Against all the odds, The Spitz gig turned out to be something of a success. Predictably, my four day flu hit its peak on the morning of the gig and by the time we reached London, I could barely speak. A first! I overdosed on a heady combination of Tom Jones’ throat lozenges of choice (Vocalzone) and Boots own brand … Read More

2005 has so far been a year of weighing up options and re-assessing the past (the recent No-Man re-issues), so sadly, other than Lord Chilvers transformation from the Nutty Professor of contemporary Electronica to the man-shaped nano iPod of the looping scene, there seems little conclusive that’s worth writing about. As an informed warning to any prospective professional musicians who … Read More

The ongoing adventures of Centrozoon provided a wonderful early September diversion. The 5 days spent at the ARS Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria were relaxing, enjoyable and an ideal way to contextualise recent emotional upheavals that have been exhilarating, frustrating and quite probably the source of another exquisitely miserable concept suite that could be brewing in the ‘canyons of my … Read More

Rehearsing for retirement? Although the lack of diary entries may have suggested that I’d taken a permanent vacation to Lowestoft or Florida, behind the scenes there’s been a lot of recording and writing that’s yet to find a suitable home, meaning that 2005 still feels like the year that’s waiting to happen. This, alongside a ‘community arts project’ that I’m … Read More

Weeks of anticipation, e-flurries and raw slices of life have seen me go through a period of intensely questioning most aspects of what I do. With my moods following the incredible fluctuations in the British weather this Summer (drifting from idyllic, sun-stroked days to apocalyptic flood warnings with little advance notice), I’ve hovered between extreme optimism and extreme pessimism, while … Read More

‘My Hotel Year’ done and dusted, it’s that time of year when ‘post-album depression’ sets in and I find myself craving for a very long holiday away from myself. A common feature of PAD means that I have a constant urge to throw everything I’ve ever done into a North Manchester skip and set alight to it. In this scenario, … Read More

The madness of Lord Chilvers shows no sign of receding. Not content to forget chords in performance, the suave swan swallower’s taken his amnesia to a new level of sophistication and gone and forgotten an entire gig. Booked as a duo to perform at the OsFest that is the Cambridge International Looping Festival (www.cambridge-loopfest.org.uk/), Peter only realised this week that … Read More

Several days of constant writing interrupted by occasional bouts of physical exertion (just to prove to myself that I’m actually capable of moving!) and copious phone calls (including several of a Shed-related nature from the Rory McGrath of Ambient dandyism, Lord Chilvers himself). ——- Ironically, the recordings from the Festival performance came out surprisingly well, with ‘winter with you’ and … Read More

A consistent, quality performance unfortunately doesn’t materialise. Roger Eno and John Goddard’s short and sweet set is beset by unnecessary feedback problems, while mine and Peter’s performance is attacked from every angle imaginable. Myself and the David Bellamy of the keyboard stride confidently onto the stage to silence. And then more silence. Peter pipes up, “I’ve forgotten how this goes,” … Read More

Replete with title (‘My Hotel Year’), 11 songs and new deals with One Little Indian and Mute Song, the solo album is now very near completion and awaiting an Autumn release. As creatively complete and intense as the last two No-Man albums and ‘California, Norfolk’, the album differs from them in its very apparent sense of restlessness and its frequent … Read More