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UPDATED BY MARK TINGLEY: 13th SEPTEMBER 2009
Mark: Oh yes, we were too lazy to go anywhere else! Claire: Heh heh. You haven't really aged since the Different Story vid. That song came up randomly on my ipod, made me so happy. Mark: It was 6 years difference because Different Story couldn't be edited. Claire: I liked the plasticine Madame Wilberforce. Mark: Melody decided to go and buy some plastercine while we were shooting and suddenly she made this amazing model! She's very clever! So we incorporated it into the finished video. Claire: I was impressed with your gymnastic move in the kitchen. Mark: Yes, that took quite a few attempts and I couldn't stop laughing!! Claire: What did you cook in the video? Lentil bolognaise? Mark: Yes. Claire: So what's next? Mark: We're planning the next video this afternoon. We had a brainstorming session yesterday, what style should it be, how it will look, and now I think we're storyboarding the ideas. |
UPDATED BY MARK TINGLEY: 25th AUGUST 2009
HERE'S ONE I MADE EARLIER VIDEO LAUNCHED.
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We filmed it indoors because we wanted to just throw something together quickly and get something out there. Of course we got more ideas, ending up making plasticine models and adding specially edited sequences, which made the whole thing take a lot longer. This track itself features our old drummer Phil. In the year he was with us, we recorded him at the back of a rugby Hall. "Here's One" is an ancient song from the 90s which I thought we could finish up while recording all these other tracks for the album. |
Well, enjoy the video. Let us know what you think.
UPDATED BY MARK TINGLEY: 6th MAY 2009
AND FINALLY...
It has been a difficult few years, with various setbacks and delays, but hopefully you'll see and hear why it all took so long...
UPDATED BY MARK TINGLEY: 19th MAY 2008
"DIFFERENT STORY" VIDEO LAUNCHED
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Sometimes updating these things feels like the spokesperson for a corrupt Dictatorship pumping out propoganda. And in a way, it is!! Anyway after months of laying low busily recording and editing videos, we're pleased to present the first fruits of our efforts... "Different Story." It's our first music video in ages. "Different Story" was filmed in and around North London by Steve Lake at his Radio Europa studio. But it actually isn't all that new, being an unfinished project. The song itself was originally put out in 2003 with the planned video being filmed, but then shelved... until now! |
OTHER NEWS
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* In the meantime, the running order for the next album has been decided, and it's 80% recorded. We need to stick on the remaining guitars, bass, a few vocals, and the odd overdub, but it should be ready to go in time for October. It's completely different to the first one, with a more natural "organic" sound! Already someone wants to cover one of the songs!! * Wilberforce multi-instrumentalist and keyboard player Melody Spires is working on a jazz-tinged solo album with me producing! * Romuald the bass player is gone! Thankfully I'm playing bass on the CD anyway, and we hope to have someone new in place later this year for gigs (unless I convince myself I can play bass and sing at the same time!!). Understandably the patience of our fanbase must be threadbare by now! But fear not, because as well as "Different Story" and the forthcoming CD, we've been frantically working on another CDs worth of songs! And there's more videos to come too! Thanks for bearing with us! That's enough propaganda for today!! |
UPDATED BY MARK TINGLEY: 5th OCTOBER 2007
WILBERVISION LAUNCHED!
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Wilberforce have finally hit youtube!!! Which means you can finally get to see Wilberforce videos, gigs, recording sessions, etc! Just as the video to "College" kickstarted Wilberforce into life, so it seems apt the 1996 debut track should open up proceedings on youtube. Originally conceived as part of a media project, "College" features Jack as a hapless student who fails prey to drink and women, ending in a grisly finale. Watch it by clicking the icon on the left! Expect to see a host of visuals over the coming months as wilbervision allows you to see what we've been doing all these years with a video camera!! And if you want to post comments or appear on wilbervision, just let us know and we'll sort it out... |
to add vocals to "Big Pressure." |
Jules from the band Infighting, became the latest artist to add her voice to the song "Big Pressure." The sprawling track that will appear on the forthcoming album is almost finished and now boasts 19 different backing singers as well as numerous overdubs of guitars, bass guitars, drums and various instrumentation! Let us know if you'd like to appear too!! Wilberforce have also been recording songs old and new in sessions that are expected to last through into next April, taking in the new album and assorted tracks! Check back soon! |
WILBERFORCE EXPAND A MEMBER!
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Wilberforce just got bigger! Romuald Wadych (left) is apparently joining Wilberforce on bass. And if that wasn't mad enough, he's hoping to play other instruments too! Which obviously means there's more chance of gigs in the not-too-distant future... Up to now I've been recording on bass for the album, and Helen has used her left hand live on keyboards for gigs! Meantime I've been involved in some "pre-album" sessions, to remind myself how to turn the equipment on and to have a bit of fun! There are some catchy new songs in the pipeline too. But we mustn't get too ahead of ourselves, there's still an album to record!! |
is a sonic buster! |
Oh, and one more thing, Nigel Marvin's got a new CD out and it's called "That Strange Arena." He taught me everything I know you know! The album really is "Marvellous!!" If you don't believe me, check out his myspace webpage and listen! My personal fav is "Vintage Sounds". The whole album is funny, clever, catchy, experimental and playful, and definitely worth checking out! Have a great rest of the summer! See you on a beach somewhere... |
15th JULY 2007
WILBERFORCE RETURN-ITH!
George Melly with Mark in 2001. |
After an extended hiatus of 6 months, Wilberforce are returning to the studio to contemplate the next album. A series of setbacks in 2006, including almost the whole album being "wiped", drummers disappearing, and other equipment failures, caused sessions to be put on hold in November. Recording was meant to be wrapped up in time for Christmas and the album originally scheduled for a September release. However I had already planned to go travelling in Australia and New Zealand. As a result, everything ground to a halt, including updating wilberweb. But it's business as usual as we hope to resume recording very soon!! |
Check back soon for more updates!
13th SEPTEMBER 2006
THE "LOST" ALBUM!
An early rough mix surfaced in February. |
Wilberforce were thrown into crisis this week with the news that the new album may have been "wiped"... The drama unfolded two weeks ago while Wilberforce were backing up all their work onto another external hard drive. All seemed fine until Wilberforce noticed the music files hadn't copied over properly. Naturally everyone was concerned, so we took the original hard drive over to a friend who ran tests. It didn't look good. So then we took it to a data retrieval centre who warned us they might not be able to retrieve the music at all, and if they could, it might cost anything up to 1600 pounds (over $3,000)!!! |
Obviously it's a low point, made worse by the fact no one has heard it!!
Though the status of the new album is now very unclear, a few songs intended for other projects have survived. So Wilberforce will concentrate on those for now, and hope to get them out to you very soon.
The show must go on...!!!
AND THE LESSON IS...
...If you have important stuff, BACK IT UP NOW! DON'T PUT IT OFF LIKE WE DID!!! There's always something more important and inspiring to do, but just BACK IT UP! We're suffering as a result and it's a harsh lesson to learn!
We'll let you know of any further developments.
1st AUGUST 2006
THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS"!!
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First the good news... All drums and pianos have been recorded for the new album! After the drummer crisis that threatened to engulf the band once and for all (see below), Wilberforce decided to press into action Ian Escario, session drummer extraordinaire! As a result, 18 drum tracks were recorded between April and June, and Wilberforce are "very pleased" with the results!! |
The bad news....?
The new album has been delayed until April 2007. After mistakes were made at the launch of "Madame Fruitbowl" in 2002, there will be a more efficient and well-managed build up this time, meaning a gap between the end of recording and release. Meantime a series of non-album tracks will be made available, along with a handful of live dates, to plug the long wait.
With Newlove Manorside Studios now completely ungraded, all is set for final sessions that are now expected to run after the summer break, from September until the end of the year.
Finally after a series of delays, technical failures, disappointments and lineup changes, the Wilberforce machine is finally beginning to gather momentum. From now on, expect more activity and updates.
THE SPOOK ORCHESTRA!
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Mark and Helen are now playing in a new 5-piece band called the Spook Orchestra. Combining members of Wilberforce, the Spook Brothers, and folk singer Mary McSpook, the Spook Orchestra are best described as "a psychedelic folk acoustic blues pop experience!" The new act came about after an impromptu get together at an East London vegan cafe in June (view the video here). The band have already played 4 gigs with more on the way, playing a mixture of Wilberforce, Steve Lake, and Melody Spires songs, with the odd cover. |
OTHER NEWS
* The next song to appear on Wilberweb will be "Here's One I Made Earlier". Watch this space!
* A new as-yet-unamed bassist has been drafted in for the forseeable future for live dates. However Mark is playing bass on the entire album.
9th APRIL 2006
DRUMMER CRISIS!!.
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Phil the drummer is out of Wilberforce. Having only made one recording session this year, Phil's absence has meant the album has been delayed by months, missing the original mid-March deadline. Fortunately Wilberforce have managed to recruit a new mystery drummer to finish up the remaining tracks at a London Bridge recording studio where Kylie Minogue once recorded. Whether this will be a permanent replacement or not, only time will tell. |
The delay has meant the album isn't expected to be released before August. The band continue to work on 23 songs, while the rhythm tracks of bass and drums are expected to be finished before May.
FRINTON BASSETT NEWS!.
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Members of 60s group the Frinton Bassett Blues have recorded vocals to the song of the same name. Written as a tribute to late former bandmate Dave Goodman, former Frintons Steve Crawford and Alan Cooke made a 3 hour round trip to Abbey Wood and sang backup vocals on the song, which recalls the band from schoolboy beginnings to local success. Wilberforce have recorded 2 versions of the song, one with Phil and another with the unnamed mystery drummer, the latter already chosen for the finished CD. |
* More vocals have been added to "Big Pressure", with 18 vocalists now singing a total of 36 parts, including the Frintons!!
* A new song is being added to the running order of the album to replace another that failed audience testing. It's reminiscent of Kate Bush's "Coffee Homeground".
* Watch this space for the announcement of another new band member, in readiness for Wilberforce' return to the stage.
* Rumours abound of an imminent online EP release to make up for the album's delay, though nothing has been confirmed just yet, so don't hold your breath!!
17th FEBRUARY 2006
EARLY VERSION OF ALBUM SURFACES.
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Details of the still-unnamed new album are beginning to surface! It will now appear with 13 tracks, clocking in at an estimated 53 minutes, and is still expected to be released in early spring. An additional 8 tracks, intended for future online EP releases, are also being recorded alongside the album. The first draft of the new album has finally been assembled. Existing as a rough mix with various guide vocals, completed performances and unused takes, the CDR will now be scrutinised by Wilberforce and "audience tested" by friends and fans! According to those that have heard it, reaction has been very positive and it's widely acknowledged to be more accessible and heavier than it's predessor. |
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Meanwhile the most ambitious track "Big Pressure" is nearly finished, currently featuring 11 backing vocalists singing 22 vocal parts! Pictured right are aspiring singer, writer and artist Emily French and former Elastic Band bassist and Caretakers guitarist, "Ace Bass" Richard Morley. The song also features a bewildering array of guitar, bass and drum overdubs, boasting an overwhelming 116 tracks which has since been reduced to 99!! The rest of the album is apparently a more simple affair!! |
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* "The websites very informative, all you ever wanted to know about Wilberforce! Are there any gigs lined up?" asks Mary from London, UK. Well it's hoped there will be some London shows in the Spring and maybe a warmup gig beforehand, so keep posted!! Sign up to our mailing list above and we will let you know ASAP!
11th JANUARY 2006
BUSY YEAR AHEAD!
January 2006. |
2006 is shaping up to be a very busy year for Wilberforce, with the release of the second album, a tour, videos and plenty of surprises. Though the band failed to match their ambitious target of a September release last year, they're cautiously optimistic the new abum will appear in late April-early May. The band held continuous sessions between 14th September to 2nd December with a host of guest stars, to record a brace of odds and ends including the album and various other tracks intended for use on a future EP. Recording was halted for a month as a result of studio renovations, since completed, and Xmas! |
However Wednesday 11th January marks the return of Mark, Helen and Phil for final sessions that expect to conclude around mid March. Check out the site (or use the form above to register) for regular updates and sound and video clips.
OTHER NEWS
* Mark has also been active producing a live show for American radio of Steve Lake's outfit "the Spook Brothers". It's hoped to be made available sometime this year.
* Helen has been collaborating with former Wilberforce bassist Nat, otherwise known as RACHELAPP whose new album was released recently.
* Don't forget to check out the latest Wilberforce track "Theme for a Holiday".
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