EightyOne

Yep, we decided to trash the previous recordings. They drums just weren’t right, and we’re a bunch of sulky artists perfectionists.

But the good news is that we went back in to the studio again last night, and have come out with some spangly new drums with a bit more care and preparation put in this time around. We’ve gone for a fairly raw sound (just four mics submixed and recorded to stereo) which should complement the songs well. As before, we’ve gone for Clockwork and Against the Grain.

I’ve not had a chance to listen back today with a fresh pair of ears, but I’m confident that it should provide a solid foundation for the first two tracks on our new demo. More news as we go along.

A big thanks to Lee from Best Left Dead for lending us the mics.

For a while the band have been feeling that our demos are sounding a little stale. With the exception of my contribution to the production of one of the tracks, I’m not on them, and they’re now approaching a year old and don’t really reflect how the sound of the band has changed since then. So, we’re currently in the process of recording some new ones. It’s very much a ‘homebrew’ affair – no expensive studios for us!

The four tracks we’ve chosen are the pick of our live set, based on our own feelings about the songs and also feedback that we’ve been given by people at our gigs. At the moment we’re working on the first two of those: Clockwork and Against the Grain.

The first step was to get the drums down, and after an abortive initial attempt we got a pretty good sound using four inexpensive mics. We had to use a bit of ingenuity as Russell’s trusty Tascam Minidisc 4-track recorder picked its time to expire – we’d intended to use it to record four tracks and later transfer them to my computer. Instead, the whole thing had to be mixed on the hop and recorded to stereo on location. We even roped in the main and monitor channels of the rehearsal studio’s PA to use as mic channels!

Afterwards, the stereo drum tracks were transferred to Garageband and aligned to existing MIDI guide tracks just to check them in context. Next on will go the bass and guitars, and then the vocals, hopefully in a slightly more organised manner.

Well, we didn’t win the AmEx Battle of the Bands, but according to an insider (who shall remain nameless!) we weren’t miles off. The decision was based purely on who received the most votes from the audience, which inevitably meant that the act with the most friends/parents/pets won the day in a recording studio.

The collective attention of Left Hand Red is now focused on our upcoming gigs, the first of which is at Polar Central, Queens Road tomorrow evening. We’re supporting Southampton band Dead! Dead! Dead! on this leg of their tour (their first visit to Brighton).

We’ll be playing a longer than expected set, because the other supporting band, They Don’t Sleep, have to had to pull out due to a "perferated eardrum". Ouch.

It’s going to be a busy couple of months for Left Hand Red. Okay, so we’re not going on tour or anything, but here is our itinery for the rest of the year.

• Wednesday 16th November – Concorde 2, Brighton (AmEx Battle of the Bands)
• Saturday 26th November – Polar Central, Queens Road, Brighton (supporting Dead! Dead! Dead!)
• Wednesday 7th December – Pressure Point, Brighton (Cable Club)
• Thursday 8th December – Pressure Point, Brighton (Cable Club)
• Sunday 18th December – Rock Garden, Covent Garden (Battle of the Bands)
• Saturday 24th December – Good Companions, Peacehaven, East Sussex
• January 2006 – Pavilion Tavern, Brighton (okay, so it’s not this year, but it’s close!)

We have a few new songs which we’ll hopefully debut along the way.

December 7th is Jane’s birthday, as well as drummer Russell! It’s also the day after guitarist Darren’s, so no doubt it’ll be an extra special occasion. You may have also noticed that we’re doing a Christmas Eve show in Peacehaven. A sneaky Christmas song on the setlist, perhaps…?

On Wednesday 14th September, Left Hand Red play their third gig, their second in Brighton, and their first as headliners at the Pressure Point as part of the Cable Club night.

We’ll be playing a strong and varied fourty-minute set, with a couple of songs that we haven’t played live before. Coming on before us are The Fused and Stablemate.

Doors open at 8pm, and tickets are £4 or £3 for students and the unwaged, so no excuses for missing it!