Taken by your’s truely, here’s some stuff to start you off with…

Photos:
http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/582817722vdyuDc
After 5 years, another Webshots album Featuring larger versions of all the stuff and more from the live blog yesterday.


Video:
Here’s my own YouTube playlist, currently with four of my own vids in, more to come as others upload various shakey-phone vids.


Audio:

Following the official setlist, here’s a to-be-constantly-updated list of tracks, along with additional vids etc. Sorry the audio’s crap, only so much one can do with an iPhone.. Oh for a Line-Out (hint, rae… ).

Listening tip: Tracks are fully ID3d for iTunes, if it sounds crap try putting the equalizer on to Rock, enable any speaker’s bass boost, and try to ignore the clipping….

Soundcheck ( M3U Playlist )
Witches Broom
Mid-Air Collisions
Judas Loves You
Beehive Mind
Shredder
Intro

Gig ( M3U Playlist )
Intro
Loop A Loop
Last Plane Out Of Saigon (Sorry for the fade out/in, seems an iPhone quits audio recording if switching apps ).
Baby Boom
Mid-Air Collisions
Bad Vibrations
Beehive Mind
Witches Broom
Shredder
Judas Loves You - Video
Requiem Aeternum
Who Knows
How To Make You Laugh
The Only Living Boy And Girl
===
Famous Blue Raincoat (Acoustic) - Video
Opposite Ends (Acoustic) - Video
Everywhere
Lottery Winners On Acid


Bonus:
Background listening Extra fun for the completist.

Bonus 1:
http://www.facebook.com/daveymacmanus/posts/10150798203822414
“10 years of the Crimea tonight , live at union chapel for one night alone . Accident Emergency just talk to me , Smile if you still can , theres more to life than tequila killers, visions of your name in flowers, Don’t let the bastards get you down, happy fucking birthday soldiers xxxxxx”
Davey’s Facebook advertisement included lyrics from Raining Planets, which I promptly confused with Oliver Twisted due to the re-use of riffs / lyrics. Here’s MP3s to both:
The Crimea - Raining Planets (2nd Album Demo)
Full, mastered, album version (with above lyrics) is available free on the Secrets Of The Witching Hour album at http://www.thecrimea.net/download.
The Crimea - Oliver Twisted (Original Demo)

Bonus 2:
Former Crimea guitar lead Julz Parker totally killing it in this Tragedy Rocks riff, a composition later to be used in Judas Loves You. The rest of the recording is so-so, but for 30 seconds you have probably the finest, most beautifully haunting piece of recorded Crimea guitar wizardry in existence. But I’m biased.
The Crimea - Tragedy Rocks (MS1 Club 2003) - Performed live at the MS1 Club, Cardiff in 2003 for Radio Wales.

Bonus 3:
The original, the fuzziest, the finest - Opposite Ends accoustic demo performed by Dan Harris and Davey Macmanus, sometime around 2000. Thank you V2 Records and the early naughties for crappy DRM, not so much for bitrates.

We’ll all know the secret to eternal life, or whatever it was that davey promised.

The Crimea’s first gig in whatever it is, 2 years or something stupid, and as always they still have fans, mostly famous ones.

gary lightbody @garysnowpatrol:

The Crimea are doing a show in the Union Chapel on thurs 17th of may if you can make it good people. Great band!

Kelly Jones off of Sterophonics:

Hi folks, if you wanna see one of my all time favourite bands and incredibly gifted lyricists, go to this gig for a total one off show this Thursday 17th May at the Union Chapel in London. The Crimea will paint images in your head you’ll never erase. Kelly

Maybe one or both may even put in an appearance, you know how Kelly likes to show up at gigs. That said, why he’d publicise his presence for all his stalkers elodies fans, I dunno. So anyway, if you’re going, here’s the full line up:

The Kicks
Morton Valence
The Crimea

Also,

Well, not quite. 1000 maybe. Yup, this is published post 1000 (technically 1004 if including a few private / deleted test post, and 1247 if you go by URL, I don’t even figure how that works) but, you know, who cares these days… Maybe we’ll hit 9000 in a few centuries
And thanks to Joe who’s endless tips on Crimea realated events would have been immensly useful 6 years ago No really, at least there’s one person to come back here for Now I’m off to figure out where the hell this chapel place is. Oh for multimap, whatever do the kids use these days? And, in hindsight, 1000 fixed width page may have been useful. Stupid widescreen 2000000 width nonsense. Note to self: make things smaller.

Oh and, Joe, whilst you’re in tip-off mode, what the hell time is everyone due there for soundchecks? Billy the boy-scout bunt here gets in about 6 hours early as ever (never can trust these trains…) and obviously has no friends to hang out with anywhere else. Seriously mr jon, 7pm? wtf? have you got like, a job, or something? Meh… Yeah anyway… Here’s some traditional post-Crimea-gig goodness. Cos it’s always over waaayy too soon.

In more Crimea related news - yeah, we’re on a roll this month year even, 5 posts already, go me! - The Crimea just got some radio play. God bless Adam Walton. I’m sure I had a photo of him looking 10 years younger somewhere, but I’ll be fecked if I can find it, so here’s an inapropriately outdated Radio Wales logo instead. And the iPlayer link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01h8qq5 - skip to 48 mins in. I forget how you download and record these things now, but I’m sure Adam’ll pass on a recording if tis ever required. Though I am still waiting on the “official” recording of the MS1 gig, Adam…

UPDATE: Meh. Had to re-install GoldWave, re-configure my audio recording setup and re-learn my ftp file directory structure but, here you go: Adam Walton on Saigon (050511).mp3

And in less Crimea related news, here’s a running camel. Bwahahahaha… (yeah sorry addicted to youtube tonight )

How brilliant is this post from the Crimea MySpace page:

“48 Waiting Steps” on my radio show, The British Breakfast on WRIR 97.3FM Richmond, Virginia USA (www. wrir. org) this Saturday between 9-11am my time which is 2-4pm UK time.”

Oh feck…just looked at the time and it seems the show ended less than 10 minutes ago. grrrrrrrr. oh well. it’s great to know they’re getting some airplay in the US!

Dear all those who are concerned

THe CRimea are trying to reach gold in the next week or so,, so we can put out a new press release next week,,, when our single comes out,,, I know that begging letters are a worrying thing

but if anyone hasnt downloaded “secrets of the witching hour” could you possibly go to www.thecrimea.net and download, its free

and if you are gifted with your tongue please tell anyone you see, and if you only communicate by computer like Stephen Hawkins, please email anyone you should wish asking them to download it

it’s free

thank you very much

davey

You want ‘em, you need ‘em, we got ‘em…  

• As of this midnight GMT,  The Crimea’s video for 48a Waiting Steps is #12 on the Top 20 most watched video list at e-music TV.  Let’s help it move up the charts, whaddya say?   Click on the link, watch, repeat. 
• Originally posted 30 May, it’ll be new to you if you haven’t read it yet - noizemakesenemies.co.uk story on the upcoming single. 
• Music-News.com interview with Andrew and Davey 
• The press release over at Mi2N, a music industry website

By the way - clarification over the Glasgow gig…It’s actually Saturday, 05 July.  Not on the seventh as I erroneously reported.  Sorry for the confusion!    

A few posts ago I mentioned the Tripwire Podcost (#037) that featured the ‘Always on My Mind’ mash-up and Loop-A-Loop.  Well the blackbirds’ best friend (otherwise known as Davey to you and me) let me know that at 50-ish minutes into the podcast there’s an interview he did with the DJ. Granted, the DJ gets a tad few more words in than Davey did but bless him, at least he was enthusiastic about the band.  So follow this link,  scroll down the page until you find the embedded player, and just fast forward to the 50-ish minute point

And a quick update about the Playground at the Proud solo gig happening this Sunday — Davey goes on at 4pm.

Well, while some of us may have been engaging in too much drink or having BBQs in the rain over the Bank Holiday weekend, Davey slogged on with a show at Two Floors on Sunday followed by the Rob da Bank appearance in the small hours of Tuesday morning. In case you didn’t stay up for it, the radio appearance will be on Rob’s webpage for one more week. Rumor has it that Christopher has a digital recording of Davey’s performance. Maybe if he is merciful, kind, and loving he would consider SHARING them with us HERE at HIS website.

Really, Christopher. Is this what it’s come to? I have to beg…on your own site?

Moving on - new interview new interview new interview here from seatwave.com. It’s another interview before this peculiar Rage Into Spring show in Shoreditch that none of us seemed to know a stinking thing about. Well, a little light was shed on this. Rage gigs– you have to be a member of their thing/club/whatever,  and you get priority invites to their shindigs and tix at a discounted rate. So our  collective worries that we had suddenly becomel so frightfully uncool that The Crimea didn’t want us turning up at their shows…just a load of rubbish, really.

My exclusive reign as the only person on this side of the Atlantic who had ever known the glory of well-penned Davey Macmanus lyric has, fortunately, come to a resounding end. My fellow residents of the North American continent, now is the time to step up and do some PR gunslinging on behalf of The Crimea by joining the US Street Team. Come on…it’s gonna be fun. And there are all sorts of grand perks like free entry into Crimea gigs. Find out more by e-mailing Martin at thecrimea.teamamerica@yahoo.com

Last but not least -Davey and The Crimea turn up on the latest Tripwire Podcast (that’s #037 if you’re keeping score) in the form of the now-infamous mash up “Always on My Mind” and “Loop-A-Loop”. Thanks to Tripwire for giving them the Pole Position in the podcast.

In case you missed it, Colin Murray featured the mash-up known as Crimea vs. Elvis on his Black Hole program Tuesday night. If you missed it, just click here and listen to it again. But the radio goodness does not stop there…Mr. Murray said he will play the new Crimea single on Thursday night’s show. Not sure if the new single he’s referring to is 48a Waiting Steps or You Never Smile for the Camera…it’s all gone a bit confusing with singles being released from SOTWH and new demos for the 3rd album being introduced. Sounds like a good enough reason to start entering wagers, everyone ante up and place your bets. I’m leaning towards 48a, which should be your cue to place your bet on the other song because I’ve been getting everything wrong lately.

And if for some reason you haven’t heard Crimea vs. Elvis, you can listen to it at The Crimea’s MySpace page. It’s a lovely blend of Always on my Mind and The Crimea’s The Great Unknown. Your auditory pathways should find it most agreeable.

You can win tickets for the Enterprise show tonight (14 May) from Xfm…that’s all Davey said…you’re all on your own, best of luck…I’m sodding jealous of you if you get to go…

But this link may (or may not) be helpful.

   

Thanks be to Andy for passing along this link to the Crimea Xfm’s Radio session in April. Unfortunately they don’t have the session in its entirety, but you can listen to them perform Lottery Winners on Acid, Loop a Loop, and The Psychologist (a/k/a I know how to make you laugh).

Get out your calendar and start requesting time off from work…new Crimea shows and events are being announced.

Davey will be doing - and I quote - “an acoustic type thing” on BBC Radio 1’s Rob da Bank & Friends show on 26 May. Sorry to all of you who live in the GMT zone because I just noticed that Davey’s time slot is somewhere between 2 am and 4 am. Meanwhile, those of us on this side of the Atlantic will be enjoying his acoustic handiwork at far more reasonable hour (9pm Eastern/ 8pm CST / 7pm Mtn / 6pm Pacific) Listen to it online here. This is part of Rob’s “Campfire Special” and will also include some live tunes by Adem, Johnny Flynn, Jose Vanders, and Noah (from Noah & the Whale).

Keeping on the acoustic note: Davey will be heading back to his old stomping grounds of Aberstwyth to perform at the ‘castle rock‘ on the seaside. This is a free show…what an incredible setting…if no one gets photos or audio of this event then there will be trouble. Hear me? Trouble! Show starts at 8pm.

Summer festivals are just around the corner - The Crimea will be performing a full band set on 27 July at The Square Festival in Borth. (I believe Borth is slightly north of Aberstwyth.) If rumors be true, you get a discount to something called an Animalarium when you buy festival tickets. Let your imagination run wild with trying to figure out exactly what an Animalarium is. It sounds like an evil zoo [ED: surprisingly accurate description]…like lions and birds and kangaroos are held in a giant tank together to let Darwin and the food chain work their magic. Sounds like a lovely day out! Take your kids!

Reminder reminder reminder - Enterprise residency shows continue..tix are only £6, come on, what can you get for that pittance these days? Mark your calendars if you haven’t already done so - remaining dates are 14 May, 28 May, 09 Jun…all shows start at 8pm. Buy your tickets at thecrimea.net. And for more info on all future shows and festival appearances just check out the gigs page above (yes, it works again) or the Last.fm events page from which the listings are taken.

Lastly - quick thank you to Christopher for letting me guest blog at this site. If you haven’t checked out the Archives section of this website then you should reserve an evening and treat yourself. I did such a thing last Friday evening and it made for a crackin’ bit of reading as I enjoyed several glasses of rum & diet coke.. Christopher, hopefully this post came out better than the last one, but the paragraph formating codes are not playing nice so I apologize if you need to come in and tidy up again.

Crimea show tonight and new single in the wings…
More residency news; may the force be with them! …wait… wrong star show…

Read more »

It is I… ah who cares. Sorry I’ve been away so long; too busy hacking Xboxes, wireless hotspots & scart cables, playing video games, taking apart PCs and promptly putting them back together again (just like oversized novelty eggs), and trying to figure out the many technicalities of the UK’s video broadcasting and playback systems. Anyway, you don’t care about that do you? Crimea!

Well keep your eyes glued to the adverts for once and look out for a certain Trident Gum advert. Damn fools gone loop a loop… for the nation… erm…

And check out thecrimea.net starting tomorrow (well, technically, today) for more freebies. Damn world gone loop loop a loop a loo… And I do promise to fix up the site soon…netime. My mind just wanders…

The big boys Sina.com.cn have a fittingly large Crimea video on their site featuring the band’s 2007 Midi Festival performance in China. That’s the one without Julz. Who played with the at Chinese Pop Festival btw, have I been gone that long? Anyway, it’s 15 minutes long and has so many tunes crammed in I’ve already forgotten what they were. An alternative copy is at Tudou.com if you need it.

Two more Midi vids can be found at Mofile.com - Man and Loop A Loop, though they’re much lower quality mobile phone clips.

And if you still wanna check em out for real: gig details below. I’ve no idea who’ll be on guitar for them, but I heard a rumor a while back that made me wet myself. I have a good feeling it may just be Davey though. Don’t be too hard on him…