Hi everyone – here is an update of where we are with The Smile, and what the plans are so far.
The album is
just about finished, Nigel Godrich has produced it - we’re nearly at the track-listing stage, where there are 6227020800 possible song orders.
Until that’s decided - here's one song: it’s called ‘
You Will Never Work In Television Again.’
We are also excited to announce* a launch concert - actually 3 different concerts in 15 hours, streamed live across 3 time zones from London, so people outside the UK can see us play at sensible times.
This means us playing at non-sensible times, which are, in Greenwich Mean Time:
Saturday January 29th at 8pm
Sunday January 30th at 1am
Sunday January 30th at 11am
Each show will be a little different - I mean, they’re bound to be - and we’re building a special venue inside another venue - at a place called Magazine in London.
This means that, as well as the livestream, there will also be a real concert in a real venue.
Tickets for the livestream of your choice are available now via pre-sale
HERE at a discounted W.A.S.T.E price until the 9am general sale this Friday: unlock with the code SMILESTREAM
Tickets to attend the London concerts in person go on sale
HERE on Friday 7th January at 9am GMT. There will be a pre-sale happening tomorrow, so keep an eye on your inbox for further details. All concert goers will also receive the corresponding livestream link to their show.
(I wanted to somehow favour passport holders from e.g. Japan / Australia / Brazil / The US etc. so that expats who live in the UK get early access to tickets to ’their’ concert, but maybe that’s too complicated. Or just a bit weird. We’re still talking about this….)
Still, that explains the idea - 3 small shows, 3 time zones, and 3 very sleepy musicians (the songs will all be slower on Sunday morning).
If you can’t come to the venue, you can see all three shows online (and on demand for 48 hours after) - but please note - it’s live.
Live live. So, restarting songs / falling over / getting lost - all possible. Some enjoyable tension, then, as well as the music.
Paul Dugdale - who filmed our Glastonbury set - will be directing/looking for our good sides (none). Andi Watson has designed a stage for the shows.
We are very keen/scared/proud for you to hear these songs, and are currently practicing in a small room in Oxford, where work is more fun than fun, like the man said.
Our regards to you and yours,
From
Jonny
Tom**
Thom
* this reads as shameless pr speak, but is true….** yes, rehearsals are very confusing - can I hear more Thom - Tom - Tom’s tom-toms - etc. etc. etc.
