''Hear ye, Hear ye''

I thought it time for a little update on what Mabel Love has been, and will be, up to in forthcoming months, this is probably more an exercise for me to work out what I'm up to.

Firstly gigs.

Last weekend we were host to 2 of our more regular haunts, Mad Ferrett(3rd Visit) at Preston and Head of Steam(2nd Visit) at Newcastle. Vocal crowds ensued and it is always enjoyable to meet up with a few faces we have recognise, some of them even brought a few pals along with them. We will be back soon....

Next lot is our ever familiar trips to Jock land. We canni get enough of the place, our trip this time includes following dates.

Thursday: Aberdeen - Drummonds
Friday: Edinburgh - somewhere?
Saturday: Bathgate - Harleys (Yes!)
Sunday: Glasgow - King tuts Wah Wah Hut

Saturday see's our 3rd trip to the mighty Bathgate, top place full of top people. To say we were apprehensive the first time would be fair but its like our second home now. Our maiden voyage to the West Lothian town resulted in a 4am leave and us being loaded to the hilt with booze, fags and an (unwanted) smoke bomb coming by the way of the over friendly Bathgaters. We cant wait to get back. (more to follow on the smoke bomb incident)

After the Highlands foray we are heading down to the band munching 'big smoke'...

Reasons for this you ask...? We are playing the capitol for the pending release of Fierce Panda EP 'License to Drill'. As mentioned on previous blogs our track 'Misunderstood' has kindly been included on the EP. Anyone interested in coming along I will include a link on bottom of this blog.

After London comes Wigan and then Beatle's land. Yes we are back in Liverpool, unfortunately the gig has been re arranged from the legendary Korova due to it recently becoming ash, so we are now at 'The Shipping Forecast'. Expect some serious Mac like posing, pouting and general piss taking when we enter the stage, where better place to emulate your heroes than there home town. Secretly I think the scousers like it but are far too cool to show it....typical.

After the Mersey we head back to our home town via the seaside (Cleathorpes). Our final gig of our work interrupted tour finishes back in the ever familiar DQ, Sheffield. This plans to be a great night with support coming from close friends and extremely talented 'Black Flowers' and 'Heartbreaks'. Full details to follow on tickets and times etc.

So we thought we might be in for a break after that, oh no.

Recording

We are then into the studio for 4 days with 'U2 - Beautiful day' producer Steve Harris. We are aiming to get 2 new demo's with him and we are booked into a studio in Yorkshire owned by 'St.Elmo's fire' soundtrack artist John Parr.

Below is the studio....looks like a chuffin spaceship.





So there we go that takes us up to mid June where I then trot off for a relaxing holiday in 'Magaluf'....

Snaps

Last Sunday we had a photo shoot on a bridge over a brook just off the snakes pass. This was in aid of shots for a total design haul for our Internet based sites which is being carried out by the article lads. It was freezing but we are hearing that the results were worth it.

We are due to have another shoot tonight for Tramlines and Sheffield Music City campaign. Photo's are to be done by a gent called Shaun Bloodworth, apparently he is the bo~~ocks.

...Information overload...

Regards

R x

...ML...

~~Corned Beef~~

After our drummer Dave pointed out to me that Corned Beef is a fantastic cockney rhyming slang for Keith I have been barraging a fellow colleague with it much to, my pleasure and his misery.

This recent revelation has meant that, as always, I have had to investigate further into the subject matter. So using the good old Google I found mounds of information in a surprising short space of time, it seems its not only me that has a bizarre fascination with the humble tinned 'meat'. Here's what I found out....

What is it?
Corned beef, also called corned beef brisket, is a popular meat item which hearkens back to the days before refrigeration. Faced with the challenge of preserving fresh meat for the winter season, butchers would routinely pack beef or pork products in salt to prevent the formation of bacteria and mold. Meats like beef brisket could also be pickled in a spicy, salty brine. At one time, the word corn referred to a number of kernels or seeds, including the coarse salt granules packed around the brisket. Thus the meat was called 'corned' beef in reference to the corns of salt.

Why the peculiar shape??
There is a few offers on this, some more fun than the others. Here's a few suggestions provided by other 'Corned Beef' enthusiasts...

They are made in their traditional tapered rectangular shape because it is easier to extract the contents in one piece, thus allowing the block of corned beef to be sliced. That's also why the cans also employ a key that enables the user separate one end of the body of the can: there's no seam to prevent the contents slipping out. Originally, the cans were made by folding up folding tinplate sheet that produced the correct taper and soldering the seam. More recently this has been replaced with cans that are formed from welded cylinders, then reformed and expanded mechanically - John Nutting, Editor, The Can maker magazine, Crawley.

Because they are better for slicing for sarnies and cubing for corned beef hash. - Frances Lyle, Bristol.

They were originally made in the tapered shape so that they would fit more compactly in British soldier`s knapsacks in either the Boer War or the 1st World War. My father always swore that British Army cooks in the 2nd World War were issued with a special recipe booklet called 1001 ways to cook bully beef. - Roger Hawkins, Stavanger, Norway.

To stop them from rolling about in your shopping trolley. - Gavin Bolton, South Africa.

Most soldiers know that the corned beef tins are made that shape so that when the key is used to remove a section from the tin the large end will fit over the small end and form its own container for keeping the uneaten part of the corned beef fresh. If you don't believe me then try it. - Alan Myland, Peterborough, England

Suggested safety issues with corned beef:
I have recently acquired 4 stitches from opening a corned beef can. It is a little known military secret that "bully beef" cans were a major cause of death and injuries in World War I. The Germans would use trench mortars and fire them into the British lines. In opening them thousands of young soldiers were cut, bleeding to death or dying of blood poisoning. The corned beef can remains on of the most dangerous and cheaply produced anti personnel weapons still in use today. Hence my 4 stitches. - Stewart McRorie, Beaune, Brugundy France.

From wiki ... 'During 1963 and 1964, tins of Argentinian corned beef were responsible for several outbreaks of Typhoid. The most severe of these hospitalised over 500 people in Aberdeen'. May explain a few things. - Al, Christchurch, NZ

Forget about the shape of the tin - it's irrelevant. Anyone who has been to a corned beef canning factory (as I have) where a cow walks in at one door and a tin of corned beef comes out the other door will never eat 'corned beef' again. - Charles A, Cape Town, South Africa.

So there we have it. I never realised how much thought people devoted to the good old tin of Corned Beef. Incidentally I have never ever been subjected to eating the stuff, I might give it a try one day. Im off to investigate further tinned meats...

For more info visit www.cornedbeef.com.

R x

...ML...

...Return of the Boxhead...

A little update from our latest gig in Barnsley...

Before we start lets acknowledge that today is the birthday of Donovan, Sid Viscous, Dennis Bergkamp and some websites say Homer Simpson. Happy birthday where ever you may be.

Anyway, on with the storytelling.

Mabel Love 'survived' the Birdwell club this Saturday, we played a gig which was in memory for avid music fan Ben Clarke who sadly passed away on 13th May 2006. The event is put on by his wonderful family who really looked after us and aims to raise money for charities that were close to Ben's Heart. The Clone Roses headlined the show and we played main support, the gig was offered to us when a friend of both parties recommended us to play. Me saying we that we survived may be a little poetic but picture this, 4 Sheffield skinny lads in Barnsley on a Saturday night playing rather macabre tunes at a charity event, things could have gone wrong. But to be fair the 'big barnsley lads' were good with us, one even swaggered to the front to pick my bottle of water rather menacingly to only politely remove me the top and offer me a drink...bless!! We even got the place banging for about 3 mins when we stomped into 'Ha Ha People'.

Anyway, as the beers flowed and our confidence 'magically' rocketed so me and fellow prankster Dave Mitchell had a glorious idea. We were sat in the back stage area complete with 2 empty becks boxes which had been shortly before full of ale. It was then we started to reminisce about the good old times of box head in Gardenstown, Scotland. 'Box Head' basically involves emptying a box of ales by whichever method you choose, our case neck it, then you put two eye holes and a mouth hole in the front and then simply pop the box on your loaf. One then proceeds to prance around comically much to people's delight. (see top pic)

Dave then suggested I became old 'Box Head' once again for old times sake, so 3 holes later and a bit of gaffer tape I was transformed, at that point Dave remembered we are at a gig!! theres a stage!! and the Clone Roses are on revving up the crowd. He then proceeded to signal to 'Ian Brown' about me joining him for a bit of indie swagger dancing. Ian gives it the thumbs up and yells a reassuring 'sound man' and I'm on....

The only strange thing about the scenario is that no one from Barnsley thought that there was anything untoward about the whole event. Brilliant. In fact I think most thought it was part of the act.

I must point out that I am only following on from traditions of previous box heads before me, my mentor was a mate called Bermo who rocked Box Head at a Harrisons gig in Selby. Only difference is that he was totally naked apart from an apron and was holding a butternut squash. Also worth noting it was an under 18's gig. Legend.

Anyway the night was a success for Ben's family, no broken bones and a fair few heads in the venue and we got a good reception.

Regards

R x

...ML...

~Playground Law~

Whilst trying to keep myself amused at work I remembered a classic 'gag' from school and decided to use it on an un expecting colleague.

It goes like this...

I ask: Jenny have you got skill?
Jenny: Ya man!
Me: What? African bum disease...!!(no racism involved, I was 10 when originally said)

Well I pissed myself laughing and all jenny could say was 'What da onerbaat?' which is Sheffield yardie speak for 'What do you mean?'.

So to prove that I hadn't made it up and there was some sort of reasoning for my childish outburst I reverted to the good old Internet in search of proof. It is then when I discovered this masterful website.

www.playgrounglaw.com - sorry still working out how to put links on.

I want to share a couple of corkers from there with you...

Can I have a 'p'please bob.
During the height of the inexplicable Blockbusters mania of the eighties, it became a common "dare" in the class of a teacher - first name Robert - to ask "Can I have a 'P' please, Bob?" when you needed to go to the bogs. Sometimes you'd even get away with this. Unlike the perennial antagonist, Marty Halford, who once got a bit too excited, and asked "Bob, can I have a wank?".

Cack
"Cack" was our word for excrement - solid, liquid, cold or still steaming.

Camel Fart
At lunch we had a chalkboard with the days lunch on, allowing easy alterations. Caramel Tart became Camel Fart, which meant i laughed for pretty much the rest of the week.

Please check out the site I'm sure it will have some of your delights from yester year.

Ahh good old school.

R x

...ML...

Hot Shots! part un et demi

Unfortunately this is not a sneak preview into the next instalment into the spoof world of Topper Harley. Would have been nice though....

Neither is the following content in any way shape or form a personal view of the current Afghan war. No this is merely a story of extreme marksmanship carried out by a British Army Sniper and I think shows phenomenal skill and training especially when you consider the tour of duty the bloke has had.

Craig Harrison, a member of the Household Cavalry, has had a remarkable tour of duty. He has cheated death when a Taliban bullet pierced his helmet but was deflected away from his skull. He later broke both arms when his army vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. Harrison was then sent back to the UK for treatment, but insisted on returning to the front line after making a full recovery.

Pay back time....

Harrison and his colleagues were in open-topped Jackal 4x4 vehicles providing cover for an Afghan national army patrol south of Musa Qala in November last year. When the Afghan soldiers and Harrison’s troop commander came under enemy fire, the sniper, whose vehicle was further back on a ridge, trained his sights on a Taliban compound in the distance. His L115A3 long-range rifle, the army’s most powerful sniper weapon, is designed to be effective at up to 4,921ft and supposedly capable of only “harassing fire” beyond that range.

“We saw two insurgents running through its courtyard, one in a black dishdasha, one in green,” he said. “They came forward carrying a PKM machine gun, set it up and opened fire on the commander’s wagon.

“Conditions were perfect, no wind, mild weather, clear visibility. I rested the bi pod of my weapon on a compound wall and aimed for the gunner firing the machine gun.

“The driver of my Jackal, Trooper Cliff O’Farrell, spotted for me, providing all the information needed for the shot, which was at the extreme range of the weapon.”

Harrison killed one machine gunner with his first attempt and felled the other with his next shot. He then let off a final round to knock the enemy weapon out of action.

Harrison discovered that he had set a new record only on his return to UK barracks nine days ago. The previous record was held by Corporal Rob Furlong, of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, who was using a 12.7mm McMillan TAC-50 rifle.

The distance to Harrison’s two targets was measured by a GPS system at 8,120ft, or 1.54 miles, which is 3,000ft beyond the most effective range of his rifle!! The shooting was at such extreme range that the 8.59mm bullets took almost three seconds to reach their target after leaving the barrel of the rifle at almost three times the speed of sound!!

As a mate of ours quoted 'Holy moley that is some serious call of duty shizzle'

Indeed.

Full story:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7113916.ece

R x

...ML...

''From the office''

Working in an office is garbage but does have some perks which comes in the form of being inside in our usual bleak winter, use internet whenever......well thats about it actually. Obviously it has its downsides, summer, talking to people, getting fat from sat doing nothing...TBC....

But a hidden gem of the office is some of the corking one liners that folks drop whilst 'grafting' in the brightly lit and poorly decorated sadly ever more british place of work.

Here's one of the latest...a true gem I hope you agree.

I recieved an email today from a colleague saying, 'Today is star wars day, May the forth be with you'

Well I thought that rather amusing and quoted this it to a female colleague, her genius reply was 'I hate sci-fi'

(pause)

'space is rubbish'

In the words of Dean Windass...

Unbelievable Geoff.



R x

...ML...