News
I Haven't Got A Clue; 3rd February 2012
Thanks top everyone who has downloaded the new single so far - it's much appreciated! You can continue to download the single from iTunes, Bandcamp, Amazon and other good stores! The album is coming along well and we're confidant that you'll enjoy the finished product. Have a listen to the audioboo for a sneak preview of a demo of one of the tracks from the upcoming album.
It Starts Again; 8th January 2012
We will be releasing the new single, "It Starts Again," for download on iTunes from 16th January and the album of the same name on 5th March. In the meantime the date for your diary is Saturday 17th March when we will be playing Manchester's Deaf Institute. We will also be celebrating the release of the new album at The King's Arms in Salford on 2nd March. Come along where we will have the album for sale as well as tickets for the Deaf Institute gig.
Christmas Update; 23rd December 2011
Just a quick message to let you all know that the new single, 'It Starts Again,' will be released on 16th January. In the meantime I hope you all have a great Christmas!
Album Update; 30th October 2011
Update on the new album, single and line up changes. You can expect to be hearing more soon including a launch gig in March 2012...
Further Trinity Update; 2nd June 2011
Further news on gigs we're playing in Yorkshire before finishing in Salford. There are more details about how you can get involved in the making of the new album on 1st July...
Sacred Trinity Boo; 18th April 2011
Announcing a number of our upcoming gigs including our final gig before returning to the studio at Sacred Trinity Church in Salford on 1st July. We will really be looking forward to this gig, not least because we aim to have, you, the audience involved in the upcoming album if you attend the show! Tickets are available on the website here, priced £6.
Whooping Update; 22nd March 2011
Well, aside of having whooping cough whilst also recruiting a new drummer there's lots more to tell you about in my recent update here, including news about forthcoming gigs and the forthcoming album!
Frosty Update; 29th November 2010
It's a cold out there, so here's an update for you all to warm you up and remind you about our upcoming Christmas gig at Islington Mill in Salford on 18th December. We'll be playing with alongside our friends Sandbox and Kingfishers Catch Fire and we'll be playing an extended set also. More exciting news will be on its way soon including news an update about progress in regard to the new album.
Peru, Paddington & Ponchos; 16th November 2010
I completed a series of Audio Blogs whilst in Peru which you can listen to below. In the meantime we are busy rehearsing new material for our Christmas Gig at Islington Mill and arranging a handful of gigs for early next year culminating in a final gig before we go back into the studio to record the follow-up album... so watch this space!:
City Gigs; 8th October 2010
You can listen to my latest blog here:
Gig News for October; 8th September 2010
You can listen to my latest blog here:
Our Latest Addition; 6th August 2010
You can listen to my latest blog here:
The Start of Things to Come...; 25th July 2010
I'll be updating the news section on here via audioboo in the future as a way of keeping you in touch with the goings on with the music. You can listen to my latest blog here:
The Story So Far...; 28th March 2010
It's been a while since I have updated the site with some news and for those of you who visit the site regularly you'll be wondering what I have been up to. The answer is... quite a lot! January began by bringing together the musicians who have made up the new line-up. We have been in rehearsals for the last three months and whilst some of you may have seen me out and about acoustically with our lead guitarist Brian Richards for the most part we have been preparing for the Spring to launch a new set of live shows.
The new line-up features Brian Richards on Guitar, Ned Gaine on Bass and Mr. T on drums - they have been searching for a name as well which has been entertaining as my name lends itself to an awful lot of fishy band names! John Herring and.... answers on a postcards please! We played our first gig in Chorlton in aid of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and then to a sold out Bury Met on 20th March which went down very well with those of you who came along. You can see pictures of the night in the gallery and a video of 'That Was Me' which has been posted up on Youtube and can be viewed by following the video link. We have a number of interesting gigs planned for Spring into Summer which we're really excited about and it would be great to see any of you on the live shows we're playing. In addition we have some new merchandise in the store - T-shirts! Using the original artwork from the album we have some lovely T-shirts which we think are quite iconic - so be quick and purchase one as stocks are currently limited.
I have also been busy setting up a new venture called the Salford Music Cooperative. The aims of the Cooperative are to raise the profile, quality and opportunities for musicians coming from and living in Salford. There are a large number of venues which are currently under-utilised and I figured it was important to bring together a number of people who work in and around the music industry to support one another. The Cooperative is underpinned by a spirit of sharing and support and is open to anyone in or from Salford who is interested in the music industry. Jon Coupe from Salford Music has been heavily involved in setting up the Cooperative, indeed the whole idea germinated over a pint between the two of us (as these things do!). In addition we will be involved in putting two nights on under the Salford Music Cooperative banner in May to launch the concept. Firstly we have a stage at Sounds From the Other City in Salford which will showcase four great acts, including ourselves and is a first for that particular festival - this takes place on Sunday 2nd May. Then, we will continue the launch into the second bank holiday weekend in May by presenting the best of music in Salford on Sunday 30th and Monday 31st May at the King's Arms.
And finally, writing for the new album has begun! I am working through a number of ideas at the moment and the music is in the early stages of development but there is already a strong concept behind it. No doubt, over the coming months I'll be able to tell you more about it! Hopefully we'll see you all out and about over the coming months as we perform at a number of venues,
Until the next time,
J
Happy Christmas; 20th December 2009
Well, that time is upon us again... Christmas and the end of another year! We played our final gig at the Malmaison last Sunday and sadly said goodbyes to our bass player Martin Roberts and drummer Rich Devlin. You may still see them around from time to time but we will have a new line up in the New Year which I will let you all know about in the next newsletter.
To get into the spirit of Christmas we (Brian and I) will be sharing a mince pie and a tipple with Sam Walker on BBC Radio Manchester tonight. Tune in from 10pm to listen to the 10 amazing acts Sam has lined up. We have a special and unexpected Christmas song lined up too so it will be well worth the listen. If, however, you're Sunday bedtime calls before we appear you can always listen again during the week on the BBC i-Player at BBC Radio Manchester
In the New Year we are looking forward to a two week tour of Scotland, for which dates will start appearing in the gig calendar, at the end of January. As you'll be able to see there are a number of interesting gigs including the Bury Met in March. We'll be performing a longer set than usual there with a full band and tickets have just gone on sale at the Bury Met's website at Bury Met - it would be great to see you down there for what we hope will be an excellent night alongside other quality acts like Garron Frith and Roydan Styles.
So, it remains for me to say thank you to you all for all the support you have shown over the last year and the wonderful feedback that the new album has got. We hope to bring you even more next year so keep watching this space! Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope the New Year brings bright days,
Until next time,
J
As Autumn Arrives...; 28th September 2009
Well, autumn is upon us and as is my habit around this time of year I have started writing songs again... nothing fixed as yet, just ideas and the like but I always seem to create around this time of the year.
Thanks to everyone who came out for the Manchester Academy 3 gig - we all really enjoyed the evening and hope you all did too. I also played in Bacup last night at a Amnesty fundraiser; a cause for which it is always a pleasure to help raise funds for.
Next month sees me playing a variety of acoustic and full band gigs. In between gigs in Todmorden and Hebden Bridge as well as Liverpool the full band are performing at the King's Arms in Salford for the final night of In The City. For those of you who don't know - In The City is the annual Manchester Showcase for unsigned acts across the country and a real industry highlight, so if you're able to make it down it would be good to see you there.
The album continues to sell well and you can continue to get your copy direct from Piccadilly Records or my website if you haven't already purchased one. There will also be some new special merchandise coming up for sale in the near future which we hope will be stylish and original enough for you all to be interested in!
The voting for your favourite song on the album continues on the website. Thanks to everyone who has already voted and it'd be great to get more votes on the site to get an idea of everyone's favourite song from the album.
In the meantime I'll look forward to seeing you all out and about next month,
Until the next time,
J
New Gigs; 28th August 2009
John has a host of new gigs for you to attend including a wonderful headline gig at Manchester Academy 3! You can purchase tickets for the event online using the link below for £5.
John has other gigs coming up in Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Liverpool and more will be added soon so watch this space! Another great review of the album can be read at
Artist of the Week; 4th August 2009
As expected it's been a busy time since the launch of the album with lots of happening. BBC Radio Manchester Introducing chose John as their Artist of the Week on their Sunday 2nd August show and you can listen again to the show for the next few days by following this link: BBC Introducing
The album also had its first review on Whisperin' and Hollerin' and there is also a review of the launch on the site. You can read these at:
John also enjoyed playing a couple of gigs at the weekend including the wonderful Party in the Park in Salford which was raising money for the excellent Amber Lok Charity. Despite the rain everyone seemed to have a good time!
And finally, John will be playing Taurus Bar in Manchester on Saturday 15th August alongside the likes of Sheila Nichols and Joni Fuller. John will be joined on stage by Martin Roberts and a new guitarist Andrew Hargreaves where the songs from the album will take on a new life as a 3-piece acoustic set. So, to hear a slightly different take on the songs come down - tickets are £5 on the door and via Taurus' website at Taurus Bar
Tales From a Northern City Launched; 11th July 2009
John launched his new album from Blueprint Studios on an evening which entertained everyone from fans to critics alike. It all began with the wonderful Andy Needham supporting with his new band. The DVD; 'The Making of Tales From a Northern City,' was shown before John came on stage with a full band including Martin Roberts (Bass, Guitar), Rich Devlin (Drums), That Girl Sue (Backing Vocals) and for one night only Jason Dunkley, Mike Kneafsey and Phil Davies sharing guitar duties as they had done on the album.
The band came on stage to city sounds and a drunk singing Van Der Valk (listen to the new album!) and began with the opening track to 'Tales' - City Boy. During the one and a half hour set John played through all the tracks on the new album finishing with 'Home' and coming back for an encore to play 'Staring Directly at the Sun' and 'Soul Ya Got'.
You can read a review and watch clips of the night at SalfordOnline, or have a look at some of the great photos from the evening at Jeremy North's Blog.
The Run Up To The Album Launch; 4th July 2009
John has been busy promoting the new album in the last month or so with appearances on radio, in the media and online. John played Sam Walker's show on BBC Radio Manchester Introducing on 28th June and you can listen to 'Staring Directly at the Sun' here.
Adam Brown from Salford City Radio interviewed John for SalfordOnline whilst at Blueprint Studios followed by a live rendition of 'Urban Decay'. John has also figured heavily on the SalfordMusic website and you can follow the link to read a recent interview with John.