Hey now! Apologies for the delay in this monthly update and also for its brevity…we had a baby last week so time is
short! Here is a quick summary of what’s happening in the world of Matinée. Please see the
previous update for further details on all new releases, and look for a proper update
in early October.

The wonderful “All Things Can Be Mended” CD (matcd033) from Harper Lee
is now out! Listen to soundclips on the sounds or catalog
page, and look for it in a shop near you or via the Matinée mailorder. Also see the latest
Tasty fanzine for a brand new
Harper Lee interview including perspectives on the new album, live shows, and the Boo Radleys!

The magnificent fourth album from Would-Be-Goods is called “The Morning After” (matcd032)
and it is also now available in a shop near you or via the Matinée mailorder. The band has
launched a brand new website and plays a live show
October 4th at Water Rats in London with Call and Response. The latest
Tasty also
features a Would-Be-Goods interview, including some words on the new album, él Records, and the challenge of
describing the Would-Be-Goods sound.

In other new release news, the outstanding second album “Inner North” (matcd034)
from Australia’s The Guild League is now available for sale! The official release date is September 27th
but we have copies now so order your copy today for the quickest delivery. It’s a keeper I promise.
See the sounds or catalog page for soundclips.

Our September artist of the month is The Windmills! I really can’t say enough about the Windmills…they
are one of my personal favorite bands and responsible for no fewer than seven distinguished Matinée releases. As
resident artist of the month, we have updated the Windmills artist page with
new content including a video for their last single “What Was It For.” We are also now accepting votes for the
Windmills favorite song poll so let us know which songs make you smile. There are lots of Windmills songs now
featured on the sounds page too, including the rare track ‘Dolphins’ taken from the
band’s 1988 debut 45. Check it out! All Windmills titles are on sale this month only at the mailorder
so take this opportunity to complete your collection because The Windmills rule okay?

On the new release horizon, look for the brand new “Everybody Hates” CD by Lovejoy and “Sleepydust” EP
from The Snowdrops, plus new releases from Pale Sunday, The Young Tradition, Pipas,
and a brand new Matinée band all in the works! More details next month I promise.

Would-Be-Goods staved off a late month rally from Harper Lee to rule the August hit parade.
Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
9. Would-Be-Goods – Brief Lives CD
8. The Siddeleys – Slum Clearance CD
7. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
6. The Liberty Ship – Tide CD
5. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
4. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
3. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD
2. Harper Lee – All Things Can Be Mended CD
1. Would-Be-Goods – The Morning After CD

The mailorder is now back to normal operation…apologies for any shipping delays the past seven days. Back in
a few weeks with a proper update!

xx-Jimmy

A very august update this month as we await the release of four splendid albums from four of our popular Matinée idols!

First up is the brilliant new CD “The Morning After” (matcd032) from beloved London
quartet Would-Be-Goods! Following the celebrated album “Brief Lives” (matcd017)
in 2002, the band expanded to a four piece lineup with Jessica Griffin (lead vocals and guitar) and Peter Momtchiloff (lead
guitar) welcoming the addition of ex-Headcoatees member Debbie Green (drums and backing vocals) and current Pipas
star Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez (bass and backing vocals).

The current lineup adds a wonderfully rich dimension to the classic Would-Be-Goods sound. The album features new
songs ‘Pantomime Devil’, ‘The Morning After’, ‘Bluebeard’, ‘Big Cat Act’, ‘Le Crocodile’, ‘Too Old’, ‘What Adam and Eve
Did Next’, ‘I Broke the Spell’, ‘The King of Lace’, ‘Miss La-di-dah’, ‘Innocent Abroad’, and ‘Dear St Valentine.’ The new
songs demonstrate that the Would-Be-Goods have lost none of their melancholy charm or wit while perfecting a classic
guitar pop sound. Although we acknowledge our proprietary bias, we still regard it as the strongest Would-Be-Goods
release to date!

You can preview “The Morning After”, “Big Cat Act” and “Miss La-di-dah” now on the sounds
or catalog pages. The album is available RIGHT NOW exclusively via the Matinée
mailorder or in shops from August 23rd, so what are you waiting for?

Also now available exclusively from the Matinée mailorder is the third album “All Things Can Be
Mended” (matcd033) from Brighton duo Harper Lee! One of the most popular
Matinée acts since release of their debut single “Dry Land” (matinée 014) in January
2000, Harper Lee has earned passionate reviews for its singles and previous albums “Go Back To Bed”
(matcd009) and “Everything’s Going To Be OK’ (matcd020).

Band members Keris Howard and Laura Bridge layer guitars, keyboards, percussion and vocals in an intricate manner
that is uniquely Harper Lee. The new album builds on the duo’s signature sound with the addition of enhanced electronica,
trumpets, and backing vocals, plus additional upbeat flourishes that recall the poppier moments from Howard’s former
bands Brighter and Hal. The album features new Harper Lee classics ‘Everybody Leaves’, ‘Left-handed’, ‘I Don’t Need To
Know About Your Wonderful Life’, ‘Let Me Know’, ‘Stupid’, ‘Autumn’, ‘Isn’t This Where We Came In?’, ‘This Is The Sound
That A Heart Makes When It’s Breaking’, ‘Everything’s Going To Be OK’ and ‘There Is A Light In Me That’s Gone’.

We are now spinning “Stupid” on the sounds page, while the
catalog page also features “Everybody Leaves” and “This Is The Sound That A Heart
Makes When It’s Breaking.” It is the strongest Harper Lee record to date, but you know you want it notwithstanding our
humble opinion so order your copy exclusively via the Matinée mailorder TODAY or from your
favorite shop from September 6th.

The latest band featured in our Artist of the Month series is the fantastic Nottingham quartet The Liberty Ship!
One of the more recent additions to the Matinée roster, they quickly made their mark with the standout singles “I Guess
You Didn’t See Her” (matinée 036) and “Northern Angel” (matinée
046) in 2002 and 2003. Early this year the band released its impressive debut album “Tide” (matcd029)
to even greater fanfare. These releases have earned the band numerous favorable reviews and comparisons to pop greats
East Village, The Weather Prophets and The Byrds. In addition, the band has contributed exclusive songs to all of the
recent Matinée compilations and has an abundance of other great songs just waiting for release. During the past two
years the band has developed its live self and now delivers spectacular but criminally rare live performances. If you’ve
missed hearing The Liberty Ship so far, you owe it to yourself to pay an immediate visit to the Matinée
sounds page. Just listen to that ‘Northern Angel’ chorus…pretty catchy eh?

To commemorate their Artist of the Month residency, we have updated the Liberty Ship artist
page with new text, links to interviews, and a poll to determine your favorite Liberty Ship song. The artist page also
features a fantastic video for ‘Northern Angel’ and a cheeky Liberty Ship FAQ for all you fan obsessives. The
sounds page now features three Liberty Ship mp3s, including a brand new exclusive song
called ‘Jackie Paper’s Dream’ which is only available for download this month. Of course all Liberty Ship titles are on sale
at the mailorder throughout August so get in on the action today because these kids are ready
to become your new favorite band.

Voters in the July Artist of the Month poll named ‘Train Not Stopping’ as the top Harper Lee song, just one vote
ahead of its b-side ‘I Could Be There For You.’ Now do you believe you need that single?
The debut single ‘Dry Land’ took third place. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Now scheduled for September release is the brand new “Inner North” CD (matcd034)
from Melbourne Australia’s The Guild League! We had some delay with the album’s artwork thanks to an
indolent Australia Post, but all seems to be sorted now so we’ll work double time to get the release back on track.

The Guild League is of course the brainchild of Tali White, respectable singer and stand-up percussionist of fellow
Melbourne trio and international jetsetters The Lucksmiths. Musically, the intricate guitar and rich cello of core Guild
League members Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez and Cressida Griffith shape the “Inner North” sound. Around this rides White’s
rhythm guitar and galloping piano, the exemplary work of drummer-about-town Marty Brown (Art of Fighting), and bursts
of brass from Guild League guru/engineer Craig Pilkington (The Killjoys). As always, Tali wraps his distinctive voice
around words that warm and chill in equal measure. The album features great new songs ‘Animals’, ‘The Storm’, ‘Trust’,
‘Citronella’, ‘Shot In The Arm’, ‘Why Wait?’, ‘Time Please Gents’, ‘Scientists’, ‘Fingers Of Sun’, ‘Falling Ovation’, ‘Where
Are You Now?’ and ‘Shirtless Sky’.

We have just added ‘Citronella’ to the updated sounds page, and you can find ‘Scientists’
and ‘The Storm’ on the catalog page. Have a listen and we think you’ll agree that this
album is even better than the Guild League’s spectacular debut “Private Transport” (matcd023)
from last year. We’ll take preorders for the album shortly so check the order page soon to get
an advance copy. The band plays three album launch shows in Australia in the next few weeks: August 21st in
Melbourne at The Corner, a free lunchtime show on September 1st in Wollongong at Wollongong Uni, and September
2nd in Sydney at Hopetoun Hotel.

In other forthcoming release news, we are perfecting the artwork for the brand new “Everybody Hates” CD
(matcd035) from Lovejoy! The master arrived at the end of last month and we
have been listening to the album nearly nonstop ever since. The first Lovejoy release since the very well received “Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire?” (matcd018) in 2002, the album features fantastic new
hits ‘Everybody Hates Us And We Don’t Care’, ‘Petrol Stars’, ‘America’, ‘Drug Autumn’, ‘Sandcastles’, ‘Sid Vicious’,
‘Nicotine & Love’, ‘Because You’re Worth It’, and ‘This Could Be An Ending’. Lovejoy previewed a few of these at the
We & You festival last month in Sweden so there is already a lot of anticipation for the album.

We’ll schedule its release for late September but should have advance copies earlier in the month exclusively via the
at the mailorder so check there for an early copy. For now, you can listen to the wonderful
track ‘Sid Vicious’ on the sounds page or go to the catalog
page to also preview ‘Everybody Hates Us’ and ‘Petrol Stars.’

Our most recent release, “This is Farewell” (matcd031) by The Fairways,
continues to receive rave reviews. Some of the choice recent quotes include Mundane
Sounds writing “the spark of brilliance that the Fairways had may never again be lit, but ‘This is Farewell’ will always
warm your soul,” Erasing Clouds observing “a showcase
of the skill of writing perfect songs, with melodies, harmonies and structures to die for, but also a running conversation
about love and loneliness and heartbreak,” and 75 or Less saying “indie pop
hasn’t sounded this tender and unspoiled since the Cat’s Miaow played their final chords some years back.

As we’ve previously reported, “This is Farewell” is the swansong Fairways release, featuring eight previously unreleased
songs, two tracks from their sold out ‘Darling, Don’t You Think?’ 45 (matinée 009), a
song from a limited split single with The Aislers Set, and two tracks from a 2001 tour CD. The album is available NOW in
shops worldwide. You can preview ‘The Back Of Her Hand’ plus ‘Winter Song’ and ‘Emily’ on the sounds
page…but just trust me on this one and save yourself some time: click here to order the CD today!

Finally, while June and July artists of the month The Lucksmiths and Harper Lee dominated the hit parade, The Fairways
still reigned supreme. Here are the top sellers for last month:

10. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
9. Harper Lee – Train Not Stopping CDEP
8. The Lucksmiths – Friendless Summer 7″
7. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
6. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
5. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
4. The Lucksmiths – Midweek Midmorning CDEP
3. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
2. The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD
1. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD

see you in September!
Jimmy
x

Ooh, we’re a bit late with the news this month but hey, it’s summer and we live at the beach! We will do our best to
keep sand out of your orders. It’s all good this month, with a fresh new release and an armload of forthcoming classics
coming your way.

Now featured on a new release shelf near you is the fantastic “This is Farewell” CD (matcd031)
from beloved San Francisco pop darlings The Fairways! One of the greatest American indiepop bands of all
time, The Fairways were one of the first artists associated with Matinée after we saw them play at the Galaxy Hut in
Arlington, Virginia back in 1998. We released their debut “Darling, Don’t You Think?” single (matinée
009) soon thereafter and hometown label Paris Caramel followed up with the album “Is Everything Alright?” a few
months later. The band toured the USA and Japan and built an impassioned following across the globe but the promise
of a second album never materialized and the band drifted apart. While bassist Jen Cohen played in fellow San Francisco
hitmakers The Aislers Set, vocalist Brent Kenji went on to form Matinée duo The Young Tradition. “This is
Farewell” is the swansong Fairways release, featuring eight previously unreleased songs, two tracks from their sold out
Matinée 45, a song from a limited split single with The Aislers Set, and two tracks from a 2001 tour CD.

The album already has a handful of fans, with Vanity
Project describing it as “autumnal pop, caught between a cooling West Coast summery jangle and an early
December be-cardiganed bowlie group cuddle,” Tasty
praising its “jaunty little buggers that seem to worm their way into your heart without much effort at all,” and
Tangents saying “This Is Farewell is exactly what it says it is; a last lingering
look and a hand raised in goodbye by a band most never knew existed. Sometimes that’s the sweetest sound of all.”

You can preview album tracks “The Back Of Her Hand” plus “Winter Song” and “Emily” now on the sounds
page. The release is available in all good record shops and mailorder emporiums now, or you can get a copy straight
from the friendly Matinée shop and we’ll send you some free postcards too! We assume all
Fairways fans are already hip to the sounds of The Young Tradition, but if not, you may wish to check out the
impressive debut “California Morning” CDEP (matinée 043) while you’re in the shop.
You will not be disappointed. There’s a preview of that on the sounds page too so have a listen.

In other top news, our July Artist of the Month is the wonderful Harper Lee! Now, I say nice things about every
artist of the month of course and usually list a few songs that are among my personal favorites from the ever-growing list
of Matinée hits but this is the ONLY month that I can truthfully say that the artist of the month has created the BEST
SONG EVER released on the label! So what is it? The debut single “Dry Land” (matinée 014)
and its equally beautiful b-side “No Happy Ending” are certainly top contenders. So is the follow-up single “Bug”
(matinée 019) and “Only Connect” from the first album “Go Back to Bed”
(matcd009). The competition really heats up with second album “Everything’s Going
To Be OK” (matcd020), with the positively spectacular songs “Fine Bones” and “I Can
Bear This No Longer.” But honestly, the third single “Train Not Stopping” (matinée 032)
is where you really get quality for your money, as it contains the celebrated title track and the exclusive “I Could Be
There For You” among its three songs. “Train Not Stopping” takes top honors for me, but the great things about Harper
Lee is that the songs are so very personal that different people are captivated by different songs. As if the five current
releases do not provide enough fodder for a favorite song list, the band is about to release an extraordinary third album
“All Things Can Be Mended” next month (see details below). The album already contains some new favorites so the
record books will surely be rewritten soon enough.

As with all of our celebrated Artists of the Month, we have updated the Harper Lee artist page
with new text, links to all interviews, and at last, a photo! The page also includes a definitive poll requesting your favorite
Harper Lee song so cast your vote and we’ll see which songs come out on top. The sounds
page now features five Harper Lee mp3s, including brand new song “Stupid” from the forthcoming album. Naturally, all
Harper Lee titles are on sale at the mailorder this month only so take advantage of the savings
to complete your collection today!

June Artist of the Month poll participants selected “Untidy Towns” as the top song by The Lucksmiths, with
“T-Shirt Weather” and “Southernmost” close behind. “The Golden Age of Aviation” and The Cassingle Revival” rounded
out the top five. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Following a relatively quiet spring release schedule, our summer POP! collection is nearly ready and here are the sizzling
details:

The spectacular fourth album from revered London act Would-Be-Goods is scheduled to finish at the pressing
plant this week! As reported previously, the album is called “The Morning After” (matcd032)
and features new songs Pantomime Devil, The Morning After, Bluebeard, Big Cat Act, Le Crocodile, Too Old, What Adam
and Eve Did Next, I Broke the Spell, The King of Lace, Miss La-di-dah, Innocent Abroad, and Dear St Valentine.

Jessica Griffin, enigmatic star of eighties cult label él records, is still at the helm, with her crew of elegant rascals – Peter
Momtchiloff, guitarist (Talulah Gosh, Razorcuts, Heavenly, Scarlet’s Well) and occasional songsmith; Debbie
Green, drummer and darling of the London nineties garage scene (Headcoatees); and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez, bass
player and co-founder of cosmopolitan East London quietists Pipas. These twelve songs demonstrate that the
Would-Be-Goods have lost none of their melancholy charm or wit but have moved beyond the ornate eclecticism of their
acclaimed third album “Brief Lives” (matcd017) to a classic guitar pop sound ranging
from new folk through tango to garage rock. Love songs to lions, frolics in the Garden of Eden, French casanovas and
personal demons await you.

You can preview “The Morning After” plus “Big Cat Act” and “Miss La-di-dah” now on the catalog
page. We are currently taking preorders for the album exclusively via the Matinée mailorder and
will begin shipping CDs the first of August. The official release date is August 23rd if you are looking in the shops. The
CD is a co-release with the excellent Fortuna POP! label in the UK so you
can chase one down there if you are so inclined.

Also scheduled for an August 23rd release is the astounding new “All Things Can Be Mended” CD (matcd033)
from current Matinée Artist of the Month Harper Lee! When we wrote about the album last month we had only
heard the demo versions of several songs, but now that the final mixes are here I can honestly report that the album is a
true masterpiece! Band members Keris Howard and Laura Bridge interplay guitars, keyboards, percussion and vocals on
ten brand new recordings entitled Everybody Leaves, Left-handed, I Don’t Need To Know About Your Wonderful Life, Let
Me Know, Stupid, Autumn, Isn’t This Where We Came In?, This Is The Sound That A Heart Makes When It’s Breaking,
Everything’s Going To Be OK and There Is A Light In Me That’s Gone.

The album delivers more of the acclaimed melancholy for which Harper Lee is so renowned, but also some upbeat
flourishes…trumpets, New Order-style electronica, and even a dash of outright lyrical optimism. While the album has
a modern feel to it, we’ll go ahead and admit that fans of the poppier moments from the Brighter and Hal back catalogs
will not be disappointed. The album also features two opportunities to hear (at last!) wonderful backing vocals from
Laura. It is the most impressive Harper Lee record to date and an essential purchase for anyone reading this update.

The sounds page features “Stupid” among the Artist of the Month mp3s, while the
catalog page also includes soundclips for “Everybody Leaves” and “This Is The Sound
That A Heart Makes When It’s Breaking.” We will take preorders for the album in early August in advance of its release
on the 23rd, so check back soon to reserve a copy.

Another imminent release is the second full length album “Inner North” (matcd034) from
Australian export The Guild League! Originally formed as a 16 member pan-pacific collaborative side project by
The Lucksmiths front man Tali White in 2001, The Guild League released the jaunty single “Jet-Set…Go!”
(matinée 039) and the wonderful debut album “Private Transport”
(matcd023) the following year. On the eagerly anticipated new album they have
condensed the line-up and geographical focus of the band. Described as “twelve songs about turning points, trust and
the sky” the album is the culmination of a fertile period of songwriting between White and guitarist Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez.
Often performing as a trio with cellist Cressida Griffith, the Guild League has built an ever-increasing following.

Musically, the intricate guitar playing of Pintos-Lopez and Griffith’s rich cello form the core of the “Inner North” sound.
Around this rides White’s rhythm electric and rough shod, galloping piano, the ever-exemplary work of drummer-about-town
Marty Brown (Art of Fighting) and bursts of brass from Guild League guru/engineer Craig Pilkington (The Killjoys). As
ever, White wraps his distinctive voice around words that warm and chill in equal measure. Having gelled as a band, The
Guild League has produced a self assured and cohesive second album. “Inner North” is unhurried, wryly humorous,
proudly diverse and humbly beautiful.

The album features great new songs Animals, The Storm, Trust, Citronella, Shot In The Arm, Why Wait?, Time Please
Gents, Scientists, Fingers Of Sun, Falling Ovation, Where Are You Now? and Shirtless Sky. We are just finalizing the
artwork and should have copies available in early August for preorder. For now, have a listen to preview track “Trust” on
the sounds page.

Switching to live news, Pipas play a single show in Sweden this week, followed by a mini-tour of the UK with
California band The Frenchmen and London act The Cut Outs (featuring members of Airport Girl and The Fat
Tulips). The Liberty Ship join them on the Nottingham date of the tour. Later this month, Lovejoy
previews songs from the forthcoming album “Everybody Hates” (matcd035) at the We
& You Festival in Sweden and The Lucksmiths play a handful of Australian dates. Finally, The Guild
League have an album launch next month in Australia. Here are all confirmed dates for July and August:

16 July: Pipas + The Honeydrips in Stockholm, Sweden @ Trädgården
21 July: Pipas + The Frenchmen + The Cut Outs in London, UK @ The Betsey Trotwood
22 July: Pipas + The Liberty Ship + The Frenchmen + The Cut Outs in Nottingham, UK @ The Rescue Rooms
23 July: Pipas + The Frenchmen + Velodrome 2000 + The Cut Outs in Sheffield, UK @ Classic Rock Bar
24 July: Pipas + The Frenchmen + The Cut Outs + The Seven Inches in Leeds, UK @ The Fenton
23/24 July: Lovejoy in Malmö, Sweden at the We & You Festival
29 July: The Lucksmiths in Ballarat, Australia @ Karova Lounge
30 July: The Lucksmiths + Paper Tiger in Adelaide, Australia @ Jade Monkey
31 July: The Lucksmiths + Mid-State Orange + Richard Easton in Melbourne, Australia @ Hi Fi Bar
6 August: The Lucksmiths + Anthony Atkinson in Hobart, Australia @ The Venue
7 August: The Lucksmiths + Anthony Atkinson in Launceston, Australia @ Royal Oak
21 August: The Guild League in Melbourne, Australia @ The Corner Hotel (album launch)

Finally, in June hit parade action The Fairways crushed the competition with their new album “This is Farewell”
(matcd031). Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Melodie Group – Updownaround CD
9. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
8. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
7. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
6. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
5. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
4. Various – Matinée 50! CD
3. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
2. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
1. The Fairways – This is Farewell CD

More news and great new music next month!

regards,
Jimmy
x

Hurrah! That familiar sound of the UPS truck struggling to make it down our narrow streets here in Santa Barbara can only
mean one thing: time for a new release! This time it is the long-awaited swansong from The Fairways called
“This is Farewell” (matcd031). One of the most beloved bands on the international
pop scene, this San Francisco quintet produced highly melodic songs coupling jangling guitars, piano, organ, flute and
strings with the melancholic voice of lead singer Brent Kenji. In one energetic burst at the turn of the century The
Fairways released a brilliant debut single and album, contributed tracks to several international pop compilations, toured
the USA and Japan, and placed a song in a mainstream Miramax film. Despite glowing reviews and an ardent following
across the globe, the promise of a highly anticipated second album never materialized and the band drifted apart. While
bassist Jen Cohen played in fellow San Francisco hitmakers The Aislers Set, Kenji went on to form the celebrated
Matinée duo The Young Tradition. The 13 tracks on this CD include eight previously unreleased songs that
formed the basis of that elusive second album, two tracks from their sold out “Darling Don’t You Think” 45
(matinée 009), a song from a limited split single with The Aislers Set, and two tracks
from a 2001 tour CD. In addition to signature Fairways originals, the album includes cover versions of songs by Japanese
pop group Three Berry Icecream, venerable American songwriter Walter Donaldson, and Scottish indie legends Jesse
Garon and the Desperadoes. You can find the CD in shops on June 28th, or get a copy right now exclusively via the
Matinée mailorder! Fairways fans in the Philippines please note that the CD is released on
Universal Records there on July 16 so look for that soon.

In other top news, the Matinée Artist of the Month for June is The Lucksmiths! As the band with whom we have
worked the longest (first release in September 1998!), The Lucksmiths are responsible for some splendid moments in the
Matinée history. Two of the band’s most popular songs, “T-Shirt Weather” and “Untidy Towns”, first saw release right
here on Matinée. During the last six years, we have released a total of eight Lucksmiths records: the “Untidy Towns” 7″
(matinée 004) in 1998, “Southernmost” 7″ (matinée 008)
and Staring At The Sky 10″ and CD (matlp004) in 1999, “T-Shirt Weather” 7″ and CDEP
(matinée 018) in 2000, “Friendless Summer 7”
(matinée 027) in 2001, “Where Were We?” CD (matcd019)
and “Midweek Midmorning” CDEP (matinée 042) in 2002, and “A Little Distraction” CD
(matcd027) in 2003. The band has also contributed exclusive cover versions to the “A Smile Took Over” EP
(matinée 005), “La Boda Guatemalteca” CDEP (matinée 034),
“Matinée 50” compilation (matinée 050), and the “Romantic and Square is Hip and
Aware” CD (matcd030), covering Boyracer, The Bedridden, The Siddeleys and The Smiths respectively.

Following a bustling 2003 touring the world in support of recent releases “Naturaliste” and “A Little Distraction,” the band
is taking it relatively easy at home in Melbourne, Australia this year. They are presently working on new songs for their
next album scheduled for release in early 2005.

As resident artist of the month, The Lucksmiths have a freshly updated artist page
with a snazzy new photo and links to countless interviews, plus we’ll be adding video clips for “Midweek Midmorning” and
“Downside to the Upstairs” shortly. The page also includes a definitive poll requesting your favorite Lucksmiths song
released on Matinée and everyone who enters has the chance to win a special prize. We’re not sure what it is yet but
we’ll find something groovy for you. The sounds page now features five Lucksmiths mp3s,
including the rare track “Boat” which was previously only available to about 150 people invited to the 2001 wedding of
Matinée mogul Jimmy and his wife Mary. We received so many requests for the song that we decided to make it
available as an mp3 to coincide with the Artist of the Month celebration. Of course, all Lucksmiths titles are on sale at
the mailorder this month only so complete your collection today. A few early titles have sold
out but we still offer most releases so get ’em while you can!

May Artist of the Month poll respondents selected “Baked Alaska” as the favorite Slipslide song, with “Sleeptalk”
and “Palm House Crawling” close behind. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Our next release is the brilliant new Would-Be-Goods album “The Morning After” (matcd032).
We’ve had a slight delay with the release due to licensing issues but all looks resolved now and the CD is moving forward
at the manufacturing plant. We should have copies available for preorder next month. As reported in May, the tracklisting
is 1. Pantomime Devil, 2. Morning After, 3. Bluebeard, 4. Big Cat Act, 5. Le Crocodile, 6. Too Old, 7. What Adam and
Eve Did Next, 8. I Broke the Spell, 9. The King of Lace, 10. Miss La-di-dah, 11. Innocent Abroad, 12. Dear St Valentine.
We believe it’s the strongest Would-Be-Goods release to date so mark this one on your shopping list as an essential
purchase. You won’t be disappointed. In the meantime, have a listen to preview tracks “Morning After” and “Miss
La-di-dah” on the catalog page.

Our friendly new postman has just delivered a wonderful CD containing demos of 10 brand new songs from Brighton duo
Harper Lee! The songs are simply magnificent and if all goes as planned the band will finish recording the
album later this month. Provisionally entitled “All Things Can Be Mended,” the album will include typically cheery songs
called I Don’t Need to Know About Your Wonderful Life, This is the Sound That a Heart Makes When It’s Breaking,
Left-handed, Let Me Know, Everything’s Going To Be OK, Stupid, There is a Light In Me That’s Gone, Everybody Leaves,
Isn’t This Where We Came In? and possibly one more. Expect signature Harper Lee melancholy with splashes of
flavor (including trumpets!) that recall the poppier moments of lead vocalist Keris Howard’s former bands Brighter and Hal.
Look for more details next month.

Other albums nearing completion include the third full length “Everybody Hates” from Lovejoy and the sophomore
effort “Inner North” from The Guild League. Watch this space for release details. The Guild League play a rare
live show this month in Australia, while Pipas embark on a mini-tour of the UK and Lovejoy heads to Sweden for a festival
appearance. Here are confirmed dates for June and July:

12 June: Pipas w/ Language of Flowers in Glasgow, Scotland @ The Winchester Club
18 June: The Guild League w/ Duckdive and Paul Greene in Melbourne, Australia @ The Empress
21 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in London, England @ The Arts Café
22 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in Nottingham, England @ The Rescue Rooms
23 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in Sheffield, England @ TBA
24 July: Pipas w/ The Frenchmen and The Cut Outs in Leeds, England @ TBA
23/24 July: Lovejoy in Malmö, Sweden at the We & You Festival

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the t-shirt poll in the May update. We are still accepting input so if you
are interested in sporting any of the Matinée bands on your chest please let us know on the
fanclub page. We plan to have a few new designs ready next month.

In May hit parade action, Pipas edged out the “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” CD for the top spot with their
new “Bitter Club” EP (matinée 052), while May artist of the month Slipslide slipped back
into the top ten thanks to some strong superlatives we threw your way in the last update. We’re a sneaky lot, no?
Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD
9. Lovejoy – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire CD
8. The Guild League – Private Transport CD
7. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
6. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
5. Matinée t-shirt
4. Various – Matinée 50! CD
3. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
2. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD
1. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP

Back in 30 days with the latest.

take care!
Jimmy
x

Hello popular music lovers and thanks for visiting the Matinée site. We’re overflowing with news this month so pour
yourself a frosty beverage and sit back for the latest.

The highly anticipated album from The Fairways is finally…at the CD plant! Perhaps not what you wanted to
hear but hey, defunct bands move rather slowly. There appears to be a lot of interest in this release and we’re sorry
for its delay but I can finally disclose the complete release details. Entitled “This is Farewell” (matcd031),
the album is a collection of 13 songs recorded between 1998 and 2004 by our favorite San Francisco band. In fact,
they are probably our favorite American band considering they are the only one currently on the label. Since they
are technically broken up, I’m not sure what that means except maybe we need a new American band. In any event,
the CD includes eight previously unreleased songs that formed the basis of the band’s unreleased second album,
plus two tracks from their 2000 debut “Darling Don’t You Think?” 7″ (matinée 009),
two tracks from a 2001 tour CD on Dogprint Records, and a song from a limited split 7″ with The Aislers Set on
Yakamashi Records. The album includes cover versions of songs by Walter Donaldson, Three Berry Icecream, and
Scottish indie legends Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes. Here’s the full tracklisting: 1. Don’t Call Me Dear, 2. The
Back Of Her Hand, 3. Catch That Man, 4. The Rain Fell Down, 5. Starstruck, 6. Winter Song, 7. Casino Lights, 8.
Nowhere To Go, 9. Little White Lies, 10. Fine Day, 11. Emily, 12. Goodbye California, 13. This Is Farewell. You can
preview three tracks on the catalog page now. Although the official release date is
scheduled for late June, we will have advance copies available exclusively from the Matinée mailorder early next
month. Watch the order page for your chance to preorder the CD in a few weeks.

Also rather exciting is the upcoming fourth album from beloved English band Would-Be-Goods! Since their
splendid last album “Brief Lives” (matcd017) in 2002, the band has evolved into a
four piece with the addition of Debbie Green (ex-Headcoatees) on drums and backing vocals and Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez
(also of Pipas) on bass and backing vocals. They join Jessica Griffin (lead vocals and guitar) and Peter Momtchiloff
(lead guitar) to form a quartet that is equally impressive live and in the studio. The full band lineup adds a wonderfully
rich dimension to the songs, and the new recordings are their best to date.

The new album is called “The Morning After” (matcd032) and features a dozen
new classics: 1. Pantomime Devil, 2. Morning After, 3. Bluebeard, 4. Big Cat Act, 5. Le Crocodile, 6. Too Old, 7.
What Adam and Eve Did Next, 8. I Broke the Spell, 9. The King of Lace, 10. Miss La-di-dah, 11. Innocent Abroad,
12. Dear St Valentine. The CD heads to the pressing plant this week so we should have copies available for preorder
in early June. We’ll announce release details in the June update. For now, you can preview “Morning After” and
“Miss La-di-dah” playing on the sounds page.

Now, before you start drafting that email complaining that you have to wait another whole month for some new music
from Matinée (my, you’ve grown quite accustomed to 15 new releases a year, haven’t you?), we do have on offer a
brand new track from Slipslide! And best of all, it is completely free! Yes sir, Slipslide is the esteemed
Matinée Artist of the Month for May. Serious students of indiepop of course remember Slipslide leader Graeme
Elston from his previous labors in The Love Parade, Pure, and Eva Luna with a half-dozen releases on respected
labels Sugarfrost and A Turntable Friend. Slipslide bandmembers Matthew Hawes, Dave Masterman and Brychan
Todd had something do with these former bands as well but I can’t really remember the details and of course it
doesn’t matter because they’re all together now in the finest collaboration of all.

Yes, the recent cries of “best Matinée album to date!” have made Slipslide smile, but seriously, have you heard “The
World Can Wait” (matcd025)? It’s really that good…just read any of the fantastic
reviews collected on its catalog page and you’ll soon realize this is an album you
need to own. It contains two songs that I might just include on my “top ten Matinée songs of all time” list. “Baked
Alaska” and “Palm House Crawling” are the two, but reviewers all seem to like different ones so apparently there is
something for everyone here. Prior to the album, Slipslide released two fine singles in 2001 – the “Four Day Weekend”
CDEP (matinée 023) and the “Sleeptalk” 7″ (matinée
031). They have contributed tracks to nearly every Matinée compilation so far, and most of them are exclusive.
The band is currently recording songs for future releases and plays a rare live date June 2nd at The Bull & Gate in
London as special guests of The Seb Clarke Big Band. Slipslide take the stage at 9pm so get there early.

As resident artist of the month, Slipslide have a freshly updated artist page with
links to interviews, a special Popquiz, and a poll about your favorite Slipslide song. The sounds
page now features three Slipslide mp3s, including an exclusive track called “Eden” to tide you over until the band’s
next release. Of course, all Slipslide titles are on sale at the mailorder this month only.
We’re including free Slipslide buttons with all orders so get going!

April Artist of the Month poll respondents selected “Radio” as the favorite Lovejoy song, with “You Fell From
Grace” and “I Dream of Angels” close behind. Thanks to everyone who voted. Lovejoy is one of several Matinée
artists in the studio right now working on new recordings. If all goes as planned, we’ll have a new album in our hands
later this summer. New songs in progress include “Nicotine And Love” (previewed in last month’s Artist of the Month
feature), “America”, “Sid Vicious”, “Everybody Hates Us And We Don’t Care”, “Petrol Stars”, “Sandcastles”,
“Because You’re Worth It”, and “A Glimpse Of Blue.” We’ll announce release details soon.

The band has just released a great 7″ on UK label Unpopular
Records which is a new project of Alistair Fitchett of the wonderful Tangents
website. The 45 includes the tracks “Strike A Pose” and “Someone To Share My Life With” … a TV Personalities
song also made famous by Creation Records band Biff Bang Pow! The single is limited to just 500 copies and we
have 20 of them available at the mailorder while supplies last. There are two different
sleeves so check the Unpopular website for details and let me know if you have a preference.

Other Matinée bands in the studio include Harper Lee, The Guild League, The Snowdrops,
Pale Sunday, Airport Girl, and The Young Tradition so look for reports on more great new
releases next month.

A few Matinée bands are forsaking the sunshine to play some live shows in dark clubs. Here are confirmed dates
so far:

16 May: The Guild League in Melbourne, Australia @ Pony (+Splendid & Sophie Koh)
22 May: The Lucksmiths in Perth, Australia @ The Rosemount Hotel (+Showbag & The Bank Holidays)
02 June: Slipslide in London, England @ The Bull & Gate (+The Seb Clarke Big Band)
12 June: Pipas in Glasgow, Scotland @ The Winchester Club (+The Language of Flowers)
21 July: Pipas in London, England @ The Arts Café (+The Shadows of Doubt & The Frenchmen)

We don’t know much about some of these bands, but apparently The Seb Clarke Big Band are an 11 piece
Indie/Northern Soul band which should be fairly entertaining. The Frenchmen and The Language of Flowers both
release records via Shelflife so of course they are good. Finally, The
Shadows of Doubt is an exciting new band who at last roll call featured indie statesmen Gregory Webster (Razorcuts,
Sportique, etc.), Peter Momtchiloff (Would-Be-Goods, Heavenly, Marine Research, etc.) and DJ Downfall (Marine
Research and Tender Trap). So that should be fun.

There are also a handful of rumored Swedish dates, including The Shadows of Doubt and Lovejoy at
the We & You Festival in Malmö on July 23 & 24, plus The Pines
at another Swedish festival in July, and maybe the first live shows from The Young Tradition in Sweden as
well. It’s apparently the place to be this summer! We will provide details on these appearances in the next update.

Our recent releases continue to procure flattering reviews, with the “Bitter Club” EP (matinée
052) from Pipas on everybody’s list. Splendid
called the band “pop’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg” while Logo
Magazine wrote “an unexpected seam of sunshine pop… like a disinterested, disheartened Pizzicato Five.” New
album reviews include All
Music Guide calling our Smiths tribute CD “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” (matcd030)
“a lovely dedication to Manchester’s favorite sons,” Aversion.com
lauding “Now Is Then” (matcd028) from The Windmills as “an unfaltering
collection of uplifting pop that demands repeat listening,” and Logo
Magazine reviewing the “Matinée 50” compilation (matinée 050) and
saying “If you’re not sure what pop means these days, lend Matinée your ears for the most interesting – and satisfying –
lesson you’ll ever have.” Check out the latest reviews on the updated catalog pages, and pick up these and other
essential new releases today.

In other press action, this month we completed a “Beginner’s Guide to Matinée” for Vanity
Project fanzine and a great interview for Swedish fanzine Try Happiness. Tasty
also just published an interview with our Brazilian friends Pale Sunday. Look for more interviews next month.

With the warm weather here to stay, our supply of Matinée t-shirts is nearly gone. We have fewer than 20 Matinée
and 20 Razorcuts shirts left and when these designs are gone they’re gone so order now if you need some
summertime threads. We are planning to make new t-shirts this summer, so if you are interested please go
here and let us know which bands you’d most like on your chest and also your size. This
will help us effectively plan t-shirt orders.

Finally, April made it four straight months atop the Matinée hit parade for the “Romantic and Square is Hip and
Aware” CD. Can anything topple this? Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. The Windmills – Now Is Then CD
9. Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD
8. Various – Matinée 50! CD
7. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
6. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
5. Razorcuts – A is for Alphabet CDEP
4. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
3. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
2. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
1. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD

See you in June!

regards,
Jimmy
x

Ahoy! Sorry for the tardy update this month but we are still getting settled in the new Matinée office. The move is over,
and we finally have all the Matinée stock in one place again. Thanks for your patience! This is a fairly short update as
we plan to resume our timely news reports next month.

As you may have noticed if you visited the site during the past week, the April Artist of the Month is Lovejoy!
One of the early signings for the label, Lovejoy released their debut “A Taste of The High Life” EP
(matinée 012) in January 2000. Later that year came the magnificent debut album
“Songs in the Key of Lovejoy” (matcd008) and a special holiday single “A Christmas
Wish” (matinée 025). The band followed up with the highly anticipated “Lovejoy Plays
Biff Bang Pow!” single (matinée 028) in 2001 and the daring “Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire” album (matcd018) in 2002. Since then, Lovejoy has contributed exclusive
songs to our recent collections “Matinée 50”, “The Matinée Autumn Assortment” (matinée
051) and “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” (matcd030). So yes, they
are a prolific bunch only limited by the size of the meager Matinée recording budget! Lovejoy are responsible for so
many fantastic moments in the Matinée history that it is really difficult to pick a highlight, but for those of you who have
not discovered their magic, we suggest that “Butter Wouldn’t Melt,” “Radio,” “Hug Me Honey” and “You Fell From Grace”
(all featured on the sounds page) may be a good place to start.

To coincide with the Artist of the Month residency, we have updated the Lovejoy artist
page with links to a bunch of interviews and the very cool “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” video produced by
Alistair Fitchett of the superb Tangents website. The page also includes a
poll about your favorite Lovejoy song and everyone who enters has the chance to win a special prize. On the
sounds page, we have added three Lovejoy mp3s, including an exclusive demo of “Nicotine
+ Love” which will feature in different form on a forthcoming Lovejoy album this summer. Finally, now is the time to
complete your Lovejoy collection as all releases are on sale at the mailorder this month only.
We’re including free Lovejoy badges with all orders so get to it! Those 7″ singles all have exclusive tracks so they won’t
last forever and you will kick yourself if you wait until they are only available on eBay.

Respondents to the Artist of the Month poll in March awarded “I Do Not Not Love You” a narrow victory over
“Summerness” as the favorite Melodie Group song. “Wildest Dream” came in third. Thanks to everyone who
voted!

In tour news, lucky Antipodeans can witness live dates with The Lucksmiths and Pipas in just ten
days! The bands hit it off at last year’s San Francisco Pop Holiday and reconvened for a handful of shows in London
and Madrid last October before hatching a plan for this series of Australian dates:

April 30th Melbourne, Australia at Corner Hotel (+ The Smallgoods & Mid State Orange)
May 1st Canberra, Australia at Tilley’s
May 6th Brisbane, Australia at The Troubadour
May 7th Sydney, Australia at The Annandale (+ The Smallgoods & The Zebras)
May 8th Katoomba, Australia at The Clarendon (Pipas & Darren Hanlon but no Lucksmiths)

For more information, check the Pipas,
Lucksmiths or Candle
Records webites. Pipas play an Australian warm-up show tomorrow (April 21st) in London at the Arts Café with
new Rough Trade band Aberfeldy so if you happen to read this in the next 24 hours and are already in London well off
you go.

Staying with Pipas for another moment, their brilliant “Bitter Club” EP (matinée
052) is still featured on a new release rack near you! In reviewing the disc,
Tangents pulled out all the alliterative punches, calling it “a perfectly
proportioned parcel of pure Pop…pocket masterpieces that light up the sky with brittle cracks of spangled
phosphorescence.” Erasing Clouds wrote “whether
Pipas are teasing you with a hint of a manic dance groove or calming you into a Sunday afternoon spent crying over
old photos, they know the path to your heart,” while
Pennyblack
concluded “quite frankly, Pipas could probably put the stations of the London Underground to music and we’d all still be
fawning over it!” Yes, we would! Check out what all the fuss is about…pick up “Bitter Club” or a copy of the freshly
repressed album “A Cat Escaped” today.

Also receiving a lot of respect is the celebrated “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” compilation
(matcd030) featuring 12 Matinée bands remaking a favorite song by 80s legends
The Smiths! In reviewing the album, Delusions of
Adequacy wrote “what makes this tribute so perfect is that these are talented bands putting their own take on
Smiths songs, giving them a fresh and new feel while showcasing the Smiths’ brilliant songwriting. And since Matinée
is at the forefront of the best modern indie-pop, the quality here is assured. In short, this is the perfect tribute to the
Smiths.” Meanwhile, Losing Today wrote a second
piece on the CD with a nice track-by-track analysis, summarizing with “all in all a beautifully gathered collection of long
forgotten memories and a long overdue reminder of some of the greatest treasures to be found in pop’s crown.” Yes sir;
believe the hype. You can see the full tracklisting and read the excellent reviews here,
or just head straight to the order page because you know you want one, right?

Also glistening are recent albums “Tide” (matcd029) from The Liberty Ship,
“Now Is Then” (matcd028) from The Windmills, “A Little Distraction”
(matcd027) from The Lucksmiths, and “Singles 1989-1992”
(matcd026) from Brighter, plus our “Matinée Autumn Assortment” CD
(matinée 051), “True Love Waits Volume Two” EP (matinée
048) from The Pines, and “California Morning” EP (matinée 043) from The
Young Tradition. Click those links to read all the latest reviews, and catch up with this essential Matinée listening
while there is a break in the new release action!

Next up on the release schedule are brilliant new albums from The Fairways and Would-Be-Goods. “This is Farewell”
(matcd031) is the swansong for San Francisco pop darlings The Fairways.
The CD is held up slightly in the art department, but the good news is that we may be adding three more tracks to the
CD! More news on the release in the May update. For now, have a listen to “The Back of Her Hand” playing on the
sounds page.

The brilliant new album “The Morning After” (matcd032) from Would-Be-Goods
is also awaiting final artwork but should be ready very soon. The tracklisting is now set as 1. Pantomime Devil, 2.
Morning After, 3. Bluebeard, 4. Big Cat Act, 5. Le Crocodile, 6. Too Old, 7. What Adam and Eve Did Next, 8. I Broke the
Spell, 9. The King of Lace, 10. Miss La-di-dah, 11. Innocent Abroad, 12. Dear St Valentine. You can preview “Morning
After” and “Miss La-di-dah” now playing on the sounds page. Look for complete release
details next month.

Ten other Matinée artists are currently in the studio, so the summer is shaping up to be our best yet!

The Matinée mailorder is closed April 28th through May 5th, but feel free to send orders anyway and we will ship
everything on the 6th. Thanks again for your support! Finally, the March hit parade confirms that “Romantic and Square
is Hip and Aware” is tops!

10. Various – The Matinée Spring Collection! CD
9. Various – Matinée 50! CD
8. The Windmills – Now Is Then CD
7. The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD
6. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
5. Various – The Matinée Summer Splash! CD
4. The Liberty Ship – Tide CD
3. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
2. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
1. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD

See you next month with more news.

adios,
Jimmy

Hi again! We are moving the Matinée office eight blocks away this month so things are a bit less organized than usual.
It’s all good though, because by the end of the month we will have consolidated stock from our former DC and current
Santa Barbara offices into hopefully one ultra organized stockroom. Future orders should practically mail themselves!
We have some exciting news to share before the computer packs up for the move so here goes:

Poking its head into the world in the midst of this chaos is the brand new CDEP from London superstars Pipas!
Entitled the “Bitter Club” EP (matinée 052), the single features great new songs Mental,
Bitter Club, Sixten, Minilife, Jean C and South (bend-able mix). The early reviews are in, with the infallible
Tasty saying “quite simply, there’s no one to touch Pipas at the moment
for bitter sweet pop… ‘Jean C’ might be the best song you’ll hear this year…yet another triumph for both Matinée and
Pipas.” The wonderful Vanity Project
has also piped in, remarking “caught in the breeze blowing a Sarah/C86 delicate flower beauty toward glitchy
disfigurement, they actually create something quite startling. Both the gloss and twinkle of ‘Mental’ as well as the cute
lethargy of ‘Bitter Club’ showcase the duo’s overriding romance and gentleness.” Our friends at
Friends of the Heroes concur, saying “Bitter Club contains a
distinctive charm that comes from the contrast between the almost apologetic but irrepressibly exuberant nature of the
band.” So, another hit for Pipas, another hit for Matinée. Are you surprised? “Jean C” and “Bitter Club” are now playing
on the sounds page so have a listen because this is perhaps the strongest Pipas release to
date and a sign of some very good things to come.

In other top news, the March Artist of the Month is Melodie Group! With four releases, a handful of compilation
appearances, and two live sets over the past four years, Melodie Group may not be the most outspoken artist on the
Matinée roster but they certainly have earned a lot of respect among fans and the music press. The key is superb
songwriting and the dulcet tones of Mr. Roy Thirlwall’s voice. We happen to think they are brilliant…in fact if forced to
make a list of the best songs EVER released on the label, “You’ve Got The Whole of the World In Your Mouth” and
“Summerness” would both be hovering near the top which is quite impressive given that the competition is somewhere
nigh on 500 songs. For those who have only heard Melodie Group’s gender-bending cover of Would-Be-Goods’
“Emmanuelle Béart” on the “Matinée 50” CD, there is a whole lot more to discover. To coincide with the Artist of the
Month residency, we have updated the Melodie Group artist page with new
text, images, and a link to a new band weblog. The page also
includes a month-long poll about your favorite Melodie Group song and everyone who enters has the chance to win a
special prize. On the sounds page, we have added four Melodie Group mp3s, including
exclusive track “Hamlet” which was recorded at the same time as the “Matinée 50” contribution last summer. Finally,
now is your chance to complete your Melodie Group collection as all releases are on sale at the
mailorder this month only. We’re also including free Melodie Group badges with all orders!
There are two designs available…pink Raincoat or yellow logo so let us know if you have a preference.

We had a huge response to the February Artist of the Month poll, with nearly 100 votes cast for the favorite Pipas
song on Matinée. “Barbapapa” took top honors (27 votes), with “Cruel and Unusual” (11), “A Short Film About Sleeping”
(10), brand new song “Jean C” (9) and “Rock and/or Roll” (7) rounding out the top five. Thanks to everyone for voting. The
lucky prize draw will happen this week so cross your fingers and watch your inbox for notification because somebody
will win a special Pipas prize very soon.

Switching to our smashing recent releases, the praise keeps pouring in for the “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware”
(matcd030) compilation. Featuring Matinée all-stars The Guild League, The Liberty
Ship, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths, Pale Sunday, The Pines, Pipas, Simpático, Slipslide, The Snowdrops, Would-Be-Goods
and The Young Tradition performing cover versions of Smiths classics, the album is on course to be one of the biggest
label releases to date. In one of its final reviews, the esteemed writers at In Love With
These Times (the incomparable south London webzine that wrote so many spot-on reviews of Matinée releases over
the years) said “this record is a present. It has been put together with love and yes it will also send you scurrying back
to your Smiths records and if you think that’s a bad thing then there is little we can do for you.” Meanwhile, the hip folks
at Losing Today reported “Romantic and Square is Hip and
Aware collects together 12 swooning cover versions of old Marr/Morrissey favourites by some of the catchiest dudes
around and featuring among others the delightful Pines, the Lucksmiths, Simpático and the Liberty Ship. Believe me
you will not be disappointed.” Finally, the ever-enthusiastic Mundane
Sounds concluded “This is, hands down, the best and most worthy tribute record I’ve heard in years.” Right on Joe!
So believe these experts and the multitude of other reviews collected here. There are
soundclips by Pale Sunday, The Guild League and The Snowdrops up on the catalog and sounds
pages if you want to try before you buy, but come on, can you really resist this gem?

The debut album “Tide” (matcd029) from The Liberty Ship is quickly earning
acclaim in all the right places. The latest converts include Splendid,
which wrote “The Liberty Ship are nothing like rock stars, and that lack of attitude helps to make them one of the best
acts going today. The music makes your feet tingle, then dissipates, barely remembered — but each time you revisit it,
it will seem warmer, more comfortable and more essential to your life.” English e-zine
Vanity Project said “Nottingham-based
Liberty Ship’s debut album exudes a calm and understated jolliness with chiming and jangling guitars ruling the roost
pretty much all the way through,” while the usually loquacious In Love With These
Times summarized the album with a Joy Division reference by saying “somewhat inevitably therefore, the Liberty
Ship tear us apart.” The album continues to be a top seller in the Matinée shop so check out
the hit “Baseball Caps and Novas” now playing on the sounds page and order your copy today!

The latest release from The Windmills – their third album “Now Is Then” (matcd028) –
is also turning lots of heads lately. Our lovely hosts IndiePages, after a thorough analysis of the album,
concluded “Favorite Windmills record to date. Just about all the songs here are gems, but ‘Beach Girls 1918’ is easily
the band’s best song yet!” Meanwhile, Pop
Matters offered this piece of advice: “The Windmills have returned with another album that still has all the greatness
of previous records without repeating themselves too often. If you like British pop, or just outstanding yet meticulous pop
in general, do yourself a favor!” We happen to think The Windmills are one of the most talented bands going today so if
you have not yet discovered their magic, head straight to the sounds page and have a listen
to album cuts “Now Is Then,” “Something Spring” and “Summer Snow,” and then imagine eight more equally brilliant
songs waiting for you on the album. We suspect you’ll make the right move. The Windmills rule, OK?

We knew the “True Love Waits, Volume 2” EP (matinée 048) from south London duo
The Pines would be an instant favorite among Matinée fans, and the word continues to spread among press
types too. In reviewing the single, Vanity
Project recently wrote “An unexpected delight. Five just wonderful examples of modern folk behaviour with wry,
intelligent lyrics and an uncomplicated musical style reminiscent of Camera Obscura.”
Splendid commented “In a world
that offers little consolation to the shy, quiet and bookish, records such as this should be celebrated, while
Losing Today concluded “simply gorgeous as if you needed
telling.” Check out “Anita O’Day” now playing on the sounds page. We’ll be chatting up
The Pines for more recordings sometime soon.

Still squarely in the coming soon category is the excellent “This is Farewell” CD (matcd031)
by San Francisco quintet The Fairways! The band was one of Matinée’s first associations, releasing their debut
“Darling Don’t You Think?” single (matinée 009) nearly four years ago. We are still
perfecting the artwork for the new album, but the tracklisting is now set as follows: 1. Don’t Call Me Dear, 2. The Back
Of Her Hand, 3. Catch That Man, 4. Starstruck, 5. Winter Song, 6. Nowhere To Go, 7. Little White Lies, 8. Fine Day, 9.
Emily, 10. Goodbye California, 11. This Is Farewell. You can preview three tracks on the catalog
page now. We will announce release details in the April update. Brent Kenji of the band is also busy finalizing
recordings for the debut album from his new band The Young Tradition, so stay tuned for news on that as well.

Also in the coming soon category is the welcome return of London quartet Would-Be-Goods! The first release
since their magnificent “Brief Lives” (matcd017) album in 2002, the band is finalizing
artwork on a brand new fourth album “The Morning After” (matcd032) as we speak. In keeping with “Brief Lives” and prior
albums “Mondo” and “The Camera Loves Me,” the songs from this new album tell a story of the colorful characters so
abundant in the world of Would-Be-Goods. Although we are still deciding the final tracklisting, songs include: 1.
Pantomime Devil, 2. Morning After, 3. Big Cat Act, 4. Bluebeard, 5. Le Crocodile, 6. Too Old, 7. What Adam and Eve Did
Next, 8. I Broke the Spell, 9. Miss La-di-dah, 10. Innocent Abroad, 11. Dear St Valentine and 12. The King of Lace.
We previewed “Morning After” on the recent autumn sampler (matinée 051), and have
just added “Miss La-di-dah” to the sounds page so have a listen and get ready for a
splendid release this spring!

The new “Sleepydust” CDEP (matinée 053) from English trio The Snowdrops is
also progressing nicely. Following 2003’s magnificent “Mad World” 7″ (matinée 029) and
celebrated contributions to the “Matinée 50” and “Romantic and Square is Hip and
Aware” (matcd030) compilations, The Snowdrops have returned to the studio with an
abundance of songs vying for a spot on the new four track EP. So far they have completed the brilliant title track, which
showcases Keith Girdler’s magnificent voice, the sophisticated instrumentation of Dick Preece, beautiful melodies from
the unparalleled Pam Berry, and a decided influence of prime era Pet Shop Boys. We have added the song to the
sounds page to get you excited about this new release, and will confirm the release date
and other details shortly. Hooray for The Snowdrops!

As reported in previous updates, other Matinée bands currently in the studio include Lovejoy, Harper Lee,
The Guild League, Pale Sunday, The Young Tradition, Gregory Webster, and Airport
Girl, so 2004 is shaping up to be our best year yet!

In mailorder news, we have repressed the sold out “Where Were We? compilation (matcd019)
from The Lucksmiths and “A Cat Escaped” (matcd021) from Pipas,
so if you were looking for a copy we now have fresh supplies. Harper Lee‘s “Go Back To Bed”
(matcd009) is currently sold out, but we will repress it shortly. Several more singles
are very close to selling out too, but these will not be repressed so order now if you want something.

We are moving the week of March 20th and will have sporadic email access through the end of the month as Verizon
figures out how to provide DSL service at the new address. Apologies in advance for any delays. The post office box will
remain the same. We’ll leave you with the results of the February hit parade, which prove that a little artist of the month
discount goes a long way encouraging sales. Now, get along and complete your Melodie Group collections today!

10. Harper Lee – Everything’s Going To Be OK CD
9. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
8. The Liberty Ship – Tide CD
7. The Windmills – Now Is Then CD
6. Various – Matinée 50! CD
5. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
4. Pipas – A Short Film About Sleeping 7″
3. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
2. Pipas – Bitter Club CDEP
1. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD

Until next time,

Jimmy
x

Sorry for the late website update this month but we are just finalizing the sale of a house and the purchase of another
on opposite coasts of this very large country and, as a magnificent band from Manchester once sang, these things
take time…

…this of course sets me up nicely to report on the unbelievable response to our brand new tribute CD “Romantic and
Square is Hip and Aware” (matcd030). The CD features current Matinée pinups
The Guild League, The Liberty Ship, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths, Pale Sunday, The Pines, Pipas, Simpático, Slipslide, The
Snowdrops, Would-Be-Goods and The Young Tradition performing cover versions of songs originally performed by our
favorite band of all time – The Smiths!

The songs chosen span the illustrious Smiths career, including recordings from 1983 (This Night Has Opened My Eyes,
Back To The Old House), 1984 (Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want, That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore), 1985
(Bigmouth Strikes Again, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, I Know It’s Over), 1986 (Panic, Ask) and 1987 (Sweet
and Tender Hooligan, Sheila Take A Bow, Girlfriend In A Coma).

We created the CD to pay respect to the brilliance of The Smiths and to mark the 20th anniversary of their debut album.
Some people will undoubtedly miss the point but in the end it was a lot of fun to create and a nice way for us to say
thanks. The wonderful Italian webzine Indiepop.it recently contacted us and
interviewed all the bands for a nice feature on the release, so click
here to read more about our collective thoughts on
The Smiths and the new CD. Mille grazie Salvatore and Alessandro!

Among the many excellent album reviews so far, our favorite quotes include:

“Bands you love covering the songs of a band you love equals a unique pleasure that’s hard to describe. Romantic and
Square Is Hip and Aware is one of those rare tribute albums that makes you remember how much you love the original
musicians and makes you love the interpreters even more at the same time.” –
Erasing Clouds (USA)

“Only Matinée bands could pull something like this off. And, by crikey, they have.” –
Tasty (UK)

“The fact that “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” is another matter is clear from the first seconds of song one.
From that moment you know that the right place for it is in the same filing row of “The Queen is Dead”. –
Indiepop.it (Italy)

“This is a collection that doesn’t allow admiration (or indeed adulation) get in the way of a good time; is an artful nod and
a wink instead of a deferential grovelling. And for this we should be more than happy.” –
Tangents (UK)

“Needless to say the brave Matinée artists paying tribute to this legendary band had their work cut out [and] met this
challenge head on.” –
Friends of the Heroes (UK)

To see the tracklisting, read reviews, and listen to soundclips, visit the catalog page.
The CD is available now at your favorite record shop or online music emporium, and if they do not carry Matinée releases
then you can always order directly from our handy order page for same day shipping.

Also still shining on the new release racks is the debut long-player from Nottingham quartet The Liberty Ship!
The 12-track album “Tide” (matcd029) remains on heavy rotation at Matinée HQ and
has made a few friends in the music press too. Tasty described it as “a
mighty album in its own right [that] doesn’t need comparison with anything else, because, let’s be honest about it…this
album could just about be the best place for anyone to start listening to indie pop music.”
Friends of the Heroes called it “intelligent pop at its best,” while
Tangents said “a blend of minor chord melancholy and steel toed sharpness,
Tide is an album that sits neatly beside labelmates The Windmills’ offerings of bittersweet melodies whilst casting a
glance over its shoulder at the bedroom Pop of, say, White Town.” The album is one of the top sellers in the
Matinée shop so get over there or to your favorite groove merchant to secure your own copy.
The brilliant track “Baseball Caps and Novas” is now playing on the sounds page if you’d like
to try before you buy.

The second installment in our Matinée Artist of the Month series features Pipas! As February artist of
the month, Pipas have contributed a wealth of new information to their artist page
including new interviews and several video clips. We are also featuring Pipas mp3s on the sounds
page, a sale on all Pipas titles at the mailorder, and a special poll about your favorite Pipas song
where everyone who enters has the chance to win special limited edition Pipas ephemera. The prize is a secret but you
would be delighted to win so go here to enter your vote.

Voters in the January Artist of the Month poll selected “School Life” as the favorite Simpático song, narrowly
edging out “Train Not Stopping”, “The Postal Museum”, “Union Station” and “Let Him Go.” Thanks to everyone who cast
a vote.

To further celebrate all things Pipas, on February 23rd we are releasing their brand new “Bitter Club” EP
(matinée 052) featuring six fantastic new songs in the chord of bitter. Lead track
“Mental” is like the bitterness of going to a party after realizing that you’re not really going to be there…”Bitter Club”
features Mark rolling out backwards guitar and slicing the vocals all My Bloody Valentine-like…”Sixten” is a dance hit
reminiscent of those classic early Bananarama collaborations with Fun Boy Three – all echoed vocals and protagonist
beats…”Minilife” is short and to the point; guitar and voice au naturel…”Jean C” is a bitter love song, hopelessly hard
core Pipas with nice harmonies…and “South” (bend.able mix by Pandatone) is a track taken from the recent Annika
album Golden Square and transformed into a music box reverie, full of uncoiled springs and bursting water pipes, by the
wonder of Pandatone. So, six new songs masquerading as a mere single…top quality and quantity from the world of
Pipas and a celebration of their upcoming back-to-back February birthdays. What better way to celebrate than with a
brilliant new release and Matinée artist-of-the-month residency? You can preorder the EP now exclusively from the
Matinée mailorder, or ask your usual pop junkie for it starting the 23rd.

We’ve no real news to report on the rest of the coming soon releases, except that the next two should be the swansong
LP “This is Farewell” (matcd031) from San Francisco pop darlings The Fairways,
and the brand new “Sleepydust” single from Brighton pop purists The Snowdrops! The tracklistings are not yet
final but we will have full release details in the next update for sure. We have two Fairways songs currently featured on
the sounds page and will add Snowdrops songs to the page later this month. Lots of bands
are in the studio as we speak so the springtime release schedule is shaping up nicely.

Fantastic autumn releases from The Windmills (matcd028), The
Lucksmiths (matcd027), Brighter (matcd026),
The Pines (matinée 048) and The Young Tradition
(matinée 043), plus our latest label sampler “The Matinée Autumn Assortment”
(matinée 051), continue to generate excellent reviews. We are giving you a short break
in our otherwise relentless release schedule so take this opportunity to catch up on some top quality pop. See the
catalog and order pages for the latest reviews and ordering
information.

If you are looking for scoop on Matinée artists, you’re in luck this month with seven features just published! Check out
interviews with The Lucksmiths in
Pennyblack
Magazine (UK) and Britpop Arsenal (Germany), a nice article in
Ya No Puedo Mas (Spain) crowning Pam Berry of
The Pines “Indie Pop Queen,” a lovely chat with The Liberty Ship in Tasty
fanzine (UK), an interview with Sean Price of Airport Girl in Pennyblack
magazine (UK), and an interview with Pipas in The
Belle Music (Spain).

We also completed Matinée interviews this month with Pennyblack
(UK) and In Love With These Times (UK) so visit their fine sites to read all the latest
gossip…we even told them things we haven’t reported here! If you’re one of those people who like to stay at home
instead, we have copied the interviews to our very own archive page.

Over in the reliable mailorder department, the “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” CD helped incite a tremendous
January. Here are the top sellers for the month:

10. Harper Lee – Go Back To Bed CD
9. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
8. The Lucksmiths – Where Were We? CD
7. Various – Matinée 50! CD
6. Pipas – A Cat Escaped CD
5. The Windmills – Now Is Then CD
4. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD
3. The Liberty Ship – Tide CD
2. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
1. Various – Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware CD

More news next month!

Jimmy
x

Happy New Year!!! Matinée had its best year yet in 2003 with 17 great new records, but we are even more thrilled
about our 2004 release schedule. In addition to reports on all the new releases, this month we offer you a brand new
website feature, exclusive new sounds, lists of 2003 favorites from Matinée artists and the results of the second annual
Matinée fanclub poll, so let’s get to it!

The foremost release of the year is the brilliant debut album “Tide” (matcd029) from
The Liberty Ship! The album builds on the celebrated “I Guess You Didn’t See Her” 45 from 2002 and last
year’s “Northern Angel” CDEP, which together earned the Nottingham four piece comparisons to pop greats The Byrds,
East Village, Weather Prophets, The Rain Parade, Go-Betweens, Beachwood Sparks, and Hurrah! The dozen songs on
this new album feature chiming guitars, brilliant melodies, and catchy choruses that further demonstrate the impressive
songwriting of this band. Mixed male and female vocals, clever bits of electronica, tambourines and harmonica combine
for one strong debut album. The tracklisting is: 1. Finer Feelings; 2. Chords Drag You Down; 3. Final Kick; 4. Precious
Time; 5. Coast; 6. Cabin Fever; 7. Shine On; 8. Baseball Caps and Novas; 9. I’ll Try; 10. Stars Above; 11. Actually; 12.
Yuri Gagarin. You can preview three of the songs on the current sounds page, or trust us
and just add it to your shopping cart. Have we let you down yet? It’s available now exclusively via the
order page and in shops worldwide on the19th.

Our report last time about the “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” compilation
(matcd030) engendered discussion on numerous websites. A daring and impressive
tribute to legendary mid-80s English band The Smiths, the album is now set for release! Arguably one of the finest pop
groups of all time, The Smiths released an impeccable collection of records between their debut in 1983 and their
swansong in 1987. Among their many fans are several top Matinée artists, so we invited twelve of them to pay respect
to the brilliance of The Smiths and mark the 20th anniversary of their debut album with this sincere tribute.

Borrowing a title from the run-out groove of the “William, It Was Really Nothing” single, “Romantic and Square is Hip and
Aware” provides solid interpretations of Smiths classics by current Matinée artists from England, Australia, Brazil,
Sweden and the United States. The contributors include The Pines, with a jangly version of the hit “Ask”;
Pale Sunday, providing a magnificent bossa-nova/shoegaze reworking of “I Know It’s Over”; The Lucksmiths,
who approach the mighty “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” as a duet and come out smelling of roses;
Slipslide, with an expertly crafted cover of “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”; Pipas,
adding a dance beat to the early classic “This Night Has Opened My Eyes”; Lovejoy, contributing an admirable
cover of “Girlfriend In A Coma”; Would-Be-Goods, with an unforgettable version of “Back To The Old House”;
The Young Tradition, putting their polish on an untraditional version of “Sheila Take A Bow”; Simpático,
with a convincing rendition of “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”; The Guild League, glam-ing up the already glam
hit “Panic”; The Liberty Ship, attacking the rollicking “Sweet and Tender Hooligan” in fine fashion; and The
Snowdrops, with a splendid live recording of “Bigmouth Strikes Again”.

Created with immense reverence for the band, the album is a passionate tribute to the most influential pop band of the
past 20 years. We have copies available exclusively through the mailorder now, or look for it
in shops on January 26th.

Also new for 2004 is a special website feature called Artist of the Month and we are kicking off this spotlight with
the very wonderful Simpático! One of the personas used by Jason Sweeney after
the demise of his band Sweet William in 1999, Simpático has expanded to a full four-piece lineup for 2004! We can only
wonder how rich the resulting recordings will sound, and suspect we’ll not have to wait too long to find out. As resident
artist of the month, Simpático has a freshly updated artist page with new text,
band photo, a favorite song poll and a video clip! You’ll also need to check out the sounds
page, where we have added three brilliant Simpático mp3s for your listening pleasure. The songs are “School Life” (taken
from the album “The Difference Between Alone & Lonely”), “Garden Greene” (from the “Club Life” EP) and a brand new
exclusive mp3 for “100 Ways To His Heart” which you’ll only find here for a limited time. It is a fantastic new song and
Jason has even made a sleeve in case you want to download the track and make
your very own CD! Finally, all Simpático releases are on sale throughout the month on the order
page so you have no excuse for not completing your collection today! We’ll have a featured artist each month this year,
so stay tuned.

First up in the coming soon category is the welcome return of Pipas with six great new songs collected as the
“Bitter Club” EP (matinée 052)! Their album “A Cat Escaped”
(matcd021) has been a top seller since its release 15 months ago, and this new
release should expand their fanbase even further. The tracklisting is: 1. Mental, 2. Bitter Club, 3. Sixten, 4. Minilife, 5.
Jean Cocteau, and 6. South (bend-able mix). So, that’s six exclusive new songs for a top quality release that you won’t
want to miss! We are featuring “Jean Cocteau” on the updated sounds page, so get hip to it
now because they are talking about it at all the coolest parties. The EP is released in mid-February to coincide with two
Pipas birthdays, but don’t say I told you…

We are also nearing completion on a full length release from beloved San Francisco pop group The Fairways!
The band was one of the first associated with the label, releasing their debut and our 9th single – the “Darling Don’t You
Think” 7″ (matinée 009) – nearly four years ago. The band co-released the fantastic “Is
Everything All Right” album on Paris Caramel and Shelflife later that same year, and contributed tracks to a few
compilations before band members went on to play in the Aislers Set and The Young Tradition. This new release serves
as the band’s swansong, and is appropriately titled “This is Farewell” (matcd031). The
album combines five unreleased gems (Emily, The Back of Her Hand, Don’t Call Me Dear, Goodbye California, and
Starstruck) with non-album tracks (Nowhere To Go, This Is Farewell, Winter Song, Fine Day, and Little White Lies) from
sold out singles and compilations. There may be one more song added, but we are still trying to locate the master so
the final tracklisting is forthcoming. In any event, this should be a highlight for many this year and we are thrilled to
release it on Matinée! One listen to the brilliant song “The Back Of Her Hand” now playing on the
sounds page should be all it takes to place this album on your future shopping list, so have
a listen! We will confirm the release date next month.

On the springtime horizon, watch for the return of The Snowdrops with their “Seven Days to Perfect Skin” CDEP,
a new mini-lp from Lovejoy, the debut long-player from our latest superstars The Young Tradition, and
the return of Harper Lee. More details on these releases and others next month.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the second annual fanclub poll last month! We
had an excellent turnout with nearly 130 votes cast. In the singles category, Razorcuts took top honors with the
“A is for Alphabet” EP (50 votes), while The Young Tradition‘s “California Morning” EP (34) came in second and
Pale Sunday‘s “A Weekend with Jane” EP tied with The Pines‘ “True Love Waits Volume Two” EP for
third (33 votes each). Hurrah for our newest bands, eh?!

The coveted album of the year goes to the “Matinée 50” compilation (55 votes), followed by Brighter‘s
“Singles 1989-1992” (48) and The Lucksmiths‘ “A Little Distraction” (39). We also surveyed to identify your
favorite songs from Matinée 50, and the top five are: The Lucksmiths – Falling Off Of My Feet Again (25), The Fairways –
Sunday, Lovely Sunday (17), Gregory Webster – Untidy Towns (11), Harper Lee – Motorway (9), and Would-Be-Goods –
Southernmost (9).

In the favorite band category, The Lucksmiths had a strong showing at number one (69 votes), followed by
Harper Lee (30), Pipas (29), Brighter (24) and Razorcuts (22).

As expected, there was little consensus on the favorite song ever released on Matinée, with 158 different songs receiving
at least one vote. In the end, ten songs emerged with more than five votes each, so top honors this year go to “T Shirt
Weather” by The Lucksmiths (18 votes), “Untidy Towns” by The Lucksmiths (13), “Sunday, Lovely Sunday” by Edson
(12), “Train Not Stopping” by Harper Lee (9), “The Golden Age of Aviation” by The Lucksmiths (9), “Darling, Don’t You
Think?” by The Fairways (8), “Jade” by Razorcuts (7), “Barbapapa” by Pipas (6), “Sunshine Thuggery” by The Siddeleys
(6) and “California Morning” by The Young Tradition (6).

Congratulations to all the Matinée bands and thanks to everyone who entered! The lucky winner of the five CD prize pack
is a very nice chap called William Serpas. Congratulations! Wish you had won? Then why not sign up for the
fanclub to stay hip to this sort of thing?

Query: what in the world do Mosquitos, Bridget Riley, Cat Power, Love, Groove Armada, the Soft Pop tour, Broadcast,
The Legends, The Hours, Anita O’Day, The Man Without a Past, and City of God have in common? They’re favorites of
at least two Matinée artists from 2003, of course! Check out the complete rundown of what makes your favorite artists
smile by clicking here. Additional lists coming soon.

Switching now to autumn releases, The Windmills superb album “Now Is Then” (matcd028)
continues to pile up accolades in the music press. Tangents
summarized it as “shivering guitars, subdued infectious tunes, a beatific undertow that will drag you up to the stars, lines
of words that coyly wrap themselves around your spine and squeeze your heart tight. Thank God for the Windmills.”
Thank God indeed! Friends of the Heroes concluded “you know that
you are listening to a quality recording as soon as you hear the first few bars,” while
Erasing Clouds said “Now Is Then is a rich, deeply
rewarding experience masquerading as just another pop album.” Finally, In Love With
These Times reported “while the ‘feel’ of “Now Is Then” remains inspired by the great, mellifluous guitar bands of the
ages – like Brisbane’s Go-Betweens or Glasgow’s The Orchids – many of the songs also remind us of the Morrissey band
around the times of “Sunny” or “Boxers” – unassuming but carefully tempered reminders of a great English tradition, atop
which Roy Thirlwall’s deep voice drips semicircles of detached irony.” The album is the strongest release by the band to
date so believe the hype and get yourself a copy now!

Now Brighter is a band that is so celebrated you may not need further evidence of their greatness, but further
evidence we’ll give you. One of the nicest things about their “Singles 1989-1992” collection (matcd026)
is that it makes their long out-of-print recordings for Sarah Records available again for anyone who missed them the first
time around. In particular, we’ve heard from a lot of Harper Lee fans who never heard Brighter until now and are thrilled
to finally own the 15 songs on this CD. The album has enjoyed exceptionally positive reviews as well, with
IndiePages recently calling it “essential for any fan of heartbreakingly beautiful indiepop,”
Splendid describing the “music
as gorgeously sad as it was gently uplifting,” and Friends
of the Heroes concluding “their talent shines through song after song and unlike many compilations, they gel
together well giving this album a very complete all round effect.” The packaging is lovely too so there’s really no reason
not to own this, right?

The Pines seem to be at the top of their game lately, thanks in part to the excellent “True Love Waits Volume
Two” CDEP (matinée 048) released in October. Some of the most respected minds in
the business have been singing their praises too, with the venerable Tangents
writing “The Pines of course are Pop, and this ‘True Love Waits, Volume Two’ is finely in the tradition of the great Pop
EP…with heads full of high neck dresses and Buddy Holly glasses they deliver gently sharp and smart mementoes of a
past they are too young to remember.” Meanwhile, those smart lads at In
Love With These Times suggested “True Love Waits Volume 2″ is of course the sound of Belle and Sebastian
gambolling in the, er, Foxgloves, with folk harmonies, an obvious fondness for wordplay and some smashing guitar
work.” Right on. The band is surely working on new songs as we speak so stay tuned for the latest news.

Label samplers often get ignored by reviewers who prefer to focus on proper albums instead, but we are happy to report
that our latest “Matinée Autumn Assortment” sampler (matinée 051) is so good
that we can barely keep up with the reviews. Mundane
Sounds suggested “more samplers and compilations need to take a lesson – all of these songs are winners, but, of
course, that Matinée logo should already tell you that,” while All Music Guide
said “a nice introduction to the label, a must for Matinée devotees, and more proof that the Matinée crew knows the
score.” Finally, in comparing Matinée to a fashion company unveiling their clothes for the season,
Erasing Clouds praised the “gorgeous songs that
are as intelligent and emotion-filled as they are catchy and pleasing on the ear.” Yes sir, this one’s a winner.

In recent interview action, you can catch up with Graeme Elston of Slipslide and Pam Berry of The Pines
in Tasty fanzine, Gregory Webster of Sportique and
Razorcuts at Pixelsurgeon, and
Mark Monone and Tali White of The Lucksmiths in Pennyblack
Magazine. There is also a neat article in Think Small
featuring a joint interview with Matinée and Shelflife about our recent 50th celebrations and pop in general. If you don’t
read Dutch, there is an English translation of the Matinée interview on the archive
page.

Finally, thanks for all your orders last month at the mailorder! There are numerous new items, including some on
affiliated labels, so go here for the latest. In a combined November/December hit parade,
Brighter retained the top spot despite a strong challenge by the “Autumn Assortment” sampler.
Here’s the top ten:

10. Razorcuts – R is for Razorcuts CD
9. Various – The Matinée Summer Splash! CD
8. The Guild League – Private Transport CD
7. The Windmills – Now Is Then CD
6. The Young Tradition – California Morning CDEP
5. Various – Matinée 50! CD
4. The Pines – True Love Waits, Volume Two CDEP
3. The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD
2. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
1. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD

Until next month,

Jimmy
x

Hello news seekers and a happy holiday season to you all! We’ve wrapped up our 2003 release schedule with two
November gems and our 16th and 17th new records of the year. Plus, we have some very exciting releases planned
for next year, so sit back for a quick update on the world of Matinée.

Our latest release is the splendid third album from The Windmills! New records from The Windmills always
cause a commotion around these parts, as we think they make one of the most harmonious rackets today. Entitled “Now
Is Then” (matcd028), the album features 11 great new songs: 1. Ever to Exist; 2. Beach
Girls 1918; 3. Now Is Then; 4. Footprints; 5. Walking Around the World; 6. Your Fingers and Mine; 7. Something Spring;
8. Across the Playing Fields; 9. Amelia; 10. Summer Snow; 11. Time Machine. All
Music Guide provided the foremost review, saying: “Now Is Then is strong in every department; the songs are rich
and full of emotion, the guitars ring and strum like they should, and Roy Thirlwall’s vocals are deep and poignant, falling
firmly in the style of crooners like Robert Forster, Lawrence from Felt, and Nick Heyward.” We said last month that the
album could prove to be the band’s defining moment to date, so add this to your holiday shopping list now and discover
one of our favorite albums of the year. Check the sounds page for previews of a couple
choice tracks. We’re sure you’ll like what you hear.

Also now featured on a new release shelf near you is the latest in our popular series of seasonal Matinée samplers, the
Matinée Autumn Assortment (matinée 051)! Released to commemorate live
performances in England and Spain last month, the album includes previously unreleased tracks, previews of forthcoming
albums, and exclusive songs from ten top Matinée artists. The tracklisting is: 1. Would-Be-Goods – Morning
After; 2. Slipslide – Love Split; 3. The Lucksmiths – After the After Party; 4. Harper Lee –
Autumn; 5. The Pines – A Rainy Day; 6. The Liberty Ship – Baseball Caps and Novas; 7. Airport
Girl – I’ve Seen Mexico; 8. The Windmills – Summer Snow; 9. Pipas – Don’t Remix; and 10.
Lovejoy – Strike A Pose. In reviewing the album, the highly reputable editors at
Tasty had this to say: “It is a measure of this fantastic label’s brilliance
that it can simply chuck out cheap priced samplers of the quality of this one…All in all, a perfect little package.” The
album sells for the price of a single so this one should be an easy addition to your shopping cart. A few tracks are now
featured on the sounds page if you’d like to try before you buy, but at 50 cents per song
how could you go wrong?

The next release for the label is the magnificent debut album “Tide” (matcd029) from
The Liberty Ship! This Nottingham band just keeps getting better and better, and should win lots of new fans
with their first full-length release. The tracklisting is: 1. Finer Feelings; 2. Chords Drag You Down; 3. Final Kick; 4.
Precious Time; 5. Coast; 6. Cabin Fever; 7. Shine On; 8. Baseball Caps and Novas; 9. I’ll Try; 10. Stars Above; 11.
Actually; 12. Yuri Gagarin. Reviews of the band’s two Matinée singles suggested The Liberty Ship were on the verge
of greatness, and we’re happy to report they have attained that lofty goal with this superb album. We are delighted to
have it as our premiere release of 2004, so squirrel away a $10 bill someplace so you don’t come up short after your
holiday spending frenzy – this one you’ll definitely want. We will accept preorders starting next month and have copies
available exclusively via the Matinée mailorder until its official release January 5th. Until then, have a listen to some
preview tracks on the sounds page.

Our 30th album release is a daring compilation entitled “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” (matcd030) … and the exceptionally
bright among you may recall that phrase from the run-out groove of a certain single by 80’s mega-legends The
Smiths! The keen management here at Matinée happen to think The Smiths are the greatest band of all time so we
asked our talented coterie of artists to take a stab at a Smiths cover and compiled this special tribute album to mark the
20th anniversary of the band. Yes, we know there have been Smiths tributes already but none of them in our humble
opinion come anywhere close to paying proper respect to the brilliance of the band so we’ve had a go ourselves.

Offering a mix of songs from throughout the band’s venerable career, the contributors include: The Pines, with a
jingly-jangly version of the hit “Ask”; Pale Sunday, providing a magnificent bossa-nova and shoegaze reworking of
“I Know It’s Over”; The Lucksmiths, who approach the mighty “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” as a duet
and come out smelling of roses; Slipslide, with an expertly crafted cover of “Please Please Please Let Me Get
What I Want”; Pipas, adding a great dance beat to the early classic “This Night Has Opened My Eyes”;
Lovejoy, contributing an admirable cover of “Girlfriend In A Coma”; Would-Be-Goods, with an unforgettable
version of “Back To The Old House”; The Young Tradition, putting their polish on a slowed-down version of “Sheila
Take A Bow”; Simpático, with a convincing rendition of “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”; The Guild League
, glam-ing up the already glam hit “Panic”; The Liberty Ship, attacking the rollicking “Sweet and Tender
Hooligan” in fine fashion; and The Snowdrops, with a splendid live recording of the single “Bigmouth Strikes
Again.”

A demonstration of our profound hubris? You bet! Preparing ourselves for cries of blasphemy? Of course! It’s at the CD
plant now and we will have copies available sometime in late December exclusively via the
mailorder. Otherwise, look for it in shops in January. There are a few soundclips now playing
on the sounds page for anyone who just can’t wait.

We have nearly finished the 2004 release schedule, and at this point can announce new records early in the year from
Pipas, Lovejoy, The Young Tradition, The Snowdrops, and The Fairways
(really)! More news on these and other 2004 releases next month.

Switching now to some recent hits, our four autumn releases are all basking in the glow of exceptional reviews in the
music press. The “Singles 1989-1992” CD (matcd026) from Brighter has
earned plenty of applause in just a few short weeks, with In Love With These Times
praising us for “dusting off this particular legend for exposure to a new and thankful generation of music lovers,” and
All Music Guide
concluding “once again Matinée proves itself to be just about the best pal an indie kid could have.” Fair enough. If you
missed the details on this retrospective release in last month’s update, here’s the
skinny in just nine letters: essential! Collecting 15 songs from four legendary singles Brighter released on Sarah Records
between 1989 and 1992, the album is just one of the highlights of our star-studded year. For more details, check out the
band’s artist page, or listen to a few clips on the sounds
page. Keris Howard of the band will return to the studio early next year with Laura Bridge, the other half of his current
band Harper Lee, to record the follow-up to their 2001 masterpiece “Everything’s Going To Be OK”
(matcd020). To tide you over until then, Harper Lee contributed the excellent outtake
“Autumn” to our recent “Matinée Autumn Assortment” sampler (matinée 051).

Also making friends in the music press is the “True Love Waits, Volume 2” CDEP (matinée
048) from The Pines! Erasing Clouds
said “True Love Waits Volume Two gives us love in all its sadness and beauty, within some of the best-written pop songs
you’ll hear,” while Tasty summarized it as “most lovely.” We couldn’t
have put it better ourselves. Of course The Pines are a London duo of Joe Brooker and Pam Berry, two talented
individuals who are also members of The Foxgloves and The Snowdrops respectively. They have just finished recording a
brilliant cover of The Smiths hit “Ask” for the “Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware” compilation
(matcd030) announced above. Check out their artist page for more information on
previous releases, and see the sounds page for a taste of The Pines’ enchanting sound.

Swedish-American duo The Young Tradition has earned instant recognition with its debut hit “California Morning”
(matinée 043). Among the lofty praise for this new release,
IndiePages called it “a perfectly joyous masterpiece of light and airy indiepop,”
Splendid said “the beginning of a
long tradition of fine music from this pop duo…well worth your time,” and
Tasty dubbed it “cracking grown-up pop.” The single is dazzling from start
to finish and just the beginning in a series of fine popsongs from this young band. Next release for the duo is a cover of
“Sheila Take A Bow” on our upcoming Smiths tribute album “Romantic and Square…” (matcd030)
followed by the debut Young Tradition album next year. Have a listen to “California Morning” now featured on the
sounds page and you should be hooked.

The Lucksmiths continue their reign as press darlings with the new mini-CD “A Little Distraction”
(matcd027). Recent reviews came from
Mundane Sounds, which
called it “an unsurprisingly wonderful record by an unsurprisingly wonderful pop band on an unsurprisingly wonderful pop
label,” and Rock City, predicting the
band “could quite easily replace such staid dullards as Travis and The Thrills as your newest and most charming friends.”
The band just concluded the European leg of its 2003 tour and heads back to Australia for some well deserved time off.
They contributed a splendid version of the Smiths classic “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” to the “Romantic and
Square…” tribute CD (matcd030), and now look forward to summer days in the
southern hemisphere.

The updated catalog pages also include great new reviews of our summer hits – the Matinée
50 compilation (matinée 050), Airport Girl EP
(matinée 037), and Slipslide album (matcd025).
In particular, we should point out the second mention of The Thrills in one week of Matinée reviews – this time courtesy of
Do Something Pretty fanzine who, in
reviewing the new Airport Girl EP, said “The Thrills can f#@k off and make way for Airport Girl…the real retro, feel
good/feel bad, West Coast, pop-tastic musical treat.”

Starting this week we are conducting a poll of your favorite 2003 releases through
the Matinée fanclub and every entry will give you a chance to win five free CDs of your choice! If you are not yet a
member of the fanclub, you can remedy that by visiting our fanclub page today. The list
of contenders includes:

2003 albums…
Melodie Group – Updownaround CD (matcd022)
The Guild League – Private Transport CD (matcd023)
Sportique – Communiqué No. 9 CD (matcd024)
Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD (matcd025)
Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD (matcd026)
The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD (matcd027)
The Windmills – Now Is Then CD (matcd028)
Various Artists – Matinée 50! CD (matinée 050)
Various Artists – The Matinée Autumn Assortment CD (matinée 051)

2003 singles…
The Snowdrops – Mad World 7″ (matinée 029)
Airport Girl – Do You Dream In Colour? CDEP (matinée 037)
The Young Tradition – California Morning CDEP (matinée 043)
Simpático – Club Life CDEP (matinée 044)
The Liberty Ship – Northern Angel CDEP (matinée 046)
Razorcuts – A is for Alphabet CDEP (matinée 047)
The Pines – True Love Waits Volume Two CDEP (matinée 048)
Pale Sunday – A Weekend With Jane CDEP (matinée 049)

We will announce the poll results in the January update.

In an effort to make room for great new 2004 releases, we are having a massive warehouse clearance sale on all back
catalog releases. This is our biggest sale to date, but it only lasts through the end of the year so head to the
order page now to take advantage of the savings!

Brighter took over the number one spot on the hit parade, for what looks like an extended residency. Here is the
top ten from October:

10. Slipslide – The World Can Wait CD
9. Pale Sunday – A Weekend with Jane CDEP
8. Razorcuts – A is for Alphabet CDEP
7. Various – The Matinée Autumn Assortment! CD
6. Airport Girl – Do You Dream In Colour? CDEP
5. The Pines – True Love Waits, Volume Two CDEP
4. The Lucksmiths – A Little Distraction CD
3. Various – Matinée 50! CD
2. The Young Tradition – California Morning CDEP
1. Brighter – Singles 1989-1992 CD

We’ll be back in January with brand new releases, 2004 release news, annual top ten lists from Matinée artists, the
results of the year-end poll and much more. In the meantime, happy holidays!

Jimmy
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