Not long now - 'Fever' is released on 9th November.
It'll be available to buy in all good on-line stores including iTunes and Amazon.
LAUNCH PARTY There's a very special 'Fever' launch night gig on 9th November with the magnificent Darling Boy at the Hope and Anchor in North London - it was where The Foxes had our very first gig, so it seemed fitting to go back. Everyone who backed my Kickstarter gets in free too.
The reviews are starting to come in and are pretty darn good -
#Jammerzine
- 'The track explores the theme of madness and depravity and is both
intoxicating in its execution and enthralling in its delivery.' Rocky Road - 'Musicality wise the song is strong and with such an exciting video to accompany it I just couldn’t pass it up.' Know Me Better Music - 'Definitely worth a watch and a listen!' Sam Might Say- '...you
get a feel for the gorgeous melodies that Thomas writes, mixing your
late sixties with a bit of Britpop, honest lyrics, and familiar sounds
are what you get hooked to Nigel Thomas.' God is in the TV - 'when the delay warps his words, the tune gets filthier, it’s apparent we’re listening to a well-crafted corruption.'
Recording a version of 'Fever' live and straight to vinyl at Phonica Records on one of the only working 1947 'Voice-o-Graph' machines working in the world. Photo by Chris Presswell.
There are also a couple of rather fine interviews -
Songwriting Magazine - 'If you’ve just heard the single, you might be quite surprised by the album.' Rock at Night - 'The melodies are sweet and dreamy while the lyrical content is both poignant and quirky.'
I'll be performing with my band on the new Cambridge TV show 'Sunday Sessions' - which will be available to watch online and on Freeview in the UK, broadcast date to come. It's being filmed at The Portland Arms in Cambridge on Sunday 8th November - if you're in the area or transport yourself to the area, you can come! Full info here.
Excuse the lack of witty banter on this blog - I'm exhaused and am going to sleep for a week. Much love, Nigel. X New website Facebook Twitter Instagram
First off, here's the brand new music video to 'Fever', a track from my forthcoming début album. They say there's no light without darkness and this video is very dark - made by the fantastic Infinite Pictures (the team behind my 'Third Movement' video, as well as The Foxes 'Lover Killer' and 'Bill Hicks') it references films from Maniac and American Psycho to literature including the works of Burroughs, Bukowski, Ellis and Palahniuk.
Written and Directed by Zoe. Produced by Gavin Fry (Infinite Pictures - www.infinitepictures.co.uk) Costume by Gemma Corker.
Huge thanks to everyone who gave up their time and talent so generously for this video to happen. You know who you are and you know I'm grateful.
The next blog will contain full info on the album release. CLARK KENT AMBUSH. The great champion of new music Clark Kent (AKA John Clay) ambushed me on the streets of Camden Town in this three part interview. Take a look, then check out his Youtube channel here. He's the real deal.
ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL.
Playing the Isle of Wight Festival was a blast! After the incredible amounts of rain on Friday evening the sun shone on the Kashmir Cafe stage on Saturday where I played with some hugely talented musicians to a sizeable festival crowd, then got to watch Blur again after - not a bad days work.Thanks as always to Doug Alldred for organising and to all in the lovely crowd who watched and listened. Photos below by Chemical Gdns. Click on photos for larger versions.
'Moment of the Festival' - seeing drummer Pat Kenneally in the morning after his £19 tent was found not to be quite as waterproof as he'd hoped, and he'd used his only dry trousers to mop up the puddles.
The band left to right - Alex S Tower (Keys), GrooveSun (bass, hidden behind Alex), Patrick Kenneally (drums, vocals, hat), Me (guitar, vocals) Jon Bretman (lead guitar, vocals).
Hamburg
Last week I had the privilege of playing several gigs in Hamburg, both solo acoustic as as part of 'Darling Boy', led by the multi-talented musician Alex Gold, formerly of The Wutars, whom I met back in the Death Disco days. We were both in support of 'Duncan Reid and the Bigheads', led by the former front man of classic punk rock band The Boys. I've had their song 'Cest La Vie' in my head for days now, check it out.
HUGE thanks to Anna and Dirke Lange for their hospitality, and everyone involved. Click on photos for larger versions.
At Monkey's, a fine club and lovely crowd.
I have a lot of time for this sign!
Photo op on stage!
More Monkey club action
On stage with Darling Boy!
Don't ask....
HOLIDAY TIP - don't cross the road in Germany without the green man, regardless of complete lack of traffic. The police will
tell you off and you'll have to use your broken German to explain that
you're used to throwing yourself into the road with wild abandon in London.
NOT I... I'll leave you with a track I've recently discovered called 'Little Heart Bomb' by Norwegian band 'Bigbang'. Enjoy.
Nigel. X P.S. lovely little pre-release review of 'Fever' by John Clay here, via God is in the TV. P.P.S My dear friend Stuart Saint is doing a kickstarter for an exiting new musical called 'Princess' - do have a look!
If you love extras (and there's lots) you can also buy the DVD and Blueray from Amazon (this is for the US - if you're in the UK and want one, leave me a comment or send me a message).
"Candlestick is a definite watch, lots of buildup with a great ending. Simple, sweet, and full of wonderful performances." Splatsofblood "perfectly crafted and very entertaining" Life in LA "a well-written, darkly comedic, superbly tragic story" Onefilmfan
LA PREMIÈRE
The LA première took place on 11th April 2015 at a packed out Arena Cinema, Hollywood, California.
HUGE THANKS to my Californian friends who attended: Norman Kelsey, Patty Tokahuta-Kelsey, Amber McDow, Verna Mott Hunt and Ethan Hunt and to everyone involved in the release and of course, everyone who's watched Candlestick. Finally, a reminder that I'll be playing the Kashmir Cafe stage at the Isle of Wight Festival Saturday 13th June, on stage 6.45pm, full band. Much love, Nigel. X
This post is all about some of the hugely talented musical friends I've had the good fortune to cross paths with over the years. There's a lot of different styles but all are brilliant and well worth checking out. I'm not including any of the great Death2Disco bands I've seen over the years - that's for another blog.
For each, I'm writing just a few paragraphs and providing one video and some links. If you like any of the artists below (which you really should do) please do consider liking them on Facebook and supporting them by buying some of their music (if you're umming and ahhing about whether or not to buy a track, this is worth remembering). I make no excuses for gushing about each of these people and groups - they deserve it. So, in no particular order:
CARA MITCHELL
Cara is a 19 year old singer/songwriter from sunny Aberdeen. She's already garnered TV appearances and numerous radio spins (including Radio 1). I could copy and paste reviews talking about the 'soft, lush tones to her voice' or the 'unparalleled talent for one so young' but really you should just have a listen.
As you may have seen in my last blog, Cara and I toured together last year and it was great to see just how well her music went down everywhere we played. Here's a live performance, enjoy!
Staying in Scotland but moving down to Glasgow, we've got the mastermind songwriter and singer from 'The Cosmic Rough Riders', Daniel Wylie. I remember buying their 'Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine' album in MVC (remember that?!) while at Uni and later doing a cover version of 'Revolution (In the Summertime?)' at various gigs around Exeter. The brilliance of the album was all down to Daniel and his great work has continued in his solo career. This track, 'Forgotten Songs' is really rather gorgeous:
Speaking of Exeter, that's where I first met Ed Rome who was leading the hugely popular Ska/Rock band 'The Big'. While you might rightly say that Ed Rome is an 'acclaimed writer, recording artist and producer', in my mind he's basically just one of the most all round talented multi-instrumentalist musicians I've ever met. He plays guitar just as well with his teeth as with his fingers. He sees sound as colour. He's easily one of the greatest musicians you may not have heard of - this isn't hyperbole. I'm not over-emphasising. It's fact.
His latest music project is rightly receiving a lot of BBC 6 Music airplay recently, check out 'Don't Believe the Hype (ft. Freddie Notes)' but in terms of the video, I'll leave you with the 'simple', class and musicianship of this folk instrumental.
I first met Vinny when I was booking gigs for his band (with ex-Oasis guitarist Bonehead) 'Parlour Flames'.His new solo album 'Down The Bright Stream' is just as intelligent, poetic and thoughtful as his earlier work and well worth a listen.
He's also got a nice looking tour shaping up for this year and I'm pleased to say I'm sharing the stage with him at Death2Disco at The Silver Bullet on 25th March. Full info here.
If ever there were a 'buzz band' on their way up who truly deserved your attention, it's these guys. Led by the mighty Lou Vainglorious (formerly of Death2Disco favourites Hoodlums) and now managed by the great Danny Watson, Asylums are a blast of joyful, guitar driven, melodic, attitude-filled, spirited, and brilliant indie/pop/punk/rock who've been getting loads of great radio play. Here's a track I've been dj'ing a lot recently, turn it up...
Guitarist from The Foxes (whoever are they) Jon went to school with these talented sisters from North London.
Soulful, clever musicianship, gorgeous harmonies and great song writing neatly sums up why you should check this band out.
They recently headlined Club NME at Koko and don't be surprised if they're soon selling out venues like that across the country. The track below is called 'Faultline'. Enjoy.
The Coal Porters just so happen to feature two incredible musicians I know from two completely different eras of my life...who just happen to have then joined the same band. Standard really.
First is Kerenza Peacock, an astonishingly gifted musician and violinist whom I used to live next door to in Ipswich when I was 8 years old. We used to play Monopoly together and we both played violin. Nowadays she's plays with (and on the albums of) the likes of Paul McCartney, Adele, Noel Gallagher (at one point she was playing on ALL top 3 albums in the charts) as well as a host of classical albums. She also lends her talents to a track on my forthcoming album.
On double bass is someone I met at my halls in the first week of uni, Tali Trow. He's the kind of brilliant musician who can play pretty much any instrument you put in front of him. And play it well. He's usually in at least five bands at once and much in demand as a session musician so I was fortunate enough to have him on board playing bass and a number of other instruments on my forthcoming album too, as well as co-producing. He's ace. The band itself is 'alt-blugrass' - which is a kind of rootsy, country, folky mesh of loveliness and they mix original tracks with perfectly formed covers from 'War' by Errin Star to 'Paint It Black' by the Rolling Stones. The video below is a live version of an original track (featuring both Tali and Kerenza) called 'Save Me from the Storm' and also features Sid Griffin (a talented solo artist in his own right), Neil Robert Herd and Paul Fitzgerald.
Have you noticed that musically, anything using the word 'Gypsy' is usually brilliant? (see Jimi Hendrix 'Gypsy Eyes' or Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic' for example. No, I've not googled counter examples).
Anyway, the duo who make up Gypsy Fingers, Victoria Coghlan and Luke Oldfield follow this fine tradition with their cinematic/olk/rock/pop. As well as being a top musician, Luke (Mike Oldfield's son) also runs the brilliant Tilehouse Studios where I recorded my forthcoming album. He's got it perfectly set up for both digital AND analogue recording, which is a rare and special thing these days.
The band have won rave reviews and sold out shows across the country, you'll see why when you listen to them. You can hear not just the great song writing and musicianship on the track below, 'Eating Me' but the production is quite simply stunning. One listen won't be anywhere near enough.
Doug hails from the Isle of Wight where he lives and organises (or helps organise) most festivals and gigs worth going to see there. On top of being also being a solo musician singer/songwriter he's also a drummer most often found with Pinstripe, Weatherkings, and Rachel's Reason - and a guest drummer for me on 'Dancing'. There's currently no video for one of my favourite Doug songs, 'The Sun and the Moon and the Stars' from his Frequency Illusion EP, but you can hear it via Soundcloud below. <iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/157967253&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"></iframe>
Described as 'dreamy acid folk', these guys produce gorgeous, intelligent, slightly bluesy English folk. As well as being another of Tali Trow's bands, this also features the talents of master drummer Patrick Kenneally who drums on almost all the tracks on my new album - in addition to playing several keys parts. He's also the once of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and drives an old taxi which can only be started with a screwdriver and has a 'pump and hope' break system.
The video below doesn't feature singer Michelle Griffiths (my apologies Michelle), but it was only put up just now and is too good not to show you - it's the remaining three quarters of the band (Mr Joe Woolley on vocal duties) playing live and straight to analogue tape at Tilehouse Studios. Sounding this good when live and stripped so bare on tape where you can hear everything isn't easy - you have to be good. I rest my case.
Last but certainly not least, we have the massive talents of Darling Boy, AKA Alex Gold. He's so talented he was accepted to tour with the United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra before he even knew how to play one. Formerly the leader of 'The Wutars' his solo career has taken him up and down the country and all over the world, with his tracks providing a rare moment of class on TV shows such as Hollyoaks. He's simply a great songwriter with genuine soul and pure heart, which might explain why he has admirers including Andy Partridge from XTC and Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols...and you when you hear him. His recorded tracks are brilliant in themselves but I'm going to leave you with a little taste of the energy and passion from a live show - 'Oh Rosin!' Oh Darling Boy!
FILM I'm very pleased to announce the U.S. premieres of my film, Candlestick, in LA on 11th April, with a theatrical run at select theatres. The film will also be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in North America on April 14th, and is available to pre-order now from Amazon.com.
Best Actor: Andrew Fitch, Isla Ure, Nigel Thomas & Tom Knight (shared) Best Original Screenplay: András Forgács W. & Christopher Presswell Best Original Score: Jonathan Armandary
I'll be in LA with the director and cast for this, along with a gig or two showcasing my album. Details to come!
The US theatrical release poster.
MUSIC.
With just the final three tracks of my (as yet untitled début) album to master, here's the BRAND NEW video to the finished version of my dedication to Anne Frank.
Handmade paper stop-motion music video to '5476 Miles' - coming soon from Terry Thomas!
Jane Austen - Sanditon.
I had the pleasure of taking part in a piece on Jane Austen and her final, unfinished novel, Sanditon. More info on Chris Brindle's excellent documentary can be found here. We filmed at Chawton House in Hampshire (Jane's brother's house) and I had the pleasure of singing with the hugely talented singer and actress Amy Burrows and joined by pianist and song writer Vicky Clubb. Perhaps this is a style of singing I should pursue?
British Comedy Awards.
I'll let Paul Holmes, owner of the fantastic Velvet Onion website explain this one:
"Despite most of the guests ignoring the blue carpet in favour of sticking with the whole awards shebang, TVO's roaming reporter Nigel Thomas did manage to get a few quick words with the wonderful Matt Berry, as well as Sandi Toksvig, Seann Walsh and Paul Chowdhry. Given the washout of the carpet situation compared to previous years, he and Louie Christie
then proceeded to make the most out of the situation by creating some
comedy gold instead of nothing. The bits we couldn't show you nearly had
me choking with laughter! Nice one gents!"
Tour with Cara Mitchell. I had a wonderful UK acoustic tour with Cara Mitchell in November with great audiences, lovely venues and only one instance of complete van breakdown. Here's a live video of 'Anne' at Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh (thanks to Duncan Watson for sending this to me)
Huge thanks to Ross Calder from AGP Aberdeen for organising the tour (I hope you're wearing your badge every day?!) Highlands and Islands tour next? Watch this space....
Epic Aberdeen gig
Van broken!
Sleeping space often at a premium.
Insert 'getting lost' gag here
The tour team!
Thanks for reading - another big music announcement in the February blog. I think 2015 is going to be a good year. Much love, Nigel.
"I am extremely angry. These are criminals, barbarians. They have sold
their soul to hell. This is not freedom. This is not Islam and I hope
the French will come out united at the end of this." Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, of the Drancy mosque in the north of Paris, speaking at the scene of the Charlie Hebdo murders. “I do not agree with
what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.” Voltaire (or rather, his biographer)
