Hullo, Pictish Trail, here!

It’s been a busy couple o’ weeks up here at Lost Map Towers. Lots going on. So much so that i’ve not been able to update the website properly with juicy news items … BUT, if you’ve signed up to our mailing list you will have been receiving weekly emails from our WayPoints team, with updates on everything that’s happening. If you’ve not signed up, you should do so! (clicky here, later on: http://lostmap.com/mailinglist). Every subscriber gets a free Lost Map download sampler. Ooh.

My exciting news is that Pictish Trail has just been signed to Moshi Moshi Records - the London-based label, birthing ground to Hot Chip, Bloc Party, Slow Club and current home to Sweet Baboo, Hercules & Love Affair, The Wave Pictures amongst others. I’m over the moon about it all - releasing your own music on your own label can be an exhausting task, and so it’s a big relief to have the Moshi team on board to help me along. Moshi are giving Secret Soundz Vol.1&2 a full release (on double vinyl, double CD and download) - across the UK and beyond, on June 9th … and there’ll be a brand new album in 2015. Ayeee.

Now, this absolutely doesn’t mean that i’m no longer involved with Lost Map - if anything, it gives our label a chance to reach some new folk. Pictish Trail music will still be available to buy through the Lost Map site, and all PT news and gig information will be up here too. (Well, when i can find the time to blimmin’ write it!).

In fact, to help promote the Secret Soundz release, i’m taking two of the Lost Map label roster on the road with me throughout May. Monoganon and Tuff Love will be joining me on a tour of the following towns …

Sat May 3rd - Brew At The Bog, Bogbain, Inverness
BUY TICKETS

Sun May 4th - The Big Beach Ball, Aberdeen
BUY TICKETS

Mon May 5th - Spirit of Speyside Festival, Elgin
BUY TICKETS

Wed May 7th - The Redd Suite, Dundee
MORE INFO

Fri May 9th - Night & Day, Manchester
BUY TICKETS

Sat May 10th - Prince Albert, Stroud
FREE SHOW!

Sun May 11th - St Dominic’s Social Club, Newcastle
BUY TICKETS

Fri May 16th - Old Bookshop, Bristol (evening show)
BUY TICKETS

Sat May 17th - Old Bookshop, Bristol (matinee)
BUY TICKETS

Sat May 17th - South Street Arts, Reading
BUY TICKETS

Sun May 18th - Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, London
(all day event, with Josie Long + Caught By The River)
BUY TICKETS

Mon May 19th - Junction 2, Cambridge
BUY TICKETS

Wed May 21st- Tin Music & Arts, Coventry
BUY TICKETS

Thurs May 22nd - Railway, Winchester
BUY TICKETS

Sat May 24th - Old Continental, Preston
BUY TICKETS

The London show is particularly special, as it’s an all-dayer, from 3pm til 11pm - with live music, comedy, spoken word and DJs spread across three rooms in the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. We’ve named the event Lost Map’s Island Hop! - and, as well as sets from the Lost Map roster, we’ll have our good buddy Josie Long curating the comedy (with a set of new material on the theme of ‘islands’), and our pals at Caught By The River are gonna provide performances from some contributors from their forthcoming print issue … which is on the theme of (you guessed it!) islands! There’s also going to be some VERY SPECIAL musical guests, but more info on that to follow soon :)

In other news … last Wednesday we announced (via The Quietus) the line-up for our Eigg event, the newly rechristened Howlin’ Fling! - which is taking place over the 18th - 20th July, up on the island. It’s three days of music, and the line-up is like some crazy dream! Can’t quite believe it’s all come together!

It should come as no surprise that we’ll have the entire Lost Map collective there - Rozi Plain, Seamus Fogarty, Tuff Love, Kid Canaveral, eagleowl, Monoganon, Randolph’s Leap … and, er, yours truly of course.

I’m TOTALLY over the moon to have Steve Mason on the bill, playing with his full band. From his work with the Beta Band, through his King Biscuit Time, Black Affair and SteXis releases, to his recent stuff under his own name, he’s constantly messed about with the conventions of song-writing, and created a back-catalogue of truly original pop from another dimension. A huge inspiration.

Great songs and original expression are what it’s all about, really. Just as every act on the Lost Map roster sounds distinct and different to the next, every effort has been made to make the Howlin’ Fling! line-up as diverse and as singular as possible. Beth Orton and Sam Amidon possess two of my most favourite voices on the entire planet, so to have the pair of ‘em join us on Eigg is blimmin’ mind-blowing! HOLY SMOKES! Add to that Jens Lekman, Alexis Taylor, The Phantom Band, Gulp, Meursault … ooooft! Even RM Hubbert’s singing these days. Some beautiful vocal chords amongst all that lot. We should start a campfire choir.

Jings, i could go ooonnnn and on for days about every act playing. If you’ve got a ticket, I’m very much looking forward to freaking out with you all to Luke Abbott, Golden Teacher, Operator and Eugene Tombs. Parrrtaaaaaayy!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LINE-UP: http://thequietus.com/articles/14716-howlin-fling-festival-lost-map-the-pictish-trail

ANYWAY ... right, that's a lot of news for you today. Got an amazing video from Randolph's Leap coming very soon, a total treat for the eyeholes and earballs.

h'ayeeee,

the pictish trail x