For those insane souls who want to listen to something a little less festive over the, erm, festive period the Shirley Temple Pilots will be playing a couple of gigs to stretch your yuletide eardrums.

Thu 22nd December
Brunswick Hotel, Bournemouth

Fri 30th December
Scallys, Weston-Super-Mare

The Shirley Temple Pilots were due to play at Finns this coming Saturday (the 13^th August), but Drummer Bloke seems to have broken his hand which means we're minus a bongo player. So, unfortuately, we've got to cancel the gig. Sorry to anyone who was going to come down.

I've threatened on many occasions to make some MP3s available on this site of the worst band in the South West, the infamous Shirley Temple Pilots. Up till this point, common sense has prevailed and I've forgotten to carry out my promise.

Well, common sense has gone out of the window for the moment - so ladies and gentlemen, I give you a track recorded at Finns in Weymouth on the 8th January 2005.

Fuel

Usual caveats apply; I'd had too much to drink, voice playing up, a car drove by outside that was exactly the wrong shade of puce... you get the picture.

I've just had a call from Drummer Bloke to say that The Swan in Southampton have cancelled the gig we were booked for tonight; not that I can blame them - we've buggered them around a few times over the last year, so I'm not entirely suprised. Still, it's a shame.

After a six month hiatus due to being sent to Israel and the arrival of Chloë, the South West’s worst rock covers band is back in business. For anyone remotely interested, the gigs we’ve got lined up are:

August

• Friday 20th: The Gander, Bournemouth
   

September

• Friday 24th: The Swan, Southampton
   

October

• Friday 8th: The Gander, Bournemouth
  Saturday 30th: Taunton (tbc)
   

November

• Saturday 30th: Finns, Weymouth

Don't forget kids, the South West's most dreadful rock covers band is coming your way on Saturday 13th September. Get to The Gander in Bournemouth and be prepared to hear all your favourite songs well and truly massacred by the Shirley Temple Pilots.

The last Shirley Temple Pilots gig I'll be able to do for a while went without a hitch (except for the comment about 'Babs Baps'...)

With the now semi-official lineup of Jez Lee, Steve Perry, George "Curry Flinger" Anderson and myself a night of drunken loudness was enjoyed by all. Well, all those who actually stayed in the pub that is... ;)

But unfortunately, as impending fatherhood, approaches (five weeks and counting - aaaah!) my commitments with the 'Pilots are going to have to take a back seat. The good news for all you sad sado-masochists out there is that (hopefully) there might be one or two MP3s of this gig posted on my site in the very near future. You have been warned!