YouTube video by Starlite & Campbell

Yesterday marked a significant milestone in our musical journey. We found a musical partner who's a perfect fit in many ways. As you may know from previous updates, we were introduced to @Dave Boyd by @Rhonda and @Jeff Boehlert. We had met him twice before: once at Cafe Central in Foz do Arelho, and again a couple of weeks later at his home near Bombarral, where we enjoyed a wonderful evening of food, conversation, and company with his partner, Freya. We chatted about music, politics, and life, but yesterday was the first time we had played music together. Dave hails from Belfast in Northern Ireland and arrived bang on time, bringing two drums: a wooden djembe—no skin—and a custom-made bodhran. Neither @Suzy Starlite or I are familiar with these instruments and were amazed by the range of sounds Dave could produce from these seemingly simple drums. He's a true maestro and within minutes it was clear that he'd be a great addition to our new trio and perfect for our next album which is primarily acoustic. Dave is also a great keyboard player, arranger, producer and programmer who can help us performing our more recent progressive material—something we lacked on our last tour. A right talented bastard 🤣 Keep an eye out for updates on this exciting collaboration, and be sure to bookmark our new website: https://vibrationists.eu

Saturday’s update focused on the Caldas beer festival and on Sunday, @Suzy Starlite and I returned to see our friend Jamie Hutchinson perform with his band, Blow Out. While we typically prefer bands ...

Saturday’s update focused on the Caldas beer festival and on Sunday, @Suzy Starlite and I returned to see our friend Jamie Hutchinson perform with his band, Blow Out. While we typically prefer bands that play original music, we made an exception since we've played with Jamie before. We're glad we did! The power trio delivered a diverse set of well-known songs, notably without a single blues number. Jamie's rhythm guitar work was excellent. He created thoughtful and melodic parts that effectively filled out songs originally written for larger ensembles. The solid drumming and bass provided a strong foundation for his playing. His impeccable timing, honed through years of solo acoustic performances, was evident. If you're a guitarist, I highly recommend checking out Blow Out. You might just learn something—I certainly did. ////// When going out, we do like to be soigńe—it’s a fun thing to do—Suzy’s vinyl dress and my top hat generally attract attention. Tonight, we were approached by César Franco and his wife Regina Franco, who wanted to offer us a caricature. They took a picture and 20 minutes later the drawing arrived. Cool people. Good artist. https://www.instagram.com/cesarfrancoarte/ ////// The guy organising the music was Richard Allen, who also programs for the Prohibition in Óbidos where we will be playing shortly. He is also a vocalist with The Four Horsemen, who played at 1430 in the afternoon. Sadly, we missed their set—next time. ////// If you read our posts or articles, you will know we love our hounds and took all four to the festival—it was Françoise and Edith’s first live gig. We were approached twice by members of the audience and once by a security guard criticising us for having them close to the stage as it was too loud for their ears. We know one or two things about sound and all four are Labrador Retrievers—gun dogs. If you have even been to a shoot all the people wear ear defenders as a shotgun is very fucking loud. Also, it’s unexpected, and the ear has no time to attenuate itself, unlike music is much more even. “A shotgun can produce sound levels ranging from around 150 to 160 decibels, which is considered extremely loud and can cause immediate hearing damage if not protected against with proper ear protection; a typical 12-gauge shotgun can reach up to 162.7 decibels.”  I subsequently measured the volume of the gig with a meter on my phone and recorded a maximum of 105 dB(A). We have an analogue recording studio and are touring musicians. Hummock and Bob hang around in the studio all the time. Fiendishly loud guitars and drums are their thing. Bob loves drums and Hummock regularly sticks her head in the open back of my 1963 VOX AC30 when on full tilt as she likes the smell of it—who doesn’t? They have been on stage and in rehearsals with us. They are hounds of ROCK. Good people of Caldas, you may have good intentions but please shut the fuck up.

Moving to Foz do Arelho has been fantastic, both socially and creatively. We've connected with more musicians and artists in just two months here than we did in four years in Samora Correia. ////// ...

Moving to Foz do Arelho has been fantastic, both socially and creatively. We've connected with more musicians and artists in just two months here than we did in four years in Samora Correia. ////// We had a wonderful dinner on Thursday with our new friends, @Dave Boyd and his partner, Freya. We were introduced to them by our friends and supporters, @Rhonda and @Jeff Boehlert. Dave and Freya cooked an incredible meal, featuring a mushroom-based main course from the Ottolenghi Flavour cookbook (which I've since ordered!). Over wine and engaging conversation, we made plans to get together with Dave this week. He's a talented composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and frame drum master, and we're excited about the possibility of collaborating musically, with the aim of writing and performing together. The handwritten note on the wall as you enter their house says it all. We are very excited. ////// Friday marked the start of the Caldas da Rainha Beer Festival, and we were there to support our new friend, the colourfully named Oz the Foz, and his band, Ozmosis. The festival was held in the massive Expoeste hall, and we arrived in time for his 7:30 pm set. I'm a beer festival enthusiast, having attended many in England, the Isle of Man, and even Oktoberfest in Munich years ago. While we generally prefer Portuguese wine these days (waistlines and all), we couldn't resist this one. Entry was free, and the hall was filled with stalls selling local crafts and food, alongside a row of ten craft beer stands near the stage. @Suzy Starlite and I wandered through the crowd and ran into our Swedish friends, Joakim and Eva, whom we'd met at a small gig in Foz do Arelho last week. Joakim is a bass player with a cool home studio just outside Caldas. We also saw Diana and her Dutch husband, whom we know from our gym, FT30. We started with a beer from Malaica Social Club in Caldas. We'd discovered this spot, a popular hangout for art students and cool cats—a great and underused expression— while browsing the city's two record shops a few weeks ago. The Portuguese seem to love IPAs and APAs, and Malaica offered both, plus a "cloudy" IPA. We sampled them all in the hard plastic cups we bought at the entrance. The beer was good; Starlite preferred the cloudy IPA, while I went for the hoppier standard IPA. After our first round, we explored the other beer stands. Frankly, many seemed to be trying too hard, and some of the beers were undrinkable. One standout, though, was a tasty chestnut beer at a hefty 10% ABV. Perhaps another time, since I was driving! We decided Malaica was the best of the bunch and stuck with it while Oz and his band played a set of mostly original material. The band consisted of percussion, bass, two electric guitars, and Oz on his unusual digital acoustic instrument (which I'd tried a couple of weeks ago – give me a weapon of wood and steel any day!). Their sound was reminiscent of early JJ Cale, with a relaxed groove. One of the guitarists, Jamie Hutchinson, is also a friend and a great acoustic guitarist and singer in the old-school style. He's Scottish and used to play with Hamish Imlach. The other guitarist, Frenchman Alain Lelait (new to me), played some lovely melodic solos on a Yamaha Revstar, the guitar championed by the very fashionable Chris Buck. After the gig, we stayed for a bit, but the craft beer was a bit much, so we switched to wine and shared a delicious quesadilla from the El Natcho food truck. The headline band then took the stage, playing standard rock covers. They were good, but we prefer original music, so we headed home. We're going back today to see Jamie's band, Blow Out, for the first time. I'll let you know how it goes!

We had a fantastic time taking our 2025 publicity photos with our talented friend and photographer, @Phil Kneen but now we are back to work as there a lot to do to get the Supertone Sonic Laboratory u...

We had a fantastic time taking our 2025 publicity photos with our talented friend and photographer, @Phil Kneen but now we are back to work as there a lot to do to get the Supertone Sonic Laboratory up and running again. Although the weather in Portugal isn't as harsh as in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the UK, we've recently experienced some strong winds and heavy rain. In fact, @Suzy Starlite and I encountered torrential downpours while driving home from the airport early Monday morning – something we've never seen before here in Portugal. Besides decorating and DIY projects, we're meeting up with a couple of British musicians later this week, which will be great fun. We've already been invited to a few jam sessions and can already feel the creative energy buzzing around our local city of Caldas da Rainha. It's wonderful! ////// On a completely different note, I'm absolutely obsessed with the Human League's album Dare—I simply can't stop listening to it. And finally, in other news, Google has renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America—Jesus… https://www.reuters.com/world/us/google-maps-rename-gulf-mexico-gulf-america-us-users-2025-01-27/