SPRING OFFENSIVE

Good day to you all,

Just a little post to say that we are trying to squeeze in as many shows at Universities around Germany and Switzerland as humanly possible. You can find our dates here (www.springoffensive.co.uk) and if you know anyone, or even go to one of the unis there, please spread the word. Or, even better, you can get in touch with us at springoffensive@rocketmail.com and recommend a location to play at. 

Here was Siegen this morning:

Thank you. Please spread and RT this!

Bandapartment in Hamburg. Mega Poster.

Hamburg Cocksacks. Joe love.

At the miniature museum in Hamburg. Everything was small. Obviously.

Our awesome manager Chris and to our equally awesome booking agent Niklas.

Oh and the Death by Pop night in Berlin. Thanks to http://heilewelt.tumblr.com/ for the photo.

Love love.

I’m sitting in the bandapartment in Siegen, where we’re about to play in just over an hour’s time. The last couple of days have been wonderful. After the early high of the Berlin show, we got into Hamburg at noon, just in time to shoot an acoustic session in the shadow of the Bismark monument for Core TV. Fearless collective that they are, they decided to use a 30ft high plinth as the location. For those among us who suffer from vertigo, this was an unnerving experience. At one point in one of the songs, you may well be able to see me look in fear as one of the cameramen’s feet edged perilously close to the precipice. It was totally worth it though, because we ended up with a great take and nobody died, or even broke any bones. Easy.

Core TV are awesome, just some of the many lovely people who we have come across time and time again in this country. Chiefly among them is Rueben from ByteFM, who had us in for a live interview and session in their studio located in the enormous concrete bunker which has been turned into Hamburg’s media hub. Despite some penetrating questions on our name’s military connection (questions we deflected by use of judicious quotes), he made us feel at home, and the support the station has given us for this tour is magnificent.

The gig was again a huge success. In the Molotow on the Reeperbahn, people packed into the bar room and gave us a great reception. We then partied into the night, particularly through the spicy, homemade Mexicano shots (kinda like an intense Bloody Mary). We were sad to leave the leave the next day, as the people in Hamburg were so charming and completely won us over.

But then in Köln we were greeted with more of the same. In the coolest venue ever (which I would describe as a semi-legal anarcho-punk commune, but that’s probably because I don’t know what I’m talking about), the gig was a total party. The band we played with, Periscope, who we get to see again in Oberhausen, were awesome too. Niklas, who booked the tour, was promoting – he’s a total dude. We slept virtually where we played, overwhelmingly happy with how everything was goin.

So today we’ve been sightseeing, particularly the gothic Dom cathedral, which Joe described as his “favourite ever building”. Can’t argue with that.  It’s nice to get to do some tourism. Oh yeah, in Hamburg we went to the miniature museum. An entire country built on a microscopic scale. You can pretend to be a giant. And watch an entire operating airport. It is genuinely one of the most impressive feats of dedication and human endeavour I have ever seen.

L x

Thought everyone might be missing us so so very much that we would update you with a few snaps.

First show in Berlin. Mega fun. A room which they call The Black Lung (no smoking ban).

Acoustic session for Core TV in Hamburg at the foot of the Bismark Monument.

A traditional Hamburgian fertility ceremony. A goat, a sun and Nosferatu.

Love.

It’s way too early to be up on a weekend, but up we are. A little under 8 hours ago, we were playing in White Trash in Berlin, and it was, to be frank, absolutely fan-bloody-tastic.

Having driven so very very far to play in the coolest city that we’ve ever been to, we didn’t really know what to expect. It’s impossible to tell how somewhere like Berlin will react to you, and if people will know about you. We needn’t have worried; the room was heaving with beautiful people from all over the world and the response we got was amazing.

Honestly, going out to Berlin and playing a show to a great crowd is one those things you dream about as a band; the reason you start doing this in the first place. And the fact that we got given excellent burgers as well completed the experience, of course. And the people we met were all cool as fuck.

Before playing, we got to shoot an acoustic video for Berlin Sessions surrounded by bric-a-bric and artefacts in a neighbouring antique shop. That should be up soon. 

Now we’re heading out to Hamburg. In the last 48 hours, we’ve only slept 8. What a way to start the tour.

L x

PS, everyone is asleep apart from Matt, who is bent over the wheel with alarming intensity. I’m sure we’ll be fine

We’re off and running! The weather here in Germany as we race over to Berlin is beautiful.

Last night was a mini-tour of a couple of service stations and traffic jams across a few European countries. We took in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, finally arriving in Germany at 4:30am. Word to the wise; if you’re anywhere near Antwerp any time soon, allow an extra 2 hours for your journey. Fully a standstill.

It’s all good though, because we’ve woken up in Munster, had a birthday breakfast of cheese and ham with our gracious host Niklas, and are driving through the countryside on our way to White Trash for a big old 1am club set.

Roud of Redbulls.

Swift tourism.

Rock.

Supercool

Hello. In about an hour’s time we’ll be heading for the coast and over to mainland Europe, where we’ll spend just over two weeks on a tour of Germany and Switzerland. This is our first time out of this country as a band, and we’re raring to go. A number 1. We can’t contain it! Yee-harr!

So yes, if you live in Germany and Switzerland, and you want to see us play, then the dates are to be found here, on our new website: http://springoffensive.co.uk/gigs.html

If you don’t, and you want to pretend that you do, or even just have a passing interest in what five (or six) guys get up to on the autobahns and at the towns between them, then please feel free to check back here for regular updates. We’ll do our best to entertain you.

Time to go. Berlin, here we come!

Morning.

I hope you are all doing extremely well. Seriously I do. If you fancy visiting us this week, there are a few chances. We are playing at the Electric Showrooms TONIGHT in London (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=220716101318364) with the rather brilliant Laurel Collective. And then back to London on Friday to play the Silver Bullet with the equally tasty Mausi (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=253417738034294).

On Sunday we are hitting up Oxford’s own Jericho tavern for an full-band-but-playing-acousticy-things set in support of To Kill a King, for Communion. All sounds a bit more religious than intended.

Off to Europe next week for a wee tour with about 11 dates or so. We have badges, T-Shirts and a special kind of ‘best of’ CD for peoples attending the tour dates, with some beautiful artwork from Mr John Newton. You shall see all this soon. It is what we call a sketchy upside down piano fly.

I leave you with what was created out of the booky mess a few weeks ago, after a shoot with Joe Giacomet, whom we are so so lucky to have worked with again (http://www.giacomet.co.uk)

Naish one.

Maybe see you this week then?

M (|SO) X

Ridgefield

Carrier.

Worry Fill My Heart.

52 Miles.

Dearest,

How are you? I do hope you are well. My first apology is for the lack of contact. The second is that I begin every correspondence with the first apology. I digress.

The reason for this is simple. It is to apologise (again). We have new songs. We recorded in Wiltshire with the wonderful David Pye, and are currently mixing in a basement in Wheatley with Mr. Gaz Coombes. Put in another way, we’re placing the finishing few touches on what has been over three months of work. It’s been our most difficult and productive period of writing in our time together - if you traced our dips and rises in confidence and drew it all out on a graph then Thorpe Park would be begging you for the blueprints. But we’re very nearly there, and we are so so proud and excited. However, I am sorry that you won’t get to hear these new songs for a while. The only way to consume these ones is live. At a gig. Away from your home. For now.

They are good. We think. So come on Friday to the Bullingdon, and tell us otherwise.

All the b’s.

M x 

Morning all. Had a great night at the Amazing Radio show in London last night! We wore some pretty unusual threads. One DJ tweeted….

 

christweets Chris Martin  Watching Spring Offensive. Have counted braces, 2 sleeveless jumpers and a bow tie. Ace
I think the new tracks went down well. A very quiet crowd. I am told this is because they were listening. I find it a little intimidating. I have to get over that in time for our Oxford show at the Bullingdon (30th), which is a Pindrop night (that means no talking. At all). Should be a facebook group coming soon with all the timings/line-up/details.
Oh, for anyone interested, our set list last night was
CarrierWorry Fill My HeartI Found Myself SmilingRidgefield52 MilesStutter and a Start
A quick, slightly sad note about Ute, my favourite Oxford band, who have recently decided to call it a day. We were strangers in this town in 2009. We had just moved here to be in a band (5 people sleeping on a living room floor for 3 months. Thank you Martin). The first gig i went to was Audioscope, and when Ute took to the stage they just blew me away. I had no idea of the strength of the Oxford music scene. I had NO idea. Ute made it clear to me. They played Bunker, and I remember hearing that delicate melody (‘we’re going to a party, i’m so glad you chose me’) and falling in love with it. I know that Ute have shaped how we sound. Thank you lads.
Oh, and never camp next to them at a festival. Their banter is relentless and penetrating (in the nicest way possible). 
Mx

So, yesterday we filled a warehouse with books for a photoshoot. They are never usually something to write home about, however this one was. Due to the biggest pile of books that I have ever seen.

Bit blurry. But it keeps the suspense up. Oh yeah, we made some of the books too. 

Gig tonight at The Jam Factory in Oxford.

Gig on Thursday night at The Bull and Gate! (See flyer in the post below).

Love love.

COME COME! BRING YOUR FRIENDS! 

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201935969867968

Hello hello!

So, we ARE going to Green Man festival but we AREN’T playing as a band. We are collaborating with up and coming (well, they are now that we are on board) science-theatre company Curious Directive (http://www.curiousdirective.com). I can tell you this much…..

It will be out of the ordinary.

It might be pretty ordinary.

We won’t be playing Spring Offensive songs.

We might be playing Spring Offensive songs.

Instruments include a dildo, windchimes, metal detector, bouncy balls, etc etc.

Here is the link to details:

http://www.greenman.net/artist2011/curious-directive-and-we-will-play-again/4116

See you there?