May 2007 (List all)
 

We are Shirley - May Edition

Shirley Shows

This month includes a long awaited return to The Wheatsheaf in Oxford on 4th May, a second trip to Finnegans Wake in Ealing on 5th May and a debut appearance in Southampton at The Hobbit on 11th May. We're also gladly helping out The Exeter Hall raise some PRS funds on 14th May. For all the latest gig gen visit www.myspace.com/shirleytheband.

To avoid disappointment, remember to always check with our myspace (www.myspace.com/shirleytheband) before traveling.

News

We had a ball
Saturday night we set the Somerville-Jesus ball alight in the eclectic Marquee. As the final chords of the Rollin' Clones died down, a pumped up Shirley hit the stage, leaving a nervous Calvin chewing his nails next door. New-look Al, fresh from his one on one with Trinny, was weaving a magical tapestry on his fretboard of dreams. Jan worked the crowd like a venerated cult leader to the pulsations of Neil, powerhousing his way to a broken snare drum and struggling to be contained even in a shirt with the sleeves ripped off. Johnny P laid the bass foundations to the Shirley house of fun, pogoing away like a rabid puppy. The best of Vintage was married with some fresh new material including 'Summer Rain', which was penned by Jan, specifically with the ball in mind. With the feel of a timeless classic, we're sure some major romances were sealed in that moment. This was Shirley at the top of their game. A fantastic night that will be remembered for many a moon.

We want to thank Paolo and James and everyone else involved in running such an immense event and looking after us so well.

Fredrik leads the way
Johnny was recently befriended by a station attendant at Hayes and Harlington by the name of Fredrik. Intrigued by the bass guitar bag, he struck up a conversation. If only all public sector employees demonstrated this admirable qualities of customer care and friendliness. Fredrik you are an example to us all and we look forward to getting your order for 'Vintage'.

It could be You!

This month’s lucky winner of the Shirley prizedraw is Websmythe

Everyone on our mailing list gets automatically entered each month, so if there’s someone out there not on it, make sure they sign up!

A lot of People have been asking us...

What we can learn from the Japanese bee keeper. The life of a Japanese bee keeper has a beautiful simplicity to it. His main concern is the co-existence of the giant hornet. They're mean mothers and if they get a sniff of a bee hive, it can get very nasty indeed. If a hornet scout manages to get word back to camp, it is not unheard of for a party of 300 hornets to wipe out 30,000 bees in a matter of hours, leaving their hive and the nutritious bounty within defenceless. The bee sting is useless against the much larger giant hornet. However, Japanese bees have developed some clever defense strategies. basically the Achilles heel of the hornet, lies in their tendency to overheat. So when a hornet scout turns up at the hive, they lure him in and sacrifice one of their brethren. That's the signal for the rest of the swarm to smother the hornet. The bees can basically tolerate heat of just 2 degrees more than a hornet, so effectively he's roasted alive. They then remove the scent signals he left around the entrance of the hive. This time they're safe. It's all finally balanced and economically the bee keeper cannot afford to lose a hive, but he trusts in the balance and fate of nature, instead of intervening. Well done Japanese bee-keeper. You are wise and we have much to learn from you.

Keep the honey sweet.

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