A Gig of Friendly Faces

So, we played a gig. But that’s not all.

It began early on Monday afternoon, in our experience Monday gigs are generally a wash out; people are unwilling to brave the elements in search of a good time, and normally us bands end up playing to each other. However, this Monday seemed to be of a different ilk; the sun was shining and faces were bedecked with nervous smiles. We all appeared at the Millpond bright and early, around thirteen hundred hours, and stood around looking at each other expectantly for a while. With our normal slow paced charm we ambled into practice.

Things were plugged in, fiddled with then unplugged again we were off; with a successful band practice under our belt. We piled into various modes of transport with our instruments, and in James’s case; crutches. We sped through the New Forest at a recklessly slow pace, only halting for the inevitable traffic jam or dull witted wild animal. We saw lots of them. Loads.

We rocked up in Southampton some time after four o’clock, and descended on the Joiner’s Arms. The Joiner’s has always held a special place in our hearts, we’ve played many, many gigs there; this one was to be something entirely different.

Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. Mr Michael Breach is our favourite sound engineer; he seems to understand what we’re doing a little better than we do, most of the time. Also his band is really cool. He was there to greet us; for a while we all just stood around saying how glad we were to see each other. Hugs were exchanged after a short interlude. Then we bumped into Phil Cory, Phil is some kind of wizard, I’m sure. He knows lots of arcane things about music, guitars especially; he actually helped mix our last attempt at a single. That night he was on hand to dazzle us with lights, and his choice of headwear.

We nudged the other bands out of the way and leapt onto the stage, everyone took their places; and there were more places to take than usual, as we were to be joined by some special guests; Ladies. Up on stage with us animals there was also to be two delightful little beings; one Lady of the Lake (to play keys and emit sublime vocals) and one Jess Illsley (to play harmonica, and jiggle around a bit). Sound check was fun; everyone in the room was astounded by the direction our music has taken. So were we.

We ate and drank and headed upstairs to the green room to relax, instead we boiled. We couldn’t open the door onto the roof terrace, and the promoter who was running the night had decided (we think) to retain the keys until we gave into his demands to go on earlier. Needless to say we continued to boil, much to our eventual credit. I think we went on at the right time, in the end.

The doors opened and people flooded in. Lovely people, people you’d like to dance around with. The bar was packed, and it was not long until we all overflowed into the live room.

We clambered up on stage, and from there on it all gets a little hazy. We played four new songs unheard by cultured ears before. They all went down incredibly well. The other four songs are available to download, just email Moses. There are videos of the gig up on youtube somewhere, for your delectation. We danced, the audience danced, the audience clapped, we clapped, we sang and they sang. Fun was had, by all.

We came off stage to a room full of smiles, the band included. I was a bit dazed afterwards; people wanted to talk to us, buy our CDs and ask us questions. I must apologise for being incoherent; both then and now, it still hasn’t really sunk in.

After playing we stuck around for a while, but we were all a little frazzled by the day’s events by then; so we headed back to the Mill Pond; into which we promptly jumped, after imbibing a little liquid courage. We then, somewhat inadvertently imbibed some pond water, and felt a little sick.

A perfect end to a rather bizarre experience.

We’re now back in Brighton gearing ourselves up for yet another gig; wish us luck.

… …

… …

Jacob / Bassist / Modern Fighting Vehicles.

Jack Kerouac; eat your heart out.

So, here we are. Driving west, once again. Heading back from our new hometown; Brighton, to our old one; Southampton.

We cruise through Britain’s green and pleasant land, looking for all the world like a car full of the kind of KGB agents you wouldn’t mind partying with. Behind the wheel of the car sits Jess Illsley, a strange little light who has crept, so softly, so irrevocably into our lives. Jess has been good enough to drive us back to Southampton. Amongst so many other things; we owe a lot to this girl.

Spirits are high, and being high, they are hard to discern at such heights. I was never cut out for altitude. I think we’re all looking forward to the gig, it should be fun. Fun, fun, fun, fun.

Jess misses Mo’s hair; she cut it last night and is now having second thoughts. I however, think that Moses looks like an Olympic swimmer, or perhaps a character from ‘La Dolce Vita’, maybe one of the paparazzo. His sunglasses help, and the cravat.

This gig will be the second, grander, experiment that we will have conducted recently. The line-up is the same apart from Max who won’t be joining us this time; he’s roasting his coconuts on a beach in Indonesia. With this in mind we’ve booked some gigs. The first gig was held at The UK’s oldest outdoor swimming pool. That’s the kind of thing we do, apparently. August 16^th promises to be something else entirely, for one; although we’re performing without Max, we will not be bereft of a second voice.

Birdy, dear sweet Birdy, Mo’s little sister, Lady of the Lake, has consented to come out to play with us ruffians. Having featured on our records already, it took little convincing to win the little bird-legged thing over; she now knows all our tunes, perfectly. The sounds are incredible. Which is probably just as well, as James may or may not have broken his leg, playing tag, so his dancing may not be up to much.

Jess, remember her? I mentioned her earlier, may also make an appearance on stage, at some unspecified point, making yet unspecified movements and noises. We’re looking forward to it. Mo is now holding her hand, the poor thing is having a heart attack, shooting pains, or something.

Moses has been, somewhat short-sightedly, left in charge of the music; we’ve gone from listening to ‘Arcade Fire’s’ brilliant new album to ‘Lollypop’ by the Cordettes. As James put it, “this car’s like a little white time machine.” the car is called Vivian.

We’ve just stopped to stock up on supplies. Our meagre funds don’t stretch far in modern petrol stations, and once again food is forgone for a pack of cigarettes. Life goes on, and so do we, back on the road. We sit in the car, making one another aware of the superiority of our own choice in spoils from the petrol station raid.

The music is indiscernible to me now, but I am assured it is good. I know it’s only a matter of time before I hear ‘je suis un rockstar’ once more. The tension builds, before being inevitably crinkled into a small ball and tossed decadently out the open window.

We all have a little sugar in us now, or nicotine, depending on your poison. We’re getting fidgety.

We ride on the back of other people’s music, to the sight of the road opening out before us.

We whisper on.

Jacob / Bassist / Modern Fighting Vehicles

The Mill Pond and The Big Fruit

Dearest Creatures,

As you might have noticed we had a little weeee bit of trouble getting the record out on iTunes on time. This is due to some technical difficulties we encountered with a very important fruit.

However it will be on iTunes in a few more weeks... SO if you feel outraged, cheated and plain simple down right squoozled out of your copy of From The Mill Pond Pt.1, fear not! For you can email us at moses.bogarde@gmail.com and we will send it to you in it's entirety for FREE. That's right FREE!

Just to say sorry for being so messy.

If you are desperate to pay us for our music, you can pick up a hand made copy from us at a show near you soon.

Very sorry to keep you waiting.

Love

Moses, Modern Fighting Vehicles

x x x x

A Free Download From Us to You...

Wait, no stop. Listen, this is all too much.

The internet is full of us, and every bar and place of gathering is brimming with starving artists.

At least that's the way it seems. And yet here we are; I've written something and you're taking the time to read it, for that alone, thank you. We're already half way there.

We've been busy, well what passes for busy, and we've made some recordings. Not having any money, but instead ambition and recklessness, has lead us to retreat to the mill pond. There in the rural idyll that we grew up in, we have made something.

This thing we would like to give to you.

Don't get us wrong, we like money, but right now that's not our prime concern. Right now we just want you to listen.

You can download one of our new tracks, for free, right now .

And I urge you to, if only from baseless curiosity, or want of a free lunch. Do it.

Take it away with you, put it in your pocket. Treat it as you will, give it to all your friends, or don't. Play it at parties, when you want to surprise people with a band you've heard of first, play it in your room to while away the long nights. Take it and play it.

DOWNLOAD WATCH YOU BURN BY MODERN FIGHTING VEHICLES BY CLICKING HERE.

The song we are giving you is from a four-song demo, that we have made ourselves, next to a lake. In the near future we shall be building upon this demo, making and recording new music; that's really got us, and some big people out there, quite excited.

So, take it. Play it. Enjoy it.

If you feel the need to let us know what you think of it, get in touch, we don't bite.

Unless provoked.

Jacob. x

The Bright lights of Brighton

Dear friends,

The Modern Fighting Vehicles are back, like Die Hard three; with a vengeance. We’re living a strange life at the moment, far from friends, family and familiar faces, although we’re doing our best to build anew.
Currently we’re somewhere between hunting tigers and typing numbers; the mundane comes hand in hand with superb prismatic surprises, but then again, no war was ever fought without biscuits.

The band are working hard at the moment, in collaboration with some true friends; namely brother Michael Breach and a mysterious figure from the shadier side of the design world, known as ‘The Projector’, whose creations will permeate all our further works.

Good news abounds, Mo’s twelve-year-old sister, Birdy, has been signed by Warner Brothers. Pipping us to the proverbial post by a mere eight years… we couldn’t be happier for her, nor prouder.
And yet here, the procession towards notoriety continues apace, soon we will be, as Moses puts it, ‘the leisure pirates of Brighton’.
To sum up,

‘I’m hunting for a Tiger skin,
Unfortunately so far,
They’ve all had Tigers in.’

- A line from our friend, The Projector.

Courage in love,

Noah, Bassist of the Modern Fighting Vehicles.