Tips for 2011

1. Gylfi Sigurdsson



2. Rum


3. Delta/Alaska

Happy new year, everyone!

So here it is...

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Is everyone having fun?

I planned to start my Christmas holiday yesterday but have spent the past two days solidly working. I think my to-do list as finally waved the white flag, though, and my attention has now turned almost completely to the idea of watching a full series of 24 in one sitting, in real time. What's more festive than pretending to be Jack Bauer for a day?

Been meaning to post something about our xmas tour since I returned home but time has been against me and also, I don't really know where to start. An incredible week of packed (and in a couple of cases, sold) out gigs, people singing and dancing, Christmas spirit and some very fetching hats. Both Tall Ships and Tangled Hair will be back with new releases in early 2011 so keep an eye out for those. I feel good things are on the horizon for them.

We've got a crazy amount of stuff lined up for you in 2011, I think you're all gonna be pretty happy. We've just announced our '11 Collection, following on exactly where the '10 Collection leaves off in just one weeks time. There are new albums on their way from Shapes, Dad Rocks!, Kevin Devine and more, as well as the long-awaited debut EP from Men. In the past week a couple of really cool new things have been confirmed, but I'm not telling you about them until January, and there's a pretty big announcement about the future of the label and a couple of good friends of ours.

Have a good one. Take it away, Mariah...

Banquet

It's no secret that Banquet Records is our favourite UK record shop. As if their fine taste and never-ending support of our humble little label (and the independent music scene in general) wasn't enough, they throw the best parties Kingston could ever wish for and will continue to be the lynchpin of one of this countries most thriving scenes for a long time to come.

Throughout December they're running an advent calendar, giving away awesome prizes every day. To coincide with our night at New Slang last Thursday they offered a load of free BSM MP3s and 10 bundles of CDs to lucky winners. I now have the difficult task of picking them.

Banquet's web guy, fellow Nando's lover, Man City fan and all-round dashing chap, Tom Pennington, suggested I film a video of said winners being drawn. "I'm sitting here in a dressing gown with a pink towell draped over my head, absolutely full of cold" said I. "There will be no video". Instead, I'm staying behind the comfort of my computer screen and giving you my 10 favourite entries from those posted on their website...

Muhammad Johar - for his use of smiley faces, Twitpic and video cameras

Carrie_hw - for very patiently waiting for her BSM100 order, and probably owning more BSM releases than I do now!

Ben Andrewes and Michael Webb - cos I like to imagine them fighting over the division of the prizes. Shared custordy, people.

ejolleys - for meeting someone special at a BSM gig

lee_from_winchester - for also meeting someone special at a BSM gig. And I don't mean Walter Schreifels, although he's special too

tom__ftw - cos summer '09 was my favourite, too

Scott Williams - for being a big fan... with poor taste in football teams

Greg Moore - for watching Colour play whilst standing on bins outside of a sold out venue

Rob Godley - for wordplay

Azaelgon - for absolutely breaking my heart. Get in touch, I want to send you another CD!

Thanks to everyone who entered, it was a really difficult decision and it means a lot that so many of you took the time to write such nice things. If you were there for Tall Ships and Tangled Hair on Thursday, I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope you enjoyed my little DJ set. Will Smith 'Miami'? You're welcome.