So there was a bit of a reunion last night, as Alabama 3 were having their album launch party in Soho, naturally we went along!

We walk down the stairs right into the bottom of The Storm Lounge and we can hear an eruption of noise as we see Alabama 3 take to the stage, was a sight to behold as you see an 8 strong band crammed onto a stage that doesn’t leave a 3 piece enough space to leave a setlist on the floor. They tore the place apart as they showcased the new album and one or two old favourites to boot, after they finished we caught up with them and all the stories from November started getting recited, another nice surprise was Catching up with the lovely ladies from Screaming Skulls,

Both bands decided to head to somewhere with a bit more character so we took a short walk down to endurance where we spent the rest of the night sharing stories and taking things from Eddie’s bag without him realising.

After a long goodbye we legged it to catch our train, I put my feet up and was ready to fall asleep as Andrew started talking to me.

As for this weekend we’re playing The Big Bang Festival at Santa Pod Raceway, spending our Saturday in the sun with an ice cream, and being deafened by drag racing!  there’s already a big group of us heading along so if any more of ya wanna get involved, you know what to do. (if you don’t know what to do, email/message/call/text/shout/telegraph us)

We’ve been playing some storming gigs, Brighton was ace, The Roundhouse was ace, then our first Dirty South gig of the year was immense!

And it was always going to be, we haven’t played there since new years eve, we haven’t had the whole gang together in months and a lot of people haven’t heard the new songs yet, twas a superb night made by a superb audience, old friends and new, meeting one another and dancing to some music. Quality.

So naturally to unwind and relax from having a shed loada fun we set off to Danson park with the new band football, inspired by the fact that I reckon I could play For Manchester United. We’ve got more exciting things heading your way soon, As soon is humanly possible we will get our latest recordings to your ipods/iphones/second homes, we’re excited. You should be too!

Ello Ello!

We’ve been having a lotta fun recently, both with making music and listening to it. After the cosy show at The Social we drove 20mph along the M1 to Manchester, where we spent a weekend gigging round the suburbs up there, I was lucky enough to meet the friendliest kebab shop owner in the world, in a shop that was so cold they were using breath as a seasoning.

I ventured to Dartford to see Gaoler’s Daughter and Black Market Karma, Black Market Karma are almost the perfect mix of overwhelming songs, expensive equipment and pure self indulgence,  they are fun to watch! and We’ll be seeing Gaolers Daughter again this Friday as we are both playing at The Roundhouse together, this is only our 2nd central London show of the year (madness) so we’ve still got a shed load of new material for ya. Including a Brand brand new song that only came together this week, this will be played on friday and goes by the name “This Earth Is Yours”

Aside from that we had a killer night down Dirty South on Saturday as Krakatoa and Albama 3 had their first meeting since November, there was a pretty cool collaboration between the two bands as they started their set, very nice of them to instigate that.

and in my down time I’ve been listening to Jarcrew and Bill Calahan, and putting my fingers in my ears until the whole world stops talking about Ashley Cole.

I was at work and this Old woman came up to me on the street, her two dogs jumped at me and started going for me.

“Don’t worry about them they won’t hurt ya, they’re pussy cats” she said

I was convinved they were dogs…

Apart from having debates about what animals are what, We’ve been writing even more new songs! which are all ready to show you at next week’s gig at the social! It’s our first gig of the year and we’ve all got itchy fingers in anticipation, for keen followers of this blog you’ll remember how much I enjoyed the Social the last time we were there, and so if we were American we would be saying that we’re really “Stoked” to be playing there, But we’re not American So we’re saying we’re proper looking forward to it!

We all popped round Jack’s the other night for a band night in, get a few bottles of moderately priced lager and just have a chill, it was not the appropriate night for me to bring “The Maltese Falcon” round, we sat in silence watching as Humphrey Bogart laid the law to everyone he met, needless to say, it put a very different spin on a bunch of boys having some beers together!

Apart from that I’ve been playing lots of music and watching a lot of Tommy Cooper

I thought I’d let 2010 properly start before wishing you all a happy new year, so now we’re two weeks in let’s have a catch up!

We had an awesome end to the year with some brilliant gigs!

First we supported Babyshambles At The Dirty South which was a great experience, playing to 300 people that had never heard us before and we got a wicked reception from them,

We had no time to spare when we got off stage as we had to jet straight to Hoxton Bar and Grill for The Stroll On Christmas show, so bidding farewell to our new fans we head straight to Shoreditch, arriving just in time to catch good friends Supernovas taking to the stage, it was the happiest I’d seen them on stage, they were just simply really enjoying themselves, it’s a good sight to see.

Our set was wicked as we mixed both old and new songs, big shout out to James Batsford for another great night!

We then returned to The Dirty South for new years eve, where a true celebration was going down, with many bands and many dj’s, biggest highlight being The Thirst going on before us, it was funny to hear their side of the story in reference to their recent arrest (look it up it’s all over the net) and they were tighter than ever, their latest material is more relaxed grooves and funk instead of their more rocking riffs but it works nicely, we were seen into the new year by a couple of the lads from The Mystery Jets on the decks, we had our midnight kisses and then took to the stage, again playing a brand new song… titled “Verruca Salt” a commentary on spoilt children/teenagers who know the price of everything but the worth of nothing.

Can’t ask for a better way to start a year than being on stage with your mates playing live music to other mates, a superb night!

We’ve wasted no time this year and have been rehearsing heavy as to be expected, we’ve wrote another 2 songs with some more on the way, we will be testing them at the next gigs so get along when they get announced, yes we have a long string coming up and all will be announced very soon, we’re gonna be returning to some of the towns and cities we’ve come to love so much, and will still be taking over London one week at a time,

We’ve just put together a short video of some our antics whilst on tour which you can find on any Krakatoa web page, check it out it will put a smile on your face, might even make your day.. with my down time I’ve been seeing as many bands as I can,

In December I caught Dillinger 4’s first London gig in 9 years, I saw Codes in The Clouds play the house band for a night of comedy at Goldsmiths uni with Rufus Hound headlining, I was let down by the live sound of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart but caught another secret Natty gig this time in Hackney, his new album is gonna blow everything else out of the water.

So our plan for the start of this year? We’ve got new songs to show you, good gigs to show them at, and we’re gonna be recording ASAP with some more records coming your way, I also think this is the first blog anyone has wrote in January and not mentioned the weather.. damn.

Look after yourselves and speak to you all soon! Comment back and tell us what you’ve been doing/listening to/watching/taking

We’re back in sunny SE London where normality has almost resumed, I’ve been having 15 hours sleep for the past 3 nights since getting back off tour as I begrudgingly iron my uniform to return to my Saturday job, but you’re not here to read about how to post letters, surely you want to read about the gigs, the antics, the places, the people, and the floors we’ve slept on, well look no further… TOUR DIARY IS HERE

As previously mentioned our first show was in Cambridge, I tell no lie this was was one of the liveliest gigs over the 18 nights and one of the most receptive audiences. It was a brand new experience for us as we unload the van, set up our equipment and band together like kids on the first day of school, staying close to those you already know… Just from a few brief conversations with a few of Alabama 3 our minds boggled as we thinkt of what lies ahead, the first member I spoke to was Jake as he told me of a personal story of him and the Fred Perry Label.  Backstage and 10 minutes before we go on, it was the most nervous I have ever felt, we had no fan-base in front of us, we were playing to 600 brand new music fans, each with a ticket that cost them 18 pounds, in times like this you have to deliver, and hand on heart I can say that during this gig and the remainder of this tour… we delivered every time.

The show was incredible, the energy that was captured on stage, the response of the audience and the sheer emotion that we were all feeling. The bar had been set on this first gig and we knew we had clear it, like an Olympic high jumper, after the gig we were certainly running on a natural high… we packed up and went to see Alabama 3 for the 1st time of 18. Now there’s enough reviews of Alabama 3 crawling the world, be it Internet, magazine or your drunk uncles chest, so I’ll cover it all now instead of repeating myself… The Guardian got it right in so few words, but I’ll articulate.

The Guardian “The Best Live Band In The Country”

This applies to whatever country they go to, they subtly blend every genre you’ve ever slightly given half a chance, pump it full of live energy and ultimately.. Style. It took me half the tour to finally realize how fucking cool they truly are, and after that it was apparent that they ooze it, they don’t have to try, they’ve spent years making their bed, and what a comfortable one it must be, They are loud, ferocious, cool, tight, thought provoking and what I personally liked most, they show no remorse.

As we travelled from south to north, north to south and east to west of The UK  we spent each night improving our show, appreciating Alabama 3’s more and gaining friends within them, the first real indication of this was when I sat down with Jake in a pub in Cardiff for a hearty debate of everything that is wrong within the world, needless to say this wasn’t a one pint conversation, as the tour developed I got to know each member of not only the band, but the management and crew, which was a real eye opener to see how everything runs behind the scenes, there is so much more to  a show than 5 or 9 band members turning up with guitars, but enough about the logistics… who wants a story or two?

Has anyone ever watched Dirty Sanchez? ya know the welsh version of Jackass, well Pancho the short geezer.. he didn’t take too kindly to me for reasons unknown, maybe it was the way I asked him to stop spilling all our beer as we couldn’t afford any more (after he lumbered his way into our dressing room and made himself right at home) two minutes later and he’s thrown a bottle of water over me and his heading to the door, dammit how do you respond to that!? this guy gets his testicles stapled for a living you can’t exactly give him a dig in the ribs…

I’ve had a lot of friends ask me “What was the best after show party?” and my story takes place in Aberdeen.

The night before we played in Glasgow, which as voted by every member of Krakatoa was the loudest and liveliest gig we played, the crowd were superb and were demanding an unforgettable night since they entered the door, my up most appreciation and respect goes out to every single person that has seen us over the last month, but an extra tilt of the cap goes to Glasgow…

14 hours later and we are in Aberdeen, which was one of the smallest gigs of the tour, Andrew has felt very uncomfortable all night as he has had to wear Jack’s clothes due to him locking his on the wrong side of a door, it took an age to win over the crowd and we had really started to feel the effects of being on the road for so long, time to party!

After mingling with some new friends and fans, Josh S, Martin, Rob and myself head to a lock in. We turned up at this pub with sealed of windows, a solid blue door which you couldn’t see past and no one to greet us, a few knocks later and the butchest of butch landladies answers the door “get yourself in right now cos if the CCTV see ya we’re fucked!” we run/get pushed downstairs and emerge in a seedy bar, with no more than 9 people sitting round the bar, for me that is my kinda night, we spent the remainder drinking red bulls and Tequila with Orlando (commonly known as the Spirit of Love) spending way too much on the juke box (runaway being the song of the night) and each trying our luck at pool, I had the most intense game of pool I’ve ever had, my opponent being Orlando, who tries to throw you off with his dizzy disorientated style of playing, in his words “it truly was a beautiful game”

I’m gonna take this time to give big shout outs to in no particular order,

Jay, Jake, Sam, Eddie, Orlando, Pearson, Rob, Martin, Johnny, Steve, Aurora, The Skullettes, John and the rest of the Alabama 3 show. Without you guys not only would this tour not be possible, but it wouldn’t of been half as fun.

Bristol and we’re having an acoustic sing along in our mate Joe’s house, Jack and Josh are on the acoustic guitars whilst Jay frantically searches for some form or percussion, starting with a salt shaker he soon finds a jug full of rice which he lobs to me, took me a while but I thought I got the knack of it, baby them grains of rice had never moved in such a way, that was until the lid flies off and our acoustic rendition of “Quotation Number One” was interrupted by a couple of thousand grains of rice flying in every direction, covering every person in the room and all the floor in between us, sorry again Joe hahah!

As a unit our most emotional and nerve racking  gig was mos def the Kentish town forum, it’s the venue we go to see real bands, it’s the venue we’ve always wanted to play and it’s the venue where our entire fan base could come along, it was a blinding and unforgettable night, regardless of how much I ramble I can’t portray how it feels to be on stage of somewhere where you have seen so many greats, and to see your best of friends staring back at you singing every word, that is something that will stick with me, like superglue to a 8 year old’s hand, it will stick with me. I thank you all for being there.

Back when the tour was announced I thought it would be a prime opportunity to see the in’s and out’s  of every city and town that I had never been to before, the realisation that this was not the case was something that took me a while to come to terms with, due to the relentless of the tour (playing every single night) this gave us very very limited time in each town, nothing i begrudge but something you come to terms with, of every town we got to see the venue, the pub where we would go to afterwards and then the kebab shop afterwards, this is the nature of the business as after one gig, you have to head to the next, and as soon as you get to the town, well hey it’s time for work, that’s the way it works. That is why visiting the Angel Of The North was a real high for me, to take 15 minutes away from 02 academy’s and esso service stations, favourite chicken and wetherspoons pubs and see something that is unique, by no means am I detracting from what we’ve seen, but as I walked up to that beast In Newcastle.. I couldn’t help but feel something,.

So as I draw to a close of what was the most memorable, most exciting, and most fulfilling time of mine/our life I thank you all once more, thank you to everyone who saw us, thank you to everyone who we spoke to before and after each gig, thank you to every single time Alabama 3 taught us something, thank you to Jay and John for making this all possible, thank you to every person who let us sleep on their floor, thank you to every venue that let us stay in the van in your car park over night, thank you to Niall for a hella send off back to England, thank you to every girlfriend as you’ve been very understanding, and thank you to you the reader! as without you this whole summary would be completely pointless. Roll on 2010!

We arrived in Cambridge for our first gig out of 18… It was one of the best gigs we’ve played and definitely the biggest! Since then we have been all around the UK,  hung out with the Scottish in Wales,  the Welsh in Scotland and a certain someone from Dirty Sanchez. Along the way we have made some great new fans and friends, big thanks to Joe and Deano for their contribution! Being on the road with Alabama 3 is an wicked experience, they are an amazing group of people and a legendary band to see live… so check them out! We’ve tucked nicely under their wing and they’ve been looking out for us and with their help we’ve learnt what being on the road is all about. We are having the time of our lives…. and a few beers along the way!!

Lest We Forget

Well its Armistice Day soon and I hope you’ve all got your poppies on. This is something myself and the boys take very seriously. Last year we all attended the Remembrance service at the Cenotaph down Whitehall. It was such a poignant experience as we all got to see the last three remaining survivors of the First World War; Henry Allingham, Harry Patch and Bill Stone, who since have all sadly passed away this year.

It is so important for us not to forget those who gave their lives for us. If any of you have been to Ypres in Belgium you’ll have seen the colossal loss of human life, however going there and witnessing it is still truly incomprehensible. It’s hard to understand that each cross represents a human life, and these crosses stretch as far as the eye can see.

Our song ‘Lest We Forget’ conveys many different feelings. There are the obvious meanings which describes the sheer bravery and valour depicted by the vast number of soldiers going ‘over the top’ (the lions), alongside the incompetent generals who sent a generation to an early grave (the donkeys).

This is wonderfully depicted in the TV series ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’. I especially love the line where General Melchett (Steven Fry) is talking to Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) just before he’s going over the top;

Melchett “Don’t worry Blackadder, I’ll be behind you”

Blackadder “Yes, 35 miles behind”

The song also describes the not so obvious sentiments of anger and frustration I feel when I see the lack of respect the older generation is shown.  When I hear that an 83 year old man, who’s waiting at a bus stop to go home is confronted by a youth…

“What are you fucking looking at?”  It makes me feel sick!  (A true story to someone I know).

Well without meaning to go too deep, I hope this has been an eye opener for you. As it says in the song, “it’s why we’re here today”.  Take what you want from the song, it may mean something to you in more ways than one. Don’t forget your minute silence on the 11^th, we certainly won’t. Look after yourself and show some respect.

 Jacko

Lest We Forget lyrics

Who knows the truth in our history?

It’s blinded by fake tales and mystery

There’s no denying what went on

A blink of an eye and our youth was gone

The reasons are few and far between

We can’t comprehend what the old boy’s seen

Callously sent to an early grave

Remember The Charge of The Light Brigade

It infuriates me when they aint shown respect

Regardless of all the years

Lest we forget (and it’s why we’re here today)

Lions led by donkeys

They sent the boys to die

Lions led by donkeys

It gets me everytime

Lions led by donkeys

Though I am proud it makes me cry

 I aint one of those who believes in fate

A planned destiny I can’t contemplate

But I know that you’re with me, like the sky has the clouds

You still live in me, you made me proud

Now is the future, now is the time

You know where you’ve come from so hold your head high

But for the injustice of the ones sacrificed

We ask the question and the question is ‘Why?’

It infuriates me when they aint shown respect

Regardless of all the years

Lest we forget (and it’s why we’re here today)

Lions led by donkeys

They sent the boys to die

Lions led by donkeys

It gets me everytime

Lions led by donkeys

Though I am proud it makes me cry

Copyright: Jack O’Shea/Krakatoa/360

So much has happened so where to begin?

In 48 hours we will embark on our first full tour, taking to the road with Alabama 3 as I’m sure you are all aware, this is going to be absolutely amazing and although this is the part of the site where words are quite integral, few words can sum up how we are feeling right now, we’re gonna have a lot to say about the next 18 days and 18 gigs and I’ll be back on here full time again!

On the lead up to this tour we’ve been having some awesome nights out, playing some brilliant gigs and having some unforgettable times, We’ve had the privilege of seeing some top bands, just to name a few:

Natty
The Spivs
Sixnationstate
Dogs (who we also played with.. result)
Hoodlums

We had a top gig in Watford, followed by another in St Albans with top lads The Supernovas, and our second single has officially been released.  There’s a shedload a things going on right now and I wanna say that remember if you are reading this then you are the biggest part of it, wherever you may be have a chat with us. We want to talk back!

Big shout out to everyone who came down to our leaving drinks the other night at Dirty South, was a brilliant send off and a great night of music, was ace to play there again after 3 long months without.. Stroll on over to the gigs section HERE, if we’re coming to a town near you then give us a shout, lets hang out.

The leaves are falling off the trees but we’re just starting to grow.

D’yer think it’s funny

What your tax is paying for (yeah)

You know I’m talking about money

You and me are grafting for (yeah)

Well the fat cats in the city took a liberty and they’re gonna pay

Blaming

Everybody but themselves (yeah)

You know the dirty dogs were claiming

For fucking toilet seats as well (yeah)

Well the fat cats in the city took a liberty and they’re gonna pay

Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind, I don’t mind, why we have to pay

As for this, how can you have the audacity to tell us it’s the law?

The honest working public needs a whole lot fucking more. . .

I’m talking payback

That’s what everybody wants (yeah)

I’m talking about way back

Back when you started to ponce (yeah)

Well the fat cats in the city took a liberty and they’re gonna pay

Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind, I don’t mind, why we have to pay

As for this, how can you have the audacity to tell us it’s the law?

The honest working public needs a whole lot fucking more. . .

Because they’’re thieving

From our pockets can’t you see? (Yeah)

And now you know we’ve stopped believing

All the lies you sell for free (yeah)

You’re a the fat cat in the city and today’s the day that you’re gonna pay

Copyright Jack O’Shea/Josh Schwegler/Krakatoa/360