October Newsletter

Well then creatures and entities 🎃👻 here we are again! The Four Blokes Newsletter for October - it's certainly been a busy month, and thus a bumper length bulletin for you all. We kicked off the month with a gig, ended it by releasing a single, and in between had 4 recording sessions. Beyond that, your handsome new head producer has been doing a lot of tinkering with the second album tapes, and your handsome head of recruitment has seemingly completed the London lineup of "Four Blokes" which doesn't seem to contain anyone you could really describe as a "Bloke" or even "male". Read on, reader; READ ON!

On the very first day of October i managed to recruit a new member at The Old Dispensery, not far from Camberwell Green - say hello to JJ, who joins the provisional new lineup alongside Ari and I. "Hello!" Who said that? I must be hearing things again - got to get the auld ears tested at Shutterfield's Auditory Emporium, Basingstoke. He also clamied to have a drummer he could convince, which would of course mean we have a full band to begin rehearsals... more on that at the end. Saw Omerta and bumped into the singer from Black Bordello on the auld pavement - she's a Palace fan! What a small world ey - a small world with Norwood as it's fulcrum. I also found a string quartet to play my arrangement - The Eudeamonia Quartet who all go to Trinity Laban and have instruments grants from the Royal Philharmonic Society. I'm sure they're delighted to be playing a piece for "Four Blokes" - I was working as a binman when I wrote the score! Truly a clash of worlds.

You'll remember we left last month's Newsletter on a cliffhanger; Reagon and Oscar dropped out the Portsmouth gig on five days notice, sending me and Tiago to the stocks to be PELTED WITH TOMATOES! Well, the day came and I got on the early southbound train with keyboard under arm, not exactly brimming with confidence but thinking we could pull off some kind of minor miracle if the stars aligned. I'll have to stop the story here for a brief sombre aside -

My nan went into hospital on the 1st of October, we didn't think it was anything other than a stomach bug and when my uncle visited that night she seemed more or less fine - overnight something went badly wrong and the family were phoned at 6am. I had planned to visit her before the evening's gig but I had no idea it was the last time I was going to see her alive - we were all taken in a room and told she was going to die of Pancreatis. Given how sudden it all was I had to go ahead with the gig, so after 4 or so hours at her bedside and a quiet goodbye I headed from the hospital to the venue. You may think "how can you possibly do a gig hours after your nan dies?" but it was so sudden and unexpected it didn't feel real - that time last week I'd popped home to record something with the lads and dropped in for a surprise visit, she was full of life. Various members of Four Blokes will fondly remember having a laugh with her when at mine for rehearsals. 

Anyways! Dropped me bits off at the venue, popped round to the Turkish shop for some basil seed soft drink and Turkish Delights... gave the sound guy a Turkish Delight and everything. Tiago arrived, we went up and did soundcheck, and while conditions weren't as we hoped we were willing to give it a go anyways. Doors opened, 60 or so people pooled in, and then disaster struck yet again - 10 minutes before stage time, Tiago started throwing up! After some communication through a bathroom door, we came to the conclusion I'd have to go up alone. From Four Blokes to two to one.... 

I started off with a brief explanation of the situation to the crowd - this proved to be a masterstroke because they totally brought into the situation and were behind me the whole way, and for that I can't thank them enough. Opened with Muscovado, then into You Still Believe in Me - I forgot the chords in the middle but I got the ending as good as I've ever got it! Slotted and unreleased track Thistle in to pad the set out - "that's not in the setlist but I thought I'd play it anyways" got a good laugh. Next up was a special treat - a cover of Paul McCartney's "Monkberry Moon Delight". Tiago, who was listening with his head hovering over the toilet, said it was a pretty good rendition. Threw in an instrumental version of Una Vida, Con Ella for good measure before saying "for my last trick... I'd like to read you my short story - can anyone come up and play some ambient keyboard to soundtrack it?". 

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Surprisingly, someone could! A fella called Andy Macleod came up from the crowd and did a stellar job at the auld Korg while I read "The Bleeding Heart Dove" about a divorced poet from Northumberland and his descent into alcoholism. After by far the strangest set we've ever played, I exited the stage to a surprisingly warm reception. I can't thank the gig-goers thet night enough - they turned what could've and probabaly should've been a nightmare into a dream. Thanks to the 2 fellas who bought me beers afterwards as well.

After taking care of a few family affairs I headed back up to London, with my new laptop in tow! 90 day free trial of Logic pro... the album was ready to be worked on. I had an initial group of eight songs to tinker with, producing mix after mix as I taught myself the software, each a little better than the last... listening, making notes, tinkering...

Where's Tiago and dem man dere

Another uni incident - I had to arrange one of my songs for live performance. One hour to teach a band the song and then you're up on stage. I'd brought in all the necessary paperwork to do. "I Can't Help Being A Lover", but I was given last pick of musicians - NO bass, NO guitar, NO drums - here we friggin go again. Muscovado it is then - 2 backing vocalists and a keyboard player who wouldn't learn the song - suppose I'll do it. Stick him at the back with a synth bass turned way down low. Luckily we got 10 minutes to practice with a Portuguese session drummer who I must say was a model professional and picked up the song very quickly. Hmm, Portuguese drummer... I used to have one of those. Whacked that performance up on YouTube should you wish to see it. 

Bloody secret link

I KNOW HOW TO OPERATE THIS!

That evening - after a tasty falafel wrap (shoutout Love Falafel in Fulham) I went back into uni to record a fair few overdubs. Murder of Crows finally got it's tambourine, I've Settled on Molly and Farewell Yugoslavia got a few vocal takes each, and I dubbed a busy bassline onto Not Worth Hearing by slowing down the tape. After a little lesson in how to wind cables up I headed north of the river to my little room in Islington.

The Shirelles in action, 1963

After a midweek trip to a squat in Thamesmead and a night at the George doing Lana Del Rey karaoke, it was time for more recording! I really am working hard on this album gang - for you. For you, THE FANS! It's you, it's you, it's all for you... carried a few bits of technology under my arm and went round to Tom's lovely North London abode for both his labour and use of his worldly possessions. We could not work due to dry throat so we had to pop to the local off-license; Tom went for an economical Peroni four pack, I pushed the boat out with some Hoegaardens. A small extract from wikipedia:

"First brewed in 1445, Hoegaarden is a wheat beer spiced with coriander and orange peel. It is unfiltered and therefore has a foggy appearance. In many bars, it is customarily consumed with a slice of orange or lemon. It has an alcoholic content of 4.9%."

I rather liked them. Apparently it's noted for being served in a unique hexagonal glass - the ones we ALL have, the ones from IKEA? Anyways, Tom was put to work overdubbing guitar onto Not Worth Hearing - due to a displaced tibia and fibula he played an acoustic but we put it through a digital amp so you can't tell the difference. A small gap was left in the song for Harry's special trick - the backwards solo. I played a very bizzare serious of "notes" and "chords", and Asher wandered into the room and offered very helpful technical advice. If you bounce the track with reverb on it and then reverse the bounced track, the reverb will also reverse - very nice. They also advised me on the correct order of EQ -> FX -> Compressor on individual tracks. After putting a synth bass part on I've Settled on Molly, I headed home with a head full of dreams...

Cooped up in my Islington prison cell, I made a basic mix of the 8 songs avaliable to me and produced a very early version of the album to listen back to. Walked down to Moonlight Supermarket for a 1AM Aloe Vera beverage with the tape playing in my ears and made a selection of notes... the balance was there but everything needed to be louder, brighter, and more exciting.

2 days later, in a moment of divine intervention, I discovered I could run the whole song through an EQ rather than just individual tracks - boosted high end on Molly and the brightness I had been looking for was there... also discovered that "stereo out" decides the volume of the exported track and everything had previously been so quiet because I had it set to -4DB... for a man so far from the grave I am not particularly technologically literate. Put a tiiiiiny bit of high end boost on Muscovado and cut out a few of my more disagreeable breaths (had a fair auld cold at the time so I did lads) and the lacquer was ready to be cut. After careful peer reviewing the tracks were marked Ⓜ️ for master (although I do believe that emoji is m for metro as in underground railway system for navigating an urban area)

A few days later - after another inspiring trip to The George Tavern to see a band with 3 drummers and 3 bass players who played only 1 song that lasted for 50 minutes - I applied my new production techniques to the other 6 tracks, EQing the master and turning up the volume... was very chuffed with the results. Not marking anything else as a master at such an early stage but certainly much much better.

Tiago sent 2 more tracks for me to work on, via the information superhighway's electronic mail system - "Godless Hymn" which we had taped back in January and "Una Vida, Con Ella" from March - my dear newsletter readers, you've heard early versions of both if you cast your minds back... 

To work on the former I called in a favour from long-term mailing list member Daisy. A few pints of bitter in Putney to loosen the vocal chords and in we went to tape some angelic choral type shit. After a whole hour hard at work on the track further refreshments were required so we headed to the local Wetherspoons for some cheap booze - she was drinking something blue that in years to come will probably be banned by COSHH (control of substances hazardous to harm - you learn all about this body on a bricklaying diploma) and I was on the £2 pints of Worthy's creamflow. A long conversation which certainly did not pass the bechdel test but individual man was merely an avatar for the wider sins of the human male - particularly the wealthy white human male...! Don't think anyone this deep into the newsletter genuinely believes Four Blokes is blokey blokey band but just in case I'd like to confirm we are latent misandrists and socialist (or at least I am). 

After a short break to do a 5K, visit the V&A, pop in the "Zoo of the Bourgeois" (Harrods), make dinner, go to the Windmill to see "Civil Partnership", sleep for 7 hours, go to the café, and watch the match, I got to mixing! Programmed a bit more ceremonial bell and whacked some room echo on things, fiddled with the knobs and we were good to go! DONG, DONG, DONG, DOOOOONG.... (That was the bell)

I appreciate this is becoming a very long newsletter... but I've been bloody busy! For the fourth and final time in October, I returned to the studio - after a couple of hours looking at auld 1910s postcards and drinking pints of bitter it was time to make our next hit gramophone record! Dubbed 2 vocal takes onto Not Worth Hearing, meaning 9 songs for the album are now complete in terms of recording! I set up the drums to start taping another but those little angelhead mics... you've got to turn on phantom power haven't you! I did not realise that's why they weren't working... oh well. All booked in for Monday November 3rd so you'll hear all about that in the next editon dear readers. Then it was off to The George to see "The Beatles" in a Halloween special - must say the ambitious live cover of A Day The Life was fantastic!

We're on the home stretch now lads... before I talk about our NEW SINGLE, remember that drummer who was apparently joining the band? After a month of being on board, he jumps ship because he doesn't like the NAME! What a bummer - beautiful women all over the world love the name.

Anyways, I've saved arguably the best news of the month til last - Four Blokes have released the first single from their forthcoming second album - "I've Settled On Molly" b/w "Muscovado". The A-Side is a collaboration with electronic artist Aston James; musically it is chronological chronical of 90s electronica, shifting from house to ambient to jungle, featuring 808s, amen breaks, digital and analogue synths etc. Lyrically introspective, it touches on themes of anxiety, rumination, eating disorders and gender identity. Aston produced the instrumental back in February and I dubbed vocals and additional synth bass on this month.

On the flip you will find a baroque ballad, a love letter to Ava (who is even mentioned by name!) that is lyrically florid and by far our most tender release yet. The sparse arrangement, featuring only a vintage 1950s wurlizter and my vocal, means there are no guitars or string instruments of any kind anywhere on this single. Given Four Blokes' history as a comedy punk band it will be interesting to see how it's received and I'll include a little reviews section in November's newsletter.

Well then! I think that's everything for this month, hope everyone had a good Halloween and didn't get too spooked - I got a bit too spooked by some medical grade K and it felt like my digestive system had been eaten by zombies but I still had fun at the house party - I went as Paul McCartney in Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Until next month 🫡

Harry