I wanted to write up a blog to tell you all about our trip to Norwich, but Andy and Hattie beat me to it. The swines!

We played drunkenly and un-rehears-ed-ly for a Liveoke (literally Live band Karaoke) gig at The Kings Head on friday, which is an idea we had to help fund the RGR business. As you've no doubt already heard, the bastard van broke down for half an hour on the way there, meaning we only just got to Cromer in time to play. We set up and sound checked in front of an entire audience, 'cause we're rock 'ard like that.

Being stranded the next day was a blessing in disguise, we spent a good few hours walking down the beach, playing in dodgy amusement arcades, eating Ice Cream, and drinking. It was especially sweet for me 'cause I've been missing the Isle of Wight quite a bit recently, so a sunny beach was precisely what I needed. The gig in Norwich on Saturday went really well - The Queen Charlotte looks like a dodgy pub from the outside, but it's an ace little club inside; quite a surprise! As for the gig, I've played to much bigger crowds, at higher profile gigs, and shared a bill with better bands, but I haven't had as much fun at a gig for years! I really enjoyed the craic from the other bands, and the headline set from The Vegas Fame Index was nothing short of inspirational.

Looking back on the weekend (and nursing a considerable hangover) the highlights have to be Micky's medly of Oasis showtunes, and Daz managing to fall fast asleep in the loudest club in the Universe.

Hey all.

Well, we've finally made it back from Norwich, and aside from the accursed minivan breaking down and leaving us stranded in Cromer for several hours, it was a roaring success.  Although to be fair, 'stranded' is a little misleading when you find yourself standing on the beach in the blazing sunshine, surrounded by pubs, arcades and ice cream...  Thanks muchly to the fantastic Vegas Fame Index for letting us join them for what was a hugely enjoyable gig, and of course to all the Cromer boys and girls who came down and supported us.  A more detailed blog will follow, but for now i really need to get some sleep.

Andyx

T-Minus 4 hours 'til we leave for Norwich.  Just checking we've packed everything.. Guitars.. Check!.. Ipods.. Check!.. Big bag of rocking tunes?.. Most certainly.

See you all down there!

Andy

Greetings blog fans.

Both The Soviets and Reckless General Records have found a brand spanking new home on Bebo, just go along to www.bebo.com/wearethesoviets and www.bebo.com/recklessgeneral and become our friends!

Cheers

Andyx

Spotify is the hottest new application for listening to music on the internet, and I've followed the advice of many a blogger in trying it out. Current users of iTunes software will find the look and feel of the program very familiar, although the way it works is utterly unique.

You don't need to spend hours ripping your CD collection or downloading mp3s from those naughty Torrent sites, as Spotify works on through Cloud Computing. For those unfamiliar with the term, this means that all the actual music files are stored online in a central hub, from which any user can stream in realtime - provided they have a broadband web connection and the small application software.

In addition to the basic ability to search for specific artists, albums, or songs, there are Radio sites (customisable by era and genre), and playlist functionalities. All this gives you the power to find music you've never heard by listening to Radio lists, or build playlists from whatever music you feel like hearing right now from any combination of searches and radio stations. The entire service is free, with a small number of adverts, unless you wish to pay a subscription to remove the ads.

If, like me, you tend to listen to music in front of your PC while you work, Spotify is a powerful way of expanding your "library" exponentially. However,  if you want to burn CDs, add files to an iPod or mp3 player, or hear the song files offline, you need to looking at a different media player.