End of August Update
Chart News
Thank you thank you thank you! To all of you who bought the Day of Pearly Spencer single on download and hard copy and every conceivable format several times! WE hit number fifteen on the HMV chart. Happy days!!! Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Next time we’ll do even better!!!
Tour news
We are delighted to announce the Pearly Come home UK tour. (please follow the link below for a show near you)
Two Belfast dates coming up 31st of August is the Waterfront studio (solo performance Tel: NICFC: 02890805599 for tickets Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm) AND the last gig of the tour is full band show at Belfast renowned Empire Music Hall on the 26th September (42 Botanic Avenue, Belfast.
Telephone Ticketmaster's 24 hour credit card booking line 0870 243 4455 Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster website: www.ticketmaster.ie)
http://www.brianhouston.com/site/tour_dates/index.htm
Radio News
What a fab time I had doing the James Whale show...He played the single FOUR times and had me do four live tracks also. Since I was a kid I‘ve dreamed of that happening and it did on national radio. I sat there with a huge grin on my face as James’ producer tried to stop him playing it for the forth time in a row and he just waved his hand and said “hey it’s my show” and proceeded to give it another spin. Dreams can come true!!! Thank you James. (and Steff for helping me get there)
I was at a party in London recently and bumped into a friend who produces the Good morning Sunday show and he told me I was their most played artist. Wow fantastic! Cheers Ged and to Aled Jones, Bob Harris and Johnny Walker thank you all for your support.
TV news
I got a call last week from the BBC wanting to use Woman’s touch on an evening reality show. Things are happening there. National TV here we come!!!
New album and single news
Things have been so busy lately I’ve not had time to work on the new record but I’ve been writing songs and the plan is to not tour for a while after the September dates so that I can get a chance to finish it. I hope to have it out early next year. In the meantime we’ll release a limited edition Single/EP featuring a remix of “Oranges” which will knock your socks off.
Thank you all again for your love and support. You rock!
Brian and Pauline
1st August Update
Hi Friends today I celebrate another successful year completed on this wee planet
What is really nice is that the sun newspaper have featured the Days of Pearly Spencer video on their website. So as well as a lovely gift from my wife and kids I have the attached PDF as a reminder. If you can’t open it.....
You can view it here http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,11055-10721,00.html
It’s been a great week for the release of the Pearly single. Don’t know if we’ll make the chart but thanks for your support and help with the campaign.
Love and best wishes
Brian
Late July Update
Retail News
We are delighted to announce that HMV have placed an order ten times bigger than we expected for the “ Pearly” single and Virgin Retail have done likewise. This means we’re having to repress the single before release which is great news and this is due mainly to your pre-orders and high level of interest; so can we say a HUGE thank you!!! Due to these orders we’re having to put the official release date back to 30th of July. Apologies for any inconvenience that may cause but it is a lovely problem to have from our point of view.
Chart News
We are very grateful to everyone who sent texts and downloaded the single in early July. We were only 50 downloads short of making the chart and we were told by the text company that they’ve never seen a response so fast to that kind of promotion. Thank you all. . If you’d be willing to help us with the physical single target the best way is to pre-order your copy as all those sales will be counted on the first day giving us much more chance of a successful position. Thank you all in advance for your help with this. The link for pre-order is http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=668760
All texts and downloads will still count especially the week of the 30th. As they say in Irish politics vote early and vote often!!!:-)
Live News
We are pleased to announce the final dates for Brian’s September “Pearly Come Home” UK tour. You can find all the details at this link http://www.brianhouston.com/site/tour_dates/index.htm. Special Tour T-shirts will be available marking the release of the single and the accompanying tour very soon.
As a special one off warm up Brian will be playing a one hour set at the Tin Hut festival in Stroud (nr Petersfield) starting at 9PM this Saturday. Ticket hot line 01730 231733
Radio News
In addition to great support from Bob Harris and Aled Jones we’ve now had the “Pearly” single played by Johnny Walker on his Sunday evening show. Having national radio opportunities like these are really encouraging and we again are saying a big thank you to all of you who have been writing and requesting Brian’s songs. If you wish you can find a list of your local stations for writing to here http://www.radio-now.co.uk/main.htm
Thank You
Brian and I would like to thank you all again for your amazing support and help. It’s fantastic to have such loyal and active supporters. We are always being told that responses to Brian’s radio plays and live spots are always huge. Thank you all so much!
Love
Pauline
1st July Update
Radio News
We are delighted to say that Pearly has been put on the A lists of all the local stations here in the North of Ireland and has been made record of the week on several. We’ve also had spots on local TV and great press coverage which has raised the profile a lot. Don't forget to email, text & call your local radio station to request 'Pearly Spencer' ! Thanks so much to Bob Harris for giving Pearly it’s first national play... You rock Bob. Live long and prosper!!!
Pre-sale news
Firstly, a massive thank you to all of you who sent texts or who’ve pre-ordered the single so far. I can assure you that this support is very much appreciated. Our pre-release sales have been very strong but we still need your help so if you can’t quite get a hang of the text thing please remember that you can download the song from Monday 2nd of July at itunes. For those need to know where to get the song "The Days of Pearly Spencer" just text the word Pearly to 82822. Everyone of these texts will count. Texts cost just £1.50
Www.myspace.com/brianhouston News
All the local profile and airplay have helped push Brian to the top of the Myspace Folk Rock chart for Ireland. This is fantastic news as Brian’s presence here is only in the North but is competing against artists who market across the whole country. Thank you for visiting our myspace last week to see the Pearly video. We are sure this made a huge difference. We’ve also just popped up a funny live clip supplied by Leslie of a recent version of Childish Things live in England. Check it out here www.myspace.com/brianhouston
Live news
We are currently finalizing Brian’s solo tour of England for September so will be posting details as soon as our confirmations are in place.
Thanks again for all your support
Pauline
June Note from Brian
Hi Everyone
Hope you are well?
I know Pauline usually does the monthly news but this one is kinda special so I thought you might appreciate the personal touch. I wanted to to ask you guys to be part of the success story of my new release.
My new song The Days of Pearly Spencer can now be pre-ordered by texting the word Pearly to 82822.
It only costs £1.50 and if everyone on our mailing list joined in and asked four or five friends to do likewise then we’d easily be able to do this.
Hope you don't mind me asking for your help and perhaps you could spread the word to those who like my music but may not be on line.
If you’d like to have all three tracks and the video too you can also pre-order from the links below
Thank you and God bless
Brian
BRIAN HOUSTON SONGS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF “THE DAYS OF PEARLY SPENCER” PREORDER HERE NOW
http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/artist.php?artist=Brian+Houston
http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=668760
SEE THE VIDEO HERE
http://www.myspace.com/brianhouston
May 07 News
Live News
A quick note to say that Brian’s appearances as a guest with American band Third Day went tremendously well. The band were superb and made Brian very welcome. On the second night in Barrowland’s in Glasgow they invited him on stage to sing on REM’s “The one I love” which went down a storm with the enthusiastic audience. The night before the hometown Belfast crowd had outdone themselves in singing and clapping along and Brian had a fantastic time. We want to thank all the guys in Third Day for their hospitable and friendly demeanor and for giving Brian so much encouragement; Thanks so much guys. Thanks also to the fans who made long trips to see Brian at these shows. You’re fantastic!!!
Video News
The good news is that The Pearly Spencer Video is finished and will be available as part of the single release scheduled for July. The video will get an exclusive pre-release airing on local Belfast channel NVTV in Early June. There is a short preview of the song and the video at this link http://www.brianhouston.com/pearlyspencer/
Single News
At Last we have a release date for “The Days of Pearly Spencer”...It’s the 23rd of July for the CD to be available but the other great news is that you can download it from itunes and similar outlets from as early as the 3rd of July. You can download the song as an individual track or the whole single and both will count towards a chart placing.
The single will include two B sides which were originally gonna be demos not included on Sugar Queen but at the last minute were changed to a really cool version of Red Badge of Courage live and just one unreleased demo. So last minute in fact that the cover was only half changed so if you buy your copy and the track listing doesn’t match up then you know you have a first pressing.
Thanks again for all your support don’t forget to check out Brian’s tour diary for a show near you http://www.brianhouston.com/site/tour_dates/index.htm as Brian heads off this week for his short headline tour in England finishing with a special guest slot with Juliet Turner on Friday 1st June in Bally earl arts centre back near Belfast.
Love for now
Pauline
April 07 News
Hi Friends
Just wanted to give you a quick up-date on the latest exciting things in the world of BH
Single News
The great news is that Brian’s forthcoming single “The Days of Pearly Spencer” has been re-mixed by Jeremy Wheatley (who also mixed Corinne Bailey Rae) and it’s sounding fab! Brian has also been busy making a pop video to go along with it and the track is scheduled for release at the end of June. We’ve had lots of offers of support from David McWilliams Societies in Ireland and the Netherlands and already local radio stations here in the North of Ireland are asking for it. We are very excited that the song (which features David’s grand children on Backing vocals) has stirred so much interest. We hope you’ll all help make it a hit by downloading it from itunes or other online sources when it’s available.
The B and C sides of the single will be previously unreleased songs that didn’t make the Sugar Queen Album.
Mea Culpa
We’ve repacked and updated this latest version of Mea Culpa to include the secret track in the listing and four previously unreleased demo recordings that were never included on the original release. You can hear the Mp3s here http://www.brianhouston.com/site/mp3/index.htm and click on the add to cart button to make it yours. Don’t forget postage is included in the price anywhere in the world.
Brian on the Road
We are delighted to announce that Brian has been asked to open for American Band Third Day on their Belfast (10th) and Glasgow (11th) May Dates. There is a special deal exclusive to Brian fans as anyone who buys two tickets for either show will get a free copy of Brian's Album Rollercoaster. All you have to do is paste the following link
http://www.tkentertainment.co.uk/toppage1.htm and make sure you put “BH offer” in the notes box and Trevor King entertainment will send you your free album. We can’t even get copies of this album so grab a copy while there are some left.
Brian has also just returned from a very successful UK tour with John Power. The dates were all over England taking Brian to many places he’d not played before and we’ve had fantastic feedback from JP fans. Brian played a lot of his new material at these shows and was delighted that the new songs went down so well. Thanks to all the folks who came out specially to see Brian and who asked for headline shows to be organized. We’re busy getting shows arranged for May and June and a UK headline tour in September.
Video News
We are hoping to make the Pearly Spencer video available with the single and we’re looking into ways of giving it to those who support the singles release. Because of changes in chart rules, it’s now possible to get just the individual song for 79p or all three songs on the single for £1.99 and all of these downloads will count against chart placing. Who knows if enough BH fans buy the single it may hit the charts. Thank you all for your support with this and don’t forget to open an account with an online store like itunes so you can get your copy without any hold ups.
Fan club online News
We wanted you all to know that you can join a Brian Houston online fan club which has been started by one of Brian’s young fans. You can check it out at the following link on Bebo.. so if you have Bebo.. the address is: http://BrianHoustonSongs.bebo.com
A Woman’s Touch
Following Brian’s appearance on the Aled Jones show we had some publishing companies approach us about the song “Woman’s Touch” from England and LA who are keen to get Brian’s songs used is US films and TV. This is great news for a song that shows so much potential as a hit of the future and we are buzzing that people like it so much.
That seems to be all for now.
Thank you again for your love and support.
Pauline
March 2007
Hi folks sorry for the late march news...so late in fact it's almost April!!!
Radio News
As some of you may already know Brian was a guest for the second time this year on the Aled Jones good morning Sunday show. You can listen again here using the following link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/goodmorningsun/
Brian had to be up early after a hastily arranged guest slot with the Undertones and Mark Radcliff the night before in Manchester. This show came about after the promoter in Oldham on the John Power tour the week before had been impressed that , as he put it "the tightest man in Oldham" came and borrowed money off him to buy Brian's album after seeing him open sandwiched between three bands. So impressed that he booked Brian straight away!!
Single News
The good news is that Brian's version of the song Days of Pearly Spencer has been recorded and mixed. The bad news is it will not be ready for the 9th of April as previously hoped. In the meantime a test pressing of the Sugar Queen album featuring this song and another extra track is being considered for release to plug the gap between the single release and the next album. We'll keep you posted on the release date. We need about four thousand downloads of the song in one week to hit the charts so if you all ask a friend to spend 99p on itunes we could get somewhere ha ha.....
Mea Culpa News
A re-release package for Mea Culpa is currently being finalized featuring unreleased tracks and making secret tracks available for the first time. The is a chance for another excerpt from the book too!!
Shop News
Our three album bundle pack has been so successful that you can now buy not only four but any five Brian albums for £29.99 and £34.99 respectively including postage ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
Take advantage of the new offer using this link :-
http://www.brianhouston.com/site/merchandise/albums.asp
New Album News
Brian has completed tracking (bass and drums) for the new album which is to be titled "A Man Like Me" and is planning to finish the recording in April and we are currently scheduling it's release for September 2007. So watch this space for more news of where and when to grab your copy.
My Space news
Don't forget to check out Brian's myspace page and add him as your friend at www.myspace.com/brianhouston
That's all for now folks.
Love and best Easter wishes
Pauline
February 2007
Hi Friends
Live News
We are very pleased to announce that Brian has been invited to open for John Power (Cast, The La's) on his forth coming UK tour.
Please check out the following link for details http://www.brianhouston.com/site/tour_dates/index.htm.
Brian is also headlining a full band show in aid of Marie Curie Hospice on Thursday February 15th in La Mon house Belfast.
Tickets can be purchased from La Mon house at 02890 448631 for credit Card or Castlereagh Council 02890 494500. or contact EdelPatterson@castlereagh.gov.uk
Studio News
Additionally Brian has been writing lots of new songs and spent a week in the Studio with the team that made Sugar Queen laying down tracks of his own for a new album to be released in the late summer. He also recorded his version of “Days of Pearly Spencer” which is a strong contender for his next single release scheduled for April 9th.
Radio News
The response to Brian’s radio appearances has been fantastic and we’ve sold out of Sugar Queen albums over the holiday. We’ve had to rush a repress through super quick. Whilst the albums were on order we had to double the quantity we required due to the speed and volume of sales. A great problem to have!!
As most of you know Brian recently appeared on the Aled Jones show and was invited to return straight away so will be appearing there again on 18th March (the day after Paddy’s day). Brian’s appearance on the James Whale show has also provided a strong wave of positive feedback and James has welcomed Brian back for another appearance soon. (details to follow)
We’re thinking of organizing a small team that will periodically write to radio to mention Brian’s work. If you’d like to be involved please let us know
Houston in Jail shock (or did I tell you the one about Chuck Berry’s missing guitar?)
On January 18th Brian opened for Chuck Berry at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall. After the show Brian was amazed to be handed Chucks guitar by the man himself. Aware of the long standing tradition in roots music of passing on the mantle to younger artists Brian thought the great man had imparted his “Mojo” and got busy selling CD’s in the foyer with the guitar stashed under the merch desk.
It appears that Mr Chuck was not aware of said tradition and a panic ensued backstage when he was heard to utter the immortal words in a deep Missouri drawl “ere mate where’s me guitar got orf to then?” Two security blokes in penguin suits eventually wrestled the guitar from Brian to screams of “out of my cold dead hands mister” and “bring back my Mojo”.........
Brian did manage to keep the pick though!!!
Thanks for all your love and support
See you on down the road
Pauline
Ps if you want to be part of our radio stalking team rota please write to brian@brianhouston.com and we’ll let you know when it’s your turn to write and to whom....Ta again
January 2007
Bob Harris Session - the audio files are now online click here to download and listen to them. Thanks to Carmen for supplying the recording..
New EP News
Happy new year to you all and thanks for all the orders of the new EP. It has literally flown out the doors swamping our system over the “holiday” period. There are only a few copies left! A great problem to have eh? So thank you all again. For anyone who hasn’t got their copy please see this link. http://www.brianhouston.com/site/merchandise/index.htm
Top Album List
The exciting news is that we’ve been told on good authority that Sugar Queen has made the best albums of the year list by Bob Harris for Maverick Magazine. This is fantastic news as it’s the first time we’ve had a place in such a list and it’s a great compliment and confidence booster for Brian to be included.
Brian will be on The James Whale show on 21st/22nd January around midnight (just after the Twickfolk Gig) which is available from Talksport 1089/1053am or Digital Radio and http://www1.talksport.net/index.asp
Live news
Brian is delighted to have been asked to open for Rock n Roll Legend Chuck Berry in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on January 18th. Please check our Tour Dates section for details of upcoming shows near you at this link http://www.brianhouston.com/site/tour_dates/index.htm
That’s all the news for now
Thank you all so very much for your support.
December 2006
Hi Folks
We hope you had a restful Christmas and not a too expensive one.
Latest news is that Brian is currently writing material for his next recording and we're not sure if this is gonna be an album or an EP. The plan is to record some new songs as well as the David McWilliams song "Days of Pearly Spencer" later in the year. The reason for Brian recording this particular track is that at a recent tribute show for David, his daughter Mandy (a big Brian fan) asked Brian if he would record the version that he played on that night. So it will be interesting to see how that one comes out? We'll keep you posted on the progress.
As you know the interview with Aled Jones has been put back to the 7th of January so watch out for that one on BBC Radio two 88 to 91FM between 7am and 9am. You can also listen on the net here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/goodmorningsun/
Also new is an EP thats been put together by Colin Harper (Journalist and song writer) as he had some old recordings of Brian and some songs of his own that Brian had sung on. Colin wanted to make these unheard tracks available to raise money for wildlife charities and we were only too willing to help. Please see Colins press release below:-
New, Live & Rare Volume 1: The Colin Harper Projects
Strictly limited to 200 copies, with 12 page colour booklet, this is an EP
or mini-album (that‚s 20-odd minutes of music if you‚re baffled by the
jargon) which pulls together four very rare Brian Houston performances
originally issued on local-release compilations in Belfast in the mid 1990s ˆ two of them fabulous solo live performances of Houston classics (Jesus
Again‚ and Alright), two of them studio recordings with other musicians and
unfamiliar songs ˆ plus one brand new piece, Don‚t Give Up, featuring
Brian accompanied by a string quartet. All the tracks have been remastered
and are associated in some way with Belfast music journo and old pal of
Brian's Colin Harper. 50% of the proceeds go towards Colin‚s wildlife
charity project (see: www.thewildlifealbum.com) - get one while you can!
Priced £5.99 including postage and packing anywhere in the world. You can get the exclusive EP at the following link http://www.brianhouston.com/site/merchandise/index.htm
We'll be in touch again soon with more up dates. In the meantime have a happy new year
Pauline
Late November News
Hi Everyone
National Radio News
Bob Harris Session
Good news!!!! Brian has been invited to play a live session for Bob Harris on BBC Radio Two (88 to 91FM and on line at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/bobharris/) on the ninth of December which is fantastic! You can contact Bob during or after the show at bob.harris@bbc.co.uk to let him know what you think. Don’t be shy on this as it helps a great deal with getting more plays on the show in the future.
Good Morning Sunday
The other news is that the interview (originally scheduled for November 26th) to be broadcast with Aled Jones for the Good morning Sunday show is now being aired on January 7th 2007. The Producer of the show has been a great encourager to us and has been in touch to say that the song I'll Fly away will be played on Sunday 26th between 7 and 7.30 am instead. We hope you'll email Aled at gms@bbc.co.uk and tell him how much you like to hear Brian on national radio. The show can be heard on 88 to 91FM or over the internet at the following link http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/goodmorningsun/ where you can listen live or listen again if you miss it.
So why not set your alarms early, listen to the show, send a hundred emails to the bbc then walk the dog and go out for breakfast with the family. Sure it’ll feel like you’ve had two Sundays instead on one. Please feel free to email the show even if you miss it going out live as they value your comments and feedback tremendously!!
Future Radio Shows we’d love to do
Can we ask you to email Jools Holland at the following link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/holland/contact.shtml to tell him about Brian and his music.
You can also write to:-
Jools Holland
BBC Radio 2
London
W1A 1AA
These days there is a lot of power in the hands of the listeners as the folks in the media are very keen to hear what you guys want from their programs. Every thing you do to spread the word helps us get opportunities in the National Media. Thanks to all of you who've already made efforts to get Brian more plays on radio and spots on TV. Please keep up your good work.
Live news!
On the live front Brian is continuing to tour with song writing and guitar legend Glen Tilbrook. The shows have gone fantastically well with great feedback and many CD purchases from Glens fans. In a twist of irony Brian got a last minute call to open for Marty Pellow in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on November 16th after the originally scheduled support artist was unable to attend. Brian played the show after a long day of radio promotion taking in a couple of hundred miles of Irish roads but got an amazing reaction selling a huge pile of albums. Marty was a total gentleman introducing Brian to the audience and inviting him to share a glass of wine with him in his dressing room after the show. The ironic part is that the artist scheduled to appear was none other than Glens former song writing partner Chris Difford!
Ring Tones
Want to spread the word about Brian’s music and have an exclusive sound when your mobile phone rings? Well you can now get one from us completely free for a limited period by going to the following link. http://www.brianhouston.com/site/mp3/index.htm Just choose your favorite and pop it in your phone for nada.
Web Stats
We just got the great news that in the year since our new site opened we’ve had over 1.6 million hits taking up more bandwidth on our host server than all the other sites put together. This is a fantastic encouragement and we want to thank you all for your support and for spreading the love.
Buying from Shops and on line
If you’re thinking of buying Christmas presents for friends please check out HMV and Virgin retail stores where it helps us a great deal when you buy or even check HMV on line at the following link. hmv.co.uk
New single and new fans
If you have any ideas on what our next single from the Sugar Queen album should be and what you’d like as B sides please email us and also what we can give you for sending people to our site please email us at office@brianhouston.com as we value your opinions.
Touring News
We're delighted to announce that Brian has been invited to open for Mr. Glen Tilbrook (lead singer and songwriting partner of Squeeze) on his up coming tour of England
Brian will play 10 shows with Glen at various prestigious venues. Please see the following link for details. http://www.brianhouston.com/site/tour_dates/index.htm
The gigs are going amazingly well with some of the best reactions Brian has had to his shows in England to date. People are buying up the albums like crazy and we're struggling to keep up with stock. A nice problem to have though....Oh and for those who were asking the Swindon show with Glen is 100% confirmed
Also Brian will be playing his only Belfast Show with his band at the following venue:-
Empire Music Hall November 26th
Headline show with band
as part of Belfest at 42 Botanic Avenue, Belfast.
Telephone Ticketmaster's 24 hour credit card booking line 0870 243 4455
Tickets are also available from Ticketmaster website: www.ticketmaster.ie
Or by pasting the following link on your browser.
http://www.ticketmaster.ie/event/18003D59C3226A8E?artistid=952039&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1
Over The Counter tickets are available from Ticketmaster, Virgin Megastore, Belfast .
Radio News
Following on from his very successful nationwide tour with The Storys Brian has been invited to appear on BBC Radio Two’s Good Morning Sunday programme. An interview and acoustic performance will be broadcast on 26th November and not on the fifth as stated previously. You can listen to the show on 88 to 91 FM or live on line at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/ from 7am to 9am on Sunday Mornings or if that is a little early the show will be on the BBC listen again feature. Please feel free to text or email the show to say what you thought of Brian’s performance here http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/goodmorningsun/contact.shtml
Web Shop News
Great news for those of you wanting to buy gifts for friends at Christmas or just grab a great deal! You can now get any three Brian Houston albums for only £24.99 (including postage anywhere in the world) at the following link.
http://www.brianhouston.com/site/merchandise/index.htm.
Just take your choice click add albums and add to cart and off you go. Give a great present to a friend and spread the word about Brian at the same time:-) Brian will sign albums to you or your friends and you’ll get one of our hand written postcards to you or the friends you specify.
Jesus and Justice lite*. Inspired by our European sales this summer we’re offering a FREE yes completely FREE copy of the Jesus and Justice album with every We Don’t Need Religion Tee Shirt purchased from our web shop (including postage anywhere in the world). No frills no heavy packaging just an excellent album in a convenient carry sleeve when you go to the following link:-
http://www.brianhouston.com/site/merchandise/tshirts.htm
Thank you all for your support and suggestions. Feel free to contact us at office@brianhouston.com for concert enquiries and any general questions you have. It may take us a few days to get back to you but we’ll do our best to give you a personal response every time.
Love and best wishes
Pauline
October/September News
Ok we're obviously a bit late doing the September news due to the UK tour Brian has been on with the Storys (with some solo gigs thrown in) since 24th August. Big apologies for that.
UK Tour
The Latest news is that the tour went fantastically well from the kick off and the reaction of those that heard Brian for the first time opening for the Storys was tremendous! Our Myspace friends list has expanded dramatically and sales of Albums for the tour exceeded all expectations and we found ourselves using up the stocks from our depots around the country and everything we took with us also.
Radio goes Ga Ga
Brian was able to appear on several local BBC radio shows around the country and yet again the reaction of both the DJ's hosting the shows and the audiences was extremely encouraging. Highlights here were Sheffield and Norwich where after Brians appearance the Dj doing the interview decided to come to the show after hearing Brian play live and bought the Sugar Queen album too!
Future Broadcasts
Due to his appearances in Manchester and London we are delighted to announce that the BBC will be Broadcasting four of Brians songs (recorded live at the Shepherds Bush Empire 29th September) on October 14th as part of their "On Song" series and Brian will be pre-recording a session for the Good Morning Sunday show on the second of November for broadcast on Sunday 5th November 2006.
Thank You
We wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to The Storys and their management for having Brian on the tour and for making him so welcome. It was a total pleasure to tour with such a nice bunch of guys and their friendliness and helpfulness made the tour pass too quickly.
To the Tour Angels
Also a huge thank you to Simon and Bernie for being Brian's surrogate family and for feeding him and giving him a safe place to stay. Also to Harry "the Snapper" Scott and Gill for taking up the slack on the tour and driving Brian around and feeding him and helping with the merch at gigs. Also to Neil, Mandy and Holly for bed and breakfast and Carole Sterkx and Colin and Grahame Young and the gang for all your help and kindness. You guys are total stars and we couldn't have done it without you.
To all the Storys fans who've been so welcoming and encouraging by buying Brians albums and saying such nice things about his performances. See you all again very soon we hope.
August News is
Hi Friends.
Magazines get behind Sugar Queen
Big news is that Mojo Magazine has given us a 4 star review for Sugar Queen who said "fabulous....songs his time has now come" and a three star from Uncut Magazine who said Brian was "a writer of considerable warmth and wit" we also got a great 4 star review from Maverick Magazine and also from Acoustic Mag and Classic Rock society so thanks to all the folks who said amazing things about the record.
Valley Reissue Issue Coming soon
We are delighted to announce the first of our long anticipated reissue projects which will commence with the Valley album. It has been beautifully repackaged in Digipak and will contain extra content in the form of a never before seen live video of Brian performing at a Bob Harris presents show case. There will be a selection of unseen photos and not only can you now access all the secret tracks individually but you have full lyrics and chords to them plus the five previously unreleased songs from the sessions. Also included is an unedited first draft of Brian's forth coming autobiography for you to check out. We hope you'll agree that this re-issue package is well worth the money and a must for the serious collectors of Brian's music. The album will be on sale from the site from 21st August for the great value price of £8.99 inc postage anywhere in the world!!!
Live News
Brian has been asked to open for Miss Juliet Turner in the Autumn and we are hoping to confirm some dates there soon, so watch this space. Brian is also in line for a couple of major UK support slots so we'll give you the word as soon as we hear.
Radio Desires
We are trying very hard to get End of the Beginning or Feels like Friday on the Radio so that more folks can hear what Brian is doing lets hope that happens very soon.
T-Bone not appearing
We're disappointed by the news that T-Bone Burnett has pulled his show from Greenbelt and we are currently discussing the arrangements with the organizers. We'll keep you posted with what happens there.
July News is
Hi Friends.
Radio Live
Big news this month is of course that we are delighted to announce that Brian performs live on Janice Longs show on BBC Radio Two from Midnight on Thursday 13/ Friday 14th July (that’s tonight JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT) so tune in and write to or text the show to say if you enjoyed the songs and would like to hear Brian again. The show is available from 88 to 91 Fm and on sky channel 0102 or on the internet at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/long/
Bright Future
We have been taking huge leaps forward since Brian was asked to play at Bob Harris’s birthday party in April. John Waller (of The St????s) will be working closely with us as Project Manager for the UK and Ireland release of Sugar Queen and an on- going management arrangement. As a direct result of Johns involvement, The Agency Group have indicated their intention to represent Brian’s for live appearances. The future looks exciting and promising.
Album and Single Release on Same day!!
The release date for main UK and Ireland shops for Sugar Queen is 4th SEPTEMBER so ask your local shops to get the album in. Also released on that day will be Brian’s first ever solo single which will be a radio edit of End of the Beginning with two previously unreleased songs as B sides. These are “Feels like Friday” a stomping pop number and a live cut of “Teresa Has Fallen in Love” the recently penned ballad that Brian has been performing at shows to rapturous applause since March.
My Space
Brian Now has his myspace site up and running and is streaming some video clips there for you to enjoy plus you can direct your friends there to hear his music so come with us now to http://www.myspace.com/brianhouston and become our friend
Live shows
Wewould love to hear from you about direct bookings for live shows so email us at gigs@brianhouston.com if you are, or even just thinking about, putting on a show in your area. Why not check our tour diary at the following link to see if there is a show near you. http://www.brianhouston.com/site/tour_dates/index.htm
We’ll keep you posted as things develop. Keep in touch.
Pauline
June News
Hi Guys latest news is that Brian's Live session with Janice Long of BBC Radio Two will be Broadcast on the night of the 13th/14th of July, so tune in for that one all you late birds.
Also Brian has been asked to open for The Storys on their September UK Tour (see tour dates section for details).
The Storys are currently opening for Elton John on his European tour so their profile will be very high in the UK by then which will help get the word around about Brian.
For folks in the North of Ireland you'll be pleased to know that Sugar Queen will be in your shops from Monday June 5th. You'll be able to get your copies there if you're not that fussed about buying on line.
Can we say a huge thank you to all the local DJ's who've been supporting the record on Cool FM, Radio Ulster, U105 and all the others. We are really grateful for your enthusiasm for the record.
To any of you who've been phoning or emailing in asking for Brian's songs to be played we also say a HUGE big thank you for that. It's a massive help in getting the Radio to play more of what you'd like to hear as Radio is very responsive to the desires of their audience. Thanks again!
We'll keep you posted as more things happen.
love
Pauline
May News
Well the May news is that the Sugar Queen album is now on sale from our site and selling really fast!! Feed back on the album has been all positive so far and Bob Harris has even played Red Badge of Courage on National Radio Two.
Janice long has also requested a live session for her Radio Two show and that will be takling place very soon.
Some of you may have heard that Brian was invited to Bobs party to sing some of his songs and he joined Martin Joseph Thea Gilmore and The Storys as part of the scheduled special guest section. The moment of the night came when Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin made a surprise appearence with Bernie Marsden of Whitesnake and they played a blistering blues set. Brian was handy with his harmonicas and had the time of his life jamming with the legends. A Big thank you to Bob for having us there!! (there are a couple of photots in the gallery section)
Some late gigs have come in for May and the calendar is filling up rapidly for the rest of the year so check out the tours dates section and see if there is a gig near you and come out and say hello.
We'll let you know as more news is new
love
Pauline
Late April News
Those of you who've missed our free download section will be pleased to know that you can get a copy of the much talked about "Where you see Bones" completely free. it's a seven minute song at full sample rate so may take a while to download....don't worry if it does. We'll be placing some other random tracks for free download from time to time.
April 2006
Hi Folks latest news is that the album release has
been held up because we reworked the cover at the last
minute. We had the design all ready and posted to the
manufacturers and then a friend took some shots of Brian
in an old warehouse. The photos were very cool and gave
us the inspiration to re-design the whole album around
them. It means a delay of three weeks but we thought
it was better to be totally happy with the cover and
not make any compromises. It also means you get to see
more shots of the man himself and we thought you'd appreciate
that too.
Pre orders for the album are flying in and we'll be
very busy posting them out when the album gets here
but please keep sending in your orders as the sooner
you send them the sooner we'll get them to ya.
For those of you interested in a pre release numbered
copy there are a few on the CD Baby site at the following
link. http://cdbaby.com/cd/houstonbrian2 (Sorry the pre-release copies have all been sold from CD baby)
We'll keep you posted with more information about the
launch of the album here in the North of Ireland.
Love for now
Pauline |
