Right Now.......

A friend inspired me to write this. Recently i have had time to reflect on the 'industry' i've ended up in, and the way music is sold and listened to in so many different parts of the world. Its amazing how far things have come in one sense but how far things have fallen away in another. Its not just music though, its art in general. How something can go from being so personal and just an image or idea in someone's mind, to suddenly being in millions of homes and minds across the world. Mind blowing really. Makes me question why i do this.

And still the answer is that i'm trying to find some way to get something out, expression I suppose. Some people question what I do sometimes and dont understand that being a part of The Music or writing blogs on here are to me an attempt to show people that they are not alone. This is not for personal reasons or gain. Obviously I want to survive and be able to make music, but it is not to show "my talents", its for empathy. Because somehow i might feel alone like someone else and we might just find a way of helping each other. For a while things became focused on a "career" and "how do we get this thing bigger - how do we make it sell more". To be honest both those things are irrelevant to me. What really matters to me are people and making the most of my time i have here. I am not going to take my life for granted. I want to see the world and write music and talk about life through my eyes. It's simply in an attempt to understand it a little more. We cant help who we are...... After recently playing a festival, i can see that things have changed dramatically. Kids no longer sing the words to songs. They are singing melodies,bass lines and hooks that have been driven into the psyche. Suddenly the meaning and emotion invested in the song originally, becomes a by product of it. Well i guess this has happened for a while, thinking about it. It seems as if the art has gone into the selling of a song instead of being the song. These days we can sell anything. Tv and radio seem scared again of playing anything remotely thought provoking. The mainstream is now very conservative. Its almost as if some parts of history never happened. Where are the people with taste, pride and dignity? Whenever i talk about these things i get accused of taking myself and this expression too seriously. Maybe i do. The people who inspired me to start doing this like, Bob Marley, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Bruce Lee, all took what they did very seriously. All died trying to find themselves in this world and open doors in peoples minds. All we do is take what they did and sell it....it seems so anyway, because where are those values and existing beliefs now? The 'industry' does not seem to be in a very good place now. My advice to anyone who can help change it would be to think beyond their own gain or get the fuck out! They attempted to do a lot for music and for "their" people. They worked hard and played harder. Even bands like Radiohead and Coldplay who i have the upmost respect for seem to be doing weird things like, giving their music away? Its sounds great and dead hippy but the reality of the situation is it is not so great for the smaller up and coming bands on labels who have no money to even tour. It seems easy to do that if you're already secure, and i suppose it's just people reacting to the reality of the way things are and that people get music for free anyway. But how are we going to keep producing art that's exciting and new if we are taking the value away to the point that people can't even survive to do it. It's a confusing time and it doesn't feel like a creative time in general, where's the heroes and the brave ones? The people to inspire the next generation..
I found myself sat on the bus yesterday reading and this kid about 13 or 14 playing this music out of his phone. I sound old and jaded when i say this but i could not understand what he was getting out of it? He was not tapping his foot, there were no words, it was as if it was a social status thing. Like he felt he had to listen to this to be cool.....it didn't mean anything to him beyond that. Surely there's more to it than that. Come on for fucks sake. Lets try and make it matter.

6:16 AM - 26 Comments - 29 Kudos - Add Comment

........

Wake up....diving out of bed and thrown into the shower to prepare for the blue. Nothing comes close to this. Like the first time man saw his reflection. A plan of communication and a plan to feel alive. Bottled for years are the feelings of love for someone. Dont get too close, because we all have to say goodbye. Life is timeless if it is craved enough. We will live forever, the mind will sadly not.

8:18 AM - 17 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

........

Never find the meaning of life through the eyes. Touching it is not an option. Trying to forget her eyes. 3 days seems like a lifetime. From moments of danger to moments of unbounded joy. The word love seems to create paradox. Never mention 'I' never mention 'you' i only mention 'us'. Worries of the sun dying out and life being sucked into the vastness of nothing. Worries fade as realisation says that time is man made. The sun has no conscious in which to grow tired. Man tries to find words which he created to describe something he did not. No words can explain what we are born knowing. When nothingness is accepted things become lighter. Moving through space is actually nice. The worlds happiness is, getting what it wants. It is the reason why the world will never be completely happy.

8:28 AM - 13 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

........

A frowning brow makes this head ache. Go wear that old coat that reminds us of our youth. As we wear it, we wear the attitude that puts the spring in our step. Like an old friend, old habits arise and fortune seems meaningless. The beginning of every year, is the beginning of our best year. We must not let what drove us yesterday, drive us today. For countless years this tree has decorated the earth, like a leaf for every life.

RMNH

3:19 PM - 14 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

........

Vanity sits in an ocean of doubt, hoping for the wind and holding its sails out. He is desperate for attention glancing at the phone, like germs that collect on the toilet door handle. It grows without detection. You do not know this. Brief the encounter of life without thought. Polluted is the beauty of the human mind, crawling through the years with only one thing in the mind. The world stays polluted. This is not green. This is far greater than the apple tree. This fruit is not forbidden.

RMNH

9:14 AM - 4 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

.......

Its like nothing else. It enters through the eye and sends a shock through the body and fires the heart into rapid action. Acting out of character and trying harder than usual. Nerves take hold and the flowering begins. Constant pounding images flood through the film running through the mind. Images and possibilities of reality coming true. Forcing destiny's hand and longing for the touch. Before there was nothing and now there is light. It shines on the one who has turned the heart into a drill. A bag over the shoulder carrying the past is always swinging in the way of actions. Leave it behind and see another pick it up. Treat the mind like an airport and if the baggage is left unattended it will be destroyed. Put it down.

RMNH

9:30 AM - 11 Comments - 18 Kudos - Add Comment

Festivals

Festivals are always great for us. I feel its our best place to shine and present our music to a bigger audience. We love playing in tents because of the vibe. Not a fan of the main stage so much because the sound is blown all over by the wind. I might think differently if we were headlining though.

We have Leeds and Reading coming up this coming weekend. Leeds is always special for obvious reasons, so i hope it is just as special this time. Reading has always suprised us at the warm reaction we get, so buzzing about that as well. Jersey live is going to be something new for us but we are very excited to get to a new place and we will smash it im sure.

We have a busy few weeks coming up as we aim to do some writing as well before we head to Japan again. We are also organising more UK dates later this year so keep your eyes and ears open for the dates.

To those who are going to Leeds or Reading i hope to see you there and hope you enjoy it.

Love ROB x

11:44 PM - 10 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

Currently Listening to.......

1. Words Find Meaning by Marc Ashken
2. Mykonos by Fleet Foxes
3. Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac
4. Afraid Not Scared by Ryan Adams
5. Mouth To Mouth - Original Mix by Audion

Good times x

Big Love ROB x

8:25 AM - 19 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Single Out Monday

For anyone who cares to know....The spike is released Monday 11th.

Not putting too many expectations on it as we have had the push already with the record and the tour.

Once again thanks to everyone who is staying with us. Ive been messing with a few ideas over the last few days and im dying to get writing again.

Really enjoyed Xfm session yesterday. Enjoyed Playing the U2 song. Was top x

Big Love x

4:09 PM - 17 Comments - 20 Kudos - Add Comment

Australia

Going to Australia always blows my mind. Its one of those places you look at when you are younger and can only dream about going to, so whenever I'm there I always feel privileged.

When i think back to previous times there, i have fond memories of the festivals - Big Day Out, Splendour in The Grass and also our own gigs which have always been top nights. The great thing about this trip was realising the new album is really connecting in Oz. We were chuffed when the gigs in Sydney and Melbourne sold out quickly, we never take that stuff for granted.. It's a great feeling knowing people want us there, it drives us to want to keep going back and to give our shows and the new songs everything.

This trip was pretty fucking full on. We played 3 shows on the bounce, starting in Sydney, then moving onto Melbourne the next morning and then finishing off by returning to the Splendour In The Grass festival in Byron Bay. It was amazing. I felt really ill before the Sydney show. I was shivering and felt like i was getting a cold. As soon as we stepped on stage though and felt the energy in the room, i knew it was going to be a show to remember. We've reached a point where i believe that as a band we have the ability to make every night special now.

Touring is always tough but this trip really tested our patience off of the stage. We really had to prove to ourselves that we can be tight as a band in lots of ways. You know how it is when you get tired?......even the smallest of things can become a panic. After the sydney gig we had to leave in the early hours of the next morning to make it to Melbourne in time for press and sound check. Turns out our flight was cancelled due to bad wind conditions......perfect, we are late and we dont know if the bird will make it off the ground. The party got split into 3 and had to meet in Melbourne arrivals. We made it and got things sorted and the Melbourne crowd gave us the energy to put on another top show. I headed to bed as soon as i could for a massive 3 hours sleep before the journey on to Splendour.

A 5am lobby call stunk of beer as some of us stayed up all night and some of us took the sleep option. I chose sleep but i think the Rock n Roll members of the team might have had the right idea. This was gonna be a tough trip. Arriving at the airport was a relief. More trouble with the flights again meant we could have had another hour in bed but when you have had 3 hours, 4 isnt much better. We landed safely and took a van to the festival site in byron bay. It was 80 degrees and this is the Oz winter. bastards, ha. I soon perked up after seeing some of the local girls walking round... Things only got better though when we were directed by a hippy into a field of mud and our van got stuck right in the middle of it. All of us pushing it didn't help..especially with a big crowd looking on and having a laugh, so we sacked it off and headed for the dressing room, absolutely knackered.

One of the great things about being on tour is that you end up bumping into old friends just when you really need perking up. We spent a lot of time in buses and gigs with The Vines and it was great to see those lads and the people around them by our dressing room when we arrived. We went through a lot with them and it's always a pleasure to see them. Top lads. We only had a couple of hours though before we headed onstage and walking out to a crowd of up for it Aussies is one of the best feelings there is. The tent was absolutely rammed and we were shocked and humbled by the love and support we received. Its great to have these people with us. This place is great.


A huge thanks to all the fans in Oz. We didnt realise how much the band meant to you. We will see you all again in the future and give everything we can for more shows that feel as great as these did.

Big Love x

Robert Michael Nelson Harvey

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ewjEdY3OvRQ

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IdiEHDBUvMY

4:16 AM - 15 Comments - 20 Kudos - Add Comment