Have you ever seen a man that hasn't slept for six days?...Heavy boozing and valium both have no effect, the bright lights, dark nooks and city angels sit staring at his face, it seems there's only one place he can go.

On the flight back to London, Mark Schubert has a moment on the plane, his 6 day 6 night 6 gig New York stint is taking its $ toll....you can see it in his eyes and its one further night home with the devil insomnia and a fever of songs sweating it out, burning their way onto the sheets.

3 days of calm & sleep take a hold...

Upon waking the news reaches him that Matt Lord, Mark's song writing collaborator and bar stool contender didn't make the flight back, being wooed away to Vegas by the attentions of one of the city angels then later by a Ladyfuzz, another city angel.

All our love & luck goes with him and blessed is the Lord.

Mark & Matt had been writing in and for Opium Pillowcase, a high octane, scuzzy guitar band with Mark Brown and Jay Lewington making the numbers 4...some small moments came their way, touring in the UK which included sharing a bill with a then little know Vegas band The Killers, and then dumb rock perfectionist's and all round good guys Jet... Some radio plays & some paper talk follow along with recording sessions with NY producer and sound collaborator of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, TV on the Radio, and Liars..the fruits of which never being heard because then came the New York dates and the change...

A year was taken out and Mark returns with a whole new set of songs which includes 114 from his New York vaults alone.

An old friend with a new portable studio falls in and a task is set to record as much as possible. Marks basement is set up with mikes and machines and a mexican is called in and a trumpet is played, songs are sung, stories are told and blisters are burst, ....and then a plan is scratched.

Mark sets about finding a new band. Fellow old Opiums Jay and Mark are added to the conjoined forces of Natalie & Lisa, a dream combination of beautiful twin sisters and master musicians, one a demon bass player, the other a six string slinger...nights and days but never the twilight are spent melding and furnacing the new sound... a Heavy Western mix... a kinda bastard offspring of Cash, Leadbelly and Beck. All bluesy, all ballsy, all flicks and riffs. Its straight at ya but all around ya...

Its just simple songwriting, sweet melodies with stories and beautiful emotion with pain....Its not New York City, it's The London Beach.

The recordings have been taken from the basement and been given a mix by Mr Ben & The Lord, they are available to you now.