Charles Latham session

Charles Latham, who co-stars with Withered Hand on our new split picture disc, recorded a session for Song, by Toad. It features 4 old favourites, all sounding ace, and there's an interview, too.

Try this for starters and then go and watch all the others over on Song, by Toad.

We're looking forward to meeting the Song, by Toad folk this Saturday at the Independent Label Market, where you can buy the picture disc.

What does it look like? Like this:

What does it sound like? Like this:

Picture disc available at Independent Label Market

We're getting the brand new Withered Hand and Charles Latham picture disc from the pressing plant this week. You can be among the first to have a copy if you come to the Independent Label Market this Saturday 13 July at Spitalfields Market.

Not only that, but there are special wooden badges designed and made by Pam Berry.

Hacia Dos Veranos' Limay album will be for sale, too. You need this record:

We're sharing a stall with Fika (who've just released the Bugbears album by Darren Hayman and the Short Parliament), OddBox (the Tyrannosaurus Dead EP is onee of the year's most exciting releases) and Darren Hayman himself, who's painted some test pressings especially for the occasion.

New picture disc starring Withered Hand & Charles Latham

Stepping out with a new band, and joined by Pam Berry of seminal DC noisepopsters Black Tambourine, Withered Hand return to the fray with 'King Of Hollywood', a storming statement of intent from Edinburgh's DIY urban worriers.

Even more riotously melodic than Withered Hand’s last 7”, 2012’s 'Heart Heart' on Fence Records, 'King Of Hollywood' channels Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps, The Animals’ gutsy grit and the urgency of America’s classic alternative rock underground. Dan Willson pens a delightful elegy to his mentor, King Creosote, with a typically delicious sardonic lyric:

“I fell asleep watching a buzz band, I peeked out under my hood, some of the people there were losing their shit, please let me be misunderstood.”

'King of Hollywood' is a true garage version of a song that will feature on Withered Hand’s second album in more polished form, due for release in early 2014.

Tennessee’s Charles Latham has been self-releasing music digitally for 10+ years. “Hard On”, from Latham’s first full-length album, 2006’s “Pretty Mouth”, has been covered by many artists, including Withered Hand. “Next To Nothing Blues” is the first of his songs to appear on vinyl, a split 7” picture disc with, yes, Withered Hand.

“Next To Nothing Blues” is a 2:45-in-the-morning tune, aching with bittersweet late-summer malaise. It could be a cut from the musical version of a John Cheever novella set at a formerly grand country estate in the early 1970s, the score co-written by Ray Davies, Rufus Wainwright and the ghosts of Elliott Smith and Vic Chestnutt, performed by an Appalachian chamber quartet.

Want! How can I buy this record?
Mail order from the bandcamp, or direct from either of the artists, or from a few record shops and mail order outlets. We're sorting that out now.

Released: 5 August 2013

Scott & Charlene's Wedding free gig July 14

Craig Dermody from Scott & Charlene's Wedding is playing an acoustic gig for us on Sunday July 14. This is particularly exciting for me as they're one of my favourite bands. Fakin' NYC from their second album, Any Port In A Storm, is in the same vein as last year's essential EP - the nagging insistence of Teenage Fanclub, the languid tunes of Real Estate (Alex Bleeker's songs, to be precise) and the trebly rebellion of The Modern Lovers’ Longbranch Saloon sound.


Craig came to the Lounge today. He's a top bloke and really looking forward to playing an acoustic gig. So are we. You can buy the new album at the gig. There might even be some Scott & Charlene's Wedding t-shirts, all painted by Craig, left.

Mathew Sawyer is playing a special acoustic set, too. Just imagine how good the already amazing I Got Lost In Hammersmith, for example, is going to sound.

Mathew - at last! - has a new album out in October.

The Lounge starts at 2pm. The live music starts at 3pm.

Coming down in the dregs of June

Yeah yeah, I'm late with this this month, stop your nagging, you're not my mother (unless you are actually my mother reading this, which is not impossible, in which case sorry Mum, I'll try harder next month).

June's half gone already! We've been drawing breath and taking it a bit easy after the travails of May. We're working on shows AND a brand new record in the next month or two, but more of that when it's time to tell you more of that. For now, here's what's coming up in the remainder of June.

JUNE THE SIXTEENTH - It's the Hangover Lounge's first ever DORIS DAY - all four of the HL chaps' partners are gong to be rocking the decks on one glorious afternoon. This will be FUN, probably MORE FUN THAN USUAL, especially since Carlie, Gwen, Jenn and Sue are well known for having more exquisite taste than their respective worse halves.
What's more, there will be celebration tinged with sadness as we say ta-ra to Robyn - it'll be her last Hangover Lounge behind the bar, as she's leaving the Lexington to start running her own alehouse in WATFORD. We love Robyn and if you've been to the Hangover Lounge half as much as you should have, we bet you love her too. Come and buy her a drink and say cheerio. Buy us one while you're at it, and say cheers.


JUNE THE TWENTY THIRD - our Canadian Chum Michael White, who's busy writing a book about Sarah Records, will be playing some records, if he manages to survive the excitement of the Scared To Get Happy shows the night before. There may be another guest this afternoon, we'll let you know.

JUNE THE THIRTIETH - it's not an HL event, but upstairs in the evening there's a benefit show in tribute to the late Jason Molina, ranged by our great friends at Scared To Dance, and featuring our great friends The Wave Pictures and Rotifer, plus additional very secret very special guests who are also great friends of ours, even if we're not allowed to tell you who they are. It'll be a great night and you should probably just buy yourself a ticket or two. Yes Mum, that includes you.
We haven't confirmed any actual guest DJs for the afternoon yet, but we're working on something appropriate, and appropriately awesome.

Until July,  chums. Keep out of the sun. It burns.

Now We Are FIVE!

Please be good enough to allow us a brief moment of self-indulgence: we had a delightful birthday party and here is the evidence, in alphabetical order:

Amor De Dias looking relaxed in rehearsal: 

and sounding inspired in performance:

Birdie reminding us all how much we have been missing them: 

Ignacio from Hacia dos Veranos sitting in the sunshine:

and later with Gwen and Harvey on stage:

Massive thanks to everyone who played so well, including the musicians and our ace DJ Andy Lewis; plus all our chums at the Lexington who work so hard while we're farting around; also Ed from Five Points Brewery who made our delicious birthday beer and helped it to be provided at a hangover-inducing special price, and to Celine for bringing crumble. CRUMBLE!

And to the bunch of awesome nutters who gave us this (especially Bill, thanks for making the effort):

And to everyone who bothered to come along, thanks a lot and see you soon!

Five Reasons to come to our birthday party on Sunday part FIVE!

OK, just to re-cap:

1. Free handprinted Hangover Lounge Beermats
2. Free hangover Lounge fanzine featuring contributions from: Berry, Pam; Hayman, Darren; Latham, Charles, Hand, Withered; US.
3. Special awesome Five Points Hangover Lounge birthday beer at a special price
4. Free giveaway HL favourite tunes CD

Not bad, right? RIGHT? Right.

Now, the fifth and best reason is that the show will really be particularly amazing. Sorry to go on about this, but :

 - Hacia Dos Veranos: a rare appearance and also some special guests (you may or may not know who they are but you should know by now that our special guests are worth looking out for)
 - Birdie: if HDV are making a rare appearance, this is like finding yourself face to face with a red-rumped swallow somewhere north of the Wash. Twitcher friends, this is worth turning out for.
 - Amor de Dias: we released their first recording, we love them beyond all reason, and we are very proud to be hosting their first ever full-band show. There's no guarantee you'll see such a thing happening again and I promise it'll be a thrill.

Still a few tickets left for this one, you'll be sorry to miss it.