Music as entente cordiale in a song for a European Britain.  The blueprint for this one was Noel Coward sings Yann Tiersen. I do like it when familiar names change in translation (see also Song #5).  Exotic just means from somewhere else. The further away from home you are, the more exotic you become. Don’t shoot the accordionist.  He’s doing… Read more →

“Do you know what love is? I’ll tell you: it is whatever you can still betray.” -John le Carré Philby was, as human nature tends to be, a riddle of contradictions: a product of the British Establishment who felt like an outsider; a committed Communist who did not associate with the working classes; a loving family man whose political work… Read more →

Written whilst three sheets to the wind in a beach bar in Tenerife with Jenny Lindsay.  Jenny kindly helped me to remember the melody afterwards, singing along whilst one of the local dogs took exception to us- Have a listen – click here… Speaking of local dogs, later on that night I was bitten by a chihuahua in a tiki… Read more →

The thing about instrumentals is, you can call them anything you want really.  The endless choice can be overwhelming.  If you’re not careful, you may end up not choosing anything at all. Written after seeing Kusturica’s wonderful film “Underground”, with its exuberant, joyous soundtrack, this one travelled for years under the nom de guerre “Circus Girls” because that’s what it… Read more →

“To Find Jerusalem” is taken from forthcoming album “Operation Internation” and features special guests stars the Glasgow School of Art Choir, led by Jamie Sansbury.  Our warmest thanks to all in the choir for your beautiful voices and being such a joy to work with. Video directed by Daryl Cockburn.  A big thank you from us to Daryl. Song #19… Read more →

Coming tomorrow – new single – To Find Jerusalem. Tomorrow is also the day we launch pre-orders of Operation Internation on Bandcamp (CD or digital) – you’ll get a download of To Find Jerusalem straight away with your pre-order.  All being well, we’ll start mailing CDs in the middle of next week ahead of our early Bandcamp album release next… Read more →

In the wonderful Speelklok Museum in Utrecht there is a room dedicated entirely to barrel organs.  I once wandered in there as a group of pensioners were being given a guided tour.  When the barrel organs began to play, couples formed to waltz around the room in a little impromptu ball. Only written this year, Santa Lucia is the baby… Read more →

“We don’t live with angels; we have to put up with human nature and forgive it.” -Madeleine Sophie Barat (image-The Lament for Icarus by Herbert James Draper) bx Read more →

“They say that he betrayed his country – yes, perhaps he did, but who among us has not committed treason to something or someone more important than a country?” -Graham Greene One for Codename “Sonny”. To be continued at Song#13. bx Read more →

More jolly sedition, inspired, in part, by Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Musically, I was imagining something like The Move’s “Goodbye Blackberry Way” meets the Baader-Meinhof gang; lyrics/lead vocals by Guy Fawkes and sung from his side of the fire.  I’d no idea what that might sound like in reality but, with all due respect to reality,… Read more →