So in order to mark the season, I was asked to record a Christmas song for the For Folks Sake It’s Christmas album. So I wrote this. And then made a tube.
It’s not a documentary. Don’t worry about me.
Thanks to Rosie Powell, who put it all together in record time.
It’s been a wee while eh. Hope you’re doing well, getting enough sleep etc.
Let’s get down to brass tacks. It’s going to be Christmas dangerously soon and in preparation I wrote and recorded a song for the For Folks Sake Christmas album. All proceeds go to the Médecins Sans Frontières charity. The album also features some people who you may have heard of too. Maybe not, I don’t know what you know…
Also I’ll be singing said Christmas song at the gig below which I imagine will be full of so many familiar faces you may start to wonder if this is indeed your own family, but younger, better looking and more musically proficient. TICKETS.
What else? I have more gigs in London and Bristol that you might like to come to.
November 19, Woodburner Session, Total Refreshment Centre, London
November 21, Birds Nest, Deptford, London (w/Mouth 4 Rusty) FREE
December 2, The Islington, London (supporting Scott Matthew)
December 10, Lion’s Den, Bristol FREE
December 15, Gallery Cafe, London (XMAS BONANZA)
January 30, Cafe Chula, London FREE
Oh and I did a Sofar Sounds recently and here’s the EVIDENCE
Since we last spoke, a lot has happened. Most importantly we played a life-enhancing full band set at End of the Road Festival. Such a joyous weekend. I just didn’t see a bad band and I felt like I was just where I belonged. Already looking forward to next year. The photo shows us doing a stage invasion with ukuleles on The Woods stage with The Leisure Society. Helen True took the photo.
As for Laish, End of the Road will be the last full band show we do for a while. Quite a few changes in our camp and all future shows listed for the moment will be me playing solo. Got some great gigs coming up and I’m really enjoying the freedom it affords me. I think I’m getting pretty good but I have a lifetime to master it so no rush, right?
You can use Songkick to track my upcoming gigs with very small effort on your part. Just click track artist.
September 19th, Bom Banes, Brighton
September 28th, Redchurch Brewery, London (5-11pm)
September 29th, The Harrison, Kings Cross, London
October 2nd, Haberdashery, Crouch End, London (7.15pm)
October 10th, Gallery Cafe, London
October 22nd, The Finsbury, London
Mike Watts took that photo.
Here’s a recording I made recently of Deep Blue Sea, kind of a traditional song but made famous by a lovely rendition from Grizzly Bear. I made it as a birthday present but you can download it for free because I love you.
One afternoon last October, a day or so after a UK tour and feeling pretty gig sharp for it, we took ourselves to Dave The Well’s studio in Hove to record a live session for Simple Folk Radio. Dave’s place is a totally unkempt house full of musical equipment and wires and old machines. One of those real curio gems that you dream about discovering as a musician. Totally inspiring but also a bit of a mess. Dave himself is a wonderful fellow, utterly calm, generous and totally committed to finding the best sound of everything through vintage gear. You can tell it pains him to have to mix down to digital. He would hope everything would be mastered straight to vinyl and left sounding how god intended. What a fraud I feel making this a download only release. But hey, we have other things in the pipeline and I just wanted to share this with the world because I think he really caught us at our best.
Dave is a songwriter himself but has yet to fully share his work with the world. But as an engineer/producer he has previously worked on these two releases which totally destroy me and thus his legacy is already assured. Definitely required listening.
So on the day, we rocked up, set up, checked the levels and then basically played Dave a gig. It was recorded entirely live direct to 2″ tape. We recorded 14 songs in five hours, 12 of which made this final cut. The radio show went out in March this year (you can hear it here with myself and Dan drummer Harding in the room).
The album is available to download from the 26th August for a fiver, but you can pre-order it now and get two choice cuts from it. The song Vague is a bit of a live favourite and has yet to be officially recorded, though I feel that this version feels definitive.
I have just returned from playing at bassplayer Patrick’s brother’s wedding in Cambridge. We did a first ever wedding gig. We knocked out a moving rendition of Blackbird (the Beatles song, as requested) and then flew through the most raucous live set we have ever done, trying desperately to keep the dance floor alive. Enormous amounts of fun. Feeling very excited about End of the Road Festival.
Here’s the gig update. Mostly I am doing solo shows for the meantime until we figure out how to get to grips with the fact that violin Martha has moved to Berlin (gulp!).
August 24th, Free daytime show at Gallery Cafe, London, (Daniel Green Laish)
So the summer has finally arrived in the UK. I’m making the most of it, getting in the sea as much as possible. If I’ve been quiet in the online world recently, it is partly because I just spent a month in India and the internet just didn’t hold my attention while I was there. I was busy looking at mountains and things. Still, I’m back now and I have work to do.
Here’s the gig update. Pretty excited about Mandstock Festival in the Italian Alps. I do like to get around. And then End of the Road Festival. Can you see our tiny name there right at the bottom of the bill? Well, just above RM Hubbert, the lucky thing. And then where do we go from here? I have a run of solo shows in the diary and some recordings to reflect that coming soon. You’ll be the first to know. I’m open to ideas…
August 8-11th – Mandstock, Italy (Daniel Green Laish)
August 24th, Free show at Gallery Cafe, London, (Daniel Green Laish)
Back from tour. Great time had by all. Completely emotionally destroyed by the return to the daily grind. And we have all these gigs still in the calendar! And after this lot? Well I’m planning to live in London for a bit, so we’ll see what happens. Watch this space.
May 5th Daniel Green solo, The Harrison, London
May 7th Daniel Green solo, Golden Lion, Bristol
May 10th Daniel Green solo, KussKuss, Berlin (with Rowan Coupland)
Positive review from Subba Cultcha and 8/10.
“This album is a brilliant new chapter in the band’s journey”
Positive review from The Sound of Confusion
“‘Obituaries’ is a step forward for the band; the arrangements are that touch more magical this time and the songs have a bit more of a glint in their eye. We’re guessing there are five very satisfied people in the Laish camp right now.”
Folk Radio says “Laish are one of the most exciting bands in Brighton”
Brighton Music Blog says. “Laish are one of the finest bands around in Brighton”
We spent a lovely January evening in Brighton recording a live set for Sofar Sounds, the purveyors of fine house concerts. And then I did one myself in London about a week or so later. Here are the results.
What else? Tom Ravenscroft played our song, Obituaries. Thanks Tom!
We’ve also added a new London show at The Finsbury on 24th March and Meadowlands festival and End of the Road Festival. All good things no doubt. Plus we have an April tour. Check out the Gigs tab above…
Thanks to those who came down on Friday to the Gallery Cafe. We had a blast. We packed the place with smiling faces and the whole night ran nice and smooth.
James Canty did a sterling job of overcoming a man cold to open up the night and make the entire room ache with laughter. Talented (young) bastard.
The same evening we got the message that Tom Ravenscroft played our song, Obituaries, on his BBC 6 Music show. Catch it while you can.
Thanks to Mike Watts for these photos and the video. I have a feeling we’ll see him again…
James Canty by Mike Watts
by Mike Watts
by Mike Watts
by Mike Watts
by Mike Watts
by Mike Watts
by Mike Watts
Here are two choice cuts.
What else? Well we have probably three rather exciting bits of news to share with you later in the week. It will have to wait.
Dearest friends. We are very happy to announce that our new album, Obituaries, is complete and is to be officially released on March 25th.
You can pre-order the album here at bandcamp and you’ll get to download this song straight off the bat.
We are taking over the Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green from 7.45pm on 8th February to give you the chance to get your hands on a pre-release copy and get jolly with our friend and musical beast, James Canty.
Hey folks, just been confirmed to support the rather excellent Laura J Martin at the super magnificent Kings Place in London. Can you tell we’re excited? If you’re that way located, you should come. It’s our last show of the year and it will take us a while to get back to the big city. Tickets recommended, see here.
So in October we went to Ilkatron Studios, London, and recorded our new single, Warm the Wind, for the Lo-Fi Dogma project. The project is by a group of Swiss gents who are interested in capturing a song by bands who play in one room, live and honest without any studio cheating. They have a manifesto which you can see here. It was a great day. Our friend, Kari, filmed the recording and there is also a video below of us talking nonsense about the day. Enjoy.
Having supported almost everyone you could possibly think of, from Peggy Sue and Grizzly Bear, to Beach House and Sons of Noel and Adrian, this band hardly need introducing. Nonetheless, should you have yet to hear this, I feel more than obliged to post this. Laish, curated by heroes from the Willkommen Collective, sing songs of brutal honesty, decorated with areas of playful humour, and of the utmost charm. I was lucky enough to witness Danny Green, front man of Laish, play a garden set earlier in the summer, and I was more than blown away by what I heard. So, I asked Danny to come down and speak to FFS on behalf of Laish…
Hello, please introduce yourself and your music to the uninitiated.
Hi, I am Danny Green from the band LAISH. I write the songs, play various guitars and sing. LAISH is my obsession. I spend every waking hour inside every aspect of this project. It isn’t healthy. There are five tremendous people in LAISH. Patrick, Martha, Emma, Dan and myself. We love each other like siblings. Our WAGS and HABS are very understanding. Our songs seem to vary from dark night of the soul laments to joyous comic stompers via the tributes to love. Lyrics are important to me in that I appreciate good lyrics and I try my damned hardest to get something across. I get closer to it each time we play.
Tell us a bit about your last/latest single???
Our most recent release is called Obituaries EP. The EP comprises songs addressing life and death. Moving through four songs beginning with an intense burst of curious energy with our full loud band through to a lonesome small song written and recorded on a frozen January night about a friend facing his Saturn Return. This EP also has a song called Leave Me to Lie Alone, written and passed to me by the singer, Animal Magic Tricks. She said she had finished with it, would I take care of it for her? I said yes of course.
What was your best ever gig???
So many of the glorious pub gigs stay with me. The raw satisfaction of stamping about and making harmony right under your nose is a hard thrill to beat. However! Playing the mainstage at the first No Direction Home Festival this year has to be the best. It was an exhilarating experience and an important milestone for us. I was really like a child in an adventure playground that weekend. We played three sets, sold out of all our cds in the Rough Trade tent, and raced around backstage high-fiving some of our heroes. It was a thrill.
What’s the worst thing about being a musician?
Talking about it.
What inspires you?
The shortness of life. Other art. Going to places. People.
If you won a billion pounds what would you do with it???
I never play those games. But if I did and I won, I would no doubt be hurled headlong into oblivion.
Out of your songs: which is your favourite and why?
A new song: Warm the Wind (see below). The words came out in one go, which is rare for me. It also has a swear word in it, which is a first too. I’m of the school that swearing is a lazy substitute for an emotion that could be better expressed. In this case I made an exception.The melody seemed to write itself. It is simple but satisfying to play on the guitar. I still wonder if I have unwittingly stolen it from somewhere, but it’s too late to worry about theft now. I think this song will have a life of its own.
What are your plans for the future?
To see the world, writing, playing and recording as I go. It’s the only thing I’m any good at any more, I am ashamed to say. I plan to get better at managing the whole thing. The learning curve is steep but I am learning. Also I ought to dust off my table tennis bat. I am a World Champion of Ping Pong in my own head. I really should put my money where my mouth is.
Finally, we’re always looking to expand our musical horizons. Do you have any recommendations of bands or artists we should be looking out for?
There’s a really great Israeli band called The Angelcy I have played a bunch of gigs with over the past few years. They sing in English, which makes my life easier. The singer, Rotem, has tremendous raw energy and his band are strangely reminiscent of LAISH.
For more suggestions you could listen to my radio show. It’s broadcast monthly on Simple Folk Radio. But it’s not just folk…
Sons of Noel and Adrian, legendary 9 piece forward thinkers in progressive folk rock have just announced a Pre-European tour show next week at the Prince Albert, Brighton, 16th August. 8pm.