It’s the EYE O’ THE DUG!

If you lucked out on Away Game tickets, or simply miss the journey up to Fife for Home Game, we’ve got a special treat for you …

Over the 14th and 15th April 2012, we will be putting on a brand new Fence event in St Andrews, Fife.  It’s called the Eye O’ the Dug.

We’ve been putting on Home Game events in the East Neuk every spring for the past 8 years, and we wanted to give Anstruther and Cellardyke a bit of a breather … so we’re heading up the road to St Andrews, which is where Fence Records all began!

This event will bring together all your Fence favourites with a host of incredibly special guests, in various venues across town over the weekend.  The music will start early evening on Saturday 14th, and go on until late … then there’ll be an all-day bash on the Sunday, from 1pm until 11pm.   Amazing music, beautiful location … and all at a great price too …

Aye, tickets for this weekend event will start at just £40!

We’ve deliberately made this event a wee bit cheaper, so that y’all can afford to come up and party with us!

As with all Fence events, we’re not going to give away the line-up just yet.  However, rest assured we’re gonna make this as special as every other Fence bash … in fact, maybe just a wee bit more special.  You’ll just have to wait’n'see what we’ve got hidden up our sleeves!

Those who didn’t manage to secure tickets in our Away Game lottery will get first dibs on tickets for this new event.   If you entered the Away Game lottery a few weeks ago we will be contacting you by email shortly, with details on how to purchase at this very special price – check yer inboxes!

Tickets ARE AVAILABLE TO BUY NOW.

>> BUY YOUR TICKETS FROM HERE

Our first batch of weekend tickets will be priced at £40. This event is for over 16′s only.  A special offer for St Andrews students only will be made available in February.

Go to the BandStand section of our site to see GUIDE DUG: a wee guide to the Eye O’ the Dug! 

Also … become our pal on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eyeothedug

logo by Peanut Snake

Thanks to all those that took part in the Away Game ticket lottery on Tuesday – we had an overwhelming response!  Sadly this means not everyone that entered was successful, as we only have so many places on the island

Those who entered should check their email inbox – as i’ve just notified the winners, with details on how to make payment for their tickets. Check your junk folder too!

If you’ve not received an email, don’t worry. There’s still a chance you will be eligible for Away Game tickets, if the winners decide not to make purchase. Any tickets not paid for within 10 days will be made available again to those who entered.

ALSO … THOSE WHO DIDN’T WIN – be sure to check the Fence website on 16th of January for a very special announcement!

Our second Away Game event will be taking place over the 20th/21st/22nd July 2012, on the Hebridean island of Eigg, and it’s going to be THE GREATEST FENCE BASH OF ALL TIME!

Instead of putting tickets on general sale, we have decided to conduct a ticket lottery.  The lottery will be conducted all day, from 8am til 10pm today (Tuesday, 3rd January).  Tickets cost £140, and you can order up to 4 tickets.

If you would like to come to the event, you must do the following:

* Send an email to this address:

* The subject line of your email MUST say “AWAY GAME 2012 – TICKET LOTTERY”

* The message body should contain your full name, billing address, and the number of tickets you would like to purchase.

* You should also state how you would like to pay (Cheque, Online Bank Transfer or PayPal).  Please note, PayPal payments will be subject to a 5% transaction fee.  DON’T send us any money until you have received ticket confirmation and an invoice.

Entrants will then be selected at random.  If you have been selected to purchase tickets, we will contact you on 4th January, using the email address you applied with.  We will attach an invoice, and this must be paid within 10 days (payment received by Friday 13th January).  You can pay by cheque or by online bank transfer (BACS).   If paying by BACS we will give you an invoice reference to quote when sending payment.  We can also accept payment via PayPal – but we would prefer a cheque/BACS payment.  If you would like to pay by PayPal there will be an additional 5% transaction fee.

If you’ve got any questions you can send us an email, or – for a more speedy response – leave a message on our message board: http://www.fencerecords.com/beefboard/viewtopic.php?t=24564

Good luck!

That’s 2011 out of the way, and what a year it was for Fence.  Mercury mines, caroling canaverals, shivvering timbres and flamin’ hott loggz.  Phew!

To shake off the January blues, we’ve got a few treats for you this week.  Up in the Bandstand section of the website, there’s an exclusive interview between Fence Collective members, François and Withered Hand.

>> FENCE TO FENCE: Withered Hand vs François – PARTIE UN!

We’ve also got a wee January sale going on at the mo’, too – with sale prices due to last the whole month while stocks last. Complete any gaps in your Fence Records collection, or maybe buy a late Xmas gift for a pal, from the selection below.  And, aye, you’ll notice that François’ album for Fence Records, Plaine Inondable, is on offer!  Oohyaweebeautaayyy …

* François &  The Atlas Mountains - Plaine Inondable – £9.99 £4.99

* Deaf Mutes – Exploring The Secrets Of Treating Deaf Mutes – £9.99 £4.99

* Things In Herds – Everything Has To End Somewhere £9.99 £4.99

* The Red Well - Amid Storms We Arrive £9.99 £4.99

* FOUND – Fidelities EP £6.99 £4.99

* Player Piano – Into The Dark EP £7.99 £4.99

* Player Piano / Come In Tokyo - Backwards Invention / See Saw 7″ £2.99 £1.49

* King Creosote - They Flock Like Vulcans 7″£2.99 £1.49  

* FOUND – You’re Really Quite The Catch 7″ £1.99 £1.49

Also, remember that tomorrow (January 3rd) we’ll be announcing details on how to enter the ticket lottery for the Away Game – so be sure to come back to www.fencerecords.com!

It’s been a big year for Fence Collective head honcho, King Creosote, and his pal Jon Hopkins.  They completed their collaborative album, Diamond Mine, which was released on Domino Records.  They went for a trip around America.  Oh yeah, and they were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. (And were robbed!)

Now they’re off on tour again, around the UK … and it looks like this’ll be the last time they are touring as “King Creosote & Jon Hopkins” for a bit, as they are both gonna concentrate on solo ventures in 2012.  As a goodbye treat, they’ve got a new single coming out – ‘John Taylor’s Month Away’ – which is backed by a new version of the KC classic, ‘Missionary’.

Support on the tour comes from our very own Withered Hand!  (except in Glasgow … where it comes from fellow Fencer François & The Atlas Mountains!)

 KING CREOSOTE + JON HOPKINS: UK TOUR

26th January – Glasgow, UK @ Celtic Connections

27th January – Gateshead, UK @ The Sage (Hall 2)

28th January – Coventry, UK @ Warwick Arts Centre

30th January – Cambridge, UK @ The Junction

31st January – Nottingham, UK @ Glee Club

1st February – Norwich, UK @ Arts Centre

2nd February – London, UK @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire

4th February – Brighton, UK @ St Georges Church

5th February – Bristol, UK @ The Fleece

6th February – Manchester, UK @ St Ann’s

7th February – Liverpool, UK @ The Capstone Theatre

8th February – Lancaster, UK @ Library

9th February – Leeds, UK @ Varieties

>> BUY DIAMOND MINE FROM THE FENCE SHOP!

It’s coming to the end of the year, and instead of resting on our laurels, we want to warm up your cockles with some news about an impending set of releases on Fence Records in 2012.

We like putting things into sets, we do.  Remember the Squeezebox Set?  Remember Picket Fences, Fencezines and Secret 7’s?  Yup, well NOW we’re putting together a series of 7” vinyl EP’s, showcasing a selection of Fence names old and new.  Set your record player to 33⅓ rpm, because here comes …

F3NC3 R⅓CORDS’ CHART RUSE !

(it’s called that because the artwork is going to incorporate a collage of charts & maps, and it’ll be done in a delicious chartreuse colour … JUST GO WITH IT)

Each E.P. will collect 3 songs by an artist, and contain a remix by a Fence Collective member.  They will initially be released on 7” vinyl only, but will also come with a means of downloading the tracks.  HOWEVER, in inimitable Fence-styleee, the download codes will not become active until a certain amount of copies have sold!  Ooh, incentive, children!

As if that wasn’t perverse enough … not all of the tracks will be downloadable, either!   The remix on each EP will stay vinyl only, until such time as we decide to compile them all, digitally.  OOH.

How can you get a-hold of these CHART RUSE E.P.’s?

1) SUBSCRIPTION. This would make an EXCELLENT Xmas present.   If you subscribe, or subscribe on someone’s behalf, we will send out 3 different E.P.’s over the course of 6 months.  You’ll also be put on a special mailing list that will entitle you to cheaper tickets for EP launch shows, other Fence gigs, and discounts on select releases over that period.  Subscription to the 3 E.P. set costs just £18 – and that is INCLUSIVE OF POSTAGE!

>> YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE RIGHT NOW BY CLICKING HERE!

2) LAUNCH PARTIES. Each E.P. release will be marked with a special launch party.  Every ticket holder can exchange their ticket stub at the end of the night for a free copy of the E.P. – how good is that?!   Subscribers will already have their EP, so they can get into the gig for a MUCH MUCH cheaper price. Ooh.

3) SELECT SHOPS.  After the launch parties, subject to availability, we’ll have a very limited batch on sale in our favourite indie shops – as well as the Fence webshop, and live shows.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

SO … who is going to be in the first series?  WELL … we’re not going to give all that away right now, you’ll have to trust us.  But we can reveal that the first EP in the series is by WITHERED HAND.  This will be released, officially, on February 3rd 2012.

Dan Willson, aka Withered Hand, is no stranger to Fence.  Over the past few years he’s played every Fence live event under the sun – various Home Games, Away Game, Hallowe’en parties, HaarFest, Karail, HottLoggz … THE WORKS. Our very own King Creosote produced his EP You’re Not Alone back in 2009, a joint release on Fence and SL Records.  The EP contained a version of his song ‘No Cigarettes’ which was cemented into all our hearts and minds with a seminal video by Forest Of Black.   Withered Hand’s debut album Good News came out on SL that same year, and has seen Dan touring it around the UK, Europe and America.

Now Dan has returned to Fence with an EP of his strongest material to date. Three songs recorded as part of a session with singer-songwriter and all-round indie legend Darren Hayman (he of Hefner fame).  Lead track, ‘Heart Heart’, is a rollicking pop-stomp, replete with shouty refrain, and a racing piano chime that will keep the ol’ ticker going.  ‘My Struggle’ keeps the pace up, with a knee-raising bounce and surf-pop tilt reminiscent of early B-52’s.  Flipping to the B-Side ‘Gethsemane’, WH turns the lights down low and gently sighs one of his most touching ballads.  What a smooothie.

Fellow Fence Collective member, Rozi Plain, coos and screams backing vocals on all three tracks to heart-heart-warming affect.  Completing the Fence circle of love is King Creosote, who provides the all-important remix.  His ‘Heart Rave Heart’ is a sinister cousin to the title track – just you wait for the drop!

>> SUBSCRIBE RIGHT NOW!

As you probably already know … there will be no Home Game in 2012.

However, we’ve got a few other things lined up our breeks.  We’re going to tell you about one of them, now.

THE AWAY GAME, 2012

The next Fence Records’ Away Game will be taking place on the Isle of Eigg, located in the inner Hebrides of Scotland, over the 20th, 21st and 22nd of July 2012.

Our first Away Game event took place in September of 2010 on the same island – and it was an incredible weekend adventure.    We couldn’t bear the thought of doing our second one anywhere else – Eigg is just too perfect.  The sights, the atmosphere, the people – they are all the best in the world!

This time around, we’ve brought the event forward to July – so it’ll be a bit warmer for all you campers.  We’ve also increased the amount of programmed music – from 2 days to 3 days.  

Music will start on the Friday evening, all-day Saturday, and it’ll continue on Sunday until early evening, after which there’ll be a bonfire.   As there is going to be 3 days of programmed music, the tickets have gone up in price.  Tickets for Away Game 2012 will cost £140 each – and this will include camping and your ferry over to the island.

There will be ferries to take people over to Eigg on Friday 20th, and ferries returning to the mainland on Monday 23rd.   (I might organise a few ferries to come over on the Thursday 19th for those that want to stay a bit longer, and some return ferries on Sunday 22nd for those that need to get back early).

Here’s the important bit.  We have a VERY limited amount of tickets. The demand for tickets last time around was insane – we sold out in 6 minutes!  So, this time, we’ve decided to do things a bit differently.

THE FIRST place you can purchase tickets is The Fence Records Secret Xmas Party.   This is happening on Thursday, 15th December 2011, at Saramago in the CCA, Glasgow (Sauchiehall Street).  There’ll be a limit on 2 Away Game tickets per customer, and we’ll only sell up to the first 100 places.   We will be accepting payment at the venue by cash, or by cheque (made payable to ‘Fence Records Ltd’).

>> BUY YOUR TICKETS FOR THE FENCE XMAS PARTY, HERE!

If you can’t make the Xmas Party, don’t worry.  We will be conducting a ticket buying lottery in the New Year – where you can apply to buy individual, or pairs of tickets.  The winners in the lottery will be notified, and informed on how to make payment.

The best way to find out where & when the tickets are selling is by SIGNING UP TO THE FENCE NEWSLETTER.  If you’ve signed up already, sign up again just in case!  Our next mailout will be in a week or so.

>> SIGN UP TO THE FENCE NEWSLETTER NOW!

Has this all been too much information?  Yes, probably.  We’ve got a lot more news this week, though!  In the meantime, relive the memories from 2010 with these vids …

It’s the end of the year, and all of us here at Fence HQ need to let our hair down.  (Even Gummi Bako, whose hair let him down some years ago).

Soooo, we’ve decided to have a staff night out on the tiles in Glasgow.  That’s right – it’s a Fence Records’ Xmas Party … BUT YOU ARE ALSO INVITED.

We’re gonna have some live music from Fence Records acts, and some DJ’s too.  The line-up is going to be a secret – but, trust us, if you’re a Fence fan you’ll be in for a treat.  Our initial batch of £5 and £6 tickets have sold out, but we have a new limited batch available at £7.50 – with no postage to pay!  Tickets will be £10 on the door, so be sure and buy your now if you want to save some dosh!

There’ll be some OTHER treats in store for those that attend the Xmas Party … but we’ll reveal all that later on.

The whole shebang is happening at Saramago Café Bar (the CCA, on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow) on Thursday 15th December.  The doors open at 8pm, and the live music will go on until about 11.30pm, with DJ’s until 1am.

>> BUY TICKETS HERE

There are no physical tickets – your name will be on a list at the door, with the number of tickets that you have bought.  This saves you postage! Bingo!

We are over the mooooon to announce that our most recent signing to Fence Records is none-other than Home Game favourite SEAMUS FOGARTY.

Seamus Fogarty hails from the west of Ireland and writes songs about mountains that steal t-shirts, women who look like dinosaurs and various other unfortunate incidents.

We’ve been a fan of Seamus’ for years – first introduced to him by James Yorkston – and we’re dead chuffed to have him on board.  His debut album, God Damn You Mountain, will be FNC 908 – to be released in the Spring of 2012.

Until then, you should go and meet Seamus properly over on our bandstand section of the site – where he’s being grilled by JY.

>> GO ON, COME AWAY AND READ THE BANDSTAND INTERVIEW 

You should also check out this gorgeous video – a live take performed by Seamus himself, of album track ‘Rita Jack’s Lament’, accompanied by visuals that Seamus triggers during the show.

Rita Jack’s Lament from Seamus Fogarty on Vimeo.