I'm in the process of putting together the trip to New York.
End of August - looks like we'll be playing three dates.
Not easy - a bit like one of those games you get in a Christmas cracker - getting all the balls in their respective holes.
No? , oh well - you should get better crackers.
I've just written a song called "Ear, Nose & Throat" - a love song.

We're moving into a new phase - a lull on the gig front, somewhat due to my business interests! Well, I can't be in two places at one time, and like us all - I need to put bread on the table.
The planning for the New York trip is going well - it looks like we'll be going out there at the end of August to play 3 dates.
We're going to record our next CD - but where and when has yet to be decided.

We're starting to think about the recording of our next CD. Another 4 track EP - the process of deciding what songs will be included has begun.
At rehearsal the other night, I brought along two new songs - "The North Is Bad" and "The Kitchen Sink Discotheque 23.04.04". I think both are really good - somewhat different from the material we have produced before. The KSD song is , obviously, a record of our trip to Manchester and includes the chorus "Tara Mascara has gone and lost her headphones".
"The North Is Bad" is chock full of melodies and hooks. Both will be contenders for the new CD.

Back from Manchester where we played at The Kitchen Sink Disco. A really great night. The two other bands on the bill, The Retro Spankees and Stazi were by far the best we've played with. One thing I have noticed is just how homogenised the other groups we have played with have been. On Friday at the KSD there was a real feeling of innovation and energy. Maybe it is just the London "scene" - but the groups we have shared bills with in the capital - apart from a couple of exceptions - have been predictable and dull. Good musicians, no doubt - but sooooo boring. We pride ourselves on our originality and downright oddness - it was nice to share a bill with fellow pioneers.
We're now thinking about the recording of our next CD - aiming for a late summer release.

A friend who saw us at The Telegraph in Brixton has let me know that Sophie Ellis-Bextor was in the building as we performed. There was talk of us, at one stage, attempting a cover version of "Murder On The Dance Floor" - Ms E-B is currrently heavily pregnant ( Oh no) - perhaps witnessing our version of her song could have broken both her heart and her waters.
Preparations are now afoot for our trip to Manchester, our first venture outside London. I have , after three attempts, now settled on a sampler - a Roland JS 30 to be exact. This one cost me just £70 and seems to be perfect for our needs.

It's been a quiet week at Lake DiscoStudents. The gig at The Telegraph that produced a neat, strong set and an argument. And to top it all - the website Punk and Oi reviewed our CD. Now, they give marks out of 5 for the records they review. What do you think we got ? 3 ? 2 ? 1 ? No. 0.
0 out of 5 . That's relegation form.
I can only presume they are idiots.
By the way, I've written a new song "The North Is Bad" - rather fetching if I say so myself.

Last night we played The Telegraph in Brixton. We played a strong tight set , but the place was empty. Not a complete surprise really, a Wednesday night south of the river. After we play in Manchester next week we'll then take another look at the gig situation . I feel we've now played enough dates to have got back into it - so we'll be a little more selective about where we appear.
The performance itself was a little stilted - mainly due to a couple of disagreements between myself and Richard. Oh yes, it was like 1980 all over again.

It's interesting to read what others think about the group. We've been described in the various listings magazines as "funsters", "Punksters" and "a waggish indie troupe" - all fine by me. The Kitchen Sink Disco have put out a press release to Manchester radio stations etc saying The Disco Students are fronted by "the firey but playful" Simon.
We're playing at The Telegraph in Brixton this coming Wednesday - but due to various commitments we have been unable to rehearse since our Bull & Gate appearance.

The morning after our appearance at The Bull & Gate. A rather pressurised place to play. With four groups on the bill, there is a feel of being on a conveyor belt. I was a few minutes late to the stage, so straight away we were told we'd have to drop a song - "South Africa House" had to be axed. That atmosphere infected our whole performance. We did play well however , sold a few CDs and received a number of plaudits from the audience, so perhaps it was just me.

We play the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town tonight. It did look as if we were going to be featured in "The Guardian" - the journalist contacted me and was very positive - promising an article in yesterday's edition. Yes, you're already ahead of me - oh well, maybe next time.
Kevin has been working hard on the website amd www.discostudents.com is getting better all the time.
For tonight's performance, "I ain't been with no prostitute" has been dropped , and there has been mixed feelings about my use of a big bra. I'm an artist - the bra stays.

I went to see Patti Smith last night ( 17.03.04) at ULU, Mallet Street. I've been a big fan since first seeing her at The Rainbow in 1978, and always try to catch her live when she plays in London.
I bumped into Sean from the High Llamas - who used to be in Microdisney. I've only met him twice before - and both previous times were at Patti Smith gigs.
The last time I saw her she did go on a bit with her poetry. Now don't get me wrong I do like a bit of poetry. Hang on a minute, I've just read that last sentence back. No, I don't like poetry.
But when I saw she was playing a "spoken word" concert the following night, I was encouraged.
Sure enough, she was great. A few too many inter-song rants about Bush/Irag etc - but very nice all the same.
One thing about going to see Patti is I come away feeling a million dollars - and not just because of her songs. She manages to attract quite the most badly dressed audience I've ever had the misfortune to stand amongst.
It has crossed my mind to have a go at covering "Ask The Angels" - it sounded ok as I sang it to myself walking back to Marylebone station.

Quite an eventful day, yesterday - Friday 12th March. We were featured on BBC Radio 5's "Drive" show. As previously mentioned, "Gay Lorry Drivers" begins and ends with a recording of Jo-Anne Sale reading some traffic news.
Well, they were interested enough to invite Jon in for a chat. Jon was on top form -he came across really well, and they played a good chunk of "GLD".
In the evening we played at The Hope & Anchor in Islington. Another strong performance. I have taken to printing out a few lyric books and handing them out at gigs, last night it was interesting to see quite a few observers following our progress on stage whilst reading the words.
www.discostudents.com is very near to completion - there is a vast section dedicated to our songs - words, beats per minutes, explanations of what inspired the words etc. Very impressive.

We played The Buffalo Bar in Islington last night . First outing for "The Most Handsome Man on TV" - the set went well. That was our fourth gig, and we're getting stronger all the time. The night also saw a debut for a great big bra - I believe we are one of the only groups currently operating who use such a device as a stage prop .You wait, in six months, they'll all be doing it . The performance was digitally recorded, we are going to listen to the result and possibly release a couple of the live tracks on our next CD. We are awaiting the first reviews of "Gay Lorry Drivers" - copies are currently being sent out to the press and radio stations. A night of rest and reflection tonight, then we're back in Islington tomorrow at The Hope & Anchor.

The CD is released. Later than anticipated, but it's here. It looks and sounds great - it's a Mandy Rice-Davies situation.
A great rehearsal last evening - we'll be introducing "The Most Handsome Man On TV" at The Buffalo Bar on Wednesday night.
An interesting development is that Jon has contacted BBC Radio5's Jo Sale .
"Now why would he do that ?" you may ask. Well, it's like this. "Gay Lorry Drivers" begins and ends with a sample of Traffic News culled from Radio 5, and of course it's Jo's informative tones that we used.
Ms Sale has agreed to assist us in promoting the record , and so a photo shoot had been arranged for next week.
And finally, we plan to play in New York in November. The CD has been posted ( or mailed as they say over there ) and we await NY's reaction to the possibility of another British Invasion.

Returned safe and sound from a trip south of the river. For the first time, we had a good sound. Easy, I know, to make excuses - but having rehearsed in one environment, then playing live in another - it does make a big difference. The previous two shows lacked a decent P.A. - last night we had one , and we made it count. "Gay Lorry Drivers" inspired an outbreak of dancing amongst the audience. Our best performance, by far.
Another positive - we were featured today in The Daily Star On Sunday. The article carrying the story that we are planning a Euro 2004 release. The title - "We're All Portugeezers" - all Kevin's work.
This week is a big one - the CD out on Thursday - the full website launched.

A date at The Hope & Anchor, Islington has just been confirmed - Friday 12th March, we're on at 9pm. The H&A is one of those venues I remember reading about in NME back in the good old days. Never been there myself, should be interesting. Bit of a mini Islington tour as we're at The Buffalo Bar on the previous Wednesday - we thought of staying in Islington for the three nights but couldn't face all that ciabatta and sun dried tomatoes.
The big medical news is that I've managed to pick up an ear infection. Fancy that, and so young. I'm glad it has been diagnosed, as at last night's rehearsal I had trouble hearing the PA despite the levels being turned up to maximum. It did cross my mind that I was becoming deaf and a Donald Pleasance/Great Escape scenario with the rest of the group was on the cards.
Oh well, it's an early night for The Disco Students as we're at The Half Moon tomorrow.

This coming Saturday we travel down to Herne Hill to play at The Half Moon. William, who runs the night seems to have his finger on the button - we're on third of a four band bill. The press release states "The Disco Students venture south with their perfect pop".
'Tis true, I suppose - I've always felt that whatever style of music there must be a melody , there just has to be a tune .
I received one of those mass emails today - they promise to increase one's penis by a good few inches. Don't get me wrong, I don't suppose any of us would mind that - but does it work I wonder ? And if so, how ? Anyway, the title of the email was interesting , the subject read "Easygoing Barber". Mmmm, I thought, what a great title for a song.....

A bout of frantic songwriting has just occured - and I feel all the better for it. "Writer and Broadcaster" , "The Bird in Belle & Sebastian",
"When The Young Are All Old" and "I Could Never Love A Girl With Bad Handwriting" have all appeared on paper. We'll soon knock them into shape. On another note, I am about to take delivery of a Groovebox. No, it's not what you think.
We've been thinking of using samples when we play live - the soon to be released CD contains a number - and the idea of using technology, particularly the kind associated with another style of music appeals. Might be a harpsichord next, or a lute.
The one problem I foresee is when we do play live, I'll be responsible for actually working the sampler/groovebox. I tend to get so involved in what's going on onstage, that I fear samples blasting away here there and everywhere. We'll see.
By the way, in case you're wondering - oli was poured on the stormy water/rehearsal studio situation. Peace has broken out.

Ah ! Our first review. From the MonkeyBoy Promotions website - A music lover who saw us at The Flag thinks the group should " Get rid of the camp guy singer - send him back to the corner he came from ."
He then somewhat blots his copybook by heaping praise on the folk group who headlined.
For a moment I thought of posting a message saying things like " The Disco Students were MUCH better than the folk group - and the singer is NOT camp. He's tough as old boots and would beat YOU in a fight any day of the week".
But then they can trace I.P. addresses and such these days - so it would all come out in the wash .

After six months of constant progress, we hit our first "problem" the other night. Our rehearsal studio is managed by the most ignorant meathead known to man - and sooner or later, something was going to give.
The charmless one succeeded in provoking a situation with us, and Richard was quite prepared to deal with it in the manner it needed.
Twenty years ago, the idiot from the studio would have been in A&E, and we would have been searching for a new rehearsal space.
Ah, the wisdom of experience.
We all calmed down and will treat the fool with the contempt he deserves.
Another frustration is the release of the CD - but it looks now if we'll have it ready for release in the next ten days.