The play a special show at the historic Madame Wongs venue tonight 29th and at the Echo tomorrow 30th. More details on http://www.theansweringmachine.co.uk

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-answering-machine/id379383212?mt=8

A special prize goes to the one millionth downloader……….

Oh and whilst we are getting all tech’ie on your ass, why not follow Heist on Twitter (@heistorhit) plus The Answering Machine (@theansmachine), LoveLikeFire (@lovelikefire) , The Crookes (thecrookes) and Pomegranates (@pomegranatesart)

The Answering Machine at the JD Set courtesy of Shirlaine Forrest

Fresh from completing the tribute to the Buzzocks JD Set on Channel 4 together with Tim Burgess, The Answering Machine are off to the mixing studio next week to start mixing their second album. The album, recorded in Manchester by the band themselves and produced by vocalist Martin Colclough, suggests a mature progression from their first album. The following are Martin’s thoughts on what the band were trying to achieve with their sophomore album.

We ended 2009 with a wonderful feeling in our hearts. We had created the debut album we’d been dreaming of since the band formed. It packed a punch and we believed it captured the boisterous energy of the infancy period of The Answering Machine. We spent the month of November 2009 hanging out in an apartment in Brooklyn, NY, feeling somewhat anxious as to the new direction of the band. As any band will say, the pressure placed on a second album is like nothing else. There’s a sense of finding some middle ground between the start and end product. We explored a few avenues, creatively. Beginning with a raw Sonic Youth-eque track called ‘Winter Without You’. The intensity and passion was there, but we just didn’t feel it reflected where we were at.

At this time, there was a certain sense of anxiety within the band. Not with each other, but more a reassessment of who we are and what we want to be. Something of a mid-mid-life crisis struck me, and the result was a song called ‘3 Miles’, the first track we completed as a band for the new record. It draws on emotions like we never have before in The Answering Machine, and is a ‘heart-on-sleeve’ account of where my head was at. It was also the creative spark we needed, and it triggered an outpouring of ideas and themes that would ultimately shape this second record.

I write this on the final day of tracking. We have produced the record ourselves, something which we felt strongly about. It means alot to me that we have full control over the finished product, as I want people to hear these tracks how we want them to be heard. No egos here, we are just extremely proud of what we’ve achieved.

The band will be assisted in the mixing process by the infamous Manics/Idlewild producer, Dave Eringa who produced their first album. The album is scheduled for release worldwide later this year.

Those smart and sexy, fresh and wild, budding young indie bunny rabbits,  The Answering Machine play Bloody Awful Poetry night at The Last Days Of Decadence in a chilly Shoreditch last night. Nice to see lovely adoring Machine fans from the yu ess ov aye as well as Japan, Holland and France in the audience; their fame is clearly spreading. Your esteemed Heistman could have done without the trawling of the cold streets of Shoreditch for a post show Makers on the rocks, all to no avail.

However, the end of a good week for Heist and The Machine with kudos going out to John Kennedy of XFM, Mike Taylor of US station WOXY.COM and also the legend that is the BBC’s Huw Stephens for all playing Cliffer on air, The Answering Machine’s first single from Another City, Another Sorry.

We are very excited to say that we will be out on the road sooner than we thought, thanks to Ra Ra Riot who have agreed to let us tag along on their headline UK tour.

We’ll be making the following stops througout February

11th Feb – Birmingham Barfly
12th Feb – Glasgow King Tut’s
14th Feb – Newcastle Academy 3
15th Feb – Manchester Night and Day
16th Feb – Nottingham Bodega
17th Feb – London Kings College.

If you haven’t heard of Ra Ra Riot then you’re in for a treat, they went on this fancy talk show in the USofA and played this. If this doesn’t convince you of their brilliance, then nothing will.

Hope to see some people down there

Gemma x

“Smart and sexy, fresh and wild, budding young indie bunny rabbits”

Can’t argue with that!

You can read the review in full HERE.

Keep an eye out on the Artrocker site, coz those guys are ACE!

In other news, Cliffer is in John Kennedy’s Top 5 in his X-Posure show on XFM:

X-Posure Big One: Gold Teeth ‘Everybody’
The Answering Machine ‘Cliffer’
Bonaparte ‘Who Took The Pill?’
Favours For Sailors ‘Erode My Empire’
Future Of The Left ‘The Hope That House Built’

If you’re listening to his show then please give him a text to request it. That man is a legend, and he has a lovely face (and an unbeatable collection of stripey jumpers).

Martin x

The artwork for all of our upcoming Singles and LP has been put together by our friend Nicola Chipman (www.flickr.com/photos/clapyourhands) and is a series of photographs of Manchester architecture, including a skyline shot of the city for the album cover. The design and layout of the sleeves is by the rather amazing Sean Mort.

The March tour dates are:

Cardiff Ifor Bach (March 9)
Manchester Ruby Lounge (March 10)
London Hoxton Bar And Kitchen (March 11)
Newcastle The End (March 12)
Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s (March 13)
Liverpool Evol (March 14)

The tour is a ‘rotating headline’ with Flashguns and CasioKids. Should be a reet blast so get yourself down!

Bedtime,

Martin x

So here are my top tips for female fronted music from 2008

MIA – Paper planes

This song was probably the sound track to our time mixing the album in London. Thousands of impressions of gunshots and cash registers ensued (along with a debate between the lads as to whether they would or wouldn’t)

Santogold – Lights Out

I know this album has been out for ages but i have only just got around to buying it and didn’t realise how much of it i had already heard on various adverts and tv shows. This is my favourite single, it’s just pure pop gold

Ladyhawke – Dusk til Dawn

This has been one of my favourite records of the year, irresistably catchy, a small touch of Cyndi Lauper and some ace clothes.

Unfortunately the kind people at Youtube won’t let me embed the video but here is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIPZGcChHbk

I hope you enjoyed my little ramble

Gemma xx