Shows business.

So, in June, Momo made a little foray onto the boggy field of showing off in front of folk for the first time this year. About ruddy time, you say tartly.

I don’t blame you. There are so few chances to see your favourite indescribable electro-pop outfit live, it is a wonder you keep an interest. But you’re a faithful poppet and long suffering in your encouragement of my highly imperfect creative schedule, so once again, thankyou.

2014 has, much like, 2013, not turned into the promotional splurgefest I imagined it would for Tempo, essentially because of too much work. The various projects that swell the trumpet fund have applied my wits to some splendid things with great creative mates and this has all lead to me badly needing a PA to organise my show schedule and a month off to master the new LP.

A WEEKEND OF TWO HALVES
I did, however, get to break out the band and a new horn section in London recently. My first blast out in the legendary Basement of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in the shadow of the Barbican was also my first ride-out on stage with the Meridian Horns, fresh from their European tour with Elvis. Whilst Head of Horns, Pat Hayes, had introduced me to Barny Low and Johnny XXX a few weeks before, as they kindly blew horns magnificently for me on a couple of sessions one sunny Thursday morning, we’d never played together before.

Beats maestro Adkins and I rode into London to meet them with a 90-minute set that shared almost everything we currently perform from Momo:tempo’s catalogue, but with two important additions – the first ever live blast of Conspiracy, the current single, and even more nerve-tugging… the first ever performance of what will be Momo’s next single. A tune much loved by the five people who’ve played on it, but not even mastered yet, so completely unheard anywhere before.

While the very warm welcome and best ever green room we received from the pro team at the Guildhall was really in the end a friendly opportunity for a dust-off show, the following night in a sweaty summer evening Kensington was a bit of a revelation. For, properly splendid as it was to know the top new shape of the Electro Pops horns section that Friday night – such talented, lovely men to work with, Barny and Johny – and much missed as percussion-duty groove machine Simon Mellish was, Saturday night saw Momo:tempo as a trio for the first time – and it was a total blast.

With Pat on bone and Mark on skins, I bashed the white piano and pulled faces as usual in the warm intimacy of our return to The Troubadour and the loved-up cabaret party of creative legend and art hero and utter gentleman chum, Sebastian Michael, quietly kicked off to our humble ensemble. What a joyful night.

One of the quotes from this lovely chance to celebrate with a great chance mix of mates, was a quote from oldest amigo and current biz partner extraordinaire, Mr Clarke-Jervoise, upon hearing our new set-closer an impending next release: “A direction, by the way, you should have taken f***ing YEARS ago…”. Eloquence reflecting some conviction, I think you’ll agree.

Where this takes us next, I can’t yet confirm – requests are in with various places to find the odd little show slot before launching an album somewhere in the Autumn. All I do know is that Codename Funkasino as it’s terribly referred to currently is laid out from stem to stern and so full of new Momo goodness I can hardly get it to sit still. Mastering mixes will be happening in July and August and a release announced somewhen at the end of the summer, now.

All else I know is, if I could only find the unrealistic budget needed to do it, the music film to next single All That Love Could Be, would wring you out with joy.

I will go away and work on that too.

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