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Blue House EP by Darren Hayman

Card gatefold sleeve. Numbered and limtied to 500.

I like collections of five or six songs, seven even. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a proper name for them; Mini LPs? Maxi EPs?

I write when I travel, when I’m disengaged. I write when I’m on holiday. I wrote three of these songs in a blue house on the Suffolk coast. There was a piano in the blue house and I bought my baritone ukulele. I tasted every beer from the local brewery and rated them in a table in my notebook.

Leaves and Stars is about the cycle of wedding, christening, divorce, wedding. At the age of 42, too many of my friends are on the third stage. Nothing stays the same. It’s a song about acquiescence and letting go, accepting change and letting it wash over you.

Words change too, or at least their popularity does. Remember when words like ‘blackleg’, ‘scab’, ‘picket line’ and ‘strike’ were more common? They were barbed, sharp, violent words. They were necessary. Blackleg is a song about collaborating with the enemy.

When the School Sold Its Fields is about trying to remember when it first went wrong, or at least when I first noticed things going awry. When I was ten or eleven I remember my school selling its playing fields for a housing estate. Soon all the schools sold part of their fields. Many schools now have housing estates where the kids used to play. The song also concerns a memory I have of me being dressed up by my parents as a ‘China man’ for the PTA International Dinner. Mrs Morgan, our head teacher, had passed away. They held a silence and it was the first time my mind had confronted death. I cried.

Kurhaus Blues was written on an earlier holiday in Semmering, Austria. In fact I have a whole album of instrumentals on the subject of Semmering. We walked around a ruined Kurhaus, lost amongst the mountains and trees. I imagined it when it was new. I do this a lot; imagine old things new.

Loose Change was written by my friend Valentine Leys. She sang one of mine, so I sang one of hers’. Valentine’s is better.

Blue House was made especially for Indie Label Market 29 November 2013. It will also be available directly from www.hefnet.com and a few select record shops.

Darren Hayman, December 2013

Buy the Blue House EP CD Direct from Darren

Blue House comes in a neat card gatefold slip case. Numbered and limited to 500.

Or buy downloads from Bandcamp here.

Lisbon by the Wave Pictures – Directed by Darren Hayman

This has actually been out for a little while but I never posted it here on my site.

I’m very proud of this video. It was the Wave Pictures own concept to have a video with their Dads playing themselves. Something I believe that has been done before.

It helped that I have already met and knew their parents. I tried to do something tender, I hope you like it.

Ink Run by Papernut Cambridge – directed by Darren Hayman

Darren also plays on this album available from Gare Du Nord.

Red Cloud Road – The Wave Pictures – Video directed by Darren Hayman

Wave Pictures – Lisbon – Directed by Darren Hayman

Introducing Fulhäst

I sometimes forget to feature my extra curricular activities here. Fulhäst is my good friend Nik Vestburg and it’s a strange mix of stark, bare, heartbroken lyrics and blut, brutal Gameboy music. I spent two days recording his album ‘Broken’ back in January.

My and Nik almost have no shared fram of reference. He likes horror movies and Swedish punk rock. I like Free jazz and alternate guitar tunings.

But we work well and fast together. We are going to do more stuff together again soon.

The easiest introduction to Nik might be this remix I did for him.

<a href="http://shop.fikarecordings.com/album/broken">Broken by Fulhäst</a>

However I would advise you to avoid my sweetening and drink some neat Fulhäst.

Here you go….

<a href="http://shop.fikarecordings.com/album/broken">Broken by Fulhäst</a>

Occupation 6 – Darren Hayman and the Wave Pictures

Occupation Show 6 at the Vortex Club will be over two nights on the 12th and 13th December. Darren will be playing sets with The Wave Pictures.

It’s a long time ago not but when the Wave Pictures first moved to London back in 2006 for a short while there were the original Secondary Modern. Darren took them to Spain with him and they also did a few UK shows. Since then they have collaborated regularly, playing on each others records and Darren directing Wave Pictures videos.

In 2011 they made a single together ‘Who Hung the Monkey’, part of the January Songs project.

https://vimeo.com/18802568

To make the show extra special we are going to try and organise a secret santa event. Every ticket holder should try and bring a £5 ish present and all of the presents will be swapped and distributed throughout the night.

THE SETS ON BOTH NIGHTS WILL BE LARGELY SIMILAR.

Thursday 12th December http://www.wegottickets.com/event/242735

Friday 13th December http://www.wegottickets.com/event/242738

The Vortex
11 Gillett Square, London N16 8AZ
www.vortexjazz.co.uk
Doors 8pm
£12 Adv

www.hefnet.com

@DarrenHayman
@VortexJazz
@ThePopside

Darren Hayman’s Occupation is a series of monthly shows at The Vortex, Dalston. There will be a mix of sets showcasing different albums, themes and special guests. This is not your standard indie gig:

“I love gigs. I hate gigs.

I want to play live and I love what shows can be, but I’ve found myself frequently stifled by the limitations of my career. I can’t play the plush, seated venues and I can’t experiment with a string section or play 20 minute opuses.

My music was born in the sticky floored rock venue. I like the sticky floored rock venue but I have had a hankering for something different recently. My own taste has veered towards free improv and jazz and although it’s hard to imagine that music influencing my own I do love the culture of live music in this genre.

Long sets, sometimes two, comfortable venues and a reverence and respect for the event and the moment; less talking, less cameras, more dynamics, less microphones.

I wondered if these would let an indie rock interloper amongst their ranks. My show at the Vortex back in last November was successful enough to make me think of playing a monthly residency there.

The idea is that each show is themed. I don’t want to go the whole predictable route of playing complete albums, but rather group, types of songs together for different evenings. Experiment, sometimes play two sets, sometimes have unlikely guests. I will be playing with members of my bands from through out my career as well as old friends like the Wave Pictures and Allo Darlin.

The Vortex is a beautiful venue. I’m trying to do something different; something, smaller, prettier. I hope you can come.”

Occupation 5- Old Hymns with Jack Hayter

For the fifth Occupation show we are expanding to two nights; 11th and 14th NOVEMBER

The theme this time is simple, Darren and his old bandmate Jack Hayter will play the songs of their old band Hefner. Darren and all the members of Hefner have remained firm in their intention that the band will never reform and even nights like these are very rare. The last time Jack and Darren played sets like this was in 2008.

This time Jack and Darren hope to turn their attention to the softer side of Hefner. Less Hello Kitten, more Hymn for the Alcohol.

ALTHOUGH THEY ARE PLAYING TWO NIGHTS THE SETS ON BOTH NIGHTS WILL BE LARGELY SIMILAR.

Support on 11th is from Papernut Cambridge. An awesome new band, formed in a dream and sometimes featuring Darren himself.

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/241421

Support on 14th is from Jack Hayter playing his own songs.

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/241422

All tickets here www.wegottickets.com/popside