Joseph Coward

Busy

2012-02-09T16:40:00.000Z

Apologies for not posting enough recently, I've been super busy in the studio with Samir Eskanda (Flats) and Tim Garratt (producer/engineer), more to follow shortly. Still frequently updating my Twitter feed so you can keep up with me on a day-to-day basis if you so wish.

I'm quite enjoying posting short films onto Twitvid so keep checking back, there should be some studio footage online within the next few days.

Cover Feature

2012-02-02T16:24:00.000Z

My copy of the fanzine Woodnote arrived in the post today, written by Abigail Gillibrand. It features an interview with me and an article about the O Genesis label. Write to Abigail to order your copy, there are a very limited number remaining.

Live Photographs

2012-02-01T03:58:00.000Z

Shacklewell Arms (Video)

2012-01-27T23:02:00.000Z

Thanks to Peggy for the footage.

Woodnote

2012-01-23T11:42:00.000Z

Writer and blogger Abigail Gillibrand recently interviewed me for her new fanzine, Woodnote, and has kindly put my face on the cover. You can request your copy by emailing Abigail or sending her a message on Twitter. Future editions will include interviews with Tim Burgess, Nik Void and Tom Caulfield.

Rehearsal (Video)

2012-01-21T15:21:00.000Z

Tim Garratt, Simon Lister and me getting ready for Wednesday's appearance with Toy at the Shacklewell Arms.

Me with Toy

2012-01-10T16:30:00.000Z

A Facebook event has been posted for the second stage of Toy's residency at the Shacklewell Arms, also featuring Blood Music and me.

The event is free but to guarantee entry you need to pre-book tickets, you can do so by clicking here and filling in the form with your details.

New Video for the New Single

2012-01-08T18:22:00.000Z

The video for my new single, "If You Want To Get Going, Get Talking (To Me)", has arrived. It was shot at Factory Floor HQ by Nik Void and features Tim Burgess playing an invisible piano. Thanks also to Poppy Tibbetts for pressing the play button, and her camera work.

Please share this video on your blog, website or similar; I'd like as many people as possible to watch it. The embed code is posted below, just copy and paste it onto Facebook, Blogger and anywhere else you can think of. Easy! Enjoy.

< iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yl4ajZTgyt8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

The Rev Need a Drummer

2012-01-03T18:46:00.000Z

One of the best rock groups I've seen over the past 12 months, Wrexham's The Revolutionary Spirit, are in need of a drummer.

Their manager has posted the following advertisement:

"Any drummers from the Wrexham/Chester area’s looking to join a band please message me for details….. The Revolutionary Spirit are looking for someone. Must be 100% committed and willing to travel to gigs up and down the country. BBC Radio One Introducing session recorded (due to air in the next few weeks); national Gigs confirmed; debut single recorded and mastered."

Contact Ross Roberts or the group directly through their Facebook page.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T22:48:00.000Z

I was fortunate enough to spend part of New Year's Eve with my good friends Nik Void, Tim Burgess and Gabriel Gurnsey. Here's a short film that Nik took after having stolen my camera.

Also, Tim and the good people at O Genesis have also just finished R Stevie Moore's video for "Pop Music". It has puppets in it, which is always a bonus as far as I'm concerned.

Enjoy. Wishing you all the best for 2012, happy new year.

Lists

2011-12-28T15:16:00.000Z

I've been featured on Stage Fright Publicity's 'Best of 2011' list, in the singles category. Twice. Beat that, everybody else. Oh wait, Factory Floor are also featured twice. Never mind, then.

Read the list (which includes John Maus, S.C.U.M and my friends from TOY) in full, click here.

Hate

2011-12-27T16:05:00.000Z

A late Christmas present in the form of a new demo video; this is a song called "Hate".

Apologies for the lack of posts recently, I wish I'd been busy over the Christmas period but I've actually just been incredibly lazy. Much more to come over the next few weeks, I'll keep you updated. More footage, more demos, more live appearances. All good things.

New single from Zoetrope

2011-12-17T03:28:00.000Z

Noisy girl trio Zoetrope are giving away their first release for free. It's called "Demons" and it's cool, it reminds me of Effi Briest when they were actually releasing good records. Listen below.

<a href="http://zoetropenoise.bandcamp.com/track/demons-2">DEMONS by Zoëtrøpe</a>

The girls play tomorrow at a "secret" location in Stoke Newington (it's on Belfast Road) and will be selling, uh, Zoetrope knickers as well as records and confectionery from 2PM. Don't miss out.

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011)

2011-12-16T07:25:00.001Z

Christopher Hitchens

April 13th, 1949 – December 16th, 2011

Those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning of this year or before will know that, earlier on this year, I started to take a keen interest in the writings of certain thinkers, philosophers and polemicists. Christopher Hitchens, who today died of oesophageal cancer, was one such man.

He was the anti-theist attack dog of the 'Four Horseman of New Atheism', a group that also consisted of eminent scientists Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett. Hitchens pulled no punches with the 2007 polemic God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. His most controversial and sought-after book demonstrated that religion and faith-based beliefs are in no way a force for good and posited that we should instead turn to reason and science to better understand the world in which we live. Other notable works (amongst a wide range of books on various subjects) include The Portable Atheist, a book of quotations from free-thinkers; The Missionary Position, an excoriating attack on Mother Teresa and Letters to a Young Contrarian.

Hitchens was also a prolific debater. In a high profile public event in 2009, he and Stephen Fry debated with politician Anne Widdecombe and Archbishop John Onaiyekan on the motion, "Is the Catholic Church a force for good in the world?" Later remarking that he and Fry "left [their opponents] for dead", Hitchens went in, all guns blazing, to defend reason and scientific enquiry in the face of mass ignorance and the church's totalitarian oppression.

At a time when my reason and intellect were in a bitter struggle with my faith (since dispensed with), Hitchens' writing offered me hope; he was not peddling easy answers to unanswerable questions, but his words helped me to understand the nature of evidence and the value of scepticism, for which I will always be in his debt. In October of this year, to a crowd of unbelievers, Hitchens said:

"We have the same job we have always had: to say that there are no final solutions; there is no absolute truth; there is no supreme leader; there is no totalitarian solution that says if you would just give up your freedom of inquiry, if you would just give up, if you would simply abandon your critical faculties, the world of idiotic bliss can be yours."

Christopher Hitchens was, and will remain, an inspiration to those of us who read and immensely enjoyed his works. He will be remembered and missed for years to come.

Around the Blogs

2011-12-14T14:07:00.001Z

More about me and the new single at Music Pickings this week. I read that it's a European blog by two anonymous Germans: one from Hamburg, one from Berlin.

Read, leave comments, repost.

If you run a blog of your own, send me an email and tell me about it, especially if it's about music. I always want to see who's writing what, about who.

Ultra Brit

2011-12-12T16:11:00.000Z

I've been written about in Spanish, which is a first, on a blog called Ultra Brit, an Argentinian-based blog concerning British artists only.

The full article is here, below is a rough translation courtesy of the slightly iffy Google Translate:

"Ultra Brit introduces you to a young talent that is the big bet of Genesis Recordings.

Joseph Coward is a young 19 year old Londoner who already has two singles in the music industry. With a clear voice and a dark but personal, is the first artist released on the new label by Tim Burgess, lead singer of The Charlatans.

The first single, "Jesus Christ / Worry Wart" produced by Burgess, consists of Joseph's voice, his guitar and drums. According to the presentation page makes him the label, "His singing captures the elements of Arthur Russell, with lyrical eloquence of Morrissey. His lyrics are full of biblical images that try to explore the self in a hostile world. The routine, boredom, difficult relationships and the confusion of youth are common themes in their composition. "

The second single is comprised of the songs "If You Want To Get Going, Get Talking (To Me) / The End Of The World Is Coming" and left, like the first, in a limited edition vinyl 7 "and digital format for download from the web itself or O Genesis. In the words of Joseph, expressed in his blog, "I'm excited to have another record out. The idea of people buying my music is kind of a kick."

Tim Burgess's support this new talent, producer and editor, seems to be total. Last Friday, presented together in an event at Central Station Wrexham."

The blog is run by Giselle Hidalgo, say hello to her on Twitter.

Hate

2011-12-08T15:46:00.002Z

Comic Book Me

2011-12-07T19:48:00.001Z

I have recently been rendered in cartoon form - at least, my name has (I remain hidden in my private helicopter) - by Aiden Smith of Proof Spirit, an online gallery and host to comic strip Tim Peaks, a fictionalised version of the life of my friend Tim Burgess and his "metaphorical, metaphysical" café. Perhaps we should lobby Mr Smith for a comic exclusively about yours truly...

Flats Are Back

2011-12-04T16:30:00.000Z

A bunch of screaming lunatics, better known to their audience as the punk group Flats, are preparing to unleash their debut album. The LP, entitled Better Living is due for release in April 2012, just pipped to the post by the lead single, "Foxtrot/Tango". It will blow your brains off.

FOXTROT / TANGO by flatsofcourse

How Do I Love Thee, Wrexham?

2011-11-28T19:08:00.000Z

I'm very much looking forward to joining Hatcham Social, Tim Burgess and The Revolutionary Spirit next week (Friday 9th) at Wrexham's Central Station. Tickets are still available, come and join us in celebrating the end of a good first year for ROPE. Wrexham.com have a little tribute to the club on their website now, click here.

To Meeee

2011-11-27T16:54:00.000Z

Second Attempt

2011-11-25T01:34:00.002Z

The forthcoming single, "If You Want To Get Going, Get Talking (To Me)" is now available to pre-order from the O Genesis website. The 7" is also available from Rough Trade and the excellent Piccadilly Records.

The photograph on the cover was taken by my friend Keira Cullinane, visit her photography page for all your photography needs.

I'm appearing at the ROPE event on the 9th December with Hatcham Social and The Revolutionary Spirit, I should think some copies of the single will be for sale then.

The 7" disc is limited to a run of 250 copies, I'm told.

I'm excited to have another record out. The idea of people buying my music is kind of a kick.

Happy Hooves

2011-11-24T23:16:00.000Z

I met Chris Richardson, also known as Happy Hooves, about 3 years ago when he was playing the drums with the group Miss Cosmos (frequently featured on this blog) in my home town.

Brain and will by happy hooves/collider

I lived with him for 6 months in London and was granted access to his vast array of instruments and inspired pop songs. He combines electronic and synthesised sounds with a soulful introspection which is often breathtaking and always engaging.

Step out by happy hooves/collider

Please bombard him with messages so he'll get it together to release a record. If you don't, it means I'll have to get off the sofa and do it myself.

St Martins Video

2011-11-23T04:12:00.000Z

Below is a video of me playing on an overlarge stage to a room full of inattentive berks.

Footage © Tim Burgess, the dear.

Artrocker Feature

2011-11-20T02:39:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I posted about an interview I gave to Artrocker magazine along with Jack Underwood, Blood Music, Replicas, Tim Burgess and Nik Void. It hasn't come out too badly, I don't think.

I'm pleased to have been featured and Lee did a good job with the article though I fear I have been misquoted a couple of times, which makes me glad that I have this blog in which to set the only slightly wonky record straight. (No, really, you're welcome.)

Tim probably felt obliged to say flattering things about me because he was sitting about three feet away from me – within kicking distance, in other words. Anyway, just a few things: The paragraph concerning Nik and Factory Floor is all paraphrased; I never use the word stuff, or refer to my working relationship with Tim as a "bonus". So that's that cleared up.

Buy the magazine, the article in its entirety is a good read.