The Peryls Blog

The Peryls Guide To Child Rearing

2012-02-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

The Peryls Guide to Child Rearing

I have reared a child for 4 years without the occurrence of death or serious injury. I therefore consider myself a childcare expert and as such feel it is time to impart my wisdom to the dear fans of The Peryls.

Childcare

Do not be fooled into thinking that no one else can care for your child as well as you can. Children have very basic needs - food and shelter. These can easily be provided by Grandparents, Aunts, Nanny's and well frankly anyone with an IQ of more than 50. Babies should be palmed off as early as possible and any onsets of tears at this turn of events should be handled with a stiff upper lip approach. Feelings of abandonment in early childhood help to harden the heart against the disappointments of adulthood.

Top Tip!
If you are desperate for a babysitter and no offers are forthcoming then turn on the tears. Fake the death of a relative, throw in a funeral in Scotland and you'll be off for that weekend in Paris before you can say Eurostar.

Playtime

Children are strange creatures. You will never understand the rules of their games or comprehend the hilarity of launching oneself from a great height onto a sofa. Being given endless cups of invisible tea while politely conversing with a mute barbie doll is mind numbing. I did once liven up proceedings by replacing the invisible tea with gin. Sadly this resulted in a visit from social services and is not to be recommended. I've learned it's better not to try and join in but merely facilitate by leaving them to it.

Top Tip!
Create a camping adventure! Simply pop them in a cupboard with a torch, blanket and some smarties and lock the door. Should they wish to come out tell them that their tent is being circled by a pack of wolves and they need to wait until Daddy gets home so he can chase them off.

Clothing

A child's wardrobe is an extension of your own and hence requires the same attention to detail. When being given the once over by the host of a birthday party, your child is not being judged -you are. As a fan of the Peryls, I credit you with a sense of taste and urge you to pull together your offsprings outfits with the same discernment that dictates your own. Do not allow young daughters to choose their own clothing or they will be dressed head to toe in pink. While I have nothing against pink, moderation is key. On average it takes young people 21 years to even begin to comprehend the meaning of this word and so you must be their guide. If moderating your child's attire isn't what parental responsibility is all about-then what is???

Top Tip!
If your child is given a gift by a questionably dressed relative tell them your child has an allergy to anything other than 100% organic cotton and take the offending item straight to the charity shop.

The Peryls Musical Poll

2012-02-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

The collective musical tastes of the Peryls laid bare for your bemusement...

Imagine the scene...

The Peryls' tour-bus skids off the road one dark winter's night and we plummet into a ravine, smashing us all into gooey bits. Deranged surgeons salvage what they can from this mess and stitch it back into one single entity.

"They've created a musical superbeing!", is what you'd probably say. "With the combined wit and intellect of all six Peryls, this creature must have sublime taste in music!" And then you'd probably say "Argh, how can this freak be alive!? In the name of God, burn it."

Naturally, it would instantly develop a taste for human flesh, tear free from it's bonds, murder it's creators by crushing their brittle skulls, escape the burning laboratory to climb a hill overlooking the city and let out a primal roar, then begin marching slowly and implacably towards the White House in order to eat the President and enslave all mankind, swatting away the army like they were just the buzzings of flies to him.

But what's on it's iPod?

Well, to prepare for this nightmare scenario, we've conducted a poll! What follows is the combined musical loves and hates of the Peryls, collated anonymously and presented here in glorious 3D.

Name your favourite records.

Inevitably, the Beatles made a strong showing here, with the White Album getting two mentions and Abbey Road making the list too. The La's album also got two votes, and Beck gets two albums on the list with Sea Change and Mutations.

If there's a dominant genre here, it's 'anything with lots of guitars in', but it's still what you might call a mixed bag...

Aha - Scoundrel Days
Beastie Boys - Check your Head
The Beatles - The Beatles, Abbey Road
Beck - Mutations, Sea Chage
David Bowie - Alladin Sane
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
Graham Coxon - The Sky is Too High
De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead
Divine Comedy - Absent Friends
Bon Jovi - New Jersey
The La's - The La's
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin 2
The Libertines - Up The Bracket
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire
Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
Paul & Linda McCartney - Ram
Mozart - Requiem
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
Nina Simone - Blue for You
The Smiths - Best Of
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
Tom Waits - Alice
Roy Wood - Boulders
　
Name your favourite artists

Many of our best-loved acts have already been mentioned above. Three of us named The Beatles and two included Tom Waits. The stitched-together Peryls-creature also has a soft spot for heavy metal, folk, indie, classical, and er, Mumford and Sons... so there's no wonder it's hell-bent on destroying the world.

The Beatles
Beck
Blur
Beastie Boys
David Bowie
Kate Bush
Alice Cooper
Goldheart Assembly
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
Mahavishnu Orchestra
Paul McCartney
Joni Mitchell
Mumford and Sons
The National
Shostakovich
Simon & Garfunkel
The Small Faces
Bruce Springsteen
Supergrass
Talking Heads
James Taylor
Tom Waits
Scott Walker
Vaughan Williams
Roy Wood

Musical heroes

So the Peryls-monster has crushed every nation on Earth and then set to work harvesting the terrified survivors for their life-essence. A handful are spared though, for they are the musical heroes of our collective youth.

Left to live out their days unmolested are David Bowie, Graham Coxon, Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, and Aha. And Jimi Hendrix - who is dead, so he doesn't care.

What of the also-rans? The acts we used to love but we're now ashamed of... the skeletons in the Peryls' closet. Well, they'll be allowed to live too, but we'll pretend we don't know them. They are Status Quo, PM Dawn, and The Stone Roses. Chris de Burgh will perish, but his concept album 'Crusader' will be spared for it's cultural significance.

One member of the Peryls refused to name an embarrassing hero, simply saying 'I have no shame', which maybe explains why Aha are making such a strong showing in this article.

Welcome to hell!

That's musical hell, to be precise. Should the Peryls-creature ever be destroyed, then it will surely spend the rest of eternity chained to a front row seat of the biggest and shittest gig in the universe. 'It could be worse' you say? Well, not when the only music on the bill is Electro, Garage, Techno, Mainstream R&B, Stadium Ballads... and Reggae!

In a thorough poll of our gig-going lives, it turns out that two of us independantly named The Sleepy Jackson at the Marquee in 2002 as the worst gig they'd ever attended! More positively, there were great shows from the likes of Bowie, Pulp, and Public Enemy along the way.

Your first single

They say you can tell someone's age from the first single they bought, but with a collective age of about 200 years (no, really) it's quite hard to pin us all down. Let's just say we're all younger than Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas. She's a proper old crone.

Gathering dust in the attic are:

"Black Hole Sun" - Soungarden
"The Show" - Doug E Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew
"Everything I Do" - Brian Adams
"I Just Called to say 'I Love You'" - Stevie Wonder
"We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off (To Have a Good Time)" - Jermaine Stewart

What are you listening to right now

Moments before our tour-bus slips off the road and we get splattered on the rocks below, we'd probably be giving these records a spin (while we drink heavily and distract the tired driver)

"Cruel" - St. Vincent
"Extrapolation" - John McAughlin
"Goodbye England" - Laura Marling
"Hold On" - Alabama Shakes
"Melanie Davis" - Supergrass
"The Last Kiss" - David Cassidy
"The Wicked and the Blind" - The Do

Check out our new widget! You can hear some of our current favourite records using the music player on the right of the page.

And the last albums we all bought were:

"Band on the Run" - Paul McCartney
"Straight Life" - Freddie Hubbard
"Bad As Me" - Tom Waits
"Lets get out of this country" - Camera Obscura
"50 Words for snow" - Kate Bush
"Smoke Rings for My Halo" - Kurt Vile

SMASH HITS!

In the true spirit of the now-defunct teen pop magazine, our poll didn't just stop at the music! There were other pressing questions that needed to be answered...

Who was your first crush?

Not every Peryl answered this one, probably for reasons of deep shame, but those who did declared their adolescent love for Madonna, Morton Harkett, and Winona Ryder. One Peryl was a bit too honest though, and wrote "Tyrone - my brother's best mate".

What would be your last meal?

We could have just asked 'What's your favourite food?', but remember, you're in Peryls territory now, where the grim stench of despair is never far away. So let's eat!

On the death row menu tonight is...

A massive plate of seafood and some proper ale
Flemish beed carbonnade with stoemp mash and a few glasses of strong Belgian beer
Pizza with cheese, mushrooms, artichokes and sun blushed tomatoes. And a vanilla milkshake.
Chicken jalfrezi, mushroom rice, tarka dal, and a garlic naan. And 9 pints of Tiger Beer.
Bread and Cheese
Curry with a steak and kidney pudding.

The song they'll play at your funeral

So, the Peryls are dead... but we didn't even get executed in the end! We all suddenly died of food poisoning. We'll still need a good send-off though, so which songs will be playing while we're being buried/cremated/mummified/launched into space?

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" - the Beatles
"Severed Garden" - The Doors
"Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground" - Blind Willy Johnson
Theme from "Once Upon a Time in the West" - Ennio Morricone
"Children's Story" - Tom Waits

Somebody answered 'Whatever I liked best at the time', which really wasn't entering into the spirit of things. Just for that, they're going to have 'Angels' by Robbie Williams. (Available on "Now That's What I Call Nan's Funeral Vol.16")

And the big questions...

Let's wrap things up. Take a deep breath and prepare to have your minds blown... In a uniquely frank and personal interview, the Peryls revealed the answers to the only questions that really matter.

Cats or Dogs?
Dogs! By a landslide!

Daddy or Chips?
It's a tie! Exactly half of us prefer deep-fried potatoes to their own dear Dad.

Thank you for joining us on this epic, nightmare voyage into the twisted musical soul of the Peryls... It's ok, you can come out from behind the sofa now. The Peryls-creature is merely the stuff of fantasy... or is it?....

...Yes. Of course it is, you idiot.

The Peryls guide to cold weather attire in the city

2012-02-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

London is a city, a city with roads and pavements. There are no fields to trek across, just parks with clearly marked footpaths. Although it can be cold, you’re never in danger of being stranded anywhere without ready access to food and shelter. With that in mind, here’s our winter fashion guidance.

Don't wear...

Outdoor jackets – of the breathable, waterproof type made for outdoor pursuits. While they have their place in the active city dweller’s wardrobe, they have no place on your daily commute worn over a Brooks Brothers suit. It just looks silly.

Waterproof trousers - Unless you’re incontinent, or enjoying a spot of poly bagging on your way to work (see The Peryls guide to winter weather) - in which case, well done - you’re unlikely to spend much time on your bottom. Yes, you might fall over in the snow but wearing waterproof trousers will just further your humiliation and incite sniggering from those helping you to your feet.

It’s a bit like not wearing your worst pants in case you get run over by a bus and the doctor sees them... It’s good advice.

Walking Poles - Seriously? While trotting down one of the steeper hills in this lovely suburb a man was spotted carrying a walking pole and sporting a waterproof jacket. The initial assumption that he was off for a day out hiking in the countryside fell over when his briefcase, suit and walking boots (see below) were also noted. Walking poles have pointy ends that agree very well with mud and are helpful when scaling a rocky outcrop. They do not agree with concrete.

Walking boots - A tricky subject due to the array of styles and purposes of such footwear. Full-on boots capable of taking crampons and intended for walks on the scale of say, the coast-to-coast, are unwieldy in the city. If we're honest, Londoners probably only walk two miles a day and half of that will be getting from the escalators to the tube platform. At a pinch, a mid-boot (a cross between a trainer and a walking boot) is acceptable on very slippery days and will only look slightly silly.

Do wear...

Woollen coats - If they were good enough in the trenches, they’re good enough for the city. Warm, durable and surprisingly waterproof. A classic cut will last for years so invest and wear with style.

Wrist warmers - A new favourite layering piece and fantastic for wearing over the top of regular gloves if it's super chilly. You can also pretend you hands have disappeared, which is fun.

Hats - We've all heard that we lose most of our heat through our heads and it turns out it's true! We Peryls love hats. Hats come in all shapes and sizes so be mindful to pick out a style that suits the rest of your outfit.

If you’re suited up for work, wearing your classic wool coat, a knitted number with huge pompoms would rather kill your otherwise excellent effort.

Remember, Cave-hat Emptor.

Wraps and shawls - A great way for ladies to add an extra layer. While throwing one over your shoulder, do make sure to add a hair toss for extra impact. If you’re a man and you’re wearing one, there’s a good chance that everyone will already think you’re a tosser, so this is unnecessary.

Look, we can’t promise that all our advice stands up, but then in this weather, we can’t promise you’ll stand up either.

Walking in a winter wonderland (because there's no choice)

2012-02-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

The Peryls guide to winter weather

It would never have happened in Brunel's day.

Back then snowflakes came in a different gauge and railway lines were made from radioactive plutonium. If the snow did manage to fall onto the tracks it simply melted into a harmless, warm and nourishing slush.

This could be used to feed the thousands of strong healthy children employed to lie across gaps in the rails to allow the trains to pass overhead.

But we're not there, we're here. It's 2012 and nothing works. You're not going anywhere.

So, in this climate of lily-livered lameness and trains that fall over when you sneeze, here's The Peryls guide to what to do in the snow.

Sledging

Sledging is a great pasttime and a wonderful way to enjoy the better side of snowy weather. If you don't have a sledge you can use a polythene bag, sitting in the middle and holding an end with each hand. A word of warning though, you should only do this if you're an adult.

Not because it's dangerous. You're no more or less likely to burst your eyeball in an accident using a bag than a sledge. No, you should only do it if you're an adult because people will point and laugh at a child who has no sledge.

'Ha!' they will say, 'where's your sledge?'... 'can't afford!', 'nice bag, you binner!' and that kind of thing. If you're an adult you can at least claim you have no sledge because you forgot to buy one, or because you can't be bothered. If you're a child, other children will pick on you and beat you up for the rest of your life.

Be warned.

Snowmen

Unless you're creatively talented, don't bother with this one. Your snowman will look sad.

While God created Man in his own image, Man created Snowman in the image of a hunchbacked stroke victim with gigantism. Your snowman will look ugly nomatter how hard you try. It will make other people sad and upset children, and that's even before it begins to melt.

You're not Raymond Briggs, so unless you have a degree in sculpture leave it well alone.

Build a snow cock-and-balls instead. It's easier and the less accurate you are, the funnier it will be.

Snowballs

These are only fun if you're a child. This is because children have smaller brains, thicker skulls and less surface area. That means they're harder to hit but when they are, the snowballs simply explode on impact and no lasting harm is done. Eye injuries are a lie, the child was probably already crying before they were hit, usually because they were beaten up for travelling down a hillside on a plastic bag (see Sledging)

Adults hit by snowballs invariably fall over and sprain something. They may lose their glasses, their job and their self respect. They may not even live to see another winter.

For this reason, children who throw snowballs at adults should be beaten. It is however, acceptable for adults to throw snowballs at children.

Drinking

Drinking in snowy weather is great. It adds an extra element of cosyness. Not in the park though, that's just wretched.

Find a pub, for example, The Peryls will often congregate in the Grape and Grain, SE19. Everyone can get together in the pub and wear hats that would get them arrested at any other time of the year.

It's the best way to stoke that collective magical tingly mood that only the onset of frozen precipation can bring.

Don't overdo it though. Not only do you risk a hangover and a really bad Monday at work, there's also the chance you'll die in a truly stupid way.

People can't control things in the snow. That goes for cars, bicycles and buses as well as basic motor skills. You don't want to slip into the road and have a spatially challenged malfunctioning eskimo bicycle over your head.

Don't die stupidly. People will laugh and they'll probably bury you in that polythene bag you've been using as a sledge, because you 'forgot'.

Enjoy snow responsibly

Snow is fun. We're not here to take the enjoyment out of this seasonal pleasure and we want you to enjoy it - it doesn't happen all that often.

Know your limits though. Allow for the lameness of others and don't assume skills that you don't really have. If you can't do a cartwheel when the sun is shining, you can't do one just because it's snowy. If you lay in a puddle of cold water and thrash about in June, you'll get pneumonia, so don't be surprised if that snow-angel you're making soggily ushers you into the next world.

Finally, if someone looks broodingly to the skies and proclaims 'it's too cold to snow'... punch them. In the face. Hard.

Now, if you're all ready... scarf, mittens, bobble hat... one, two, three... Ha ha ha! Wheeeeeeeeee! Yaaaaaaaaaay!...

Debut album released today!

2011-10-31T10:29:00.001-07:00

The Peryls are proud to finally unveil our debut album 'A Man He Was to All the Country Dear'. It's been over a year in the making, and has taken a terrible toll on our collective sanity and health, but here it is at last...

It's available on iTunes and Amazon, and you can click through to the Peryls website where you can have a listen to the tracks.

Now, how's about this for a taster - a music video of our album track 'Black Waltz', directed by Nicolai Amter.

We'd like to say a big thank you to all who attended our album launch party on the 22nd Oct. It was a great evening, and you can see some pics from the show here. If you missed it (or if you really liked it) you can catch us live again on the 1st Nov at the Garage in Islington. Tickets £5 for this one.

We've made a music video

2011-10-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Just last week we wrapped up our epic shoot for "Black Waltz: The Music Video". Ahead of the world premiere at our End of the Pier Show on the 22nd Oct, we can now exclusively reveal some major plot spoilers:

- there will be blood
- and sandwiches
- and a scary vicar

Have a look at this short behind-the-scenes snippet, in which Katie discusses her starring role, Wes annoys our director, and Mat shows off his 'standing still and holding a bit of tinfoil' skills.

While I'd love to report an 'Apocalypse Now' style meltdown, or some bonkers Klaus Kinski-esque acting shenanegans, it actually all went rather smoothly! (Well, there was a bit of last-minute re-casting and some people got hit by acorns, but that's about it really)

Many, many thanks to director Nicolai Amter, and the tireless cast and crew. Watch this space for the remastered Blu-Ray edition which will include 6 hours of deleted scenes, 3 seperate documentaries, and a really jarring scene with Jabba the Hut.

THE END OF THE PIER SHOW!

2011-09-19T13:43:00.001-07:00

The Peryls, Robin James, The Thrill Billies and much more!

Yes, we're proud to announce the lineup for the third Peryls Extraordinarium, on this, the occasion of our debut album launch. The acts have been booked, the drinks watered down, and the safety inspector paid to turn a blind eye for the evening.

LONDON: The Dogstar, Brixton
SAT 22ND OCT, 2011 7:00pm

The Pier, with its twinkling lights, penny arcades and sideshows, stretching majestically into the deep blue briney. Sticks of rock, ice cream and a little bit of variety... some of your fondest memories were made at the seaside...

Or were they?

Let's go back in time, and see if memory really serves....

On Saturday 22 October The Peryls launch their debut Album, 'A Man He Was to All the Country Dear'.

It tells the story of one man's fading memories... some are true, some are maybe not so true... some are perhaps better forgotten.

The End of the Pier Show is a night packed full of performance and intrigue as The Peryls are joined in the ballroom by enigmatic troubadour Robin James, burlesque queens The Thrill Billies, Mesmerist The Great Dardido and a host of other wonders.

Visit the penny arcade, enjoy a cake or two and try your hand with six-time arm wrestling champion Arthur Dorohoff!

So dress for the occasion... the pier is waiting and it's a lovely day!... Smart clothes and boaters for the gents, summer dresses for the ladies...

We're all going on a summer holiday, no more worries for me and you...

...maybe.

Saturday 22 October - album launch - save the date!

2011-08-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, we have a date and a venue for the Extraordinarium that will mark the official launch of our new album, 'A Man He Was to All the Country Dear'!

It's at the Dogstar in Brixton on Saturday 22 October.

Please put it in your diary, or iPhone, or iPad thing, or otherwise, just try really, really hard to remember it.

Another way is to come up with some kind of memory aid, a little rhyme or something like 'Remember, remember the 5th of November...

Obviously don't use that one though, or you'll turn up on the wrong day...

Once more, it's Saturday 22 October this very year.

In other news...

In other news, we played a very stripped down set at the Overground Festival last week, and a set at the Grape and Grain in Crystal Palace on the same night.

Some photos here...

More information to come on acts and the theme of the launch show, but the date and venue are sorted!

The Peryls

New website! New album!

2011-07-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Peryls' website has had a major makeover, just in time to help us flog our debut album. We've called it "A Man He Was to All the Country Dear" and it will be released at the end of the summer. We'll be marking the occasion with a rather spiffing launch party too.

Go to www.theperyls.com to have a look, and watch this space for more musings, witterings and self-promotion.

And here, have this! A track from our album, just so you know what you're in for...

10 All At Sea by The Peryls

New EP - I Have Not Slept One Wink

2009-12-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Last week in Perylsland, we went looking for the famed Rumour Mill of legend. We fired up the Bentley, took along 10 bottles of fine Port, some potted shrimp, and some foie gras… but despite trying to blast our way in with dynamite we just couldn’t find it. Goodness knows where rumours get made these days but we seem to have drawn a blank, so we’ll just have to create our own… like everything else, if you want something done properly...

So, here we go… “Peryls hint at new record”

There. Except it’s not strictly speaking a rumour, being as it is entirely true…

Yes… Lords, Ladies, Gentlemen, urchins, pickpockets, prostitutes and lunatics...

Our new EP, “I Have Not Slept One Wink” is now officially online here, and will be available on CD from next week, as well as from iTunes in a few weeks’ time. Unusually for us, it contains a mammoth seven songs and we’re pleased as punch with it. There’s a few new musicians and instruments thrown in, but you will still find that many of our themes are pitched at a comfortable distance from “cheery”.

It’s not a moment too soon either…we’re now just one week away from The Peryls’ Victorian Christmas Extraordinarium…
Hopefully you already know what and when this is… if you haven’t been paying attention then please see below:

Extraordinarium (noun) – A place of wonders, oddities and spectacle. pl. Extraordinaria.

“The handsome, well-respected Gentleman, accompanied by his lovely wife and seven splendid children enjoyed an amusing afternoon at the Extraordinarium”.

We’ll be launching the new EP with a Victorian-themed event at Antenna Studios in Crystal Palace on Saturday 12th December.

We’ll be playing the new record in full, as well as some tunes from our other two EPs with an expanded six-piece version of The Peryls. There’ll also be the quite wonderful Robin James as well as actors in costume, a terrifying Santa Claus, an arm-wrestling contest with a prize of Hendricks gin, a cake stall, some carol singers, magic lanterns, and a scary poet.

It’s free to get in, and it’s optional Victorian-style dress… when we say “optional” we do in fact mean that we will frown our very hardest frowns upon you if you do not partake – but don’t worry, there will be plenty of actors in Victorian garb, so you won’t be on your own. We’re miles more interested in enthusiastic dressing up than accuracy, so dig out that top hat! Or bowler hat! Or bustle!

Come and spend an evening with us in a part of Victorian London that we made up ourselves. You won’t find historical accuracy, but you will find mirth, music, and madness!

It’s free, did we say that already? FREE! … doors at 5:30.

Yours sincerely,

The Peryls Repertoire Company, by Royal Appointment to Archduke Friedrich-Wilhelm VII of Lichtenstein.

PS Here’s the link to the venue

The Peryls Victorian Christmas Extraordinarium

2009-11-12T14:40:00.001-08:00

.
Saturday December 12th - keep the date free!

We're going to put on a Victorian-style event with all sorts of stuff going on... actors, arm-wrestling, carol singers, cake...s and of course some live music from us and one or two of our favourites.

We're taking over a place called Antenna Studios in Crystal Palace for the night, so we want to create a kind of other-wordly grotto where people can come in, wander round and see different things going on in the various rooms...it is going to be twice cool.

It would be great to see you there... if you're at all inclined towards fancy dress (you know who you are) please come down in Victorian costume... the more the merrier and it will help to get the Victorian vibe going!

Hope to see you there,

If we don't, then you will be visited by three ghosts*

The Big Summer Update

2009-07-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

And so the Peryls juggernaut rumbles into motion once more…

Having promised a mere 6 months ago to reveal a picture of our cellist Louise, we’ve finally come up with the goods. In fact, we’ve gone one better and made a whole music video; set to the tune of ‘The Experiment’. (Louise is the one wearing a dress, by the way).

This video has another nefarious purpose… for The Peryls have thrown their collective and diverse hats into the ring to open the Green Man Festival in August. If you can spare a couple of minutes, we really would be eternally grateful if you could visit this link…

http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/greenpoll/?q=artist/the-peryls

...and drop us a quick vote. It would be fantastic to open up at The Green Man, and just IMAGINE the size of the favour we'd owe you! All votes humbly and gratefully received... also, unlike voting for Susan Boyle or Diversity, it'll cost you nothing!

In other news we have a brace of engagements very soon.

First off, we’ll be appearing at the Croydon Festival on the 1st August, which will cost you nothing should you wish to attend. Come for the Peryls… stay for The Proclaimers!

The very next day we’ll be performing live on the radio in a session for The Live Loft on Spin FM. Please tune in as we broadcast our tales of woe over the airwaves.

And finally…

Mr John Wesley, our top-hatted Peryl, will be embarking on a 10 kilometre run for charitable causes this Sunday. Should you feel a twinge of benevolence, please throw a penny in Mr Wesley’s begging tin. It’s for a good cause, and you are all free to come and point and stare!

Happy new year

2009-01-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

It only seems like yesterday that 2008 was still hanging around and stinking out the place, but the old year has finally gone and 2009 promises much for The Peryls.
For a quick recap…
Last year saw the release of our first two EPs, ‘By medicine life may be prolonged’ and ‘Yet death will seize the doctor too.’ … the latter of which is currently receiving positive reviews from magazines such as SoundsXP and God Is In The TV. Both records are still available from Rough Trade and iTunes.
We recruited a fourth Peryl in the form of cellist Louise Carne. So far we’ve not got any photos of her for the Peryls website, but I promise we are slowly getting round to it…
Also, we played a lot of gigs all over London. If you came and saw us, thanks again!
As for 2009, we’ve been rather busy already.
We began the year by supporting The Clientele at the Luminaire in Kilburn on the 9th of January. Many thanks to The Clientele for inviting us… and cheers to all who came out to watch us on that cold and foggy night. Here's a blurry picture...

We have a few more shows booked already, including a return to Christ Church, Gipsy Hill for the ever excellent Freedom of Expression acoustic night on the 30th of January.
Our song-writing sack is fit to burst, such was outpouring of new material over the past few months, so our next task is to record a new EP. Now begins the process of false starts, self-doubt, and fits of murderous rage that make our recording sessions so thrilling. Should we survive, expect to see a brand new Peryls record in time for Easter (or at least in time for the Second Coming).

2008-10-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

Brace yourselves… for The Peryls are about to release their new product!

Our new EP, ‘…yet Death will Seize the Doctor Too’ is available in reputable stockists including Rough Trade and iTunes.

Have a listen here if you like…

Recorded over the summer, this record is the follow up to our debut EP ‘By Medicine Life May be Prolonged…’ which received a brace of excellent reviews and earned airplay on BBC Radio 6’s Introducing with Tom Robinson.

If you have seen The Peryls live recently you may have noticed a certain change in our appearance (apart from the usual ravages of drink and age). Happily, The Peryls have expanded!

Louise Carne is a really rather talented cello player who joined this summer to become the fabled 4th Peryl. Expect to see Louise vastly improving our wretched stage presence at some of these upcoming shows….

30th Oct – The Gladstone (Borough)
5th Nov – The Bullet Bar (Camden)
8th Nov – Phibbers (Islington)

As always, the latest Peryls info and releases can be found on this very page and at http://www.theperyls.com/ and www.myspace.com/theperyls.

The Peryls of the BBC

2008-05-27T00:51:00.000-07:00

The Peryls have been featured on national radio for the first time!

On Saturday night a track from our debut EP was broadcast on 'BBC Introducing with Tom Robinson', a showcase of the 'best music from the digital world'.

While this is a mere balm to the lasting pain of another UK Eurovision failure, we are happy and very grateful for our first ever bit of national air play.

The show can still be heard through BBC's wondrous iPlayer which can be reached on this page - which also offers the chance to vote on your favourite act. Be generous, now...

2008-04-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

The act of self promotion can be a distasteful - almost nauseating - process for some people, but The Peryls are made of stern stuff and we have been shamelessly thrusting ourselves all over London's shocked face recently.

We spent the first part of 2008 vigourously gigging and promoting our EP 'By Medicine Life May Be Prolonged' which is still available in many good outlets including Roughtrade and on Indiestore. You can also hear it on our Myspace page.

So far, the response has been very kind. Our thanks go especially to Mary B for her very flattering review on SoundsXP, the alternative music website!

In the brief lull between gigs, many bands would simply crumple and bleed out in fatigue, but we don't know the meaning of the word 'stop'! Instead, we've been recording our follow-up EP which we are aiming to release in time to be a soundtrack for what could be the coldest summer ever!

As you've hopefully already seen, our website is up and running and should be your first port of call for all the latest news, tour-dates and music.

Thankyou

The Peryls

www.ThePeryls.com

2008-01-15T00:32:00.000-08:00

The Peryls are proud to unveil our new website!

Over the Christmas period, when most normal people are prancing around in a festive stupor and enjoying things like 'company' and 'parties' etc, the Peryls have been recording and rehearsing for our upcoming debut EP release and building our new website.

http://www.theperyls.com/

A vast, nay exhausting, repository of everything Peryls-related can be found here, including up-to-date news and tour dates as well as an option to join our mailing list.If you want to listen to Peryls music, watch videos, or simply gasp in sheer loathing at heavily doctored images of our haggard corpora then you can do so for free here.

You might even dig out that crumpled 3-bob note you got for christmas and splash out on some (very) limited edition CDs of our soon-to-be-released EP via post. Thanks to our indiestore gadget, you can also purchase our songs as high quality MP3s if you like!

Watch this space for news about our debut EP "By Medicine Life May Be Prolonged..." and future tour dates. In the meantime, have a look around our website and enjoy!

www.ThePeryls.com

2008-01-08T04:31:00.000-08:00

The Peryls are proud to unveil our new website!

Over the Christmas period, when most normal people are prancing around in a festive stupor and enjoying things like 'company' and 'parties' etc, the Peryls have been recording and rehearsing for our upcoming debut EP release and building our new website.

http://www.theperyls.com/

A vast, nay exhausting, repository of everything Peryls-related can be found here, including up-to-date news and tour dates as well as an option to join our mailing list.

If you want to listen to Peryls music, watch videos, or simply gasp in sheer loathing at heavily doctored images of our haggard corpora then you can do so for free here.

You might even dig out that crumpled 3-bob note you got for christmas and splash out on some (very) limited edition CDs of our soon-to-be-released EP via post. Thanks to our indiestore gadget, you can also purchase our songs as high quality MP3s if you like!

Watch this space for news about our debut EP "By Medicine Life May Be Prolonged..." and future tour dates. In the meantime, have a look around our website and enjoy!

Drummer/Percussionist/All Rounder Required!

2007-11-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Peryls need someone to take care of drums/percussion and stuff like glockenspiel, zither and other interesting bits and pieces to make our live set sound as much like our record as we can.

In terms of influences, think Beatles, Nick Drake, The Judderman Advert, Danny Elfman, Adem... In fact, think Victorian discredited scientist lost and alone in the terrifying forests of Eastern Europe.

For an idea of what this sounds like visit www.myspace.com/theperyls. The songs here are just demos but they give an outline of what we’re doing.

We're not talking gigantic drum solos, what we really need is someone who is as happy playing shakers and tambourines on some tunes as they are playing a bass drum and snare on others and can drive each tune along in a way that befits the style.

We're based in Crystal Palace, we have industry contacts and we're currently putting the finishing touches to our EP, which we want to promote with live dates.If you'd be interested in completing our sound, please give us a shout at theperyls@googlemail.com

The Peryls

New Pictures!

2007-10-02T04:35:00.000-07:00

All of these pictures were taken by Veronika at the Freedom of Expression night @ Gipsy Hill last Thursday. Rather good, given the raw material. Cheers!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/veronika23/1472040586/

We did a gig in a church!

2007-09-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hello

There's a lot to catch up on since our last poste on this blogge. Firstly, thanks again to Tim for having us on again at the Freedom of Expression night. We played at Christ Church, Gipsy Hill last night and it was a lot of fun. Great venue too!

Hello to everyone else on the bill last night, that is Frank of 'Goodtimes Goodtimes', Ed Sheeran and Sue Verran

Christ Church in Gipsy Hill (our home town) is attached to a community centre which is in need of a bit of redevelopment, so part of the reason for these monthly gigs is to raise a bit of awareness for the whole project. Good cause I reckon - not least because it'll mean having a place to practise and record straight across the road from our flat!

Here's a link to better explain what they're doing

http://www.gipsyhill.org.uk/redevelopment.htm

So, not your cucumber sandwiches and tombola on the village green to fix a leaky roof. This is for the community at large, including shifty godless wretches such as the Peryls.

Please take a look at this link to watch the full set. Unintentional blasphemy and all!

http://www.freedomexpression.co.uk/cgi-bin/foe.cgi?foe_artist=19

Watch this space for more information about the Peryls movements. We're gearing up for something quite big soon, so there's a few upcoming gigs to tell you about

Mini Gig Tonight! + New Video!

2007-09-05T01:33:00.001-07:00

As promised, here's another video of last week's gig at Freedom of Expression in the Green Dragon, Croydon. This is Wes singing 'A Song About Waiting For You'. Wes and I (liam) will be playing tonight in Peckham at the Easycome Acoustic Night @ The Nun's Head. Mat is on holiday at the moment, so we will be playing a short set from around 8pm. Please come and check it out if you can, it was a good night last month and well worth a look!

New Videos Online

2007-09-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hello!

The Peryls have thrust yet another slippery tendril into the guts of the internet. This time it's in the form of live video of our last gig! We performed on the 28th of August at the Freedom of Expression night in Croydon. Cheers once again to Tim for having us on again!

We've uploaded 3 of the tunes from that gig onto www.youtube.com/theperyls and www.myspace.com/theperyls so please take a look.

Because I've got nothing better to do at work, I'm going to embed a video on this blog every other day for the rest of this week. I'll begin with this one "Glass Houses" (because it's the 1st alphabetically) Expect two more before the weekend.

Just for your information, from left to right we are Liam (me), Wes and Mat.

In other news; we're working on tracks for our debut EP "By Medicine Life May Be Prolonged" which will hopefully be out before Hallowe'en. Mat is on holiday, so Wes and I are editing, doing vocals etc. Fascinating stuff, I know. Please watch this space for more trivial nonsense!

Peryls Live! - Croydon 28th August

2007-08-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Peryls will be performing once again at the Freedom of Expression unsigned night at the Green Dragon in Croydon. there are open mic slots followed by some great new acts. Begins 8pm. Cheers to Tim for having us on again at short notice.

In other news we have a video* up now. Please check it out!
www.youtube.com/theperyls

Keep and eye out for more videos soon - of live stuff! (possibly)

*strictly speaking it's really a 'still picture' with 'music' playing over it - but it's still a valuable marketing tool. I hope.

Triumphant final date of our 2 date tour

2007-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Peryls will be gracing the stage at the Old Nun's Head in Peckham tonight, bringing to an end our exhausting 2 night tour of South London, which began last night in Croydon. Thanks to Tim for having us on at the 'Freedom of Expression' night yet again. Photos from that gig will appear here soon - after some much needed recovery time.

For a bit more info about the night itself...
http://www.thevac.co.uk/cgi-bin/venuedisplay.cgi?id=easycome&head=viac

and a handy map for getting there
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=SE15%203BE&ie=UTF8&z=15&om=1

Gigs This Week

2007-08-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

We shall be playing this week's regular Freedom of Expression night at the Green Dragon in Croydon. The night starts at 8-ish, and will feature an open mic showcase followed by sets from Andy Walker - http://www.andywalkermusic.com/ and then us!

Check out the flyer below, and please take a look at www.myspace.com/freeexpress for more details.

...and then join us on Wednesday 15th, for the second half of our mini South London tour at the Old Nun's Head in Peckham. More details about that coming soon.

Gather your loved ones together...

2007-08-09T03:33:00.000-07:00

Assemble yourselves in a quiet and reverential circle, bathed only in the glow of your flickering internet connection. Feel the psychic shiver; savour the fleeting moment. A unifying, inspirational awareness of human brotherhood. Yes. The Peryls are on the radio again.

We'll be popping up at some point during The Phil Orange Show on Raiders Radio, which will be looking at the recent Crystal Palace Bowl Festival, featuring interviews with the bands as well as playing tracks from the Festival's official compilation CD.

Listen to the broadcast here from 5pm (GMT) tonight.
http://www.raidersbroadcast.com/
www.myspace.com/raidersbroadcastonline

The national grid are expecting a series of massive power surges tonight as a result of the broadcast. It is predicted that 30 million cups of hot bovril will be brewed as families settle their differences and gather to hear the Peryls. Crime is expected to drop completely during the show, whilst coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have reported a complete ceasefire, a sense of reconciliation and an upsurge in the sales of digital radios.

Everyone remebers what they were doing when...

2007-08-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Peryls were first broadcast on the radio!

The momentous occasion was the broadcast of last week's Crystal Palace Bowl Festival. Raven Sound radio recorded the entire event and played it this weekend. If you're quick you can still listen to the coverage of Sunday's lineup - including a performance by our friends The Hipster Ray.

Listen to the event here - www.ravensoundradio.co.uk

and please check out The Hipster Ray at www.myspace.com/hipsterray

In other news, we are booked to play at the Old Nun's Head in Peckham on the 15th August. More details will follow.

"It's not your rubbish..."

2007-08-02T09:30:00.001-07:00

Kind words indeed from Bromley's community radio sation "Raven Sound" who were one of the stations covering last weekend's Bowl Festival. This coming weekend Raven Sound will be broadcasting their coverage. Follow this link to listen to Raven Sound via MP3.

http://www.ravensoundradio.co.uk/

We get a quick name-check about 4 and a half minutes into the current show, where our music is described as;

"...sort of vaguely sort of folky sort of stuff... sort of."

Seriously though, thanks to Raven Sound for interviewing us at the festival; giving us a chance to talk nonsense and feel like proper pop-stars, if only for a fleeting moment...

The first poste

2007-07-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first ever installment of the Peryls' blog.

We should use this opportunity firstly to thank all the good folks who organized the Crystal Palace Bowl festival this weekend and gave us the chance to play. It was a great event to be part of and we enjoyed every (somewhat inebriated) moment of it!

Link - http://www.thebowl.org.uk/

The next time you can see the Peryls playing live will be at the "Freedom of Expression" acoustic night at the Green Dragon in Croydon on the 14th August.

To quote the organisers, "Freedom of Expression" showcases...

"The very best in acoustic music, poetry, comedy and magic from around London and further afield. 8pm : FREE : East or West Croydon train, George Street tram, any central Croydon bus."

Link - www.myspace.com/freeexpress

That's right, free! The Peryls heartily endorse this event, and not just because we're playing it. You'll find a lot of great original music and a congenial atmosphere should you venture in.

In other news, the Peryls are recording a debut E.P - entitled "By medicine life may be prolonged..." and we shall also be adding more live dates to our calender very soon.