Returning Home and thoughts of Clum.

March 20 - Returning Home and thoughts of Clum.

Hello there internets.

I've been away for a bit on my holidays, but I'll be back in Hull from tomorrow, and that means I'm thinking lots about that there Rocky Nest.

I'm very much looking forward to coming back and seeing my bandmates (among others).



Another thing I've been thinking about is Hull Album Clum.

Clum is a fantastic thing. Once a month a group of people from Hull get together for music-based fun. I tend to take part when I have time and think I could have fun doing the cover.

At the end of the evening each of those taking part puts an album name into the hat, and one is drawn out.

Everyone then has one month to cover a track of their choice, before meeting up again. The freshly-minted covers are listened to, drinks are enjoyed, and at the end of the evening a new album is chosen from the hat.

In the past I have done Erasure, and The Human League covers.

It's a lot of fun. Last month was Doolittle by Pixies - an album I love.

Anyhow, with me being away quite so much, I wasn't really planning to contribute this month. But then my choice, The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs, was pulled from the hat.

As you can imagine if your album is picked from the hat, you are very much expected to contribute.

So I rushed off a clum track before I left. I'm not entirely convinced by what I have so far, but hopefully once I have fiddled around with it, it should be okay.

There is also the tradition that there is a new hat each time clum convenes, and everyone must have their picture taken wearing that month's hat.

It's also a bit of an odd one for me this month as usually I gather together other musicians to contribute to the track I am working on. Essentially my only musical ability is playing the bass. However, this month - largely due to lack of time and being far away from any musical kit - I have done everything myself, including 'singing'. I can't sing. It should be interesting.

Anyway, there are still a couple of weeks to go until the next clum evening, so hopefully once I have produced it within an inch of its life, it might be okay.

- Jonny Nest