An outtake from the album I released back in May - “persistent random misfortune” - booted out for being too miserable 

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taped off the radio over the top of the charts. July 1996
In July 1996 we went to Manchester to play live during Mark Radcliffe's show, and this is one of the tunes we did. One of the early tunes i'm most proud of, this is probably the best version. I think the lyrics are nice GK

Kernel BBC Radio 1 (Mark & Lard) July 1996

playing live in the studio, taped off the radio.
In 1995 John Cavanagh was in charge of the Rock Show, and in an effort to get fired*, he invited us into the BBC studios on Queen Margaret Drive to play a few songs live on the air to his audience of AC/DC and Slayer fans. We set up around a couple of mics behind his chair in the control room and played Kewpies Like Watermelon, Road Song, Plastic Ashtray and this one. All the songs were pretty new at that point, recently completed in the case of Kewpies, and we were all pretty excited to be playing them.. God knows what the metal heads made of it, but John is now the voice of STV, and we salute him for his top class trolling. I think this tune should have been a single. GK

Pachinko (Live Session BBC Radio 1 Scotland , Circa Dec 95)

Recorded at King Tuts in 1995 for the John Peel show, i think this sounds pretty great despite the radio static. As ever, it was recorded on cassette over the top of last weeks' charts. GK

Lo Fi (King Tuts, Glasgow - Peel Live 95)

Rare performance of track from "We Are" for John Peel

Velvey Bood - (John Peel Session) April 1996

recorded live to air at the BBC Studios in Manchester for the Mark n' Lard Show, July 1996
We played this live to air for the Mark n Lard show in the BBC Studios in Manchester shortly after a massive IRA bombing of the city centre that we were only vaguely aware of, shut off from reality as we were within the rattling confines of the back of a transit van. I had evolved a way to cope with such journeys that involved a sleeping bag, a 4 x 12 speaker cabinet, dramamine and whisky miniatures. Knowing that may go some way toward explaining this recording. Enjoy. GK

Phasers On Stun (Mark Radcliffe Live Session July 1996)

Recorded live to air for Radio Scotland 1995
Another tune from the Radio Scotland Rock Show live session we did in 1995. I can't be 100% sure that "Talking Tina", the cheap Barbie doll rip-off that we used to "sample" (by holding her up to our guitar pick-ups), didn't just say "Get Fucked" to everyone listening to the BBC. Particularly surprising as she only ever said "I love it" and "this is fun" before. It's right at the end, and it's really clear. Bad Tina. GK

Plastic Ashtray (Live Session BBC Radio 1 Scotland , Circa Dec 95)

In 1998 we climbed into a tour bus and dragged our sorry arses all over Europe in an attempt to find out which local region of the Warners empire cared least about our continuing sorrowful existence. On this particular night we were recorded by our sound elf, John Delf, and had the pleasure to support that band from the Sopranos, Alabama 3, who are actually not from Alabama. Or they supported us, I forget. Anyway the point is, we learned lots of interesting things, like the sleeping cubicles on tour buses are a lot like coffins,that there are no solids in the chemikal toilet, and in France French Onion Soup is called "onion soup". And the answer was Germany. Always Germany. GK

Strategic Hamlets (live in Amsterdam 1998)

Solo acoustic version performed live for XFM
I wish I had found this CDR of a live solo acoustic session that Fergus and Ian did for XFM back in September 2000 soon enough to include this version of Burriko Girl on the LP. This is just Fergus and his guitar and it is perfect for Sunday.I wish we had done more of this sort of stuff. GK

Burriko Girl (XFM Session)15/09/2000

Here's a very rare tune from our first ever Peel session, recorded in Cava Studios, Glasgow by the lovely Stewart Cruikshank. We couldn't make it down to Maida Vale at this point because we were poor unfortunates with no money, success or amplifiers to call our own. Plus ca change. This is a bit of a weird one, a song written by me (Graham) but sung by Fergus. Something we only did one other time. (Sucker, on the Kewpies EP) I couldn't sing this cos the key was all wrong and we couldn't afford a capo or something like that. I really like Fergus' guitar on this but still cringe at some of the lyrics. I was really into the Go Betweens (a major influence in making me think dual vocalists would be a fun thing to pursue.) and some of the words sound like something someone who isn't as smart as he thinks he is would write. If he thought he was Robert Forster. Anyway, Fergus is far nearer to Robert Forster than me and he did a good job with what I gave him. We never released this song on anything and it has languished on an unloved cassette in a cupboard till now. One day I had the idea that Fergus should sing all our songs and I would just play guitar, but then we started getting ultra competitive and that idea got shelved. Enjoy! GK

Thread (John Peel Session November 1994)

Glo Starz (Evening Session January 1998)

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