Fresh from their sold out Splendour in the Grass side-show at Oxford Art Factory in Sydney last night, the rest of the crowd and I are still swooning at Wild Beasts flawless live performance. There's not much else to say that you won't already know: Wild Beasts are awesome. They sounded just as amazing live as they do on record, and their one and a half hour long set flew by like it was nothing.

This tour sees Katie Harkin of Sky Larkin in the bandwagon pulling synth duties, and her first trip to Australia! Some of the band went to Taronga Zoo on their free day; but to my extreme disappointment, did not return with any gratuitous pics of them spooning koalas for me. Boo. But what they did do was drop the video for 'Bed Of Nails', directed by Daniel Brereton. If you haven't managed to see them live, this truly is a taste of what they're like in the flesh; with all the stunning clarity of sound and emotion that they can convey.

EVERYONE, go check their full international tour dates HERE. They are UNMISSABLE.

Nestor Leaves Seattle

So Sky Larkin have arrived safely back home in the UK...but not before throwing together another little video of the noise, the drama and dream of recording an album with John Goodmanson. Check Nestor, Dug and Harkin out in the video below, looking all cute and musician-like in Seattle and stuffs:

This was from a few days ago, maybe even last weekend, but it was such perfect weather that we walked all the way downtown and then happened upon everyone's favourite carwash on the way back.

Just three days to go until we head back to reality now. Feeling kind of down because I don't want to leave, though I have been listening to deftones a LOT so that might have something to with it.

Nah, I'm sure well be back soon.

20th March 2010, Seattle

Last day today, boo...

I'm totally ready for home, but also really genuinely sad to be leaving Seattle.

I think we've spent just enough time here to start settling in, so without trying to be too clichéd an weepy, it kind of feels like we're leaving home.

Nah, I'm sure we'll be back soon, if only to see the Fremont Troll (seriously, look it up) which we still haven't managed to do in the two months we must have collectively spent here.

Anyway, here is a flattering snap of us taken by the man Johnny G on the hallowed steps of Bogroll Studio. Good times.

22nd March 2010, Seattle

I hope y'all enjoyed the pictures of stuff I thought was kind of interesting.

See you next time!

x Nestor

Hiya Nest, are those finger guns?

Photograph of Nestor above by Matt Maude

Ahoy!

Healthy eating is an important part of making a record, particularly during the recording process (and afterwards when I get to sit around whilst the guitars and singings are being laid down).

But along with eating all my fruit and vegetables I also go out of the way to sample the most synthetic, chemically enhanced and headache inducing soft drinks known to mankind.

So, without further ado...

Exhibit A: Dr. Pepper Diet Cherry and/or Vanilla

6th March 2010, Seattle

Verdict:

Well, this tastes neither like cherry or vanilla which I think is the fault of it being diet, but it was such a tempting mix of flavour I simply couldn't resist. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for it's full sugar brother.

Here is a picture of the space needle and a section of the world famous Seattle monorail! (plus some satellite dishes in the middle for good measure).

9th March 2010, Seattle

Seattle fact of the day:

the two tracks of the monorail were designed so that two trains could go in opposite directions for the convenience of everyone. However, the tracks are just slightly too close together, so that when the two trains passed round a corner they would actually crash into each other. This renders one half of the tracks useless to this day.

Good job Seattle!

On the plus side however, the space needle is one hundred percent awesome.

DrinkZ update:

10th March 2010, Seattle

The winner. By a thousand miles.

You can actually smell this stuff in the air hours after opening it.

It has that glutenous texture of regular Dew, however it tastes like the slimy offspring of engine oil from the Terminator's ballsack and a cherry from the year 3000.

Basically, mankind just isn't ready for this stuff yet.

I've also just read that there is an even more cherried version available at some place called Wienerschnitzel. I'm intrigued, but also quite afraid... How much cherry is too much?

Just been saying goodbye to my chicks, they live next door and have been reliably waking me up more or less around sunrise every day until now. We've moved up in the world, home is now a swanky apartment with real beds for the remainder of our stay.

Pretty stoked.

13th March 2010, Seattle

But seriously, have you ever seen a finer chicken specimen? I thought not, that guy is a champ.

Just did a quick sweep up.

I must say I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I had expected the drumstick mortality rate to be much higher (and therefore more photogenic)...

Oh well, there's always the next record!

15th March 2010, Seattle

Just one week left in Seattle now. The thought would bring a tear to my eye if my face wasn't already covered in precipitation of every form.

x N

Hiya Nestor

Things I have seen on my days off in Seattle that I would never see anywhere else no. 1:

1st March 2010, Seattle

I don't even know what this is about - nor do I care really - I only know that it and it's owner by proxy, are awesome. Not pictured is the DIY afterburner attached to the boot.

LMAOnaise.

Things I have seen on my days off in Seattle that I would never see anywhere else no. 2:

2nd March 2010, Seattle

Just wow. He looks like you're recently deceased, closet-alcoholic serial-bigamist uncle telling you about those 'saucy parties' he went to back in 'the day'. Sure, his strangely animated eyes follow you around the room, but that's totally OK, just take it as a sign that he's watching over you from the spirit world, and occasionally watching you in the shower too.

Ha. I just wrote that without really reading it. Is it funny or just really dark?

7th March 2010, Seattle

Perfect weekend weather, perfect weekend.

x N

And furthermore, catch a moving picture glimpse of what Nestor, Dug and the lovely Harkin have been up to whilst in Seattle:

Say Hiya to Nestor

photograph of Nestor by Danny North

We all know I have this *ahem* indefinable thing for HEALTH's drummer BJ; but before there was BJ, there was (drumroll please - HA!)...Nestor.

Nestor is currently of Sky Larkin drummer fame, and right now is back in Seattle with bandmates Harkin and Dug at John Goodmanson's (Death Cab for Cutie, Los Campesinos!, Sleater-Kinney) studio, who also produced the band's debut album.

Nestaaargh, the oddly gentle, ranga beast that he is, is writing a little Seattle guide/diary for us. Here's his first week for you...

21 Feb 2010, Seattle

Yo yo,

Seattle is good, although we're pretty badly lagged!

Beautiful weather, a freak heat wave or something. Meant to be hailstorms next week!

Just been for a walk. I forgot how scene Seattle is, we looked like foreign exchange kids look when they visit your school. Ha.

23rd Feb 2010, Seattle

I've been having trouble getting to sleep before 3am lately, partly through nerves about recording and partly through getting up later and later! I thought it would help with the timezone shift, but so far it's just made it even harder to adjust.

Our food today consisted of take away pizza for lunch and burgers from an old school burger joint called Dick's for dinner... Mmm, healthy. I already feel like crap, might be time to get healthy already, which basically means don't eat around here!

We get weekends off so we can have a rest (and so John [Goodmanson] can hang out with his new baby) so I reckon we're going to the cinema a few times while we're here and I think 'Precious' is probably on the agenda, it looks pretty awesome. Did you know Oprah Winfrey produced it?

I always forget how hard recording is, especially when we're just starting. Only did a few hours today and I'm already totally wiped... It's a good job we've got the wizard to help us out when we're in trouble!

25th Feb 2010, Seattle

Home sweet home. I wake up feeling like I'm stowing away on a galleon or something, it's kind of cool but not the most comfy place I've ever slept!

I found out today that the last band to stay at John's studio named this little space The Butt Hut, not sure that I want to know why...

X Nestor

You can check Nestor's epic drum work here, as a little bonus, in 'Smarts', the result of the last time the trio and John Goodmanson crossed paths for 24 hours, late last year in Wales.

The band

Time to dust your Walkman off - the crafty little Sky Larkin kids are going all cheese-analogue-in-the-year-2000 on our asses and releasing a C60 cassette for their next single, 'Antibodies' due out on May the 11th.

If you pre-order the cassette from Wichita, you get the A-side of the cassette via MP3 immediately - worth doing if, like me, you no longer have a Walkman or tape player in your possession. Unless you intend to just hang the cassette tape on a piece of string around your neck (please don't), because knowing the trio, it's gonna be a cute little cassette.

There are three different versions of the cover art alone (check in the gallery), done by the ever so adorable Jack Hudson, playing with lumberjacks, mystical wizardy types, moose, bears and deer to adorn the covers with.

But cop 'Matador' (Lull's response channel switch mix) below, and it's lovely. Beginning in a minimal fashion, then building to an expansive and sweeping affair that is reminiscent of Kleerup. There's a gorgeous break where the strings go solo and accompany Harkin's vocals - and that charming vocal glitch, that my head tells me should be annoying, but I actually find really appropriate.

This is Sky Larkin as you've never heard them before, re-imagined in a wholly satisfying way. Warm.

GALLERY

Harkin, Dug-face and Nestor

Photograph by David Ryle 

Witchita signed trio, Sky Larkin have been off gallivanting around Europe and the USA for god only knows how long now. In between jetsetting about playing shows and hob nobbing it with other musicky types, they also made a video for their latest single, 'Antibodies' full of muddy bodies on location in Los Angeles. Send us a postcard would ya kids?

BONUS! I've dug up a remix of 'Keepsakes' by none other than Napoleon IIIrd for y'all. I've had it for years, and I'm still not tired of hearing it. HEART THAT.