This City Is Ours end of year stuffs

I feel awful today, I've got gastric flu or something so I've spent the day blowing my nose, drinking tea and trying not to be sick. Gross. Now I feel the most like a person I have all day so I've decided to upload all my design stuff to my Facebook and write this blog post thing. Here we go.

This is a bit mental. This City Is Ours have declared the year over in terms of flyer designing at least. They've done a bit of a combo thing for the last three months so that they can get the student denizens of sunny Fallowfield in the know. Makes perfect sense, but it does mean they're already talking about new years eve. Like I said, mental.

The first two are going to be a double sided flyer, the last one is a poster for the venue. The photos are by Kelly as ever. We actually went around the city taking lots of photos to use for flyers and that, as well as so that I could learn how to use her cameras, but we didn't get them developed in time for freshers week so these pics are (believe it or not) from her phone. Skillz. Anyway, the photos from that day will be posted soon, for now, farewell 2012, you've been wonderful. As far as TCIO flyers are concerned, anyway, this certainly isn't all I'm going to have to show for the year.

While I'm here actually, I've done a drawing for Skyliner, it was for a Streetview competition thing and hopefully there'll be an exhibition to go with it. This is A View From Corporation St.

Kind of. If you went to Corporation St, you wouldn't see that. But I don't think that's important because when I sent it to Hayley she said it was gnarly. Ha.

New Hips: Love Hz/Split Milk [Baptists & Bootleggers]

Here's something that's happening. New Hips are releasing Love Hz and Split Milk as a double A-side single on the rather good Baptists & Bootleggers label. Now I'll be honest with you, I'd not heard of the band until Baptists & Bootleggers announced it but it turns out they're dead good. If you haven't heard of the label, they released the self-titled Vei EP along with a lovely package of stuff that I would very much like to get my hands on (hint hint) but doesn't seem to be available any more. Sadface.

Anyway yeah, this New Hips thing is really good. Right up my street, it starts out like an electro Dartz and carries on in that widdly, complicated, tangled up guitar lines way that is guaranteed to make me do my Ian Curtis receiving electric shock therapy dance around my bedroom. Come to the release party on Friday if you don't know what that is, they're giving the record away (giving it away!) and Tribal Fighters are playing as well. Speaking of Tribal Fighters, they've got a free EP on their Bandcamp page. So much free stuff. If you get the CD on Friday it's got some remixes with it, if you get the 7" (yes please) it's packaged in a 12” re-seal able polythene record sleeve and includes a 36” x12” poster, an A6 insert and and A3 wrap around sleeve for the record. All the art work is by Zia Chan and is hand screen printed. Ridiculous. Limited though, only 100 7"s and 250 CDs. Fair play I guess.

New Hips Promo Video from Baptists and Bootleggers on Vimeo.

Hold on, I'm going to play it again. Can't put my finger on who the vocals remind me of. Someone good. This review is crap, sorry. Just come along and get some free shit and have a bit of fun. There's this video thing above that gives you a bit of an idea of what the song's like backwards. Nice video, I like it. Having done my own research too like a pro I've found this video of them playing Love Hz so make your own mind up.

Love Hz from New Hips on Vimeo.

Robert Smith from the Cure, that's who the vocals remind me of. Hows about that then.

TCIO, Wild Combination, baby tshirts (?!)

Alright pals. Have a look at this then eh.

Here's the latest flyer for This City Is Ours. It's on the 15th of September as you can see, you should come, it won't be as good without you.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I've been working on the cover of the first release on Wild Combination Recordings. It's a split single between Haiku Salut and Hopeless Local Marching Band. The label's run by the lovely Jordan Dowling. I did the drawings and text and stuff, Jordan added a couple of bits in the background like the road and clouds and stuff. Here it is.

Not sure when it's out yet but I'm told it will include more than 25 mins of tunage for just £2, which is frankly ludicrous. Can't wait to hear it. Need to do the back cover now mind you.

In other news, two little babies have arrived in my life. Nowt to do with me, mate, my friends' kids like. Anyway, I made a tshirt for Phil and Sarah's baby George. This is the front.

This is the back.

Here's some pictures of me holding it and trying to do the same face.

Unfortunately there are no pictures of George wearing it yet because he's only wee. At least he'll grow into it though and it'll last him longer. James and Hayley are waiting, no doubt with baited breath, to see what present little Harry gets. They're all so lucky to know me, I know. Seriously though, congratulations to the four of them I LOVE YOU ALL EQUALLY x

Right, that's enough of that now. See you at TCIO yeah? Oh and while I'm at it, you should really really buy tickets for the Carefully Planned Festival, I'll tell you why soon enough. Peace and love x