World Of Fox

that was the year that was

2012-01-19T17:34:00.000Z

well, for someone who considers himself to be lacking in ambition, 2011 was rather a productive year for me! one album, two singles, soundtrack on a dvd and a retrospective, plus other releases. live,as well as the usual pubs and clubs, i played gigs in a treehouse, a major art gallery, an iron church at a railway museum and birmingham's symphony hall and took part in a 24hr performance at supersonic festival.

the whole thing kicked off at the stroke of midnight on 1st jan with the release of the covers album, respect, by the ever wonderful where it's at is where you are record label. this was accompanied by a download single of two morrissey songs from the collection, jeane/i know very well how i got my name.

february saw the release on video of three live sessions for this 2011's no.1 shed-related viral internet hit, songs from the shed.

season 7 of the american tv series, road trip nation, was released on dvd worldwide, which featured several of my songs on the soundtrack.

gigs followed through spring and summer, including my debut performance at the hyper-fun indietracks festival in derbyshire, playing alongside luminaries as edwyn collins, jeffrey lewis, jonny and herman dune.

the competition for punters who bought the limited edition hand printed deluxe version of respect was drawn in june, with the lucky winners getting to choose a song from the 1980s for me to cover and release as a single. lucky for me too, that my punters have such good taste, as it resulted in the release of galaxie 500's flowers (chosen by tim chamberlain) and the sea urchins' pristine christine (chosen by dunc vernon). to say i was impressed (and relieved!) by their choices would be something of an understatement!

in july, we decided it was finally time to unearth the complete works of experimental electronica project, krafla and make them available to the public. the two singles, plus other released and unreleased tracks were all bundled up on soundcloud for you to enjoy.

another cover song came out in july for the pop! for kids project. this time i delved deep into my childhood memories to record a pure imagination from my all-time favourite film of all time, willy wonka's chocolate factory.

back in the shed for september and i contributed a previously unreleased track, my waking life, to songs from the shed's woodworm project cd.

september and october saw me involved with two performances by lash frenzy, andrew moscardo-parker's sound art collective. i played double bass in a string octet in birmingham's museum and art gallery, then took part in lash frenzy and christian jendreiko's 24 hour performance as part of the groundbreaking supersonic festival.

the run up to xmas and the inevitable festive single release. where it's at is where you are, in collaboration with darren hayman and fika recordings had me digging around in the stocking of xmas past for clair horton and my version of xmas wrappin' by the waitresses.

to round off a busy year, the hangover lounge confirmed they'd include flowers on their upcoming 10" vinyl ep. it'll be released this month, so look out for it.

phew!

crapulous christimastime news

2011-12-22T16:37:00.000Z

a quick update on my next release. you know the kind of craftsmanship that you've been lamenting doesn't exist any more? well the hangover lounge's third vinyl ep will be launched in january at their lost weekend. it's going to be lovely: 10" heavy vinyl with hand printed and hand typeset sleeves. artisan record making for the discerning audience. i'm on it.

also, in an engaging act of sheer perversity, the hangover lounge boys and gurls will be having a rather special one on new year's day. would you credit it? expect to see very bleary-eyed punters and hosts alike...

xmas presence

2011-12-09T12:01:00.001Z

hi de ho ho ho! i've got a xmas single out! it's a free download via the wonderful darren hayman and fika recordings. where it's at is where you are have delivered 7 songs for the 7th december and you can download them all for free here!

my song is a cover of xmas wrappin' by the waitresses, featuring the gorgeous voice of m'colleague clair horton. there's plenty of other great stuff on there and even more to come in the countdown to xmas. go on, treat yourself - it's xmas!

a day in the life

2011-10-09T17:03:00.002+01:00

later this month i'll be playing the utterly wonderful supersonic festival in birmingham! once again, i'll be pitching in as part of a lash frenzy performance. if you know lash frenzy, you'll know that this is going to be epic - this time that's no understatement, as it'll be a 24 hour performance! performers will come and go during the 24 hour period (look out for me on the saturday night shift).

the piece is a collaboration between lash frenzy's andrew moscardo-parker and artist christian jendreiko. the performance is free to festival goers and takes place in eastside projects, heath mill lane, digbeth from 9pm on 22nd october to 9pm on 23rd october.

to be honest, i can't tell you much more than that - i'm as in the dark as you are, but i know it'll be something special!

UPDATE: this was a really interesting project. christian set some pretty strict ground rules about tunings for each of the movements, which meant that although we were improvising, the tunings prevented us from slipping into old habits. i did the first few hours, went to see some of the other acts at supersonic, then did another couple of hours. plans to return for the end nearly fell foul of m6 traffic, as i had to be in manchester during sunday. i got there with just three minutes to go, so jumped to my guitar and strummed the last few chords! nice to see several different people present at the end and evidence that my gear had plenty of use while i wasn't there.

the woodworm project cd

2011-09-15T10:37:00.010+01:00

i've donated an exclusive track to the woodworm project cd in aid of songs from the shed. you can buy it here!

if you don't know about the shed sessions, you really should check out the webpage. since the commercially inviable wingding went down and spent a day recording sessions, the shed has gone global and a viral campaign has raised its profile so much that it now attracts a queue of top names in the world of folk to record a session for its owner, jon, armed with his trusty camcorder and...er...nothing else! over the last six months, jon has been courted by the world's media, won the coveted "shed of the year" and played all the top festivals.

it's a collection of songs donated by artists to help in fundraising towards repairs to the shed following a woodworm infestation. contributing artists: david rotheray, eleanor mcevoy, jim causley, goodwin sands,j ames froud, the ambassadors of sorrow, tom palmer, the wilders, polly and the billets doux, ruarri joseph, world of fox, roscoe, jackie oates.

C

2011-09-09T11:18:00.002+01:00

this sunday i'm going to be performing as part of lash frenzy! lash frenzy is andrew moscardo-parker's long-running experimental sound/art project and is reknowned for stunning, immersive performances that combine rigid minimalism with often punishing volume and visuals. this time it's going to be a quieter affair, as we're performing as a string octet, all playing the note 'C'. i'll be on down-tuned double bass!

it's a free performance as part of arts fest 2011 and will be at the buddha gallery in birmignham museam and art gallery at 1pm on sunday 11th september.

it's going to be emotional.

new single!

2011-08-08T10:24:00.001+01:00

my latest single is available to download for free from where it's at is where you are records!

there's a story behind this release...everyone who bought a copy of the ltd edition deluxe version of my last album, respect, had the opportunity to submit their edition number to win the chance to choose a song for me to cover. tim chamberlain and dunc vernon were the lucky winners, chosen at random. i have to say, i'm very pleased with what they came up with:

tim chose "flowers" by galaxie 500
dunc chose "pristine christine" by the sea urchins

click on this link to where it's at is where you are to download both songs with some more beautiful artwork by ruth green. hope you like it!

free cd for indietracks kids!

2011-07-27T13:00:00.005+01:00

if you come and see me play at indietracks this weekend, one of my glamorous assistants will give you a free cd!

i'm playing the church stage at 2.20pm on saturday 30th july. you can have a free copy of the basic cd version of respect on the door. all my stuff will be on sale at the merch stall, but if you want to get a freebie, you have to come to the show.

you know, for kids!

2011-07-27T12:55:00.002+01:00

i've just recorded a new song for the pop! for kids project. it's a great idea, getting artists to make music for kids that doesn't suck - a must for culturally aware parents everywhere.

you can download for free my version of pure imagination, originally sung by the great gene wilder in my all-time favourite film, willy wonka & the chocolate factory.

krafla - the complete works

2011-07-22T14:02:00.003+01:00

i've uploaded the complete works of krafla to soundcloud. you can download all the tracks for free!

"lovely electronica." huw stephens, bbc radio 1.

krafla was steve hough (einstellung / cable regime / godflesh / grover) and me. extending the experimental tendencies of grover, krafla developed into a long-term project, mixing live instruments and electronica.

a debut 7" single on static caravan records was followed by an e.p. release on bearos records. krafla add layers of depth and instrumentation to fragile song structures and delicate melodies.

i'm with the band

2011-07-11T17:09:00.004+01:00

just spent a lovely few days busy with my commercially inviable chums!

first up, we played a group gig at the home (well, the treehouse) of local legend paul murphy (raconteur, poet and frontman of the destroyers). a lovely intimate gig in a unique setting, richard burke, friends of the stars, james summerfield and i all did acoustic sets. they were streamed live online and you can hear it here.

then i spent the weekend locked in a studio with james summerfield and his new 6-piece band to record his next album. in a change to previous records, we recorded all the band tracks live, playing together. not having had the lack of rehearsal, it was quite a challenge - not least to fit us all in the recording rooms! the results are definitely worth it, adding a dynamic, live feel to the songs. (i played electric guitar and banjo, by the way). jim's putting the finishing touches onto vocals, etc. and it'll be out soon.

next up is a jaunt to sweden for the annual blazfest. if it's anything like last year, it's gonna get messy...

indietracks schedule annouced

2011-06-22T11:42:00.002+01:00

hey popkids! if you're planning your itinerary for indietracks, click here for the full schedule. i'm on at 14.20 on saturday in the church.

indietracks compilation album

2011-06-13T18:07:00.004+01:00

there's a sparkly new compilation album available, featuring me, jeffrey lewis, herman dune, crystal stilts and all sorts of other lovely people! "pay what you like" download available here!

"respect" competition winners!

2011-06-02T11:56:00.004+01:00

ladies and gentlemen! i'm pleased to announce the winners of the "respect" prize draw competition. everyone who bought a copy of the ltd edition deluxe version of the cd had the opportunity to submit their edition number to win the chance to choose a song for me to cover on my next single!

the winners were drawn at random by my glamorous assistant on 1st june and i'm overjoyed to announce that:

duncan vernon & tim chamberlain

are the lucky winners! they've been notified and now i just wait to find out what songs they pick for me! no pressure, then...

breaking news!

the choices are in, so now I know what i'll be recording for my next single. i have to say, i'm very pleased with what they came up with:

tim chose "flowers" by galaxie 500
dunc chose "pristine christine" by the sea urchins.

totally acoustic podcast

2011-05-26T12:11:00.003+01:00

mj hibbett (officially the hardest working man in indie) has edited together a podcast of the acts who played his recent series of totally acoustic shows at the lamb, london.

you can listen to it here. i'm on it, as is the most excellent owen tromans, amongst ooh, several others.

of course, if you wanted to listen to my whole set (and why wouldn't you?) then you can do it here. it contains what mj described as "the most indie thing he's ever seen" (namely, a room full of people singing along to an obscure smiths' b-side).

competition countdown

2011-05-24T12:35:00.002+01:00

there's just one week to go before the respect prize draw competition closes! if you bought a deluxe cd version of the respect album, not only did you get beatiful hand-printed artwork by ruth green and the half pint press, but you get to enter a competition to choose a 1980s song for me to cover on my next single! just send the ltd edition number on your cd to worldoffox@gmail.com and two lucky winners will be chosen at random on 1st june.

if you haven't bought the deluxe cd yet, you have a couple of days to do so before the competition closes. if you miss the deadline, don't worry - the cd's still worth the money!

indietracks interview

2011-04-26T13:29:00.004+01:00

those lovely people at indietracks asked me for an interview in the run up to the festival. you can read it here. pete green from the sweet nothings even provided illustration to back up my comments about going for a curry with john peel. the internet is a wonderful thing...

all aboard!

2011-04-22T00:08:00.003+01:00

exciting news for the summer: i'll be playing this year's indietracks festival! it's great boutique festival in derbyshire. it features loads of indie bands and you get there by steam train! headliners this year are jeffrey lewis and edwyn collins, so i'm in pretty good company. details on which day and stage i'm playing as soon as they're released.

songs from the shed #3

2011-02-23T11:11:00.005Z

songs from the shed #2

2011-02-23T11:11:00.003Z

songs from the shed #1

2011-02-23T11:10:00.003Z

last summer me and a bunch of the commercially inviable chaps headed down the m5 to a shed in somerset, where we recorded some lo-fi live acoustic sessions. it's taken a while to get them online (the shed has taken on a life of its own and jon, the genius behind it, has been way busy keeping on top of it all!)

other artists to have graced the shed include micah p hinson, roddy woomble, even steve harley! you can have a look at their sessions here: www.songsfromtheshed.com.

phew, hefner!

2011-02-05T18:14:00.008Z

i played a lovely gig last week with darren hayman from hefner. feeling pretty chuffed at my successful recording and releasing one song a month during 2010, i was well and truly trumped by darren's project to write, record and release one song a day during january 2011!

we all had the chance to contribute to his 30th single of the month, the charming and heartfelt, "we're tired of getting dicked around". i think it was a beautiful moment.

you can see the video of it here: www.vimeo.com/19369972. (catch me at 3m25s, fact fans!)

first shows of the year - updated!

2011-01-13T18:06:00.007Z

the first shows of the year are confirmed.

gigs

27th january 2011
the bbc club london w1a
(this is a members' club, but email me for a place on the guest list)

30th january 2011
the hangover lounge
the lexington 96-98 pentonville rd, london n1 9jb
with the man who loves you / jack hayter / darren hayman
(afternoon gig - starts 2pm)

6th february 2011
the free love club
the yardbird paradise circus, birmingham

2nd march 2011
the island bar suffolk st queensway, birmingham
tour support for eux autres
*change of date/venue

8th march 2011
totally acoustic
the lamb 94 lamb's conduit st, london wc1n 3lz
with peter buckley hill and jenny lockyer
(early gig - starts 7pm)

new album released!

2010-12-09T21:47:00.005Z

yes! it's finally here! 'respect', my album of '80s covers, is released at midnight on 31st december by where it's at is where you are!

you can choose from the £5 basic version with this lovely artwork from ruth green on a card sleeve:

or a £10 special deluxe limited edition version, which is in a tin box with artwork specially hand printed by ruth and a special competition to have a song of your choice covered by me and released as a single!:

merry isthmus!

2010-11-08T10:24:00.005Z

ho ho, let's go!

i've gone and got myself on a rather wonderful xmas release from those lovely folk at where it's at is where you are records. my track will be a new instrumental called, 'xmas isthmus'. (john from the label wanted someone to do a song with this title, just for a bit of fun). there is a whole bunch of great acts submitting a track to it. some will be favourites from xmas past, some from xmas present and some are surely xmas favourites yet to be. i mean, just look at the list of luminaries...good eh?

action biker
barefoot dance of the sea
betty and the werewolves
david tattersall
dj downfall
eux autres
help stamp out loneliness
hexicon
hillary and the democrats
hongkong in the 60s
jeff mellin
leaving mornington crescent
meow meow
sool
the eight
the hillfields
the history of apple pie
the school
the understudies
the vatican cellars
town bike
travis elborough
weisstronauts
werewandas
world of fox

world of fox in jolly song shock!

2010-11-01T09:42:00.004Z

six different ways: "world of fox in jolly song shock!" yes, the nights are drawing in, autumn is upon us, etc... time for something a little more upbeat to see us through. throughout november 2010, my version of the cure's "six different ways" will be available to download for free from here!

the cure were a "gateway drug" band for many indie-kids my age and - along with the smiths and cocteau twins - were my way into alternative music. they were the second gig i ever went to (birmingham odeon, 1984, "the top" tour). "six different ways" was on their seminal 1985 album," the head on the door", which was when they really perfected their unique mix of mainstream pop and goth weirdness. personally, i preferred the peel session version of this song, which i taped off the radio. the tape eventually wore out, but with the wonders of the internet, some kind soul has uploaded it here.

the full album is finished and been delivered to where it's at is where you are ready for release on new year's eve. can't wait!

primitive painters

2010-10-01T17:36:00.003+01:00

primitive painters: if you'd have asked me what my favourite song was at any point from the mid '80s to mid '90s. i'd have probably said this one. you can download my version here during october.

'primitive painters' was recorded by birmingham legends felt, in collaboration with another of my '80s favourites, cocteau twins' robin guthrie and elizabeth fraser. truly a match made in heaven. led by the enigmatic lawrence they released, rather pleasingly, 10 albums and 10 singles on cherry red and creation records during the '80s. they remain for many the archetypal '80s indie-band, even though they never achieved the commercial succes they so clearly deserved (as they beautifully captured in their single, 'the ballad of the band').

calling the usa!

2010-09-17T14:32:00.004+01:00

road trip nation: my music is being featured in the next series of road trip nation. it's screening in the usa from 19th september (full tx details below). if you haven't seen it, it's the antithesis of rality tv in that, though it is about a bunch of young folks brought together in a contained space, they're driving across the usa meeting inspirational people who have chosen their own road in life. it's like a happier, more wholesome version of 'real world' but with decent folks instead of dicks. oh, and it's got a cool soundtrack, obviously.

see the trailer: http://bit.ly/bU8SAc

where my songs appear:

Please Take Your Time, episode 5

Leaves Me Blind, episode 3 and 8

You Don't Know Me, episode 3

Rules of Engagment, episode 1

broadcast dates & times:

CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles/ Orange County

Sundays at 6pm on KCET

10 new episodes starting September 19th

San Bernardino/Riverside

Saturdays at 5pm on KVCR

10 new episodes starting September 25th

Sacramento

Sundays at 11pm on KVIE2

10 new episodes starting September 19th

San Francisco/ San Jose/ Bay Area

Saturdays at 10pm on KCSM

10 new episodes starting September 18th

Saturdays at 7:30am and Sundays at 12:00am on KQED and KTEH

10 new episodes starting September 25th

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Seattle

Saturdays at 6:30pm on KBTC and KCKA

10 new episodes starting September 22nd

EAST COAST

New York City

Thursdays at 8:30pm on NJN

10 new episodes starting September 23rd

New Jersey

Thursdays at 8:30pm on NJN

10 new episodes starting September 23rd

Philadelphia

Thursdays at 8:30pm on NJN

10 new episodes starting September 23rd

Richmond Virginia

Sundays at 6:30pm on WCVE2

10 new episodes starting September 19th

Charlottesville Virginia

Sundays at 6:30pm on WHTJ2

10 new episodes starting September 19th

interview and festival show

2010-09-09T09:09:00.002+01:00

i got interviewed for the birmingham zine festival because i'm playing a show there on saturday 11th september. i'm not very comfortable reading all about myself in print, and i have a horrible feeling it makes me come across as a bit arrogant, but i might just be being self conscious. anyway, here it is if you want to find out a bit more about me...

pllleeeessse taaaaakkkke yoouuur tiimmmme

2010-09-09T09:03:00.001+01:00

a few weeks ago the internet went crackers for a strange remix. a musician going by the name of shamantis took a track by teen-sensation justin bieber and decided to slow it down 800 times. the result was a thing of great beauty. a bubblegum-sweet, pointlessly throwaway tune by perhaps the least credible artist on the entire planet was transformed into a 30 minute symphony of pure harmonics and gorgeous tones. ain’t the internet marvellous?

here at commercially inviable towers, we were curious as to what our own output would sound like given a similar treatment, so here’s the first in an occasional series of commercially inviable acts, for the want of a better word, ‘bieberized’

This is my new take on “please take your time”, renamed for the purposes of this exercise as “pllleeeessse taaaaakkkke yoouuur tiimmmme”. have a listen and you can download it if you like it.

the laughing cavalier

2010-09-03T11:33:00.003+01:00

frans hals: this month i've covered something a little more obscure. harking back to the nme c86 era, "frans hals" by mccarthy was a perfect slice of marxist indie-pop. throughout september 2010 it will be available to download for free from here!

mccarthy epitomised the best of the mid-eighties shambling indi-pop era for me. chiming guitars and lo-fi production coupled with hard left politics was an attractive prospect for a sixth-form wannabe bohemian! two of them went on to form one of the most important bands in the uk, stereolab - and for that they are surely worthy of our devotion?

plus, 'frans hals' (along with 'mr pharmacist' by the fall and 'coming up roses' by the legend) was one of the first songs i ever mastered on guitar...

strawberry fields forever

2010-09-03T11:28:00.002+01:00

last weekend, i played the main stage of the inaugural strawberry fields festival with james summerfield. it was a lovely event and looks set to become a regular fixture on the festival calendar. the weather gods (just about) smiled on us during our set and it was nice to get out onto a big outdoor stage, especially as it was our first gig as a full band.

this weekend, i'll be at i'll be playing again at the moseley folk festival, which is always a highlight of the year for me. this time i'll be playing solo on friday 3rd and with james summerfield on sunday 5th september.

northern lights

2010-08-25T17:48:00.004+01:00

tomorrow night indie demi-gods, the wedding present play their album 'bizarro' in holmfirth (the home of 'last of the summer wine'). and I'll be there! should be a great night...and if the weather's good enough, we may go for a roll down a hill in a bath, or summat.

last week for free fox august download!

2010-08-25T17:44:00.000+01:00

there's one more week left to get the free august download. this month it's my version of 'you cage' by throwing muses. on 1st september another song will be posted in its place, so don't hang about! www.worldoffox.com

vot! vote! vote! (again)

2010-08-13T09:16:00.001+01:00

Can you take a mo to vote for Commercially Inviable on this nebulous public money pit?

http://www.creativebirmingham.com/content/commercially-inviable-records

vote for gurdan!

2010-08-07T11:18:00.000+01:00

vote vote vote for gurdan thomas!: use the link here to vote for my labelmates gurdan thomas to play the reeperbahn festival in germany.

you cage

2010-08-02T21:50:00.003+01:00

something a little darker this month. "you cage" was originally by throwing muses.

throwing muses are another 4ad band and this was a stand-out song on the first record i bought by them, "the fat skier". their unique playing style and songwriting bowled me over right from the start and i fell in love with them immediately. i've always been interested in guitar bands with a strong female presence as they are so often more interesting and avoid the macho clichés that male bands can get bogged down with. absolutely no-one writes songs like kristin hersh.

throughout august 2010 it will be available to download for free from worldoffox.com.

a grand day out

2010-07-19T22:35:00.009+01:00

so, last saturday we all went down to north somerset where we ate sarnies, drank beer, snoozed in a hammock and played a few songs in a shed, captured on a camcorder by a lovely chap called jon. it's quite a big shed, but even so it was quite a squeeze for gurdan thomas, given that there was five of them, and one was playing a tuba:

the shed is an old billet hut and is stuffed full of fascinating detritus. one thing that caught my eye was an old magnetic theatre toy that i had when i was about four!

it was a thoroughly nice day out and some of us popped over to nearby clevedon for a glimpse of the seaside (well, the severn estuary, but close enough for a bunch of brummies). it has a nice pier:

i haven't seen the finished videos, but i've a feeling they'll be pretty good. jon will be posting them up on his website in the next few weeks, and obviously i'll keep you posted when they're up.

on me shed, son

2010-07-09T09:37:00.003+01:00

next week, the commercially inviable wing-ding will be decamping to a shed near bristol to record some exclusive sessions! james summerfield, gurdan thomas, rich burke and i will be each recording a live session in this guy's shed.

songs from the shed has become something of a web phenomenon, and a surprising number of really good artists have stopped by. it shoudl be a good day, and i'll keep you posted on when the sessions will be published.

on a related note, i'm in the latter stages of negotiating a release for my respect album. this is a cd release of the cover songs i've been giving away each month as part of the respect project. there'll be a few extra tracks on it too, plus some rather lovely artwork by ruth green. more on that story later, as kirtsy wark would say.

galaxie 500

2010-07-09T09:29:00.003+01:00

one of the best pieces of news i had this week was that dean wareham is playing galaxie 500 songs at this year's all tomorrow's parties festival. the festival is curated by belle & sebastian and the line-up is looking amazing.
galaxie 500 are one of my all time favourite bands, so i'm well chuffed that dean will be playing (obviously, i'd be even happier if damon & naomi were joining him, but you can't have everything...where would you put it?). their gig at goldwyn's in birmingham remains one of the top gigs of my life and it was always live that they really captured the simple, otherworldly beauty of thir songs.

the first picture of you

2010-07-02T11:58:00.004+01:00

the first picture of you: the sun is shining, holidays are hopefully just around the corner, so here's a nice summery tune for you! "the first picture of you" was originally by the lotus eaters. lovely.

this was their only hit, but what a great summer song! as with some of the others, it was a song which caught my imagination at the time and stayed with me as a particular favourite. never heard anything else by them, though.

throughout july 2010 it will be available to download for free from here!

I've also got a new bunch of shows booked, so go to the website to have a look.

soul power

2010-06-01T22:31:00.002+01:00

19th june sees the official launch of the soul food project in my favourite local watering hole, the hare & hounds! timed to coincide with the kings heath big day out festival, there'll be a heap of great acts and djs, free mix cds and a bloody great pile of fabulous food: my kind of day.

let the happiness in:

2010-06-01T22:29:00.004+01:00

we're back from primavera sound in barcelona and ready to face the world! june is my birthday month, so this time i'm giving you a special treat of not just one, but two (or one and a half, strictly speaking) free songs for the june instalment of respect. i've spliced together two lovely songs from big favourites of mine: david sylvian's sublime "let the happiness in" and pale saints' 1989 debut "sight of you".

japan and david sylvian were certainly among the most creative to come out of the new romantic period for me. though "brilliant trees" was a great debut solo album, and "forbidden colours" with ryuichi sakamoto was one of my favourite songs of the decade, it was with "secrets of the beehive" that david sylvian found his own voice, free from the japan influence. the flugel horns on the original have been replaced here by a bass guitar playing chords with a volume pedal creating the swell.

along with lush, pale saints formed the "third wave" of my favourite label of the 80s, 4ad. (there'll be more 4ad artists featuring later in the year!) "sight of you" was on their debut release "barging into the presence of god" and set them apart as the most inventive bands of the shoegaze era. i've only really used the bass line and guitar bits from the song, but while i was working on the david sylvian track, they popped into my head and seemed to fit, so i stuck them in there.

throughout june 2010 it will be available to download for free from here!

say hello, wave goodbye

2010-04-28T21:38:00.005+01:00

say hello, wave goodbye: something a bit more upbeat for the start of the summer! (well, relatively upbeat for me...) the fifth respect release is here (a few days early, as i'll be away over the weekend). this time up, it's a radical reworking of one of my favourite songs from the '80s, "say hello, wave goodbye" which was a hit for soft cell.

soft cell were another big influence on my pubescent self. the seedy glamour of their records and marc almond's charm and fragility was pretty attractive to a young chap from the sticks. and this was a real singalong hit, too!

you can listen to it now, and throughout may 2010 it will be available to download for free from here!

say hello, moseley: good gig news - i'm playing the moseley folk festival again this year! this is rapidly turning out to be one of the best little festivals of the year, and i'm glad to confirm that i'll be playing the bohemian jukebox stage again. don't know which day yet, but i recommend going for the whole weekend anyway.

wave goodbye, london: bad gig news - the felt tribute gig at the lexington on 9th may is cancelled, i'm sorry to say. delays in the launch of the felt fanzine have meant that the gig has had to be rescheduled. shame, as i was looking forward to airing my version of "primitive painters".

easter parade:

2010-04-04T15:27:00.003+01:00

a seasonal release for the fourth track in the respect project! "easter parade" was originally by scotland's finest, the blue nile.

another haunting track from the early eighties that stayed with me for years before i managed to track down a copy of the record. the whole of the debut album "a walk across the rooftops" sounds like being in a dream. lovely.

you can listen to it now, and throughout april 2010 it will be available to download for free from here!

last week for march free world of fox download

2010-03-24T10:33:00.001Z

the world of fox free march download will be up for just one more week! go to www.worldoffox.com to get my version of "jeane". a new free song comes out on 1st april.

BBC 6Music

2010-03-01T11:16:00.002Z

There's a worrying item on the news at the moment. The British Broadcasting Corporation is under increasing pressure to cut services to save costs. Despite wasting £100m+ on recent refurbs, the corporation is reportedly looking to axe radio stations 6Music and the Asian Network. The BBC is keeping pretty tight-lipped about it at the moment, but the reports coming out seem to be fairly consistent in saying that these cuts are being seriously considered.

Quite apart from the fact that 6Music is pretty much the only place I have a hope of getting national radio play, I listen to it daily and commercial radio stations simply cannot and will not be any kind of replacement.

Jude Rogers of The Guardian sums it up perfectly: www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/feb/27/bbc-to-cancel-6-music

Various online groups and petitions have started up to help save 6Music. This petition will be presented to the BBC Trust and I urge you to sign: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/BBC-stop-the-cuts

march free download

2010-03-01T09:53:00.005Z

jeane: the third release in the respect project is now available! "jeane" was of course originally by the smiths.

it's a very rare track, only appearing on the b-side of the 7" of "this charming man". it was never included on any other smiths releases at the time, and didn't appear on the various compilations that came out following the band's demise. i've never understood why, because it's a real charmer. it wasn't until the advent of online filesharing that i managed to grab a proper copy of it. i regularly badgered the bar manager to sell me the old copy out of the jukebox in the student union bar at wolverhampton university, but he never did.

i absolutely bloody loved the smiths when i was a kid (even though i did go off them a bit after "the queen is dead" when studio production seemed to take over from songwriting). while it's clearly not their best song, for me "jeane" captures the very essence of their early output - irresistibly catchy, with a raw, unpolished production that displays the youthful energy of a band still in thrall with its own potential.

you can listen to it now, and throughout march 2010 it will be available to download for free from www .worldoffox.com!

just one more week for the free february download! www.worldoffox.com

2010-02-20T12:36:00.000Z

the world of fox free february download will be up for just one more week! go to www.worldoffox.com to get my version of "tiny children". new free song comes out on 1st march.

2010-02-06T13:41:00.000Z

tweemendous news: i've bagged a tour support slot with the wonderful rose melberg on 4th march at the cross kings, london! this is going to be a really special show, and rose is only over from canade for a very few dates, so i'm well chuffed to be asked to play.

february free download

2010-01-31T13:07:00.004Z

tiny children: the respect project got off to a flying start in january, with loads of people downloading "don't talk to me about love". next up is "tiny children" which was originally by the teardrop explodes.

i was a big fan of echo & the bunnymen, and wah! at the time, but of the crucial three, julian cope was the one for me and the teardrop explodes always held more interest. he's continued to be an inspiration (and finding out he was a staffordshire lad like me was nice too). i was very young when i first heard "tiny children" but i pretty much committed it to memory immediately and it has haunted me for years.

you can listen to it now, and throughout february 2010 it will be available to download for free from here!

facebook fans

2010-01-29T09:35:00.001Z

you can now become a fan of world of fox on facebook! click here to get to the page. become a fan and you'll see the latest updates, offers and news in your facebook live feed.

i won't be twittering though. there has to be a line drawn somewhere...

last week for the free january download

2010-01-27T11:27:00.000Z

it's the last week for you to get your hands on the free january download from "world of fox". on 1st february it will be replaced by the next free song.

if you haven't done it already, go to www.worldoffox.com and have a listen.

"everything is for the best" is now available on spotify!

2010-01-20T20:17:00.001Z

you can now listen to the world of fox album "everything is for the best" for free on spotify. add it to your playlists, share with your friends, spread the word!

http://open.spotify.com/album/5oKg44lVtyn1r1FfSDgU4v

gigs! gigs! gigs!...that's three gigs.

2010-01-14T15:46:00.002Z

i'm just getting warmed up with some gigs for early 2010. this is what's booked so far...

17th january 2010
the free love club at
the yardbird, birmingham

5th february 2010
feel the folk! presents a commercially inviable showcase at
the grain barge, bristol
with friends of the stars and richard burke

6th april 2010
freedom of expression at
the green dragon, croydon

hope to see you there. (don't worry, my northern chums, i'm looking for gigs up there too!)

January FREE download!

2010-01-02T17:14:00.004Z

The first monthly release in the "Respect" covers series is now available to download for free! "Don't Talk To Me About Love" was originally by Altered Images.

I reckon that Altered Images were probably the first indie band that showed up on my pre-teen radar (not that I'd have known that at the time!). "Happy Birthday" and "I Could Be Happy" were fascinating and exciting for a kid just getting into pop music. There was something charming and home-made about it all - and of course, there was Clare Grogan. "Don't Talk To Me About Love" was from their more 'sophisticated' disco influenced stuff, but a great song nonetheless. Listening to it recently, I was struck by how melancholy the words and tune were once you got past the disco sheen.

Throughout January 2010 it will be available to download for free from WORLDOFFOX.COM.

At the end of the month it will be replaced by the next song, so don't hang about!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

2009-12-28T18:52:00.001Z

2009 Roundup

Well, it's been a great year in the World of Fox, with an album release, plus two singles. all have been received very well, and the latter part of the year saw quite a few gigs around the UK to support it. Plenty more to follow in 2010...

2010 News

RESPECT: I've got an exciting new project planned for 2010 which will result in you, my lovely friends, getting a whole heap of free music! I often play the odd cover at gigs and, in response to lots of requests, I've decided to record some of them and give them away. I noticed that several of the songs I've covered over the years have been from the 1980s (something to do with my age, perhaps?), so I decided to turn it into a bit of a concept.

So, throughout 2010, I will be releasing one new song a month. Each one will be a cover of a song from the 1980s which has a special significance for me, so it will be quite a personal selection. Some of them will be recognisable, some less so, but they'll all be pure FOX...

Each song will be available to download for free during that month. After that, you will still be able to listen, but not download it, and the next song will be available to download. At the end of the year, I plan to release them all as a limited edition album, with some extra songs on it as a thank you.

First up will be "Don't Talk To Me About Love" by Altered Images. It will be available at the start of January from worldoffox.com - so look out for the launch announcement in the New Year.

People Talking

2009-11-06T09:54:00.005Z

Birmingham based music magazine Brum Notes, launched last month and it's really rather good.

There's an interview with me in the latest edition of the magazine. You can open a pdf of it here. They also published quite a nice review of the album (it got more stars than the Stereophonics and Mr Hudson, at any rate!).

Beard Stroking

2009-10-17T19:44:00.006+01:00

Got a nice review (Leonard Cohen references and sloppy syntax notwithstanding..) from Bearded Magazine for Everything is for the Best.

Don't Look Back...

2009-10-17T19:32:00.002+01:00

In response to ongoing requests, I've updated the old Grover website. It now has full streaming of every official Grover release, so you can hear all the tracks instantly. The site is now more of an archive for those who want to go back and find out more about my old band. Aaah, memories...

2009-09-30T23:26:00.003+01:00

Had a lovely review from the nice folks at Colour, who are putting on the Commercially Inviable show on 15th October. They said:

"Simon Fox is one of the region’s most talented folk musicians and he’s just released a new album via Birmingham label Commercially Inviable. Featuring gentle fingerpicking laid over swirling, mesmeric backgrounds, it’s a captivating record that reveals itself slowly, unfurling a great range and depth beneath it’s beguiling exterior.

For the best part of a decade Simon was the leader of post-rock outfit Grover, which is evident on Everything Is For The Best in the immersive atmospherics that add a twist to the pastoral folk guitar that eddies above. This makes the extended instrumental passages coursing through the album a beautiful place to lose yourself a little. Lyrically, Fox playfully adapts tried-and-true verse and rhyme structures to tell modern tales of lost loves, existential malaise and drunken belligerence."

...which was nice of them.

Showing Off

2009-09-24T17:45:00.004+01:00

I have a bunch of shows coming up, supporting some pretty cool artists. Three are in Brum and one in That London:

8th October 2009
Capsule presents:
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
with Starless & Bible Black
This is a dream gig with one of my favourite bands from Manchester - smooth folk-tronica and lovely songs.

13th October 2009
The Local presents:
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
with Liam Hayes & Plush
It's a real coup to get this support slot. Liam Hayes' new album, Bright Penny, is littered with some of Chicago's finest musicians and is lush, soulful and heartfelt.

15th October 2009
Colour presents a Commercially Inviable extravaganza:
The Victoria, Birmingham
with James Summerfield, Richard Burke, Friends of the Stars
A Commercially Inviable wing-ding featuring all the label's current acts on one bill.

1st December 2009
Totally Acoustic:
The Lamb, Holborn, London
with MJ Hibbett & Pete Green
No mics, no amps, no fuss - Totally Acoustic is exactly that. MJ Hibbett, the capital's foremost purveyor of bloke-core has had an amazing year and it's going to be great to play with him again. Pete Green manages to combine gruff northern common sense with shambling classic C86 indie which is just the right side of twee.

There Are No Others, There Is Only Us

2009-07-14T16:21:00.003+01:00

I've been commissioned by the Supersonic Festival to produce a soundtrack to Marc Silver's new film, "There Are No Others, There Is Only Us"!

Premiering at Supersonic Festival, 24-26th July, "There Are No Others, There Is Only Us" is a monochrome video projection created by director Marc Silver, which explores how we protect ourselves from a seemingly more chaotic planet.

In a time where the world is ever more connected and unbordered, Silver considers whether crowds are a force for oppression, or a potential for resistance. The centerpiece of the film is an aerial dance of half a million swarming birds, projected at Birmingham Moor Street Station, where 7,000 commuters come and go daily.

Four other artists have been invited by Supersonic Festival to compose scores to accompany the film: Andrew Moscardo-Parker, Stuart Tonge, Matt Snowden and Sam Underwood.

You can hear a preview of my piece on myspace and on the World of Fox website. There are currently no plans to release the piece, so this is the only place you can hear it!

Try Before You Buy!

2009-07-13T17:19:00.002+01:00

The music page of the World Of Fox website has been updated. Every song in the fox discography now has a full-length preview you can listen to for free.

Also, in response to your requests, the lyrics for all songs are now published for the first time. Click the lyrics link for each release on the music page to read them.

Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool

2009-06-17T15:39:00.004+01:00

Another new single: This summer, Where It's At Is Where You Are Records are paying tribute to The Boss with the monumental "Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool - A Global Salute To Bruce Springsteen". There will be a number of singles, a double album, badges, posters and quite possibly a book, featuring over 40 acts.

First up is the June instalment of the wiaiwya monthly singles club, including tracks by The Snow, Little Eiffel & The Birthday Girl, The Neath Street Band and (you guessed it) Me!

My song is "Raise Your Hand", which was an E-Street Band live favourite in the '80s. It won't be available anywhere else.

It's all available to download, with sleeve art and a poster from here: wiaiwya.com

Competition Time!

2009-06-01T17:58:00.003+01:00

To celebrate the forthcoming release of the new album, Everything is for the Best, Commercially Inviable Records have put together an exciting competition with over £400 worth of prizes up for grabs, including:

£50 in cash
Signed CD of Everything is for the Best
Signed, limited edition, hand made print of the album artwork by Ruth Green
A selection of Commercially Inviable Records CDs and goodies
Hand-made vinyl bag from Needles and Hooks (one of only 7 made)

Full details are available from Commercially Inviable Records

good luck!

Pre-orders

2009-05-19T18:36:00.005+01:00

The new Fox album, "Everything Is For The Best", has arrived! The official release date is 1st August 2009, but you can pre-order a copy from my website, or Commercially Inviable.

Pick Fruit

2009-05-06T00:00:00.007+01:00

Those lovely folk at Where It's At Is Where You are Records have released a new Fox single, "fruit", as part of their monthly singles download club. Their plan is for the best bands around to have a single available for a limited number of downloads, along with sleeve, and sometimes other bits and pieces (maybe posters, lyric sheets, photos etc). There will also be a limited quantity of cd versions available for sale at shows, and by mail order.

Once again, it's got exquisite artwork by Ruth Green. These songs aren't available anywhere else, so make sure you get yours before they run out!

Everything is for the Best

2009-04-23T10:30:00.004+01:00

Welcome to the World of Fox!

Work is well underway for the release of the new album, "Everything is for the Best". All the music and artwork is done and I've been doing a few local warm up gigs to get the set in order. The kind people at Commercially Inviable will be releasing it and we're just awaiting proofs of the artwork before going ahead with the pressing.

You'll see that the World of Fox website and myspace have been revamped, featuring the lovely artwork from Ruth Green. There'll be plenty more online activity in the coming weeks, with previews, downloads and updates coming thick and fast.