Author Archives: karlhyde

Friday 1st March

Posted on March 1, 2013 by karlhyde

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LAUGH OUT LOUD:

 

Bragadoon morning amongst the fields of Essex. Naked trees at play

dance in & out’ve the fog, laughing in echoes. Up before dawn, walk

the dirt tracks out’ve sight of roads. Back in time to record 

more voices, scripts that arrive in the night, tweak, speak, send. 

Drive to rehearsal, friends drop in to listen, leave smiling, lights

ignited in their eyes. I get the same feeling every time around this 

band.There’s an energy that counters dark inclinations, embarrasses 

anger, encourages laughter. This is an extraordinary & unexpected

journey, one I’m eager to share. 

Some will find the music odd, but others will recognise the signature,

rooted in DUBNOBASS…, in film, in travelling by car late at night,

in the street lights of deserted cityscapes after all the clubs 

have closed & in lying back on the beach at sunrise at the end of a 

joyous all-nighter chilling to the sound of the surf.  

 

(K)

Thursday 28th February

Posted on February 28, 2013 by karlhyde

2

HELLO MY SUN:

 

Red vibrant swirls tumble over the horizon like the best 

ever painting, like all the dances I’ve ever ingested.

Everything gets a glow on in the red light reflecting 

back to earth from under the wings of low flying birds. 

Nature doesn’t seem to be afraid today, birds hold their 

ground in hedges as I pass, even cars hiss low, respectful 

of the light show unfolding above the Essex prairies. 

Retrieve the dustbins, turn the studio on, record your voices, 

takes phone calls from Japan, slip between the fields on 

back roads to rehearsal fuelled on light. 

 

(K)

Wednesday 27th February

Posted on February 27, 2013 by karlhyde

1

HAPPY TOO…:

 

Be back in the Essex prairies, back amongst the tribe,

returned safely to the final week of rehearsals. I catch 

myself smiling, laughing with these lovely people, new

friends who make me feel like I’ve known them all my life. 

Their tallent, not only for music but for building a 

tangible positivity takes me by surprise daily. I’m 

excited about touring with these guys, have no idea 

what the journey will reveal & that’s the point.

Now the task of trying to remember words, arrangements,

chords & pedalboard settings without looking at my 

crib sheets….ha ha ha, 

 

(K)

Tuesday 26th February

Posted on February 26, 2013 by karlhyde

4

WRONG TURN AT ELEPHANT:

 

From the train to the tube, following the boys from South London 

I take a wrong turn at Elephant & end up in an alley between the 

shopping centre & street stalls. It’s the kind’ve place I lived 

in back in the day, dark corners where the dirt sings ‘Hallelujah!”

I sink back into my beast & adopt ‘the stare’, but if anyone looked 

twice they’d see right through it. Move fast, with extreme purpose, 

observe all exits, look ahead but listen behind. With a gang of 

zig-zag girls waling wide-eyed & ready, covering my rear I move 

swiftly to higher ground, drawn by the sound of traffic & the 

comforting glow of a London Underground sign. Sanctuary in the 

smell of dust & electricity sucked out’ve the holes beneath us.

The warm air hits me in the face & I inhale the skin of millions.

The lifts are rammed, eyes stare back at me, blinking. I take the 

stairs keep moving, remain out’ve sight of the sparking boys, 

sounding loud & up for it just ahead.

 

(K)

Monday 25th February

Posted on February 25, 2013 by karlhyde

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AT THE ELEPHANT:

 

The boys courted the girls with blunt sexual bravado 

& the girls reciprocated, laughing. The South 

London boys carried cans concealed in black plastic 

bags, single cans to set the blood fizzing for a

Saturday night uptown. The boys from Eastern Europe

passed a single plastic bottle round between them,swigging, 

laughing loud & shouting, intimidating the theatre crowd. 

But the boys from South London drank alongside them as if 

there was a wall between them, until the Eastern European 

Boys raised their plastic bottle in salute, touching it 

to the rims of the South London Boy’s cans,

“Yay!”.

The girls crossed & uncrossed their legs, watching 

with wild & excited eyes, dressed tight & revealing, 

taunting winter’s bitter wind with their relentless sexuality.  

 

(K)   

Sunday 24th February

Posted on February 24, 2013 by karlhyde

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SOUTH OF THE RIVER:

 

Two artists met in a south London flat to jam. One arrived 

in town by train then caught a bus to a pace he’d never been,

an adventure across the river. He got off at the wrong stop, 

or at least that’s what he thought, but as he walked through 

the streets vibrant images of scratched decay & torn paper 

walls made his eye jump around in his head, making him hungry 

to paint, letting him know he was on the right trail. 

‘Captain Pawn’, Hype hair sunrise’, signs spoke to him, 

greeted him, tipping their hats as he passed.

“Say ‘hello’ to the new Orange, he’s the Man, ‘we’ supply

the broadband”.

He grinned, slipped a camera from his pocket & gratefully 

accepted everything that was offered him. 

Later, much later, he stood, dazed & disassembled, rocking 

in a freezing wind on the lips of a north bound platform,

vibrating. Not even the glare of the lights could defused

his crumbling, nor the latent violence carried in the the belly

of the train could slow him down. Images & sounds came to 

sneer at him. No shapes or colours or symphony of city noise 

to lift him, the night was taking him to pieces from 

the inside-out. 

 

(K)

Saturday 23rd February

Posted on February 23, 2013 by karlhyde

1

THE SKY DRIBBLES SNOW:

 

The Sky dribbles snow like a hung-over drunk, 

taunts us with freezing wind like a cat plays 

with a mouse. We sink our heads into our necks

& walk the bitter walk, pretending we’re not here.

Standing on the sea wall at Tilbury I turn to the

photographer & say, 

“One day we’ll be too hot & that’s where I’m

living in my head right now”.

 

(K)

Friday 22nd February

Posted on February 22, 2013 by karlhyde

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LEATHER HEART:

Catch an early train in through the Emerald City

& out to the Edge. A day away from rehearsals walking

streets of the forgotten East. Terraced chapels,

wheely bins with numbers flaking, snooker halls,

scrap metal dealers, hand painted signs, hair dressers,

street names the resting place of Empire, pebble-dashed

double glazed outsider art. We’ll count ponies grazing

in the lee of power stations, stroll to the river,

mud stones, rusting chevrons, dinosaur timbres sinking under

the weight of history where new faces arrived with expressions

of hope, fuelled on the promise of work & betterment &

future Australians left in search of paradise.

Setting off to the sounds of ‘Mean Machine Chant’

by The Last Poets (I’m talking about the original band at the

roots of rap from the 1970’s), one more great track from the

brilliant Celluloid Records Compilation we’re featuring this

week. Keep out’ve that chill wind.

(K)

Thursday 21st February

Posted on February 21, 2013 by karlhyde

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HUNG-OVER FROM THE OLD DAZE:

 

Man I feel hung-over! Fifteen years without a drink, but 

partying late without a groove to dance to punches a hole 

in my soul big enough to drive a dark cloud through. 

Fortunately, remembering last night, where the company was 

bright, warm & enthusiastic, I don’t feel sorry for myself, 

just mashed. 

A freezing night at the O2 Dome, cruising car parks for 

drivers of generic black cars who know my name & can quote

my album release date. From bin day to rehearsal to limo to 

the Brit awards. Floating on sea of suits in a new pair of jeans, 

trainers like bleached teeth on the red carpet – following the 

yellow brick road. I don’t recall many nights off since 

this album & taking it on tour became reality & I’m happy

this one was in the company of my dear friend Rick.

Seems we only meet at award ceremonies, but the warmth

& light I feel when we greet reminds me we’re still

in this together. I’m excited to hear what he’s been doing,

holding my breath to see what he thinks about my band. 

There’s a lot to come out from us both this year & the good energy 

I felt last night from our new friends at Universal Records 

makes me smile, looking forward to the day with a grin, even if 

the body thinks it’s been up all night drinking.

 

Continuing this weeks feature of the Celluloid Records Story,

Richard Hell & Voidoids play ‘Destiny Street‘ loud, 

windows wide open, eyes on the horizon, clearing the head, 

to get ready to rehearse with a band I love – don’t know

if I’m coming or gone, but I know I’m still alive.

 

(K)

Wednesday 20th February

Posted on February 20, 2013 by karlhyde

5

SCOOTER IN A THORNBUSH:

 

Another uplifting day rehearsing on the Essex prairies

emerged from a morning chasing technical demons like stray

cattle. The guys in the band smile & get to work, the mood 

is light, focused, dedicated, peppered with laughter like 

traffic cones directing us towards the light. The set 

sounds great, I had no idea that playing the new album 

would feel this good & explorations into cherished U/W

classics reveal a whole other point of view that makes 

me want to revisit the entire U/W catalogue for live.

This has turned into a richly rewarding journey, will

anyone come to see us? – I hope so, because I’m excited

about sharing these sounds with everyone – please come. 

Later, as I stand in freezing wind on a floodlit football

pitch a conversation with Robert Plant, calling from a 

sunlit part of another world, one Midlands boy to another, 

imparts his enthusiastic encouragement & the advice I’d hoped 

for, a voice  that reminds me of the Birmingham edgelands 

we come from & of the fantastic journey we’re on. 

Thanks to all you friends for the support you give me daily. 

Now I’m gonna fire up ‘Koteja’ by the Bobongo Stars

turn it up loud & drive to rehearsal.

 

(K)