luxlisbonblog

[luxlisbonblog]

Who does all of your videos?

THIS GUY.  Mr Christopher James Tongue.

What a special guy!!!. Well yes actually, don't take that tone! (despite the photographic evidence clearly to the contrary) Christopher James Tongue is a bona fide legend. 

 Chris has been there as the brain (and brawns) behind any video that we've ever done. ALL OF THESE VIDEOS. Just click to watch any of them...

Chris and I lived together in Earlsfield in London many moons ago and he is, simpy put, one of lifes good guys....maybe you will see him at a Lux Lisbon show in the future! Say hello!

Here is Chrissy T at the day job - the Video Production Company he set up and runs - Dead Read Productions. He's not above getting the coffees in (for himself). 

This boi has done like, HEAVYWEIGHT STUFF, such as the backdrop visuals for the Nutcracker On Ice and Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall before - so cranking out a few ace music videos for our silly songs is smally fry BOI!

Ok, so?

WHAT EXACTLY HAS CHRIS TONGUE EVER DONE FOR ME!!? I hear you cry. Not literally. Or even metaphorically. But still. Let me answer that question for you. Ignore the fact that I both posed and answered it if you can. I am kind of drawing attention to it a bit, so the heat is on you to be honest. 

Right.

So, Chris ainmated all of 1. 'Keep Me Wild'.....

.......and seemingly couldn't resist a little dig about my (alleged) and (occassional) (total and utter) failure to (ever) keep milk in the fridge in our Earlsfield flat. How petty. Shame really. I wish to put it on record that I forgive you for this, as I am a big man. Much like our diary produce bill circa 2011. 

The 'Keep Me Wild' video is absoutely beautiful by the way if you haven't seen it (it's here if you missed it first time around). 

Chris was there doing all the animation for our (2.) 'Memento Mori' video....

N.B - A side note - The Memento Mori video 'stars' my friend George Johnson (Cabinet Maker)- who you may have seen on one of his many viral facebook videos recently - all about his amazing expanding tables. They are up to 30m hits or something now! You may recognise his workshop ;)

Anyway - back to Chrissy T!

Chris was there as we trampled round London looking for shots for our Wes Anderson 'homage' that is the (3.) 'Get Some Scars' shoot...

Although we were careful to make sure he was wearing a paper bag at all times in that particular video because as you can see for yourself in this mugshot he is unfortunately hideously ugly....

Chris has been thrown down onto the road (whilst holding a massive Camera...natch) by Stu dressed as some sort of MEGABUTLERBOUNCER in our Lynchian Looped Nightmare of a video for (4.) 'Demons You Show'....

Chris was there AGAIN as we trapsed round London (AGAIN) shooting Tom as a 'keen imbiber' is our recent (5.) 'Change To Stay The Same' video....

Did all of those Spectrum ZX/Super Nintendo/Street Fighter 2 graphics in our 'visit to an abandoned shopping centre in Reading to play Zombie LARPING-fest' that was (6.) 'Your Heart Is A Weapon The Size Of Your Fist'....

And isn't too proud to blow his own head off in the name of a great vid....

Chris shot the (7.) Bullingdon Club video - so it was HE his made us all dissapear and morph into Boris and his pal Dave. We forgive him for this. Just about.....

And of course anyone that has come to any of our shows knows exactly how important Chris's visuals are to our live gigs......like this one at Bush Hall....

....where OF COURSE you will find Chris in the thick of it anyway.....

So that adds up to our (8.) 'Show Me The Money' video - which used footage from our show at Bush Hall and also our actual live performance video of (9.) Bullingdon Club (Live) that same night. 

And don't forget all of our 'Lux Lisbon Loves' Covers too. Chris did those. 

And it doesn't stop there. He is working on something new for us right now. We thankyou all for your patience.... 

So hear this - a big THANKYOU for Chris. THANKS MAN. You da best. 

I'll leave you with a couple more pictures of Chris. This year is his mainly into climbing stuff. Alot of stuff. And running miles along roads in foreign cities. Plus he has a Freddie Mercury circa 1980 T-Shirt that I am very, very jealous of. He wears it much better than I would and so it's ruined. THANKS MATE. 

[luxlisbonblog]

Tour 2017

Basically what I've done here is I've gathered lots of social media posts and photos all in one place for you so you can get an idea of what being on tour was like in April...I think you might enjoy it!

Prepare for lots of scrolling! 

Charlie did some Tour update videos on Instagram....

We rehearsed in Durham and played football each night with Stu's Dad.

Due to Stu being a clot he hadn't made it clear that it was 14+ only in Newcastle, so this is him grovelling for forgiveness from our youngest and coolest Geordie fan Dannii outside the venue, so sorry Dannii - we'll make it up to you next time! 

...and prize for best post-gig night out goes to Manchester as we found a riotous 80s night...

That gives you a flavour I think! 

Over and out! 

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

http://luxlisbon.com/listen

[luxlisbonblog]

Why it’s difficult to put out a Live Gig Video...

Bullingdon Club (Live at Bush Hall 2015) - [VIEW HERE]

If you haven't seen us live before, it'll be a little like this....you'll enjoy it! In the next 3 weeks we are in London (27th), Glasgow (20), Newcastle (21), Manchester (22) and Brighton (26). London sold out weeks in advance last year, chop chop. 

Thoughts on making a Live Gig Video

Having a live video is often a nerve-racking proposition for band. After all, it represents what you are like in concert - sort of who you really are!

Anyone can head on youtube nowadays and find bands live shows represented by shaky, distorted camerphone footage - and although this suffices for some viewers (and others feel that a video can't compare to being there anyway, so what's the point) this isn't how I am as a music fan, and so I actually disagree....

I grew up buying bands Concert Films on VHS and DVD, religiously recording Festival footage off the telly and even seeking out (professionally shot) bootleg live shows of my favourite bands. I often enjoy watching and listening to these show more than I do listening to some albums. 

It pains me a little to see a good live band represented by less than stellar footage and audio....but is actually incredibly difficult (and expensive) to capture the video and audio of a concert properly and to do it justice. 

So we've waited a little while before putting out something that we feels really captures what we are like as live band - and I think we've done it properly. 

This was a 7 Camera shoot, in an absolutely beautiful setting - a 'lights up for the encore' spirited rendition of one of our best live tracks - 'Bullingdon Club'. It's from our sold out show at Bush Hall.

We've sat on this footage for a little while, but is feels good to release it now to give you an idea of what a Lux Lisbon live show is like (you can read my blog about what goes into a DIY tour here by the way!)

Hopefully these 2017 shows in a few weeks won't be as damn hot as this night on video was, the footage doesn't do justice to how warm it was! Wowzers. 

We decided to film the show at Bush Hall because, basically, it's absolutely beautiful.

It was built as a Music Hall (chandeliers and all) in 1904, and has been a Wartime Soup Kitchen, a Bingo Hall and Snooker room before reverting back to type in the last couple of decades. 

Selling out this show here was a big, big deal for us as a 100% DIY band (we're the only one ever to do that) and it was important for us to get a document of the night.

So we enlisted the help of our great, great friend Mr Chris Tongue (the genius of a man who does all of our videos). All of them. Chris and his crew (plus 4 other hardy LL fan volunteers - thankyou Anna, Carmi, Paul, and AV!) did a *great* job of capturing the night on 7 different cameras. I think it looks super and it a great document of us as a live band. Again...you can watch it here. 

And this is how Chris and us lot celebrated the videos successful shoot backstage....

Ok. Fine. That's a lie. This photo is from something else. But it was fun to pretend eh! No? Suit yourself. I thought it was fun. Sort of. Ok, you're right. Sorry. 

Anyway, back to the present day!....

NEW SINGLE NEWS - Change (To Stay The Same)

To co-incide with the 2017 Tour, we are releasing a new single next Monday. It's called Change (To Stay The Same).

N.B Subscribers to our Bandcamp have had it for ages. We treat em right! You can join here if you like.

This is the cover art for Change (To Stay The Same). Thanks to Jhina Alvarado again. 

Change (To Stay The Same) will have a video. Natch. You can watch it next Monday. It'll look a little like this. 

The video (the one I just mentioned, keep up!) will of course, also have been made by Chris Tongue. There he is again, look. He's cool. I'll tell you more about Mr CT in a blog very soon. 

We'll be playing Change (To Stay The Same) all with other new material on tour. Its sounding gitgood.

I hope all this has whetted your appetite for our live shows. Listen to us here and get yourself along in 3 weeks time :) 

Speak soon! 

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

P.S That Live video link again is - [BULLINGDON CLUB (LIVE)]. See ya! 

Copyright © Stuart Rook All rights reserved.

[luxlisbonblog]

9 Things You Didn't Know about the name 'Lux Lisbon'

Hey everyone. We are busy prepaing for our APRIL UK TOUR (20th April Glasgow, 21st Newcastle, 22nd Manchester, 26th Brighton and 27th at London Scala - [TICKETS HERE] - but thought I'd do this mail and put it up on the blog to answer people's questions about our band name.....(it's 'Lux Lisbon' in case you have sleep walked into this a bit...)

Picking band name is a tricky business. 

Just ask Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. Or The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Or Phil Collins. 

Many moons ago, we went with 'Lux Lisbon'. It's not been without it's difficulties, but more it's struck the right balance of literary-referencing-interest-piquing-cool, incorporating the letter X and people thinking we are Portuguese - which as everyone know is the holy trinity of naming for basically anything.

1. Cliche one. It's a film reference.

The simple answer is that it is the name of a character from one of my favourite books/films 'Virgin Suicides'......about 5% of people know the reference and they feel like that makes them cool somehow (which is possible, but it's certainly not a linear relationship). Either way, this is a nice thing. 

2. Cliche two. It's a characters name.

'Lux' is (along with Bonnie, Mary, Therese and Ceclia) one of the 'Lisbon' sisters. Hence Lux Lisbon. I should know, but it is just occuring to me as I type this that I'm not sure what 'Lux' is short for. Whatever it is, Lux is way cooler..right guys!?

3. Cliche three. "It's ok, because its on of those clever films that is actually really a book".

'Virgin Suicides' became a film in 1999, but it was based the 1993 Jeffrey Eugenides book. He is a man who I didn't realise looked like awesome until looking him up just this second...

4. But unlike most book adaptations, the film is great too....

I will pretend I read the book first. But we all know I didn't. I became aware of it in 1999 when it was made into a film by Sofia Coppola (you can see the trailer here). 

Though the book is brilliant, it *is* a cliche (the 4th now) to say 'ah the book is better' - but its not the case here. The film is ace... 

5. ...which isn't always the case.

Because just like the (ace) comedian Tony Law said at the Newcastle Stand last night (6th time I've seen him, check it here) - "it's all well and good saying that book is better, but what if the acting in your head is shit?".

6. Other musicians can be mean :)

I think we've got it right, cos over the years, as the film has being a little more cult - there have been those who have clearly wanted to call their band the same thing, have thought of it a few years after me, gone to look it up, and have come to our social media to vent their frustrations at such a 'crappy band taking such a great name' (paraphrasing). I'm chalking that one up. 

It seems to be a film that inspires band names generally to be fair. It's only recently I found that my great pal Dickon (from Careless Sons who have supported us several times and are again on our tour) was in the band named after the film, and called 'The Virgin Suicides' in Cambridge when he was younger. Truesay. (...that means 'it's true'. You're welcome). 

7. People can't read. Or choose not to. 

There is a club. A night club. It's in Lisbon. It's called Lux. So Lux, Lisbon'*. Sort of. 

Despite our web presence clearly being that of a UK indie rock-pop band, I've had countless emails and messages asking about reserving tables or trying to blag VIP tickets "for the club night tonight". 

We’re not a nightclub. This much is clear to anyone with eyes and the inclination to use them. Which apparently is not all people.

This even stretched to a man trying to deliver beer to the venue in a big van one summer, who was stuck outside the back door, and had managed to contact me on my mobile somehow. I can’t think how many pages (of a band) he much have searched before finding my number. I was, regrettably, unable to assist him in achieving his alcohol delivery ambitions and we parted on friendly terms. It was a good day. 

8. Science teaching in this country is going down the pan... :)

I almost always have to spell it out to people L-U-X.. I've said the words "as in the unit of light", in that order, several times more in my life then I ever thought I would do since the bands inception. I still haven't learned that 1/2 the time this only causes confusion and elongates the conversation :) 

I was joking about the Science teaching by the way. I have no strong opinion on the matter either way. Honestly. 

9. Lux Lisbon is definitely a more memorable than the name we had as a student band in Nottingham. 

The moniker that we adopted for a year or so as 'fun loving' students.....

Your Awesome Intergalactic Heroes'.

Somewhere there is a Nottingham Uni Battle of The Bands Winners trophy with that name permanantly engraved on it (just after 'Colonel K' to be fair (look it up if you aren't from the UK, or over 30).

Yeah....ok it seemed funny and clever at the time. Mainly because it was. It had to be shortened to 'YAIH' for anyone to remember it....which is what I searched for just now when I uncovered this genuinely suprising and genuinely genuine internet picture someone, somewhere has made. Eh?

And this the our friend and old 'YAIH' guitarist Chris How Kin Sang sporting a t-shirt, to prove it! 

So I'll leave you here, but also with the thought that, basically, like all scrabble players will tell you, 'X' is the best letter. 

Thanks again!

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

[Buy Tickets] [Latest Single] [Listen] [Download Free]

P.S - Just to finish I should also add that I thoroughly recommend the (almost entirely instrumental) soundtrack album by the French band Air is absolutely fabulous. It is probably in my Top 10 albums of all time (and *definitely* in my Top 100 French Instrumental Synth Pop albums of the late 90s). 

*Thought not really - it's more 'Lisbon Lux' I would have said. The Roundhouse in Camden would be, if it HAD to be, referred to as London Roundhouse, not Roundhouse London right? I digress. Forgive me, there have been alot of messages.  

Copyright © Stuart Rook All rights reserved.

[luxlisbonblog]

10 Things you didn’t know about a DIY band Tour...

N.B Our UK tour starts very soon >>>>>GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

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10 Things you didn’t know about a 100% DIY Band Tour…

On our tours we are the band, support band, promoter, booking agent, band manager, roadie, tour manager, financiers…you get the idea….all in one. No-one else is involved. So there’s alot to it and a few people have suggested I update a little thing about i wrote about it. Let's dive in! 

1. Recording songs to play

Of course the FIRST thing to do is to record some new songs to play! We'll have a new EP out very soon called 'Change (To Stay The Same). This is our latest single 'When You Need Somebody'.

2. Planning the tour dates

It takes a fair amount of time to research appropriate venues for each City, especially if we have never been. I’ll tend to try and take recommendations from our lovely fans in each City. The size, cost, facilities (stage, PA, projector/screen), proximity to the city centre.

Then we send out an email to our fans in nearby postcodes asking if they’d pay in advance for the show. If there are enough people to make it work - we’ll book the show. This is cool. 

We do all the booking, promoting etc ourselves, so then it’s a case of contacting the venues, finding suitable dates, booking, arranging payment, signing contracts, planning a tour schedule and listing and promoting all the shows - this needs a fair bit of website/graphic design huffing and puffing for a non-techie like me who doesn't know what he is doing. Youtube tutorials are your friend I find!

 3. Selling the Tickets

We setup our own site to sell the tickets ourselves rather than use a big ticket site.  

Basically this is because it is the only way to charge no ticket fees.

I detest them. And so do you. Urgh. They are the absolute worst part of the gig going experience in my book. Put you in a right bad mood. 

Also, doing it this way also means we can communicate with folks ahead of time, making sure they know all the songs by sending them over, even unreleased ones, when gig day comes. This helps the enormously we find.

4. The Soundperson

We can’t afford our own "Soundperson" to travel everywhere with us (this is a very important role - someone who controls the levels and the quality of the sound using the mixing desk while you are playing, some people call them the extra member of a band) - so we have to liase and talk to the Venue’s Soundperson as best we can. That means more conversations and making documents…like this one…

Because essentially we have quite a complex set up and bank of equipment to re-create our songs live. 

5. Band Equipment and Setup

We have 4 vocal mics, 3 different guitars feeds, 3 seperate keyboards, a digital sampler and jamies drum kit to set up (as well as Trumpet, Saxophone, Violin and extra backing vocals when budget allows on bigger shows) - in addition to in-ear monitors radio feeds to hear what we are playing best we can. So 2 hours or so is needed to set up and test all of this (and there will always be a problem, you can bet your house on it!). 

There’s also bit and bobs of stage equipment like Tom’s Electronic Drums, Keys and Mic Stands, Spares, Projectors, whole sports holdalls of wires and adaptors of differing colours and uses (sometimes we need 50m+ to rig up the projectors at some reticent venues!) 

…and you can always bet on something going wrong. Tom’s trying to remember whether it’s the Red or the Green wire he shouldn’t cut here…

6. Projections and Visuals 

The projections and visuals we use (syncing up with the songs as we are playing them) are also a vital and non-negotiable part of our show.

Anyway…for each tour there are new visuals to prepare/amend. Chris Tongue from Dead Ready who does all our videos has already done the lion’s share here, but I also have to employ hours of some abysmally slow Final Cut Pro “skills” to adapt them for the live show. 

The hire and set up of the extra equipment required to make that happen can be tricky, as not an awful lot of bands use this sort of thing, but it’s cool. It’s worth it. 

For example, here is Charlotte with wor friend Daveyboy hovering and taking his projected bow! 

7. Lighting 

Sometimes there are also lights to consider, and as it is normally only for certain shows, and venues mostly don’t have specific lightpeople - hiring and liasing with a freelancer to handle that side of things. 

8. Merchandise

I guess there is research, design, finance, pack/price up and transport of the merchandise for the show too, where we'll set out our proveribal (and literal). Bit like this. 

More often we have to arrange to pay someone local to actually do the selling on the night too - we’re normally too busy packing up and down, but we try to man the stall ourselves when we can - it’s cool to meet everyone! 

We’re in negotiations to make this little guy our full time merch dude, but he is a bit reticent at this point. That’s Bruce the cat. He’s named after Springsteen, not Forsyth in case you were wondering. 

9. Rehearsal

We tend to tour in chunks. So some time may have passed since our last show. A rehearsal is needed! We take a good few days over it. Although it would probably take less time if we didn’t always devote the first day to 5 hours of “throwing rock shapes”. 

For bigger shows we also rope in some good friends to play extra parts with us, so we’ll need to rehearse with them too.

Alex on Sax (in a new song ‘When You Need Somebody’) :-

Elliot on Trumpet and Basia on Violin :-

 and Dickon, Rob and Ben from that band Careless Sons on BV's (who will also be supporting us on the tour on these dates below, thanks for info boyz :)

Decide the setlist. And away we go….It’s often a bit of a squeeze. 

10. Right...the Tour is on! - A typical day

9 = Wake in whatever accommodation we’ve arranged. Surrounded by equipment. It’s usually a Travelodge*. I think Charlotte is on commission or something :)

11 = Have now sourced and consumed a decent breakfast** - like this one at the Long Play Cafe in Newcastle. Ace Coffee. Average Ringo Starr Solo albums.

11.30 = Pack 2 Travelodge rooms of gear into 2 cars. This picture obviously isn’t outside a Travelodge. 

12ish = Set off a'driving. 

3ish = Arrive at Venue. Often venue has no parking. Unpack all gear onto pavement. 2 Drivers head off to find parking. 2 of us stay and move the stuff inside.

3.30 = 2/3 flights of stairs done. Gear is all in the venue.

3.35 = Set up. The stuff. Put on a cuppa. This’ll take a while.

4.30 = Deal with whatever problem has reared it’s head today. There is always one. Or nine. 

5 = Soundcheck. Looks a bit like this. 

6.15 = Remember that we haven’t eaten. Get that sorted. Gotta be back at the venue by 6.45.

7= Doors open. Nervous. It’s not always quite like this, but this was one of our our Scala Show. Deal with ticket/gueslist ‘issues’. Always fun. 

7.30 = First Act. Charlotte usually opens for us, playing her own songs. Normally 3 bands. Normal curfew 10.30ish. So 3 hours on call.

9.15pm Gig Time! Lux Lisbon Set time 1hr 25m

10.35pm =  Offstage. A total blur until about 11.45pm but during that time, chatting with folk, merch stuff, celebratory drinks, packing down what took us 3 times as long to set up earlier, reverse stairs trip, re-locating/driving back cars, loading up and setting of to next Travelodge will all have been ‘achieved’

Midnight-1am = Arrive at Travelodge, unpack gear into rooms again. Look forward to realising what essential piece of equipment we left behind in 6 or so hours time. 

And Breathe!

PHEW!

As I said at the start we are doing this all again in April 2017.

In Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Brighton and London.

Here is a little poster. It has information on it. Like a typical promotional poster. It’s self explanatory in almost all respects. OK, in all respects.

 >>>>>>>>AND YOU CAN GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

That’s enough of that now. 

Take care and as ever you can hit reply and I’ll answer any q’s. 

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon). 

————-

*In the interests of 2016 BBC-esque balance….‘other budget hostelry option are available’. 

**Note: Essential. And enjoyable. I love a breakfast and very much subscribe this this Thomas Babington Macaulay quote -

“Dinner parties are mere formalities: but you invite a man to breakfast because you actually want to see him”

P.S Tell your pals. They can get our music free to DL/Stream here - http://luxlisbon.com/listen or point send them to our latest single (http://luxlisbon.com/whenyouneedsomebodyvideo)

Copyright © Stuart Rook All rights reserved.

[luxlisbonblog]

14 Things you may know or may not know about Charlie Austen

1. Charlie is a bit of a mean Cyclist and newly crowned Triathlonerererer (I think that's how you spell it), with a full set of 'genericlondonercyclingscars' and a well worn Strava account to prove it. 

2. After arriving at Lux reharsals or recordings (probably in full cyclist regalia), Charlie is at any given point as likely to start cooking some sort of egg-based dish as she is to crank out a funky bass riff. Sometimes she photographs the eggs, sometimes not. 

3. She will also have carried approximately THIS MUCH STUFF with her.. (presuambly balanced on the handles of a SadiqKahnCycle?)

4. Charlie has mad origami skills, often wipping up little treats for Lux gig goers. 

5. Unfortunately, Charlie has some sort of (as yet undiagnosed) quasi medical condition which means that she is literally unable to stop smiling.......

N.B (This photo = 'Song Titles, 'An Englishman in New York' - the significance of this information will become clear as we progress). 

6. ...It's a condition that persists even when reporting missing her latest batch of misplaced personal items in her seemingly bi-weekly short newsletter/facebook update (which now appears with such regularity she has entitled it 'losers news').

Fun Fact: Not many people know this but if you find a wallet, phone or item of clothing lost on public transport in the UK, there is a 13% chance that it belongs to Charlotte Austen. 

7. All the smiles do have one caveat however. And that is that firstly, the now-ubiquitous travel cafetiere will have had to have made an appearance. Yes, Charlotte has portable *high quality* coffee making facilities and she isn't afriad to use them (she is very afraid of not using them however).  

8. Fairs fair though. She maintains that her Caffine habit does win her alot of new friends - and she even has the photos to prove it. 

9. Charlie has serious (and I mean industrial strength) Excel skills. Of all the solutions to any given problem Charlie is most likely to suggest making a spreadsheet. We don't share her enthusiasm. 

And she once drew a visual representation of my description of her affliction in this easy to understand Venn diagram themed sketch...

10. Charlotte is a supremely talented songwriter and is working on an EP of her own material in time for Lux Lisbon's April Tour (where she will be opening act at most of the gigs). She always sings one of her own songs acoustically during Lux Lisbon's main set too. This is her at Bush Hall on a sweltering night in 2015 doing her song 'The Greatest Human Cannonball'.

This video is of her singing 'Devil Got Me Dancing' that same night. 

...Watch out for her 'wayward singing leg', as captured in these fantasically kinetic sketches...

11. Of course her (fantastically poetic and lyrical) writing process is obviously moleskine and caffine enhanced. You can visit her website here and keep up with what she is up to when not in Lux Lisbon! 

12. Charlotte is also often on tour with fantastic 1980s cult blues rockers (and first episode of 'The Young Ones' featured) 'Nine Below Zero' (this time on vocals and percussion (more cowbell etc etc)) - treading the boards from small clubs to the Royal Albert Hall. She takes the lead vocal on their last single. It sounds ace. 

13. Charlotte and Tom are actually Cousins and come from a genuine West Sussex(ian) Musical Dynasty! They spend their Childhoods gigging with their two hard-(bluesy)-rocking Dad's round pubs and clubs and are both pictured here with Charlie's Brother Oli (Guitarist with charttoppingdancemusicpeeps 'Sigma') and Tom's sister Emily (who sang with Charlotte for many year). Between the six of them it's genuinely unlikely there has been a weekend in the last 20 years that hasn't had one of the Austen/Cooper clan holding musical Court in a Sussex Socialhouse of some kind. 

...Except for August when they make their annual family pilgrimage to the South of France to play there, the sort of place where you may be passed notes by mysterious strangers called Coco....

14. Finally....and you have to understand this. Charlotte spends approximately 29% of her life making and wearing fancy dress costumes. She's probably wearing one now. Unfortunately there isn't enough server space to include all her creations, so here is a short selection...

Firstly this video of her doing her song 'The Greatest Human Cannonball'. 

THEN, hold tight......From left to right - Muppets Xmas Carol Sing Along/Christmas Tree (lost a bet), Harry Potter Party (Mad-eye Moody)

Pixar Party (Blowfish), Covered in Cycle Lyrca/Duct Tape and M and S back to school tights/Board Game Party (Battleship)..

Whatever this lot is (answers on a digital postcard....)

and finally this Computer Game Party as Toad from Mario Kart (from the vastly superior SNES version).

N.B Your eyes do not decieve you...that is Tom B Cooper to the left of Charlotte in this photo (I presume as Dhalsim from Street Fighter 2 but I have never checked with him directly, on the basis that I assumed he never wanted to talk about this photo ever again in his whole life). 

So that's Charlie. She's just so bloody ace. But you've read all the way to bottom of this - you don't need me to tell you that, you've seen, you've read, you know. 

Speak soon! 

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

[luxlisbonblog]

10 things about Tom....

Hellooo! If I may, I'd like to introduce you to this gentleman....

Since our UK tour [ticket link] began in Bristol a few weeks back I've had a few requests to do some email posts about all the members of Lux Lisbon.....of course, cracking idea! Yes! It would be my pleasure.

I'll start with our guitarist (and now producer!)....Mr Tom B  Cooper Esq.

10 Things you may know or may not know about Tom B Cooper.

1. Tom makes a mean cuppa tea. The man takes Tea seriously. This is his tea making toolkit. I think he's in a lemonandgingerphase at the mo.

2. Tom is a bit of an amateur Gin Buff. Emphasis on the word 'buff'. Too buff if anything.

3. Tom spends hundreds of thousands of hours a year walking with/talking to his Staffie rescue dog 'Starpig' #Worldsbestdogtrademark #tummehtime

4. Tom has his own band 'Kuqi' (sometimes supporting Lux Lisbon at London gigs!). He also writes his own music as 'Tom B Cooper' and so far in 2017 has recorded A SONG A WEEK as well as podcasts of the process! #TBCASAW

5. Tom supports Blackburn Rovers. ROVERS! ('Kuqi' are named after a mid Noughties Finnish Blackburn Rovers centre forward). ROVERS!

6. Tom has an ace tattoo of Steve Zissou in the 'The Life Aquatic' on his 'plectrum arm'. The upshot being of course that Bill Murrary is always keeping a watchful eye on Lux Lisbon guitar parts.

7. When not playing guitar and singing in Lux Lisbon, Tom is now our producer and records Lux Lisbon's music...but his day-job is writing music and recording, mixing, mastering, working remotely on other musicians music (in fact if you or anyone you know's music fancies the Tom Lux treatment have a looksee here). He has music degrees coming out of his ears and not only that, he sometimes does his job wearing a hat. Sometimes not. It depends on the project.

8. Tom's Mum was a dancer/drama teacher. Something that stood him in good stead for playing lead in our upcoming video for 'Whatever Love Means' :)

9. Tom will one day build his own house. Cos he #GotTheSkillz.

(N.B despite it looking exactly correct, this is not, repeat NOT, a photo of Tom B Cooper building his own house. But. Coincidentally. This is exactly what it will look like).

10. He is (sometimes frustratingly!) not one to blow his own trumpet, but, simply put, take it from me that you don't know a nicer bloke than Tom B Cooper. Or a more multi-talented one. He also owns a pair of big white headphones. Which is nice.

Right, that's Mr TBC. He lives here on the interwebs.

Next time......on bass and vocals....Ms Charlotte Austen!

Laters Chum(p)s. 

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon

P.S - Tour tickets for Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Brighton and London Scala are here - http://luxlisbon.com/buytickets

[luxlisbonblog]

Monday 22nd February 2016

How The Beatles show that 'talent' is a myth.

This weekend I travelled to Liverpool for an unapologetically geeky Beatles pilgrimage weekend with 3 friends (everything from drinks in the bar they set off to Hamburg from, to visiting Childhood homes to a Covers band in the Cavern). I've done the same thing as a day trip twice before (but not since I was 15, and then with my wonderfully accommodating Mother driving and long suffering younger brother in tow!) - and in the intervening 19 years I've managed to fill a bookshelf with Beatles literature (see picture above!). 

There is an outside possibility it's getting out of hand.

But I point this out this to make it clear that what I'm about to argue doesn't take away from that the fact that first and foremost I am a huge Beatles fan and I also say it to point out that I do know my (glass) onions in terms of the minutiae of their story.

So yeah anyway, as we spent 3 blissful days talking about nothing but P,J, G and R (yes, apparently it *is* possible!) - there was a theme that stuck out for me time and time again - both how hard they worked and, importantly, the conditions that they did that work under - and ultimately how beautifully it explains how good they were.

Because that is the conclusion that I've come to on this subject (during the transition from a naively mesmerised 14 year old to a (tragically) well read 34 year old (it was a birthday trip by the way, thanks for your card :)) - that their phenomenal quality and quantity of songwriting output *is*, more or less, explainable.

They weren't 'just talented' or 'born with something special'. I think more and more that talent is a myth and if you look hard enough at anyone's story that reveals itself to be true. I know a bit about the Beatles, and I certainly think it of them.

I have mentioned both of these books before, but both Outliers (by Malcolm Gladwell) and Bounce (by Matthew Syed) make the case that a 'talent' for something* is determined, not by genes, but by the number of hours of 'practice' done.

Science seems to put that number at 10,000 hours to become 'world class'. So, broadly equates to a full time job for 10 years straight, it's loads!

'Practice' is an important word to define here. Crucially, it *must* be 'purposeful' practice (not merely repetition, the aim has to be to *improve*) - and this doesn't happen without the *opportunity* for the 'elevation' to the next level of skill acquisition/development presenting itself. The argument goes that during those hours your skills must be tested and stretched by new and increasingly difficult tasks. As time goes on this is a criteria that, as skill levels increase, can only be fulfilled by unique and specific circumstances (e.g academies, particularly skilled teachers etc). For example, we've probably all driven our cars to work and back on 'autopilot' for thousands and thousands of hours but none of us are any better than we were 3 months after we passed our driving test, and certainly are not any closer to being Aryton Senna.

Anyway, I'd recommend both books, but just applying their principles to the Beatles (something Gladwell does touch on in relation to Hamburg) - their 'story' is so perfectly written in this regard, all the right conditions, circumstances and opportunities coming at just the right times.

Just a few off the top of my head......

1. Skiffle music. This was HUGE at exactly the right time for them to get into and form bands. Paul and John both had musical parents - but Skiffle (often played on instruments made of our household objects) is a hugely primitive and accessible music that requires no 'talent' to get right all all, everyone could recreate it satisfactorily straight away (and so there would be no giving up early on it in the (erroneous) belief that you weren't 'talented' at music). The Beatles museum said there were 700 Skiffle bands in Liverpool alone in 1959..and Skiffle's simplicity gave rise to...

2. Their interest (and countless days bunking off school invested) in writing (as school kids!) 100 or so original songs (nearly all later junked) at a time when it was just about unheard of for performers to write their own material, meant that due to their unique understanding of *exactly* how rock and roll worked, that they were in poll position to take advantage of..

3. Their Shows in Hamburg. Not only had they played over 600 gigs in the 900 or so days prior to being signed to EMI in June 1962 - over 230 of these were 8 hour long Preludin-aided marathons, frothing at the mouth they were working so hard, being shouted by rowdy foreign sailors on shore leave to 'Mach Shau' ('make a show'). They were forced to write, rehearse and perform much, much more material than if they had stayed in Liverpool (where they did a tight, repetitive 45 minutes). It's a unique and preposterous workrate. Which meant they were ready for..

4. Their mindboggling early success, which meant 2 albums a year (crucially, with attached deadlines, unlike the 'one album and a 3 year tour' commercial cycle their is nowadays) were demanded of them, but could be delivered upon easily, and to an unbelievably high standard, thanks to their their own writing (I think A Hard Days Night is the first ever 'self composed' rock and roll album? Correct me if I'm wrong) and their endless well of covers.

5. The commercial success ensured that both :- a) The punishing songwriting deadlines continued (forcing them to reap the benefits of 'Parkinson's Law' - which contends that a time limit is crucial to quality and quantity of productivity - 'a task will expand to fill the time allowed to it' (we all know this is true deep down) and b) The enthusiasm, appetite and rewards for writing were extremely high (McCartney is candid enough to admit they often sat down to, quote, "write a swimming pool").

6. The circumstances for their continued flourishing in the late 60's were all in place too - they had the confidence and freedom that came with knowing whatever they did would be bought, a classically trained producer in George Martin, a visionary sound seeking engineer in Geoff Emerick and by 1968 it was possible to record on 8 tracks for the first time ever in human history. The opportunity to improve, yet again, presented itself at exactly the right time.

I'll leave it here at number 6 for the moment (I myself am trying to take advantage of 'Parkinson's Law' in the writing of this email!) but I can already sense that I have many more thoughts on this subject. The principles in 'Outliers' and 'Bounce' apply to the Beatles far beyond just Hamburg.

Anyway, none of this detracts one iota from the magic of the music and a story so powerful that I and 3 other similarly entranced 30 something men - whose lives don't even overlap with John Lennon's - travelled hundreds of miles just to see where he was born - but I am just grateful that I can put to use the useless knowledge that I've inexplicably acquired over 20 star-struck years to some good, and somewhat comforting, use in later life.

And besides, I'm being somewhat insincere about considering it useless knowledge - I genuinely believe that the Beatles will be talked about, studied and revered in 500 years time (about 450 years after anyone will ceased to have given two hoots about Boris's (or anyone's) views on the bloody 'Brexit') and all I have to do is live till then to not make this weekends trip look utterly pathetic :)

Thanks for reading, and as usual you can hit reply if you fancy!!

Take care!

Stu (from the band Lux Lisbon)

[luxlisbonblog]

‘Whatever Love Means’ Pt.2

Ok, so. 'Whatever Love Means'. Thankyou so much for the wonderful reaction and feedback to the song last week - it may well be our best received yet, so glad that people have enjoyed it!

'Do we really care what a song is 'about'?'

This is just carrying on some thoughts from last week really. 

So....I've included the lyrics this week (and not last week) because I decided last week that I wanted you to be able to listen 'context free' - which I think is a good way to enjoy something first up.

I also said that I didn't want to say what the song was 'about' or anything like that, as that might spoil it for some people.

Loads of people wrote back with their thoughts on this idea of how 'what the band says the song is about' affects the way they listen to the song. It was a real pleasure to read them all, thank you! (you can always reply to these emails too, just hit reply!)

My half formed idea was that there were definitely both pros and cons to knowing what the writer/painter/'person what did it' of a song/painting/'thing' thinks that it is 'about' - and that that knowledge has both the ability to add to and subtract from the listeners enjoyment.

Anyway....I was particularly drawn to one which made what I thought was an astute analogy with paintings.

So I hope Catherine W doesn't mind me sharing her thoughts with you here - but I think they are a neat summation...

"If you asked 100 people to name a famous painting I wonder how many would say 'the Mona Lisa' - about as enigmatic a piece of art as you could imagine. If we knew what was behind that smile would the painting be as famous (or priceless) as it is - probably not. Now consider another incredibly famous painting - the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Whilst it's entirely possible to admire it at face value, knowing the meaning behind all those detailed parts of the painting does add value to the experience I think. So basically, when you're considering whether or not you should share a song's back story I suppose you have to decide whether it's a Mona Lisa or a Sistine Chapel!"

And it's true, I was being to simplistic about it. It's probably often not a case of one or the other - it will of course depend on the song, and as Catherine puts it "is it the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel!"

And I think this rings true - there are some song lyrics which are packed with specifically constructed references and little 'hidden' touches.......and songs that aren't. Both can be brilliant, I certainly love both, but I think Catherine is right, there are some songs that will 'benefit' more from an 'explaination' than others - it's not as simple as one or the other.

We all know and there isn't much 'interesting' to say about the Mona Lisa....really....other than 1) who she is and 2) what she is smiling at - that's about all that there is to be said about her! And it is *precisely* the fact that we know neither the answer to 1) or 2) that underpins the paintings appeal, in fact it could be argued that it is the *entirety* of it's appeal. I don't think somehow that Da Vinci letting us know that Mona Lisa 'worked in accounts' and was 'smiling wryly at having forgotten to pick up milk on the way home' would really add to it's appeal. Just a guess. But when she *could be* anyone and smiling at anything, it becomes intriguing and appealing.

However, as someone who does enjoy reading 'about' a song/album, I found that a surprising (and heartening) number of you did actually come down on the side of (generally) wanting to know more - and that folk should be credited with the ability to remain unaffected by a differing 'explaination' of a song than the one they had attributed to it themselves.

Rachel L also said in reply - that if she discovers that an explanation is different to the one she had made that it does sometimes disappoint her but

"usually that doesn't last....if it's a song I really like which somehow resonates with me, the meaning I had formed before manages to get incorporated into the new information..."

Which I thought was a very eloquent way of describing a process that I also recognise! I do this too.

Daniella D wrote back saying something similar, which I think I agree with too, that the new information doesn't usually reduce her enjoyment of the song, and that a songwriter being too mysterious and coy can be frustrating. She said :-

"regardless of  the meaning I give to a song I enjoy knowing what was that writer thinking....I’m a huge fan of Duran Duran and it’s singer, Simon, has a strict policy of no disclosure of the meaning behind his lyrics…sometimes that gets on my nerves"

Whilst I also found myself agreeing with what Bill A wrote to me...

"I think a few clues from time to time are a nice touch, but only to stop the listener from going completely off on a no return tangent. It can be a great game to try and second guess the writer, albeit, a game without winners or losers, without "correct" or "wrong".

I think I agree with all of this, and I think the conclusion I have come to is....broadly.....

A) It's (generally) good to know more...

B) People can (generally) be trusted to not let it ruin the song for them

C) ....but, (as with most thing in life)...it all depends.

D) ....but unlike most things in life, what it depends on is, 'whether or not it is the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel

So yes, a very scientific conclusion :)

Most of all though, by not sharing anything with you initially, many people went off and searched for the lyrics themselves, and wrote back to me with their own interpretations. I love this. It makes me happy. So thank you!

Take care. See you next Monday!

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

luxlisbon.bandcamp.com

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WHATEVER LOVE MEANS

Since you shot my sorrows Since you shot my sorrows down All these troubles I’ve been carrying like weights They float onto the dusty ground

Since you turned your light Upon my darkened days Oh how I’ve learned to love the silence and the violence Of this language born to fail.

So I take this shot to see where it lands but I can’t put my faith into your sole gentle hands. You say is this love? Is this what is seems? I say “whatever love means”

Because if something can mean anything Then it means nothing to me.

If every man is a poet, and every poet is a thief Then why can’t we confess with eloquence that This disconnect brings a man to his knees So come on words don’t fail me Cut out my tongue and hurt like hell Language died here honey in the poisoned mouth of love Where we all are infidels.

So I scream into this nothingness A guilty conscience it needs to confess I don’t need words, because words are cheap, Like whatever love, whatever love, whatever love means

Because words are so cheap They just come so god damn easily Will you take out your heart ? To see the hole in your soul where they used to be?

Words are so cheap, like whatever love means

I said words are so cheap. They just come so god damn easily.

And anyway, love is not a word, love is a deed.

Whatever Love Means

But if something can mean anything then it means nothing to me.

[luxlisbonblog]

Whatever Love Means - 15th August 2016

It's Monday. I’m here again. Great stuff. Thanks to Mr Parkinson once more.

But there is also a damn good reason today. We have a brand new single. And we want you hear it!

'Whatever Love Means' Bandcamp = http://luxlisbon.com/shop Spotify = http://bit.ly/WhateverLoveMeansSpotify iTunes = http://bit.ly/WhateverLoveMeansiTunes Soundcloud = http://bit.ly/WhateverLoveMeansSoundcloud

What I was about to do was to write you an email now to give you a bit extra - "telling you what a song is 'about'.

But I'm having second thoughts.

When I write something like this email about a song, there is a little bit of trying to strike an important balance - and that balance is between giving enough context for a song that it feeds enjoyment of it, but not so much that it begins to dictate what the song is 'about' and in so doing robs the listener the very real and very special joy of reading a meaning into the song themselves.

As a music fan, I've found that there is little more dispiriting then falling in love with a song that moves you, constructing an meaning of the songs means, what it is describing and what it is 'about' (which, because you are you, will be something that you also know something about) - all of which all feeds back into how the song makes you feel in a glorious loop.

This ongoing and organic 'relationship' between the listener and the song is a huge, huge part of the 'magic' - and as it occurs a) in hindsight, after the song is 'released into the world' and b) in the minds of individual listeners - it is almost entirely out of control of the writer.

But many savvy bands down the years have clocked that the 'story' that an individual listener creates for themselves is very rarely anything other than beneficial to the band - helping to cement the bond that the listener feels with the song, and therefore with the band also. The listener is doing that work for the band really.

So the band do the only thing that they can to encourage and facilitate this process - and that is to doggedly and steadfastly refuse to reveal *any* details whatsoever about the song at all - for hear of breaking the spell.

While I can see the benefits of this for both the band and the listener - I also think that, certainly with the way my mind works, it is a shame that some of the enjoyment that could be gleaned from knowing where a song came from and what the author had in mind when writing it is lost.

So it can work both ways - just as I was hugely disappointed to learn years later that 'You Stole The Sun From My Heart' by Manic Street Preachers was not, as I had previously thought - a yearning song of lost love, but in fact was 'about' something as mundane a dislike of airport lounges whilst touring (albeit poetically dressed up) - I have had my enjoyment of countless lyrics by that same band, as well as by the 'The Who', hugely increased by some insight from the writers into there genesis, and yes, what they are 'about'.

Pete Townshend really is the master of this, attributing all sorts of weird and wonderful meanings to his songs, that are *just about* there is you look for them - adding another layer to what are already tremendous songs.

As usual, these are half/three quarters formed thoughts really. What do you think? Do you enjoy knowing what a song is 'about'? Has doing so made you enjoy a song that you didn't before? Shouldn't it be possible to continue to see your own 'vision' of the song without having it compromised by what the writer says it is about? Questions questions. Remember, as with all these emails, you can just hit 'reply' to write to me and I'll get back to you.

So I've talked myself out of it.

I'm not going to write anything about 'Whatever Love Means' - at least not until you have heard it. That seems like a good compromise. Then perhaps you will at least have a 'idea' of your own to be ruined in due course :)

So. 'Whatever Love Means'. Enjoy it. Context free.

Take care. See you next Monday!

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

[luxlisbonblog]

Thankyou Mr Parkinson - 8th August 2016

Stu from the band Lux Lisbon here. This is a 'Monday blog' I guess! They are back.

Anyway...back to today.....I've not done this for a while....so I've just set a timer. It is buzzing away in the top right hand corner of my screen. It started at 20 minutes. It's at 18 and a half now.....and I'll stop writing when it gets to zero.

The reason is very simple. That if I didn't do that, then this wouldn't get written. At all.

And I am finding that that is both a very difficult, and very liberating, thing to admit to yourself!

I really do regret that it has been so long since I wrote a 'Monday email' to you - however, I can assure you absolutely that there are reasons for that, very good reasons too, which I may elaborate on when the time feels right, but regardless, I really feel that I have missed the weekly discipline of sending half (and sometimes even three-quarters!!) formed vaguely music related thoughts out into the world.

I think I probably get much more from it than you do :)

And like everyone, I have found that falling out of the habit of something, even something enjoyable, makes it seemingly infinitely more difficult to pick up where you left off - even with something that, while requiring a certain amount of effort, you are clearly more than capable of....you've done it before! Oh well.

So I've had to trick myself! (Shhh, don't tell me...) I've done this using something which I've came across a while ago called Parkinson's Law*

We will all have all have a had a meeting at work or with friend, perhaps scheduled for an hour or so, that didn't really 'get down to business' until someone said, 'oh goodness is that the time, I have to go in 10 minutes!!' - suddenly focusing the minds of those present and usually, whatever was required is achieved once the time limit has been imposed. Something open ended just drifts.

It's broadly no more complicated than the explaination of why we all handed essays in at the last minute - we needed a deadline.

So Parkinson's Law is basically that -

"Work expands to fill the time available for its completion".

And, more or less, I think it's true?

I've used it here (3 minutes left now.....) to trick myself into getting something done - because something 'creative' (yes, even writing this email about basically nothing - I use the term very, VERY loosely by the way!) will never has a set end point, there is never an imposed time limit.

I forget who it was who said that "movies are never finished, only abandoned" but it rings true - which is one reason why it can be easy to postpone 'making something' - if you don't know how much time and effort you are going to be committing to it.

This probably goes for most things thinking about it.

So, setting the timer for 20 mins has in one fell swoop, brushed away all of the roadblocks that my mind has put up to writing this, and starting up writing these again. The timer is actually making this happen at all.

As it happens, I passed 20 minutes about 13 minutes ago now - but by the time 20 minutes had passed, I could see what I was doing and how much longer it might take, and more importantly, I was already doing it.  

A small number of you reading this are, I have no doubt, thinking "ummm, yes, this is utterly obvious, I do this every day in every aspect of my life, what is your point exactly?"

and all I can say to those people is "lucky you eh!" :)

Right, 33 minutes. Thankyou Mr Parkinson.

Speak soon,

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon).

P.S  As I say, I think I get more out of this you do, but thanks for reading these Monday blogs and especially to everyone who has been in touch to ask where they had gone. Your interest is truly appreciated.

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*and this entire situation is entirely indicative of the uselessness of 'knowing things' and the simple beauty of 'doing things'.  

**...almost as if your brain conspires in some way at times - immediately batting away any additional thoughts thoughts, not allowing them to stick and around and 'fester' into anything resembling 'conviction'. Nearly everybody must get this right?    

[luxlisbonblog]

Monday March 14th 2016

Devil Got Me Dancing - ‘This Oh So Comfortable Disease’. 

Monday again. Hello. I thought I'd tell you the story behind our song 'Devil Got Me Dancing' today. It's got a few pictures at least.

It seemed like a good time as we've just released a 7-camera professionally shot video of us performing the song at London Bush Hall last year. We'll do the song on tour too, definitely (incidentally over 50% the April UK Tour tickets are now gone for London Scala, Manchester + Glasgow...skates on and that jazz).

Anyway, I thought you'd like to know from that off that and we recorded the piano for 'Devil Got Me Dancing' in a huge Church. I know right!? [See pic of Piano in Church] (That's James Barr (Boston Building) our brilliant producer setting up btw)

The Lyrics

Broadly, it is an anti-advertising song.

Or at least, that's the song that I would have liked to have written - something singular of purpose - railing against a practice which the Daily Mash (with it's usual laser like focus) described thusly:

“Let me be clear about how advertising works. They use text, imagery or moving pictures to create anxiety and then suggest that said anxiety could be eased by purchase of thing X".

Perfect. The people behind that thing are genuis.

Anyway, something like that - in song form - would have been perfect. But things aren't always so simple.

At Glastonbury Festival a few years ago I saw an (partially) ironic T-Shirt that read 'ADVERTISING HELPS ME DECIDE'.

I really enjoyed it. The way it was simultaneously lamenting the hugely damaging and distorting potential of advertising - as well as a (beffudled) admission to a personal weakness and suscpetiblity to it. It must have struck a chord with me - as fits the tone of 'Devil Got Me Dancing' very well - 'confused and disapointed'

'When did I become this beast wild with hunger, then did they give it to me oh this disease?'

There are several 'anti-advertising' I've enjoyed over the years that seem to be sure cock-sure about their stance, they know excatly what they are saying and there is little sophistication to the message.

This, in my opinion, is what a great song should do, state one point of view, often with the aim to evoke a (sometimes simplisitc) feeling. It isn't a thesis, it's rock and roll - and the form doesn't allow for a balanced approach.

It might be too many years of essays and skeleton arguments - but I can only aspire to one day writing something similarly direct on this subject - but I keep having other 'yeah...but it's not as straightforward as that..there's also this......'  type thoughts that get in the way - and it ending up going a little like this....

[Go read picture of illustrated Lyrics]

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So, instead of being a protest song of some sort - the lyric has a really quite large element of dejection to it, which wasn't the plan, but it felt more honest.It would feel false to write something that struck a note of any 'certainty' and absolved the narrator of any responsibility.

"My hearts a lonely hunter, as I punch in the numbers, not with a smile, but a mouth full of teeth".

It seems to focus more on the affliction we all suffer. Adverts work. Many of them demean us, make us feel small, and talk down to us - they often get away with treating us as idiots. We perform the song life underneath an animated Banksy quote - which redresses the balance by going for the jugular in a way that I fail to do so in the song :-

“People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else".

So I guess the song asks, and shrugs at, the question - why do we let them get away with it? Why do such see-through tricks work? Why do they work on me when I should know better? Something as laughable as Macdonald's being the 'Official Fast Food" of London 2012 wouldn't have tens of millions put behind it, surely, unless Ian Ronald Mac was convinced that it worked?

That's why 'Devil' is more a song that strikes a tone of being "aware of what stunts are being pulled, but more concerned about an inability to resist them" than other anti-advertising songs.

"The Devil got me dancing, I got this oh so comfortable disease, the Devil got me".

It's turned out a little unusual then - so that at least is a plus. I guess you can't always do what someone else can do (which may be what you want to do!) - but you can do your thing as well as anyone else, whatever that is.

The Music

The music was written at the piano - the chords in particular after trying to figure out a pretty heavy guitar song on the ivories, getting it all a bit wrong, and making something new from it instead. The samba flavoured ryhthms, the reverb heavy arrangement, the Queen 'Innuendo' guitar solo and Charlotte's vocal - makes it sound a million miles from what I sat down and started playing, which is all part of the fun.

I've just realised I've gone on too much about the lyrics now, and I'm getting a bit hungry to be honest. That and I'll have to leave you before this gets any more soporific.

Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)

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P.S Looks like you are *still* the type that reads to the bottom, so I really do think you'll love this :) - and it's GREAT way to support LL. It has been long in the works now - and its a reet bargain - ALL our music for £3/$5 - ALL OF IT - it's basically an App/Download Service (so on your Phone or just as Mp3 download) with 130+ Lux Lisbon tracks on, including 4 BRAND NEW exclusive album tracks and LOADS of unreleased songs  >>>>>>>LEARN MORE BY CLICKING HERE

[luxlisbonblog]

Monday 1st February 2016

LETS GO OUT AND GET SOME SCARS

We're just gearing up for rehearsal for our April UK tour and dusting off the old harmonies on ‘Get Some Scars’ - so I thought I'd write this week a little about the idea behind what is probably our most popular song. I've included the artwork/lyric sheet above there, but basically the chorus goes:

"Oh while we're young yeah, let's go out and get some scars, cos when we're older, we'll need them to tell us apart".

So it does touch upon a pretty simple premise, something not far off ‘keep on keeping on’ or something similar.

This theme is of course already incredibly familiar in the rock/pop vernacular, in fact, it’s so well served, that even 20 years ago, Chumbawumba were able to easily hijack the sentiment of ‘I Will Survive’ in order to turn tunelessly shrieking “I get knocked down but I get up again” into a mid 90’s English national pastime. That was fun wasn’t it eh!? No. It wasn’t. But I digress.

Anyway, I very deliberately say that ‘Get Some Scars’ ‘touches upon’ this idea - because I didn’t want it to be another one of ‘those’ songs.

You know, one of ‘those songs’ - which seem to have an intellectually passive protagonist, struggling to keep afloat whilst being battered by the waves of a sea not of their choosing, and having things “just happen” to them.

Many of these songs seem to me (unwittingly perhaps) to frame failure as something to be endured (and therefore by extension, to be avoided). This is a shame, when there is so much evidence that suggests that perhaps this isn't a useful attitude.

'Get Some Scars' is a song that loves failure, and this I hope, changes the focus slightly, accepting that both failure and hurt are an almost inevitable part of doing anything properly and meaningfully, as just a cursory glance at the story of anyone, in any walk of life that you admire will tell you. I love doing that. Just reading that stuff. Actually read about what your heroes did before they did the stuff that you now know them for. They failed. A lot. They were useless. They tried a lot of different stuff. That should be enough to tell us that failure is not something to be frightened of.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better” –Samuel Beckett*

Anyway, that is why the line is 'let's go out and get some scars’ - it's this idea of taking a bit of control back, and to actively go chasing that inevitable initial failure, as it will be a precursor to learning something that will help you further down the line.

Or.... maybe all of that is all a load of self-sophistry and I just wrote it because I was remembering my mate George’s** 2003 T-shirt that read “Chicks Dig Scars”. I did always feel that that there must be a more elegant way of rendering that particular sentiment. I hope it wasn't. Nah, it wasn't that.

Either way, to muddy the waters further, I’ve slipped in lyrical nods to Daniel Kitson, an Amy Winehouse interview, Winston Churchill, The Who Live at Leeds, Helter Skelter and my favourite Weiss Beer. See if you can spot them all!

The Video

We tried (in vain) to make the video a homage to a non-specific Wes Anderson film. We’re all fans, Charlotte especially, and Tom has just got a massive ‘Life Aquatic’ tattoo. It’s a whole lot of Bill Murray. The video has Stu enduring various types of failure and disappointment - hightlights include finding an unsafe lift than closed on his face and a man in the street lending us a vintage Morris Minor (that wouldn't start).

I’ll leave you there, with this Elbert Hubbard quote that seems appropriate and we included in the inlay of our debut record. The 'Get Some Scars' lyrics are below – you can get the song free from this (now fixed) link.

‘If you would escape moral and physical assassination, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing—court obscurity, for only in oblivion does safety lie”– Elbert Hubbard

Take care. 

Stu 

[luxlisbonblog]

Monday 25th January 2016 - (10 free Lux Lisbon songs here)

‘MEMENTO MORI’ - I HEAR THOSE TWO WORDS AND MY BODY COMES ALIVE

"You say it's cruel, hell you're wrong it's beautiful, to know one day that you're going to die".

Hope that's not a bit much! The line above is from our song 'Memento Mori' (literally Latin for 'remember that you will die'.) I'm going to write a little about the story and thinking behind the song and the thinking behind it this week, I hope that's alright.

By the way, if you don't have it already you can download it free here. Or watch the video here.

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Memento Mori

So the idea is, that from what little I've read (and what little work is able to be done on the subject) it seems that there is a tentative scientific concencus that being aware of our own moratlity is something uniquely human - and that other animals just don't have a similar awareness.

For example, a cat may well be aware of the concept of death, it know that things die, it may also know that it itself is capable of dying (and in fact knows this keenly enough to base it's entire existence around avoiding that happening!) - but that this is completely different to what we as humans know - that no matter what steps we take, whatever we do, that life is finte and one day it will end.

This is pretty huge - and this song, 'Memento Mori', I guess is my way of saying"I certainly know which I would rather"

This idea - that the knowledge that one day we will die - is something, not be to feared, but to be celebrated, to be restated forcefully and often, and something that should be central to our interactions with each other and the wider world - that only good things can come from it.

Nevertheless, I was wary of writing a song about this idea, for fear of it being taken the wrong way - so as it is lyrically, somewhat about death, I took the decision musically to make it completely the opposite - as upbeat, positive, over the top and full of life a track as we could muster - triumphant clarion call trumpet solo included.

I think that also, another factor that made me choose to write about this was reading Jarvis Cocker (of the wonderful Sheffield band Pulp) make the point that (and I can't find a link to it now so I'm paraphrasing) - after 50 years pop music doesn't have a great deal of new places to go musically, but it has everywhere to explore lyrically - and so 'Memento Mori' is a deliberate attempt to write about something that isn't commonly tackled, for obvious reasons, but that I felt can still be served well by the emotion of a pop song, if that makes sense? I hope so.

The video

Anyway, it also seemed apropos to build the song's video around a great friend of mine who I feel really lives the message of the song and the idea of finding what you love and persuing it relentlessly.

My pal George Johnson has always been a Cabinet Maker (despite having Physics Masters coming out of his ears and being able to walk into any company he wants) - his thing, ever since we were kids, was always woodwork, using his hand and making things - and so that's what he does. No fireworks - just a simple, easy decision, he does what he loves and that's that. What could be more 'Memento Mori' than that?

He works by himself in this workshop that he very kindly lets us desecrate with Lux Lisbon lyrics in ink/chalk/paint to achieve the stop motion effect seen in the video.

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I'll leave you with the written lyrics and artwork, in case they are of interest - and as ever, you can just email me at band@luxlisbon.com and I'll get back to you!

Take care, speak soon.

Stu

Lux Lisbon

P.S Remember you can downoad the song free here

P.P.S and If you are in the UK, we are on tour in April in tickets are here

[luxlisbonblog]

HOW DAVID BOWIE KNEW THAT ART DOESN’T END AT THE EDGE OF THE CANVAS.

By Stuart Rook (from the band Lux Lisbon - January 18th 2016). 

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This last week I’ve found myself, along with what seems like half the planet, absolutely devouring hours and hours of the work of David Bowie.

Now, I’m fond of some of his songs, and familiar with a fair few more, but it hasn’t been his music I’ve been consuming – it has been his Press/TV interviews, both in print online and videos on YouTube* (some of my favourites are here, here and here).

They are absolutely staggering, almost without exception, all overflowing with ideas and references.

Those interviews – which are of course just an extension of who David Bowie was full stop – are the absolute best example of a concept I came across recently when reading Derek Sivers :-

“Art doesn’t end at the edge of the canvas”

What does this mean then? Really it’s pointing out that the effect on the viewer of say, a painting, is not determined *only* by the painting itself – but also by other, outside factors, that are beyond ‘the edge of the canvas’.

Even for something as simple as a painting hung on a wall, the scope for altering our perspective is immense.

For example, take the wall. Is it in an exclusive Gallery? In a coffee shop? In Ikea? In someone’s home? Who!? And what if the same painting has a simple label, a description supplying some supplementary information? What is the title? Who painted it? Why? Where? How? What is the background of the artist/the story this particular painting?

Change either of these elements, and though it’s the exact same painting, there is a huge effect on how it is viewed. And so, the idea goes, they are ‘part’ of the art itself.

Now if this is the effect that the world beyond ‘the edge of that canvas’ can have on something as straightforward, and as tangible as a painting hung on a wall – the potential for it permeating an entire body of work of something as abstract as song is without measure. Of all people, David Bowie understood this – and it’s hard to think of someone who has done it better.

This world beyond the canvas is in his jaw-dropping interviews certainly, but it’s also there in his attention to his fashion, his image, artwork, his geographical location, his referencing his top 100 books and in hanging out with Andy Warhol/Brian Eno/Williams Burroughs. There is so, so much more to him than ‘just’ some songs.

And because Bowie deeply and truly understood this concept – these things aren’t some hastily tacked on marketing afterthought, they have an absolute ring of truth to them, and are an equally important part of what he was about.

Bowie actively never defined him self as a rock musician, he was unashamed in saying that he used rock music purely as a medium, and in fact settled on it after looking around for others first. At the end of the 60s, the most direct route to getting an unfettered vision into people’s hearts and minds was by being on their LP turntable. This was a man who wanted to make an impact on the world, saw RocknRoll as the most effective medium to do so and acted accordingly. By the end of the 90’s he was saying if he was starting again his medium of choice would be, not Rock, but the Internet.

So it is perhaps unsurprising, that Bowie would have such a rich world beyond ‘the edge of the canvas’ – because that was in fact his starting point - it was the canvas that he added later.

Perhaps this is an obvious idea to you, but it was only after reading Derek Sivers express it in this particular way that I’ve really inwardly acknowledged its it’s huge power.

Which is really, really strange, because when I was 18, I essentially chose my undergraduate degree (Politics) hopelessly under the influence of Nicky Wire and Richey Edwards from the brilliant Welsh rock band ‘Manic Street Preachers’ and their world beyond ‘the edge of the canvas’ (which is so dense with quotes and references to Art, Literature and Politics as to be catalogued inthis great little website). I suppose they were my ‘David Bowie’ in that sense - and in fact, now I come think of it, their arrival onstage at gigs is soundtracked by a Bowie track - ‘Speed Of Life’. I guess they knew too.

And so, like all the most satisfying (and simultaneously frustrating) revelations, this idea is something that, on some level, I clearly must have already known (or at least should have been acutely aware of the power of) but it’s only Derek Sivers’ quote, and now David Bowie – that have sparked a real understanding of it.

I think we all often have moments of clarity like this, no? Where perhaps you keep flitting around the edges of the same idea, and you might have a certain amount of the relevant information to hand - but it’s only when someone presents it all to you in a particular configuration that it coalesces into a much more satisfying whole and really, truly falls into place.*

I’ve certainly found that this week, spending so many hours in the virtual company of such a fierce intellect as Mr Bowie. What a guy!

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DOWNLOAD Lux Lisbon’s album, for free - http://luxlisbon.com/freedownload

[luxlisbonblog]

LuxLisbonMondayBlog - 11th January 2016

The New Year. Some Thoughts.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I thought I'd wait until everyone else's wishes had dried up so that mine would stand out more. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I've never been a fan of New Year, generally speaking, but recently I have begun to change my mind a little. In somerespects.

Whilst I remain somewhat suspicious of both the wisdom and effectiveness of relying on Jan 1st as a catalyst for change - I do increasingly have an appreciation for the actual and *real* change in pace that occurs in ours lives at this time of year, and what this does to our state of mind.

Simply put - it's the only 2 or so weeks of the year when (generally speaking) we are *all* free of work all at the same time.

Of course, I've known this on a basic factual level forever, but the real (and huge) significance of this tacit arrangement we all silently buy into is only recently becoming fully apparent to me.

We all, en masse, silently agree to press a giant communal pause button - the only time we stop, physically (and therefore necessarily, mentally) all as one, at any point in any of our lives. Not only are we looking around and catching our breath, so is everyone else we see and everyone else we speak to, and every interaction that we have with each other is that bit ever so slightly different because of it - and this endless feedback loop is powerful.

It just doesn't happen at any other time of our lives. At all. And I find myself more and more being thankful that it does.

I can take or leave the trappings and traditions of Xmas and New Year to a greater or lesser extent, but the real source of (what many would refer to as) the 'magic' of that time of year is, to my mind, the absurdly simple act of everyone freeze framing, all as one, and giving the present moment their full attention - which we rarely do individually, and never, ever do as a whole.

So it is this, I now understand, that makes reflection (and therefore resolution) at New Year not simply an self absorbed, abstract concept driven by a calendar on a wall - but a genuine physical reaction to an actual difference in our environment - and is just as natural as it is unavoidable.

So, after all that....errr....well let's see...how about this....I'll think about probably trying to get a bit better, at something, at somepoint. This year. Or soon. Real soon.

At the very least, I'm gonna start up again writing to you every Monday at 5pm. I have missed the Monday emails, yeah that'll have to do. As always, you can hit 'reply' to respond to anything I write.

Take care and happy new year!

Stu

[luxlisbonblog]

Monday 4th January 2016

THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED WAS JOHN CLEESE 

I thought I’d tell you a little about our song ‘Show Me The Money’. You can get it here for free (and it works on any device).

“I say this with sincerity, because it’s what I believe, the greatest man who ever lived was John Cleese”.

A bold claim! But there are a few reasons I’ve come to this conclusion. And it’s not entirely serious one, but recently I really have been taken in by the way that Mr Cleese looks at both  life and creativity. In fact, honestly, in general, I’m far more inspired and in awe of comedians than I am of any musicians, especially modern musicians. Any one can play guitar (as someone once said) but comedy has the ability and the willingness to *say* so much more than pop music seems to  nowadays. Take this for example. I love Cleese’s idea of questioning the point of solemnity…that there is this confusion between ‘seriousness’ and 'solemnity’.

“Solemnity, I don’t know what it’s for. I mean, what is the point of it? The two most beautiful memorial services that I’ve ever attended both had a lot of humor. It somehow freed us all and made the services inspiring and cathartic. But solemnity, it serves pomposity. The self important always know at some level of their consciousness that their egotism is going to be punctured by humor. That’s why they see it as a threat! And so, dishonestly, they pretend that their deficiency makes their views more substantial.”

― John Cleese.

Just love it.

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And also when it comes to ideas of how to be creative, which, basically for me is writing some songs, it’s not other bands that I’m turning to for help, it’s JC again. John Cleese, that is. I’d very, very much encourage *anyone* involved in *any* creative endeavour to watch this youtube video called 'John Cleese on Creativity’. It’s absolute golddust, and very comforting, in that it shows, I think, that 'creativity’ isn’t a 'gift from god’ - it’s something that you can fashion the circumstances for, have control over -  and is a skill to be developed like any other. The main take away really is that there are 2 stages to creating anything worth while, the first being a sense of 'play’. As Ricky Gervais put it (no doubt also a Cleese follower) - “dicking about should be tax deductible for me”). BUT he also acknowledges that when the fun is over, you should moved into 'closed’ mode - and really refine and rewrite and re-do. I feel for a few years in Lux Lisbon our music lacked that fun bit and moved straight on to 'refining’ but that’s another thang innit. Despite the video looking like it was shot at an insurance company conference in Coventry in 1989 and having grainy German subtitles, I still think it’s well worth watching. And you can’t get higher praise than that.

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As well as all this, you may not be aware, but he suffered from a cold for about 3 years in the mid-70’s and ended up trying everything, then having therapy suggested to him, he tried it and ended enjoying it so much he stayed for 6 years and wrote a couple of multi-million selling books with his therapist, which I would highly recommend - 'life and how to survive it’ and 'families and how to survive them’. Its now required reading for those wanting to become therapists. Amazing.

“The healthier people are, the more they are willing to admit to their limitations and so the more open they are to the possibility of improvement.”

― , John Cleese, Life and How to Survive It

Which is why the next line in 'Show Me The Money’ is :- “Everyone needs therapy for believing in solemnity” A line which we have accompanied with a cheeky Elliot Phelps trumpet line on the record. I dunno, I just find his refusal to accept things as they are presented to him and his desire to understand himself and others better, without necessarily compromising who he is, pretty ace. I’m not even a big Python fan, nor do I particularly like Faulty Towers, I think comedy itself can date quite quickly (Frank Skinner certainly thinks so) but John Cleese himself, seems to me to be the man. Whadda Guy! 

Take care. Stu (from that band Lux Lisbon)