Everything But The Girl

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Ben Watt sings and plays guitar live for the first time in 13 years Image

Ben Watt sings and plays guitar live for the first time in 13 years // 09.04.2013 // 08h09

A low-key return in Indianapolis on April 29

He may have been an in-demand DJ and respected record label boss of late, but it has been 13 years since Ben last sang and played live with a simple microphone and guitar - not since he and partner Tracey Thorn parked EBTG in 2000. As for solo gigs, you have to go back thirty years to 1983, to find a date when Ben last performed live, back to the days when he was recording acclaimed folk-jazz recordings as a 20 year-old for London indie label, Cherry Red, with stellar collaborators like Robert Wyatt and Kevin Coyne. But with the recent partial closure of his ten year-old label, Buzzin' Fly, he has announced he wants to find time for his own writing again. A non-fiction book, 'Romany and Tom', about his parents - the follow-up to 1996's 'Patient' - is scheduled for early 2014 published by Bloomsbury, but he has returned to songwriting too. But why Indianapolis? His relationship with Luna Music - Indianapolis' famous indie music store - goes back a long way. Old friends with Luna kingpin, Todd Robinson, he has chosen an offbeat Monday night to make his low-key return. 'I didn't really know how to come back. So let's call it a chance to roadtest a few new ideas in front of friends and family,’ is how he put it to Todd. Mon Apr 29. Free admission. 9pm. More here.

A fork in the road for Buzzin' Fly as it becomes an archive-only label // 14.03.2013 // 10h59

After ten years, Ben has decided to close his label Buzzin' Fly to new music .

It is with a bit of sadness and a lot of pride that Ben's Buzzin' Fly Records - in this, its 10th Anniversary year - has announced the closing of a significant door. As of now, the label will be scaling back its operations to become an 'archive label' only, with no new plans to sign new artists or release new work. As a small legacy of a great amount of love and effort, its back catalogue of underground club productions - starting with Watt's own 'Lone Cat' in 2003 and ending with Alex Blaxx's 'Evening News' in 2012 - will be kept available, and a clutch of new comprehensive deluxe digital anthologies will be released later in the year, starting on April 22 with Buzzin' Fly Anthology, Vol 1, 2003-2004. Read the full story here.

Tracey live Q&A's for 'Bedsit Disco Queen' // 10.01.2013 // 09h40

Tracey will be in conversation about her new memoir at the following events:

Feb 7th - Launch at Rough Trade East, London

Feb 13th - New Writing South, Brighton

Feb 19th - UEA Literary Festival, Norwich

Feb 27th - Virago Book Club at Foyles, London

6th April - Laugharne Weekend, Wales

12th April - Aye Write! Glasgow Book Festival

13th April - Cambridge Word Fest

2nd May - Liverpool Sound City

Tracey's new memoir 'Bedsit Disco Queen' published on 7 Feb 2013 // 09.01.2013 // 07h23

A journey through the music industry through her own eyes. Published by Virago.

In Tracey's words: 'I was only sixteen when I bought an electric guitar and joined a band. A year later, I formed an all-girl band called the Marine Girls and played gigs, and signed to an indie label, and started releasing records. Then, for eighteen years, between 1982 and 2000, I was one half of the group Everything But the Girl. In that time, we released nine albums and sold nine million records. We went on countless tours, had hit singles and flop singles, were reviewed and interviewed to within an inch of our lives. I've been in the charts, out of them, back in. I've seen myself described as an indie darling, a middle-of-the-road nobody and a disco diva. I haven't always fitted in, you see, and that's made me face up to the realities of a pop career - there are thrills and wonders to be experienced, yes, but also moments of doubt, mistakes, violent lifestyle changes from luxury to squalor and back again, sometimes within minutes.' Order through Amazon UK or Amazon US

Brand new official video for Tracey Thorn's 'Joy' // 10.12.2012 // 09h12

Filmed in Lille, Northern France, here is a Christmas video for a Christmas song

'Joy' is the opening track and latest single from Tracey Thorn's Christmas and winter album 'Tinsel and Lights'. The video is directed by Edward Bishop and Ben Watt. Have fun. See it here

Tracey's 'Tinsel and Lights' Advent Calendar // 05.12.2012 // 04h09

24 days of exclusive pics, tracks and clips

Based around her current Christmas and winter album 'Tinsel and Lights', Tracey has launched an online advent calendar. Each day features a festive link to exclusive tracks, clips, recipes and general seasonal nonsense. Happy Christmas.

'Bollocks. We lost. They won.' // 23.10.2012 // 06h01

Read Ben Watt's exclusive interview with indie titan and Beggars Group head honcho, Martin Mills

As part of his ongoing series of interviews at the website for his own indie label, Buzzin' Fly, Ben turns to one of the most powerful men in the music industry today - Martin Mills, long-time head of the Beggars Group. Check out the interview here.

The Making of Tinsel and Lights // 23.10.2012 // 05h19

New mini-documentary. A look behind the scenes at Tracey's new solo album.

Watch the trailer of Tracey's new mini-documentary 'The Making Of Tinsel and Lights' to get you in the mood for next week's album release.

New Christmas solo album from Tracey Image

New Christmas solo album from Tracey // 01.10.2012 // 03h12

'Tinsel and Lights' is the name of Tracey's new Christmas and winter solo album out on Oct 29/30

Tracey's brand new Christmas album 'Tinsel and Lights' will be out Oct 29/30 featuring lots of ace modern and retro seasonal classics plus two new songs by Tracey herself. There are early previews and pre-orders available now at the Buzzin' Fly & Strange Feeling online shop for the standard CD, the deluxe vinyl gift set and the iTunes version. Jump here for more info. North American fans should check out the Merge Records versions too

Interview with The Quietus // 20.06.2012 // 04h12

Ben and Tracey chat to Ian Wade

Read it here

'You feel like you're listening to a different person' // 18.06.2012 // 07h27

Ben and Tracey interviewed in The Observer

Nice interview with Ben and Tracey from Sunday 17 June's 'The Observer', also carried here on the Guardian website.

Venice Not Moscow // 18.06.2012 // 07h23

Printing error on re-issue

Following a last minute artwork alteration in the week running up to the printing of the booklet, the photo of Tracey beside Venice's Basilica of St Marco has been mis-captioned on the Love Not Money re-issue as 'Moscow 1985'. Thanks to fan, Mark Jones, for the spot. Doh!

Big interview with Tracey in The Word this month Image

Big interview with Tracey in The Word this month // 13.06.2012 // 02h04

David Hepworth talks to Tracey about the EBTG re-issues and more

Catch up with Tracey chatting about the EBTG re-issues, life on Twitter, singing live, her new upcoming Christmas album and her new book.

Re-issues out this week // 25.05.2012 // 01h37

The BBC 6Music Breakfast Show hosted a live interview with Ben and Tracey

on Wednesday this week to celebrate the release this week of the deluxe re-issues of the first four EBTG albums. Expect interviews coming up in The Word and Mojo too, plus another extensive interview for 6Music called 'The First Time ...' in July

Re-issues arrive from factory // 11.05.2012 // 07h06

Only two weeks until they hit the shops and online stores

Building on the original sleeve designs John Gilsenan at iwantdesign has created four sleeve hardback CD books for the EBTG re-issues. Each book contains 2 CDs (including orig albm + B-sides, radio session tracks and unreleased demos) slipped into the inside front and back flap plus 20-30 pages of lyrics, rare photos and scans of memorabilia for each release. Release date is May 28. Pre-order on Amazon here

'Temperamental' finally available on iTunes US // 09.05.2012 // 07h34

EBTG's 1999 album 'Temperamental' is now on sale on iTunes US after fans alerted us it was missing.

The reason for its absence has never been explained, and although it is now almost thirteen years since its release we hope MP3 fans are happy that it can now be downloaded. The album features the singles 'Five Fathoms', 'Temperamental', 'Blame' and 'Lullaby Of Clubland'.

Amazon pre-order for re-issues // 23.04.2012 // 07h32

All four of the re-issued EBTG albums (1984-88) are now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Each album ('Eden', 'Love Not Money', 'Baby, The Stars Shine Bright' and 'Idlewild') is re-issued on May 28 as a double CD packaged in a hard-back casebound book with the original album on CD1 and rarities, demos, B sides and session tracks on CD2. Rare photos, scans of memorabilia and new liner notes for each album by Ben and Tracey are also included. Pre-order here

Tracey embarks on new 'alternative Christmas album' // 12.04.2012 // 01h23

Tracey went back into the studio recently to start work on a new album of winter and Christmas songs

The album will feature 'obscure' cover versions and a couple of new original songs. The album is being produced by Ewan Pearson, and Ben is guesting on guitar and piano. The album will be out in October 2012 on Strange Feeling (ex-North America) and Merge Records.

First four albums to be re-issued // 12.04.2012 // 01h18

The first four Everything But The Girl albums (1984-1988) will be re-issued as deluxe 2xCDs.

The releases will feature the original remastered albums on CD1 and A-sides, B-sides, rarities and previously unreleased demos on CD2. The booklet features full track info, plus liner notes from Ben and Tracey and rare photos and memorabilia. The CDs are released on Edsel/Demon on May 28 2012.

Photos

Farringdon, 1996. Pic by Juergen Teller.

West London, 1998. Pic by Juergen Teller.

Bristol, 1985. Pic by Nigel Adams.

Hull 1983

New York, 1995. Pic by Marcelo Krasilcic.

Live in Gorky Park, Moscow, 1985

North London, 1984

London & Hull 1982

Pompano Beach, Florida, 1996.

New York, 1995. Pic by Marcelo Krasilcic.

London, 1994 (with Danny Thompson & Dave Mattacks)

Farringdon, 1996. Pic by Juergen Teller.

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