Saturday 31 December 2011

The wind down

We are done for the year! Summer Rhythm was a brain-meltingly good time for the full 3 days and anyone who didn't make it really missed out. Met a lot of awesome people and heard some truly amazing bands. We also kept a lot of our camping neighbours up all night with some world class drivel. Sorry peeps!

We haven't quite worked out the plan for next year just yet but there is talk of trying to record at some stage. All we have to do is either magic up a bunch of cash from thin air or come up with a cunning and ingenious plan. Sam is working on the magic one, I'll be trying the cunning and ingenious method. When we both fail we will just ask Ad who will give us the answer straight away and make us look like even bigger chumps than we already are.

Which ever way it falls, we will see you next year for more fun and good times! Stay safe, beanbags!™



™ "Stay safe, beanbags!" Is ™ and all rights reserved.

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Last practice

So we had an impromptu last jam today before the big ol' Summer Rhythm Festival. Ad tried to convince me that a bad jam is a sign of a good gig. Sam tried to tell me that we need 4 hours of new material. I drank too much beer and felt funny. I think we are so ready for this thing that ready things are going to look like a big pile of before shots for Viagra. Then again I'm not a "Is the glass half full or half empty?" sort of guy. I'm more of a "The glass has something in it so lets drink it!" type of fellow. Unless that glass is Coke and Mayonnaise. I ain't drinking that on a bet!

Where was I again? Oh yeah... watch Dub Marine! And us of course!

Monday 28 November 2011

We made out alive...

We managed to get both our shows done with only minimal to slight permanent damage sustained. I'm not to sure how The Phoenix pulled up this morning though... it was like walking in to a seven day party on day six, right before the drinking starts again. Everyone was in high spirits though despite their mammoth efforts already and were all really keen to finish the party off in style! Thanks to all who made our all too brief stay something to remember.

After five of our seven gear lugs of the evening was complete, we were on stage at The Basement having a great time with a small but fantastic crowd of well-wishers and friends. It was quite a memorable night for a few reasons I would share with you, but what happens at the venue stays at the venue. Unless someone takes pictures of course.

After all this playing, we are pretty much raring to go for Summer Rhythm 2011. It's going to be an epic 3 days and if you aren't there, you are probably dead or in dire need of a life transplant!

Monday 21 November 2011

Happy Birthday!

But before I get to the birthday stuff... The Pot Belly on Saturday was a rollicking good time! Ben was an awesome host and everyone seemed to have a good vibe going. We heard a massive cheer go up while we were playing and for 2 seconds we thought people were actually listening. Turns out two chicks playing tonsil hockey up the back of the pub trump three weird looking dudes on stage any day, as well they should.

Cheers to Nick for making us all play the Fat Controller set. It was great fun! I still had a ball listening to you even though all my pesky wrong notes kept drowning you out.

Big thanks to The Bastard Sons of Liberty for punking the place right up until close. Talk about pro! The last note rung out -to the second- as last drinks turned to no more drinks. Well done boys!

Now, back to the birthday stuff. The Phoenix is all all growed up now so they are throwing a HUGE week long party. We are there on the 26th at 7pm before ducking off to The Basement to play at nine. Mental! But this Thursday the 24th there is also a little band called The Way Hip Antelopes playing alongside Pete and Fiete. I used to watch these guys play 10 years ago if not more. It will be like going back in time but with mobile phones! How cool is that?

Tuesday 8 November 2011

We love the Phoenix

Had another awesome night at the Pheonix on the 3rd. After taking a few songs to warm up the Jimmi Carr band went to town and back and then in to town once more. Go and track them down and make them play for you. NOW! Or later. What ever is convenient.

Also, a big thanks to the awesome dude that came up after the show and wanted to buy albums off us. It just goes to show if we did indeed have an album, we could sell a million of them if we did a million gigs and there was always a super cool guy who wanted to buy one after each.

The prize of a free beer didn't go off this time so I'll have to come up with a new competition for no-one to enter. Check our gig guide for more info. Or less info I guess if you are looking for info that isn't Hence the Testbed next gig related.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

An interesting night

Wellity, wellity, wellity...

We hit up Mooseheads again on Monday night to play in the semi final of the band comp - or as Sam likes to call it, the corporate whoring of talented desperate musicians screaming for a venue. Or CWOTDMSFAV [see-what-dim-sef-fave] for short. And boy, he let them have it! You had to be there though so if you are anyone other than Dan, you wouldn't know. Cheers Dan!

Because it was a Monday and we are all super old and lame, we had to leave before the results were announced but I'm pretty sure Sam ensured that we will never be welcome back to Mooseheads again unless we go in disguise.

We did however get a chance to catch The Rebound Slapdown who were great! You really should get out and check them out. Just between you and me, I voted for them.

We didn't get any video of the night but here is a strikingly real re-enactment of events.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Take Two!

So all of you that feel guilty about missing our first Mooseheads gig can finally rest easy. We have been asked to do an encore performance there on the 17th of October. A jolly good day for an encore performance if you ask me!

We have a new song that is almost as awesome as this...


So you really should come along and see it for yourself. Almost 2.5 million youtube users can't be wrong can they? Can they?

Tuesday 20 September 2011

A song so new, Sam will kill me!

Slow Days:
This is a brand new song, so green you can still taste the chlorophyll if you put it in your mouth. Not really recommended as it was manufactured on equipment that may contain traces of nuts.

When it comes to showing off new stuff Sam and I disagree. He likes to wait until it is all so polished you can see your own arse in it while I love the process and evolution of writing just as much, if not more than the finished product.*

What do you think? Is it unprofessional to show you behind the curtain? Does it ruin the magic or just give you a better sense as to where these crazy songs come from? There is a comment box down below that I fear will remain unnervingly empty unless I make a bunch of fake accounts and have a conversation with myself. Feel free to use it before I fill it with death threats to myself for eating the last of my own pizza without asking.

(Song is now missing due to a bungled time travel experiment) - 28-11-11

*Just as a disclaimer, this is a recording that was done by just throwing a mic in a room and is in no way a final product - as if you couldn't already tell.

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Boy do we have news! We can replicate!

We would like to formally welcome in to the world as of about 11am on the splendiferous thirteenth of September - in a year that whilst also known as year of the Testbed, shall also be entered unto the records as 2011 - the newest member of the band, Baby Hence!

While the name may still be a point of conjecture, the fact still remains that some pretty dedicated people put a whole cart load of effort in to letting a new human have a crack at the world and they really should be congratulated. You know who you are. Take a bow you tired, stinky people.

Welcome new dude. Hope down the track if you get stuck next to me in the car on a long trip after taco night, you can hold your own in a patty cake competition.

Thursday 8 September 2011

We tried our best!

As you all would have already heard on national news and the talk back radio stations across the globe - we didn't win our heat...

There was a brief moment where Sam was head butting me back on stage as I flounced with the crowd where I thought to myself , "we've got this in the bag!". But alas, it was not to be. We were bested; trounced if you will buy a band so piloted by pandas that they might well have just been a Panda Pilot. I'm not even sure what that means but boy did they knock our socks off!

We were well pleased with our turnout though so thanks so much to everyone who came out. It was also a genuine pleasure to meet all the guys from Mooseheads.

You also might have also seen some amazing photos of the night kicking around from Andrew Finch. He's very kindly giving us a CD with his awesome work on it which we will throw up on the website soon.

Smell ya later!

Friday 2 September 2011

Mooseheads is next

Well last night at The Phoenix was bloody grouse! Cheers to everyone who came out. I hope you all had as much fun as we did! I got to sit back, have a beer and watch my new favourites The Roger Bone Band play an absolute killer set. If they don't win the Mooseheads band comp, it has to be rigged. Rigged I tells ya! We are going to be playing our heat on Monday the 5th so feel free to pop along and grab a beer and maybe a game of pool or two.

Thursday 25 August 2011

The Phoenix!

Got a show coming up at The Phoenix in civic on the 1st of September with The Roger Bone Band. Sam's going to do some solo acoustic stuff too so if you want to catch a song about a frog and some interesting tunes that have yet to make it in to full band rotation, this would be your chance.

We are also playing the Mooseheads Band Comp on the 5th of September. We are in a heat with some pretty talented performers. Tara Favell brings the silky sweet Taylor Swift esque vocals while 308 (if they are indeed the 308 playing - my research skills sort of suck so I could have the wrong band) bring the heavy. Seems we will just end up hanging about in the middle of a talent sandwich. That sounds a bit wrong but I couldn't be bothered deleting it, even though typing this bit was probably far more effort that deleting would have been. I should just cut my losses really, shouldn't I?

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Fun times tomorrow night!

Fat Controller are playing at The Basement tomorrow night (20th August 2011) so if you want to see two thirds of Hence the Testbed strut their stuff, head on down. And if you are the first person to come up to me, the bearded weirdo and say "I wake up with Hence the Testbed!" I'll buy you a beer.

October 08, 2022 at 02:19AM