The
Magic Lantern

Well after being teased into thinking spring was here, this missive comes to you from a wet and decidedly un-spring like sunday in London. After a busy february of gigs and starting the recording process, this first few weeks in march have been relatively quiet. A period of reflection, consolidation and planning. I am therefore, exceedingly pleased to announce that I will be going on a grand UK tour from 26 April to 12 May with the fabulous songwriters FaceOmeter and Roxy Brennan. We should be able to announce the dates and locations in the next week or so but it shaping up to be the most extensive tour I will have done and we are all really excited about it!

In the meantime, there are some great Magic Lantern events to look forward to. First of all, I will be playing on Radio Dacorum this very afternoon from 4.30. You can tune in and listen live and even watch on a webcam atwww.radiodacorum.org.uk . It should be a great show, i’m really looking forward to it. If you can’t listen this afternoon then you should be able to listen again from monday afternoon at www.mixcloud.com/dariakulesh9 .

Gig wise, there are two amazing gigs coming up, the first is on the 24th March supporting Shine Like The Sun at the Ritzy in Brixton for the launch of their EP ‘First Rays’. Following that, I am really looking forward to playing at Fiona Bevan’s amazing Servants Jazz Quarters night on the 4th April. Fiona has been putting these nights on once a month for a little while now and each one has sold out very very quickly indeed so if you’d like to come please get a ticket as soon as possible. 

Magic Lantern March & April shows:

– Thursday 4th April – Servants Jazz Quarters w/ Fiona Bevan
10 Bradbury St, London N16 8JN. Tickets and details.

– 26th April – 12th May – Magic Lantern / FaceOmeter / Roxy Brennan UK Tour!
Details to come soon!!

Best wishes as ever  and big love

Jamie x

I’m so excited to have been asked to support the wonderful Sam Lee at the final night of his four date London tour next saturday 16th February. I will playing with Sam at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill. It is a wonderful venue and possibly the biggest I have played, so i’m both nervous and very excited!!

Thanks to @caute3 for the video!

Saw this walking around London – this is what I need to focus on!

Well here we are, 11 days into the new year and already the world has turned upside down, resolutions have been broken, dry months have become wet months, new songs written, houses moved out of, friendships renewed, milestones carved…

If the rest of the year is as eventful as the first week then it promises to be a crazy, unpredictable time. So, with what foresight and planning i can muster, i’ve booked the dates to start recording the second album which is very exciting, I’ve just finished another song which i think will round the record out nicely. I don’t really want to say too much more about the record at this stage because i’m convinced that if i say too much i’ll jinx it and it will never get made!

In other news, i am very pleased to announce that i have joined the Sam Lee and Ceri Wade to co-present and produce the Nest Collective on Resonance 104.4FM. The show is every tuesday lunch time at 12-1 and we are planning a whole host of exciting things on the show including live sessions, features and interviews. We will also be looking into podcasting and other ways to make the show more available if you aren’t able to hear it at the time. I will be posting the track listings here so you can see what we’ve been playing!

Finally, after a lovely first gig of the year last tuesday at Woodburner run by the ever amazing Theo Bard, i’m very very excited about playing a special, colloborative gig with the mighty Fly Agaric this coming thursday at the Vortex. This is going to the their second launch party for their debut record ‘In Search of Soma’. Ever since i first got my hands on a copy its been one of the most incredible albums i’ve listened too and between the four of them, they are some of my biggest musical heros, so its going to be a pleasure and an honour, not just to support them, but to have them playing my music as well. Hope you can make it, click here for all the details.  Hope you can make it!

big love

J x

Well here we are at the end of another year, and what an eventful year its been. From a Magic Lantern point of view its been a year of huge change, some sadness, lots of crazy things and real hope and excitement for the future. This year more than any other has made me realise exactly what it is about writing and performing songs that I love so much and that intangible ‘thing’ keeps me going, drives me on and keeps me upright. The ‘Any Path Will Do’ tour that I did in November with FaceOmeter was wonderful and there’s a lovely write up of it with some pictures here on FaceOmeter’s website. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for continuing to support me as the Magic Lantern  – whether thats in coming to shows or buying records, spreading the word or just sending some good vibrations – it all counts and it means a huge amount to me.

I am now ready to start recording the second Magic Lantern album with the working title ‘Love of Too Much Living’. I hope it will be out by the summer with a single out before that. As ever with these things though, time is its own master, but by telling you all I have given myself some extra pressure to make sure it happens.

There is one last Magic Lantern before the year ends at the Vortex in Dalston, London. It will be with a number of my best musical friends including Fred Thomas, Zac Gvi, Ben Davis and Alex Bonney, if you can make it it would be lovely to see you there.

• Sunday 23 December – The Vortex, 11 Gillet Street, London N16 8AZ. 8pm, £8

Have a lovely Christmas and look forward to seeing you all in the new year!

big love!

So the ‘Any Path Will Do’ tour is over. In truth, it finished two weeks ago but its taken me a little while to believe that is over so i waited before i could write a post about it. It was a wonderful, music and life affirming set of shows that made me feel that the new solo direction was the right decision. I did the whole tour with my really good friend Will Tattersdill aka FaceOmeter and he has much more fully described the whole tour with a post on his website, you can read the day by day tour diary here  but suffice it to say, we had a great time. Will sums it up better than i could:

 Seven shows down, a few quid up. Village halls, houses, scout huts, pubs, cafés, venues. Drizzle and fog and bright bright sun; trains and buses and cars. Sofas, futons, floors and even beds – PAs or no, old friends and new. Any path will do.

Since i’ve been back i’ve been busily preparing for the launch of the Ballina Whalers EP and looking at different studios to start recording these new songs in. The next show is next wednesday 5 December at Old St Pancreas Church supporting the great Brooke Sharkey. Hope you can make it. big love J x