Woop! Yes, we’ve been quiet. Or rather i’ve been quiet. As My Kung Fu is just one person. Me. I’ve been busy with work and life. Yet whilst I’ve been busy, Soft Hearted Scientists have been busy in the studio recording a brand new album which they’ve titled WANDERMOON and which we’ll be releasing on download this September with a CD version arriving in early 2011. There’ll be a single too. Maybe even a video. Let’s take things one step at a time though eh?

Here’s the artwork for the album. Nice isn’t it? I ruddy love Soft Hearted Scientists. Hope you do too.

We’ve had some more photos sent in of people in Truckers of Husk t-shirts… I’m not sure if these kids are fans quite yet. Clearly the parents are!

Scarecrow Smiles : Home Demos Vol 1 is the forthcoming new album by Soft Hearted Scientists. It’s a collection of 16 home recordings of songs which will never be recorded in a studio by the band. Either demos or idea onces thought lost, the recordings have been remastered for this release, fizzling with the life and spirit that make Soft Hearted Scientists the wonderful outfit that they are. There’s songs from the conception of the band right up to demos of tracks they were working on prior to the recording of their most recent album ‘Take Time To Wonder In A Whirling World.

The album will be available to download across the world from all reputable stores as of Mon 15th June. A CD version will follow in UK / Europe and Australia, the artwork for which is pictured above.

The pressing is just 1,000 copies - but be double-quick to get yours as the band are completing work on a new studio record which will follow this Autumn…

Having made a quiet return to playing live in Birmingham last month, the band return to the city to play the Moseley Folk Festival on the weekend of 4/5th Sept. They also play with My Latest Novel in Cardiff on 24th May.

Some of the My Kung Fu roster are heading to London on Fri 27th Feb for a bash at the ICA. RICHARD JAMES will be playing songs from his forthcoming second solo album, and TRUCKERS OF HUSK will no doubt take the roof off previewing forthcoming single PERSON TO PERSON / AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA. Also on the bill are Derwyddon Dr Gonzo, Sweet Baboo, Sibrydion and Colorama. A cracking line up - every band recommended.

Tickets are £7 adv from www.ica.org.uk

Here’s some footage of Truckers of Husk performing Awesome Tapes From Africa at last year’s Green Man Festival… it’s a blast.

here’s the first snap of a happy customer in a Truckers Of Husk tee… it’s Mike Williams, co-founder of Kruger magazine. Now whether it’s his allotment or not I don’t know, but I am interested to know if that is some kind of special fork with those weirdly aligned prongs…

Oh yes. Here’s some splendid Truckers Of Husk t-shirts designed by the wonderful Casey Raymond reflecting the artwork he created for the Truckers Of Husk ‘Physical Education EP’. They’re available for both sexes (or all sexes if there’s a third sex we don’t know about yet) through www.sebon.co.uk . Click on the merchandise button and it’ll take you to them. Or if you’re passing Spillers Records in Cardiff, then you can call in and buy one there too. A third option would be to wait until Truckers Of Husk play your town. A fourth option would be to invite them to play your town. There’s plenty of options you see. If you buy one and email john@my-kung-fu.com with a photo of you wearing the t-shirt then I’ll put it up on this blog too because I like things like that.

Here’s what the t-shirt looks like. Go get one!

So I’ve gone to Google Maps and I now know where Thurrock is. It East of London, along the Thames, getting towards Southend. Welcome people from Thurrock!

 Here’s a review that The Thurrock Gazette did of Concrete & Glass. I’m sure there’s more that involve Truckers Of Husk, our band who played there, but this one landed on my lap this morning…

CONCRETE & GLASS BRICK LANE, LONDON 3 OCT

On paper this is a great idea; ace bands, several venues within walking distance, with the streets full of excited indie kids and impressionable fools, like a festival but in normal venues. Like The Camden Crawl, then. That’s where it falls down. At a festival you’ve got several medium-sized arenas, and most of the people who want to get in manage it. Here it’s a nightmare, because the venues vary in size, from tiny to very small and to plain inadequate. And everyone - well, it feels like that - wants to see the same bands at the same times, and often in 350-max venues, leaving big groups of people very disappointed and not a little fucked off. To the two bands we did get to see… Truckers of Husk in the Vibe Bar, 9pm, with the ‘festival’ still warming up. Welsh post-math-rock performed by phenomenally tight musicians - and without any of the messy self-indulgence that often comes with the territory. As good a live band as anyone in that field, further illustrating their superior ‘P.E.E.P.’ EP from early this year. You’ll like them, of that I’m certain - and they’ll surely reappear with an album sometime soon. Here’s hoping. With a lot of huff and puff we were shoehorned into a genuinely frightening heaving Macbeth, a superhuman effort that no-one on tonight’s multi- bill other than album of the year purveyors Pete & The Pirates would warrant. We can’t really see a great deal, but we know what they look like so that’s not crucial. There’s not a bad song on the album, and live they inject an extra dose of energy - like the record needs it - while dropping early b-side ‘Wrong Man’ into the mix to a rousing reception. The demand is at least justified, but they really should be headlining your Forums or Astorias rather than playing an albeit nice pub more suited to a Kingmaker comeback show in truth. So, the bands we did see were marvellous, but like many others we went home riled by our inability to get in where we wanted on a few occasions. I’m sure lessons will be learned though… ANDY SLOCOMBE

Truckers Of Husk are playing East London’s rather marvellous Concrete And Glass festival on 3rd October. Mmm!

They’ll be at the Vibe Bar (Inside) which is located at 91-95 Brick Lane.

Check out concreteandglass.co.uk for full line-up and list of venues.

If you’ve been to one of Truckers Of Husk’s fiercesome gigs lately, you may have heard a tune provisionally titled Person For The Person. We’re busy filming a video for this tune at the moment, with film maker Ewan Jones-Morris and ideas man Casey Raymond.

Here’s a passage from this morning’s email from Casey:

Thanks ever so much to everyone who’s been helping out with with the Truckers of Husk video, what we’ve shot so far looks amazing. Giant baby in a trolly, exploding presents, lobster homicide, an airborne brass ensemble, ping pong with a steam train, and it’s only going to get weirder

More news soon…