Happy December! As you presumably have noticed, with this update we are launching a new and improved
Matinée website with a lavish new design and about 100 times the content of our former site. In addition to
substantial improvements to the News, Catalog and Order pages,
we have added individual release pages with full tracklistings, soundclips, and reviews, plus pages for each
Artist including photos, discographies, contact information and more.

There is also a handy new Sounds page where you can listen to Real Audio clips from
every release and mp3’s of tracks from the new releases, a new Fanclub page where you
can sign up for the Matinée newsletter or view available fan merchandise, and a new Archive
page containing all past news updates, year-end lists and Matinée interviews.

We are very excited about the new site and hope you find it easy to navigate and a good resource for information on
Matinée releases and artists. A million thanks to Chris and Arianne at IndiePages for their tireless
and expert work! I am still amazed at the facility with which they distilled my miscellaneous ideas into a workable site.
If you have any comments about the design or content let us know here.

Mary and I have just returned from a lovely trip to Australia where we had the pleasure of hanging out with our good
friends The Lucksmiths, Simpático and The Guild League. Each band played a show while we were there and it
was excellent to see them perform for the home crowd. Thanks to Marty, Emma, Mark, Tali, Nicole, and Jason for
the warm hospitality and to everyone else we met on the trip! We hope to be back soon.

Now that we’re back in California, it’s nearly time for another batch of new releases! As previewed in the last update,
next up are full-length albums from Melodie Group and The Guild League.

The new Melodie Group album is called “Updownaround” (matcd022) and it is a showcase for the
accomplished songwriting of Windmills vocalist and guitarist Roy Thirlwall. Previous Melodie Group releases have
earned comparisons to Grant McLennan and Robert Forster of the Go-Betweens, plus Echo and the Bunnymen,
East Village and Felt. Although the official release date is scheduled for January 6th, we will begin shipping
advance copies on December 15th so place your preorders now via the Order page.
Complete release details and soundclips can be found on the new release page.

The debut album from The Guild League is called “Private Transport” (matcd023) and is an absolute gem!
Featuring 13 songs with heartfelt lyrics, superb vocals from Tali White of The Lucksmiths, and a fine cadre of hired
hands from Sodastream, Poundsign, The Fairways, The Aislers Set, Red Raku, Art of Fighting, The Killjoys,
Blackeyed Susans and The Lucksmiths, this is truly a release not to miss. Check out the tracklisting and listen to
soundclips on the release page now, and watch for new soundclips later in the
week. Advance copies are available for immediate delivery from December 15th so place your preorders via the
Order page and we’ll send them out as soon as the discs arrive.

In forthcoming singles action, look for the long-awaited “Do You Dream In Colour” CDEP (matinée 037) from Airport
Girl, the debut “California Morning” 7″ (matinée 043) from a new Swedish/American band called The Young
Tradition, five new songs by Simpático on the “Club Life” CDEP (matinée 044), the superb “Northern
Angel” CDEP (matinée 046) by The Liberty Ship, and the long delayed “Mad World” 7″ (matinée 029) from
The Snowdrops all in the next three months. Look for release details on these singles in the January update.

There are several Matinée compilations in the works and all will be on the new release racks before too long.
“France On A Bicycle” (matcd010) will be the first, compiling 20 tracks from the early singles on the label
and featuring songs from Sweet William, The Lucksmiths, Sportique, Harper Lee, The Windmills, Lovejoy, Melodie
Group, Bella Vista, Remember Fun, Slipslide, Simpático, The Fairways, Monterey, Edson, and Ego. It will be the
first time on CD for 10 of the songs and an excellent introduction to the label now that the discography is spiraling
out of control.

Following a similar agenda but compiling songs from the ever-expanding list of Matinée albums, “Matinée
Idols” (matcd013) will follow with superb cuts from Sportique, The Windmills, The Visitors, The Lucksmiths,
The Siddeleys, Melodie Group, Lovejoy, Harper Lee, Airport Girl, Razorcuts, Simpático, Would-Be-Goods, Pipas,
and The Guild League. It should prove a handy companion to “France On A Bicycle” and a good way to sample
songs from each of the Matinée albums.

To commemorate the achievement of reaching 50 releases in the singles category, we are hard at work planning a
compilation called Matinée 50. Each Matinée band will contribute a cover version of a song by another
Matinée artist and we’ll pull it together on a CD that celebrates the label! All bands that have appeared on Matinée
are invited to contribute a song, and we are expecting one-off reunions from a few of the old timers so this will be a
very special release indeed!

Other releases on the horizon include a new mini-lp from Sportique, a highly anticipated Matinée single
from The Pines… the second full length from The Fairways… that long threatened full length by
Slipslide… and much more!

In December gig action, check out The Liberty Ship at two shows in Nottingham, England: Friday the 20th
@ Junction 7 with Tender Trap and The Farming Incident (£3 entry; 8.30pm start) and Saturday the 21st @ The
Social with Frankie Machine (free; 4pm start). Some great live shows are planned for 2003 so watch this space for
complete details.

Later this week we will be conducting a poll of your favorite 2002 releases through the Matinée newsgroup and every
entry will give you a chance to win 5 free CDs of your choice! If you’re not already signed up, click here to remedy that situation now. The list of
contenders includes:

Singles:
Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″ (matinée 035)
The Liberty Ship – I Guess You Didn’t See Her 7″ (matinée 036)
The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP (matinée 038)
The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP (matinée 039)
Kosmonaut – Desert Song 7″ (matinée 041)
The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP (matinée 042)

Albums:
Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD (matcd012)
Sportique – Modern Museums CD (matcd015)
Simpático – The Difference Between Alone & Lonely CD (matcd016)
Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD (matcd017)
Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? CD (matcd018)
The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD (matcd019)
Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD (matcd020)
Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD (matcd021)
Melodie Group – Updownaround CD (matcd022)
The Guild League – Private Transport CD (matcd023)

We will publish the full results next month along with 2002 Best-Of lists from Matinée artists. In the November
Mailorder chart, new releases from the Lucksmiths and Kosmonaut made strong debuts alongside a stellar batch
of recent releases. The full results follow:

10. Remember Fun – Train Journeys CDEP
9. The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP
8. The Siddeleys – Slum Clearance CD
7. Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? CD
6. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
5. Various – The Matinée Summer Splash! CD
4. Kosmonaut – Desert Song 7″
3. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
2. Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD
1. The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP

Thanks to all of you for your patronage in 2002. Until next time, hope you enjoy surfing the new website and happy
holidays!

cheers,

Jimmy

G’day mate! In 12 hours I will be aboard a flight from LAX to Melbourne so I figure it’s time to practice my Australian vernacular
and get in a short update of the Matinée website at the same time.

We are truly excited to be visiting our Australian artist colony for the first time, and in true Matinée fashion, we’ll be welcomed
with a slew of superb shows once we lose a full day and land on their fine soil. Although this won’t really help most of you out
there shivering in the gloom of an early winter, if you happen to be around Melbourne for the next week you’re in for a treat!
Saturday, November 23rd, The Lucksmiths play the Queenscliff Festival… Sunday, November 24th, a rare performance
from The Guild League (+ Richard Easton) at Bar Open on Brunswick Street…and Wednesday, November 27th,
Simpático (+ Tugboat) play an equally rare show at Good Morning Captain. Wow!

So, the mailorder will be closed until December 4th, but feel free to place your orders and we will process as much as possible
from the road and ship everything when we return. The new release category is bulging at the moment with brand new records
just out from The Lucksmiths, Kosmonaut, Pipas and Razorcuts, plus superb new-ish
releases from Harper Lee and Lovejoy! We had complete details of these releases announced in the
last update, and you can read about them now on the catalog page.

We are also taking preorders for forthcoming releases from Melodie Group and The Guild League that will be ready shortly after our return!

The new Melodie Group album is called “Updownaround” (matcd022) and includes 10 relaxed, melodic popsongs that achieve a rare mixture of melancholy and catchiness. Featuring the consummate songwriting skills of The Windmills vocalist and guitarist Roy Thirlwall, Melodie Group has enjoyed some of the highest praise lofted at a Matinée artist, including comparisons to Grant McLennan and Robert Forster of the Go-Betweens, as well as Echo and the Bunnymen, East Village and Felt. Lusciously paced, with gorgeous vocals delivered in the most dulcet of tones, “Updownaround” is a triumph. Although the official release date is scheduled for January 6th at the request of our trusty distributors, we’ll have advance copies ready for immediate delivery from December 15th so place your preorders now via the order page.

Also out January 6th, the debut album from The Guild League is called “Private Transport” (matcd023) and is an absolute gem! The album features 13 wonderfully eclectic songs about love and travel, heartfelt lyrics and ace vocals courtesy of The Lucksmiths Tali White, and a truly collaborative musical cast including members of The Lucksmiths, Sodastream, Poundsign, The Fairways, The Aislers Set, Red Raku, Art of Fighting, The Killjoys, and Blackeyed Susans. Highlights include the jangling-guitar travelogue “Jet-Set…Go!” which takes in Spain, Yorkshire, Las Vegas and Thailand before its joyous finale in San Francisco…”The Photographer,” a strum and bass still life memory of a sea-side moment sung over a loping, looping bass line, with layers of acoustic guitars and frantic drums… and “Siamese Couplets”, a lazy hip-hop/pop tune with junky percussion, a soaring chorus and lyrics that attempt to capture the sensory overload of south east Asia while maintaining the distinction of being the first and possibly last song on Matinée to be rapped! Advance copies are available for immediate delivery from December 15th so place your preorders now via the order page.

We are skipping the usual Virgo-like details and blow-by-blow accounts of everything happening around Matinée headquarters this time because we’re also in the final stages of a massive website overhaul that will have you all cheering. The new site is not live yet but will be launched the first week of December with significantly expanded catalog pages including full tracklistings, reviews and soundclips…plus we’ve designed artist pages with biographical and discography and contact information for each band…plus a greatly enhanced order page, a fantastic sounds page with mp3 and real audio clips of lots of Matinée songs, and a whole lot more. A million thanks to Chris and Arianne at IndiePages for their tireless and expert work on the site!

With the new website launch, we’ll also be conducting a poll of your favorite 2002 releases through the Matinée newsgroup with a chance to win 5 free CDs! If you’re not already signed up, click here to remedy that situation in a jiffy. To jog your memory about the spectacular year we’re about to close, we offer you the following list of our 2002 releases:

	Singles of the year: Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″ (matinée 035) The Liberty Ship – I Guess You Didn’t See Her 7″ (matinée 036) The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP (matinée 038) The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP (matinée 039) Kosmonaut – Desert Song 7″ (matinée 041) The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP (matinée 042) Albums of the year: Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD (matcd012) Sportique – Modern Museums CD (matcd15) Simpático – The Difference Between Alone & Lonely CD (matcd016) Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD (matcd017) Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? CD (matcd018) The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD (matcd019) Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD (matcd020) Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD (matcd021) Melodie Group – Updownaround CD (matcd022) The Guild League – Private Transport CD (matcd023)

…and if you haven’t heard all of those yet then get yourself over to the Order page so you can cast an
honest vote in the year end poll. Look for complete poll details in the December update.

In the heated race for top position on the Matinée Mailorder chart, the following contenders put in a valiant effort but didn’t stand
a chance against our new number one:

10. The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP
9. Lovejoy – Plays Biff Bang Pow! 7″
8. Harper Lee – Train Not Stopping CDEP
7. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
6. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
5. Various – The Matinée Summer Splash! CD
4. Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? CD
3. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
2. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
1. Razorcuts – R is for…Razorcuts CD

Coming in early 2003… the return of Simpático with a fantastic new EP… the debut single from a mysterious
international project called The Young Tradition… the much anticipated Matinée single from The Pines… the
first release from The Fairways in quite a long time… a brilliant new mini-lp from Sportique… that long
threatened full length by Slipslide, a real corker of a new single from The Liberty Ship… a new million seller
from Airport Girl… and much more! Details in three weeks.

Sorry this is rushed…we have a plane to catch so happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it, and if you don’t, give it some
thought as it’s one of the loveliest holidays around.

regards,

Jimmy

Hello again, and sorry for the prolonged silence while we relocated to the West Coast. Santa Barbara is a great place to live
and we’re excited to call it home now. Since the last update, we’ve been occupied with office organization and design work for
the next batch of releases, the first of which hits the shelves of a record shop near you in just ten days!

Yes, that’s right. The “R is for Razorcuts” CD (matcd012) from Razorcuts is finally back from the pressing plant and on
course for official release on October 28th. This definitive collection includes 21 tracks selected by the band (most previously
available only at inflated import or collector prices in the US, plus previously unreleased material) with the signature Razorcuts
chiming 12 string guitar, harmonies, Hammond organ and tambourines. This lovingly prepared package includes a 12-page
booklet with extensive archive photos, plus sleevenotes from the band and two early Razorcuts champions – St Etienne’s Bob
Stanley and legendary British music writer Everett True. By now the history of this pivotal UK indiepop band is well known and
their influence is evident in the work of countless indie bands across the globe. We divulged the CD tracklisting in the last update,
and you can read more about the release on the updated catalog page. We are taking preorders as
we speak via the Matinée order page, so if you want to secure a copy before anyone else you know
what to do.

To further tempt you into buying mode, we have also just received copies of the brilliant new long-player from London-based
international pop duo Pipas! Entitled “A Cat Escaped” (matcd021), the album features ten new infectious popsongs with
guitars that jangle in all the right places, breezy vocals and plenty of ba-ba-ba’s. The band has developed an avid international
fanbase on the strength of previous releases “A Short Film About Sleeping” and “Chunnel Autumnal”, plus a clutch of highly regarded
live sets in England, Scotland, Sweden and Spain. They will be launching the album with three special live dates in New York,
Philadelphia and Washington DC later this month (see details below). The CD will be available through the usual agents on
October 28th, but you can order a copy now exclusively from the Matinée order page. The full
tracklisting for the album is: 1. What Nobody Does, 2. The Conversation, 3. Barbapapa, 4. Rock and/or Roll, 5. Old Kent Road, 6.
The Witches, 7. Cruel and Unusual, 8. A Cat Escaped, 9.Emblematic, 10.Run Run Run. Album details are now up on the
catalog page. So, what are you waiting for?

Following on November 11th is the debut Matinée single from Kosmonaut, a great band from northern England featuring
Stephen Maughan (ex-Bulldozer Crash and creator of the legendary This Almighty Pop! fanzine) and Geoff Suggett (ex-Lavender
Faction). Succeeding previous releases on the esteemed Motorway (Japan) and Firestation Tower (Germany) record labels,
Kosmonaut mark their debut US release with multi-layered guitar pop gems “Desert Song” and “Bee Song” on a beautiful 45 rpm
slab of vinyl (matinée 041). With superb melodies and vocals reminiscent of early Creation Records bands, Kosmonaut are a
band to watch. They also contributed the fantastic “Was It You?” to the recent Matinée Summer Splash sampler so there are
two more reasons to pay a visit to that updated order page.

Also out November 11th is a surprise new single from The Lucksmiths! It’s a three-track CDEP (matinée 042) with new
songs “Midweek Midmorning” plus “Point Being” and “Requiem for the Punters Club.” The lead track is a fantastic pop affair
about sunshine, laziness, and unemployment with jangling guitars, trumpet, tambourine and excellent vocals. It is a preview of
the band’s forthcoming full length scheduled for release next spring, while the other tracks are exclusive to this EP. We will have
advance copies available through the order page from October 30 so place your order now!

As we mentioned above, Pipas are launching the new album “A Cat Escaped” with a handful of live dates along the
Northeast corridor at the end of the month. They will be traveling with fellow Matinée superstars Would-Be-Goods,
stateside for their first US dates in support of the album “Brief Lives.” The following shows are part of the
Chickfactor 10 Year Anniversary Celebration at Fez in New York City:

— Friday, October 25th: Pipas (with Lois + Glo-worm + Honeybunch + more)

— Saturday, October 26th: Would-Be-Goods (with All Girl Summer Fun Band + The Pacific Ocean + Gilmore
Tammy + The Legendary Jim Ruiz)

Fez is located at 380 Lafayette Street (at Great Jones Street). Tickets are
$12 each night or $26 for a three-day pass (the third night is Sunday the 27th with The Aislers Set, Future Bible Heroes, The
Aluminum Group and more) and tickets are available at Other Music.
Complete details are up on the Chickfactor site.

Following the New York City bash, Pipas head south…

— Monday, October 28th: Pipas (with The Snow Fairies + special guests) at The Fire, 412 West Girard Avenue. This is an all-ages show, doors are at 6:30pm, and admission is $7.

…and then Pipas and Would-Be-Goods unite for a final show in our nation’s capital:

— Tuesday, October 29th: Would-Be-Goods and Pipas (with Future Bible Heroes + Glo-worm) at the
9:30 Club, 815 V Street, NW. Tickets are $12 and available from the 9:30
Club box office or tickets.com. This is also a Chickfactor show.

In upcoming UK gig action, Kosmonaut play October 31st at The Cluny in Newcastle upon Tyne (with Bluetta Dawn and
Parklandsway), and The Liberty Ship play another Tasty
showcase on November 16th at Junktion 7 in Nottingham (with Chris TT, The Lollies and The Fairy Traders).

We are planning a series of Matinée shows in Spain next year, with the help of our fantastic Spanish distributor
Canciones Huerfanas. Nothing is confirmed yet, but we’ll
provide complete details as soon as everything is sorted. There are also several Matinée bands anxious to play the American
West Coast now that we’re settled in California, so watch for 2003 tour news shortly.

In the final design stage are two brilliant albums slated for release this year and about which we are delighted! Melodie
Group is poised to make it three November releases in a row with the new “Updownaround” CD (matcd022). The first release
since last year’s excellent “Summerness” 7″, the new album is the group’s strongest work to date. The full tracklisting is: 1.
Everybody Loves You, 2. Hold, 3. Bathtub Full of Water, 4. When Love Comes Along, 5. Xiao, 6. Hairdresser in the Sky, 7. Inner
Space 1971, 8. I Do Not Not Love You, 9. Butterfly:Tart, 10. Summerness. Complete details to be disclosed in the next update.

The debut album from The Guild League is also on course for late November release. Entitled “Private Transport”
(matcd023), the album’s 13 eclectic songs are a celebration of travels by League president Tali White. The full tracklisting is: 1.
Jet-Set…Go!, 2. The Neatest Hand, 3. Cosmetropolis (London Swings), 4. Balham Rise, 5. The Photographer, 6. Baggage
Handling, 7. Dangerous Safety, 8. What Adults Do, 9. Siamese Couplets, 10. Gravity, 11. A Maze of Greys, 12. Cornflakes,
13. A Faraway Place. Check back soon for more information.

There may be one or two more releases late in the year, but the remainder of the forthcoming release schedule will likely have
2003 release dates. Check back soon to see how we sort it all out!

Recent albums from Harper Lee and Lovejoy are beginning to generate a buzz with the press. Some of the early quotes follow:

“This record is an organic development in terms of the shape of Laura and Keris’ overall sound: although “Go
Back to Bed” shone with some wonderful and deserving, heartrending songs, not least its gorgeous singles, with the
sophomore album it’s harder to see any breach to the pattern… Each song is like a slide show of pictures shot from a train
window, reproduced in grainy black and white, the passing fields and branches beautifully pixellated.”
In Love With These Times (UK)

“Any album with song titles like “I Can Bear This No Longer” and “Miserable Town” is no doubt going to be drenched in sadness,
but something about the candid way in which the songs are presented, mixed with the exquisite mood, makes the album less
depressing than melancholy, exuding the placidity that comes with turning inward. In other words, there’s a tranquility to it all
which is truly alluring.” Erasing Clouds (USA)

“Una delicia de pop altamente recomendable!” Canciones Huerfanas (Spain)

“That’s possibly the beauty of this album. The issues it covers are of intense frustration, yet its soundtrack is made up of the
lushest, most precious pop music. Not many people can do this. The Smiths again come to mind as a band who mixed that
sense of frustration with some sparklingly handsome music, but with your average band, you can only have it one way. Lovejoy
make sure they give you the whole package. An absolute joy.”
Tasty (UK)

“Who wants to be a millionaire when you can have Lovejoy instead? Maybe, but Dick, Ally, Keith and Paul give the million bucks
a good run for the money.” Peekaboo (Singapore)

“It achieves the grace of sympathy, not undermined but carried by the so-Dan Treacy vocals (though there appears to be a
Lawrence-from-Felt impression in the spoken word break on “Nothing Happens Here”), and this sympathy is perhaps the key to
the album, and arguably differentiates it from the work of others such as the Trembling Blue Stars.”
In Love With These Times (UK)

Information on these releases is up now on the newly revised catalog page.

Two recent interviews should be online soon: a great discourse in Tasty fanzine with Dick Preece of Lovejoy where he
talks about pop music and politics and modern society in general; and five questions pitched to Matinée HQ by Italian
webzine Kathodik just before we packed up the computer in the
Washington DC office.

Thanks to everyone who continues to support the online mailorder. We are happy to be back to business from our Santa
Barbara post office box so send some mail our way! The top sellers for the months of August and September were:

10. Harper Lee – Go Back To Bed CD
9. Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD
8. The Liberty Ship – I Guess You Didn’t See Her 7″
7. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
6. The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP
5. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
4. The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP
3. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
2. Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? CD
1. Various – The Matinée Summer Splash! CD

We will return to regular monthly updates now so stop by soon for the latest pop happenings.

cheers,

Jimmy

Hello again and happy August! Things are moving swiftly here at Matinée HQ so sit back for a sampling of the latest news.

First off, we’re less than ten days away from our late summer pop celebration, the Matinée Summer Splash! What’s
that you ask? Well, it’s your chance to see seven Matinée artists in the span of six days…assuming you are in the vicinity of
London or Nottingham, England that is. Here is the complete skinny:

Saturday, August 24th: Would-Be-Goods, The Windmills, Pipas and Lovejoy play the
Notting Hill Arts Centre (21 Notting Hill Gate) in London. This is a free event sponsored by RoTa, doors are at
4pm, and we’ll also have top tune spinning from celebrity deejays Tim Hopkins (The Visitors) and Pam Berry (The Pines).

Monday, August 26th: The Liberty Ship and Kosmonaut play at Junktion 7 (Canning Circus) in Nottingham
alongside Darren Hanlon, the Lollies and Dallas Burn. This is a great event sponsored by Tasty fanzine and our first foray into the Nottingham
scene so come check out the latest Matinée signings and say hello. Kickoff is 7pm and admission is £4 including a free
fanzine.

Tuesday, August 27th: Slipslide play the Dublin Castle in London (94 Parkway, Camden), with The Fades, The Mule
Boom and Kapowski. This gig is sponsored by Club Fandango,
doors are at 8pm and Slipslide are scheduled for a 9pm start so get there early. Admission is £5 or £4 with a flyer, which you
can’t download anymore.

Thursday, August 29th: Would-Be-Goods team up with Darren Hanlon for another London show at the Spitz (109
Commercial Street, Old Spitalfields Market). This is sponsored by the hip cats at Strange Fruit and tickets are £5 in advance from
Ticketweb.

To celebrate this uncharacteristic abundance of live action, we are releasing a low-price 12-song sampler CD featuring exclusive
tracks, rarities, and previews of forthcoming releases from the participating bands and a handful of other top acts from the
Matinée roster. Sharing the title the Matinée Summer Splash! (matinée 040), the tracklisting for the CD is: 1.
Harper Lee – Fine Bones, 2. Would-Be-Goods – Dilettante, 3. Airport Girl – When You Fall, 4.
Slipslide – X Supplies The Answer, 5. Melodie Group – I Do Not Not Love You, 6. Pipas – Cruel and
Unusual, 7. Sportique – Rollercoaster, 8. The Windmills – Walking Around The World. 9. The Liberty
Ship – Don’t React, 10. The Pines – Leavin’ On Your Mind, 11. Lovejoy – You Fell From Grace, 12.
Kosmonaut – Was It You? For anyone keeping track of these things, that makes nine unreleased songs and they
are all spectacular! It will be available at the aforementioned shows at the insanely low price of a single so its purchase is
compulsory for all of you, no? For everyone not in England, you can get a copy straight from the Order
page or from your favorite shop next month.

We’ll also have advance copies of new releases from Lovejoy and Harper Lee with us in England although supplies will be
limited so come to RoTa if you really want one. The new Lovejoy album is entitled “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”
(matcd018) and includes nine songs that further demonstrate the innovation and creativity flowing from Lovejoy headquarters.
The album bends the band’s classic pop template slightly to encompass a bit more electronica (think New Order or the Wake)
and even a song that will make you get up and dance like you just don’t care. The album features a new version of the Biff
Bang Pow! classic “The Beat Hotel” with drums and electric guitars and other sparkly magic only possible in Lovejoy studios.
And it looks great! The official release date is September 2nd but you can get one now exclusively via the
Order page.

Another new release is the second album from Brighton’s Harper Lee called “Everything’s Going To Be OK” (matcd020).
In the past year, Harper Lee have earned great respect from the music press with positive reviews of recent single “Train Not
Stopping” and debut album “Go Back To Bed” piling up around the globe. This new album includes nine straightforward classics
that will surely engender a new set of superlatives. We think it’s the band’s finest release so far which is saying quite a lot.
Out officially on September 9th so get ready…we’ll have exclusive copies available via the Order page
very soon.

The Harper Lee album marks the temporary end of an era (yes, I realize that makes no sense)…as it is the final release to
come out while Matinée is headquartered in our nation’s lovely capital. Immediately following my return from the UK shows we’ll
be packing up our house and the overflowing Matinée warehouse to move all the way across the country to an equally lovely
place called Santa Barbara, California. The move should have no impact on the label aside from some unavoidable shipping
delays on all orders while our moving van traverses its way through 15 of the 50 US states. From September 2nd through the
15th, your best bet is to order your Matinée titles from one of the many fine establishments identified atop the Order page. We will have virtually no access to email during this time too so please be patient while we
get situated in California. Any orders that come in during this time will be filled no later than the 15th. Most importantly,
please do not send anything to the Washington DC post office box for delivery after September 2nd because we won’t be here
to receive it. It will eventually get forwarded to Santa Barbara but avoid unnecessary delays by playing it safe. There will
be a new Santa Barbara post office box ready for your envelopes and parcels sometime in the next two weeks so check the
order page for the updated address and send me some welcome mail! We plan to return to DC eventually because we love it
here, but we expect to call Santa Barbara home for a few years at least. It’s on the beach so how could one complain? We
will try our best to keep sand off the CDs.

Okay, so once we are situated in our new office we’ll get to work on the autumn release schedule, which begins with the debut
Matinée record by Kosmonaut – two new tracks called “Desert Song” and “Bee Song” on opposite sides of a beautiful
45 rpm slab of vinyl. As I mentioned last time, Kosmonaut is a relatively new band featuring Stephen Maughan (ex-Bulldozer
Crash) and Geoff Suggett (ex-Lavender Faction). They have so far released a 7″ on the eternally hip Firestation Tower Records
and contributed a song to a Motorway Records compilation 45. For a taste of the band’s sound, check out the
suberb song “Was It You?” on the new Matinée Summer Splash sampler and come to their debut gig at the Tasty showcase
on August 26th in Nottingham.

The “R is for Razorcuts” CD (matcd012) from Razorcuts is still in the works and now on track for an early October
release. The CD includes 21 hits carefully selected from the band’s former works on Creation, Subway and Flying Nun plus a
few rarities including a previously unreleased lost recording. The full tracklisting is: 1. I’ll Still Be There (LP version), 2. Big Pink
Cake, 3. Summer in Your Heart, 4. Mary Day, 5. Sorry to Embarrass You, 6. A is for Alphabet, 7. 8 Times Around The World,
8. I Heard You The First Time, 9. Jade, 10. A Contract With God, 11. Brighter Now, 12. Storyteller, 13. Everyday Eyes, 14. Try,
15. Across The Meadow, 16. I Won’t Let You Down, 17. The World Keeps Turning, 18. The Last Picture Show, 19. Sad
Kaleidoscope, 20. The Horror of Party Beach, 21. I’ll Still Be There (single version). Don’t miss it!

Other autumn releases on the way include the outstanding new album from Pipas called “A Cat Escaped” (matcd021),
the debut “Updownaround” full-length by Melodie Group (matcd022), the tasty “Do You Dream In Colour?” CDEP
(matinée 037) from Airport Girl, the Matinée debut from The Pines called the “Familiar” EP, and the return of
The Fairways with their “Don’t Call Me Dear” CDEP. More details on these releases next time.

Since the next update will not occur until at least the middle of September, we will give you advance notice of a few upcoming
gigs: September 7th – Sportique play the Spitz in London with the Butterflies of Love; September 28th and 29th –
The Pines, Pipas and Would-Be-Goods play a Chickfactor show at Bush Hall in London (alongside
the absolutely lovely Camera Obscura, The Montgolfier Brothers, Future Bible Heroes, The Clientele, and A Girl Called Eddy).
All shows are sponsored by Strange Fruit so have a
look at their website for details.

Here at Chez Matinée, we pride ourselves on staying atop of all press action, so we were troubled to learn of an interview that
slipped below our radar recently…a lengthy and humorous discussion with the lovely and outspoken Johnny Johnson of The
Siddeleys that appeared on IndieSpinzone. It’s
really good so check it out! There are several other interviews in the works as we speak so look for links to those next month.
In other press news, summer singles from The Liberty Ship and The Guild League continue to generate
positive reviews. Some recent quotes include:

“Three songs of surprisingly lovely pop from a band certainly worth watching…Single of the Week!”
Mundane Sounds

“Worth hurrying back from Yorkshire, Andalucia, Londres or any other of the jet-set locations mentioned within these
super-suave grooves to secure your copy.” In Love With These Times

“The group’s sound is remarkably relaxed…with sweet harmonizing and melodic guitar lines that for some reason evoke
holidays and summer vacations.” Erasing Clouds

“This all reminds me of 1986 before I had hassles like relationships, bills and keeping a job down…It will bring the summer
into your heart.” Pennyblack

“Rich and laid-back, this is pop for all seasons.” In Love With These Times

For more information on these releases check out the newly revised catalog page.

Finally, the mailorder will be closed from August 20th through August 28th while we are in England, and again from September
2nd until September 15th as we move across the country. In an attempt to count you among our friends during this period, we
are extending the Matinée summer clearance sale prices to all orders received through September 15th so go crazy! The top
sellers for the month of July were:

10. Harper Lee – Train Not Stopping CDEP
9. Airport Girl – Honey, I’m An Artist CD
8. Lovejoy – Songs In The Key Of… CD
7. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
6. Simpático – The Difference Between Alone & Lonely CD
5. Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD
4. The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP
3. The Liberty Ship – I Guess You Didn’t See Her 7″
2. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
1. The Guild League – Jet-Set…Go! CDEP

Hope to see you at the shows later this month!

cheers,

Jimmy
x

Happy July pop patrons! Hope your summer is going well and thanks for perusing the current Matinée news.

The latest release is the debut “Jet-Set…Go!” single (matinée 039) by The Guild League – an Australian coterie
headed by esteemed Lucksmiths vocalist and percussionist Tali White. The Guild League is Tali’s first project outside the
Lucksmiths and highlights his superb songwriting and vocal talents. On the infectious title track, Tali is joined by Pete
Cohen & Karl Smith (both from Sodastream), Marty Brown (Art of Fighting) and Richard Easton to create a wonderful racket
with guitars and drums and handclaps that you can’t get out of your head. The EP also features acoustic tracks “A Faraway
Place” and “Cornflakes” which showcase Tali’s signature voice. An album called “Private Transport” is scheduled for release
later in the year, but you’ll want to get hip to the Guild League now because the single is limited to 1000 copies and they’re
moving fast.

Up next is the sophomore album from Lovejoy entitled “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” (matcd018). Currently at
the pressing plant, this CD will be released in mid-August and features nine fantastic songs that further demonstrate the
innovation and creativity flowing from Lovejoy HQ along the coast of southern England. The album bends the Lovejoy
template ever so slightly to encompass a bit more electronica (think New Order or the Wake) on a few tracks and even a
song that will make you get up and dance like you just don’t care. The album also features a new version of the Biff Bang
Pow! classic “The Beat Hotel” with drums and electric guitars and other sparkly magic only possible in Lovejoy studios.
We think it’s their strongest release to date and encourage you to find out for yourself next month.

Following that in late August is the Matinée Summer Splash! (matinée 040), a low-price 12-song sampler CD
featuring exclusive tracks, rarities, and previews of forthcoming releases from Airport Girl (“When You Fall”),
Harper Lee (“Fine Bones”), Kosmonaut (“Was It You?”), The Liberty Ship (“Don’t React”),
Lovejoy (“You Fell From Grace”), Melodie Group (“I Do Not Not Love You”), Pipas (“Cruel and
Unusual”), The Pines (“Leavin’ on Your Mind”), Slipslide (“X Supplies the Answer”), Sportique
(“Rollercoaster”), The Windmills (“Walking Around the World”) and Would-Be-Goods (“Dilettante”). We’ll
be selling it at the price of a single, which for 12 tracks (nine previously unreleased) is quite simply a deal no matter how
you slice it. The CD is a celebration of several UK shows late next month featuring Matinée bands:

Saturday August 24th at the Notting Hill Arts Centre in London (sponsored by RoTa) featuring Lovejoy,
Pipas, The Windmills and Would-Be-Goods.

Monday August 26th at Junktion 7 in Nottingham (sponsored by Tasty
fanzine) featuring The Liberty Ship and Kosmonaut (plus Darren Hanlon, the Lollies and Dallas Burn).

Would-Be-Goods team up with the fantastic Darren Hanlon for an additional London show on Thursday, August
29th at the Spitz, and we are still working to set up a gig with Slipslide (and possibly others) for Tuesday,
August 27th so make plans for that and we will get details posted shortly.

In more immediate gig news, Sportique and Pipas are off to Sweden next week for two shows each.
Both play the Mitt Bästa Liv festival in Kalmar on July 24 and 25 with other top acts like Tender Trap, Darren Hanlon,
Aerospace, Free Loan Investments, Nixon, Dorotea and more. Sportique and Pipas are both scheduled to play on the 25th…
Both stay on for a Stockholm show Saturday the 27th at Café Mix with Tender Trap, Aerospace and Free Loan
Investments… a surely fantastic lineup that has me searching for last minute fares to Stockholm as we speak.

Thanks again to everyone who helped to make the Sportique US mini-tour with Tender Trap last month a great success.
Big shouts out to Tim Bean and the rest of the WBAR posse; Eric, Steve and Tom at Signal 66; Skippy and Graham for the
well-intentioned CD delivery service; the Butterflies of Love, the Mad Scene, Bunsen Honeydew and Allan Clapp for sharing
bills and loaning gear; and all the popkids in Boston, New Haven, New York, Philadelphia and Washington who came out for
the shows.

But enough about live shows, what’s happening for our record players you ask?

Still sparkling in the new release category is the debut 7″ single from The Liberty Ship (matinée 036). Featuring the
original “I Guess You Didn’t See Her” and a great cover of the Byrds’ “She Don’t Care About Time”, the single has enjoyed
an excellent reception so far with the discerning editors at IndiePages commending its
“jangly guitars that sparkle and shimmer and great boy/girl vocal harmonies.” Meanwhile, the astute kids at
In Love With These Times said “you can sing along to
it and it gleams with musical optimism and a classic song arrangement…this song should be a staple for jukeboxes
anywhere…we are down with this.” Yes, so are we. Expect more from the Liberty Ship in the near future.

Steadily basking in the glow of their recent “Walking Around The World” EP (matinée 038) and US tour dates, The
Windmills have gone straight back to the studio to record three new classics that will see eventual release on the
band’s third album sometime next year. Meanwhile, the critics are lauding “Walking Around The World” as one of the
strongest Windmills releases to date: Pennyblack
asserting “the band who made the brilliant ‘Sunlight’ LP last year are still on top form”;
Erasing Clouds summing up the single as
“begging listeners to hit play again, like the best singles always do”; and In
Love With These Times describing it as “the sort of timeless, imperial spiral that ties you in little knots…
East Village with a spring in their step.” We were wondering just when the rest of the world (aside from the erudite among
you) would wake up to the Windmills and it looks like the time has finally come.

Starting off the autumn release schedule with a bang is the second album from Harper Lee! Entitled “Everything’s
Going To Be OK” (matcd020), the album includes nine classics sure to send thousands of lovestruck indie kids further into
thoughtfulness. The full tracklisting for the album is: “Miserable Town,” “Unreciprocated.” “Train Not Stopping,” “The Thought
of You and Him,” “The Forest Alone,” “City Station,” “Fine Bones.” “I Can Bear This No Longer,” and “This Better Life.” Our
favorite changes daily…the album is nine A-sides without a doubt. In other Harper Lee news, IndiePages is now hosting a
great fan site that includes lyrics to all the songs and other flashy bits. Check it out by clicking here.

The “R is for Razorcuts” CD (matcd012) from Razorcuts is also scheduled for September release, complete with
excellent sleevenotes from pop legends Bob Stanley and Everett True. The CD includes 21 hits carefully selected from the
band’s former works on Creation, Subway and Flying Nun plus a few rarities including a previously unreleased lost recording.
This is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the Matinée catalogue and should please both long-time listeners of the
band and the younger generation of pop patrons who have heard countless comparisons and references to the legendary
band but few if any of their long sold-out releases. Look for a full tracklisting and more release information in the August
update.

A third September release is the debut Matinée 7″ by Kosmonaut, a relatively new band featuring Geoff Suggett
(ex-Lavender Faction) and Stephen Maughan (ex-Bulldozer Crash). Back in the day, Stephen also wrote This Almighty Pop!,
one of the finest fanzines EVER in my humble opinion and one of the first places that I read about bands like Love Parade,
Razorcuts, Remember Fun, and the Visitors so you know this guy has impeccable taste. The new single includes superb
tracks called “Desert Song” and “Bee Song” and is on course for release in late September assuming full cooperation from
vinyl pressing plants and label manufacturers and sleeve printers across the country. We have a few copies left of their
debut 7″ on Firestation Tower so check the
Order page fast if you want one.

Also on tap for the autumn: Pipas have just completed recording the songs for their debut album “A Cat Escaped”
(matcd021), Melodie Group are currently in the studio finishing up the debut album “Updownaround” (matcd022),
and Airport Girl are still contemplating the release of the “Do You Dream In Colour?” CDEP (matinée 037). The
Pines have started work on the songs for their debut Matinée 45, and The Fairways have promised to have
something ready soon but I don’t know quite what yet. More details on these and other forthcoming releases next time.

In press news, spring albums from The Lucksmiths, Would-Be-Goods and Simpático continue to
pile up positive reviews around the globe. Some of our favorite recent quotes include:

“Fans of Belle & Sebastian should certainly check out the Lucksmiths. This is quite simply some of the best indie music
to come from down under since fey favourites Even As We Speak.” Record Collector

“The Lucksmiths reign supreme, they truly are the kings of indie pop and ‘Where Were We?’ is proof that this is one
monarchy we should never vote out.” Oz Music Project

“This is the sort of album you can play at least 15 times continuously without ever, EVER tiring of a single note. All hail the
Lucksmiths, for they do it for me.” Tasty

“Enough to make pop music fans starry-eyed, whether they already know about the wondrous Lucksmiths or they’re about
to discover them.” Erasing Clouds

“A soothing tonic for waking up alone the next morning.” Magnet

“Better even than the cult classic debut ‘The Camera Loves Me’…this is a worthy companion to your Magnetic Fields and
Belle & Sebastian collections.” Careless Talk Costs Lives

“You’d be hard pressed to find a better guitar-pop album released this year.” Delusions Of Adequacy

“One of those rare joys – an album in which nearly every track is just as enjoyable as the next.” Rockpile

“This is a wonderful little gem of a record. Unassuming, low-key, but deliciously compelling…it’s perfectly lovely.”
Strange Fruit

“An album that will thrill today’s crop of indie kids.” Amplifier

“Debuut van het jaar”! Think Small

“This is a record you have no excuse not to own.” dB Magazine

“Borders on a work of genius.” Delusions Of Adequacy

“Favourite record of the year to date…make space in your CD rack now!” Pennyblack

“Lush and beautiful.” Shredding Paper

Recent interviews with Matinée artists appear in the latest issues of Dagger (Keris
Howard of Harper Lee), Sense (Jason Sweeney of
Simpático), and Pennyblack (Pam Berry of
the Pines) so check them out if you want to be in the know.

Meanwhile, the Universal Records (Philippines) compilation I mentioned back in April is apparently now out. Called “I’d
Spend My Day With You,” the album features 20 tracks including “Butter Wouldn’t Melt” from our very own Lovejoy,
along with great songs by the Fairways, Aerospace, Birdie, Trembling Blue Stars, the Crooner, Club 8, Goldstoned and
more. I’m not sure where it might be available outside the Philippines but I hope to have a few copies available on the
Order page soon so check there if you can’t find it elsewhere.

Speaking of the Order page, a quick glance of it will reveal that there is now a
summer clearance sale going on! We need to move some records for a multitude of reasons
including a rather big one that shall reveal itself next month. If you need some suggestions, why not consider some of the
top sellers from the month of June?:

10. Simpático – The Difference Between Alone & Lonely CD
9. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
8. Lovejoy – Plays Biff Bang Pow! 7″
7. Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD
6. Sportique – The Kids Are Solid Gold 7″
5. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal 10″
4. The Liberty Ship – I Guess You Didn’t See Her 7″
3. The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP
2. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
1. Sportique – Modern Museums CD

Arrivederci!

Jimmy
x

Hello then! It’s definitely summer here, and like many Americans I have drastically altered my sleep schedule lately to catch
some of the excellent World Cup games that air at the ungodly hours of 2:30, 5:00 and 7:30 AM for those of us on the East
Coast. And lucky for you, tonight’s activity to keep me awake until 2:30 is a long overdue web update!

This week we’re completing the final preparations for the second set of US dates from Sportique, who commence live
action next Tuesday in Somerville, MA before trudging on to New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington and
Brooklyn. All dates but the last one are with new top pop combo
Tender Trap, while The Butterflies of Love,
The Mad Scene, Bunsen Honeydew and The Orange
Peels are joining at various points during the tour. The full skinny is as follows:

Tuesday, June 18th Somerville, MA – Bar 608 w/Tender Trap and The Orange Peels 608 Somerville Avenue doors at 8:00 pm $8 entry Wednesday, June 19th New Haven, CT – Rudy’s Bar w/Tender Trap and The Butterflies Of Love 372 Elm Street doors at 8-ish $cheap entry

Thursday, June 20th New York City, NY – West End Bar w/Tender Trap and Bunsen Honeydew 114th And Broadway doors at 8:00 pm $6 entry, $5 w/Student ID (sponsored by Columbia University and WBAR Radio) Friday, June 21st Philadelphia, PA – La Tazza w/Tender Trap, The Butterflies Of Love and Hallelujah! 108 Chestnut Street doors at 6:00 pm (early show!) $8 entry; $7 in advance at Spaceboy Music or here. Saturday, June 22nd Washington, DC – Signal 66 Art Gallery w/Tender Trap 926 N Street NW (rear) doors at 8:30 pm $7 entry Sunday, June 23rd Brooklyn, NY – Club Luxx w/The Mad Scene and Bunsen Honeydew 256 Grand Street (between Driggs and Roebling) doors at 8:00 pm $7 entry

Sportique may also be doing an on-air session at New York radio station WFMU on
Thursday afternoon the 20th. Details to be added as soon as confirmed. All dates are in support of the recent Sportique
album “Modern Museums” (matcd015) which is shaping up to be one of the most lauded Matinée releases to date. Some
of our favorite recent-ish quotes include:

“A sort of splash and dash art criticism, parody cum influence, snottiness, appropriations, wining, brilliant observation, a still
breathless meth-amphetamine art punk (g)rumble through the underground with the spray can of hate and love…”
(Wide Open Road)

“Modern Museums is immaculate in a bittersweet, madcap, loud petulant sort of way. I want to marry it and have its children.”
(Everett True, Careless Talk Costs Lives)

“There will be murmurs of discontent from disaffected indie snobs as to the fact that on the evidence of “Modern Museums”,
Sportique are rocking a bit, shouting a lot, they even sound like they’re enjoying it, and how dare they do an album that’s only
24 minutes long, and has no ballads on it? It’s not worth dignifying them with an answer. Anyway…South Londoners we may
be, we don’t know much about art, but we know what we like. Record of the month.”
(In Love With These Times)

“Twisted genius in glorious stereo.” (Tasty)

Just beginning their lives in the eyes of the Matinée press corps are new releases from The Liberty Ship and The
Windmills! The former is a two-track 7″ (matinée 036) pairing “I Guess You Didn’t See Her” with a brilliant cover of the
Byrds classic “She Don’t Care About Time.” The band is a four piece from Nottingham, England led by vocalist and guitarist
Marc Elston (ex- Bulldozer Crash). They’ve already earned comparisons to The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, East Village and
The Weather Prophets so rush out and pick up the single to see for yourself. It came out yesterday so demand it from your
groovy neighborhood record shop or favorite online emporium.

The new single from The Windmills is the “Walking Around The World” EP (matinée 038) and it was released to great fanfare
last month. Featuring lead track “What Was It For?” plus “Amelia” and “Walking Around the World,” the EP is in our
completely unbiased opinion the best thing they’ve ever released. As if that weren’t incentive enough, the single also
includes a video track of “What Was It For?” filmed at the Notting Hill Arts Centre in London last October. See above
directive about groovy neighborhood record shops and online emporiums for what to do next. The band celebrated the new
release with their very first US tour in May with Australian labelmates Simpático. We saw some of you at the shows
in New York, Philadelphia and Washington but for everyone else here are a few photos from our journey.

It was a great week thanks to extra effort from Chris & Wendy of Jinx and the folks at Galapagos in New York; Melissa and
Gabe in Philadelphia; and Eric, Steve, Tom, Will, Les, the Secret History and Nick in Washington. Cheers everybody!

Next up on the new release shelves is the debut “Jet-Set…Go!” single (matinée 039) by The Guild League. As we
reported last month, the band is a collaborative headed by Tali White of The Lucksmiths and featuring Candle Records star
Richard Easton plus members of Sodastream and Art of Fighting. The three track EP includes “Jet-Set…Go!” plus “A
Faraway Place” and “Cornflakes” and is scheduled for release in early July to help your summer sizzle. An album called
“Private Transport” is scheduled for release later in the year, but you’ll want to get hip to the Guild League now because this
one’s limited to 1000 copies.

This leads us rather nicely to the new “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” album (matcd018) from Brighton’s very own
Lovejoy. Also scheduled for July release, we can now report the full tracklisting as “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,”
“You Fell From Grace,” “Plastic Flowers,” “Nothing Happens Here,” “Snow Falling Softly (Bent Fabric),” “The Beat Hotel,”
“Night On Earth,” “Millionaire…Maybe” and “Don’t You (Wish You’d Never Met Me)?” And no, “Plastic Flowers” is not a cover
of the Wake song but “The Beat Hotel” is a cover of Biff Bang Pow! although a rather different version than the one included
on the band’s recent “Plays Biff Bang Pow! 7″…this one with drums and electric guitars and other sparkly magic only
possible in Lovejoy studios.

We’re happy to report the “R is for Razorcuts” compilation CD (matcd012) from Razorcuts is now very much on
course for release this summer and we’ve expanded the tracklisting to include 20 of their greatest (almost) hits. Granted,
we nearly had to resort to extortion to get the rights to some of the songs but in the end it seemed to work quite nicely so if
you have someone you need to extort just click on the new extortion link on our website and we’ll see what we can do for
you. I would show you an image of the front cover but we’re still undecided between two at the moment so that, my friends,
will have to wait until next time. The album will feature songs from their legendary releases on Creation, Subway and Flying
Nun plus an old rarity and one previously unreleased song…all housed in a deluxe package with great photos and
sleevenotes from two of today’s top pop luminaries. Out when it’s out, it will definitely prove worth the wait.

I now also have the distinct honor of having in my possession the master tapes for the brand new album from Harper
Lee! Entitled “Everything’s Going To Be OK” (matcd020), the album is a masterpiece that will delight each and every
one of you as soon as we find something to use for artwork. Before you start thinking Harper Lee have gone all happy on us
with the uncharacteristically upbeat title, I should point out that the album includes songs called “I Can Bear This No Longer”
and “Unreciprocated” and “Miserable Town” alongside my current favorite “Fine Bones.” So expect more classic Harper Lee
melancholy and some of the best songs they have recorded to date. The anticipated release date is early September and
we’ll be smiling from ear to ear until then.

In the not coming very soon (or anytime we’re afraid) category is the doomed debut 7″ from The Snowdrops
(matinée 029). Those of you who check the site regularly will undoubtedly be able to recite the number of foiled release
dates I announced for this 7″ over the past year or so, but sadly I must report that our endless toil has resulted in, how do we
say it…a rejected sample? Ah yes, our first brush with controversy…just what every aspiring record label needs! So matinée
029 will remain unreleased forever, causing me to create an annoying new symbol for all future 45 inserts unless I just act
as if it sold out before you got one…We are moving forward with a new release as soon as possible using the 45’s original
b-side “Don’t Buy Anything” with new songs they plan to record in the next month and we’re betting that on the heels of a
banned debut single this new release will be a smashing success that will pull us all out of poverty. More news next time
following a pow-wow with the head Snowdrops.

I have nothing new to report about the forthcoming releases from Airport Girl, Kosmonaut, The Pines,
Pipas, or The Fairways…this due solely to the fact that the bands have nothing new to report…so check
out last month’s update to see what I knew back then. Sorry if that sounded surly…did I mention
that the World Cup games are on here at 2:30, 5:00 and 7:30?

There are several Matinée artists on the road this summer, including a Pipas date in Spain, Lovejoy and
Sportique shows in Sweden, an all-day affair in Nottingham (England) in late August, and a London show or two
around the same time. Not sure who will be playing yet but we will let you know soon.

Anyone who wants to know more about Matinée artists is in luck this month as no fewer than five (!) interviews have just been
published: read what makes Keris Howard of Harper Lee tick courtesy of
In Love With These Times, chat with Roy Thirlwall of
The Windmills over at Tasty, catch up with
Jason Sweeney of Simpático in his second interview with Pennyblack,
read about the brief lives of Would-Be-Goods Jessica Griffin at Pinoy
Central, and introduce yourself to The Liberty Ship at In Love
With These Times. Popfans in Greece should also check out the latest issue of Carousel fanzine, which includes an
excellent feature on Lovejoy and a nifty compilation CD as well.

Shouts out this month to the ace publications just mentioned plus All
Music Guide, Aquamarine,
The Bee’s Knees, Canciones Huerfanas,
Careless Talk Costs Lives, dB, Drum Media, Dusted,
Erasing Clouds, Exclaim!, IndiePages,
Indiespinzone, Magnet,
Organ, Popchild, Sete Polegadas,
Shredding Paper, Splendid, Strange
Fruit, Tangents, Think
Small, Twee Kitten, The War
Against Silence, Washington City Paper and Wide Open Road for writing
something in the past month that made us smile.

Bigger shouts out to those of you who actually bought something last month! The top sellers for the month were:

10. Sportique – Modern Museums 10″
9. The Windmills – When It Was Winter CDEP
8. Lovejoy – Plays Biff Bang Pow! 7″
7. The Windmills – Sunlight CD
6. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal 10″
5. Simpático – The Difference Between Alone & Lonely CD
4. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
3. Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD
2. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
1. The Windmills – Walking Around The World CDEP

Hope to see you out at the Sportique shows!

Regards,

Jimmy x

Hello again! A massive amount of news to report this time about forthcoming releases plus a few Matinée bands on the road,
so grab another cup of coffee and sit back so you can take it all in. First up are the details of a handful of US dates coming
up quite soon with The Windmills and Simpático! As of today, their East Coast mini-tour looks like this:

The Windmills

Simpático

Apologies for the Philadelphia uncertainty but we had a few things fall apart and we’re trying to pick up the pieces now.
Watch this space for final details! The Windmills fly back to London on the 13th, but Simpático will stick around for
additional dates as follows:

All dates are in support of the recent Simpático album “The Difference Between Alone & Lonely” (matcd016) which the
smarties amongst you already have. It’s piling up positive reviews across the globe, with the reputable editors at
IndiePages calling it “his best work yet” and Pennyblack
awarding it “record of the year to date.” So what are you waiting for? Get one now or
come to one of the shows where we’re sure to have plenty of copies on hand.

The four dates with The Windmills are record release shows for their brand new “Walking Around the World” EP (matinée
038) featuring lead track “What Was It For?” plus “Amelia” and “Walking Around the World.” All songs are exclusive to this
release, which also includes a snazzy video track of “What Was It For?” filmed at last October’s Matinée showcase at the
Notting Hill Arts Centre in London. Alright! So no complaints from folks on the West Coast who can’t see the Windmills
because now you can host your very own show from the comfort of your home. We’ve said it before and we’ll probably say it
again, but the Windmills just keep getting better and better! In reviewing their recent “Sunlight” album,
Tangents claimed “there are so many minor pop classics present,
it’s simply criminal that they aren’t airing full time on MTV” while In Love
With These Times called it “an album of intelligent, breathy half-jangle which in any tolerable
universe would be gleefully outstaying its welcome in the top 5 album charts.” The official release date for the single is
May 13th but we’ll have copies available at the shows if you just can’t wait. The band has significantly expanded their
website recently to include lyrics, reviews and a gig history so
have a look.

May also sees the debut release by a new band from Nottingham, England called The Liberty Ship. It’s a two-track
7″ (matinée 036) coupling the catchy “I Guess You Didn’t See Her” with a brilliant cover of the Byrds classic “She Don’t
Care About Time.” The band turned a lot of heads when they opened the Notting Hill gig last year, and will surely win over
new fans with this debut release. Think East Village or Weather Prophets with a larger than customary dose of 60’s jangle
à la Byrds or Buffalo Springfield and you’re nearly there. Lead vocalist and guitarist Marc Elston used to be one-half of pop
combo Bulldozer Crash who released a clutch of excellent releases on Sunday and Heaven Records back in the day.
Having heard several of the band’s demos, those purveyors of impeccable taste over at
In Love With These Times wrote “whereas Bulldozer
Crash matured into something melodic yet understated, the Liberty Ship decide they’re just gonna stridently march into the
arrivals lounge playing positive, harmonic pop… it seems a bit too early to say that 2002 could be their year, but what the
hell. 2002 could be their year.” We concur. The Liberty Ship will follow this 7″ release with a six song mini-lp “Small Lives”
on the resurrected (hooray!) Sunday Records. We’re already
talking about the follow-up Matinée release so stay tuned.

Another debut release follows in June, this one from a slightly mysterious combo called The Guild League. It’s
a three-song CDEP (matinée 039) called “Jet-Set…Go!” which will surely be atop many playlists this summer. The band is
a collaborative effort headed by the esteemed Tali White, he of singing and drumming fame in a little band called The
Lucksmiths. Perhaps you’ve heard of them? On the title track, Tali is joined by Candle Records superstar Richard Easton
plus members of Sodastream and Art of Fighting to create a wonderful racket that you can’t get out of your head. “A
Faraway Place” and “Cornflakes” are the two other songs and they’re simply lovely in a Sugargliders-sort of way. All
of this in anticipation of a full length entitled “Private Transport” sometime later in the year if everything goes as planned.

June should also bring the sophomore album from our very own Lovejoy. Entitled “Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire?” (matcd 018), the album features the latest brilliance from Lovejoy studios including a full-on dancefloor smash
“Millionaire…Maybe” plus my current favorite “You Fell From Grace.” As with the last Lovejoy album, my current favorite
seems to change every day which is the mark of a very good album indeed. Meanwhile, Lovejoy have contributed “Butter
Wouldn’t Melt” from the first LP to a Universal Records compilation in the Philippines called “I’d Spend My Day With You.”
With 20 tracks from bands like The Fairways, Birdie, Trembling Blue Stars, The Crooner, Club 8, Aerospace, Goldstoned
and more, this compilation is one worth tracking down!

Also in June, Sportique return to the US for another East Coast tour…this time teaming up with new London pop
trio Tender Trap for shows tentatively scheduled in Boston (June 19), New York (June 20), Philadelphia (June 21),
Washington (June 22) and Hoboken (June 23). Tender Trap features Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey (both ex-Marine
Research, Heavenly, Talulah Gosh and current Sportique members) plus DJ Downfall who joined them in Marine Research.
Look here for show details as soon as everything is confirmed.

Recent releases from Would-Be-Goods, The Lucksmiths, Pipas and Sportique are all
generating positive press, so believe what you read! Release details are on the catalog page
now, and watch for capsule reviews next month as part of a redesigned Matinée website. There is also an excellent
Matinée interview up now at Tasty zine, in which we pontificate on
Creation Records, the relative success of indie labels, and selling out!

Still in the works: the dreadfully tardy “Mad World”/”Don’t Buy Anything” 45 from The Snowdrops, still languishing
under the delays of a sample clearance to allow us all to keep our houses. I won’t promise another release date until I
know it for certain, but trust me that it will come out rather soon-ish. After a bit of feet dragging, a new single from Airport
Girl is finally coming together with four new songs including the superb lead track “Do You Dream In Colour?” and a
trumpet-rich one called “When You Fall” that gives “Wake Up Boo!” from The Boo Radleys a run for the money. The
mythical “R is for Razorcuts” compilation from indie legends Razorcuts is currently making its way through the
Matinée art department. We may be adding a few more rarities to the tracklisting to make up for the delay in its release
but whatever happens it will prove worth the wait. New English band Kosmonaut have delivered some mighty fine
demos to Matinée HQ and it looks like their forthcoming single will include the tracks “Desert Song” and “Bee Song” which
makes us quite happy. We have copies of their debut “Days Of Our Lives” 7″ on
Firestation Tower available on the
Order page and since it’s close to selling out at the label you best hurry if you want one. As we
write, Harper Lee are holed up in a studio in Brighton recording their next masterpiece which is to be called
“Everything Is Going To Be OK.” Rather positive title, no? It will be a full length or a mini-lp but whatever it is will make us
smile from ear to ear. Other releases on the horizon include a new single from The Pines, the highly anticipated
return of The Fairways, and the debut long player from Pipas but I’m afraid I can’t tell you much about any
of these just yet. Next time. If you’re good.

Finally, in our perpetual attempts to help you stay hip, following are the top sellers for the months of March and April.
If everybody’s buying them, why aren’t you?

10. Sportique – Modern Museums CD
9. Would-Be-Goods – Emmanuelle Béart CDEP
8. Remember Fun – Train Journeys CDEP
7. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal 10″
6. The Siddeleys – Slum Clearance CD
5. Airport Girl – Honey, I’m An Artist CD
4. Simpático – The Difference Between Alone & Lonely CD
3. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
2. Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD
1. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD

Hope to see you at the upcoming shows!

Until next time,

Jimmy xx

…not really a proper update but a short note to say that the mailorder will be closed from March 31 until April 15 so any
orders received during this time will ship on the 15th. Please pardon this inconvenience! We will honor the March Madness
back catalog sale prices through the end of April in a small attempt to keep you as our friends.

In other quick news, the Fairways will be playing a round of shows in Japan next week…please see the groovy flier at right
for complete details. The Windmills and Simpático will be playing a few shows in May along the East Coast: Thursday the
9th in New York, Friday the 10th in Philadelphia, and Saturday and Sunday the 11th and 12th in Washington. We’ll post
complete details on these shows, plus information on new releases and June shows with Sportique and Tender Trap, in the
next web update the week of April 15th.

xx-Jimmy

Oh, is it March then? It’s difficult to tell here in Washington because it’s 80 degrees one day and 40 the next. Early March
is typically a time when I ignore everything and focus exclusively on the NCAA college basketball tournament…except this
year my North Carolina Tarheels have just ended a record streak of 20-win seasons with, believe it or not, a 20-loss season.
Accordingly, they are assured absolutely no postseason play. So I’ll be rooting for the Kentucky Wildcats and local heroes
the Maryland Terrapins (plus whichever team is playing Duke) in the Big Dance later this month, and sponsoring my own sort
of March Madness (details below) to keep me occupied.

March is a big new release month here, with albums from Simpático, Would-Be-Goods and the Lucksmiths all on tap. First
up is the debut LP from Australia’s Simpático entitled “The Difference Between Alone & Lonely” (matcd016).
Simpático is one of several projects currently occupying the time of former Sweet William vocalist and guitarist Jason
Sweeney. The smarties among you already know this, of course, having bought last year’s “Postal Museum” EP and
troubled me ever since asking when the album’s out. And now it is! Well, technically it’s out on the 11th but you can buy
one right now via our sharp new Order page. Twelve new tracks…no overlap with the EP…in lovely
digipak with photos of the Australian countryside and somebody’s dog. Complete details are now up on the
Catalog page.

Just after that on the 25th is the long-awaited third album “Brief Lives” (matcd017) from London’s Would-Be-Goods!
Jessica Griffin and co. return with a value-packed 16-track release containing no overlap with the “Emmanuelle Béart” EP
released last September on Matinée or the “Sugar Mummy” 7″ released in January on Fortuna POP! Release details are up
now on the Catalog page, and you can preorder the disc as we speak via the Order page to assure
having it in your hands as quickly as possible.

Also out March 25th is a new 14-song CD from Australian hitmakers The Lucksmiths! Entitled “Where Were We?”
(matcd019), the album compiles non-album tracks from various singles and compilation appearances onto one handy five-inch
silver disc sure to be on the shopping list of popkids everywhere. The album features six songs unreleased in the US,
including a superb new one called “A Downside to the Upstairs” with indie legend Pam Berry on backing vocals, oh yeah!
Half of the songs previously appeared on vinyl only, so those of you who are turntable-less are in for an extra bonus. Release
details are posted on the Catalog page, and you can preorder the album on the
Order page, so what are you waiting for?

If you haven’t already, you may wish to check out the recent releases from Pipas and Sportique as well. The debut 7″ from
Pipas is called “A Short Film About Sleeping” (matinée 035) and is flying off shelves around the globe. The band
played its first ever live show last month in London to an enthusiastic crowd who were also treated to a brilliant surprise set
from The Visitors! Yes, those Visitors… the ones who released a gem of a song called “Goldmining” on Sha La La
flexi way back when and then resurfaced to compile the excellent “Miss” CD (matcd003) in 2000. We look forward to future
live sets from both bands later in the year. In the meantime, hold your breath for the debut Pipas album later this year.

The bright ones among you also probably caught the Sportique outing at the Betsey Trotwood last month to celebrate
their new release “Modern Museums” (matcd015). Also flying off the shelves (and into the CMJ charts), the new album
perfectly captures the energy of Sportique’s criminally infrequent live sets. Reviewed in the latest issue of
Careless Talk Costs Lives, Everett True called the album
“immaculate in a bittersweet, madcap, loud, petulant sort of way,” adding “I want to marry it and have its children.” We agree.
Get it on CD and limited edition blue 10″ vinyl…you know you want it! Londoners can catch Sportique live on the 27th this
month with the Butterflies of Love as part of a Fortuna POP! night.

In forthcoming release news, we have the somewhat mythical debut 7″ from The Snowdrops still on the way…the
record features a cover of Tears for Fears “Mad World” along with an original called “Don’t Buy Anything” and we hope to have
a release date set by the time of the next update. The band features an extra high quotient of popstardom in the form of Keith
Girdler (Beaumont, Blueboy, etc.), Pam Berry (the Pines, Glo Worm, Shapiros, etc.) and Dick Preece (Lovejoy, Spinning
Wheels, etc.) You’ll love it.

The debut 7″ from The Liberty Ship is now also on course for release…the artwork arriving yesterday in fact so we can
get the sleeves printed. The single includes an original called “I Guess You Didn’t See Her” and a cover of “She Don’t Care
About Time” from 60’s favorites the Byrds. The band wowed the crowds in London last October when they played a Matinée
show at the Notting Hill Arts Centre. Look for release info. next month.

Also in the works, the new “Do You Dream In Colour?” EP from Airport Girl…a stunning full length from Lovejoy
called “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”…the return of The Fairways with a great new single…the legendary “R is for
Razorcuts” compilation from Razorcuts…a new EP from The Windmills called “Walking Around the World”
with (hopefully) a bonus video track…plus Matinée debuts from Kosmonaut, The Pines and The Guild
League.

In response to everyone who wrote to ask why no Matinée bands ever play in the US, we have now confirmed US visits from
The Windmills and Simpático in early May and will be booking shows along the East Coast between the
7th and 13th. Sportique plans a US tour this summer with new pop combo Tender Trap (Amelia, Rob and DJ from
Marine Research, etc…) and they will hopefully be playing dates in various places across the country. Meanwhile, The
Fairways, the only US band on the current Matinée roster, are heading to Japan for dates in April. Check back soon for
complete details.

In press news, we categorically endorse the new British magazine Careless
Talk Costs Lives, partly in support of its aim to put the NME out of business within a year but
also because the writing is refreshing and the photos are superb. In addition to the Sportique review mentioned above,
the magazine features excellent reviews of recent releases from The Windmills, The Siddeleys and
Would-Be-Goods in its first two issues.

Among the Matinée all-stars, Pinoy Central continues to dazzle…
this month featuring a great interview with Lovejoy. Don’t miss the latest from IndiePages,
Pennyblack, Tangents,
In Love With These Times,
Splendid or
Tasty either because all are capable of greatness on
a daily basis.

Finally, in accordance with the close of the college basketball season, we are having our own March Madness in the
Matinée shop, where prices on all back catalog items are reduced for one month only. We’ll be
closed the first two weeks of April so please get your orders in early. If you want to stay hip with the kids, the top sellers for
February were:

10. The Windmills – Sunlight CD
9. Lovejoy – Plays Biff Bang Pow! 7″
8. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal 10″
7. Slipslide – Sleeptalk 7″
6. Harper Lee – Go Back To Bed CD
5. Would-Be-Goods – Sugar Mummy 7″
4. Would-Be-Goods – Emmanuelle Béart cdep
3. Sportique – Modern Museums CD
2. Harper Lee – Train Not Stopping cdep
1. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″

Next update promises something really different…just you wait!

Cheers-

Jimmy xx

Hello everyone and happy February. See, I really meant it when I said I’d be doing monthly website updates this year! It’s my
mother’s birthday today and I’m quite proud of myself for, along with my five brothers and sisters, planning a surprise birthday
trip for her to visit my brother Chris who is living in Australia for two years. Coincidentally, today is also James Dean’s birthday
although he died when he was 24 and my mother is still very much alive. So exactly what does this have to do with pop music?
Nothing really…

…except that when we were arranging her travel last month, my wife and I took advantage of the insanely cheap fares to the
UK and planned a short trip to London next week to check in on the Matinée artist colony there. In addition to hanging out
with the customary glitterati, we’ll also be cheering the release of the “Modern Museums” CD and 10″ from label veterans
Sportique (image below) and the “Troublesome” 7″ from fresh signings Pipas (as you see to your left). There
is detailed information on each release up now on the catalog page and a bit more written in the
January update, which you can access via our new archive link below.

As part of the revelry, both bands are playing release parties next weekend in London, so why not stop by with your
salutations and enjoy some superb sounds while you’re at it? Pipas are playing a Stylus evening on Saturday the 16th
upstairs at the Blue Posts pub on the corner of Newman and Eastcastle Streets just north of Oxford Street (tube: Tottenham
Court Road). The hip dealers at Stylus have promised a top evening of chatting, chewing, drinking, hip-shaking, celebrating,
nudging, cavorting, and slobbering…plus the standard assortment of celebrity deejays, t-shirt decals and other treats. We’ll
have plenty of copies of the band’s fine new 7″ (matinée 035) on hand too. Entry is a mere £2, doors open at 7pm and
everything is supposed to finish up by 10 so if you’re double booked that evening why not make this your early stop?

The following day, Sportique will be launching “Modern Museums” (matcd015) at a special one-off 50 Watts of Power
presentation at the Betsey Trotwood on Farringdon Road just across from the Guardian building (tube: Farringdon). It’s a
lunchtime show, with the band playing a selection of songs from the new LP and new material from their work-in-progress
third long player at around 2pm. There’ll be a dansette soundsystem on hand and if you splash out on the wildly reasonable
entrance fee of 99p you may even get a nice bit of cake too. In reviewing the new album,
Nightshift wrote: “Sportique…sound as fresh as any bunch of
teeny punk-pop wannabes, probably because, with their doctorates and executive jobs, they simply don’t have to try to
impress anyone but themselves. It’s a lesson more bands could learn early on,” while
Tasty summarized the album as “twisted genius in
glorious stereo.” For future planning, the band will play at the Bull & Gate next month, on the 26th with the Butterflies of Love,
so mark that down in your dayplanner as it’s sure to be an electrifying affair.

While we’re on the subject of live shows, Would-Be-Goods have just scheduled a London performance for Thursday
February 21st. This is also sponsored by 50 Watts of Power and will commence at 8pm at Buffalo Bars Highbury Corner
(formerly something called Po Na Na’s, tube: Highbury & Islington). Also on the bill are a band called the Folk Orchestra
about which I can’t tell you anything aside from the description from 50 Watts which is “a lithe and loose-limbed collective of
left-field indie misfits merging monosonic music-hall minimalism and barbiturate ballads.” You’ve been warned.

Would-Be-Goods will be previewing songs from forthcoming album “Brief Lives” (matcd017) which is set for release on March
25th via Matinée and Fortuna POP! The album features 16 outstanding songs across which Jessica Griffin spins a world
peopled with crazed historical characters, mysterious cabaret performers and arch sophisticates. Lovers meet and part
before a backdrop of chromed sports cars and elegant coffee bars, soundtracked by Peter Momtchiloff’s brilliantly expressive
guitar. None of the songs appear on the band’s recent “Emmanuelle Béart” or “Sugar Mummy” singles so buy them up before
they’re gone!

Also released on March 25th is the savoury new album from The Lucksmiths! Following in the tradition of the
Australian trio’s highly popular “Happy Secret” album in 1999, “Where Were We?” (matcd019) is an assortment of non-album
tracks from singles and various artist compilations over the past three years. Fourteen tracks in total, the album features six
songs previously unreleased in the US – including a brand new composition with indie legend Pam Berry on backing vocals –
alongside favorites like “T-Shirt Weather”, “Even Stevens” and “Friendless Summer.”

Fellow Australians Simpático grace us with their debut album “The Difference Between Alone & Lonely” (matcd016)
next month also. Following the critical success of the band’s “Postal Museum” EP last year, Simpático was immersed in
listening to records by Sea Stories, the Triffids, Rabbit’s Wedding and other Australian bands from the 80’s and early 90’s.
This album is a dedication to that sound – warm, summery and melancholic tunes that reflect the harsh and dramatic
Australian landscape matched with a longing and desire for lost loves. Twelve songs – all exclusive to this release – strike the
perfect balance of guitars and electronica alongside Jason Sweeney’s wonderfully dulcet voice. Look for it on March 11th.

The Snowdrops “Mad World” 7″ (matinée 029) is still on the way, along with the debut 7″ from Nottingham’s The
Liberty Ship called “I Guess You Didn’t See Her” (matinée 036). Both feature cover versions, the Snowdrops doing Tears
for Fears and the Liberty Ship doing the Byrds. The inserts are printed for both already with a March heading so there you go…
they’ll be out next month as well! Exact details on these and the rest of the coming soon posse (Airport Girl cdep,
The Windmills cdep, Razorcuts CD, Lovejoy CD, Fairways CD…) in the March update.

The Matinée press machine continues to churn out modest results…this month’s recommended reading includes online sites
Tasty (UK) and
Pinoy Central (Philippines) in addition to bookmarked favorites
IndiePages, Pennyblack,
Tangents, In Love With
These Times, Splendid and
Aquamarine. Of special note are two Windmills interviews
recently posted…one with lead guitarist Tony Pankhurst on About
the Music and a second with vocalist and guitarist Roy Thirlwall in Pennyblack
magazine. Pinoy Central should
be publishing exclusive interviews with Lovejoy, Harper Lee and Would-Be-Goods sometime this month too.

Speaking of people we like, Berlin’s Firestation Tower
Records has been delivering releases of the utmost quality lately, most notably anything by German band Avocadoclub.
Their “Too Much Space To Walk Away” is just about the finest song I’ve heard in a long while. Buy anything with their name
on it, and while you’re at it check out the label’s other fine releases.

For anyone in Sweden or Spain experiencing difficulty finding Matinée releases, we’ve now secured distribution deals with
Benno and Delicious Goldfish in the former, and Annika and Canciones Huerfanas in the latter. Check the
Order page for links to these and many other fine Matinée merchants worldwide. Special thanks to
everyone who patronized the website with orders last month. Perhaps due to the snazzy new one-click ordering buttons… or
the ability to use PayPal… or the fact that our records really are quite good, we experienced a big increase in web sales for
which we are grateful. Just for the record, the top sellers for the month were as follows:

10. Harper Lee – Train Not Stopping cdep
9. The Pines – Dieppe Won’t You 7″
8. The Windmills – Sunlight CD
7. Lovejoy – Plays Biff Bang Pow! 7″
6. Slipslide – Sleeptalk 7″
5. Would-Be-Goods – Emmanuelle Béart cdep
4. Sportique – Modern Museums 10″
3. Would-Be-Goods – Sugar Mummy 7″
2. Pipas – Chunnel Autumnal 10″
1. Sportique – Modern Museums CD

Please note that the Matinée shop will be closed from February 12th – February 21st, so all orders received during this time
will be shipped on February 22nd. Upon our return, we will have copies of some March releases for advance sales exclusively
through the website. Until then, have a good month and hope to see some of you at the Pipas and Sportique shows.

Jimmy xx

Happy New Year! Sorry for the dearth of news lately…it’s a classic case of life getting in the way of work but rest assured
we’ve been working behind the scenes to bring you the freshest pop happening today.

First off is news of a brand new release from Sportique! Entitled “Modern Museums”, it’s a nine-track album that
perfectly captures the thrill of Sportique’s live outings. Available on CD and limited edition blue 10″ vinyl (in conjunction with
London’s Where It’s At Records), this new album finds Sportique ransacking the post-punk stylistic cabinet of Alternative TV,
Magazine, and Wire while retaining the charm of previous lives spent as Razorcuts, TV Personalities, and Marine Researchers
(among other things). Although not officially released until January 28th, we have copies of both formats (matlp015/matcd015)
available now from the Matinée online shop – which now accepts credit card payments via PayPal! To celebrate our alliance
with PayPal, we are offering 10 percent off all online orders from now
through the end of January, so take this opportunity to stock up on recent releases or back catalog items you’ve always
wanted. PayPal orders generally ship in 24 – 48 hours, so we won’t make you wait for your latest pop fix.

Also released on the 28th is the debut 7″ from London duo Pipas called the “Troublesome EP” (matinée 035). There
is quite a buzz about this band already, thanks to their “Chunnel Autumnal” 10″ mini-lp released last year on Long Lost Cousin. The duo has been favorably compared to the best
moments of Club 8, Broadcast, the Aisler’s Set and La Buena Vida…which is to say not bad company at all! The 7″ includes
new tracks “A Short Film About Sleeping,” “Troublesome” and “Fingerprints” and they’re all so magnificent it’s difficult to
choose one as the a-side so we’ve confused everybody by selecting one of the b-sides as the title of the EP. The sleeve
features lovely paintings by Pipas chanteuse Lupe on a matte cardboard jacket and the music inside is the perfect thing to
warm you up on a cold January day. We may have copies sooner than the 28th for exclusive sales so get in touch if you’re
anxious.

Halfway finished but still held up in licensing is the debut 7″ from The Snowdrops (matinée 029). You’ve heard all this
before…Keith Girdler and Pam Berry and Dick Preece…blah, blah, blah…cover of Tears for Fears “Mad World”…blah, blah,
blah. This release is quite (American quite, that is) cool, and hopefully will be ready for public consumption soon if the stars
align just right. Note to self: Stop approving cover versions of hard-to-license tracks. We’ll keep you posted…

Also nearing completion is the debut album from Australian prodigy Simpático… one of several current bands
involving former Sweet William vocalist and guitarist Jason Sweeney. The album features 12 new songs achieving the perfect
balance of guitars and electronica…it’s called “The Difference Between Alone and Lonely” (matcd016) and is a stunning piece
of work from the guy behind Matinée’s first ever release back in 1997. Reviews of Simpático’s “Postal Museum” EP last year
drew comparisons to indie legends the Field Mice, New Order, and the Smiths and anticipated the debut full length with
optimism. The wait is nearly over…look for the new CD in February in conjunction with Gifted Records of Australia.

Just back from the pressing plant but on hold for a March 25th release is the new album from London’s brilliant
Would-Be-Goods. Following their well-received “Emmanuelle Béart” EP last year on Matinée and the “Sugar
Mummy” 7″ on Fortuna Pop!, “Brief Lives” is the band’s third album and features 16 continental pop classics. A showcase
for Jessica Griffin’s enchantingly beautiful voice, the CD mixes guitar pop with piano, harpsichord, vibraphone, violin and
mandolin for a truly urbane affair.

We’re working on several other new releases, which shall remain enigmas until next time aside from their unequivocal
appearance on the following list:

…followed by new releases from The Fairways, Kosmonaut, The Pines, Melodie Group and more. Check back next
month (really!) for news on forthcoming releases plus upcoming Matinée shows on both sides of the Atlantic.

Autumn 2001 releases from Harper Lee, Would-Be-Goods, The Windmills, Lovejoy, Slipslide and Melodie Group (see
new release page for details) are all faring well in the music press…see for yourself by visiting
some of our recommended online sites: IndiePages, Pennyblack, Tangents,
In Love With These Times,
and Splendid.

Finally, we ask you the following question: What do The Strokes, baklava, Hood, Tailwagger magazine, Aztec Camera,
flotation tanks, England 5 Germany 1, Ghostworld and smoked gouda have in common? They’re all something that made at
least one of the Matinée artists smile in 2001. Find out who liked what by clicking here (and use
the information to chat up said artist next time they’re in shouting distance). Bet you didn’t know we doubled as a dating
service, did you?

Until next time, enjoy the new year and take care. Jimmy xx