It was a huge learning curve, and a huge amount of fun – people remember it fondly even now, and I’d like to think it was a part of bringing together some people who still remain good friends now.

In any case, when my parents mentioned that they’d really enjoyed the IKTOMS gigs I used to run in London, and would have loved to have one on in Cornwall (where they live), I quickly found myself working out a way to get down there and do it. And we’ll be doing exactly that this weekend… myself, Fiona Bevan, Kal Lavelle and Stephen Long are hopping into a rental van and driving to the South-West, where the intention is to sun ourselves in some Cornish coves, write some new songs, and to play a concert on the Saturday night at Wringford Down. I really can’t wait! It’s been a long time since I allowed myself a weekend of free-spirited creativity, so very much looking forward to it.

If you’re not in or around Cornwall this weekend (and I suppose the likelihood is that you’re not) then all four of us will be bringing the show back to Kal’s own night, WE LOVE SUNDAYS, at the World’s End pub in Finsbury Park (not the one in Camden!) on the 9th May, so join us there! If you live further afield then we’re just going to have to up our game… and I’m feeling up for occasional challenges – name your city, town or hamlet and we’ll plan a new IKTOMS tour…

I’ll attempt to post some songs up here when we get back – we’ll be recording the show.

Over and out…

Golden Hour Book II

The book is put out by the publishing arm of the rather splendid Forest Cafe – one of my favourite places, ever. I’ve played some of the best gigs of my life in the forest cafe, at the Edinburgh Fringe with Soundbites (now known as Unstable Promotions), then the next year on the IKTOMS Tour, and by myself for a Golden Hour show (which happen once a month).

This is only the second ever Golden Hour Book and compilation, so I’m incredibly happy to be featured. The track was ‘Goddess of the Rain’, it sits alongside tracks from 19 other acts, including good friends of mine and yours – Robin Grey and Jonny Berliner.

I’m looking forward to settling into the written word too – I know I’ll love what Benjamin Morris and Ryan Van Winkle have to offer for starters. And a big shout out to Ryan, who’s the reason I know about the cafe and what they do. If you’re ever in Edinburgh, make sure to make a stop to Bristo Place and the Forest Cafe – the most supportive artistic community I’ve found.

And if you are feeling flush, and would like to support what the Forest do, please do feel free to buy a book – all the profits go to making more cool artistic projects happen

So after a period of absence, the nearly band have a couple of gigs – and they’re all in the next 5 days. Blink and you’ll miss us – we’re off to tour Asia for four years after these dates. Our fanbase out there is *huge*.

SUNDAY 23rd August – Green Note Open Mic (Featured Act) – one of our favourite open mics, and they’ve sorted us out with a place to try new songs and be amongst great folk musicians many a time. Free entry, good food, freedom lager, and us. It’s on Parkway, between Camden tube and Regents Park (game of frisbee after the show?)

TUESDAY 25th August – TABARANK @ Below Zero – The Absolute Ice Bar – We’ve not played here before, but we love the TABARNAK ladies. We’re a last minute addition to an already brimming bill. We’re especially big fans of HERE TO BAGHDAD, who are playing. Music starts at 7.30pm, so arrive early, and message me for cheaplist (£3) – it’s £5 on the door. There’s a facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=119836398865

AND! We’re planning on popping along to Kal Lavelle’s excellent night at the World’s End in Finsbury Park on the Sunday evening after the Green Note show, but we don’t know if there’s space for us yet. It’s only down the road, and the music will be good, so we were going to go either way!

I suppose we shouldn’t sign off without some news and hellos. There are four or five new songs, all in that stage between thinking ‘this is awesome’ and thinking ‘we should really write some words before we play this’. We’ll try to write the words before the shows.

We’ll also be doing a ‘secret’ (hah!) appearance at the IKTOMS WIRED FESTIVAL on Sunday 27th September. Keep the date in your diaries – it’s a free entry celebration of amazing music – it’s going to be massive sized! Check www.myspace.com/iktoms for details.

And between now and then we’re going to get all of our new songs in order, and become the best band in the world. Exciting times.

Hope you’re all well, and see you soon!

Doug McNaught & The Nearly Band xxx

I’m standing up on a mountainside,
And there are hundreds of people coming up from behind,
And there are hundreds of people who have gone ahead,
And they keep dropping these rocks on my head, and

I keep on dodging them, I keep on stepping aside,
And I keep thinking: ‘If that rock had a hit me, I could have died,
Standing here on this hill,
And I’m still not sure where I’m running to.’

And there’s too far left to run
And there’s not enough time to walk
And it hurts my knees to jog
So I’m going to sit down and talk

So I’ve been thinking to myself, ‘What is it we have here?
When the sun comes up will it be more clear?
And will all of our sweat and our toil,
Finally shuffle us off the mortal coil?

‘And when we finally get to the top,
Will there be anything left but one steep, swift drop?
Jack and Jill down the hill we’ll fall,
And it’s all been for nothing at all.’

And there’s too far left to run
And there’s not enough time to walk
And it hurts my knees to jog
So I’m going to sit down and…

Talk about this, let’s talk this through,
There’s enough room here on this ledge for me and you
And maybe we can build ourselves a roof
So the rocks won’t come tumbling through.

And there’s too far left to run
And there’s not enough time to walk
And it hurts my knees to jog
So I’m going to sit down and talk.

These words are a curious case of some that I’m really proud of, and some that make me squirm a little. It’s the classic scenario of a song written before you knew what you were talking about… but I kind of dig my naïveté.

Well on the radio the adverts in between the shows,
Are asking if I’m having fun? And if not would I like to have some?
The number ends in triple 8, they charge it at galactic rate,
But baby, they can hook you up with a blonde in a G size cup.

And my friends keep asking if there’s something wrong?
Why d’you act so happy with your face so long?
Use a credit card to get a G size blonde,
Then move on. But I won’t.

Cos it’s like I told you, I want to hold you love,
There ain’t nothing wrong with loving you like I do.
Like Julius Caesar, or the tower of Pisa I’m crazy,
And I get things wrong. Loving you like a fool.

Well on the TV set they’te telling me what I can get,
Oh baby, if I only tried the world’s legs might open wide.
The book is called ‘The Devil’s Tricks’, the number ends in treble 6,
So call now – it’s only £12.99, but get permission from who owns the line.

And I ask myself if there’s something up?
If I have these feelings can I be in love?
One thing I know is I don’t want that book,
I’m going to write ‘Fuckups in Love’.

Cos it’s like I told you, I want to hold you love,
There ain’t nothing wrong with loving you like I do.
Like Julius Caesar, or the tower of Pisa I’m crazy,
And I get things wrong. Loving you like a fool.

And in this advertising nation we’re consumers of temptation:
You and I.
And in the tree of God’s creation every branch of information’s got an apple:
Take a bite.
They’ll take your heart as a deposit, or your soul if you’ve still got it:
They don’t expect a fight.

But like all the great Italians,
These things I build are going to stand,
And love has got the upper hand tonight.

Cos it’s like I told you, I want to hold you love,
There ain’t nothing wrong with loving you like I do.
Like Julius Caesar, or the tower of Pisa I’m crazy,
And I get things wrong. Loving you like a fool.
Loving you like I do.

“Let no discredit grace your name,
I must be wrong, there is no shame,
But I wonder if I had your fame,
Would my ideas still look the same?

“Then tragedy falls, I meant no harm,
If your love dies, my love starts burning,
Oh so hot, my love will burn,
Oh world take head, you must start learning,
That less knowledge means more power,
And not always for the good is your yearning:
You can’t stand aside from the dance of life,
But if you stand real still, the world’s still turning.”

So Judas said to Jesus Christ,
“I don’t think that you’ve been doing it right,
Your teachings have shown me the light
But the way things are you’re going to start a fight.

“Let no discredit grace your name,
I must be wrong, there is no shame,
Oh but I wonder if I had your fame,
Would my ideas still look the same?

“Then tragedy falls, I meant no harm,
If your love dies, my hell starts burning,
Oh so hot love, and I must burn,
Oh world take heed, you must start learning,
That less knowledge means more power,
Not always for the good is your yearning,
You can’t stand aside from the dance of life,
But if you stand real still, the world’s still turning.”

So Lennon said to McCartney,
“I don’t like how you’ve been copying me,
You mess my songs around you see,
Then you sing them in much too high a key,

“Let no discredit grace your name,
I’m a jealous guy, I don’t have your range,
But I wonder if you had my fame,
Would your ideas still look the same?”

McCartney looked him dead in the eye
And said, “La-dee-dee-da-da-da, my-oh-my,
I love you John I’ve loved you all my life,
But stop acting like you’re Jesus Christ.

“Then tragedy falls I meant no harm,
If your love dies my wings start soaring,
Oh so hot love, my Jet must burn,
Oh world take heed, you must start learning,
That less knowledge, means more power,
Not always for the good is your yearning,
You can’t stand aside from the dance of life,
But if you stand real still the world’s still turning.”

These lyrics are interesting to write out because they’re full of extended speech. It caused me to roll out some of the more obscure details of speech mark usage – like not closing on the end of a paragraph if the speaker continues, but reopening them on the new paragraph. Oh the grammatic geekery…

Anyhow, I was asked by a new fan of the Nearly Band to upload some lyrics… so here’s the first lyric blog. You can hear a (rough) recording of the song on my myspace.

Kev x

Catching up on homework was the bane of an hour,
Girls names and equations all caught in a car crash,
Teachers and pupils all craning their necks to
See past the hormones and into the wreck.

But I think pretty quick on my metrical feet,
And though all my homework is but half-complete,
I think I know you fully, I can improvise,
But you despise such artistry, I must revise.

And I, I don’t want to give up too easily,
And I, I don’t want to give up on you at all.

So I’m a mountain goat looking for new pastures,
But there’s an Everest, and I can’t get past it,
It’s as wide as a country, and it’s top hits the moon,
It strikes fear in my heart, like the girl in the room

That my eyes keep snagging as they wander past,
And whose smile is a brick to my heart of glass.
The note is addressed to a love in tatters,
Saying nothing but you and me and eggshells matter.

So I tread pretty lightly cos I’m treading on half-formed
Streams of her consciousness pulled from her past,
And I don’t play piano, but I’m sure if I did,
This would make no more sense, but it might sound like it did.

And I, I don’t want to give up too easily,
And I, I don’t want to give up on you at all.

In another life I’d have paid the bearer
Of this song and words with black eyes and a stretcher,
For putting in words what’s beyond articulation,
And pushing my feet thirteen steps off the ledge.

And I’d hammer it home with a few simple truths,
Like: “I fucked things up”, and “I’d rather fuck you”.
And when simple truths fail, I’d employ simple lies,
Like I love you, I love you, I love you, and everything will be alright.