By far and away the highlight of my time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year was seeing a play called ‘Dirty Great Love Story’.
The show is doing a run at the Soho Theatre in March and I was super chuffed that they have used my music for the trailer which you can see below. Please go and see it, it is utterly superb.
More info and tickets here – http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/dirty-great-love-story/
It was a cold cold Sunday evening and the cycle there was epic but what a warm welcome we got on arrival at Whipps Cross Hospital Radio station.
Ian and Terry have a lovely little empire of buttons and dials and toys and microphones and other wonderful things. Candy and I sang three songs live on air and I did an interview which you can now hear online here – www.wxhr.org.uk/listenagain.php#rgib.
Candy and I had a stab at recording a new old song yesterday called Joanna. Have a little listen below and let us know what you think of it. Might be time to get in the brass section perhaps or maybe just leave it naked as is… #whoknows
Ok, so in a couple of weeks time I am going to be touring around the south of England in the van pictured below with my brilliant poet genius of a friend Ryan Van Winkle and some other joyous people such as Garance Louis.
I am joining the bus from Leeds.
This is all in the name of some ‘Gorilla Perfume‘ mischief organised by Lush who make ethical cosmetics and whose soap I often used before I moved onto a boat, became a smelly hippy and generally stopped washing (too much information, ed.)
No idea what exactly I have let myself in for but we are going to be doing loads of gigs in venues around the country and in the tiny van below… and I genuinely approve of Lush a company and always say yes to anything Ryan asks me to do (do you really mean that? ed.)
My songs are being used to help deaf people with cochlear implants get enjoyment from music again.
I am not sure how long this BBC video piece will be live but it is quite a fun 60 seconds… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-19786914
A computer-based music rehabilitation programme has been launched to help deaf people hear music more clearly.
Developed at the University of Southampton it allows deaf people to pick out the individual sounds of musical instruments which they often find difficult.
The Institute of Sound and Vibration Research has spent two years working with patients from the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre to create the programme.
I am looking forward to this gig next Tuesday very muchly indeedio… Think folk music, hay bales and vegetables in Chelsea, darling…
Facebook says just shy of 150 people are coming at the moment, golly goshucks, and of course, the internet never lies. http://www.facebook.com/events/395592357160717/
…but over 31,000 people have now downloaded my three albums from the creative commons website Jamendo… Thanks lots guys, whoever you are!
I have always had a lot of time for John Buckman, the man behind Magnatune so I am really happy to be getting involved in his newest venture, iLicenseMusic.
You can see my page on the site here – http://ilicensemusic.com/g/Alt%20Rock/Robin%20Grey …and yes, of course I am ‘alt-rock’ …how dare you suggest otherwise!
iLicenseMusic provides royalty free music can be reuse and distribute in pretty much any project. A £89 monthly fee gives complete access to the entire catalog, which seems like a good deal to me and John always makes sure a good chunk of that money gets to the creators and musicians.
I don’t use the word ‘love’ often about venues but I can whole heartedly use it to describe the Southbank Centre. It is one of my favourite places in London and the scene of some of the best gigs I have done.
I am delighted that I have been asked back again to play a free lunchtime concert 1pm on Friday 28th September in The Front Room @ QEH – do come with sandwiches!
I will be joined by Basia Bartz on violin, Candy Parfitt on vocals and Caitlin Roberts on accordion.