Dear all,

We hope this, our last message of the year, finds you well and happy.

As 2024 draws to a close, we’re sending an additional newsletter with 3 announcements.

No. 1 – NEW OFFICIAL WEBSITE

On Friday November 29th we are launching a brand new My Darling Clementine web site. The address stays the same but the look and content will be very different.

To celebrate this, we are offering a discount code on all merchandise bought from the new on-line store. Use the coupon code MDCBF2024 for 20% off your order (valid until Monday, Dec 2).

So pull up a chair and peruse (with drink in hand) and purchase at your leisure. mydarlingclementinemusic.co.uk

No. 2 –  UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS

We are just a few days from the UK tour starting on Wednesday December 4th. All concert dates and live ticket links are below, or on the website.

Please do book in advance if you can. It makes a huge difference.

Thank you.

My Darling Clementine – UK – Dec 2024

Wed Dec 4th
Biddulph, Staffs
St Lawrence’s Church
TICKETS

Thu Dec 5th
London
West Hampstead Arts Club
TICKETS

Fri Dec 6th
Liverpool
St Michael’s In The Hamlet
TICKETS

Sun Dec 8th
Birmingham
Kitchen Garden Cafe
TICKETS

No.3 – NEW SONGS STREAMING NOW

When something horrific and life-changing happens, artists tend to channel their trauma into their art, whether it be poetry, painting, sculpture, film, music or song.

You will probably be unsurprised to learn that following the heart breaking events of the summer, both Lou and I have each written songs about Bebe.

Having written our songs though, we have wrestled with what do we do with them. Should the writing be a private, cathartic process for healing, a theraputic endeavour to try to make sense of our devastation? (Should the writing in itself be enough, or do we share them?)

Well, after much thought, we have indeed decided to share the songs. We welcome you all to listen, in advance of their live performances in December.

If you’d like to, please go to the Bandcamp page or click directly on these links:

‘The Empty Swing’ – Lou Dalgleish

‘Sally Sparkles’ – Michael Weston King

You can stream them or you can buy them.

FINALLY – A THANK YOU

To all of you who’ve sent messages of love and support, and for all condolences and prayers offered over these difficult few months.

So, a new year beckons, with worrying news from America, the planet in crisis and violence continuing around the world. Perhaps all we can do is be as kind to each other as possible. What harm can that do?

We’ll leave with you with a few photos from our recent Japanese tour.  It was just what we needed. Thank you Hiroshi, Audrey and to our fine band of brothers who joined us on stage each night. And of course to all our wonderful Japanese fans and friends who came to the shows.

Yours in music,
Lou & Michael

Dear friends,

Welcome to the Autumn newsletter.

We hope this finds you in good health.

As many of you will know, this is a hard newsletter to write. We have been hit by a terrible family tragedy this summer which has very much turned our world upside down and made us questions many things.

We have sought solace where we can find it, mostly in the fellowship of family, but also, as we always have, in music. Both the listening, and the writing. Performing is another story.

ON STAGE

We didn’t expect to be back on stage quite so soon after such a momentous incident but we were booked to play The Long Road Festival at the end of August, and we decided to go ahead with it. We’d like to thank everyone who was there to see us that Sunday, who lifted us up on a wave of love. It was a tough gig, but we were buoyed by your support.

  
  

“They would draw a rightfully deserved standing ovation – they didn’t need to play this show but hopefully in some small way there was some small crumb of comfort to be gained by knowing that there was a lot of love and support out there from their extended country family.”

Here is the full review of our set that day.

We haven’t played live since then but we are looking forward to getting back out on the road again soon.

Tickets are on sale now for the UK shows in December; https://mydarlingclementinemusic.co.uk/shows

We will be showcasing songs from the forthcoming, albeit delayed, new album, as well as many fan favourites from the back catalogue.

Being December expect something seasonal too, as well as two brand new songs, written in the past few weeks, of very special consequence.

Come and be with us. We need you. Please book now:

JAPAN

We are excited to be heading out Japan later this month, for our first tour over there

Our collaboration with Steve Nieve, 2021’s Country Darkness, has been re-issued out there on the Hayabusa Landings label, with three newly added,  unreleased bonus tracks.

One of those tracks is this live version of April 5th, recorded live in Liverpool, which you can watch here.

April 5th is a song co-written by Elvis Costello, Roseanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson.

We were so very sad to hear about Kris’s passing. He was an inspiration to both of us, long before we met. For MWK’s tribute to KK go here.

Below is the Japan tour poster, an interview we conducted with Japanese Record Collector, and also a photo from Tower Records in Tokyo of the album on display, where we will be doing an in-store on Oct 26th.

   

For full info on My Darling Clementine in Japan, click here.

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NEW COLLABORATION

Available now is a remarkable  album called Tremulant, released on the Sub Exotic label.

The artist is Ghostwriter,  and MWK is one of 3 guests vocalists singing on the album, along with Andrew Rumsey and Suzy Mangion.

It is a fascinating and unique project recreating and re-inventing hymns and spirituals of the past two centuries.

You can listen, and also purchase the album, both digitally and on vinyl here.

We strongly recommend you check it out. It is something different but one we are sure all MDC fans will enjoy and appreciate. Below are a few quotes, with link to the full reviews.

—

“9/10 – Moving and uplifting music that defies genre or predictable structure.. A quite astonishing feat”
Americana UK review

“even my cynical soul was moved to pray for more”
Bluesbunny review

“The beauty of the album is that it is reverent yet modern, with wide-open spaces.. it brings church music outside the church, while challenging staid conceptions”
A Closer Listen review

 “A curious cult recommendation”
Monolith Cocktail review

“A beguiling masterstroke”
FREQ review 

“Hypnotically beautiful”
Folking review

“A beautiful, very moody tone poem.. I loved the various tracks”
Ralph McLean, BBC Radio Ulster

RECORDS FOR CHRISTMAS

Christmas is just round the corner and who doesn’t love getting a nice slab of vinyl in their stocking. We are down to the very last few vinyl copies of assorted MDC albums, and we mean the LAST FEW. so please ORDER NOW if you wish to have any of these added to your MDC vinyl collection. Once they are gone they are gone.

OUR PLACE OR YOURS

We have received a number of enquires recently, asking if we would play a private concert, either as part of a celebration event, private party etc, or an intimate concert for you and invited guests.

This is something we have done on occasion and are always happy to discuss it. In the first instance, just send a message via the ‘contact’ page on the website, or an email to info@mydarlingclementinemusic.co.uk, or send a message over social media (Facebook, Twitter or Instagram) and we can get the ball rolling to try and make it happen.

TO END

So as we start to heal and try to look forward, another final thank you to all who have sent messages of support. They are greatly appreciated and have encouraged us to push on.

Friends in the UK, we look forward seeing you at the December shows, and friends in Japan, we will see you all in October. For everyone else, we will be coming to see you in 2025, so please keep checking the concert pages for all upcoming shows in your part of the world.

Meanwhile we will leave you with a song that has been something of a ‘go to’ for us in the past few weeks, Sadness As A Gift, by Adrianne Lenker.

Yours in music /  Ongaku no naka no anata no mono,
Lou & Michael