Flamey

On 01/06/2026 at 09:52, Trav Le Bleu said:

Thrushes occasionally (redwings in winter) but the only birds of prey I see here are red kites and sparrowhawks. Never even heard an owl round here, are urban owls common?

Probably not common ..but I was surprised by one landing on my fence a few nights before posting so they were on my mind!  I hear them often round here (nr Ashby) but I don't actually see them very often. Amazing creatures. 🙌🏼

17 minutes ago, Blarmy said:

Good to know 👍🏻

No thrush or owls? @Trav Le BleuOUT!! 

When you open the FT app the blue surrounding the logo is a different shade to the 'main' page shade 

57 minutes ago, Dr Marco said:

a friend of mine's band

 

 

Love that!

On 21/02/2026 at 17:39, Dr Marco said:

just bought a scarlett solo 3rd gen

wil use it with garage band to record guitar and vocals

anyone uses it?

 

My band mate uses one 👍🏻 decent Audio interface 

Definitely a good deal, I checked how much mine was last year..it was 29 quid...so 23 is a bloody steal!

23 hours ago, RoboFox said:

I've been beavering away at my music project for six months or so now. 

 

Yesterday, a decent-sized US-based band reached out to ask me to do a remix of one of their songs. I'm being offered a decent rate for the job so hopefully I can get it over the line with their label. 

 

Since nobody really knows I make music, I just wanted to share the news. Absolutely buzzing TBH.

Congratulations!!! A paying music project is rare nowadays, you must know your stuff 🙌🏻

12 hours ago, Foxdiamond said:

Just wondering anybody played a Gallagher G70 ?

Not me, good reviews though...but a tad expensive for me!! However...when I googled this came up..😂

1 hour ago, RoboFox said:

I’ll take a look at it, got a bunch of UA stuff but I’ve sworn off buying plugins for the time being. I’ve got a problem. 

 

Besides I so infrequently actually record guitars, Amplitube is more than enough. I’ve also got Waves GTR3 which I kind of prefer sometimes.

 

Plugin addiction: the struggle is real....

I got it for 49 quid over Christmas as a treat...and, as I say, love the gui and the sounds. I think you can download the 'dream 65' model for free...but the whole package comes with modelled pedals too.  As for UA, since I've switched to LUNA pro from studio one...I haven't looked back .. however...LUNAs midi programming functions do lack severely.

43 minutes ago, RoboFox said:

Haven't played in bands for a very long time. I have a side gig as a solo electronic music producer now. 

 

I've got a huge Marshall combo which is basically a studio ornament. I genuinely can't remember the last time I turned it on.

 

Since I never play live, Amplitube is all I need - every amp and pedal combination ever created in my DAW. It's great but I do miss the physicality of amps occasionally... My partner doesn't, mind. 

I sold all my amps, on the rare occasion we do a gig I use a mooer 'all in one' pedal, easier on the back 😂 

Re: Amplitube I've just moved from using that to UA Paradise guitar suite...which in my opinion sounds better but has more limited options...which I like tbh... option paralysis being what it is and all that!

7 hours ago, Olm74 said:

My old 1970's Carlsbro solid state amp seems like it's on its last legs, making horrendous noises!

Anyone had any experience with those Boss Katana amps?

I've seen a few reviews on them and the 100 /212 looks like it'd be good for home use & gigging.

I've always liked the look of those Roland JC-40s too.

 

Carlsboro solid state, crikey you don't see many of them in the wild nowadays, you got your moneys worth at least! 

Never owned a katana, they seem to be ok from reading about them though. JC 40, I'd like a go with one of these also!

18 hours ago, Olm74 said:

Do any of you play in bands?

I do band called flamehead 🔥

5 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

That's well nice. Have you got it booked in?

 

Danny and Nat at Leicestershire Luthier are great, and their work excellent.

 

Their place is in Hathern on the A6 and it's not much harder for me to go there than try and park in Clarendon Park to go to Howard Smith who is also very good, and still in business as far as I know

Also a plus one for Danny and Nat, lovely people and great luthiers.

On 27/01/2026 at 15:44, Olm74 said:

Hi...just started playing guitar again after years away concentrating my attention on synths.

Got my early 90's Japanese Jazzmaster out but I think it needs some attention....probably just re-setting up.

Is the https://leicestershire-luthier.co.uk/ still the best place locally to get this work done or anyone know anybody closer to the city? I used to use Intersound on Narb road but I think that's moved now.

 

Beautiful 😍 

4 hours ago, leicsmac said:

From what I remember, 2016 (or at least the end of) was pretty bad for celebrities passing as well. 

Yeah, that's what I recall too, it seemed like one a day around late 16. 😞

Perry Bamonte of The Cure RIP...I'm gutted 😞

38 minutes ago, bovril said:

Mani 

Sad day 😟

Spent an enjoyable day in the studio on Friday, recording Xmas charity single featuring Jo Doran (formerly The Telescopes), went really well !

12 hours ago, Lionator said:

Cocteau twins baby x foxes talk goths where are you?

I've dabbled in both....however 'goth' is quite subjective as a term.  I love Bauhaus, SOM,  joy division, Siouxie, the cure, bunnymen which I have seen labelled as goth..but personally don't consider them to be (other than the first 2). 👍

Gutted about Dave Ball 😢

Nice JAMC cover 👍

18 hours ago, RoboFox said:

Alright, so I've been beavering away at this thankless nonsense since June on and off and it's starting to get better. 

 

I can't believe just how much work it is though. The website, managing the platforms, dealing with the releases, artwork, SOCIAL MEDIA. I've been off socials for years personally so I've basically been learning again and nobody told me that being a musician in 2025 also means being a ****ing content creator n'all. 

 

All of it means I've barely had any time to actually make music. 

 

Anyway, 3rd single coming out and I've had some OK success - few hundred followers on socials, each of my tracks has thousands of streams so far. All organic growth, and dare I say it I've made a handful of actual fans. 

 

Then I log on to see some blatant "AI creator" in the same genre using Suno AI going viral, reaching tens of thousands of streams and followers in a matter of weeks and it makes me wonder why we bother. 

 

Ah well: 

This is 💯 my own experience, writing /  recording/ mixing / mastering/ artwork/ platforms / video creation ...etc. for absolutely no reward other than artistic expression 😂😂😂😂......😭

14 minutes ago, STEVIE B said:

Has anyone seen any of The Smiths tribute bands ? 
The Smyths seem to be highly rated. I was wondering if it’s worth seeing them ?

I've seen them, a fair while ago admittedly, at the flowerpot in Derby, it was a great night.

My Mrs likes a soft one at the bottom and a hard one on top, I'm the other way round....and yes realise I'm leaving the goal wide open on this. 😂

@Bellend Sebastian well...how's the honeymoon going? 🤔😂