Looking back/looking ahead

So, September has started. Summer is over. (Ironically, the weather so far has been better than most of August.) Therefore this is a good time to review the summer and to have a look at what's going to be happening in the world of The New Thing throughout the four months left in 2007.

The summer was when all the biggest festivals happened, of course, and we were lucky enough to be able to see The Horrors perform at both the Glastonbury and Reading Festivals, in June and August. A very muddy Glastonbury saw two appearances from The Horrors: a small set in the Queen's Head tent and their main performance on the John Peel Stage. The third Horrors fanzine, 'Heartbreak Ahead', was available at both shows, bundled up with a free CD of classic 1960s girl group tunes chosen by Faris Rotter. Reading put The Horrors in a much larger tent, which meant a bigger crowd but a lot less atmosphere (although, for fans who wanted to get closer to the band, NME organised a signing session afterwards). The Horrors' set was broadcast by the BBC in all its glory, and is available (for now) in .WMV format by clicking here. (It'll probably be on YouTube soon, if the file times out.)

In London, the 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch festival filled the baking-hot Shoreditch Park with what the organisers called 'now-wave', including appearances by Neils Children, Twisted Charm, Hatcham Social, and Errorplains. The after-festival party also featured Boys of Brazil.

So much for reviews - now for the news.

Upcoming releases include...

• Electricity in Our Homes - The Shareholders Meeting: a new limited edition 7" EP including a numbered shareholder's certificate. Pre-orders are sold out, but more will be available from Rough Trade and a few other shops from the 17th September. On Modern Pop Records.
• 'What Am I Supposed To Do?' - the upcoming Neils Children single.
• ...and the first full-length Neils Children EP, Pop: Aural. The release date is still unsure - but hopefully it'll be out by Christmas.

A few Horrors-related whisperings and tidbits...

• A big live event, known to some as 'Horrorpalooza', is being planned. So far, Faris Rotter has said that it will involve 'circus freaks', but details are pretty scant. Even date and location are unknown. London at Hallowe'en? Watch this space - we'll be bringing you the news as it comes in.
• The band will be going back into the studio in the autumn to record a cover version of 'Dance', by classic post-punk act Suicide. After that, there'll be a period of writing, leading (eventually) to recording of a second LP. Bernard Butler of Suede and James Ford of Simian have been mentioned as potential producers.

Finally, watch out at the end of November for the return of The Mighty Boosh, the surreal television comedy, to BBC3 for its third series. As well as being a fantastic show, the Boosh holds special interest to followers of The New Thing this time around, because there's a guest appearance in one episode from none other than those busy Horrors. This show, first put forward by Boosh writer/actor Noel Fielding last year, is now in the can and will hit your screens on a Saturday evening soon. Keep reading The New Thing for more information on exactly when!