It's all coming together nicely now

Look out sydney!

As I write this, i'm spending my last night in NYC after we've taken a three month hiatus. When I get back, you (Sydney) have one week to prepare before The Small Hours are unleashed upon unsuspecting spectators on Friday 15th of Feb at Spectrum (34 Oxford St Darlinghurst) in support of the wonderful Ruby Suns (if you saw them supporting The Shins last year you'll know how good they are) and Melbourne favourites The Smallgoods. We've been sending demos back and forth across the Pacific in the last couple of months and we'll be previewing a few of our new songs at this show, so if you're keen come on down and check us out, it should be a really really great night.

Following that, the next weekend we are returning to Sydney's finest venue The Hopetoun Hotel (416 Bourke St, Surry Hills, cnr Fitzroy st) on Sunday the 24th and playing with Cuthbert and The Nightwalkers on the last night of their January residency. It's an early start, with things kicking off at 6pm and it well set you back a measly $6 I believe. There's really nothing like kicking back at the Hopetoun on a Sunday arvo in summer with a few beers so come along for the festivities!

These might be our last shows before we head into the studio to record our debut EP, due some time in the next few months. Exciting details to be revealed about that soon. We're all really pumped about the next few months and are just itching to play live again, so come on down and have as much fun as we will!

Craig

Allison!

Hey!

Our song 'Allison' got rated No.11 on Sydney music blog Getbiglittle kid's top songs of 2007. Check it out here: http://getbiglittlekid.com/index.php?paged=3. We were terrible surprised too.

Craig's back in a few days and the poor guy has so much work ahead of him on so many fronts. Wish him well and we'll see you Feb 15th at Spectrum with some bangin' new tunes.

We're Coming Back!

Hello,

Much like the union's in a one eyed Howard supporting election campaign, we're coming back! Craig will return from his time spent in the wintery depths of the big apple sporting suspenders and other sultry fashion items. Peter will stop sorting his music files. Harrison will stop being a full-time Elephant Boy and i'll be done with studying in a few weeks time. The focus is then to be writing and rehearsing in anticiaption of our return to playing live. It's probably been our biggest break yet, 10 weeks so far.. Our first show is supporting Cuthbert & The Nightwalkers on the 24th of February at The Hopetoun Hotel as part of their February residency. This show's the day before Craig's birthday so come down and buy him plenty of drinks. We then have aspirations to record a single (the teen record) for release in April. So stay tuned.

Bonza!
Mark

Will it work?

ooooo

Obligatory monthly blog post

Yikes! A month almost passed without a single blog post. Imagine that. So much vital Small Hours information would have gone untold. Vital information like the fact that I have nothing to report. Yes, aren't you glad you're here reading this. But amongst all our unproductivity, we have managed to spawn two mp3s. They are not songs, but rather wild beasts that escaped the axe. They are not even worthy of the ten minutes they occupy. But will that stop you? Don't worry, it's not long before we resume our roles as useful human beings again. See you in November!

Jam Session?
Maria (Soft Tigers Cover)

p.s Craig takes no responsibility for any of the contents in this post.

4th. We swear.

Welcome to yet another infrequent update from the land of small hours. Exciting times lie ahead and we're filled with more enthusiasm than that guy can poke a mic stand at. On Saturday we head to Spectrum with Ice Cream Hands and The Laurels which will be great. We have the last of our limited edition demos to give away, but you'll have to fight for them.

You better not miss it cause it will be our last show for at least a month. We've decided to take a short break in preparation for our big break in November (makes sense). With all the shows we've been doing, new stuff has taken a back seat and we're looking to rectify that. So unless Bono asks us to play for some starving kids, you shan't be hearing much of us during October.

However, when November arrives, we will be back in full force to play three huge weekends before Craig heads off to the land of prohibition. They include a trip to Melbourne and super Sydney band night which you'll find out about very soon. Until then, look out for some new demos and if you're lucky, another exhilarating installment of moral slush.

More Band Comp And More

It's starting to seem like the band comp is all that ever gets blogged about these days. When we started this place, we thought we'd be offering commentaries on the all the important issues in life (the art of train travelling may still one day arrive) and even toyed around with the idea of a podcast. Ha! Reality is so much less exciting than the imagination. But hopefully we'll be able to keep this place vaguely relevant by offering the occasional update on goings on. And that's exactly what I intend to do right now.

Returning to the band comp, we are indeed in the semi's which take place tomorrow. We went along to the first semi and discovered just how tight the competition is. The Laurels and The Jezabels made it through and if we're fortunate enough to make it through to the finals it will be incredibly tough. Still, we're enjoying the challenge and it's forcing us to perform to our best which can never hurt. We'll be playing a filler free 20 minute set, so make sure you're there by 6.30 for all the action.

In life beyond the band comp (yes, there is one) we are gradually counting down the days until Craig heads to America. This will be forcing us on a 3 month break (unless we replace him with an iPod). So until then (mid November) we will trying to fit in as much as possible. This includes a gig with The Lovetones and Belles Will Ring, which come to think of it, is a mere 2 weeks away. Should be great.

It's also looking our dream of going to Melbourne may just happen after all. We're hoping to head down with our best pals Cloud Control and are wetting our proverbial pants in anticipation. If there's any Melbournites out there, we may see you soon. We might also be sleeping on your floor so clear a space.

On top of this, we'll probably be adding a few gigs along the way (keep your eyes peeled for a VERY big Sydney band night which we may be involved with), plus if all goes to plan, we should have a couple more demos to shove in your face. SO STAY TUNED. Until then, we'll keep on doing what we supposedly do best: making music and neglecting our blog. See ya round. Say hello!

We're through to the semi-finals

Dope.

Band Comp Bonanza

Hey peoples. Just reminding you that this Friday is our band comp quarter finals at Sydney Uni and we’d love it you would come along. It’s sure to be a bucket full of fun. We’re up against some pretty hefty competition so if we can get past this stage, it’ll be terrific. Fantastic even. One band literally has an entire army corps of myspace friends at their command. But I don’t have to venture into clichés for you to know that numbers aren’t what matter. So come along, do your part, help us cross the line! If you’ve been considering it in the back of your mind, let me make your decision easy by saying, come. Yes, I mean YOU. It’s uni price beer and finishes early so you can then head on to bigger and better things. It’s the perfect appetiser for a dirty night in the cross.

When: Friday, 6pm
Where: Manning Bar, Sydney Uni

See you there,

The Small Hours

Tour Blog

Recently we stepped outside our home territory and ventured on a mini tour of sorts. Here is but a short summary of some of the events that unfolded. It will probably make sense only to ourselves, but that pretty much covers everyone who reads this blog, so shouldn't matter.

DAY 1 - SYDNEY / Hopetoun Hotel

• We packed the car, complete with our mobile CD selling stand (Sandler)
• Arrived at Harrison's house in Randwick and frantically put our brand new demo cds into cases, ready for consumption
• Played some music. Good fun.
• Could barely watch the other bands due to the crowd (a good thing)
• Broke the 100 person mark despite sizeable competition
• Headed off to the Dappled farewell party in Kings Cross
• Mocked The Seabellies for driving back to Newcastle
• Managed to spend the night's entire earnings on overpriced beer and generousity
• Danced and sung like idiots to old Jebediah tracks
• Taxied back to Harrison's place
• Craig had to sleep in the car because we'd all gone to sleep and locked him out
• Craig then locked his keys in the car
• NRMA came to the rescue thanks to Peter's membership with 3 days left on it
• Had a few hours sleep

DAY 2 - WOLLONGONG / Oxford Tavern

• Feeling a bit worse for wear, we set sail and headed for Wollongong
• Dropped our demo off at fbi
• Battled our way through traffic caused by some kid getting himself killed
• Discovered the joys of Peelander Z which would then become the soundtrack of the journey (listen hard to the lyrics for maximum enjoyment)
• Spent the last 20 minutes of the drive yelling to Frenzal Rhomb
• Arrived in Wollongong and found it bizarrely deserted
• Checked into our hotel rooms, kindly donated by Col Smithers
• Ate dinner at The Oxford where Mark received a 10 year old piece of tandoori chicken, clearly retrieved from the deepest depths of their freezer
• Our plan to battle the Seabellies to the death in bowling never eventuated
• Played in front of a decent crowd, including many drunken locals
• Funnest show we've ever played
• Dirty old man came to the front and started dancing. We loved it.
• Got to watch both Bird Automatic and The Seabellies. Highly entertaining
• Mocked the Seabellies for driving home to Newcastle
• Went to a house party somewhere with Bird Automatic
• Ate toobs, buuurgeeeeeer rings, sprite and other value-added assortments
• Talked some rubbish
• Put on Peelander Z and screamed the lyrics at passed out inhabitants
• Got a taxi home
• Harrison demonstrated excellent skill at crab walking
• Had a few hours sleep

DAY 3 - SYDNEY / Silent Riot

• By now our bodies were really beginning to suffer but we ploughed on
• Peter had left his phone in the taxi however we managed to track it down
• Headed to the lighthouse like good Wollongong tourists to kill some time
• After a good Peelander Z session and a laugh at some foreigners posing in suspicious formations, we hit the road and headed back to Sydney
• Craig had a microsleep and almost killed us
• Met Helena who was running the event and had the coolest accent ever
• Ate an overpriced dinner which didn't impress Peter who was on finance duty
• Didn't get to play until the ridiculous time of 11:45 - by far our latest
• Got to play after some great bands like Cloud Control which was also fun
• John Steele Singers almost parked us in but Craig managed to manoeuvre us out
• Finally got to go home to our own beds
• Got a few hours sleep

DAY 4 - NEWCASTLE / Cambridge Hotel

• A week may or may not have passed but that is irrelevant
• The car was packed up again and we headed to our second exotic location
• Amy joined the team and Mark got relegated to the middle seat
• Stopped over at McDonald's where Peter paid $8 just so he could get a heart foundation tick. Even the Italian dressing didn't make it worthwhile
• Drive took forever because Craig obeys the law
• Finally arrived at Newcastle and checked into our hotel, again courtesy of Col Smithers
• Investigated our podlike bathrooms which looked ready for takeoff
• Had a laugh at the above sign as not only were Mercy Arms not playing, but the local Seabellies didn't even make it on
• Acquired some shopping trolleys to cart our gear around
• Had a ride in the belliemobile and were disappointed to discover that it isn't magical at all
• Charmed the incoming audience whilst we ran the door
• Got harassed by some crazy local woman who was dirty dancing to the first band
• Were then ambushed by her friend who grabbed the mic and launched into a drunken rendition of Wild Thing. Mark didn't help the situation by sheepishly playing the riff in the background
• Played another enjoyable set that included a massive 11 songs
• Got our first ever request from some girl who screamed at us to play 'Ark' and then proceeding to act out the lyrics. She is officially our favourite fan
• Watched the Seabellies whilst singing along, jeering and pumping fists during the 'trumpet moment'
• Especially loved the Capoeira drumming thing they've got going
• Met a random guy who drove our gear back to the car
• Set off to El Dorado, the infamous house of the Seabellies
• Waited half an hour for a taxi whilst kicking a ball back and forth across the road
• Gave up and decided to run, case of beer in hand
• Through an ingenious system of offloading it to the next person on the burst and later acquiring another shopping trolley, we arrived in record time
• Talked some rubbish with Kyle and Eddie
• Played a short lived game of cricket
• Fast Eddie busted out an extremely entertaining rug dance
• Trent didn't seem too impressed when we put their own cd on to liven things up
• Called the taxi service at 4.30 but only managed to annoy the operator by repeatedly forgetting where we were and why we were ringing
• Decided to run home or in Peter's case, ride the trolley
• After a minute or so, the novelty wore off and we walked the rest of the way
• Had a few hours sleep
• Woke to discover Peter's phone lost again
• Later found it in the shopping trolley, in a side street, along with $15
• Found the best shop ever for lunch - A bakery where all food was a dollar
• Harrison got three pies for the sake of it
• Headed home, back to our boring old lives

As you can see, it was a pretty uneventful few days. Thanks to all the bands we played with and people who came. We had great fun. See ya round!