrically at least, certain songs here bring to mind some of Springsteen's finest (although Springsteen himself rarely, to my knowledge, addresses the coloured underwear of young mothers). They are songs concerned with the past, with people and places from a life lived a long time ago, stripped of highways and americana, and set instead on the bench opposite the Forest Pub, the war memorial next to the dairy on Meadow Lane. What Peculiar understands is that these seemingly nothing places are the centre of the universe, at least for a time, to the people who grow up there. And if there is any justice Vinny Peculiar's new album will receive at least some of the attention usually lavished on Springsteen.

Other People Like Me is a personal and ambitious album, without doubt one of Peculiar' best. And a special mention must go to what is essentially the closing song, Something And Nothing, a beautiful song with the simple refrain: 'It was something of nothing. But it meant everything to me.' Because that's the truth isn't it? It's always the small things in the end. And if you still need any persuasion, remember, this is the man who wrote Jesus Stole my Girlfriend

Lovecrafting

2011-05-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

I’m sat in Waterstones Café on Bold Street waiting, my life is often in a state of waiting, and I imagine the people who work here regard me as a type, for there are others for sure. The type who makes copies notes whilst looking at his watch and wondering if and when the said rendezvous will occur. I was here last week doing much the same, scrawling biro verses and looking into space. I get to thinking how this has been a sub plot of my life, in places like this, coffee, caramel shortbread and if I’m lucky some ideas worth using.

I’m waiting here to meet Craig Whitfield and he’s late. Craig is an old young friend of mine, and his band Lovecraft have a new album due out soon called ‘Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad’ – I plan to write a review which I’ll post here n there, but definitely here. I first met the teenage Craig in 2003 at a gig I played in Widnes, he was supporting in a stripped down acoustic embryonic Lovecraft and we struck a friendship that led to him occasionally guesting at live VP shows. He also sang back up vocals on Everlasting Teenage Bedroom and played toy box percussion on the 2004 Vinny Peculiar 'classic' Growing Up with Vinny Peculiar – he even auditioned for second guitar at Salford lads Club in the Andy n Mike rhythm section days, that though was in retrospect a bit too much too soon.

Forty five minutes later he arrives and I try not to sound like an exasperated parent as we do the album swop thing. Both our new records have just returned from pressing. Other People Like me is my 9^th studio album and I'll be posting details on this shortly; Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad is Lovecraft’s first release and it’s great to share with Craig the sense of possibility these things unleash [even if so many of the possibilities are never realised]. Its all about the belief, the results, the having something to show for it. I have heard a version of the Lovecraft record but it will be good to hear the real thing. It’s odd with album pressings how no matter how many times you hear it, it never sounds quite the same as listening to the finished version, no matter how many DO NOT ADJUST THE EQ notices you ascribe to the finished master. Things sound better with artwork would be the Horse’s line no doubt and there's something in that.

We talk small Craig explaining how his alt ego Red Leicester the child catcher is on the prowl again and looking for victims. Red Leicester’s’ gonna getcha he sings looking like Slugsworth from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before we head off up Bold Street and he disappears into FACT to watch The Wicker Man in a private screening for film school affiliates [Craig is also an accomplished film maker]. OK so I've gone on a bit here please forgive my almost parental type enthusiasm for this young artists creative verve and all round collective vision but I really do think Lovecraft are something rather special. The rest is just history in waiting.

I subsequently make plans to attend the Lovecraft launch party gig on 27^th May at Mello Mello Slater Street Liverpool – they are also supporting probe plus label mates Half Man Half Biscuit at Shepherds Bush Empire on 17^th July – theirs is the time and their time is now. Go discover, VP

Obscured by Clowns

2011-04-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Today’s a day for big decisions…

Tom Courtenay lays in bed – the thumb nail he never cut and the 2000 words a day he never wrote, I know how he feels and I’m thinking whatever happened to my copy of Billy Liar, I cant remember who borrowed it. Oh dear, perhaps I need to buy a new copy, yes a new copy sounds good to me. Now where was I?

Indeed– earlier today I finalized the new album artwork [by HORSE – the art-designer] with my old friends Will and Kev at Pure Music, last minute credit adjustments, picking over spelling, checking everyone is mentioned who should be mentioned. On the last album, ‘Sometimes I Feel Like a King’, nobody was mentioned; this time I have made the effort. No web sites or email addresses mind, that rule remains as time travel testimony to the analogue recording environment; that and to my slightly deluded thinking that 1972 is here to stay, and not just a catalogue number on an LP. I also dropped off the audio master for pressing, it arrived yesterday all boxed up and ready to go from e-masters who are, according to Kev the business if you want to maintain a warm bottom end whilst kicking on with a vocal definition parameter at 700 KHTZ per second. These things can get awful technical but whatever they’ve done it sounds great to me. PURE have done all the previous Shadrack and Duxbury pressings, they are like tried and trusted members of the team, it’s practically a given, a two yearly appointment down at Bexley Chambers where the road-works keep on working on what no one can be sure. Completer finishers dream on baby, dream on.

It’s ‘Other People Like Me’, [that’s what the record is called] – and it should be back here in a month or so. I expect to give away a fair few so don’t be shy if you want one, especially if you can review it, blog about it, twist with it or stick to it. Plenty of time for that mind as it wont be coming out proper until September – this gives us enough time to sort out gigs and press and other associated tie ins that will in theory help the record reach more people. [Dear me I seem to have swallowed the marketing handbook but you know what I mean, actually I’ve probably swallowed an out of date copy too but lets not dwell on it]. Whether this in fact makes any difference well who knows, anything can happen in the next half hour, like Stingray.

Since I last twittered on this blog diary thing we, the band, have played shows in Liverpool, Manchester [there are a few clips from the Deaf Institute Gig on Facebook ], Sheffield and Glasgow – all were well received, especially the Sheffield gig which spectacularly sold out. I say spectacularly because I’m the type who makes a mountain out of them small hills – Truly the gigs were a lot of fun, and it was good to embrace the old Sheffield sing along stage invasion drunken happy go lucky night on the town eating chips and ketchup variety club vibe. You had to be there I guess, - not sure if anyone filmed any of it other than the Deaf Institute so if you know of such do let me know, just in case I’m making this up and 1972 has in fact reclaimed me like an episode of Life on Mars, which I never watched, but always meant to.

The band have now returned to stand by mode, Paul is back in the USA, John is back on the sound at the O2, Neil is Crawling with the Carpets and Ben is living the dream in a potting shed of a well known stately home. Future live performances may take on a different formation. I have no idea as yet what will transpire, if anything does I will be writing about it here.

I’ve not been going out much of late, stopping in and losing track of routines is an occupational hazard I actively relish. I’ve been cutting the hedge, running around the railway track and watching a woeful Aston Villa team get nearly relegated, - I say nearly, but its not over yet of course, twists and turns, not unlike the career of Vinny Peculiar.

Yippee eye ay yippy eye oh, Holte Enders in the Sky. Oh please! VP x

Brickies and Boobs

2011-03-05T02:47:00.000-08:00

I spent a reflective Monday evening in the company of The Music Consortium [promoters the forthcoming Liverpool gig at STATIC GALLERY on 11th March, ] killing time in the Leaf Cafe before recording a solo acoustic session for Dave Monks' BBC Radio Merseyside Show THE POOL. It was nice catching up with Dave again after more years than we realized. I did a couple of acoustic versions of songs from the new album 'OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME' - [it wont be ready for these coming gigs but will be available as a download in May before the physical release later in the year, more on that to come]. The songs were 'Judy Wood' - which is set in 1972 and My Generation [I said goodbye] - which is a lot more of a time traveler. The show goes out this Sunday March 6th at 8pm. Listen live or listen again via links here.

Here's a link to a little question and answer thing I did for the Liverpool Echo -

Vinny Peculiar talks Bowie, brickies and Boobs - Liverpool Echo Music News - Liverpool Echo Music - Entertainment - Liverpool Echo
-and a link to that BOOBS album.

and a gigs link in case you can come,

Hope to see you there

Vinny

GONE available as a free download

2011-02-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

GONE– the entire album is now available as free download here

Oh how the time flies…

Most of the ‘GONE’ album [Bughouse Records, catalogue no 037] was recorded in the summer of 1997 at Liverpool’s Pearl Studios in Clarence Street with the exception of ‘Calm Me Down’, ‘Gentle Life’ and ‘Blood Honey’, which were recorded at the old Pearl Studios [before they moved across town] off London Road some months earlier. In those days I was a Liverpool based recording artist and working as a nurse by day helping close institutions and design care packages. The incomparable Rob Ferrier engineered most of GONE' with customary attention to detail. I was so relieved to finally put an album together. I’d spent much of the early 90’s fronting the band whose name I never mention, touring here and there, anticipating a record deal that never materialized. I’d recorded a lot of demos, released a couple of EPs, written a shed load of songs and slept on a lot of suspect sofas in the name of rock n roll. GONE was the personal affirmation I needed to believe in myself. Musicians appearing on the album included Neil Carter, who’s drumming has featured on many a Vinny Peculiar record since including the latest. Bassist/Comedian Nick Robinson, Psychological Axeman John Aggrey and drummer Colin artist in residence Beckett who played drums most notably on Calm Me Down. I’m listening back to GONE as I write, it feels a bit strange as it's been sometime since but there are some very pleasant surprises. I say that as someone who is never ever satisfied with anything he does...so I'm not going to try and sell you the idea that its a classic, its not, but it is a decent, honest, varied, eclectic record of which I'm extremely proud of.

Let me take you through the songs if you have moment…

1 Calm Me Down – remains a live favourite after all these years, we hit the jackpot on this hyper high tempo version, the manic acoustic guitar solo still makes me laugh. Colin Beckett is the drummer, Nick Robinson plays bass, John Aggrey played guitar and it was recorded by Rob on the eight track machine with copious bouncing, channel hopping, track sharing; all the tricks the audio trade are in this recording. The sample at the start is from Billy Liar [which will probably get me into trouble one day]. After mix down to DAT I returned to the studio the next day and suggested that we do a second mix minus the sample but Rob had already erased the house tape in readiness for the next session. So that was the only version that was. It also appeared on the ‘Suicide Dad’ single [Uglyman] alongside the space poem ‘Going back to the Moon’.

2‘What are you running from, where are you going to and how do you know when you get there?'– a longest title award is surely overdue… Like a lot of GONE there is a twang about this one, I was listening to a lot of country stuff at the time, Gram Parsons, Hank Williams, et al and an indispensible NME compilation tape called NEON WEST. WAYRFWAYGTAHWYKWYGT is an ultimately uplifting relationship break up song that name checks Pamela Anderson and The Likely Lads, which is a first I’d like to think…

3 ‘Sad Eyed Mules of Men’ – The title is from a Bukowski Poem, the folk picking from a Bert Janch record, and the Moriconie elements whilst deliberate do seem a little bit obvious. Other than that it’s a work of veritable genius lyrically bemoaning politics of opportunism -

4 ‘A Man Can Lose Himself’ I’d played this live as a post grunge type ballad with the band and re recorded it for GONE – it was a favorite at the time. We stripped it down, it worked OK, I have fond memories of playing the guitar solo at 3am, smoking Marlborough Lights all wired up on Coffee and MSG. The song is about missing my daughter Leah, the title comes from that film Rob cant stand me going on about any more, so I wont.

5 ‘Someone’ Guilt is the driving force behind the lyric, which, if I’m honest is a little painful to endure. The tune is pretty good though and I love the hyper reverb dead souls beat, I forget how we did it – Stevie O, Anglo-Italian Soul Brother was instrumental.

6 ‘Blood Honey’ A voice and guitar. Engineered by Steve Cowell. I’d started doing solo gigs around this time – the song is all heart; lyrically it’s as confused as anything by REM which may be its saving grace.Or may not...Tim always liked it.

7 ‘Shrinemaker’ – a bitter and twisted big guitar grunge racket of a tune, if only the guitars were louder. I always wanted to redo the vocal on this – but we ran out of time. This song should have gone up to 11 -

8 ‘Jesus & the Angel’ – Jo Smullen sings this one way better than I ever could. Songs with religious imagery seem to sneak into a lot of what I do. I sent this song to Eddie Reader after meeting her at Glastonbury but she never replied.

9 Piggy in the Middle – this one drones along nicely and sounds way better than I remember. ‘It’s just a family affair, you want to repair, don’t you’ – that kind of summed up my life at the time.

10 ‘Shadow Box’ – minimalism, inertia, isolation and a white noise solo, which works pretty well. I like the drum machine now although I never did at the time. TOP of the Pops is mentioned, my generations holy grail of pop...

11 ‘Gentle Life’ chords like these don’t grow on trees’ -

12 ‘Guitar Star’ –this was recorded in the old Trading Places rehearsal room on Wood Street where Nick Robinson and I spent the early part of 1994 rehearsing and recording. As a lad I loved guitar heroes, my bedroom wall covered in posters, Andy Powell, Ted Turner, Tony Iomi, Jimmy Page, the song is homage to those days. We shared the rehearsal space with a hardcore trance metal duo whose collection of candles knives and scythes were faintly unsettling. Next…

13 ‘Time for Bed’ – you might say this is Zebedee’s song, the alphabet set to music, nursery rhyme style. I used to open the acoustic set with this one. I like the menace and the moodiness. It’s got that one chord bass root change thing going on, album title GONE came from the line 'why do you do us all a big favour and be GONE' ....

14‘The Ballad of Vinny Peculiar’ – an early attempt at self-aggrandizement features my then teenage cousin John Wilkes on the slide trombone, the lyrics are all over the place but the vibe is half decent…or perhaps its the other way round? You decide…

15 ‘A guitar pop fans imaginary sound-check at the Silver Spurs Country and Western Café, Bromsgrove, 1976’ –another long title, it must have been a phase I was going through. I used to frequent The Silver Spurs C&W Club, it was a night held in a scout hut on the edge of Bromsgrove Town in a place called Stoke Prior. I’d go there with my friend Tom the doctor’s son. Tom had a car. The punters wore fancy dress and they held fast-draw competitions between acts. It was like Twin Peaks, so many eccentrics. The song tracks a fading star in the twilight of his career and sound-checking for one last time. There is a lot of reverb to contend with, you might find this off putting, you might find it endearing….

The ARTWORK for GONE was by Liverpool sleeve arts specialist Steve Hardstaff and based on the Edward Ruscha painting ‘Standard Station, Amarillo, Texas’ 1963. Steve also famously designed the rotating wheel on the Led Zeppelin 3 sleeve.

In January 1998 some three months prior to its release GONE received a review in The Observer by their music correspondent Sam Taylor - this really was the best of news, getting a brilliant review in the Broadsheets was a proper coup. A couple of days later we had calls from Paul Smith the designer offering to kit us out in posh suits and although the deal never quite happened it was clear we were onto something. The buzz didn’t last long but it certainly helped keep me keeping on. Heres the review -

THE OBSERVER MUSIC REVIEWS JAN 1998

Gone: Vinny Peculiar [Bughouse Bug 037]

Mr Peculiar-aka Alan Wilkes-is a Manchester singer-songwriter who looks as if he’s been through many a wilderness year in preparation for this clear-eyed, beautiful debut. His CV is a bit misleading; he’s recently supported old farts like Nils Lofgren and Roger McGuinn, but Gone is eclectic and adventurous, reminiscent of Baby Bird’s early demos or Microdisney’s first album. Vinny’s voice is more emotive than strictly tuneful, but his guitar playing is delicately inspired and the songs are almost all lovely, whether wired and Television like [Shrinemaker], sparse and melancholy [Sahadow Box] or positively Beatleseque [Calm Me Down]. Gone gets its proper release later this year, but if you need it now [and I suggest you do] just send a cheque to Bughouse Music, Clarence House, 36 Clarence Street, Liverpool L3 5TN

Sam Taylor

And a more contemporary retrospective from W&H

WHISPERINANDHOLLERIN

ALBUM REVIEWS

GONE [1998]

Cat BUG 037

Table Our Rating: 8/10

"Gone" marks the spot where laconically friendly psychiatric nurse Alan Wilkes entered the musical equivalent of Mr.Ben's infamous clothing store and re-entered our collective consciousness as the enigmatic VINNY PECULIAR.

And, although it's not as cohesive as his two more recent albums "Ironing The Soul" and "Growing Up With...", "Gone" is still a notable debut. That it was largely ignored at the time is no surprise though, as the album was recorded around the tail end of Britpop and Vinny's quirky observations cut little ice just as the world was falling under the spell of heavyweights such as The Verve, Spiritualized and fellow ex-nurse Thom Yorke's Radiohead.

But "Gone" is still out there and it's ripe for rediscovery. Recorded in Liverpool with respected producer Rob Ferrier and several sympathetic musicians in tow, it's quite a different proposition to the band's current incarnation featuring ex-Smiths Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, and stylistically it's a dense and sprawling affair. However, it's also shot through with caustic wit, insight aplenty and liberally sprinkled with quiet melancholy and self-loathing.

Proceedings kick off brilliantly with "Calm Me Down". It's a deceptively jaunty set-piece with swaggering guitars and embroidered with lyrical intrigue such as the wryly observed "Romeo and Juliet were taking the piss, happiness was something they were happy to miss". Vinny's work is peppered with such memorable insights and this is as good an introduction to his work as any.

Vinny's narrative skills also set up great tunes like the hereditary confessional "Blood Honey" and (deep breath) "What Are You Running From, Where Are You Going To, How Do You Know When You Get There?". The former is gentle and minimal musically, but simply lacerated with hurt as Vinny sings: "Once I was walking over fountains, through an ever-open gate/ I was spurting with the fountains, now you bury me with hate." Ouch. The wordy, Dylan-ish "What Are You Running From...", meanwhile, is brilliantly observed country-pop and - let's face it - any song that namechecks Thelma from 'The Likely Lads' is alright by me.

Elsewhere, Vinny indulges in superior English resignation of the twisted troubadour variety. "Gentle Life" is deceptively pretty with sweet harmonica but riven with classic quiet desperation, while "A Man Can Lose Himself" features an intro line ("She's got one shoe on and the other one off/ Here come the waves crashing into the rocks") Chris Difford would be proud of. a

"Someone" and "Guitar Star" are equally sparse in execution, but considerably darker in hue. The former is creepy and slightly voyeuristic ("There's someone sneaking into someone else's bedroom and shooting their load"), while "Guitar Star" has a heavily-treated vocal and is numb aned cold in a very Luke Haines kind way. Too much of the acousticism might become a tad monotonous, but "Gone" also makes elbow room for upbeat tunes like "Shrinemaker" and "The Ballad Of Vinny Peculiar". "Shrinemaker" is wrapped in a coating of regret, vitriol and abrasive guitar, while "The Ballad..." is quite an exotic departure with a Mardi Gras bounce, trombones and organ. It's another fine narrative storyboard that - to these overheating ears - reminds of under-rated US singer/ songwriter Steve Wynn.

At 15 tracks, "Gone" is lengthy, but there's refreshingly minimal deadwood. The clanking, lurching blues of "Piggy In The Middle" is difficult to get a handle upon, while the mordantly amusing "Time For Bed" is basically the devil's guide to the alphabet ("V is for Velvets, behind their wall of sound!"). These are diverting rather than essential, and Vinny only just about gets away with the closing "A Guitar Fan's Imaginary Soundcheck At The Silver Spurs Country & Western Cafe, Bromsgrove, Circa 1976" which sounds - I suspect deliberately - like it was recorded under water for 20p and a bag of washers.

Still, these are minor blemishes that only minimally pockmark the skin of what remains a fascinating record and a fine introduction to a man who remains one of the UK's best kept songwriting secrets. You need "Ironing The Soul" and "Growing Up With Vinny Peculiar" in your life. "Gone" must also be added to this list forthwith.

Best wishes

Vinny

Move It

2011-01-27T04:24:00.000-08:00

Come on pretty baby lets…

I’ve been feeling positive today – in a Liverpool café finalizing gig details, adverts, ticket prices, and other stuff that makes the square world go round. I met Pete Wyllie’s drummer in the café, gushed about the Wah Heat legends onstage banter par excellence and talked digital media - not exactly my speciality subject but I’m sat in the chair so I expect to answer the questions. So I’ll doing the usual pestering face booking my spacing tweeting type things to advertise the forthcoming gigs and new album release, that’s just the way it is. There’s no point in harking back to a time when there was a genuine mystery involved in discovering new music, obsessing over the music press, locating records in record shops, digging the clothes and buying the look from hippy dives in underground caves. No point in all that – cause all we have is now, still, it’s tempting sometimes of course it is…

I’ve settled on the title of the new album after coming up with way too many options and getting a bit over obsessed with it all– its called ‘Other People Like Me’ - John in Alaska likes it, Rob and Julie at The Studio like it, Rob the producer likes it, Spike likes it. I am starting to like it. So that’s it.

From personal cultural perspective I've recently discovered James Rhodes, an amazing pianist with a fascinating story to tell concerning his upbringing, abuse, treatment and rehabilitation. Its inspiring to know people live through crap and go on to create great art. Its the story of Art is it not? He's really big on - I had never really though of Beethoven as Rock n Roll, but he makes a good case for just that. The masses to reclaim the classics high jacked by the toffs, the time is now, lets do it.

I’m half way through reading the Nick Kent 70s memoir Apathy for the Devil and whilst I’m enjoying the heroin tales of a man who’s life charm factor goes all the way up to eleven I cant help feeling that the writing is all a bit safe. He doesn’t really get under his own skin – there’s little room for self doubt in his make up, perhaps he’s just too confident and assured to be THAT interesting. I’m enjoying it but wouldn’t rave about. Grace Maxwell’s story of Edwyn Collins rehabilitation is a different matter altogether – a very readable honest and affecting story of enduring love. And love is all you need, VP

Works Do and Gig News

2010-12-17T04:46:00.000-08:00

We’ve done the same thing year in and year out for the last four years, marking the times of our lives, it’s a nice thing to do, like making Soup for strangers. It goes something like this – meet at pub, drink beer, catch up, go for curry, smoke fags, go home - this year was no different. Mike, Ben, Bonehead and me - Craig almost made it. We pulled crackers, we made plans and next year and we’ll be doing it all again. There is something comforting in that, something grown up, something reassuringly. For afters Bonehead produced individual bars of Very Peculiar chocolate; it’s new and flavoured with marmite, it felt touchingly appropriate. A sponsorship deal surely beckons.

My other epic news was the birth of my grandson Sebastian Peter Alan Walch. [It still sounds a bit odd saying it but its true!] I’ve posted a few pictures on facebook should anyone care to see. Mother, baby and father all doing well; we’ll be heading down their way this coming weekend weather permitting.

On the musical horizon band shows are confirmed for next year with new line up – new album rhythm section Neil Carter [drums] and John Thirlwall [bass] are joined US guitarist Paul Saulino and Mancunian maverick Ben Knott on keys. More dates should emerge as we go along. I am waiting for final studio dates to finish the album – I know, its that broken record time again, but soon I'm sure I'll have some proper news on release dates and such. Finally my domain dramas are seemingly over and my email configurations configured. Perhaps the curse of Vinny Peculiar has finally run its course…VP

GIGS

Thurs 10th March Manchester Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor St –buy tickets here
Manchester M1 7HE 0161 276 9350 with State Broadcasters & Help Stamp Out Loneliness

Fri 11th March Liverpool Static Gallery 23 Roscoe Lane
Liverpool L1 9JD 0151 707 0770 with State Broadcasters & Help Stamp Out Loneliness

Sat 12th March Sheffield The Greystones, Greystones Road, Sheffield S11 7BS Enquiries: 0114 266 5599 with State Broadcasters & Help Stamp Out Loneliness

Sun 13th March Glasgow, Nice n Sleazy 421 Sauchiehall St
Glasgow G2 3LG0141 333 0900 with State Broadcasters

More of This

2010-11-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

It’s been a long time since I updated this thing – in truth I’ve been in something of a limbo state with the non-completion of the new album – closure is imminent but I’m still waiting. The studio is incredibly busy and I’m having to fit around long standing schedules; it’s not as if I can take anything home and work on it there – analogue recording doesn’t work that way. [And if it did it probably wouldn’t for me]. I’m guessing that all will be ready by Christmas. It’ll be worth it.

Tour dates are shaping up for next year, we have Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow scheduled for March with London and Birmingham to follow – I’ll add all the details to the new site www.vinnypeculiar.co.uk soon.When the new tracks are mastered I’ll add them to the www.myspace.com/vinnypeculiar account for comments and delectation. After a month of lost domains, dodgy digital hosting and email address mix ups it’ll be plain sailing from here on in, of course it will. Thanks for keeping up with all - Vinny

2010-10-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

I've had to cancel this weekends gig at the Green Room due to studio commitments - 'Sentimental Music' is all about wobbly heartstrings and soft centers - the narrator is of course jealous of his girls love of mainstream musical MOR although I'm not sure that really comes across in the lyric. I've recorded this in epic fashion for the new album - it will make an appearance at some point in the live set - I just need to work a little harder at the piano practice...

A month of Sundays

2010-10-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Vinny Peculiar sessions at Analogue Cat are coming to an end next week – it’s been a long time coming as we’ve spread the sessions out across the summer so all of a sudden we need to deliver. Of course you can go on and on re evaluating stuff but there comes a time when enough is enough, we move on, the tracks become the tracks, versions of songs become themselves. Some artists recording to tape make digital transfers remixing in Pro Tools, like the last Vaselines album Sex with an X recorded here [at Analogue Cat] and mixed elsewhere. We’ re not going down that road; we’re mixing old school from the desk, marking levels, manually adding and increasing effects, channel button stabbing and fader riding. It’s old school analogue and kind of fun, there’s always a daft sense of danger to the process, a ‘this is the one’ feeling. It’s quite thrilling, we laugh a lot too which helps, and it sounds better, of course still that goes without saying ha ha.

We have finished six mixes with five more to do - I’m not sure about a couple of them and there’s the customary paranoia regarding vocals namely ‘is there a better one in me and if so can I redo it?’ I was chatting to Julie, studio owner writer and performer behind the Bridget Storm albums on the subject of doubt and how infectious and irrational a feeling it can be. How you want to stop the bus and walk away and start again and scream at yourself for even imagining you could actually sing a note or pen a song. It’s like a curse. Nick Cave on the other hand has no doubt; he has never been to the school of uncertainty nor courted abject failure and despair. He always believes in everything he does without question - it says so in a recent Mojo interview. That's why his songs are so light and airy-fairy - hmmm.

On Friday the wonderfully tonsiled up Jo Smullen added vocals to three tracks namely ‘Art-rockers’, ‘Art Thief’ and ‘A Vision’ It was a pleasure to catch up with her, we’d not seen each other for a few years. Rob and I were in a band with Jo back in the day, she works fast, her voice is as powerful and expressive as ever. Rob and I do the time-warp again. She has proper soul Diva style. She's given the songs a real glam soul gravitas and feel I like to think. I’ll have stuff ready to listen to in a few weeks. Bear with me and cheers for reading this rather extended preamble, - VP x

Sometimes I Feel Like a King

2010-09-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

In the Midnight Hour

2010-08-19T01:44:00.000-07:00

I’m sat up in the spare bed at Analogue Cat studios, its 12.30 and we’ve not long finished recording. Rob has now contracted the Spanish Flu I bought back from Barcelona, so we’re both coughing like a pair of woodbine willies although I’m a little further on into recovery. I’m hoping I can sing by Friday, there’s still five main vocals left to do and we need to finish tracking by end of the week, it looks unlikely but I'll give it a go. Dave Rawson was here on Monday night adding Sax to glam influenced ‘ Artrockers’ , and clarinet to ‘Square One’, a confessional about stealing creams eggs from the post office amongst other things. Bonehead came over yesterday and ripped through the rhythm guitar on Art Thief, a song about commerce and culture and clowning around, its one of the less linear offerings on the album. He was bang on it, [to use the musicians vernacular]. It was great catching up after what always seems way too long. Tony Thornborough from Salford promotions team Helmets for Men was also on hand to film the goings on. Former Poppy Andy Lyth also popped in to play percussion on a track called Sentimental Music, a song about a girls love of simple classic old school pop songs and how these songs guide and shape her world view. ‘She doesn’t care for noisy rock bands or for men with poodle hair/ Scuzzy Punk or metal goths in black who always stop and stare’ – is the line making Rob chuckle. It’s all very bright and breezy, very west coast we like to think. I'll post al the words and a few films in due course, cheers -VP x

vinny peculiar blogs: For the Record

2010-08-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

vinny peculiar blogs: For the Record: "Recording continues this coming week, – we are on course to finish the tracking by Friday, still more to do but cracking on. I’m enjoying t..."

For the Record

2010-08-14T09:43:00.001-07:00

Recording continues this coming week, – we are on course to finish the tracking by Friday, still more to do but cracking on. I’m enjoying the gaps between sessions, more time to think about parts and change lines that don’t quite sit right. Rob and I have done this several times before but never have we felt so excited; creatively it’s a nice stage to be at. I have acquired a Ned Callan SG circa 1970 - like Noddy Holder used on Slade in Flame! I am thrilled truly.
Filming should pick up a gear this coming week, although I doubt if we’ll have anywhere near as much footage as we’d hoped for. I thought we could just do the filming ourselves but we never seem to round to it. Bonehead is coming over to record his guitars on Tuesday, I’m looking forward to that. Ben and Tony will be here with cameras.

The changes to the web site www.vinnypeculiar.com will be going live soon. It’s retro re design is hap hazzardly set in 1972 where much of the musical influence for the new album comes from. I’m inviting people to submit old family photos as part of an ongoing homepage gallery so please send anything for sharing to admin@vinnypeculiar.com Thanks ever so for that, more to follow on the recording soon. VP

inertia

2010-06-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

'Inertia' is a bleak and broken daily grind kind of song, this version filmed in the garage by Chad Huddleston, a great friend of mine from the US. Chad used a FLIP - I like the way the sunlight breaks through the cracks in the garage roof as the performance unfolds, the random lighting changes add something - this song forst appeared on the 2009 album 'Sometimes I Feel Like a King', I hardly ever do it live. The album feature lots of scatter gun jazz drumming, found objects and guitar noise - it's like Vinny Peculiar goes shoe gazing. VP x

The Happiest Man in the World

2010-06-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

Recording Update

2010-05-20T07:18:00.001-07:00

We have a fits and starts approach to recording - but its working. Last weekend more progress, a hired Les Paul with a baseball bat neck – my hands ached for days afterwards. It sounds all right n proper mind which is the main thing. I have managed to nail the rock if you’ll excuse the muso slang. Songs are shaping up. Rob and I are used to each others little foibles and manage to meet in the middle on most disputed directions…there are a lot of decisions in any given days recording, with no way back – such is the nature of analogue, no cutting and pasting and no changing song lengths. The studio is the most affable I’ve known and Rob Cotters coffee is still the best [I’ve no idea what he puts in it but we’re always guaranteed a few more small hours energy whenever he makes it]. Last time we were here we had a frog incident at 3am [I guess it was the rainy season] – but there have been no wildlife intruders so far into this session, just the cat setting off Neil’s asthma at 20 paces!

I’m at home today adding a new Vinny Peculiar Music page to facebook. I’m also getting the main website overhauled in the next few weeks. Once this new record is done I aim to re engage with twits and blogs and other such mediums, though whether I will or not remains to be seen. Someone just mailed me to remind me there is no email link from my site, which goes to show just how little attention I have been paying to the online presence agenda in recent times. Oh dear – I’m sounding like a grumpy old man again.

Good news - Bonehead, Luke Haines and Mike Joyce will feature on the new record – I will add more on this as and when. VP

Square One

2010-05-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

I have new song called 'Square One' - its a retrospective return to sender type thing, I'll add the words to this blog at the end, meanwhile, back at the recording studio....

It takes a fair amount of patience and dedication to craft and sort out the drum sounds. Rob is matching the Bowie classics to Neil’s kit with some success, until we cant tell the difference only we can, so we carry on with Rob switching mics and tweaking the tea towels that cover the snare and the toms. Rob has constructed a carpet house, looks like a den as baffling begins and ends here. I put the kettle on. It’s nearly two years since we recorded the last album; it feels good to be back.

I hope to beg steal and borrow more widely than previous on this new album. The idea is to let the influences shine. Paying homage to early Bowie, Elton, Mott…the stuff I grew up with. Life has a way of leading you back to the formative years, to a time when music was at its most exciting – of course this all depends on how old you were in any given era. For me it was the 70’s…

After a couple of hours and a few more tea towels on the snare things are shaping up nicely. As the day progresses we manage to record three drum/piano takes and rewrite a song I had in a myriad of sections assembling some kind of order and structure to its whole. The song is called ‘A Vision’, inspired by a vision I had [as in seeing stuff that’s not really there] whilst waiting for the 144 bus in Selly Oak in 1984,possibley the one and only spiritual experience of my life, something that I have never been able to properly explain. I seemed a suitable subject matter to write about.

We also get the drums down on ‘Something and Nothing’, ‘Theme 15’ and ‘Other People Like Me’ – which is threatening to go all polyphonic spree at the end, we’ve made it longer with next to no tape to spare.

Later that same night we have a curry in the local Indian and are back at the cottage over the hill where we are staying. Too late for Match of the Day we watch a mockumentary on singers in bands narrated by Marc Radcliffe. It’s not particularly good. A few beers too many [which is my case is hardly any at all] and I'm out for the count. Tomorrow we start the bass parts with John and hope to finish off the drums. So far so good, VP

Square One/ A Confessional

Tell me about it…

Confessional therapy weighs a ton Plays long and hard on the memory drum
People close down secrets play dead make a right old mess of your head
Bad poets dull prose Pretty girls on tip toes
In the ballet school over the road do you want to make it in the real world no
Geraldine under the lights squeezing spots and feeling alright
Initial carvings heart shaped tattoos AVFC rules

All back to square one/ let go and move on/ all done and all gone, so what and so on and so on and so on…

English teacher in the hand made shirts knew every lad from the waist down waiting in changing rooms after the match, be prepared and mind your backs…
I’ve come back to the boy’s brigade to apologize for breaking windows in the old church
And for behaving like a pervert in the rubble with a girl called Sharon Knowles
And for smoking in the toilets at my granddads funeral and stealing cream eggs from the post office
And for never returning the old poets books

All back to square one/ let go and move on/ all done and all gone/so what and so long…

Playing football with my cousins on the rec and robbing patches from the fashion shop throwing snowballs and getting chased and hiding in the cabbage patch scared out of our minds
And getting abused by Ronnie Spud for smashing windows in his greenhouse, he ran a mean house-

With a new boil and poultice on my hormonally challenged thigh
My Grandma wrapping me up in bandages like a war hero
The puss and the blood and pissing myself on the way home from the test match as the girls laughed...
At the railway station hut with the smutty Tit Bits cuttings and the page three stunners…in the fears and longings of adolescence I was useless..

All back to square one/ let go and move on/ all done and all gone, so what and so on and so on and so on…

Tangerine underwear of nubile young mothers flashing above the bridge of thighs
Where we hid and gawped and giggled with joy you naughty boy you naughty boy
Some kids into Northern soul take a change of clothes to the Wigan Casino, Skippy and Deano, and sticky boy evo…

All back to square one/ let go and move on/ all done and all gone, so what and so on and so on and so on…

All Tomorrows Tomorrows

2010-05-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first of May and our good friends Lynne and Marianne both have birthdays - happy birthday to you two! Villa need a win at City [we can do it, Oh yes we can]. We also start recording the new album at Analogue Cat – 12 songs – recording drums and bass for the next few days, tracking our way up as you do. The session will run in fits and starts over the summer. I feel incredibly lucky to be recording in a place I’d choose to record even if I were signed to EMI. We like to think of it as the Abbey Road of the North. Neil Carter is playing drums again; being the second best drummer on Merseyside we were lucky to secure his services. Neil has played on much of the VP stuff over the years from ‘Gone’ to ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’. He’ll be with us for a long weekend. John ‘Fig’ Thirlwall will be playing the bass, a 74 Fender Jazz with Macca strings. John and I go way back to pearl Studios and the Liverpool scene of the early 90’s. It’s great to have him on board. Many thanks once again to Pete Doyle for the loan of our favourite sounding bass ever. Oh dear…all this studio business is bringing out the geek in me.

I’ll be adding updates to this thing as we go. I have a FLIP and a laptop so no excuses, VP

USA mini tour

2010-03-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm in the US again playing a few low key gigs after spending most of the new year writing the new album like a regular recluse. The songs have something of a glam tinge to them - well the demos do, we'll see what transpires. Recording starts proper at Analogue Studios in the summer- meanwhile the quest for a Gibson Les Paul continues- I think there's one in Philadelphia with my name on it.

The US highlight so far a return to the Taphouse in Hampton VA - the set design once again by the wonderful Peter Pittman, a most peculiar church. i was thrilled. I tried a few new songs - Judy Wood is one of them. VP x

Welcome Back

2010-03-06T05:09:00.001-08:00

Hello readers of this thing…

It’s been a couple of months since I wrote here, you could say I’ve been avoiding the computer; it’s nice to feel disconnected every now and then from the workings of the modern world. I’ve not been out very much either; chopping wood, doing chores, making food, hanging doors and writing a new album. That was the good bit, the bit I need to tell you about, so here’s a little catch up –

Most of the songs are brand new, written in Jan/Feb this year, no doubt there will be the usual re writes and last minute arrangement changes but all in all I’m thrilled to be back in the writing/recording zone, it call feel like a life affirming process. The new record will pay homage to 70s Bowie that much is clear from the demos, but I hope it’ll sound suitably modern too [whatever that means]. Most of the songs have been written on the piano [I am improving slowly, I think]. I’m also about to buy a Les Paul, [I say about to buy one but I do have a tendency to procrastinate – I’ve been scouring ebay for the last 6 months in search of ‘the one’.] In recording these new songs I have avoided all urges to jangle [selling the Rickenbacker helped]. What would Mick Ronson do is the mantra of the moment! The recording proper takes place at Analogue Cat Studios over the summer – I can’t wait. I’m going to try and blog and film a lot more of what happens throughout the sessions [I know I always say that and it never happens the way I envisage]. If there are any aspiring film makers who fancy getting involved feel free to get in touch. Rob Ferrier will be producing once again, it’s a great little retro centric studio – we hope time have most of it done in time for the world cup final.

I’m off the US again later this month for a few gigs and a holiday in NYC [where I’ll be shopping for the aforementioned Gibson]. I’ll be hooking up with musicians in North Carolina for a couple of House Gigs [private parties – an American thing] playing gigs in NYC, Richmond and Philadelphia, details will be added to the sites as soon as.

The future is apparently nice, the digi break is over, and as Eno once so eloquently said - Here Come the Warm Jets - VP x

Works Night Out

2009-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

We're in The Albert Pub, Bonehead and Jeff play pool as a tartan clad
Teddy Bear in a Santa outfit descends from the rafters on a pulley,
holding an umbrella set to the Casio tone sounds of Oh Little Town of Bethlehem. Mind your heads says the barmaid; we never noticed that last year...

It’s the works night out here in Rusholmes finest boozer; we have a tradition to maintain, Ben, Mike, Bonehead and Jeff [Craig is in London pedaling his pedals]. We've not played in the same band for a couple of years but we’re sticking to the ritual, the pub, the curry, like I said it’s become something of a tradition. Over the course of the evening we make tentative plans to work together again – we’ll see what happens, never say never.

In the meantime Mike's radio show continues to gather listeners, & plaudits alike. Bonehead plays guitar in The Vortex. Ben is working with 808 State and Jeff is driving/tour managing bands. I'm making a new album in the summer; Rob Ferrier will be producing again. Sweet [like Chad says].

Talking records the last album Sometimes I feel like a King has just made the top ten albums of the year in Veer Magazine – another good reason to buy it for a loved one this Christmas…speaking of which have a good one, enjoy the snow while it lasts, VP x

In Treatment

2009-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

I’ve been steadily working my way through episodes of In Treatment – on Sky Arts, its brilliant. Gabriel Byrne plays therapist to a regular cohort of patients, cases build from week to week, same faces, unpicking their pain, meddling in their mysteries, all secrets and lies, guilt and hurt - it’s all perfectly addictive. A broken young gymnast with suicidal tendencies, a murderous pilot, a beautiful woman who’s in love with her therapist [a cliché yes but sweetly moving], the drama rarely leaves the couch. Naturally enough the therapists life is also falling apart, he’s in couple therapy with his wife, who’s sleeping with an estate agent, as they tend to do. I think the show has won some kind of drama award in the US – I’ve not been so excited about TV since the heady days of Madmen. Meanwhile...

I play the Christmas party at Green Bohemia, Friday 11th - The Green Room on Whitworth Street, Manchester. I’ve played there before and it’s a nice intimate easy going gig. I’m on at 9.00pm, play for half an hour or so. After the gig I’ll try to resist but most probably will smoke a hand rolled cigarette in the rain with Cousin John from Buzzaldrins. I'm looking forward to it. It’s a busy old line up, should be a good night. I’ll be wearing my upbeat persona mask with confident aplomb. I might even do some poems too. Come along if you like, it’s free to get in, if you get there early there's free absinthe and mince pies.

On Saturday 12th Dec I have another local gig at THE CANTEEN ABODE, 537 - 539 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester – I’ve heard so many great reports about the gig, it’ll be my first time there. They’ve given me a special guest billing, [I'm first on at 9 pm] -the temptation to sneak off early and get off home for Match of the Day will be resisted. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to beat Man U – but it’s just a feeling; we never do. VP

working class escape

2009-11-29T09:19:00.001-08:00

A day out on the Manchester Wheel, with Keith and Chad - this song has been around the block and back more times than others I have written, it's kind of droned out, woebegone and sentimental. I added the snow bleached effect in I MOVIE -

Vinny

Brighton Rocks

2009-11-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

We’re eating cod and chips in a proper old boozer along the street from the Hanbury Club here in Brighton – we’ve sound checked and it’s the last date on the tour - Luke, Jake, Harry and the man from Fantastic Plastic [who put out the recent Haines opus] and myself are talking round table style about the end of the modern age, the dawn of new a realism, the end of computing and the return of the analogue mother f**ker. The one that hurts and sings. It all made perfect sense at the time. It’s my last date on the tour. We order, and wait, with just half an hour before I go on still no sign of the food. Best revise the set - sit down and do a load of poems with your back to the audience is one suggestion. It doesn’t quite come to that - I make it back to the venue with five minutes to spare before show time – stuffed – Then I’m sat at the piano ranting and raving and quite enjoying myself.

I’d arrived in Brighton late afternoon in good time, I’d expected traffic problems but no – I even managed a little walk by the sea, the wind bracing and the sky all red and purple in the fading light. What a dramatic sea front it is, the grandeur and the grace. We’re about half a mile up the coast from the pier in a club where they have quite the most breathtaking regency style ceiling carved out into a dome and painted rococo style. It must surely be a listed building, the most culturally well to do venue we’ve had on the tour. The gig goes well – I do more poems than usual. People seem OK with it. The angle of the mic is all wonky for the piano vocal which has me stretching sideways but apart from that everything seems to happen the way it was meant to. Its a good gig, I enjoy it, meet some nice people and am back at the Travelodge [after an anxious nearly set to with some local chavs] by midnight. My second ever Brighton gig, – huge thanks to the Luke Haines crowd for making this and other shows on this tour really special for me - very much appreciated, VP x

Vinnie Peculiar Live at The Hampton TapHouse 18th of October 2009

2009-11-13T09:24:00.001-08:00

Calm Me Down - from the Taphouse gig in Hampton, x

Luke Haines is not Dead

2009-11-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

It’s Monday, I slither down the greasy pipe, listening to Joe the Lion - I'm back home for a few days after the last of the current run of support dates with the esteemed Mr Haines – five gigs in seven days – all have been enjoyable, there’s one more show to go in Brighton on Wednesday at The Hanbury Club,83 St George's Road , Brighton , BN2 1EF. Do come along if it’s down your way. It's been one of the nicest tours I've had the pleasure to do - not just because I'm a huge fan of the man - which helps obviously– but because we all got along OK, band, Luke, it’s a small time operation. I watched every show – new songs and old, a real joy to behold, a hard on glam rock power trio logy of genius [I can’t seem to get enough of it - bizarre but true I know – it’s a fan thing].

In Glasgow I did some recording on a joint project I’m working on with State Broadcasters in Pete McDonald’s home studio. Pete also put me up and took me into China Town for a midnight feast. The Glasgow show at The Captains Rest was a highlight, more Broadcasters turned up, Grahame, Robbie, Susie, and we took to the stage again to sing ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’. It was a great night, the piano held its own, and next day I recorded a new song [Pathetic Lament], sang vocals on one of Pete and Grahams songs and put down the piano for a new version of Sometimes I feel like a King – with any luck we’ll have an EP ready for the Spring. It’s exciting.

I was late arriving for the Newcastle show but the sound engineer was perfectly accommodating – I truly appreciated his efforts. That’ll teach me booking a Travelodge some 10 miles out of town,I got seriously stuck in the rush hour. The show went well apart from an exploding cable dud connection issue caused by my new guitar strap which had become entwined in the jack socket – all this meant I delivered ‘Kiss Me I’m a Social Worker’ [the evenings final song,] in something of a stationary posture as every move I made resulted in considerable electrical bish bash bosh. Boom…

The drive from Newcastle to Bristol was a very long one as it’s a very long way. I arrived at The Thekla around 4.30pm, just as the third goal went in a Villa Park- it’s a gig on a boat, a boat Viv Stanshall used to own - no one was there so I went for a walk by the river. Then I had the same drama with the parking ticket machines as last time I was there two years ago. You feed the thing, pay the money and there’s no ticket – a groundhog parking day – how annoying. I sort of sensed it but I still went ahead and put the money in the slots. Stupidly annoying – end up shaking the machine and gently cursing and shoving all to no avail. Inside the gig on the boat everything feels damp, and it smells funny. I’m first to arrive, I change my strings, sat in the same place changing strings as when we were last here for a band show two years ago [almost to the day]. The groundhog feeling continues right up to show time. I then watch Luke’s sound check eat bananas in the dressing room, make coffee, do small insignificant stuff, consider asking a girl for a roll up, think better of it. In no time I’m on stage – it’s early – the venue changes into a nightclub at 10 pm sharp so all show times have been brought forward – 7.45 is too early though, really, when I go on there are just a few people dotted around the benches either side- it fills up to a decent swell after 20 minutes or so – then I’m off at half past eight. Later I watch the Luke show. I sing along to Bad Reputation, ‘Goodbye my love, it’s a hell of a record, they did it by themselves their leader was not present’- a proper glam rock stomper, and like so much of Lukes work, it’s brutally twisted in all the right places, ‘Gary Glitter, he’s a bad bad man, ruining the reputation of the glitter bands, - aproper live high- I’ll be doing much the same thing in Brighton on Wednesday. I am glad to be alive. I am supporting Luke Haines. I am kind of thrilled truly, [normal service will be resumed asap] phew..Vinny

Deaf Institute

2009-11-03T03:31:00.000-08:00

The American shows all over - I could have happily played on -, highlights
included Philadelphia where I was introduced to The Phillies [currently on a
world series roll] - I know, its only rounders for blokes but somehow when
in Rome...and in Virginia where a set designer created something truly
extraordinary from my most casual instructions. I felt humbled and inspired.
The shows were a great success and I am planning to return in the spring of
2010 for a more extended tour.

Back on home soil I spend a couple of days sifting stats for the NHS [just
call me Josef K] - before heading to Leeds on Sunday night for the first of
six shows on the Luke Haines tour. The sat nav seemed to find the Brudnell
Rooms a major challenge, after a few circles of the ring road I rang a mate
and was there in no time. I say hello to Luke and his new band, young, funky
- and sounding huge. We make plans for food but I'm on in half an hour so I
take the nibbles option in the dressing room instead. There's nothing worse
than performing when you're stuffed - or pogged [as they say in these
parts]. I remember years ago Nils Lofgren telling me the story of how he ate
a pizza a little to close to show time with catastrophic results, mind you
he was vaulting on a mini trampoline at the time. My gig comes and goes -
the piano sounds great, and somehow I manage to hit enough of the right
notes to get through the songs. I'm using the piano a lot more nowadays -
it's a challenge for me, playing pianos on records is one thing, but live
it's a discipline. I like to think I'm winning, just...

Last night I played Manchester's Deaf institute - easily the best medium
sized venue in the city. It was of course raining again, as it tends to be
whenever I play. I don't know what it is lately, but there is a definite
pattern emerging, even in the states it was the same old rain, a washed out
festival and flash flooding in Norfolk. I park up behind the venue and got
soaked carrying the gear in - there are a lot of stairs at The Deaf
Institute - I then have a perfectly decent sound check

and retire to the flat backstage to eat crisps and dips whilst chatting to
Harry the agent who's head is buried in his lap top a world of pre sales and
post scripts and press advance notifications. Ruth sorts us out some proper
coffee. I'm onstage at 8.15 - people are still arriving - but it fills up
throughout the duration. The piano holds up - the DI box dies mid way
through Replica Shirt- otherwise we are hitch free and engaged. My tendency
to waffle on does get the better or should I say worse of me from time to
time - I'm working on it. After the show I sell CDs - but nowhere near as
many as I thought I might. You never can tell, ha ha...I watch Luke's set
with Rob and we talk about drinking and staggering to the station, I smoke
my one permitted after show roll up cadged from cousin John - [Kate Winslett
has a similar attitude to the demon weed so I'm told]. I talk with various
Buzz Aldrins on the roof terrace before leaving. The remaining shows with
Luke as below - also here a clip from the Deaf Institute Show - Nurse of the
Year - accidental accolades indeed...

Thu 5 Nov Glasgow Glasgow Captains Rest

b/o 0844 847 2487 www.ticketweb.co.uk

185 Great Western Road

Glasgow , G4 9EB

Phone: 0141 331 2722

Fri 6 Nov Newcastle Newcastle The Cluny

b/o 08444 771 000 www.ticketweb.co.uk

Ouseburn Warehouse Workshops

36 Lime St , Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1

0191 230 4474

Sat 7 Nov Bristol Bristol The Thekla

b/o 08713 100 000

East Mud Dock

The Grove, Harbourside, Bristol , BS1 4RB

0117 929 3301

Wed 11 Nov Brighton Brighton Hanbury Club

b/o 01273 606 312 www.seetickets.com

83 St George's Road , Brighton , BN2 1EF

tel: 01273 605789

Philadelphia PA

2009-10-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sat at the table listening to the breeze, its humid and it raining in Philadelphia. I'm playing two shows here, last night at a restaurant bar outside of town, a traditional Italian American set up - we set up in the corner and played. Paul Saulino joined me for a couple of songs and we had, as they say, a blast - lovely people here in PA. I even managed a cover of Suffragette City which went down incredibly well [ David Live - for what its worth - was recorded just down road from here].

Previously the tour has sped along from Virginia - three shows, to DC, another show and a day off, and through to Phily. Seven shows in all - unfortunately the NYC show got pulled due to the unrealistic expectations of the promoters [it happens] , i mean, i've sold a few records in the US but by a few I really do mean a few. Hmm - wires crossed, - wont make that mistake again - still we made up for it with some sightseeing.

The show in Hampton Virginia was the highlight of the tour to date - Peter Pitman, local entrepreneur and proprietor of he Taphouse had built a stage set based on my casual brief [that I never really gave a lot of thought to] which depicted a Teenage Bedroom [like the song]. Attention to detail was beyond all expectation, Debbie Harry posters and laundry debris...thus I was afforded the creative use of props, including the mirror [ always the mirror]. it was an inspiring little show- i am now considering the benefits of using a regular set design for key intimate gigs- the drama queen in me [buried beyond recognition in recent times] making a late home run as the pitcher cries off and the stadium closes and the old man at the hot dog stand says - why ever not.

This tour has gone really well - with just the one show remaining [once again here in Phily- at The Wooly Mammoth, tonight, in town on the strip in the raw and amongst friends -

Last night I met a group of local musicians, we spoke about putting a band together for future US shows [ I have more scheduled end of the year] - this is an exciting prospect which I'll update people on as soon as...

Next up for me once I'm back in the UK is the Luke Haines Tour which kicks off in Leeds on the 1st November - email me if you're thinking of coming and I'll see what I can do, until then then, comin back atcha...

Vinny

Replica Shirt - taphouse show 18.10.09 - Vinny Peculiar's MySpace Blog |

2009-10-21T11:58:00.001-07:00

Replica Shirt - taphouse show 18.10.09 - Vinny Peculiar's MySpace Blog |

2009-10-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Replica Shirt - taphouse show 18.10.09 - Vinny Peculiar's MySpace Blog |

Meanwhile- back in the US of A , I'm off for a walk on a North Carolina beech negotiating sand spurs and admiring wildlife, feeling like a hippy, looking at the sunrise. This clip from Monday nights show at Taphouse, Hampton, Virginia which featured an inspired and superbly detailed 'teenage bedroom' stage set from local artist and entrepreneur Peter Pittman. I'll post more on this in due course- VP

Vinny on TINCAN

2009-10-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

I’d no idea the School for Sound existed – but it does – just a stones throw along the A6 out of town on the road to The Apollo. It’s where the Pro Tool Kids hang out the guy on reception tells me. I tell him I haven't the faintest idea what he's talking about and that computers are just a fad and they'll all be obsolete in two or three years time. I arrive early evening not knowing quite what to expect. I’ve driven past it a few times before ringing Dermo and checking the postcode. I’m recording for Dermos Recession Session for the fledgling but flying high www.tincan.tv – one of the new and rapidly growing internet radio stations. Tom the engineer meets me in reception – shows me the live room, it’s an impressive studio recording space. Dermo arrives and we set up piano and guitars – after the settling in and the mucking about I get on with recording 4 live tracks – Sometimes I Feel Like a King, Nurse of the Year, Everlasting Teenage Bedroom and Actions Speak Louder. There are little things, aren’t there always – slurred words and wobbly notes, but all in all I felt happy with the performances. Tom mixes them on the fly – then we do an interview– talk about the three tracks I’ve bought in – The Osmonds by DENIM, Jean Genie by David Bowie and Valley of the Long Lost Women by John Cooper Clarke. All three have a special place in my heart. You can listen to the show via the following link http://www.facebook.com/l/e8dea;www.tincan.tv/features/music/243/dermos-recession-sessions-5-featuring-vinny-peculiar-/

You might need to register with Tin can but that only takes a minute or so - internet on the radio, you can have it anyway you want it, anyway you want it to be –like The Average White Band. After the session I talk to Dermo about Angling, confessing a secret desire to sit on a river bank, cast out and meditate in the moment. I almost make arrangements to go fishing with him…this apparent need came from a walk by the canal the other day which sparked off some kind of nostalgia – and my brother was a big fisherman – he used to put the maggots on the hook for me, we went as kids. He carried on – I never did. In truth I don’t think I’m ready to go fishing just yet – but should I ever properly succumb I will be right on the blower to Dermo who’s passion for it is infectious. Thanks Derm for the offer much appreciated.

The radio session sounded brilliant. I am enjoying the challenge of playing live songs on the piano - I'm also writing more on the piano, i expect the next record will reflect this...more on that to come. VP

Confessions of a Sperm Donor - Lyrics

2009-10-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

As requested...the lyrics to Confessions of a Sperm Donor [from the 2004 album Growing up with Vinny Peculiar]

I used to be a feminist I used to be a freak

Sold my sperm for bus fare I got £15 a week

The jobs as good as yours she said your numbers on the pot

Just abstain the night before and bring us every drop

But don’t expect a helping hand cause we’re strictly DIY

But there’s a piles of magazines next door you’re most welcome to try

We freeze it in a cryostat and you sign your name right here

It’s a brave new world out there she said for a genetic engineer

Sperm donor

Production and delivery became the weekly norm

I'd hold the pot beneath my arm to keep the sample warm

In the art of masturbation I truly excelled

Until I broke the night before rule once too often got expelled

And sometimes in my darker moments I imagine successes

Kids grown up and questioning paternal second guesses

Campaigning on the TV for genetic rights of access

With Kilroy finger pointing stage-managing the masses

Sperm Donor - money for old rope

Sperm donor -its funny but its no joke

Sperm donor - blood test dna

Sperm donor - get away

So if you’ve been affected by he issues in this song

I don’t have any answers there is no right from wrong

But should you track me down here then I’m certain come what may

I could never be your father nor could I ever turn you away

No matter where you got your genes or the colour of your hair

There’s a place for you in this world we can never share

And if I’m the one who gave you life by some proximity

I just hope to god you haven’t turned out anything like me…

Sperm donor- money for old rope

Sperm donor- its funny but its no joke

Sperm donot- blood test dna

sperm donor - get away

I used to be a feminist I used to be a freak…..

words and music by Vinny Peculiar 2004

Confessions of a Sperm Donor

2009-10-11T14:06:00.001-07:00

I’m not used to taking my own PA to gigs, but on this occasion I did and it seemed to work out just fine. It’s not always been the case, indeed there was a time when I wondered if I was possessed of some digital destruction gene that made all connectivity crackle such was the frequency of gear not working and PAs petering out, amps, well, dont get me going ... I arrive at Bar 67 in Shropshire at 745 pm and its raining bats and frogs and I’ve got a PA that packs up and looks like airplane carry on luggage. There are some kids drinking and buzzing in and out of the venue as I order latte and iced water rehab style. It’s a small modern space, the kids are watching me set up – 'know any OASIS' one of them says – they seem nice enough and full of the joys of youth. My daughter and her partner Joe arrive. I start the gig; people turn up in dribs and drabs. I play a couple of sets. The gig gets interactive, the lads have comic timing, and we play the pass the tambourine game and make a right good racket. The gig feels like a workshop at a young offender’s institute! - in a good way. Cousin by proxy Josh arrives and in the break we talk about Masterchef, the inevitability of him winning it and the boys in claret and blue. Leah joins me on stage for a few of the songs and we have fun, just trying out things, improvising. This was a proper up close and personal gig – and whilst the audience were not exactly a listening crowd it didn’t detract from the sense of energy and engagement shared. Woo hoo....

To hell with Fashion

2009-10-03T12:05:00.001-07:00

To hell with Fashion - BBC radio session, the Janice Long show, 6.8.09 - with Andy Lyth [ Car Horn] and Martin Clarke [bass].

state corner

2009-10-03T09:14:00.001-07:00

from the Manchester show at The Corner on 17.9.09 with State Broadcasters-

State Broadcasting in Manchester

2009-09-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

I’m at the Corner, it’s the one on the corner next to the Kebab shop, just knock on the fire exit the obliging bar staff at Trof [the sister bar next door] tell me. I do just that and we’re in as if by magic, heading for the wardrobe door at the back of the stage that leads to the toilets of Narnia. I’m here with Keith the Camera – Salford’s very fly on the wall of sound. He’s bought two JVC cameras, a tripod and a Blackberry – the aim is to film the gig but there is so little light it looks like an impossible task. Typical – for once we get it together only to find ourselves in a very dark place. We have a lime and soda and pontificate upon possibilities. Keith ends up filming the night anyway – I must have a look at it sometime. I’ve not played here before – it’s a small intimate venue, Damian from Brave Music sourced it, it looks great, with proper surround sound and bar maids with piercings - we are in the heart of the passing student trade zone the promoter says and he’s hoping for some of that later on.

State Broadcasters, from Glasgow and playing their debut Manchester show, are already sound checking. In-between their respective checks I manage a few hellos [Hullos even?] putting names to faces last seen some months ago when we did a BBC thing together. It’s nice to see them – their album the Ship and the Iceberg has become a firm favourite of mine and this is the first of 2 shows we have planned [we did have 3 gigs but the Liverpool gig got cancelled last minute]. I won’t go into the reasons – I’ll only get worked up.

We go for food at Trof after the sound check with State Broadcasters, sort out running order and even manage to drink a little alcohol, I usually don’t bother, what with the driving but tonight feels kind of special already. We return to the venue to catch Nia Morgan who’s opening tonight – she’s got this amazing haunting delicate voice, you could hear a pin drop, and her pedal steel guitar player had us all drooling and swooning. I love pedal steel – I think a call to Peter the Pirate [who played pedal steel on Ironing the Soul] is long overdue. After Nia’s set I have a very brief conversation with John [who used to be in Gorkys] on the complexity of pedal steeling. It was a brilliant start to the night. Next up come State Broadcasters, there are six of them present, guitar, cello, harp, guitar, accordion, bass, piano – the sound is great and we sit back and listen – I love the fact that people here seem to listen – there are listening gigs and talking gigs – this one is right for the moment. The sound is brilliant; Andy the engineer knows his knobs. The crowd are receptive, engaged, there’s a sense of celebration about the performance, ‘Lets Make T Shirts’ you can hear it here, is greeted with much euphoria - it’s one of the strongest songs on the album – I loved seeing them, the reaction is brilliant, then I realise I’m on next and wonder how I am going to follow that?

Somehow I do and the gig goes well –State Broadcasters join me onstage half way into the set for an improvised ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’ –a sing along with shakers and a harp solo - a proper moment to treasure. VPx

US + UK tour dates -

2009-09-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday in Stalybridge I played a gig at the acclaimed Acoustic Eclectic [a great little gig as it happens] organised by John Orpheus above The Q Inn. When I arrived they were putting up the props, adding candles and silks, creating the vibe. I immediately felt amongst friends which is nice. Various Analogue Cats, [studio types with sensitive hearing] also showed up to listen from a safe distance. My set flew by – I managed to make a mess of The Mayor of Simpleton, Steve Roberts joined me onstage to cover the XTC classic. It was a bridge chord issue – but we just about got away with it. Steve, the former Napoleon/16 Tambourines front man, now lives in Glossop, and remains an unsung ambassador for the capital of culture that was organising regular open mic sessions over a five year period developing any number of aspiring scouse musicians; he did a brilliant job. He’s also a prolifically gifted songwriter from the Ronnie Lane School of song. We talked about the old days as you – and some of the new ones too. It was lovely to catch up.

On Friday night I returned, after a 5 year gap, to Green Bohemia [I think it was just the Green Room last time I played, a Victorian themed night no less] – anyway it was the same place and it was a decent gig to do. I enjoyed sets from Joshua Ben Joseph, a man out of time in good way,– it was Michael/aka Joshua who organised the original party like it was 1899. His songs were enchanting and slightly disturbed – I liked his piss take on Americana. I also loved Black Jack Barnet whose banjo suitcase tambourine steamboat-folk songs were effortlessly engaging and slightly rude. He plays a six string banjo and a ukulele and sang about being attracted to pregnant women amongst other things. In conversation afterwards we discovered a shared admiration for the genius of Jake Thackray. My set came a went, it was very hot onstage – the barmaid gave me extra water, she thought I was going to faint and she was right. My cousin John showed up and we talked about man bags and The Buzzaldrins – his band. I dedicated my set to Keith Waterhouse. I was saddened to hear the news of his death – to think he wrote Billy Liar – and Shadrack and Duxbury Records will never be the same.

Below is an update on what’s to come- next up its the State Broadcasters in Manchester - Glasgow’s finest alt folk ensemble ‘UNCUT’ , I am really looking forward to sharing a stage with them. Not sure how Alan Bennett my pop really is [see the poster] but I do love Talking Heads – both the Bennett and the Byrnes - I first came across SB in session on 6 Music, they were brilliant - these gigs will be special, do try and come along if you can. I also have US shows in Oct and the recently confirmed UK tour with Luke Haines – details below.

UPCOMING GIGS [all gigs are solo unless stated otherwise]

Thurs 17^th Sept the Corner, 254 Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, Manchester [£4.00] doors 8.30 with State Broadcasters and Nia Morgan

Sat 19^th Sept Woodend Sports and Social Club, Glasgow [£4.00] doors 8.00 with State Broadcasters

Sat 10th Oct - Lincoln The Jolly Brewer 27 Broadgate Lincoln LN2 5AQ

USA tour dates October 2009

I’m off to the US for a few solo shows in October, some are not quite finalised- so please check back on the sites for changes/confirmations

Sat 17^th Oct Virginia, Norfolk Stockly Gardens Art Show onstage 4pm

Sat 17^th Oct Norfolk, Virginia, The New Belmont 2117 Colonial Avenue Norfolk, VA 23517

Sun 18^th Oct Taphouse, Gent 931 W 21st St Norfolk VA 23517 See map Tel: (757) 627-917

Tues 20^th Oct Washington DC show tbc

Wed 21^st Oct NYC Sidewalk Café 94 Ave. A, NYC tbc

Thur 22^nd Oct New Jersey show tbc

Fri 23^rd Oct Philadelphia, Tatario's, details to follow

Sat 24^th Oct Philadelphia, Woolly Mammoth South Street District, Society Hill 430 South St Philadelphia, PA 19147

Sun 25^th Oct tbc

UK TOUR NOV 2009

supporting Luke Haines, -

DATES

Sun 1 Nov Leeds Brudenell Social Club

The Brudenell Social Club
The Club House
33 Queens Road
Hyde Park
Leeds
LS6 1NY

b/o 0113 2436743 / 0113 2455570 www.seetickets.com

Mon 2 Nov Manchester Deaf Institute
b/o 0844 888 9991
The Deaf Institute
135 Grosvenor Street
Manchester
M1 7HE
T: 0161 276 9350

Wed 4 Nov Sheffield Boardwalk
b/o 0871 230 1101The Boardwalk
Snig Hill
Sheffield
S3 8NA
Tel:(0114) 279 9090

Thu 5 Nov Glasgow Captains Rest
b/o 0844 847 2487 www.ticketweb.co.uk

185 Great Western Road
Glasgow, G4 9EB

Phone: 0141 331 2722

Fri 6 Nov Newcastle The Cluny
b/o 08444 771 000 www.ticketweb.co.uk

Ouseburn Warehouse Workshops
36 Lime St, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1
0191 230 4474

Sat 7 Nov Bristol The Thekla
b/o 08713 100 000
East Mud Dock
The Grove, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 4RB
0117 929 3301

Wed 11 Nov Brighton Hanbury Club
b/o 01273 606 312 www.seetickets.com

83 St George's Road, Brighton, BN2 1EF
tel: 01273 605789

The new Vinny Peculiar album ‘Sometimes I Feel like a King’ is available via itunes and many other download sites, hard copies from the website via pay pal, they cost just £6.00 [UK] or £8 [overseas] includes postage. Some great new album REVIEWS here –

The first Vinny Peculiar album ‘GONE’ is twelve years old today – and available to download here for free, - hope you enjoy and if you do let me know admin@vinnypeculiar.com feedback is welcome –

Best wishes

Vinny

Spinning

2009-08-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Spinningfileds stage is tucked behind a bar in a tent affair with porta loos and improvised décor at the back of Quay Street. I park on double yellow lines, there’s a car in front that’s been clamped but they are waiting to unclamp it. We have permission for you to be there, trust me, I’m a music promoter says Stuart but understandably nobody laughs. People are having a beer after work, end of the week, the tent is busy, and the smoking seats are taken. I order coffee and end up in conversation on a well to do leather couch with Kev from Puressence - a band I know of without really knowing of if you know what I mean– we talk about musical liberation, the labels we no longer need, the internet and knowing your own game. I’m not exactly sure I know mine but I’m having a go. Puressence, once signed to Island Records, been together 18 years or so are tonight’s headliners. I really enjoy talking to him.

The stage is covered gazebo style. There’s a bit of a wind blowing, the tarpaulin whistles and flaps in the breeze. My set comes and goes, some sound dramas self inflicted by the ad hoc use of a boss compression/sustain pedal that I thought might just sort out the volume discrepancies of recent shows– it did, but in a bad way, draining me of power and edge of tone so the engineer reckoned in the post gig debrief. That’ll teach me. Some of it was filmed by my friend Keith on his ever present Blackberry Storm. I think he’s added something to his Facebook. page. All in all it went off pretty well.

Beat the Radar are on after me, they are not used to playing acoustically but you’d never know it, we catch up after their set and I chat to their singer who looks like Mike Mills from REM. He’s from Barrow, and his band are great, they gave me their single falling somewhere between The Ruts and Gang of Four, a really vibrant hard fidelity recording [as in the production is ace].

Its still early - Puressence take the stage and play anthemically, its like a mini stadium gig, the singer swoons the crowd swells, dramatic chorus and refrain as men in flat caps sing along, girls with hair extensions sway and cheer. I stay and watch most of their set, which oozes Mancunian history and self belief. Inspired.

On Saturday we lose. I hope this doesn't mean what I think it might mean...

Janice Long

2009-08-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

We have the builders in fixing the roof and painting the guttering; as we rehearse in my home studio room and they keep tempo with a lump hammer. I’ve already passed on CDs and exchanged ideas on classic rock – we’re like the Led Zep of builders they tell me and John Bonham was a plasterer in a former life. We leave for London by train mid afternoon, on the station concourse we meet the worlds greatest poet, influenced by no one, impossible to categorize and available by the poem for the price of a pint of Guinness. If only we’d filmed it…

Arriving in the big fat smoke it’s a short walk to the hotel, which turns out to be a youth hostel, booked in haste and with the pennies in mind, the heavens open en route, after dodging the storms we’re home and dry - Australian life guard types strutting the corridors, German lesbians threatening the receptionists and three English men with guitars form an orderly queue please and definitely take no alcohol beyond this point. The room is minute, a bunk and single bed, a sink and some lockers. Function over form, plastic mattresses and paper pillow cases. It’ll have to do – we set off for the BBC the long way round but get caught in the most torrential downpour shetering in a pub off Russell Square that’s too loud for its own good - eating vegetarian pie and mash and smoking hand made cigarettes – the type that don’t really count or so I like to think. We arrive at The BBC at 11pm and run through a couple of the songs - we’re in a studio shared by Terry Wogan and Chris Evans – now there’s a thing. The piano is already set up, sounds nice. Nick the sound engineer mixes us a treat, he records us and we listen back. Then Janice shows up and we nip out for a crafty fag - it’s lovely to see her again, she’s brilliant at making people feel relaxed – joking about brother Keith and generally radiating good vibrations – around 12.20 we play three songs – ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’, ‘Nurse of the Year’ and ‘To Hell with Fashion’ – in between we digress, um and argh, pick out dream festival line ups and reflect on Bill Drummonds artists retreat – the interview is relaxed and kind of lateral but it seems to work out OK. It’s available to listen on line on the BBC iplayer do have a listen do. At 1pm we’re back out in rain flagging a cab. Back at the youth hostel it’s impossible to sleep – tropical humidity, relentless house music – in the morning we skip the young peoples space station breakfast café and chance upon one of the best greasy spoons I’ve ever had the joy to partake in, Omelette deluxe, beans, hash brown with double toast- £3.50- classic. Next Thursday 13^th Aug we’re in London again at Charlotte Street Blues – live car horn acoustic set from the power trio – come one come all [as Miles Hunt would say] – it’s a free gig. On the Friday 14^th I play Spinningfields Outdoor Festival stage back in Central Manchester – I’m onstage 6.45pm, the heqdliners are Manchester legends Puressence

On Saturday I’m off to Villa Park with my little girl – anticipation, excitement, belief – genius.

New Album Review

2009-07-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

Nice new Review from Net Rhythms

Sometimes I Feel Like a King by Vinny Peculiar

The title track opens the album in splendid form, a piano ballad with hints of Neil Young and an almost hymnal chorus line as he sings of finding joy in and despite of the everyday mundanities of life. In a world of bigger budgets, it's a song that should fade out on a gospel choir, but Vinny still taps into the heart of its emotion.

It's a world view nicely complemented by the album's sole cover, a terrific Lou Reed cum Bryan Ferry take on the Cowboy Junkies' Sun Comes Up It's Tuesday Morning with its celebration of listening to Coltrane and 'thinking about things that don't have to add to something".

The Davies-like Welfare Statement turns its sad but sympathetic attention to the nine to five fog and 'lazy public sector workers' who moan, gossip and coast through life aspiring to 'a pension scheme and a caravan in New Brighton' while elsewhere there's To Hell With Fashion's raw Bowie-esque caustic savaging of the fashion/image business, the wry double standards Nurse Of The Year, Roxyish staccatto glam stomp Uniform's jab at conformity, and Success' choppy guitar (and again Bowie tinged) mocking scalpel through the fame game.

The thematic polar opposite of the title track's take on banality, the languidly paced, whistling Inertia mirrors theme with form but if that marks the album's lowest emotional ebb then the country flavoured shuffle of Actions Speak Louder with its oohing backing vocals and Waterloo Sunset guitar figure veins melancholy with romanticism while, shuffling on brushed drums and cocktail lounge keyboards, Blind Man's Bluff is slightly more optimistic than the lyrics might have you believe.

Most will interpret 'Peculiar' as odd, but it's worth noting that it also means 'special' or 'distinctive' and, as a noun, "exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary in whose territory it lies." "How do you know for sure, you've made the right choices?, listened to the right voices?", he sings on slow waltzing, gradually building play out piano ballad Women And Men. I think the answer is self-evident.

Mike Davies

Days

2009-07-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Is one of my favourite Television songs…

I am just back from a lunchtime Radio session on Salford 94 FM - I played a song I wrote 200 years ago - ‘A Man Can Lose Himself’ from the debut album GONE- the album is now available as a free download from the site so feel free to help yourself. I’d not played it for a very long time but remembered the words - which is more than can be said for the more recent songs I’ve written which seem to take forever to lyrically imprint themselves in my aging memory bank. It’s a song I wrote about missing my daughter. It felt quite odd to revisit it. I also played Two ‘Fat Lovers’ and ‘Calm Me Down’. I had planned on playing new stuff, but I forgot to bring the words, as you do.

I just heard Luke Haines has a new record due soon, a double album. I really look forward to hearing his stuff - I like the way he sticks his neck out regardless of trends or mores or lessees. I like the obstinate belief, the misery and the majesty. I also like the line ‘Life is unfair- kill yourself or get over it’ – to think Satre spent forever trying to figure that one out and never came close. Luke Haines makes me smile at the indecency of life, at the absolute perversion of existence. OK – so that’s enough floristry.

Back in radio world Tony Thornborough headed up the show with his customary panache – taking live calls to Bulgaria and playing stuff by Girl Peculiar [no relation] that was as lyrically arresting as anything I’ve heard for some time. She is making waves of melodic sunshine in these parts and rightly so. I also met Keith Dewsmup with his omnipresent cam phone; we talked new media and history in the making. He does films and interview stuff for www.salfordonline.com and was on hand to film some of the performances. Keith also did an interview with Tony in his own right. It was a decent way to spend dinner time.

I’ve spent the last few days trying to sort out shows in the US- which as you can imagine is fraught with ifs buts and maybes still I’m getting there. Virginia, Philadelphia, New Jersey all confirmed…just trying to sort out the NYC shows - if anyone knows anyone who knows anyone let me know. I arrive NYC 22^nd Oct – depart 26^th Oct.

Don’t forget the free downloads - and the new album out in shops 4^th August or from the site, or via itunes etc

Vinny

Outrospection

2009-07-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

Well - its good to back here again...

I just bought a new Mac and am in the transition stage, its kind of scary and challenging but the music software works a treat so I now have the capacity to hire a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere, live like a hermit and make an album of introspective noodles with samples of real trees whistling. OK so its all been done before but I do so love the idea.

After a mini lull in proceedings things are starting to kick off again - there's a BBC Radio 2 session coming up with Janice Long on 6th August- this will be a mini adventure for the three of us down in London Town where I always seem to get lost or fined or both. The hotel is booked and with any luck there will be a piano at the BBC . The following week on August 13th we have a London gig at Charlotte Street Blues - I know, we're not exactly very BB King- but the venue looks brilliant and I'd urge anyone within range to get down and get with it. Which reminds how much I love SLADE - way more than I ever did at the time. New gigs in September also confirmed with State Broadcasters in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. All the details on the main site

New album 'Sometimes I Feel Like a King' continues to attract some very decent reviews see below, it's out properly in shops from August 2nd, available from the site as well as any number of download sites including iTunes.

JAMBASE

By: Dennis Cook

So easy to warm to and full of steaming depths once you snuggle in, Vinny Peculiar & The Blue Poppies of Ambrosia's new long-player finds the U.K. pop craftsman in his best form yet, a gently swaying encapsulation of slightly left of Beatles songwriting realized with tight, snappy musicianship and good, clean production. If you sport a lil' sonic chub for Robyn Hitchcock, The dB's, Sensations, Billy Bragg, The Feelies or other high quality, post-Byrds fare then King is likely to sweep you up with a sure hand.

The quirkier aspects of Vinny's earlier output are beveled appealingly here, so what shines through is the quality of his singing, playing and tunes. It's almost as if Peculiar relaxed a bit and decided to stop waving his arms with consciously provocative imagery and little tics that draw attention but perhaps don't last in the same way plain old good music presented well can. Sometimes I Feel Like A King is just a pleasure to listen to – no more or less complex than that. That he tips his hat at one of the most under-appreciated songwriting outfits in rock with a sincere cover of the Cowboy Junkies' "Sun Comes Up Its Tuesday Morning" only shows the company he wants to keep. From the jumpy crackly of "Uniform" and "Success" to the thoughtful meander of "Success" to the curled-lip snarl of "To Hell With Fashion," Vinny Peculiar has fully matured into an artist anyone smitten with great pop will adore.

STRUMMER REVIEW - July 2009

I always look forward to the new Vinny Peculiar release for no other reason than you always get something different but the same. Let me expound. Vinny is a wordsmith steeped in ironic but painfully accurate observations of how we all live, breathe and exist and yet he has the capabilty to detach himself as if we are all in one of those snow ornaments and he is the onlooker. I get the impression that Vinny is entrenched as deeply in the quicksand of life as the rest of us and that his music and lyrics are his escape route.

For Vinny major success is well overdue and yet it would spoil him. But what is success? This album is surely one that will live on for a lot longer than say the latest Franz Ferdinand waffle. As Vinny points out in the excellent 'Women and Men':

"How do you know for sure, you've made the right choices?, listened to the right voices?

Good people turn into bad. The pursuit of all that happiness can only make you sad"

From the opening irony of "Sometimes i feel like a King, in spite of myself" the tone is set for frighteningly telling introspection. 'Welfare Statement' will have Civil Servants running for cover, while 'Success' and "Uniform' deal conformity a crucial blow.

Often with a melancholic ambience the songwriting is fascinating throughout but Manchaeters unfavourite son surpasses himself on 'To Hell with Fashion' whcih sounds like the Smiths jamming with New Order. Again a biting attack on modern culture:

"Say no to the sartorial conspiracy of modern times. To hell with with all your stupid friends. To hell with money, to hell with fame, to hell with celebrity, to hell with the brand new brand names".

Again in 'Inertia' tha subject matter is banality, but this isn't slit your wrists stuff. There's always a humerous undertone to Vinnys output and long may that continue. Bizarrely the avant garde jazz saxophonist John Coltrane is namechecked twice on the album. It could be a co-incidence or a fact only Mr. Wilkes could explain.

Darwen

2009-06-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

‘Its a little way down the main road where silence sleeps and men dig holes’ – I’m quoting Tom Verlaine here but no one takes any notice – ‘Just turn right at Bolton and follow your nose says my all knowing partner who is familiar with the Darwen area through work and ex boyfriend type connections – I take the sat nav anyway and I’m there in no time. The rhythm section arrives and we have a pre match beer and conflab admiring the hills and the sheep and Star Wars. All conversations seem to return to Star Wars with A&M, me I can take it or leave it, it’s a generation thing I have to remind them. Martin’s bass amp is playing up - so we’ll need to borrow one. The venue looks like Phoenix Nights; we love the glittering stars backdrop and the sweet cigarettes. Jamie from the fabulously named Twisterella [tonight’s Billy Liar themed promoters] says hello, we set up and sound check. Frankie’s Bar [just up the hill off the high street in case you’re ever going] has a jack of all trades feel to it - a snooker hall, a pub and a venue - the place is busy and the beer is cheap and we nip out for food in a half decent Curry House down the street. We return to catch the end of The Escobars Set – it’s striking that although the place is half full most of the punters are at the bar- looking at the band from a distance, the actual room the band are playing in is like a ghost zone. I can’t quite work out why this is. We go on later and the situation improves a little but there’s still an us and them feel to the audience and despite my attempts to get people to come on down and join the party most remain resolutely behind glass doors, safely out of reach…I mean I can see them watching us play but they seem more comfortable slightly out of the room looking in. All this gives the gig a more empty feel than is truly deserved. After the gig I sell three cds to the grey men on the landing? Which has me kind of fummaxed...The show goes well and Andy’s new Magic Drum works a treat - it’s odd to have a drummer set up and ready to play in the time it takes to remove it from its box.

For the record we played

Billy Fisher

I Work for God

Uniform

Feel Like a King

Nurse of the Year

Everlasting Teenage Bedroom

Blind Mans Bluff

Jesus Stole My Girlfriend

Working Class Escape

To Hell with Fashion

Confessions of a Sperm Donor

Kiss Me I’m a Social Worker

Calm Me Down

We did a couple of newer songs we’ve not done before, Blind Mans Bluff from the new album and an old poem called Billy Fisher in honour of the man behind the lies. I mean someone surely should have sorted out a Billy Liar Film Tour of Bradford by now, if not then why don’t we was our parting shot? It was also good to finally meet up with Carol and Neil who drove from York via Manchester and its associated roadwork’s to be at the gig. Next time we’ll be closer to home.

Also on the gig news we are busy sorting out some dates with Glasgow’s State Broadcasters [who so inspired on Marc Rileys show awhile ago] in Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. More on this as and when,

Vinny

Twisterella

2009-06-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

My Perfect Cousin on the ipod and what a great song it is. 'Things I’d like to do he does them, he’s the family’s golden boy his mothers little pride and joy’ – or is the other way round?

I saw the Undertones in 1978 I think it was and they were so brilliantly out of step with everything, a good five years out of time wearing 1973 fashions, Oxford bags, star jumpers, penny round collar jaytex shirts, feather cuts… - it was all a bit shocking, a group of misfits playing to an audience of skinny jeans, mohair jumpers and bondage pants, a punk band who looked like Northern Soul fans! They were brilliant. I’ve always admired those who step out of their time and make their time their own. I’m still working on it; I get the feeling I always will be. The Undertones were something else for a while - proper original voices – they actually had something to say. A few years later I saw them supporting Gang of Four at Birmingham Odeon but by then they’d made the sartorial leap to Armani - and of course they never recovered- well they did I suppose in the shape of That Petrol Emotion- although I cant for the life of me remember any of their tunes. Fergal of course is a big cheese in the Royalties game…still I expect you knew that already.

Tomorrow- [Sat 20^th June 2009] we have a TWISTERELLA gig in Darwen - It’s not so very far from here and there’s a Billy Liar theme to it. If you are close feel free to pop on over. We’ve reworked the set in three piece acoustic fashion with Andy’s Magic drum – Paul is away for this gig. I will be doing the odd poem, instruments will be swapped, Americans will be welcomed and football won’t bementioned, - here comes the summer indeed. VP x

MySpace.com Blogs - Vinny Peculiar MySpace Blog

2009-06-16T14:24:00.001-07:00

MySpace.com Blogs - Vinny Peculiar MySpace Blog

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Hiccups and Happenings and New Album Release details

2009-05-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Firstly the gig at MOHO live this weekend [Sun 31st May] has been cancelled and will be rescheduled fo August. We are looking at alternative venues. If you know somewhere out of the way or interestingly obscure let me know.

Last week I managed to get it all wrong – so apologies to people who tried to vote on the Radcliffe and Maconie show pick n mix slot – the single wasn’t nominated! I wont bore you with the extent of this error…it was played apparently, but I still can’t find any record of it? I thought the curse of Vinny Peculiar was a thing of the past…now I’m not so sure.

On a positive note we played a gig last Sunday night at Joes Bar, part of the Hungry Pigeon festival and the first with Paul Brookes on guitar. It went off pretty well. The sound was a low ceiling wall of noise affair but we managed to convert a few and sell some CDs. It amused me no end having Martin and Paul singing angelic falsetto on Confessions of a Sperm Donor, a song I’ve not done live with bands before. I managed to break a string on the acoustic but luckily the engineer had a spare, a blonde Takamine with a valve pre amp, which was nice. Guy Lovelady showed up in his Bernard Sumner outfit – Red Harrington jacket and hacienda bowl cut. It was nice to catch up. It was alos a pleasure, all be it a very brief one, to say hello in the flesh to Gaz from Dead Tapes…

Walking to the car I bumped into Thomas Truax, - genius man of mechanical musical objects and devices - stood outside The Night and Day, he’d just finished his set – I’ve not seen him since we gigged together in Coventry a couple of years ago and we got talking about his new album of covers, all soundtracks from David Lynch films - which seems like a great premise for a covers record. Note to self - investigate.

Details on the NEW ALBUM RELEASE - The new album ‘Sometimes I feel Like a King’ now is available now via itunes,

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=312003296&s=143444

Included in the itunes package are four free bonus tracks ; 1 Everlasting Teenage Bedroom- recorded live in 2005 2 Uniform- the alternative punky guitar version 3 Two Fat Lovers [the single remix from 2005] and Louise [ from the sexy chips session recorded at Studio Sound, Rochdale- the original single B side] It’s also available from 7 digital , AMAZON and many others…. If you buy it [or if you’ve got it already] please add a review to the download sites.
The new album is also available from the Vinny website [on CD], they cost just £6.00 UK /£8.00 overseas which includes postage. I hope you enjoy the record as much as we did making it, let me know what you think…best, Vinny x

Julie Christie Box Set

2009-05-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

I came that close, really closer than close, I even stood in the queue, and then I bottled it for some reason, a Julie Christie box set, - £18 but did I really need it? Darling, Far From the Maddening Crowd, Billy Liar and The Go-Between. Sometimes my powers of procrastination are just too good for their own good. So I returned the DVDs back to the rack and took a short walk to Waterstones to see Mark Radcliffe, Radio 2 DJ and senior Shirehorseman, who I’ve enormous respect for, he was getting his picture taken on someones camera phone whilst signing copies of his new book. I’ve not read it but I do have a copy waiting for me in the midlands. So I said hello and mentioned our recent email correspondence but now I come to re analyse the exchange I wonder if he actually recognised me at all! I mean, its been two years since I was on his show and he did seem very vague, slightly dazed and confused even. Perhaps he was just snowed under with all the signing and modelling and hoi poli of writerly exposure, either that or the shock of me interrupting the meet n greet threw him out of kilter. You’d like to think, as would I, that he’d play a track from the new album, he’s played stuff before, so fingers crossed. Or perhaps he just didn’t get the new album either [see below], oh dear, a little paranoia can go a long long way!

I spoke with a newly redundant Music executive earlier - Manchester's Channel M is no longer booking bands, another media possibility out the window. This is a great shame as it provided a platform for the likes of…well you know who you are and we were almost there with you.

Marc Riley, the former legend of the Lard, got back to me last week to tell me he didn’t get the new album, I like Marc , we’ve done stuff on his show in the past- but no session and no airplay this time, which is a shame as I was, for no reason other than I thought he’d like it, counting on him playing something. A little set back but nobody said it was gonna be easy….and at least he told me straight, which is fair enough, he listened to it, he didn't get it, did hurt just a little bit though, if I'm honest...hmmm. On the other hand Janis Longs producer seems more optimistic and is talking about a session later in the year[ I have really enjoyed previous sessions with Janice- she remains sweetly subversive]. Tom Robinson loved the album and has played a couple of tracks which is great and we have local radio sessions booked with ALL FM, and Wythenshawe FM, Salford Community Radio and BBC Radio Manchester…the dates are on the sites. A lot of copies went out to Radio 6 so if you’re a requests type person feel free to pester them on behalf of Vinny Peculiar – that would be most appreciated. Online reviews are also helpful, so if you do get the album please please post a review on iTunes or Amazon or wherever. I know, I’m grovelling here, but someones got to.

The new band – yes we have a new band - is shaping up nicely - Paul Brookes has been co opted in on guitars, we first met Paul on the UNIFORM video shoot and he ended up editing the video- now he’s adding his sonic weight to the mix - sounding bigger and fuller - we’ve had a couple more practices, people are singing, harmonising – song structures are twisting around little fingers – it’s a nice place to be.
We have local gigs this month on Sun 24th May at Joes Bar in Oldham Street as part of the Hungry Pigeon Festival and the album launch night is at MOHO live on Sunday 31st of May - also playing with us at MOHO are Rusholme Ruffians, Jellys Last Jam and The Loungs. We are also planning some proportional type busking in town the day before with T shirts and CD give away type activities. It’ll be a great night, with all kinds of good vibrations going down….like an Aerosmith video, like a bruise, like a chandeliar, like an Ashtray; our finest art....and then there's Julie Christie Box Set - like a song title, like a dream, like Bukowski. I really need to get some kind of order to these ramblings - enjoy the weekend, VP

UNCUT MAGAZINE REVIEW

2009-04-24T04:55:00.001-07:00

Recovery Time

I’m just off to plan another video with Clay and Paul for the album track ‘To hell with Fashion’ - guerrilla nudity has been mentioned, catwalk infernos, animals in mini skirts, you know the kind of thing. It’s a song - rant against the criminals of corporate clothing, the taste makers, fat cat corporations and sweat shop terrors.

Meanwhile… A new UNCUT MAGAZINE REVIEW

Thanks to Adam Sweeting for the mostly affirmative prose- Vinny.

vinny peculiar blogs: This and That

2009-04-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

vinny peculiar blogs: This and That

This and That

2009-04-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

Now then...

Been trying to set up stuff to coincide with other stuff that fits in with releases and coincides nicely generating interest and accruing a proper stash of something exotic, something you can get your teeth into without wrecking your fillings. Oh have I really - no I have not. I’ve done next to nothing and I’m just trying to speed jump from letter to letter in a pathetic consciousness streaming episode, like Jack and like Jill too but not as drunk. So much for my vapid introspection..

Not so long ago I was due to play Salford Salutes Dylan , here at The Kings Arms, which was a massive fundraising eye watering success by all accounts. Stella [Grundy] and I were due to play at 2pm but Stella was tied up in a last minute rehearsal for a play, we asked for an alternative slot alas everything was so tight we sort of faded out of the picture agreeing to do it all over again sometime in June. Mind you it’ll take me till then to learn all the words to Desolation Row.

On the promotions front I spoke with our record distributor the other day about shifting the release date for the new album for reasons best understood by those who actually sell records [he assured me its for the best] - something to do with volume, holiday periods and reviews. This new record has been delayed so many times what with mastering hiccups and press mishaps I’m sort of getting used to waiting around trying to get everything in place. So….the new release date is 2nd August. We are going ahead with the May gigs, the MOHO live one just wont be an official launch party, more a right old party with Jelly’s Last Jam and Rusholme Ruffians confirmed so far. The Southampton gig on 24th April is cancelled to be rescheduled for June when I hope to do a small UK tour with the new band.

The single release for Uniform is going ahead for 11th May; it’s a download with extra tracks and should be available here there and everywhere; more specifics to follow on this. The video for uniform is also to be seen kicking around the internet, youtube, facebook, myspace, people seem to like it. It’s kind of upbeat compared to much of the past output. Uniform has also had radio plays on BBC 6 Music [Tom Robinson, Rob Hughes]; whether it will make any of the play lists remains to be seen. I’ve always found radio hard to come by; it would be nice if Uniform changed that a little. If you’re reading this and want to help then do pester any DJ anywhere with positive affirmations on the song or video or both. It’s all about connectivity these days, well of course it is.

Here’s the first proper review of the new album by Mary at SoundsXP which I’m adding here to the blog and without sounding too much like an overbearing head the ball I must tell you that I’m chuffed to bits with it. I’ve always been a bit of a believer in reviews, and this one has to be believed in to be read so here it is…
Title: ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’ - Vinny Peculiar & the Blue Poppies of Ambrosia

Ah, Vinny Peculiar. I make it no secret that I adore this man's work and, like with most musicians who I admire, it is always scary listening to their new body of work in the fear that it will not meet your expectations.

Mr Peculiar and the Blue Poppies of Ambrosia do not let me down. 'Sometimes I Feel Like a King' (the line is taken from Charles Bukowski's epic poem, 'Fire Station') is a vivid reminder of why this man is such a great commentator on everyday life matters such as trips to the park, politics and that four letter word that causes us all so much grief, love. There are eleven tracks on here including a Cowboy Junkies cover of 'Sun Comes Up, it's Tuesday Morning'.

The title track, 'Sometimes I Feel Like a King' is a delicate and atmospheric track and a wonderful way to open the album. Vinny makes the everyday seem so beautiful.

Some of the stand out songs on here include 'Success' and 'Uniform' which are both guitar driven funky numbers. Both have supporting vocals that blend in and out of the song with positive effect. 'To Hell with Fashion' is an angry little number damning the fashion business and holding it accountable for whatever Vinny wishes to hold it accountable for!

Only Vinny can write a song about lazy public sector workers ('Welfare Statement') and expose the seedier side of the nine to five mediocre lifestyle: "girl in a mini-skirt, she's such an awful flirt, you used to dream of screwing her". These are the kind of lyrics that mirror Cocker's lyrics for me. Peculiar has a wonderful way with words that take you into the world that he is trying to explore.

And what a world. Some albums remind you of why you love music so much and this is one of them. It is a musical montage of emotion that you will return to again and again. It's another impressive outing for Mr Peculiar. Vinny, you are a King and I, for one, shall remain your loyal subject.

This Thursday night 9th April at around 11pm I play a couple of songs live on Natalie and Michelles BBC Radio Manchester 95.1 show. I’m doing the songs on the piano as I need the practice and this time I’ll try not to get lost leaving the building. That’s about it for now. VP x

Video Jelly State

2009-03-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

It’s getting to be a bit of a habit, the filming lark, last week in uniforms, this week in shabby civvies. We’re shooting a video for the lead track on the new album ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’, and despite it’s melancholic tones the song is about feeling good, embracing the moment, admiring sunsets and mountains, ditching the steam roller and doing nothing for the rest of the day. It was written just after I wrote the most depressing song I ever wrote which I immediately left on the audio cutting room floor [here speaks a man voted number 24 in the top most depressing 100 songs ever so I like to think it takes one to know one!] ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’ was my way of putting the record straight in my own head. Anyway, before I lose whatever thread I had lets get back to the video.

There are about ten of us at The Koffee Pot, which is unquestionably Manchester’s finest breakfast café just chewing the fat [black pudding optional] and feeling good to be alive. Roughly the sketch is thus: It’s 9.30 am, James and Mark [the directors] have set up a couple of posh cameras, they are big, and big is for the best they assure us. I’m sat in a window seat singing along to the track. Jeff, Rob and Bonehead are all in shot, being themselves and chuckling away behind me. I concentrate on the song. Just now I’m trying to affect a kind of laid back nonchalance, a sullen disengagement from the maddening crowd. In my head I feel like a king. My fears are fading and my life is awash in a lightness of being and my charges are all positive. My new age girlfriend would be proud of me. Then we get to do the big group of mates having a laugh shots which come together in no time. After a few takes and with breakfast consumed we film stuff outside the café with James gliding around on one of those camera mounts on wheels that looks like a skateboard for the disabled. We walk to camera, I lip sync to an iPod and nobody is taking things too seriously. The lightness of being is still being. Bonehead is wearing a proper vintage rock n roll coat with a fur collar; I’m wearing my day to day office apparel. I think in retrospect this was mistake. Someone mentions Reservoir Dogs and a builder shouts out get your hair cut…you poof! But oh how we laughed, if I’d been on my own I’d have scurried off into the shadows but that’s gangs for you; confidence and camaraderie and shouting come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough. After more takes we’re off to the pub for an afternoon of alcoholic obliteration, loose women, cockle vendors, fruit machines [actually we’re not but thinking about it makes me smile]. I can hope the finished results look as good as they do in my minds eye, and reflect the simple joys of days like these. We’ll see soon enough for sure. Now it’s over to you Mr Blundell.

The State Broadcasters have kindly sent me their debut album 'The Ship and the Iceberg', anyone who reads this might recall I met them at the BBC the other week after their sublime session on Brain Surgery [Rob Hughes in for Mark Riley]. I’ve now listened to it a couple of times and it’s a very beautiful understated recording, it tells little stories about real stuff, fights, taxis, embarrassment and, my favourite line so far…making young love to Hatful of Hollow. The band use many instruments, violins, cellos, harp, guitars, you name it they probably use it… but never do they overkill the space between the sounds, the songs breathe effortlessly, emotional engagement is paramount, for best results try listening carefully to this most agreeable debut.
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Last night I went to Night and Day to see Jelly’s Last Jam, it’s been awhile since and it hasn’t changed a bit. Bass player Martin Clarke met me outside the venue and insisted, against my better judgement, that I smoke one of his slim panatelas. Ten minutes later I was doing just that not that I inhaled or anything. I really like Jelly’s Last Jam and not just because I have the loan of their rhythm section. They are not your typical indie guitar band [they have no guitarist for starters], their songs are piano driven, engaging, dramatic and rich in Queen like flourishes. I know they have what it takes to succeed. I’m worried though that every band I really love ends up splitting up or giving up and such whilst the ones I loathe more often than not become mega stars! I was explaining this to Andy from the band last night, telling him how I first saw The Police on the Old Grey whistle test and thought they were pants…commercially it didn’t turn out that way. And how I saw U2 at Kidderminster Town Hall and convinced myself they were the most average band in the land and would all too soon disappear off the face of the earth. Wrong again. That was 1979. Thirty years later I’d like to think I can more readily recognise potentially successful artist in the making, and separate such from the acts I actually like or not but in truth I’m still rubbish at it. I just go with what I like, and it invariably bares no resemblance to commercial potential. I would be a rubbish A&R man that I do know, I mean, look at that Vinny Peculiar, if he wasn’t such a dogged self deluded type he’s be history by now, and to many he probably already is.

Meanwhile the Jellys gig turns into a huge triumph for them, the crowd are in raptures, the performance is flawless and tour support with The Killers is just a matter of months away [well it is in my head as I try and explain to Paul after the show]. They have a new single out on Monday, it’s called Alibi - it’s great and you can download it here. VPx

Carry On

2009-03-06T02:36:00.000-08:00

Leaving the house at the crack of dawn it’s slightly foggy en route and snowing in Preston but the journey to the studio where we’re filming a video promo for the new single UNIFORM is remarkably fast. 'Whatever happened to the traffic' is my opening line to Alison [Surtees] who's directing proceedings as as we park up in Bombay Street. We go for coffee. Alison directed the little seen Two Fat Lovers video [it was too late for the pluggers to plug, we finished it too close to the release date, hopefully I’ve learned from it]. Shot in her house it features some memorable Mike Joyce improvisational moments, eating curry and chips with drum sticks, that kind of thing. Maybe we should put it up on youtube.

Todays shoot involves dressing up and actors. The video is set in a prison and Alison has been up half the night sewing HMP badges onto shirts. Everything seems to be going to plan until the hats arrive and none of them fit. My head is too big. Alsison sends out for more. There is an air of industriousness about the place, five prisoners are perfecting walking with rocks. Later on in piece the guards are buried in them. The video has a prisoner verses screws theme and was written and story boarded by co-director Clayton. When we get back to the studio most of the actors have arrived, the lift works, we load in guitars, cameras, lights. The band arrive, delayed by snow, we park up in an NCP, load the drum kit and loiter. Kath, keyboard player with Manchester alt- noise poppers ‘Help Stamp Out Loneliness’ turns up for keyboard duties; but there’s no dancing involved - honest guv. Kath was recruited last minute, to look great and play the keyboard parts. She does both with aplomb. We get changed and get stuck into the ‘Carry On’ zone. It now feels slightly less comfortable, my hat is too big, I need to pad it out somehow. Also I have to tie my hair back to get it in the hat, in a pony tail no less. Once I enter the Carry On Zone it all feels more natural. The band are prison guards, lording it, the prisoners bide their time and revenge is sweet. Its a simple tale of boots on the other foot, we have a laugh, and everyone seems happy. Lets hope the good vibrations of all cast and crew are reflected in the finished article. We mime in playback at 120 decibels in a vain attempt to follow the music but get there in the end. Good days like this maketh the life. Thanks be to all who made it happen, special thanks to Alison and Clayton without whom none of this would have come to pass. VP x

Brum Beat

2009-03-06T01:33:00.000-08:00

I’m back in the second city and feeling slightly elated for some reason, my daughter is here [that always helps] and the new band too. We’re playing at the Hare and Hounds and my memory is flitting around the past. I seem to be growing increasing nostalgic for Birmingham, I’m going to the game tomorrow which might have something to do with it.

I’ve driven down with most of the gear in the back of the Volvo, the car that looks bigger on the outside than it really is on the inside, it’s like a reverse tardis, we are loading into one of the oldest music venues in Birmingham. The rhythm section are already here and Leah’s bought a last minute tambourine. I notice posters advertising gigs at The Bulls Head down the road in Moseley where I played my second ever gig back in the late 70’s. [The first was at Droitwich Village Hall to a load of school mates, four Wishbone Ash Covers and Badge by Cream]. I used to rehearse over the road from The Bulls Head in a pop- funk band led by a charismatic commodore lookalike named Johnny Who. The band were laughably called Chatanugatin, they’d made a single and needed a guitarist, I blagged the job, recorded a few demos with them in an Erdington basement before punk rock took hold and put an end to all that. Good job too as my Larry Carlton impressions were mostly laughable. After that I spent the next few years thinking I was Bromsgroves answer to David Bowie, and I suppose a part of me still does in a round about way in a Ziggy generation Top of the Pops moment...

The sound check counts as rehearsal number three for drummer Andy Lyth and me, number two for bassist Marty Clarke and number one for Leah who’s not sung the new songs since we recorded them in August last year and not sung the older ones since goodness knows when. We get through it with a few minutes to spare before doors, I’m glad we’re the only band on as we never would have! Then we go for a curry over the road which is so cheap and so cheerful and so good. I love curry rituals. Years ago when I lived down this way the curry after the gig was always the crowning glory, Saleems or Adils in Borsal Heath the most popular. In those days poorer inner city curry houses were basic, and cheap, like Indian transport cafes with grubby Formica tables, they did a meat curry, a vegetable curry or a dahl, chapatis and that was it give or take a samosa or a kebab for starters. They had a scuzzy exotic appeal to us kids from the suburbs – nothing like them where I came from. And with Space Invaders Machines, the novelty of the moment.

The gig went well all things considered. The reaction is good, although I realise all too late that I’ve managed to play the piano songs without transposing the keyboard so the band have to think on feet and adjust the key on the fly. They both seem to cope with it and I am full of after show apologies. Lesson learned there then. Check the trans-poser before lift off. Still no one seemed to notice or if they did they didn’t say. After the gig we catch up with old friends, plan meet ups, talk more after show type nonsense and Andy and Martin head back up north. I go back at Leah's house and we end up talking half the night. Next morning I get a parking ticket which serves me right: I should have got up and moved the thing. On Sunday at the game the usual rituals are observed. Belief, its all about belief we tell ourselves, and then we throw it away. Nobody said it was gonna be easy, VP

Radio Radio

2009-02-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

Since I last wrote here I’ve done a couple of radio chats on BBC 6 Music with Rob Hughes in his Parallel Universe the most recent being Thursday 19th Feb [you can hear it all on the listen again feature]. I also did a live piano rendition of ‘Sometimes I feel like a King’, the title track from the new album during which my headphones almost fell off mid performance. I just about managed to keep them on for the songs duration by tipping my head one side to rebalance them. It was a bit scary but I got through it. I’ve just had a listen back it sounds good in the main, even the squeaky chair is more atmospheric that hindrance. I was well chuffed to get the chance to do a live piano thing as its something we will be incorporating in forthcoming Blue Poppies gigs; that and instrument swapping, I’ve never done it apart from changing guitars, this time I might even play drums or at least a tambourine for starters.

When I arrived at the BBC some fifteen minutes before my spot a band were playing live in the control room, I said my hellos to perfect Peter and to Chris the everlasting sound engineer genius, shuffled over to the mixing desk, peered through the glass, saw a girl harpist [striking as harps are not exactly an everyday occurance], a cello player, piano, banjo, guitars and other less recognisable instrumental paraphernalia. It was crowded in there. I’m guessing there were about eight of them plus a cameraman close to passing out in the heat. The band was called The State Broadcasters, they’re from Glasgow and I was, to use a well used cliché, blown away. As their performance ensued so an air of studied reverence seemed to envelope the control room as a small group of us gathered around the monitors. Part Sigor Ros part Arab Strap was my lazy amateur off the cuff description but there are also traditional folk elements, like a Scottish Fleet Foxes or a baroque Arcade Fire… musicians coming together from all kinds of backgrounds and making something unique. Which is what it’s all about right? Anyway, I really enjoyed them, nothing was over done; everything had its place, witnessing this was one of those wonderment and joy moments sent to take us unawares, to keep us on our toes. Afterwards we said hi and ate some cake and now I’m mentioning it here, listening to them via their myspace.

Earlier in the day I spent a most pleasurable couple of hours recording an interview with Tony Thornborough for his show on Salford Radio 94.4 FM . We had all kinds of stuff in common, generational and musical. I got to pick my favourite records. Tony also played a few older Vinny Peculiar songs and we talked about lives, loves and football as well as the letting the spontaneity drift in what will hopefully be an interesting as well as musically uplifting programme. I chose ‘The Mayor of Simpleton’ by XTC [a song I have long since related to for obvious reasons], 'Once in a Lifetime’ by Talking Heads [same as it ever was], and Lenny Valentino by The Auteurs [which is, in my humble opinion, is the finest record ever made - in no particular order - and that was that. The show goes out on Monday night, that’s Mon 23rd Feb at 9pm on Salford Radio 94.4 FM. Have a listen if can - sod the ironing and the washing up…

After the 6Music show Rob Hughes and I went for a drink in The Frog and Bucket [I think that’s what its called - the pub opposite the BBC car park] where we were co opted onto a pub quiz team for last minute answers whenever they drew a blank and what’s more they won which was a nice end to the day.

At band rehearsals Martin the new bass player is excused for a couple of hours to offer his girlfriend much needed emotional support as she was enduring the discomfort of a new snake and flowers tattoo to the foot [I’ve seen the pictures]. It was a valentines gift from Martin no less - you see the kind of full on romantic types I get to work with - the lads got a heart of gold. We managed to get in some decent practice time none the less. The Birmingham gig just a week away at The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath is now securely hitched to my horizons. I like Birmingham. I was happy living there in the early 1980’s, I just didn’t realise it at the time, - hmmm…I feel a new confessional thread emerging which I might well take up at a later date - best wishes to all, VP x

Hey Manchester

2009-02-08T03:10:00.000-08:00

Hey! Manchester first caught Alan Wilkes – aka Vinny Peculiar – playing solo at the Star and Garter in 2004. He was orchestrating technical problems to panic the sound man. The Smiths’ Andy Rourke was DJing (terribly) that night. Later, he and fellow Smithsonian Mike Joyce became Vinny’s backing band, while Bonehead, ex-Oasis, also played with him, somewhat bizarrely.
We’ve put Vinny on three times: for our first ever gig, with Jens Lekman at the Kings Arms; at our monthly night at Kro bar (he was ill but soldiered on); and at the Salford Arms as part of last year’s Sounds From The Other City. He always impresses the audience.
As part of a regular new series, we’ve asked Vinny to give us an unreleased track – a live performance of Everlasting Teenage Bedroom in this instance – and answer a few questions…

Reviews have included various comparisons from Bowie to Magnetic Field’s Stephin Merritt. But which artists have particularly inspired you?

Well I do really like Stephin Merrit; 69 Love Songs is just wonderful. I’m inspired by those who do what they do without overtly pandering to the forces of commercialisation, those who create stuff because they have to, it’s who they are. Working with Bill Drummond helped me to get some kind of perspective on art for arts sake. He is an inspiration for sure. Bowie of course goes way back, it’s a teenage glam generation affiliation thing… I mean, the 60’s had the Beatles, the 70’s belonged to Bowie - end of. Of the modernists I like Fleet Foxes… amazing singing. And I love people like David Byrne, Stephen Jones, Luke Haines; Joni Mitchell’s Blue is my all time favourite album… well it is today.

You’ve got a background in punk. What prompted the switch, and how would you describe your music now?

The music is kind of diverse: I’m not adverse to loud guitars; if it’s a folksy thing I’ll add a mandolin. I try and let the song dictate the feel/style… although sometimes this can play havoc with continuity. Not being signed to EMI, I am at liberty to experiment.
In Hey! Manchester’s opinion, you produce some of the most interesting lyrics of any artist in the city. Where do they come from?
I have ideas for lyrics that stew for ages. I carry a notebook and write them down, it’s a bit of a hobby come obsession. All ideas are borrowed but the best ones I manage to convince myself as my own. I think that’s the way it works? Sometimes it’s a stream of consciousness thing… sometimes more linear. There’s a song on the new album called Nurse of the Year about a nurse who wins a prestigious award by accident. ‘No one expected me to win, when they put my name forward they were joking,’ goes the refrain. Ideas come from experience… well of course they do.
The Joyce/Rourke/Bonehead connection has no doubt impressed a lot of local music fans - hell, maybe you’ll even been indirectly responsible for a Smiths reunion. Is it a case of simply asking these guys if they want to play with you?
Mike Joyce happened to see me play one night a few years ago in the Star and Garter at one of the Shadrack and Duxbury club nights. I was looking for a band to promote the Growing Up with VP album, it sort of went on from there. Andy Rourke then joined, then Craig Gannon. Bonehead got involved after loving the Fall and Rise album, initially as a manager and then as a last-minute replacement bass player for some European shows… it’s all pretty haphazard really. After a few years playing together we called it a day, needed to move on. We all still get along and see each other socially which is nice.

That’s a joke right, the Smiths reunion thing? Ha ha.

You’ve got a new band now… who’s involved and what do you think they can add to your music?

The new band have been loaned to me from Jelly’s Last Jam, who are making considerable waves of their own of late. Jelly's supported us on a few shows last year. Andy the drummer and Martin the bass player have become The Blue Poppies of Ambrosia. We’re making our live debut in Birmingham at the end of the month. I love the way they play, all wild abandon and spontaneity. I am also looking for a keyboard player so if you know anyone feel free to get in touch.

Can you tell us a bit about the new album?

It’s called Sometimes I feel like a King – the title track seeks solace in the simple things in life, the ordinary, some might say mundane, the day to day. It’s about an appreciation of the moment, stopping the bus and taking in the view.
It was recorded at Analogue Cat Studios in Mossley onto two-inch tape, old school style. It’s the first album I’ve done to feature a cover version: Sun Comes Up its Tuesday Morning, a Cowboy Junkies song I’ve long admired. I played most of the instruments myself apart from the drums, which were played by Neil Carter. Some of the songs are quite noisy, rantish even; others more introspective. It’s coming out in May, I’m doing it on my own label, Shadrack and Duxbury, and it’ll be available through all the usual download sites as well as a hard copy CD in a snazzy little digipack.

Which is your favourite venue in Manchester, and what’s been your favourite gig?

I have a soft spot for the Kings Arms in Salford… have a seen a few good people there and played there too. It’s intimate and the sound is good. I like the fact they have all kinds of stuff going on there too… not just music. The cinema stuff they put on is superb.
A favourite gig I played was a fancy dress affair at the Green Room, a Victorian theme night. Drunk on absinthe amongst the bonnets and the britches, a proper party like it was 1899.