Introducing…

Day six at the crypt, and we’re in uncharted territory in a number of senses. It’s different, as I hinted at at the start of the week, both in terms of how we’re approaching this record… and that for the first time since November 2009, we have a change in personnel.

First up, we want to thank Mr Goff (AKA The Golden Badger, Gofflecopter, The Question Master) for all his beautiful work and diligent service this past 5 and a half years. It’s been an amazing time for us all and Goff’s decision to leave has been coming for a while and not taken lightly we know. Living and working out of Berlin and with a full, rich and arty schedule (and such an awesome girlfriend!), I think we’ve all known for a while that the time would come for Si Goff to further spread his wings. It’s the fondest of farewells as Si G wrote just the other day, and we all very much look forward to seeing all the awesome stuff that Goff’s going to go on to make and do. It’s most definitely not a last goodbye.

The one good thing about Mr Goff’s departure is that that no more will we have the confusion of having two Simons in the band. With that in mind, we would like to introduce to you our best excuse for getting a new press shot out of photographic genius friends Sodium… and the newest full-time member of Hope and Social. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you… [drum roll]

…Simon Fletcher!

Yep, we’ve only chuffing gone and double Simoned it again. Fortunately new Simon is known to most everyone as Fletch.

You might know him as “That Bouncey T**t from Hand Made Hands“. You may remember seeing him working tirelessly with us on The Tour of Infinite Possibility, The Twelve Gigs of Christmas and The Blunderbus. You may recognise him from facebook photo albums such as “Hope and Social and Invisible Flock – Bring the Happy – Tbilisi, Georgia“. So we’ve all worked with Fletch before. It feels like a good fit. Even Goff thinks so. So that’s nice.

So over to Fletch who I’m sure would appreciate a warm welcome, so why not go say howdy to him over at @handmadefletch

So for all those would be stalkers out there, a glimmer of hope. After several years of turning up at their houses in the middle of the night and rooting through their trash, the band finally gave in and allowed me to join!!! My initial burst of excitement was short lived though and reality has already started to set in…

Just before taking these photos I was ceremonially handed my blue jacket. What I thought would be a significant and potentially emotional moment was overshadowed by a smell reminiscent of two unspayed alley cats fighting over a decomposing horse. Putting it on felt like the most awkward hug I’ve ever had. A few moments dry retching later, we lined up for the photos. It was at that point that I discovered that the only member of the band I really liked has left!!!!

Disappointments aside, I’m feeling ready and eager to get started with helping record the new album. I’ve heard a load of demos stuffed full of great ideas and been put in a diet of Prince and 80s Bowie so I’m pretty much up to speed I think. We’ve started working through a couple of songs already and they’re shaping up nicely, can’t wait to share it with you all.

We’re playing a bunch of festival dates over the summer, have a look over here for the dates. Very much looking forward to catching up with old faces and meeting new ones.

I’d like to sign off for now by saying a massive thanks and good luck to the amazing Mr Goff, and that I really would love to play alongside you again. I hope that at some point in the future we can make this a reality (If you’ve got some time at any point to show me how a violin works that might be really useful ;))

See you all very soon

Fletch x

And there you have it. We are six again. And we’d better stop fannying around and get this album written.

See you soon.
xR