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