As mentioned in the last newsletter, we returned to the studio at the end of July to produce a 3 track sampler which has already begun to be sent out to A&R and management and those in the industry we trust for opinions. The three tracks You, Just Dreams and SinnerSaint have been selected to demonstrate some of the diversity within The Beckett's material and interpretation.

The Moat Session CD was named after Moat Studios in Brixton where we do the majority of our rehearsing and songwriting as a band and where the CD was recorded. We felt that The Velvet Breeze Sessions were over-produced and wanted to get even more energy onto tape and so allowed ourselves just half a day to set up, record and mix down the tracks. The result is three 'live' studio recordings which give a taste for the strength of the material and our live feel. The feedback so far has been good - watch this space for news on what the record companies think! Samples of the tracks are available on this site (check the tunes page) and full versions are downloadable as always from www.mp3.com/thebeckett. You can buy your copy from us at the bargain price of £4.

ONLINE NEWS

The Beckett has a presence on several online music sites, notably peoplesound and mp3.com as well as several unsigned band sites. For definitive news on The Beckett, your first port of call should be www.thebeckett.co.uk where you will find info on the band, details of upcoming gigs, news and archived news, the guestbook, and the chance to hear 60 second samples of the CD tracks. For full downloads of all recorded material as well as some exclusive live tracks, visit www.mp3.com/thebeckett. You can also buy both CD's online from here (although without all of the original artwork) as well as the mp3.com exclusive 7 track EP.

CORNWALL TOUR

We returned last weekend from our first mini-tour of the South West of England, taking in The Watering Hole in Perranporth, Newquay, and headlining both The Pirate in Falmouth, Cornwall and The Cooperage in Plymouth. 3 very different gigs in very different environments and with very different crowds have given us invaluable experience as well as giving us the chance to taste life on the road.

If you were at any of these gigs, you heard some or all of the following:
Wide Tonight, On And On, Coming Home, Just Dreams, Silence In The Rain, Broken, This Is Why, SinnerSaint, Velvet Breeze, She's Gone, Cowboy Song (I Can Feel), A Light That Fades, Cult, Walking With Butterflies, You, Novacold. Special thanks to the inhabitants of and visitors to Falmouth for making us welcome, showing us a good time, and helping us rock The Pirate. Your enthusiasm and dancing helped remind us we're doing something so right. Thanks to the jazz pianist at The Cooperage for the 3am jam. Thanks to everyone who put us up especially Mr & Mrs B for looking after us all week and The Cooperage for letting us kip in the Jazz Lounge to save sleeping in the van!

COMING UP

There are 3 or 4 London gigs being lined up between now and Christmas, we'll let you know more as they're confirmed, but for now let's hope the summer lasts! See you all soon and thanks for the continued support.

The Beckett are David Prestwich, Emlyn Hall, George Georgiou, Mark Brimson and Mark Wardle. This has been a Sunday Session Production.