Brothers and sisters, this is a testimony.
Our last gig was at Nice and Sleazy's on 21/11/00
For the record the set on the night was:
Get Together, Victim of Your Love, Fake, Repeater, Crestfallen, No Regrets, Vice and Versa, One Idea Will Win.
First Handclap
This was our last ever gig.
So this is the end of a chapter in the life of Starsail.
We'd like to thank everyone who made it along on the night. It was a totally amazing turnout and the amount of people who made the effort to come along surprised even us. There were people there who we hadn't seen for ages and it really did mean a lot that everyone was there. We hope everyone got a copy of our fanzine and have had the chance to give it a good read. It started out as being a couple of pages but the total page number ended up being 32! Christ knows how! Again, thank you to everyone who took the time to write a little bit. We're pleased to say that of the 70 odd fanzines handed out at the Sleazy's gig, only two we're left lying about at the end. So even the people who were there to see the support band took one home.
We didn't play our best on the night, but it wasn't too bad. We were all a bit nervous and that showed in some songs. There were of course the customary technical hitches but nevertheless we struggled on. All in all it was a very fitting end to starsail, and we'll remember the night for a very long time.
So...
Starsail were formed in 1996, and over the past four years we believe we've wrote some fucking amazing songs, and deserved so much more than we actually got. When you look at some of the bands that are famous today then you've got to wonder.
Nevertheless we're not bitter, we've had a cool time and played some pretty good (and bad) gigs. Yes, of course we'd like to have been signed etc, but fuck it, that's the music business for you.
Anyways, as predicted the rest of us will be continuing in some form or other. It looks likely though that we won't be playing any gigs for sometime. Things will never be the same. We do have a new band name, which some of you may know already.
Now, as James Bond fans, we never say never. Steven will one day return to these shores, and who knows maybe it will be time for a Starsail revival gig, a bit like Status Quo(but with less hair).
As for this web-site, well, we'll keep that going for the hell of it although it is unlikely that we'll add anymore stuff to it. When we get our other 'project' on the go then we'll set up a new website and this time we will keep it updated regularly. Once again, thank you for your valued support, you will not be forgotten (unlike us). This is where it all ends, viva starsail, viva stereo.
Starsail are currently in the practice room, working on a whole batch of new songs. It is becoming increasingly difficult to work out a set list as we are writing more than ever now.
Our last gig at The Halt Bar on February the 4th was a bit rough around the edges in some places, but we felt that we pulled it off okay considering it was our first gig for a while and we hadn't practiced much beforehand. The set on the night was: Victim of Your Love, Get Together, Something Stronger, Crestfallen, Fake, This is Not Easy, Balancing, One Idea Will Win, First Handclap.The two new songs 'Something Stronger' and ' Balancing' went OK on the night but we do admit they need a little more work.
We have also hit a bit of a creative burst in the practice room, with no fewer than 4 new songs (no titles as yet) waiting to be thrashed out until they are ready to be played live. We are going to take our time with these and won't play them live until we are totally happy. All going well, we should get a couple of them done for the gig at The Halt Bar on April 15th.
We're also currently making plans for the self financed release of our debut single. Obviously we want to make this as professional as possible and don't want to cut any corners, so it will cost a bit of money. The main plan is to release a split sided 4 track EP with another band, namely Colour Surround. Colour Surround supported us at Sleazy's in December and impressed us with their set. Each band would contribute two tracks to the EP (most popular choices so far are Fake and Get Together) and we would then play a couple of gigs together to promote the single. There is also talk of a Single Launch night with DJ's etc but at the moment we are still at the planning and getting ideas stage.
The big news at the moment is that James has started his new job down in Kent. Things so far are working out fine as James has been up at weekends for practice every other week. The only problem we're facing is that we have to be bit more choosy with our gigs. As you've probably noticed we've playing The Halt Bar quite a lot. This is mainly due to the fact we get paid but also due to the fact the gig are only on at the weekends which makes it easier for James to attend. We've been offered gigs at Nice and Sleazy's and at Strathclyde University but so far have had to turn them down. Hopefully we can work out a Saturday night at Sleazy's soon as we're just about sick of Woodlands Rd!