It is the strangest thing. - The whole room is smoke and darkness; nothing but silhouettes. And, yet, to my right - in the corner - is my good friend Jim. It is a stroke of luck that his is the only face I can see because this is the face I like to see most of all at gigs. He is smiling; willing me on. And seeing how much he is enjoying the songs makes me enjoy myself even more. Knowing that there's at least one happy face out there gives me new energy and I lose myself in the music.

It is the strangest thing. - I am dancing to the same song I just couldn't shake in high school. I am singing the words like it was yesterday. I am seventeen and in the park with friends; sunshine and a boombox. - 'If she wanna rock, she rock. If she wanna roll, she roll...' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm5TZX5hz3g) I am moved by the power of music to evoke strong, sweet memories; to transport me to another place, another time.

It is the strangest thing, being part of a one night tour family. We're just one stop but, the rest, they will carry on together and do it all over again. In this sense, it is bittersweet but we are so glad to have been a part of it.

Thank you to Benjamin and the Mash House for giving us the chance to support Stephen Kellogg and Eric Hutchinson on the Edinburgh date of their joint tour, which was a whole load of fun. - All the more so because Stephen warmly welcomed us as one of his extended tour family. But, also because I listened to Eric Hutchinson on repeat in high school!

We really enjoy support slots. - People are there to listen and engage with music in a way that doesn't often happen at pub slots. It's also far more atmospheric and professional. All our monitor mix worries were put at ease in an instant as soon as we saw Greg's face behind the desk. Greg had been on the sound desk at one of our previous gigs and did a marvellous job! As we'd expected, he made us sound great. You can find him here.

Afterwards, you get a buzz from the energy and anticipation leading to the headlining band, and it feels great to let loose and enjoy other people's music after sharing your own. Stephen and Eric are true show-gentlemen in their stage presence as it was a pleasure to be on the same bill as them. Oh, and check out the talented Hugh Kelly who was supporting alongside us!

Thank you ever so much to the Mash House for having us!

In other news, we may have done a little bit of recording with our good friend Stewart recently. - Our very talented friend Tim accompanied on fiddle. That's all I'll say for now!

Here's a poster of some of our upcoming gigs:

Collectively, we love stories. More and more, I feel that stories have become deeply embedded in our songs.

The best stories come from a deep, deep place; they are a remedy for our soul. We love a good story in the same way that we love spending time with people who interest and stimulate us. We look for the captivating and the enchanting; for anything that offers an escape from the mundane. Through our songs, we hope to tell stories. We both love a good story and, over time, we've found that the storytelling nature of our songs has become a huge element in our music. Our songs are stories; our stories are songs. We've found that this makes gigs really atmospheric for us and that, if people are listening to the words, they are able to really engage with the experience. Also, as a singer, it is really interesting to continually revisit the songs, to explore the characters, imagine what they are feeling and attempt to convey that. I feel so utterly connected to the songs and the stories. It is definitely a more challenging form of music and lyricism but an altogether more enriching one. I have found that I can really engage with the Piers and the chorus in particular is a cry of sorrow:

'All the years by the Piers,

All the years without fear.

Oh, my dear one,

How must I carry on.'

I have so many memories of this song and they stand to be the most vivid of my time as a musician. In particular, I remember performing it at the Danny Kyle stage at Celtic Connections to an eerily silent audience. I think that it is definitely my favourite song to perform, particularly because of the strong story element to it. Our songs definitely have a dark, mysterious nature about them, which I am really enjoying.

Speaking of stories, I'm currently reading Steinbeck's East of Eden. It is a very large book with very small words; perhaps the most threatening of books to an infrequent reader. I am so enamoured with Steinbeck's way with words and his incredible characters.  Nearing the end of the book, I really feel that Steinbeck is the KING of storytellers. - I am so lost in the story. Steinbeck definitely inspires me to keep on sharing our stories. 

I just thought I'd share just how much I've enjoyed how big a part of our music the stories have become, and also how exciting the prospect of developing the story and character element is. Although I, personally, write a small portion of the songs, it definitely inspires me to write more in this way. It's a very freeing, limitless prospect; a means of escapism. - My imagination can run wild where my personal experience has its boundaries.

I wrote the first half of this blog post in Edinburgh and the second in Madeira, so it's only fair that I say hello from Madeira and send a warm 'wish you were here!'

Here's a few pictures from gigs as of late:

The above is from an event we played hosted by Yelp Glasgow at Anta. - Photo credit to Alasdair Watson. Thanks to Briony for having us! The photo below is from Record Store Day at Europa Music in Stirling. - Photo credit to Gregor Boyd. Thanks to Ewen for having us once again!

 

Finally, here we are in Madeira. We are travelling with Corry's 92 year old grandad! Madeira is a
beautiful island. 

                                            

Love,

The Humors

PS. I just added a few gigs to the sidebar at the top of the homepage. But we'll have a few more dates 
to share with you soon!