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Crypt Covers 2: She Makes War
Posted by on April 30, 2012
Our second Crypt Covers day is on the horizon, that horizon being erm…TOMORROW! 1st May. We are fashionably late but raring to go, because tomorrow we will be joined in The Crypt by our dear friend She Makes War (Aka @warriorgrrl AKA Laura Kidd) as once again we attempt to arrange, record and produce a [...] (read more)
Skipton Rocks
Posted by on April 10, 2012
Hell yeah Skipton Rocks! Today sees (kinda) the start of a rather exciting project for Hope and Social. For the first time ever we’re all (bar Si W.) working on the same music and education project together. Skipton Rocks is a dynamic, real-world music project for young people, commissioned by The Mart Theatre and delivered [...] (read more)
Cotton Wool and Knotted Wood – RELEASED!
Posted by on March 23, 2012
Hope and Social are delighted to present our new acoustic album “Cotton Wool and Knotted Wood”. Cotton Wool and Knotted Wood by Hope and Social Last year was amazing for us… so many big gigs, so much big noise, so much fun was had. We loved it but by the end of the year we [...] (read more)
Crypt Covers With Ellen and The Escapades
Posted by on March 18, 2012
Our first Crypt Covers day is this Thursday! 22nd March, 9am until, well, midnight probably. We are privileged to be joined in The Crypt by the simply marvelous Ellen and The Escapades as together we foolishly attempt to record a cover track, chosen by you, in just one day. You can submit your lovingly chosen cover suggestions [...] (read more)
Festivals 2012
Posted by on March 14, 2012
As I mentioned on Monday, 2012 was going to be a quietish year for us; we’re very glad to say that it’s not quite turning out that way. As well as this March’s acoustic tour and plotting for our forthcoming Crypt Cover days, we’ve also been booking in some summer jaunts to festivals old and [...] (read more)
March Tour Troubadouring
Posted by on March 12, 2012
Folk is the new black We’ve been a bit quiet on the blog front recently, though not because we’ve been slacking. As Si recently said to our mailing list subscribers, 2012 was supposed to be a “take it a bit easy” year… though that’s proving to very much not be the case. We’ve been planning… [...] (read more)
Big Red Button Night
Posted by on February 7, 2012
As a rule we try not to paste the same stuffs in two places. I don’t know why, our blogs are so good that you probably want to read them twice, in two different places. It probably contravenes some well established blogging etiquette or other, and we are undoubtedly going to be digitally chastised for [...] (read more)
“He’s Been!”
Posted by on December 15, 2011
We asked guests at our Winter Warmer what family traditions they would be keeping alive this Christmas. We had optimistically hoped that creating and sharing this collection might provide inspiration for some new family traditions, or at least give a much needed shot of yuletide adrenalin to any flat lining Christmas spirits. But what we didn’t [...] (read more)
Hope and Social Winter Warmer
Posted by on November 25, 2011
Hello! [doffs christmas cap] On Friday the 2nd December we’re going to be having our nearest excuse this year to a christmas party. The Hope and Social Winter Warmer The Winter Warmer is going to be about the music. We’ve done some many wonderful big things this year. So many big, ridiculous, outward facing, entertaining [...] (read more)
The Hope and Social Winter Warmer!
Posted by on November 11, 2011
This Hope and Social Christmas gig will take place on the 2nd of December at the amazing Georgian Theatre in Richmond. Tickets are on sale for this event NOW but due to problems beyond our control not online yet… (this is because everything at this venue is made of wood!) If you wish to purchase [...] (read more)
Viva Sh*t Vegas, Yorkshire
Posted by on October 13, 2011
Hello all…a quick word from my trundling Eastcoast mainline train to shed a little light on the upcoming nonsense we’ve got planned for the Brudenell Social Club gig on the 23rd October…a week on Sunday, my goodness doesn’t time fly? It seems like the prospect of an easy-to-organise-turn-up-and-play-take-the-money-and-run show in lovely Leeds was just too [...] (read more)
Hope and Social Autumn Tour!
Posted by on October 10, 2011
It’s that time again…. We’re hitting the road! Come see! Come play out… We’ve got some little crackers in here… We’ve had some amazing gigs this year already and it’s only getting better. And more tired. Much more tired. But we’ll forget the tiredness for somewhere between 45 minutes and 2 hours on each of [...] (read more)
Bring The Happy
Posted by on September 29, 2011
Tonight Hope and Social are at the Northern Ballet, Leeds, with interactive arts trio Invisible Flock. Tonight’s performance of Bring The Happy is the culmination of months of work for the Invisible Flock team. It’s a gorgeous project, and they’re a proper lovely bunch to boot. In autumn 2010, Bring the Happy took over 3 [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound, where you lay
Posted by on July 25, 2011
When Malcolm and I were asked to help out with preparations for the #hsgardenparty, we jumped at the chance. We’re both creatives; making and designing for a living, but the Hope and Social projects we have worked on in the past haven’t just produced some of the work we are most proud of; we’ve had [...] (read more)
Garden Party – Hammock Stage Music
Posted by on July 22, 2011
Acoustic music and hanging seating, a match made in heaven… OK, so you’ve heard all about the rather magnificent music line up on the garden party main stage but you know what’s missing? Hammocks, that’s what. Scientific studies have shown that a full day of string bands, swing, dancing, mahoosive choirs and overly-excited Butlins escapees [...] (read more)
Garden Party – Main Stage Music
Posted by on July 21, 2011
We’re All About The Music Rich here. Well, I’m ecstatic to be able to say we’ve just about got everything confirmed up musically for the Garden Party. It’s been really tricky getting this all confirmed but as for the main stage, we’re just about there now. There’s still plenty of music to discover on the [...] (read more)
Discount Tickets for Galtres Festival
Posted by on July 4, 2011
Beer Cider Music Fun Food A strong intro by anyone’s standards. Galtres Festival looks to be one of the highlights of the H&S gigging calendar this summer. We’re on at 6-30 on the Saturday 27th August, just before Chris Helme who is, in turn, just before headliners The Charlatans. So if you fancy joining us [...] (read more)
Why Kirkstall Festival Is So Great
Posted by on June 30, 2011
A H&S set… …Set in The Cloisters Hope and Social are to play the lovely lovely Kirkstall Festival on Saturday 9th of July. We’ll be playing in The Cloisters (pictured above) around 2-30pm… Pretty isn’t it? A bit of background… The other week I caught up with festival stalwart and co-ordinator with Alan Crump to talk [...] (read more)
Party Food
Posted by on June 29, 2011
One of the best things about doing Hope and Social events is that we get the to show off the things we love in Yorkshire. (read more)
Party, Party, Party! Garden Party!
Posted by on June 28, 2011
So you may have caught up with this on that there Facebook, or Twitter… but for anyone who doesn’t already know…Hope and Social are bloomin’ chuffed to announce (after much deliberation, a few tears and a nervous breakdown) our next event … … the Hope and Social Garden Party (#hsgardenparty if you’re on twitter) is GO! [...] (read more)
DeerShed Festival
Posted by on June 21, 2011
Hope and Social are soooper excited and privileged to be headlining the Friday night of Deer Shed Festival. A festival by the people, for the people. It’s very much down Hope and Social’s street this one. Real beer, locall, ethically sourced food from independent fooderies, and run by a team of people who are just [...] (read more)
Brasstonbury – This Weekend!
Posted by on June 20, 2011
Like Glastonbury, with less bands, less mud, and in Yorkshire Going to Glastonbury this weekend? Nope? Well why not join Hope and Social for a big-band super-galactic extravaganza rivalled only by that there festival in Somerset. We are very privileged to have been asked to perform with The Anchormen ensemble for their annual extravaganza “With a Twist”. [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: Back to the Green
Posted by on June 20, 2011
Back to the Green by Hope and Social Out of tiny acorns…thank goodness. This started as one of the worst demos we’ve ever made. I had a tiny idea on the way into the studio one day – a sort of calypso hybrid of Laid by James and I Fought the Law… We played around [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound – News, Reviews and Post Tour Blues
Posted by on June 3, 2011
The Post Tour Blues – after a much needed wash Thank You It’s been an amazing and genuinely emotion few weeks for us Hope and Social lot, we’ve been genuinely moved by the response to the new record, gifts people have given us and the turnout at shows. Bandcamp No.1 Yep, thanks to you lovely [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: The Road Never Lies
Posted by on June 2, 2011
The Road Never Lies by Hope and Social First off I think we need to give Ed a massive pat on the back for this one. He took many many tracks of “stuff”…strings, brass, keys, guitar, vocal, 2 pianos which just went on and on and on….and sculptured them into something beautiful. Ed and I [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: Swaddled in Dark Clouds
Posted by on May 31, 2011
Swaddled in Dark Clouds by Hope and Social The verse to Swaddled came from a fragment of an idea I had and recorded into my phone months ago, and it was originally intended to be a hymn. It was really really simple and was literally the melody and those first four lines. I’d just sing [...] (read more)
Cuckoo’s fest…the end to an amazing tour!
Posted by on May 28, 2011
Hello all! Just a quick one to say Thank you so much for all making this tour so amazing. The last two weeks since the release of Sleep Sound have overwhelmed us all and with the first real big stint at touring since i joined the band, i can assure you its been one not to forget. [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: Them Rolling Boys
Posted by on May 24, 2011
Them Rolling Boys by Hope and Social This track was written so quickly at first. Literally banged out in an afternoon all from the opening riff which Rich plucked out of the air. In every writing session we always seem to write quite a lot of big guitar stuff – most of which [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: Cotton Wool
Posted by on May 23, 2011
You can hear Cotton Wool here: http://music.hopeandsocial.com/album/sleep-sound (I’m posting this off my phone on the van and can’t get the embed code… Sorry! Ed x) [Si] This started life for me as a tiny nothing of a tune I played very late one night in my kitchen and recorded into my laptop. (original demo here [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: Rolling Sideways
Posted by on May 19, 2011
Rolling Sideways Rolling Sideways by Hope and Social Rolling Sideways is made of 100% jamming around. It’s a bit hazy but I seem to remember that it all came pretty easy in terms of the music at first – sections and parts just slotted into place and the feel of it was coloured by the [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: Family Man
Posted by on May 18, 2011
Family Man by Hope and Social This track had been kicking around my guitar for a while and I’d put it down on a couple of Garageband demos just with me and an acoustic guitar (have a listen here if you’re interested) I’d thought it wasn’t really appropriate for this album after all we’d discussed [...] (read more)
Sleep Sound track a day blog: Sleep Sound
Posted by on May 16, 2011
Sleep Sound has now been out a few days and we thought we’d do a track by track blog like we did for April last year. Loads of people commented on how much they’d enjoyed reading about each song, and to be honest it was a great way to put a full stop on the [...] (read more)
A little bit about Sleep Sound…
Posted by on May 10, 2011
… the Album So here it is… Sleep Sound. The third Hope and Social album in as many years (actually, it’s less than two calendar years since we released “Architect…“). We’re very proud of it indeed… Over the next couple of weeks we’re going to do blog posts for each song like we did for [...] (read more)
Come Sing on Our New Record
Posted by on May 2, 2011
We Need You OK, we’ve mentioned the ace Seacroft community Choir Voices of the Day, who’ll be accompanying us at our “Sleep Sound” Launch at The Brudenell Social Club… well we’re amassing a wee choir for the very last thing to go on our album this coming Monday and we’d love to have you along [...] (read more)
Our Third Album: Release Date and Launch Tour
Posted by on April 26, 2011
As you may have noticed from us lot on twitter, we’ve been slogging away making the third Hope and Social studio album for the past couple of months… and being the kind of band that we are – with no lead-time between album completion and touring it – that means we’re about to release it. [...] (read more)
Plague, Album Progress, Tour, T-Shirt, Swing, Other
Posted by on April 15, 2011
Plague The plague has hit the Crypt. A daubed red cross adorns the door and a trough has been placed outside to wash the monies used to pay for incoming pasties. No man shall leave and no man shall enter. We have written and signed our pledge to contain the disease within these walls and [...] (read more)
One small step for man…
Posted by on March 24, 2011
Note: We sent out an email to everyone on our mailing list yesterday… here’s the email, but in web-page form. “These are extraordinary times. And we face an extraordinary challenge” On May 25th, 1961 President John F Kennedy told a nation that by the end of the decade they would have safely landed a man [...] (read more)
Another quick catch-up from The Crypt
Posted by on March 14, 2011
I’m knachered so this will be very short indeed! Great day down the studio today…finally pressed that big red button and started recording this album. First track up is a sort of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young type affair originally titled Cotton Wool although it’ll probably end up being called Threads (although that does remind [...] (read more)
Meet Hope and Social, The Chickens.
Posted by on March 2, 2011
This Friday Hope and Social are going to Carr Green School in Brighouse to give out 48 of the 1 million books being given out free as part of World Book Night and to meet, wait for it………….. Hope and Social, the chickens! Forget Jamie’s Dream School, Carr Green is the school of your dreams. We have [...] (read more)
We write bearing gifts…
Posted by on March 2, 2011
Quick update from The Crypt… just listening back to the demos of the last two months and there’s some very exciting stuff in there. Rough, really rough, and some of it just fragments but so much material and some of it in a different direction. There’s certainly some Graceland in there and we’re pushing the [...] (read more)
Is World Book Night A Good Thing To Be Part Of?
Posted by on March 1, 2011
I first heard about World Book Night from Helen Harrop, Helen is one of those perpetually irritating twitterer’s who endlessly interrupts your day with links to marvelous stuff. “20,000 passionate book lovers will give away 1,000,000 books to strangers.” Something about the idea of giving a copy of your favorite book to a complete stranger instantly appealed to [...] (read more)
That tricky third album…week 3
Posted by on February 9, 2011
There’s a little place that I had, of late, taken for granted. Quite a magical space where we’ve spent some of our most creative and enjoyable time over the last few years. It’s packed with the most beautiful and well used instruments you could hope to see (as well as some of the most disfunctional [...] (read more)
Snowball Week – The Chrimbo Tree
Posted by on December 16, 2010
Today is Rich’s Birthday!!! Yep, it’s my birthday peeps… and I’m blogging for you this cold winter’s morn. ;) Firstly – Panorama… Snowball Week – The Final Day of Prep (Cont’d from Yesterday’s post about the ace Ho-Ho Hope and Social beer by Leeds Brewery!) On the 4th of December we held our Snowball, culminating [...] (read more)
Snowball Week – Ho-Ho Hope and Social
Posted by on December 16, 2010
“Oompa oompa ooompa oompa!” Four pubs, one school, two busses, one town hall with 23 steps, 720 pints of Ho-Ho Hope and Social, 160 revellers, 6 band members, three trumpets, four saxophones, three trombones, one christmas tree (more on that tomorrow), hundreds of pom-poms, secret santa pressents, a band of merry helpers and one amazing [...] (read more)
The Snowball Keeps on Rolling
Posted by on December 14, 2010
Well ladies and gentlemen The Snowball was a wonderful wonderful thing filled with Christmas joy and unending goodwill. There will be lots more stuff coming your way to make you green with envy or happy with glowing memories. We’ll be showing you how we got the marvellous Ho Ho Hope and Social beer, and our [...] (read more)
The Hope and Social “SnowBall”
Posted by on November 2, 2010
It’s a Christmas Party “It’s that time of year, when the world falls in love…”, and we embark on another ill-advised day of fun, frollicks and more Christmas cheer than you can point a stick at. Hope and Social are pleased to announce that on the 4th December 2010 – from 1pm to 8pm, we will [...] (read more)
B-Sides Beside The Seaside
Posted by on October 29, 2010
An amazing day made by our Hope and Social tribe On September the 4th this year, Hope and Social hired an open-top, double decker sharanang to eek that last bits of sun and warmth out of summer… and with 70 amazing people, we headed for the seaside. It was an amazing life affirming day for us [...] (read more)
It’s a Masked Ball
Posted by on October 29, 2010
It’s all for Charidee mate OK, This is fairly last minute, but tonight Hope and Social are playing a masked ball. It’s a fund-raiser for an ECG machine at Pontefract Hospital’s Bevan Unit. Up until last night this was a closed event, hence not advertising it up here on H&S.com but we’ve got some last minute cheap-seat tickets for [...] (read more)
James – The Video
Posted by on September 30, 2010
We’ve spoken about the wonderous things that you can do with 8 pounds, a couple of B&Q lights and a borrowed lens or two over here but now, you can view the James Video in glorious technicolour. Shot by the amazing Ross McWhannell in our very own crypt, and finished in New Zealand by the very [...] (read more)
“James” – the Forthcoming Video
Posted by on September 23, 2010
We are very excited to announce that this Friday, we’ll be releasing the video for “James”, our rant at let-down losers of the worst kind. Shot and made by the amazing Ross McWhannell, who has worked with us on such fantastic videos as 1000 Bulbs and The First Word is the Hardest, it’s a claustrophobes [...] (read more)
The Most Beautiful Deckchairs on Gods Earth
Posted by on September 2, 2010
Some things are made entirely of love. On Saturday we are taking an open top bus full of people to the seaside to play some games, eat some food, play some music and make some friends. For everyone involved in Hope and Social having fun and making art is the wind in our sails; one evening,  wine in hand, Ben [...] (read more)
She Shares Seaside Sharabang Seats By The Sea Shore
Posted by on August 27, 2010
Buy 2 Get One Free (N.B. may not actually be what you think) You know we’re going to the seaside yeah?? OK, we know that these are going to go quickly, we’ve got three #HSFunBus up for grabs. We’ve deliberated over the fairest way to do this. Buy Two This is the easy bit. Stump up some cash, and you’re [...] (read more)
WLTM: Human beings with Video Cameras!
Posted by on August 19, 2010
Must be creative, like people, with GSOH and up for possible more serious relationship. Likes must include: travelling, the seaside, live music. We’re doing an open top bus trip to the seaside for our latest Hope and Social event on the 4th of September. One of the things which we loved about [...] (read more)
Can You Make A Cool Thing?
Posted by on July 30, 2010
Come rain, shine, hell or high water we are heading to the seaside on a open top bus. Oh yeah! And a trip to the seaside is not complete without popping your burnt red mug in a cheeky, big bosomed, skinny armed, fat bottomed, blue jacketed, Great British seaside “Your Face Here” photo board! For our come dine with [...] (read more)
Squeezed Inn
Posted by on July 23, 2010
Hope and Social to support Squeeze’s Chris Difford at The Bear Inn Hope and Social are very excited to announce an intimate acoustic support with the fantastic [Name drop alert] Chris Difford of Squeeze fame. [famous award alert] Ivor Novello winer Chris is fresh back from touring the states with [massive band alert] Crowded House and this [...] (read more)
Hope and Social in Topless Seaside Shenanigans Shocker
Posted by on July 19, 2010
We’re all going on a… busmans holiday – 4th September After numerous blogged and tweeted hints, Hope and Social are proud to announce our next “event”. Book it in now… We’re off to the seaside. To celebrate the end of summer, we’re holding another of the now (in)famous Hope and Social events. So far we’ve had a gig in our [...] (read more)
Venue Change, Harrogate Sat 17th July
Posted by on July 16, 2010
Hope and Social in “going to Rehab” SHOCKER! Through circumstances beyond our control we’ve had to change the venue for the Harrogate gig on this Saturday from the Sun Inn to the upstairs club in Rehab, Harrogate. Should be grand… holds about 100 people, tiny stage and according to their website it is “is particularly popular [...] (read more)
The nights are drawing in…
Posted by on July 13, 2010
Yep, it’s gone. You missed it. Summer is over. The leaves are turning a lovely golden brown and the rain is driving against my window. Light the fire. Gaffer tape the holes in the window frames. Pass me my winter coat and put away my Speedos in the bottom drawer. Christmas is just around the [...] (read more)
Don’t Dream It’s Over… Oh, It’s Over
Posted by on July 4, 2010
(N.B. Some of this information may now be out of date – this post is taken from our Mailing List mail which you can join here – It was sent out last week… so, erm, sorry!) At last we can sit back and enjoy ourselves. The ‘dream’ is over. The mighty lion has roared its last [...] (read more)
BBC Introducing with Alan Raw
Posted by on June 29, 2010
“They Are Brilliant” Just a quick one to say that the lovely team at BBC Introducing (Alan Raw, Katie Noone, John Anguish et al) played James for us this week (which is nice). Not only that but also, he says that lovely thing at the top of this post, and goes on to talk about the Marching [...] (read more)
Remix – Do What You Must
Posted by on June 14, 2010
Sorry for the Delay… … we will now resume tramsmission. Back in December we promised we’d release all the parts to the Hope and Social song of your choice from “Architect…”The out and out winner with 10% more than any other track was “Do What You Must”, and though we called the winner in March, a catastrophic hard-drive failure [...] (read more)
Bees and Summer
Posted by on June 4, 2010
Well hello everyone on this fine June morning. The world is full of colour and bees (well not that many bees) and we’re on our way to yet more sun filled Hope and Social dates. Yes gather up your smock and jump on the funbus…where better to be once England have been knocked out of [...] (read more)
April, Track 10, Eurospin
Posted by on May 17, 2010
This was truely one of the most heartwarming things we’ve done…  Yet another of the the magical, wonderful, impossible, crazy things that are only possible because of the wonderful friends and fans around us. For those who don’t know we turned our crypt studio into a French restaurant for the evening, served a 3 course [...] (read more)
April, Track 9, Marching on Through
Posted by on April 30, 2010
This track started out as a really really simple jam in the studio – sort of a warm up really as we were preparing to do something else. We have a pump organ in the Crypt which Ed bought for a bottle of wine about a year ago. It’s a magnificent machine (apart from the [...] (read more)
April, Track 8, A Darkness Now is Coming
Posted by on April 29, 2010
So we’ve had this song kicking around for ages – but it was in a sort of sub-Aqualung piano pop style until we headed into these sessions. All that really remains from previous versions is the first melody line – “Hear me out / Sound for sound / A darkness now is coming” – it’s [...] (read more)
Sunflower Seeds
Posted by on April 28, 2010
I hope you have been delighted to find a gorgeous packet of sunflower seeds in your copy of our new album April. So, the tallest Hope and Social sunflower by the end of September wins an original hand drawn and signed picture of a sunflower by Simon, and a life time supply of Four Day Hombre CDs. (read more)
April, Track 7, Ripples Rock My Boat
Posted by on April 27, 2010
[bandcamp track=581917338 size=venti bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB] This is a song with a long history and it comes from a demo I (Si here!) did back at the start of 2008. I had a period of about a year where I did a load of recording just using GarageBand and the inbuilt mic on the MacBook – I’ve [...] (read more)
April, Track 6, James
Posted by on April 26, 2010
[bandcamp track=2629967870 size=venti bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB] Right. Well I think all we need to do to explain the origins of this track is to say that the working title was FunmasterJazz. Yes. Indeed. This track came entirely from a jam whilst we were in the writing phase and, until a week before the final mix only consisted [...] (read more)
April, Track 5, Follow You Into
Posted by on April 23, 2010
This song happened just about as naturally as any song can. We’d been writing all day and feeling pretty beaten, I sat down on the sofa in the studio and just started playing the arpeggio guitar part and singing some random lines over the top. Ed joined in on piano, Rich on gloc and then [...] (read more)
April, Track 4, Let's Go out Tonight
Posted by on April 22, 2010
[bandcamp track=4167514577 size=venti bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB] Lovely lovely big brass band… One of my favourites from the album and in some ways the easiest to record (in others not). Came from one of the original demos and we originally recorded it as a very simple song. Si described as a song about the end of winter, that [...] (read more)
Global Enterprise Week Event ' Lancaster University
Posted by on October 29, 2009
Re-Posted from TheHuxCapacitor.wordpress.com MUSIC INDUSTRY PANEL EVENT: HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS? Were very excited to be speaking at this Grow Creative event hosted by Lancaster University and facilitated by Mushroom Concepts for the forthcoming Global Enterprise Week (followed by a performance at this gig) at 6.30pm, Storey Creative [...] (read more)
Advice for the aspiring [blank]
Posted by on October 23, 2009
After cracking gigs at the weekend its been a rubbush old week in Ed land& a never ending stream of life poo or so it feels but this article by Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai in her blog Photodino really really cheered me up.. Advice for Aspiring Photographers (found via the consistently excellent The Online Photographer) The article is about [...] (read more)
Oporto
Posted by on October 12, 2009
UPDATE Beautiful pics up by Phil Barber of The Sound Gallery up here: Original Post below: Great gig tonight at Oporto  it was sort of sonically chaotic but all the stops and pulls and pushes and breaths came in the right place. It moved. Great crowd for a Monday, in fact for any night  thanks if [...] (read more)
Glasto Roundup ' Part 2
Posted by on October 9, 2009
Friday is 1st gig day and were headlining the Emerging Talent Queens Head stage sessions. 20 minutes of heaven. Sounds amazing on stage and were quite overcome. The good weather threatened the pulling in of people to the tent, but immediately we start, the tent fills to around 800. Awesome response and 20 minutes of [...] (read more)
Cavendish Arms, Stockwell
Posted by on October 8, 2009
Many many thanks to all you lovely people who made it to the Cavendish Arms last night. You were all fantastic, even @dunkr, whose kazoo solo was one of the weirdest to date. Seriously though, the participation in Buzzer Goes, Do What You Must and Looking For Answers was amazing. Thanks to Mr AG for the [...] (read more)
BBC Radio 2 ' The Radcliffe and Maconie Show plug
Posted by on October 5, 2009
Chris Gregory (@MrFurrball on twitter), gave Hope and Social a big ol' plug on BBC Radio 2's The Radcliffe & Maconie Show recently. You can hear now hear an archived version of the plug on 'The Chain  officially the longest listener-generated, thematically-linked sequence of musically-based items on the radio' here: 'I've heard the name vaguely' [...] (read more)
October Tour ' Day 2 ' Jason's Birthday ' Ripon Beckons
Posted by on October 3, 2009
Its Jasons birthday. Wish him a happy one. First gig in ages last night and good to blow the cobwebs out at the Talbot. Always very welcoming, we get very well fed and waterred, its a pleasant way to spend 14 hours is the Talbot. Seemed somehow rowdier last night, in fact it felt like carnage, like [...] (read more)
October Tour ' Day 1 ' The Talbot
Posted by on October 2, 2009
After two days rehearsal with drummers Ian Firth and Gary Stewart were in the van on our way to the Talbot Inn, Chaddersley Corbett. A 16th Century pub who won our second living room gigs competition. We love this place, not least because we get well fed, waterred and they dont make us go to [...] (read more)
The Power of Love ' Thanks to fans
Posted by on September 21, 2009
Well its been all bubbling away behind the scenes. Plans for this Octobers tour are coming together and through the wonders of twitter, facebook, BBC radio, youtube, crowd sourcing, blogs and TopMan were amassing quite a bunch of help. So thank you. Chris Gregory (@MrFurrball on twitter), in Kentish Town, gave Hope and Social a big [...] (read more)
Glasto Roundup ' part 1
Posted by on September 11, 2009
(Also posted here) Well we played Glastonbury this year and you know what, it wasnt bad [grin]. Weve been back to the grindstone at the Crypt since, writing Hope and Socials second album and 5 songs for Imitating the Dogs new Greece/UK project Tales From The Bar Of Lost Souls but, belated as this post is,  [...] (read more)
Hello from the long road'
Posted by on August 31, 2009
Just thought Id do a quick catch up having been a bit quiet for the last couple of weeks. Ed and Rich have been working with another band down the Crypt (not sure Im allowed to say who am I? Dont know why not? Help?) (Rich: yeah you can say  its that there Sky [...] (read more)
Bar of Lost Souls sessions (Day 5 Friday)
Posted by on August 10, 2009
Good day today  brass recording. James Hamilton (who did all the brass parts for architect) has had one song Animals Dine with me for 2 days and has written a full on orchestral brass part for it. More parts than players but we have several runs at it. The sound is just astounding. BD [...] (read more)