October festival date                04/09/2006
The Pilots will be performing at the Darvel Music Festival in Scotland on October 1st.
Also on the bill are The Hazey Janes, The Sundowns and Galipaygos.
You can visit www.darvelmusicfestival.org for tickets and information.

New single and Irish tour in June                12/04/2006
Howdy, The Pilots are just back from SXSW in Austin, Texas playing three shows there over the course of the week.
The guys are about to begin work on the follow up to Hello My Captor. Look out for a single in June to coincide with an Irish tour opening for Duke Special.

Hope for 2006 Award- Vote Now!                18/01/2006
As you may know the Pilots have been nominated for an Irish Meteor award in the Hope for 2006 category.

It's a public vote so click on the following link and register your vote for the amazing Pilots.

http://www.rte.ie/2fm/hopefor2006.htm

100 Club show cancelled                17/11/2005
Hey all,
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Pilots will not be playing at the 100 club this Sunday coming.
Tonight's show at the Windmill in Brixton is still on so hope to see y'all there.
Keep an eye on the site for more upcoming shows.

Aarhus - Voxhall                22/10/2005
Well it had to happen sometime I suppose, but today was the day that the van finally broke down. We started noticing strange noises that for once couldn't be attributed to someone snoring in the back. A stranger smell soon followed and then an alarming noise that sounded like a seagull using the fan-belt as a treadmill.
If you're going to break down though, Germany is the place to do it, we had roadside assistance within half an hour from a mechanic who looked like Leonard Rossiter if he'd grown up next to a Nuclear power plant. A musician himself apparently, he told us he was singing in a country band at the moment as a means of resting his voice before returning to his heavy metal band.
Clutch trouble it seems was the problem, we had to leave the van in Germany for repair whilst we hired a couple of cars to take us to Denmark, hiring backline when we got there.
We made it just in time after our breakdown fiasco, the venue here is a great place and everyone here worked very fast to make the show happen, thanks to all for that. We had a great gig in the end and are enoying being in Denmark for the first time.

Albaxen- Tonenburg                21/10/2005
We had a stop off yesterday in Amsterdam en route to Germany, the Fontaine guys had a gig at the Paradiso, so we had a night to go exploring.
Stayed at the Bicycle hotel not far from the venue. It boasts what is possibly the steepest staircase in the world, you practically need climbing equipment and an oxygen mask to get to the third floor( naturally our rooms were on the fourth!).
Anyway, after stuffing ourselves full of Falafel we bedded down on the summit.
Tonenburg in Germany is an unusual place, a sort of mini-village courtyard with a restaurant, hotel and a barn come venue all within a hundred yards of each other. The buildings are all really old and it leaves you feeling like you've just walked into some strange Bavarian folk tale. The people here are amazing though, so friendly and welcoming and their hospitality was similarly overwhelming, more food than we could possibly eat and great German beer.
The gig was a great success, we sold alot of records this evening and we hope to return here at some point.

Paris- The lunchbox of Notre-Dame                19/10/2005
On Tuesday we travelled to Paris, a six hour drive from Rotterdam, we thankfully had a free night upon arrival and then a day to see some of the city before the gig this evening.
Karel, the promoter and owner of the club, is an Englishman though he's been resident here for over 10 years.He invited us down to a comedy night in the club last night which we checked out,a comedian called Simon Evans from London, he was funny enough but he bore an uncanny resemblance to Sting, who we're all used to laughing at but for different reasons.
Our day in Paris was great, it was a sunny but cold day, so we all donned our roll-neck sweaters and jackets and ponced about the city trying to look arty, got attacked by pigeons whilst eating lunch beside Notre-Dame, luckily a baguette doubles up nicely as a weapon of self-defence.
La Java club is a cool little venue/club, a modest crowd tonight( numbers wise that is, though they were also all fully clothed thankfully) and a very intimate atmosphere. We played a more accoustic based set as a result and did a version of The way I see things which was nice for a bit of a change.
Tomorrow, Germany.

Rotterdam - Rotown                17/10/2005
Before heading to Rotterdam this morning we had a most welcome night off in Gent, a very picturesque town in Belgium.We arrived late Sunday night and stayed in a hotel called Formula One, its a chain of identikit hotels that are kind of like a man-sized lego land, all moulded plastic and toilets that flush when you close doors.
We were having a beer outside before we went to bed when we nearly died laughing at one of the hotel guests who seemed to be the Belgian David Hasselhoff, tight leather trousers and a waistline just below his arm pits,he topped it all off with a dodgy moustache and a quiff. We're thinking of trying that look for our next tour.
3 hours or so of a drive brought us to Rotterdam and the Rotown club where we played last month with Pedro the Lion. Its a cool venue and they look after you well here, gig went well though we had to play a shorter set to fit everyone on the bill.
Tomorrow we drive to France for a couple of days in Paris.

No sleep till Bedford or Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder                15/10/2005
A few of us are struggling today,so hungover that we're starting to hang under.
This wasn't helped by an accident in the van when a full bottle of Absinthe fell from a great height and smashed,emptying its contents over the back of the van. Think we were all hallucinating by the time we arrived this evening.
The clouds of nausea mercifully began to lift by show time and we all had a great gig.
A swift hair of the dog and we headed back to the glitz and decadence of the Bedford travelodge. An early night in order as we travel to France tomorrow and then into Belgium for a much needed night off in Gent.

London - Don't hide your light under a bush hall                14/10/2005
Back in London again and a chance to see some friends,wives,stalkers etc.
A new venue for us, Bush Hall is a lovely setting, very ornate old building in Shepherd's Bush with yet more chandeliers hanging from the roof.Its played host to everyone from REM to Kings of Leon in recent years.
Over 300 people in tonight and the set went down brilliantly, our London shows seem to keep getting better and better.
Tomorrow, Bedford, oh the glamour!

Leicester be rock                13/10/2005
Famed for its foxes,Gary Lineker and an obscenely large number of roundabouts,we returned to Leicester this evening having played here in July.
Back at the Musician tonight,a great venue that just keeps getting better each time we return. The stage area has been extended( makes it easier for Paul to do his split jumps)and the dressing room has been upgraded from a cupboard to a modestly sized corridor!
A decent crowd in tonight, though it was a shame more people didn't catch Ian Moore's opening set which was amazing this evening.
Tomorrow, London.

Leeds - The New Roscoe                12/10/2005
A strangely appealing venue this evening that seemed to strike the perfect balance between an intimate pub atmosphere and that of your average rock club.
We had a great time tonight and the set was well received.We've played in Leeds a few times but thats probably at least a few years ago now.
Interesting hotel tonight as well,The Adriatic,run by an ex-boxer from the former Yugoslavia. Lovely people but the rooms were a little like the Ideal Home exhibition from 1979, and when you turned on the bathroom light, the extractor fan did a convincing impression of a helicopter coming throught the ceiling.
The experience was topped off by a payphone down the hall from our rooms that kept ringing everytime I walked past, so eventually having checked for snipers in the bushes outside, I finally answered and ended up fielding questions about a waiting staff vacancy. The caller couldn't seem to get their head around the phrase "I don't work here" so I told her to send in her C.V. and hung up. Whoever you were, they'll let you know!
Tomorrow, Leicester.

Nottingham - Cabaret                11/10/2005
The venue tonight lived up to its name, well nearly, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, red carpets and walls, you know the sort of thing.
Thankfully thats where the cabaret ended, don't think the good folk of Nottingham are quite ready for our juggling and striptease act, come to think of it I'm not sure that anyone's ready for that.
A few sound problems tonight unfortunately and a huge chasm of space between the band and the audience ( perhaps we really do smell funny?)but we all muddled through.
Its been great getting to know the Fontaine guys better and also hanging out with Ian, both have been going down great with audiences, fine songwriters all and funny guys.
Tomorrow a short trundle up the road to Leeds.

Newcastle- The Cluny                10/10/2005
Newcastle's an underrated city, boasting some great spots and cool bars etc. We've played here in other people's bands but tonight was a first for the Pilots.
The Cluny is a great venue and we were well looked after by the good folks here.
The set went down a treat and we played a new song called 'Look like we are loved', featuring Phil on maracas, well actually maraca ( we couldn't afford the other one).We hope to record it for the next album, which has been slowly taking taking shape in our heads over the last few months. All in all a great night, we hope to be back next year.
Tomorrow we head south to Nottingham.

Darvel Music Festival - Ayrshire, Scotland                09/10/2005
Darvel is a timy little town not far from Glasgow.The guys from Richmond Fontaine played this event last year and had nothing but good things to say about it.
Tonight was a real treat,the organisers are a great bunch of people and their hospitality was amazing.
We played with another band tonight called the Endrick Brothers, really nice guys and great songwriters and performers, a great all round bill made the night a great success.
We hope to return next year both to the festival and do some shows with the Endrick Brothers.
Thanks to all in Darvel for a very special night.

Manchester - Academy 2                08/10/2005
A short crossing to Holyhead from Dublin port and a three hour drive brought us to Manchester this afternoon.
We realised upon our arrival that we'd left behind a couple of boxes of merchandise in Dublin, cue much sweating and frantic phone calls ( though that tends to happen anyway).
The day was saved by a band called the Paddingtons who were playing the same club in Dublin tonight. They're headed to Edinburgh tomorrow so have kindly agreed to collect the missing boxes and we can pick 'em up en route to Darvel tomorrow. Who ever said that the spirit of gentlemanly co-operation was dead?
Venue tonight was the Academy 2, formerly the Hop and Grape. We've played here a few times over the years and have always enjoyed great nights, tonight was no exception, a packed room and a lively crowd made for a great night. Tomorrow, Scotland.

Dublin - Whelan's                07/10/2005
Great to be back in Dublin, has become something of a home from home for us in recent years and was warming to play to a full house tonight.
We've been changing the set around a bit and 'resting' a few songs, they tend to get a bit stale when you've played them a few hundred times, I've got wings Irene was starting to smell a bit funny( much like ourselves really) so we did the decent thing and put it to bed for a few nights.
Another load out through the drunken hoardes tonight but we're starting to get good at that!
'All My Wasted Days' has just gone to radio as a single over here too and we've just had a great review in Hot Press, we'll stick that up on here in the next few days.
We head back across the water to Manchester tomorrow.

Galway - Cuba                06/10/2005
Just in case you're thinking that Galway has relocated itself to South America,fear not,Cuba is great venue right in the centre of the town.
Galway is a beautiful town right on the west coast of Ireland. Its famed for its horse racing amongst other things but we're not really betting men nor "horsey" types, despite our fondness for jodphurs, so the races will have to wait till another time.
The gig went very well tonight,having got a few shows under our belts, things are really locking into place. We've actually never sold as many records after a show as we did tonight, so that can't be bad.
There was a club night on after the show which unfortunately meant that venue was rapidly filled with inebriated teenagers ( how patronising am I?) as soon as the gig finished.Loading out through a packed dancefloor ain't fun. But a great night was had by all.
Tomorrow we head cross country to Dublin.

Belfast- The Limelight                05/10/2005
Tis always nice to come back to Belfast, a homecoming of sorts for us.
The show was to be in the Limelight, a venue we've never played before, but at the last minute it was re-located to the fantastically monikered ' The Spring and Airbrake '.
The gig tonight was fantastic, the reception from the crowd was terrific, you could tell there was people there who really knew the record and twas great to catch up with friends.
We were joined onstage for a couple of numbers by the estimable Tim Millen ( former Pilot and Ireland's answer to Barry Manilow) who gave his squeeze-box a damn good pumping during 'The Price of Winter'.
So all in all, a great night. Tomorrow we head south to Galway.

Cardiff- Clwb Ifor Bach                03/10/2005
Aaaaah, the green green grass of, erm, Wales. Well we're off on our travels again, twas Cardiff tonight, a place we've never played before and its always nice to break new ground ( gotta be better than wind, right?).
The Ifor Bach club is a stone's throw ( well, maybe if you're really good at throwing) from Cardiff castle, so the setting is rather fine.
The show was great, a near sell out and we're all feeling the benefit of having played so much these last few months. Its been great also to see the guys from Richmond Fontaine again.
We've also got a fella called Ian Moore touring with us, a native of Texas now living in Oregon, we actually happened upon a show of his at South by South West in 2004 and were rather smitten so we were suitably delighted to hear he'd be joining us on this jaunt.
Tomorrow, the green green grass of home!