THE ZIGGURAT

Currently listening to - Spider

Its a good time to be a fan of games that are old. Both the original Quake (well, the remaster) and Worms for the Amiga got expansions this week. I was pretty obsessed with the Quake one when it came out a few years back and I particularly  enjoyed the extra levels provided by Machine Games. This week at Quake Con, they announced a new one ‘Dawn Of The Machine,’ which I shall be getting stuck into today. 

Also, the original creator of Worms - Andy Davidson has just released his original vision of Worms - The Directors Cut for free. It's Amiga only at the moment but I feel that a Windows version is on the way, so I'll wait until then to play it. The original Worms will always be my favourite. The latter games are good but the original art style has stuck with me more. 

“A specially-curated selection of maps and DIY terrain, along with over 50 sample sets lovingly converted from Worms 2, Armageddon and World Party, all to celebrate three decade of Wormery!”

Link below!

https://thefalloftheziggurat.bandcamp.com/merch/pride-lathe-cut-7-picture-disc

We appreciate its almost on record store day levels of cost but it's just something fun we wanted to do for ourselves and share with anyone else who may be interested. 

I recently found an old draft EP I had uploaded to Bandcamp but never published. It contained two iPhone (other phones are available) recordings of live ROTZ shows pre covid. One is an open mic at the Gladstone and the other is a ‘proper’ gig at The Admiral. 
I didn't have much of a recollection of these shows at first, but slowly details have started coming back to me. From the host going awol in the Gladstone, to the Pizza Me pizza and hecklers at the Admiral. (I wish my phone captured more of this! Apparently I start playing 3 Lions, which really winds them up.)

Anyway, this release is more for me. To have an archive of live material from my phone recordings, GoPro cameras, and some of the gigs my friend Dan has been filming over the years. Its nice to look back and be reminded of some of the things we have done, especially in this time before covid and after releasing my EP' The Old Guard. Which was inspired primarily by the 4 year demise of my sanity. Erm, lol. 

More shows will be added here and there.

Sleeve design by Yōkai

Night 7 - Oxford

The last entry in the tour diary was the final one I wrote on the road. I’m now back in the comfort of my flat and trying to pry off the anxiety of going back to work tomorrow. Its sunny outside which isn’t helping me concentrate. Bank holiday Monday beers are joyous but I haven't really stopped since we arrived back in Brighton on Saturday and the bank balance and health are suffering for it. 

Oxford was probably the lowest selling on the tour but the attending crowd certainly made it feel full. Within the walls of the Academy, were some of the most passionate InMe fans I had come across in my time with the band. Talking to them afterwards was a pleasure. 

During Daves solo acoustic rendition of Parting Gift, I hopped out to the corridor to change my t shirt for a St Agnes one I had acquired earlier from the merch desk. I don’t know if its tacky when bands do this but I did it out of sincerity, they were an absolute pleasure to be on the road with. 

I’m now finishing this section of the tour diary a few months later, its June and I’m trying to complete some of the writing I did on the road. I have started a lot of scripts recently about my experiences on tour but also detailing my other interests and in particular, a visit to Coventry for a Zzap Live! a Commodore 64 convention, which was ace. Hopefully some of this will see the light of day soon. First on the blog and then in audio format via my ‘From The Ziggurat’ Chanels.

We’ll see. 

Currently listening to Ocean Loader 2 by Six Leaves Left and new Muse tracks

It was a hot one last night in the Craufurd Arms. Sweat trailing the walls and haze obstructing our view but man it felt good. 

Before the show, I had to perform some routine surgery on one of my basses (well technically my friend Matts bass,) as there is a loose connection in the battery compartment which needed some attention. During the latter half of sound check, the volume started to dull when playing So You Know. I quickly switched to my backup and completed sound checking with that, so as to keep things moving.  

Unfortunately when I Came back from checking in at the hotel and a stop off at Tesco to purchase a set of Duracell 9 volt batteries, St Agnes sound check was complete and my gear was totally obstructed. I had to perform some Mission Impossible style acrobatics to navigate the stage and retrieve my basses and was also aided by one of the technical staff of the venue to grab my bag containing tools. 

The operation was a success and the gig went flawlessly. The lads wireless batteries held out the full gig and I remembered to tune my bass correctly into C# for our latest single Prove Myself, which I had neglected to do the night before. Oops.

We’re currently on route to Oxford for the last official date of the tour, with only Takedown Festival in Portsmouth left for tomorrow. We do have a couple of random festivals over the next few weeks and then will start planning for the latter half of the year and eventual Demons release. It’s a great time to be in InMe.