Dec 4 2014

The Fiction Aisle Mixtape No. 1

The Fiction Aisle Facebook Demos, not-quite-finished ideas, rough sketches and fully-produced songs that never quite fitted in anywhere else – we’ll be using the platform of SC to release mixtapes of all those little bits of music that would otherwise never see the light of day. Think of it like a radio station that broadcasts direct from our rehearsal pad into your brain. Here’s the first one. Enjoy. TFA – Listen at Soundcloud: TFA Mixtape No. 1

Nov 14 2014

New release from The Fiction Aisle

First release from The Fiction Aisle featuring Thomas and Alex White – written and arranged by Thomas White – recorded/mixed at Church Road Studios, Brighton, September-October 2014. Listen to Blue at Soundcloud (updated link) Download Blue free at amazingtunes.com Follow the band on Facebook for news + upcoming shows: facebook.com/thefictionaisle

Jul 9 2014

Thomas White covers Saint Etienne

Good Humor by Thomas White at Bandcamp (click link) From Facebook: The next instalment in me and Alex’s full-album-covers project – here’s my take on the entirety of Saint Etienne’s 1998 pop masterpiece Good Humor. I believe Alex will be tackling another Steely Dan LP next. As with every title in the series, this was recorded and mixed at home on Garagebend in a week. Enjoy. T xxx

Jun 11 2014

First We Take Manhattan feat Thomas White

First We Take Manhattan Bandcamp Listen/Download 8 track album Stitch. Tracks: Seven, Coming Out, No Wind Blows, Pleased To Meet You, Always Dependent, Place Of No More, The World We Live In, Morning.

sonicabuse.com has a review (click to read) Some quotes: “Stitch” is the début album by First We Take Manhattan, a collaboration between Brighton musicians Jack Bayne and Tom White. Those who know their indie will probably be familiar with one of those names, the latter being one of the creative forces of The Electric Soft Parade, as well as being part of Brighton “supergroup” Brakes and having a handful of wonderfully eclectic solo albums to his name. Jack Bayne is probably an unknown quantity to most people, unless you happened to catch his band Pony who were part of the Brighton music scene over ten years ago, but it is Jack who is responsible for the songwriting on this project, with Tom being given the freedom to take charge of the arrangements, instrumentation, production and nearly everything else you hear, other than the vocals and a smattering of Jack’s guitar and cello. The album was recorded almost casually over the space of three years as an ongoing creative venture when Tom and Jack got together to have a good time and, astonishingly when you hear this music, the two friends only realised that they had a fully-formed album when they came back to their songs after a few months break from recording.

“Stitch” is an enormously emotional experience, frequently edgy, packed full of tension and release, one that places just as much importance on the songs as it does the delivery and the overall glorious world of sound you are immersed into. In a world full of people who demand instant music fixes from barely musically-literate pop singers, Bayne and White provide musical manna for those who demand a little more substance and depth amongst the exhilarating pure adrenaline rushes dotted amongst their tracks. This is music that feels urgent, alive and vital. It boasts arrangements and structures that make your mind work and enough light and shade contrast to give your emotional core a real workout. Listen to it, love it, buy it.

Apr 16 2014

Electric Soft Parade: The End?

andrewdsweeney.wordpress.com Live Review 15th April: “Unfortunately, just before the end, Thomas announced that Electric Soft Parade were going to be no more. After that gig, that’s it – the last time they were ever going to be playing in the UK, ever… Still, we have a new, upcoming Alex White solo album coming up. Thomas has a new group and we’ll hopefully hear something new from him soon, too”

Update from the ESP Facebook (click link for full thing) “…with IDIOTS we genuinely feel like we’ve made the musical and artistic statement of our career – songs, production, singing, writing, playing, lyrics, arrangements. Yet there’s a feeling of not knowing quite where to go next when you’ve just nailed what you’ve been trying to achieve for so many years… The reality is that we are moving on. My new project has taken a year or so to evolve into something tangible, but it’s taking shape now, and I’m massively excited about it. Alex, on the other hand, has just written and recorded the album of his life… The irony is we’re now working together more than ever, and f***ing loving it. I’ll certainly be giving Al a bell when I need a drummer. So, what next for The Electric Soft Parade? There’s a possibility of a few more shows dotted throughout the year, and we’ll confirm and announce them as and when. Beyond that, who knows? We’ve had a ball writing and playing these songs for you, it’s been a f***ing hell of a journey, and we’ve loved and hated it in almost precisely equal measure. But right now it feels like we both need to spread our wings and f*** off and do something else for a while”

Electric Soft Parade on Later With Jools Holland: