The people have spoken.

Okay, the results are as clear as day.

By a two to one margin, design #2 wins!

Just so you know, the band was pulling for design #1, but we said we’d let you choose, so that’s that! Lord knows we put out some of the ugliest t-shirt designs ever seen, so this simple, elegant design will be a nice change. We’re pulling together the resources to print the sucker.

We’ve had a lot of requests for, ahem, larger sizes. Any other special requests? Do the ladies want girly-tees? What about kid sizes for the nippers? Remember folks, Christmas is coming, and nothing says “I love you” as much as a TPE shirt.

(Oh, and by the way, by popular demand we’re changing the back from “Stradbally” to “Electric Picnic.”)

Time to pick a T-shirt!

NOTE: YOU HAVE TO BE LOGGED IN TO VOTE!

(That way you can only vote once.) To log in, choose the “Log in” link at the bottom left.

= = = = = = =

Okay, here are the four designs we’ve picked out. Here’s #1:

tshirt design #1

And here’s #2:

tshirt design #2

Here’s a variation on the ‘believer’ theme, #3:

tshirt design #3

The design is a little small, so here’s a closer shot of the design of #3:

detail of tshirt design #3

And finally, a totally different look, sorta Ramones-ey, #4:

tshirt design #4

(Okay, so Raymond’s name is misspelled. We’ll fix that if this is the one you guys want.)

So what do you think? I know which one I like, but I’m not going to tell you. The back of all these shirts will be the same:

back of t-shirt

So there you have it. It’s up to you. Vote early, vote often. No! Don’t cheat. In fact, I think the poll software is clever enough to only let you vote once, so you better choose carefully!

Which is your favo(u)rite t-shirt design?

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Irish Times Article

published today.

Petrols are great! Incindiary! Fire! Ignition! Still more fire metaphors and puns!

Clearly we created a monster. Still, we love our friends in the press.

Read all about it here.

Help us design a t-shirt, part 1.

Okay folks, time for a new game. We want to make some t-shirts. We want you to buy said t-shirts. (Petrol costs being what the are, etc.) So we thought we’d have you help out, and tell us what you wanted. We’ll ask a few questions over the next week or so, and then we’ll have a go at some designs. Hell, if you’ve got ideas for designs or slogans, we’re interested in that too. Finally, we’ll have you vote for your favorites, and we’ll print ’em up.

Sound like fun? Sure it does. Okay, here’s step one:

What are your favorite t-shirt colo(u)rs? (You can check up to three options.)

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Love that Dirty Water…

The secret London warm-up date is set. We’ll be playing Tuesday, August 26th, at the Dirty Water club in Tufnell Park.

It’s a fantastic place to see a band, run by really great people. We couldn’t be happier. You can buy tickets online here.

Visit the Dirty Water club’s website to see pictures from other shows, and take a minute to watch the fantastic Night Marchers video. Yow! Who wants to run the video camera for our show?

So ya wanna come see us this August?

Then I guess you’ll want to know the dates, right? Ask and ye shall receive:

Tuesday, August 26th: secret London gig (venue *almost* confirmed)

Thursday, August 28th: Irish warm-up at The Spirit Store, Dundalk, Ireland. Tickets online here.

Saturday, August 30th: The Electric Picnic, Portaloise, Ireland. Tickets online here.

Mrs. Pirate Palmer, you may thank us in person later.

Freakin’ great.

That’s how good the rehearsal was last night.

It’s the first time we’ve rehearsed the full line up since last October when we first tested the idea. Raymond, Damian, Ciaran, and Brendan have been rehearsing instrumentally for a few months now, and I’ve been singing in my bathroom. It was sublime.

First we ran through the pop hits. Hey Venus, Big Decision, Sensitize, Infinite Thrill, Tingle, Shangri-La, Good Thing… holy crap. How come we didn’t have permanent residence in the charts? These songs are GREAT, and they still sound fresh to me. Sure, I’m biased. But I’m right. It’s like that poster I’m seeing in the tube stations for Jeremy Clarkston’s new book: “They’re back. And they were right about everything.”

Then came the rock songs – Catch a Fire, Detonate My Dreams, Abandon, Scumsufing. Wow. They’ve worked out some new arrangements for Abandon and Scumsurfing that will blow your socks off. It was loud, it was powerful, tight, melodic… it was freakin’ great.

Day off today, then a day long rehearsal on Saturday. We should have news about warm-up dates after that.

Now just hold onto yer horses.

I understand there are substantial rumors (or should I say rumours) of our impending date(s).

All dates, with the exception of the Electric Picnic, are still in flux. We’ve had some rather exciting news in the last 24 hours. We’re hoping to be able to tell you shortly. In the meantime, please just hold tight. We’re trying to figure out a way to see as many of you as possible.

And for those of you who notice these things, I still haven’t successfully upgraded the site, so things may be wonky for awhile longer…over and out.

Okay, I’m back and rarin’ to go.

Getting married is fun.

So is going on honeymoon. Especially if it’s to Tahiti. Highly recommended.

Preparation for the Electric Picnic continues apace. The rehearsals are going very, very well. Let’s just say we’re really excited about this.

Oh, and while I’m at it, it was really nice to come home to an email from a friend that noticed that we were mentioned on the Guardian blog. Funny how the planets seem to align from time to time. See for yourself:

TPE in the Guardian.

It’s official.

We’re gonna play.

This summer, at the Electric Picnic festival just outside of Dublin. The festival runs August 29th – 31st. We don’t know when we’re playing yet, but there are no single day tickets, anyway. You’re in for the entire weekend.

Some other great bands have also been announced. This should be a real treat.

For more info, check out the Electric Picnic Site.