When it’s no longer an act
In which ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the last LP gets the director’s commentary treatment, oh yes.
In which ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the last LP gets the director’s commentary treatment, oh yes.
Who do you have to sell your soul to in this town these days anyway?
They said it couldn’t be done. They said we were dreamers. They said no-one actually buys short-stories-backed-with-an-actual-album-of-songs.
Well… together (SFX: swelling music here)… we proved them wrong!
Ahem. Thanks to simply everyone who supported the crowdfunding campaign for ‘Not from above’ over the summer. Some of you went digital, some ordered the paperback, some were up for the vinyl 7″ (more on that soon), and eleven of you even ordered a personalised song. It feels a bit like the arts should be, a nicely interactive back-and-forth.
Next up: we go into the book production process now with the nice people at Unbound. More details on precise release dates once we have them…
Much love,
Alexander x
“We made it to… fifty per cent…” A lot of people shy away from the use of statistics in songwriting. They say it’s a little dry, a tad cold, but there are … ways.
Ahem. So huge thanks to everyone who has pledged and got my book-and-album to 50% funded…! More ways to support the project, including a gig round your house… visit unbound.com 👉🏻 “not from above”.
A few weeks left to go!
Alexander
x
Here’s a little teaser video I made to kick off the crowdfunding campaign for ‘Not from above’ this summer. The music is an instrumental from the new record, called ‘New Zounds!’
Zounds, (or “Zounds!” as it is more commonly exclaimed) is one of those words I think I first encountered in P.G. Wodehouse. A sort of upper-class, toff surprise word. As the graph below clearly demonstrates, it’s been on something of a losing streak for the last century, but… there’s been an uptick. One that tracks with a certain bunch of useless horrors currently running the country. Ah well. As I say, faced with that set, the only solution is dancing… The full song is a kind of musical theatre-goes-disco love letter to house music and ballads, if that’s conceivable.
Hi everyone,
Just to announce what should be a great little show at The Horse Hospital on Tuesday 18th October. AFH will be performing some songs and telling some stories at ‘The Map is not the Territory’, featuring author Geoff Nicholson, writer/raconteur Travis Elborough, some great vinyl DJs and more. There’ll be spoken word, music, short films, DJs, maps, walking, it would be lovely to see you there! 😉
More details and ticket booking links here:Â Horse Hospital.
… for the february-curious!
Yes it’s a gig with a difference… an entertainment-strewn blend of spoken word, polite punk choiring, and infectious pop music.
You’re in good hands with:
Fax Telex – the latest brainchild from pop’s whizz kid Tim Ten Yen.
Piney Gir – our good friend Piney appears, in a warm up for her US tour with Gaz Coombes of Supergrass.
AFH – our lot performing in micro-acoustic format with some story-telling thrown in the for good measure.
The Hackney Secular Singers – a choir from East London who’ll be throwning in some punky vocalising.
MC’d by Kevin Reinhardt – a celebrated wit of London’s poetry scene, and pro-bingo/karaoke doyenne.
DJing from Mr Travis Elborough – writer and film-maker
It’s all happening at Paper Dress Vintage by Hackney Central. You should be there. There are cool clothes and excellent beers too.
As a member of ChapsChoir, London’s foremost artful new male voice choir, I wrote an article reflecting on the experience of joining such a group, and what it might tell us about the evolving nature of maleness. You can read the full article on the Chaps’ website below.
“We’re singing songs from the fields of Georgia to the snows of Finland, the chart world of the 1990s to the elegant drawing rooms of Manhattan’s upper-west side. Men of all stripes and ages, learning in public, transmuting long held fears about public speaking into a determination to make the very air turn new colours in song…”
Read: On being a Chap.
Bonus: here’s an excerpt of us in full flow:
The nice people at Electric Sheep magazine asked AFH to present a top ten film jukebox which is now live…
