Matador Records | Seachange

01/26/05 — In the recording studio
Armed with a tall stack of new songs, Seachange have recently entered the studio with producer Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Hefner, Belle & Sebastian) to begin work on their 2nd album. About Doogan, singer Dan Eastop reports that "he did mention that we may well see his 'bits' before the 5 weeks are out, which i am rather hoping doesn't happen."

10/05/04 — German tour diary
Thursday 2nd September. Hayward's Heath to Wiesbaden

Sunset. Driving though Belgium. Hot air balloons dotted across the sky. Those funny motorway smells. Into Germany. David's whisky that he got free from the lovely, tired checkout people at Sainsburys is kicking in. The harvest moon is just coming off full and very yellow. We watch One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest on video in the bus.

Oh Billy Bibbit - 'you have pretty hair - you have pretty eyes' - it's the falling in love at the drop of a hat.

Arrive in Wiesbaden about half midnight. Felt like a long drive.

Friday 3rd September Wiesbaden - Schlachthof club

Beautiful warm day. Indian summer. We have a day here, which we choose to spend doing various things. James, Johanna and Simon get to know each other even better in the Roman spa, David does wandering about. Adam and me write songs in a hotel room.

The venues a good place. Turns out to be an old cow and pig slaughterhouse. We all play badminton in the large, hanger - type hall. It's therapeutic to be able to smash shuttlecocks at the people you've been sat with all day. Its great to be playing back in Germany. The people that work for venues and bands here are always so friendly and generous. You get looked after really well.

On first impressions it looks like it could be a fairly quiet show - the venue seems to be on the outskirts of town, but when we come to play the room is full and cheery. Apparently the journalist who interviewed us in Spex (a kind of German Wire magazine) has recommended the show in a recent piece, so some people have come on the back of that.

We are playing new songs and it's a different kind of set, so we are hoping it comes off okay. It does and there are some dancy people and the new ones go well. David's amp blows up because it had been left on all evening, but it builds the tension up. Johanna's archaic, but well structured German is becoming a separate sideshow that the crowds seem to appreciate. We do an encore of 40 Nites because curfew is at 11. It's a very civilised, warm and polite show. Good fun. We stay around after and meet some nice people, personally relying on the fact that people speak brilliant English, or are English. The bar staff give us champagne and it gets drunken.

Saturday 4th September - Munster - Gleiss 22 club

Right now driving to Dresden from Munster. I have two cd's on rotation I cannot stop listening to at the moment. Scout Niblett - 'I Am' and U2 'Achtung Baby.' They seem to strangely compliment each other. Bono and Emma's words are from different universes, but they are colliding in my head.

It's another very beautiful, hazy late summer day. Its about 6 hours to Dresden. Driving through German pine forests.

Last night was a good show. Everyone was a little tired, but the response was warm again. The venue was another government sponsored 'arts café' sort of place - and we got fed great food. We played all right - perhaps a little on the tired side. Its slightly different playing quieter songs and a longer set. Fewer places to hide, more patience required and more concentration. We've got very used to smashing through a loud half hour. It's making it interesting for us anyway.

Sunday 5th September - Dresden - StarClub

After some problems with the 'engines management of the turbo charger,' we arrive at the Star Club in the outskirts of Dresden. It's a hot evening. The club is fantastic; I am sat in one of the backstage rooms and the posters on the wall date from years and years ago. Everyone's played here (although I don't see a U2 one) - Dirty 3, Low, Come, Codeine, Babes in Toyland, The Wedding Present, Yo La Tengo - being the ones in view from here. Paul finds a poster showing the Cornershop tour he did that came here.

There's no support for us tonight, which is a new one. All the people that come are here to see us. We get a little worried about that, but in the end there's a good crowd. We put on 'I want to see the bright lights' by the Thompson's and it's the right vibe. Quiet, but appreciative crowd.

The hotels right by the river, and we sit down by the water for a while with Karsten. The waters very still, and the moons low and waning. Peaceful.

Monday 6th September - Dresden to Munich

Thrown into slight disarray this morning. I received a call about 8.30 am from Paul's wife Katherine - she was trying to get hold of him because she has to go into hospital immediately. She had bled quite heavily during the night and needed to go in for tests. She is fine and the baby has a strong heartbeat, so hopefully it is simply 'procedure.' Paul sets about booking flights and connections to get back. We drop him at Dresden station, wish him all the best and carry on to Munich. Luckily for us we have Karsten with us. In Germany when bands tour, the booking agent that has organised the schedule, travels with you. They sort out all the administration on arrival and departure from venues. Karsten knows pretty much every venue in Germany and how to get to them. He is also a sound engineer (who has spent some of this year working sound for The Shins in Europe). We are good to go. We are fairly used to doing it all ourselves anyway, but Paul's presence and work will be greatly missed. He is a brilliant person to have with you and an amazing Tour Manager, but now he needs to go and see to more important matters than us lot. As he is leaving we wish him all the best and he replies 'I hope it's big and has a penis…'

Last time we played Munich was in May, at an open-air festival at the Olympic Park, with Electrelane. It was a really special show for us. Those girls are over in the States right now, probably sat in a bus on a freeway somewhere. Hope they're doing okay. Munich - Free and Easy Festival
Still a hot day when we arrive at the venue. It's quite a strange place. It's a permanent venue but seems like a ramshackle, hastily erected festival-type job. Bars and eating areas outside, and the main music bit a kind of tin shed. As the sunsets, more and more people arrive and a good atmosphere comes about. It's a Monday night in Munich, but because it's a free event, lots of people have come. This wouldn't happen in England.

We receive a text from Paul and Katherine has given birth to a healthy baby girl! Great news. He followed that by a surely speculative shot at the name; Queenie 'Dresden' Hill. They obviously make girls together, having already had two beautiful daughters.

We do a quick interview with a nice guy from a magazine called 'B-Side.' On being asked about our live show Adam begins to explain what its like for us. "Do you know the word 'catharsis?' Well, no, actually that's not the word I
mean… "

We go on stage about 10.30 and it's a great show. Around 800 people there and they are really into it. We flick the 'bigger gig' switch and loosen up and have a good time. Afterwards we go and meet people and man the merchandise stall. Sell lots. Some guy had come from Switzerland to see us. I talk to a boy about music for a while - he asks me my opinions about the bands Sonic Youth and Joseph K. I explain that I don't know that much about either of them really, but my views are still listened to attentively.

Achtung baby!

This was the best show so far. Munich has been good to us twice now.

Set list (I think, roughly);
House of Leaves
No Questions
Annie, Tacoma
Do it all Again
Glitterball
News from Nowhere
August Storms
Cats Cradle
S.F.
AvCo10
Midsummer Fires
Small Town Boy
_
Anglokana
Learn to Lose
40 Nights

7th September Tuesday Munich to Dortmund - FZW club

This tour has been scheduled so that we drive back and forth across Germany, which is fine, but coupled with 10km steau (traffic jam), it hasn't been a great day travelling. Took us 9 hours to get to Dortmund. Ouch. Luckily for us, we are once again looked after and get given fantastic food. Last time we came to Dortmund the show was cancelled and we had to go and get drunk, so its good to finally get to play here. The audience were very quiet but attentive. Talked to people after and they really like the new songs - which is good because we'd be screwed if they preferred the old ones. This girl came up to me and explained that she loved Adams t-shirt and wanted to have it. I showed her backstage and introduced her to Adam. He wasn't sure because he likes it himself so much, but in the end they swapped. She spent the night wearing Adams sweaty, soaked Lake Tahoma t-shirt, looking very pleased. Johanna enquired whether or not the girl knew she was his wife, to which Adam replied; 'well, I didn't want to complicate matters…' wonderful.

8th September schorndorf - Manufaktur club

The drive into schorndorf is very beautiful. Rolling hills of pine forests, apple orchards, lavender fields, and foxgloves - a sight for sore eyes.
The club is called Manufaktur, and is once again a very good place. We play scrabble and Johanna translates the collection of local press cuttings they have laid out for us. Its funny. Presumably the press release written for us (by Sven from Beggars Banquet - who along with his fiancé Sonia, are fantastic people) included some reference to Nottingham being a terribly depressing and awful place to be. The result being that our music, with the 'underlying desperation at our dreadful surroundings, is immersed in great sadness and melancholy.' Blimey. Nottingham can be a bit of a drudge but it's not that bad! Our misery comes purely from within!

The show starts off a little slowly. There are some hairy characters at the front of the stage that spend a few songs pointing at Adam and David's big muffs (guitar pedals) and shouting for them to turn them on. I get the giggles on the new 'slow-burner' song and forget the words. Bugger. They disappear for a bit and we kick into gear. Small Town Boy comes alive. During the encore the hairy man is back and shouting at David again. Dave gets down off the stage and rocks out with him down the front. He lets the guy play his axe and at one point a string gets broken on his nose. Good stuff.

After the show David makes friends with the hairy man in his truck. He turns out to be English and has a grandmother from Nottingham. Really enjoyed the show apparently. 9th September Heidelberg - Schwimmbad
Short drive. This late summer is lighting up the landscape. Heidelberg is easily the prettiest German town I've been to. The river Neckar separates the town in two, with the famous 'old bridge,' connecting the banks and a castle on the hill above. The venue balances out the picturesque by being a run of the mill dive and the dullest venue we've visited this tour. It's in the university grounds and the swimming pool next door to the venue excites Simon and Johanna into taking a splash. It's hot. I take a stroll down to the canal side and watch fish jump and birds dive. The afternoon sun sparkles on the water, until an enormous, dirty, great barge carrying several tonnes of silt, called 'Johanna Stuttgart' (funnily enough) ploughs through the idyllic scene. After it passes, the water is left churning and whirling in every direction and all wildlife has flown or dived away. Time to return to set up stuff.

We knew we would have at least one show when not many people turn up, and this was the one. It wasn't terrible - about 40 odd - and a group of people that saw us in Shorndorf came along. The show itself was really good. The set of songs is flowing better now. We probably played as well together as any show. I talk to some very friendly people, who draw out a very detailed itinerary for us to follow on our day off tomorrow. Places to visit/see/eat at in the town. It's a lovely gesture, but I think a bit of sleep is needed. Apparently the venue is not 'the place' to play, and we should have played in the arts centre in town. The guy who interviewed us earlier promotes a night there tomorrow, and he asks us if we would play as 'special guests.' I say that we would probably love to - and ask around the others. We arrange for him to call us tomorrow to confirm it.

10th Day Off - Heidelberg

We all separate out and do our own thing. I head into town about 1pm and get coffee. Meet David and Si by the old bridge, and find a café in a pretty plaza. Its wonderfully hot, we drink beer and relax. The show tonight is on. I'm pleased about that. Spontaneous stuff like this usually turns out to be good.

I attempt to get back to the hotel on the tram and get completely lost.
We turn up at this art house place by the station. The promoter is a little frantic and confused, but it looks like it'll be fine. We are all feeling drained and raw for whatever reasons - I decide to drink lots. It is our night off.

The stage is absolutely tiny. Really tiny. No sound check. At around midnight we set up through the French windows at the back of the bar and plugged in. I can't remember what happened very well. We made a lot of noise, the crowd was electric, the barman gave me about half a pint of whisky at some point and from what I was told, it rocked. Everyone was a winner. Someone told James it was the best show they had seen since Oasis at Wembley. Germanic humour?

I got lost somewhere. The rest had gone back in the bus. It must have been about 3am and I was drunk enough to think walking back to the hotel was the option. I got back at 6.30am. Must have been about 6 miles. I remember it was raining and I stole some bread from outside a bakery. I think I fell asleep outside the hotel for a while because I couldn't get in.

Good fun though.

11th September - Basle, Switzerland

Its got to the end of the tour and we've got to the end of our capacities to comment on how nice each other looks or 'have you done something with your hair? It looks lovely today!' sort of thing. A good tour manager does more than just administrate stuff, they keep morale up and keep you focused on what you have to do. But tour managers have babies as well. I think we're missing Paul a bit. Poor us. You know its reached a certain point when you a/ allow yourself to watch Return of the Jedi again, and b/ when you get tearful when Princess Lea frees Han Solo from the carbonite; 'someone you love…etc' oh dear.

Anyway. Basle. I was asleep on the floor of the bus on arrival, but I think it was a very grand place. Very 'European.' (Simon said that - don't know what it means). Certainly in the bars people were switching from language to language as smoothly as the brandy.

It was strange waking up in the bus. The others were already inside. All I could hear was the sound of water splashing, gently into a pool. I got out and they had driven us into an old cobbled courtyard, with high buildings surrounding all sides. I sat by the stone pool and the cool water woke me up.

We were playing with The Blueskins, a nice bunch of lads from Yorkshire, who are having a good crack at the bugger.

Now then. The folks that run this place are interesting. David and James met Patrick, the promoter, who shared a spliff with them. They came up to me afterwards, dribbling about 'amazing pot…mad guy…etc.' For example. Patrick had wanted to book us to play because he really liked the record. The poster for the night is easily the weirdest one I've ever seen. When he listened to the record, an image of the mythical bird of the city of Basle came into his mind. The image came from a minute decorative tile on a building somewhere. Adam also confirmed he was 'very far out.'

We spoke to the chef who had made our dinner. He too, was mad as a hare. He explained that he had spent 8 hours making the food, meditating on each ingredient, each flavour, each combination. Very sweet man indeed. Amazing food. I didn't mention that the aubergines were a little undercooked.

The Blueskins did their thing, we did our thing. The room was underground, like in a cave or a wine cellar. Stone pillars and slabs on floor. Makeshift bar. Lots of healthy looking well dressed people who smelt nice. Or maybe we were starting to just smell very bad.

After we played, Patrick played Catherine Wheel, Ride, and Slowdive. We thanked him and others and headed for France. Good tour. Played well, met good people. Eventful, and not without some moments that were dangerously near to hard work. Definitely memorable.

04/07/04 — US tour, lame NME journalist
I n the wake of Seachange's first USA gigs last month in NYC and Austin, TX, the band will kick off their first proper N. American tour on April 21.

APRIL
21 - Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber (w/ Phaser)
22 - Trenton, NJ - Conduit (with Guided By Voices)
23 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street (with Guided By Voices)
24 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (with Guided By Voices)
26 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge
27 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
29 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East (w/ Elefant)
30 - Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw (w/ The Oxes)

MAY
1 - New York, NY - Piano's
3 - Bakersfield, CA - (w/ Pretty Girls Make Graves)
4 - Fresno, CA - (w/ Pretty Girls Make Graves)
5 - LA - Spaceland
6 - SF, CA - Caf� Du Nord (w/ Pretty Girls Make Graves)
7 - SF, CA - Caf� Du Nord (w/ Pretty Girls Make Graves)
9 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Caf�
10 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan

A new CD / 7" single, "News From Nowhere" is just out this week via Matador's UK branch. The record got a poor review from the NME's Piers Martin who made some nonsensical remarks about it sounding like it came from people who liked to go for walks with their parents. Apparently, going for a walk with one's mom & dad is not nearly as cool as doing blow with Bobby Gillespie at the Columbia Hotel. In any event, the journalist in question resembles a rodent. And please note that his name is an anagram for" "I'm Rats Ripen" , as well as "A Sperm In Rit" and "Rape Rim Snit".