The Korgis

On 21st July 2023 the Christopher Nolan film OPPENHEIMER is released.

By strange coincidence The Korgis were also writing a song about the 'Father of the A-Bomb'.

All great stories deserve a great song. This one was conceived by Chris Hopkins (aka Exhibit-1) Al Steele and James Warren. Chris of course helped us begin the Kartoon World process. instigating ‘This is a New Low’ and contributing the dark middle section to Magic Money Tree. It probably doesn't come as too much of a surprise that his ideas are in the mix when it comes to new material.

In this case Chris had the main riff and a tune. Al tweaked it slightly and began with lyrics. It was always to be about a great moment of stillness - the point when you know you have something important - and want to hold on to that moment. Not sure how we settled on Oppenheimer, but an image of a still mushroom cloud perhaps clinched it.

It is always great when the writers are all on the same page. This was NOT the case here! Chris always saw the song as a jangly summer Carlifornian type of tune, whereas James Al and John saw it as dark still and cold. In the end we agreed to disagree, but at some point it would be amazing to hear Chris finish off his vision of it. This was probably not helped by James' ‘out there’ middle 8, which Chris described as 'weird jazz'!

None of us wanted the song to be ordinary, as Robert Oppenheimer was neither an ordinary man, or lived an ordinary life. He was a fascinating character, who never denounced the use of the bomb, but devoted the rest of his life to peace. He also narrowly escaped a murder charge when his college professor DIDN'T eat the poisoned apple he left on his desk.

The Korgis as a band brought this to life in an extraordinary way. We tried to recreate the timeless harmonies of Crosby Stills and Nash, between James, John and Al. Of course many more harmonies were brought it courtesy of the band with new member Danielle Nicholls adding a magical Glockenspiel part. Paul's drums began with a simple idea and ended up being anything but. We tried several small snare drums out and settled on one where Paul could still hit the rim.

So it came to the video and Al had come across a brilliant App called Revive that could make a still image speak - or in this case SING! The result is spooky, which of course is perfect.

The song is now up on all digital stores. Please SHARE this to your playlists whether they be on Spotify, Apple Music or the countless others.

We will be playing this on our upcoming gigs at Melbourne (Derbyshire), Westbury (Wiltshire), Chesham, Alnwick, Paisley and Dundee and would be delighted if you could make one of them. Make sure you come and say hi, if you do!

Thank you for sticking with us!

The Korgis

The Lost Stackridge Photos

The Lost Stackridge Photos

It always amazed me that at the pinnacle Stackridge's success - the sessions with George Martin for the recording of The Man in the Bowler Hat - that there were not lots of photos with George and the band. If this were today there would be hundreds of pics on each phone, as we meticulously documented every note! But this was not 2023, this was the summer of 1973 and as we spelled out in Kartoon World, the times were much simpler.

I asked James Warren if he remembered there being any pictures taken not expecting anything more than vague recollections, but to my surprise he had a different tale to tell.

No-one is sure how it came about - maybe he felt connected because of his name - but the youngest son of a West England pig-farmer named Stanley Cobbler had volunteered to be the official photographer.

James remembers that throughout the sessions Stanley was very active and although George was not present for all the sessions there were definitely photographs taken whenever he was. James particularly remembers Andy showing George the fingering for the tricky 2nd solo in The Last Plimsole.

Just before the sessions came to an end Stanley was urgently recalled to the family farm as the prize pig had just given birth to 14 piglets! He promised to send on the photos but no-one remembers them every materialising.

To this end I set out to find Stanley in the hope that 50 years later he would still be alive and able to lay his hands on the precious photos.

The trip to Cornwall was uneventful but long(!) and when I finally arrived in the bizarrely named Camel Valley on Bodmin Moor, it was too late to ask about the whereabouts of the Cobbler's. The next morning I was up early and I figured my best shot would be the local postie. This turned out to be fortuitous as he not only knew The Cobbler's but informed me that there was a small shop down a windy lane called Stanley's Rock Shop! He did say that no post is ever delivered there so my heart sank.

I arrived at the shop as the morning mist was clearing. To my surprise a large hand-painted sign outside said 

'COME IN AND SPEAK
(proprietor is blind). 

That explained the lack of mail!

I entered and there was Stanley! He was wearing a bowler hat covered in badges and surrounded by open drawers that must have contained thousands of photographs.

I explained why I had come and asked if he could help me find the pictures, should they have survived the half century that had elapsed. In a slow Cornish drawl he said 'Oim blind  so you'll just arf to look on your ooan'.
Alphabetical order was obviously not a system that Stanley believed in, so I set about the arduous task of searching each drawer.

The first pic I came across was a great shot of Andy, George and Billy in the control room. On the back was scrawled 'Recording Humiliation - Control Room'.
 
 

You can imagine my excitement! Just that one pic meant my journey was not a wasted one. Then I spent two hours with nothing further, and I thought my one treasure might be all I returned with. Then finally, I pulled up this beauty. A full colour image of George and the boys posing at the desk! Check out James' hair - 'bad hair day' doesn't begin to come close!

Then two beauties came in quick succession. First the photo that James had recalled with George miming air guitar - he was always ahead of his time!

As I searched through the last two drawers I found this pick of George. On my long journey home, I had more than occasionally looked over the lost photos, but kept getting drawn to this final pic.

Now we finally know who 'The Man in the Bowler Hat' was!

 

These pics and many more to be used for onstage films in the upcoming show The Korgis Time Machine during our performance of The Last Plimsoll.      TICKETS HERE!  /gigs


 

James caught up with George years later on at an awards ceremony where George talked fondly about Stackridge and The Man in the Bowler Hat.

Hope you enjoyed this little story!
Best from
Al ‘Honest’ Steele

The Last Ever Performance of Kartoon World

Hello friends! 

Way back in 2021 we released Kartoon World. When we were writing it - through Covid lockdown and beyond - we knew we had something special. Of course that in itself doesn't guarantee a favourable reception at the Box Office! 

Fortunately the general public agreed and took to it like an old favourite. On our return to live gigs in November 2021 we decided to do two gigs where we would play the album in it's entirety. That was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, but we thought we had better mix it up a bit more. 

That is what we have been doing in the year and a half that followed, and also including the related album Kool Hits, Kuriosities & Kollaborations, which included new versions of the classic Korgis songs, plus a few things that preceded and followed Kartoon World. 

Now we are a long way through the writing process of a new album (or albums!) and we decided to change up the live band a bit. However we have had such a blast with the current lineup and they fit the material so well, that we thought we would give Kartoon World one last fling in it's complete form. 

So on Feb 18th at Chapel Arts in our home town of Bath we will be performing the whole damn thing - plus all the favourites of course. We would LOVE you to come and join us, and please say hello if you do! 

Tickets HERE!

After that it is a brand new adventure!... stay tuned. 

The Korgis ❤️

Alan Draper has written a book that has caused whirlwinds of excitement in the
Stackridge - Korgis camp!

I have only had a brief look through this but got to say his observations for me were pretty 'on the money'! Not only does he cover every Stackridge song but also every solo album from James, Andy and Mutter (not sure if Crun ever did one?) and of course all The Korgis albums including Kartoon World.

I am often pleasantly surprised by how well Kartoon World is received by the hardcore Stackridge fans. Perhaps because when we began to make it, we through away the rule book! If a wild idea occurred to us, we went with it. If the lyrics were a bit 'out there' then perhaps that is because the whole world was feeling that way.

Anyway, I got talking to Alan via email and it turns out that he is coming to our gig at The Spring Arts Centre in Havant on October 28th. I thought 'Hey!... bring some books along as I am sure a lot of peeps at that gig would love a signed copy. It turns out he has given them all away other than a couple of emergency copies.

Undeterred, I contacted the publisher to see if we could buy some to have handy on the merch stand. As the publisher wishes to sell books and we wish to buy them(!) his answer was YES!

Alan Draper has agreed to bring his signing pen, so if you have already bought the book then bring them along, and if you haven't yet got it, then don't despair, you can grab one from us.

We have 3 very different gigs in quick succession and Spring Arts is our proper 2 - set show with all the favourites and a good helping of Kartoon World. Alan said 'Í would be happy if you played the whole album from start to finish!', but we pointed out that we did that last year.

Tickets as always from The Korgis Website or from this direct link to Spring Arts

Hope to see a good few of you there and please come and say hello at the end of the night, if you do!
Al Steele ❤️ The Korgis

The Korgis Go All Beatles & Book An Orchestra!

THE KORGIS GO ALL BEATLES & BOOK AN ORCHESTRA!

Way back in 2020 James Warren and Al Steele were working on a side project called James Warren and his Mighty Miniature Orchestra. The idea was to have a small orchestral ensemble fronted by 4 people who would cover lots of instruments... a bit like Brian Wilson's band. We set about choosing songs that would suit that line-up.

Concurrently Al was doing a couple of gigs a year with The Mike Smith Big Swing Band... an ensemble he had taken over a few years earlier. Once a year he would perform a concert and expand the band with a string section, and the Swing Band would become an Orchestra. James was a guest on one of these concerts and as well as some Beatles songs he did a fantastic orchestral rendition of Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime.

THEN THE WORLD WENT BANANAS FOR A TIME!

During lockdown The Korgis wrote and recorded Kartoon World and the idea of James Warren and his Mighty Miniature Orchestra was shelved as it was now in conflict with performing the new material.

However the idea was always there to play The Korgis songs with an orchestra. Also on the horizon was a resurrection of the The Mike Smith BSB, but we were all worried about how many of our mature audience would venture out.

Al hit on the idea of fusing the two. The Mike Smith BSB would do the opening set and then The Korgis with Orchestra would take the second set. Who knows there might be some grand finale as well - but it is early days yet.

So now the venue is booked and it is really happening. In fact before tickets even went on sale we had sold 30 seats! So we would like to take this opportunity to invite you to The Civic, Trowbridge on October 23rd. There are still a few good seats left so if this sounds like it will be a good night - and we guarantee it will be! - then grab a ticket now!

As with most things Korgis you can get them from the website  - The Korgis With Orchestra & The Mike Smith Big Swing Band

The Korgis

On August 12th we are heading down near Brighton to the rather brilliant venue Trading Boundaries. Apparently this place has been around longer than even us!!!... since 1770 to be precise.
I learned a little about this venue standing in a queue for a bar in London. Our good friend Robert Parry sidled up and said 'Hey Al, what are you doing here... meant to give you those Korgis pics from the Concorde Club etc... The bloke behind taps me on the shoulder and says 'Did you say The Korgis?... I am doing sound for you next month! He was telling us what an amazing venue it is and how great the staff are.

At this point it was called the Sheffield Arms Hotel. but after a bit of a refit and a couple of hundred years it is more like this and had changed it's name to Trading Boundaries.

The stage area looks amazing and we are so looking forward to this one, as after that we are on summer breaks so NO GIGS!... and no... Steve Hackett is NOT joining us onstage for this one!

We want to tempt you to this gig so in order to do so we are giving away a FREE GOODY BAG!

Well what is in this Goody Bag I hear you ask... ONLY A SPECIAL EDITION OF KARTOON WORLD, THAT'S ALL!!!...and actually that is not all, because  you get the posters that come with the big proper version and even a couple of badges (new ones!), as well as the Goody Bag itself that you will proud to walk around town with! Hardly anyone else will have one! 

We are very well aware that many people at the gig will already have a copy of Kartoon World so this Goody Bag is worth a £5 trade-in off any merch. If you came without a shirt, then the Korgis T-shirt is the one for you! Without your pants?... you could probably cover up with one of our giant A3 posters!

People at the last couple of gigs will have noticed the absence of our Johnny Baker - well he is absent no more! We have the full line-up for this gig and of course our multi-media to go with it.
 

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE support this amazing venue and us into the bargain and pop along to Trading Boundaries - just south of Gatwick. Handy if you are flying in from Japan or Brazil to see us... not so strange the way things are going!... but that is another story...

Have a great couple of weeks and see you there we hope!

Al Steele - The Korgis

I tell you what!... we are stoked to be playing the Pizza Express in London next month - May 14th to be precise. 

Not only does the stage and venue look gorgeous, but the London Pizza Express' also have a history of great music. 

As always our rather good 8-piece band will be munching through a feast of classics - both old and new. 

'If I Had You', 'Dumb Waiters', 'Boots and Shoes', 'If It's Alright With You Baby', and of course the monster hit 'Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime'. 

We are currently in the charts with the new classic 'Always a Sunny Day', and are still somewhat overwhelmed by the reaction to our most recent album 'Kartoon World'. 

We will of course be playing a good selection from that album including the lead track 'Bringing Back the Spirit of Love'. 

Talking of love, of course we would LOVE to see you there. Tell all your friends, bring the family, bring the family butcher!!!!  

The Korgis

This Easter some members of The Korgis have missed out on Easter eggs as they were in remote corners of the world. We felt so sorry for Al in Africa and John in the Maldives that we thought we should have an Easter sale to raise money for some Easter Eggs for them! 

This could be the PERFECT opportunity for those who bought the CD but really wish they had the Vinyl (with those BIG A2 Posters) as well... those that had the download and then saw that magnificent album artwork and wished they had something to hold. There could even be still some people who don’t own Kartoon World at all!... hard to believe I know! 

T-shirts come in 2 designs and both are an ideal alternative for pillow fights. They can be worn as well! 

It is not just Kartoon World merch that is reduced!... The Korgis Collection, the ‘Always a Sunny Day’ download and even Al Steele’s solo album ‘Coming Up From Down Under’ (Al claims it is a ‘must have’ item!) is included. 

Whatever you preference we are here and ready to take your money... Its all in a good cause! 

At checkout make sure you add the code – The Korgis Big Easter Giveaway! – this gives you 10% off everything! 

A belated Happy Easter one and all and hope you can make one of our gigs soon! 

The Korgis

It's Always A Sunny Day when you are hanging out with The Korgis!

It's Always A Sunny Day when you are hanging out with The Korgis!

We first met Joe when he interviewed James Warren just before the release of the Korgis 2021 album, Kartoon World. 

 The Korgis' James Warren chats to Joe Matera 

Australian born Joe Matera is a rocker through and through, having a career that has swayed between rock journalist/ guitar player/artist. 

As a magazine writer he has interviewed artists  of stellar magnitude and as diverse as Sir George Martin and Lemmy! 
As a guitar player he has been seen playing for Steve Harley and the Swedish rock legends Rough. 

In his own write he has released 3 Albums and countless singles. 
The funny thing is that rock guys seem to dig The Korgis. When Al was recording The Damned, Captain Sensible proclaimed his admiration for the 'under-blown' sound of the band and left wearing a Korgis T-Shirt! 

So it was with Joe and it wasn't too long before he suggested a collaboration. Maybe because he was from Kyabram, (near where Al used to go on holidays as a kid) that he was the first to pick up the challenge. 
Using a chord riff and tune that Joe had sent across and sparked by a conversation (between Al and his daughter Lorna) in the plane flying across to Greece, the chorus of 'Always a Sunny Day' was born. There is even a rough demo using the inbuilt mic on Al's Mac that sounds remarkably similar to way the chorus ended up. As it was quite an unusual sound harmonically we hoped Joe would be ok with this softer edge than perhaps he was used to. Fortunately he loved where it was going. 
On Al's return from Greece, we quickly got to work on completing the song albeit in demo form. This is also how the whole of Kartoon World was written, by assembling rough demos and the adding the band in bit by bit. 

James called across and wrote a verse/bridge in about 20 mins which fitted perfectly, and between us we hammered out a middle 8. This was quite reminiscent of Brian Wilson with lovely chords underpinned by altered bass notes. 

 John Baker came across and put a magical of lower vocal in the chorus' and a lovely McCartney style line in the second bridge. Meanwhile Joe had sent across his vocals and a magical guitar solo, plus a lovely rhythm part. The whole piece was starting to gel. 
Al finished lyrics based on some of Joe's ideas and the whole song became about the 'have's and have not's. What is it like to start life with everything you want?... and what is it like to start with nothing? The wealth divide is one of the biggest problems in the world today. When you add homelessness in, then that is pretty much where we are with this song. 

Whenever we bring Paul Smith in on drums, the songs always take on a more 'finished' feel. Even though fake drums can sound good, we are all much happier when Paul works his magic. We tend to rethink patterns on the fly and see what else we can pull out of the bag. He is an amazing musician and nothing is technically too difficult for him. 

What can we say about our lovely backing vocalists 'Born2 Win' that we haven't already said a thousand times?! Jay, Emmy and Ava are the most positive people to work with, as well as singing with voices of angels - which was of course exactly what we needed with this song! 

Although we already had LOT'S of vocals recorded, we decided to push the boat out and see what else we could add. The very last phrase of the song 'rain.....bow' was perhaps the very last thing to be recorded - and what a beautiful unexpected end. Just when you think it is going to fade out you are left with that line.

We didn't want this release to be just 'another digital download' so we decided you should have the 'paper parts' even if they are virtual! 

We hope you enjoyed the story of the journey so far. This song can perhaps have as many lives as a lucky cat. Thank you for being there at the beginning of 'Always a Sunny Day', and we hope you will follow it's progress along with us. 
The Korgis

Grab your own copy here!

You guessed it!... we are finally 'gettn down wiv da kidz'!

Happy 2022 to you all, and let's hope it's a little more like 'normal'... not the 'new normal'... just 'normal'!

We had a couple of great gigs in December performing 'Kartoon World' in it's entirety and big thanks to all who came. 
It was so great to play the whole album. Although we would love to carry on in that vein, it would perhaps be unfair to any that don't have the new album to inflict an hour's worth of music they don't know. So the next shows will be a real mix of old and new possibly called 'Back in the Eighties'

Our next gig is our return to the 100 Club in London on Feb 11th. There is so much uncertainty about all gigs but we REALLY hope this one goes ahead. Unfortunately our gig at The Platform in Morecambe is postponed. We only managed to get the ticket link quite late so feel we couldn't give it a fair crack of the whip.

Thank you as always to our mighty band.

Not only are they the greatest musicians and singers, but they ALWAYS keep us smiling. Anyone making one of our gigs will be testament to that!

So to 2022 and The Korgis Kartoon World Livestream!

We had an idea that seemed like it would be a lot of fun. Centred in the control room of Shabbey Road Studios we will be doing a Livestream on Youtube every Thursday evening at 18.00 GMT. The first one is scheduled for Jan 13th, so put the date(s) in your diary and just click on the link to join in the fun!  The Korgis Kartoon World Livestream

Each week we will centre on one song and talk about how or why we wrote it, and the process of recording - plus perhaps a chat about the video. There will be competitions with some AMAZING giveaways. Things perhaps you would never get anywhere else. This will generally be hosted by Al Steele, but he will be joined by other members and perhaps some 3rd parties who have something interesting to say. We are not sure if we can twist Chris Hopkins (Exhibit-1) arm to come down from Liverpool, but we reckon we could get our chum Peter Karrie (longest serving Phantom of the Opera) - who performed the rant in the middle of 'This is the Life' - to pop in and talk about his character, and what else he has been up to!

This little promo will give you an idea... Al talks about the upcoming Livestreams

The Korgis Kartoon World Livestream - Episode One        13/01/22

The first episode we will be looking at Bringing Back the Spirit of Love.

This was an important song for us as it kind of summed up where we were going with the whole album.

Al will be joined by James Warren for this episode.
You will be able to ask questions, or just say hi!.. and we hope you will find

our whole convoluted process quite interesting.  

We will be showing you our secret documents that we use to work out ideas - some of which may never happen - some that have not YET happened. Tell us if you like an idea, as it may just tip the balance. We might even show you the video message that Al sent to James and John just after writing the chorus, where he is looking quite haggard!

Hope 2022 is great for you and of course hope to see you on a gig or just speak to you on Social Media or here. Sign up here if you wish - it may make you first in the know or first in the queue for something great!

The Korgis