Long Division

Big shout out to our YoungTeam allumni La Sorda, playing a sweet show at Park Book Club next week. Definitely worth a trip out. Good luck!

Help needed! I am finishing up the LD Book. It looks great. One thing I wondered... remember the couple of times we got bands to write postcards to people? I wondered if anyone out there still had theirs, especially if it was a nice message? I thought it would be good to put one or two in the book. I got Malcolm Middleton to send me one but I can't find it! Can you drop a message or email at [email protected] if you do. Thanks!

(image from Record Weekly. I just found this review of the last festival which I'd not read before - thanks! https://recordweekly.com/2023/06/12/long-division-festival-2023/

A year ago today, this tribute / farewell to Long Division and friends along the way was recorded at Greenmount Studios by ODAS (ODAS Projects on socials)

A link here to the full 24 minute version in video slideshow form, also available on streaming platforms.

Stay (Low Cover) by ODAS This is a cover / reinterpretation of the track "Stay" by Low, which originally appeared on their 1995 album Long Division. In Summer 2023 ODAS was commissio...

Today we said farewell to our neon sign! As part of our Crowdfunder to make our book happen, the very generous claimed this ultimate LD heirloom, created by Neon Workshops in 2015. I'm really happy it's ended up in my university home of Sunderland too. Thank you Tony!

Good article - rare honesty and insight. We only lost everything twice, so maybe we didn't do so bad.

‘I puked virtually every morning’: inside the stressful life of a festival organiser You’re battling rising costs to source enough essentials for a small city and always competing for the best acts. So why would anyone run a festival? We speak to those behind Green Man, Parklife and Krankenhaus to find out

Today we dropped off copies of Red Riding Quartet's 7" single at in . The record, in memory of our great friend Andy Whittaker, costs £10, with 100% of the income going to and (please pay in cash so it all goes to the charities!).

If you pre-ordered and pre-paid, Sheridan has your copies ready to collect!

On October 26th there will be a great event in tribute to our friend Andrew Whittaker who was an LD Board Member and Wakefield Champion. It's being arranged by his brother Michael, but we will of course be supporting it and attending too. Date for your diaries, some incredibly lesser spotted Wakefield bands getting together to play this one - and you can't beat a raffle!

It's simple:

Help urgently needed here.

Wakefield Jazz is on the brink of ending after 35 years. It's not looking for money or funding, just some fresh bodies to be part of its volunteer management group and help steer it going forwards. Could you do it? Yes you could.

We always loved working with Pete and his predecessor Chris. As well as being general good eggs and promoters of great music, Wakefield Jazz were also really kind in supporting our YoungTeam project, offering out free tickets to our students. One of my favourite things was when we took a group down, and some had brought their friends along too, to blag them in (to a Jazz show!). And we'd also said to the young people, you only need to stay for the first half (we thought an hour first-time Jazz might be enough for them) but they had such a good time, they stayed for the whole thing, Pete chatting away to them.

Save this Wakefield institution!

We're so pleased that the Red Riding Quartet 7" single in memory of Andy Whittaker has already raised over £500 and is now being sent out into the world. Those who chose for theirs to be posted should be receiving now whilst those who chose pickup from Hellraiser Records will need to wait a little longer.

If you'd like to get hold of a copy there are less than 50 left now. The order form is here (to avoid paying paypal / Bandcamp charges). Thank you!

https://forms.gle/buKZ8ZSG4TFJFjGq5

On this day in 2011, 2016 and 2022 there was a Long Division Festival Saturday!

That includes both the first and last appearances by Los Campesinos! Field Music, Emma Po***ck, Middleman and plenty more if we proper digged into those line up posters.

Instead, here's some photos of crowds and folks having a great time across Wakefield.

If you'd like help remembering more clearly (I certainly need it), then consider purchasing the Long Division Book, the final word on all that was LD!

https://longdivisionfestival.bandcamp.com/merch/long-division-festival-a-visual-compendium

Is it really a whole year since we all said goodbye to each other?!

Long Division 2023 A farewell film featuring performances from 2023, and then across the years.

Being there in the crowd... it's what it's all about really. Here's some crowd shots from when we brought The Cribs to Wakefield ten-ish years ago. I was probably most proud about the matinee show we organised in the afternoon. All ages shows increasingly became part of our ethos but wow, just try sticking to that in Wakefield. It's tough. Kudos to those that do. Maybe these young men are in bands now, who knows?

Other big moments from our history are captured in the book Long Division: A Visual Compendium, available to pre-order now: https://longdivisionfestival.bandcamp.com/merch/long-division-festival-a-visual-compendium

Some great photos here from Jess Rowbottom of Robin Ince and Josie Long in 2013. If memory serves, they didn't want any money for playing the festival, just free passes for the day as there were so many bands they loved and wanted to see.

Robin's contribution to the Long Division book reflects on the day, before ending up in Olso and a face off between Daniel Kitson and a barista. Fun fact: I've just looked at Robin Ince's Wikipedia and there are two photos on there from this Long Division gig and the main one is from when he appeared at my bookshop - nothing to do with me btw!

Pre-order the Long Division book here: https://longdivisionfestival.bandcamp.com/merch/long-division-festival-a-visual-compendium

Here's one of my favourite photos of me with fellow Wakey music lunatic Rob Dee. We look so happy and optimistic!

I've thought a lot about how, especially in working class towns, music and culture can often be held up by small numbers of people with more passion than sense. And how the lack of formal structures in those places gives them a freedom to innovate but can be incredibly precarious too. Me and Rob certainly went through it but I don't think we'd have had it any different.

Rob himself contributes deep wisdom to the Long Division book, available to pre-order now:

https://longdivisionfestival.bandcamp.com/merch/long-division-festival-a-visual-compendium

📸by John Jowett, 2016.

Maybe like us you've started getting lots of "Long Division Memories" via FB/Insta this last week. We are right here in trad Long Division season! We'll share some of our own but we thought this might be a good time to open up orders on the book that's been in development for nearly six months now.

Full disclosure - it's not complete yet but this week sees the arrival of the first visual proof. It's really coming together and looking lovely.

The book was funded by Crowdfunding, but VERY limited numbers will be available outside of that (we'll basically round it up to the nearest 50). So if you'd like a copy, this is where you need to go: https://longdivisionfestival.bandcamp.com/merch/long-division-festival-a-visual-compendium

📸 by John Jowett, 2011

"We believe festivals like Towersey are crucial for creating better communities and societies and for finding hope and humanity in an otherwise challenging world.

We will continue to fight, and endeavour to find a way of continuing to realise the hopes and dreams of our grandparents and founders, but it will not be through Towersey Festival anymore.”

Towersey festival forced to 'bow out' after 60 years Organisers say they have faced increasing financial challenges since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Another amazing tour taking place this week. Reliving . God Save ❤️

Long Division Board 2018-2023. Absolutely loved working with these people, there'd have been no festivals or education work without em.

*and I would have gone crazy

Arab Strap's tour hit the road last night in Carlisle at the brilliant - don't miss your chance to see them this week. Great support from too.

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. , Wah Wah Records and the Wakefield sun, Long Division 2023. Photos by Andrew Benge.

So true about the music industry - far too much bu****it out there keeping good folk down. Best wishes to The Lovely Eggs as they keep fighting the good fight!

‘The music industry is smoke and mirrors’: how DIY duo the Lovely Eggs are keeping the north weird The psych-poppers have made records with Iggy Pop and launched their own TV channel, but their biggest challenge yet is taking shape in their home city of Lancaster

A very worthwhile Wakefield cause here, please check this out.

Wise In The Ways Of The Wood, by St Cyrus track by St Cyrus

Some good (i.e. bad) stuff in here. The point about each part of the industry assuming the other parts are making all the money is kind of interesting and highlights how uncooperative the industry is.

And the effects of Brexit - 74% fewer bands now touring in the EU. You know, the place where bands are paid better, looked after better and audiences lap up merch. Now it's a race to the bottom in the UK, so sad.

This doesn't get to the heart of the working class aspect mentioned in the headline though. Lots more to be said there, but maybe for another day.

‘The working class can’t afford it’: the shocking truth about the money bands make on tour As Taylor Swift tops $1bn in tour revenue, musicians playing smaller venues are facing pitiful fees and frequent losses. Should the state step in to save our live music scene?

Thank you to everyone who has put in their request for the Red Riding Quartet 7" in memory of Andy Whittaker. Half of the copies have gone now, so please do get in touch if you would like one!

We're trying to avoid losing income to Bandcamp, Paypal etc, so if you would like a copy, please fill out the quick form below and we will be in touch.

https://forms.gle/cquTrmz2y5XxtSxf8

We're proud to share a little project we've been working on. To celebrate the life of our great friend and absolute pillar of Wakefield Music for decades, Mr Andrew Whittaker, we've worked with his former Red Riding Quartet bandmates to produce this special 7" record. To our knowledge, for all his many achievements, the big man never had his music appear on vinyl before.

It features two tracks recorded at Diamond Studios back in 2012, but remastered and pressed onto a blood red slice of wax. It sounds and looks awesome!

The record costs £10 and EVERY PENNY of every copy we sell will be split between the charities Andys Man Club and Leeds Mind

We're trying to avoid losing income to Bandcamp, Paypal etc, so if you would like a copy, please fill out the quick form below and we will be in touch. The final touches are being added to the artwork, so we hope they will be available in late May / early June.

⚡🤘

https://forms.gle/cquTrmz2y5XxtSxf8

Shout out that both our 2023 headliners are on tour at the same time on May, so go see em. What's that, they are both playing The Brudenell on the same night? That's... weird! We were ahead of the curve on that DIY combo. Looking forward to both new albums too.

Lovely Eggs Strap

Expensive press coverage at its best. 70 bands playing and they mention one that isn't three times. Cheers Q Magazine! #2018

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Setlists from the .mye live album recording in 2013. Fans may notice that one song was dropped for the final release.