The Psychøtic Reactiøn

CANCELLED:

We’re not playing at Studio 88 in Camden on Sunday 11th November.

15th Sep 2007

We’re playing at an all-dayer at the New Cross Inn on Saturday 15th September, along with The Alps, Nebraska, Scuzz, The Lost Levels, The Berlin Girls, and The Run Up plus DJs. From 4pm to 2am, entry is only £3. We’re on around 6 or 7pm. We’re playing as an acoustic duo because Leo is on the other side of the world!

Yes, we’re back from the (deep breath) New York Summer Antifolk Festival 2007!!- and aside from jet lag and a mild sense of anticlimax, it was pretty damn good.

So what were we doing? At the behest of Lach, the originator of the Antifolk anti-genre and the organiser of the festival, we went to play two sets at The Fort, the Antifolk HQ situated in the back of the Sidewalk Café in the Lower East Side.

The Fort is a small, intimate venue, with an in-house upright piano and a PA/desk that all actually work! (UK venues, take note…). If you know Canterbury, it’s probably best described as being how Orange Street ought to be (and probably thinks it is!), but really isn’t…

On Monday (20th August) we did a two-song primer set at the Antihoot open mic and on Wednesday (22nd August) a 25-minute set that was recorded for posterity (downloads available soon!). Only me and Leo could afford to make the trip, so we chose to make it a stripped-down guitar and piano affair (knowing that the venue has a piano, this made logistics a little easier!). The set was: Dance of the Midwich Cuckoos (unfortunately beset by tuning woe- humidity and new strings!), It’s A Small Town, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Cocoon and Moment of Clarity.

In addition to this we enountered a number of interesting antifolkers including Somer (pronounced ‘summer’) and Cheese on Bread (though the latter sadly via CD than in person). We survived jet lag, humidity, rain, card stoppages (******** to Barclays!), confusion with bizarre local custom/plumbing and had a generally ace time (Two gigs! Feeling queasy up the Rockerfeller Centre! A Thai Meal for six quid! Jackson Pollocks and Cezannes in the flesh! Etc!).

So that was our first US, er, ‘tour’. What next? Europe! Asia! The World! Any questions?

Don’t forget we’re playing at the Fortified Summer Anti-Folk Festival at the Sidewalk Cafe in New York this week. First there’s a taster appearance tonight, then a full gig on Wednesday 22nd August. This is a really exciting event, so thanks to Lach (the godfather of anti-folk) for inviting us. See http://www.antifolk.net/ for more details.

7th Aug 2007

We have a last minute gig at The Cherry Tree on Tuesday. Support to be confirmed.

We’re not playing at The Cherry Tree in Canterbury on 16th October now because of more licence trouble.

27th Jul 2007

The next Vic’s Vapour Club is this Friday: 27th July, at The Cricketers, St Peters Street, Canterbury. As well as us you can see Picturebox, Robert Rotifer, and Far Away Tree, and entry is free. This will probably be our last local gig before we go to New York.

The gig at the Heron in Herne bay on 28th July has been cancelled. But you can still see us at Vic’s Vapo Club at the Cricketers in Canterbury on Friday 27th July. That will now be our last gig before we go to New York.

1) Yes, the new EP is absurdly late, but yes, it is coming shortly. Having suffered the usual cash-related delays of DIY, the latest problem is a duplicator who is really bloody slow! But it will be soon… very soon.

2) There is a video (also fashionably late) for Overdraft Blues, directed by Leo B. de Cookman, shortly to be available…watch this space.

3) New Rave. Why-oh-why? As if Old Rave wasn’t bad enough. Some things are best left alone. Glo-sticks and smiley t-shirts are best left alone. 2 Unlimited and Altern-8 are best left in the dustbin of history, surely?

4) Yes, we are finally going back to New York!! Leo and I will be doing a piano and guitar set at the Sidewalk Café as part of the Summer Antifolk Festival, courtesy of the marvellous Lach. Hopefully we’ll see some of you there! Maybe…

We’re NOT playing at the Heron in Herne Bay on Saturday 28th July.