Tankus the Henge Rock the Block in Tirana!

After touching down at Gatwick, the colourful chaos of Albania still a vivid recent memory, the UK really wasn't where I wanted to be.

Although we were only there for three days, we managed to fit in two shows and two television appearances, and still have time to go out to a few Balkan techno clubs, go up a mountain, have dinner several times and meet a lot of extremely welcoming people.

As soon as we arrived in Tirana, we made our way to the Rei Club to play some songs, and I got the rare opportunity to pummel the living daylights out of a grand piano on stage. I didn't caress the keys with my boots this time, this probably would have been seen as disrespectful as it was someone elses.

We explored the Block and ended up in a nightclub with insane lighting that just consisted of white chandeliers that flashed on and off relentlessly to the heart-pounding balkan bassline, an epileptic wouldn't have had a chance.

In the morning, the sun was out, and I got my first impression at how beautiful Albania actually was, it was about 18 degrees C, and the skyline is taken up with spellbinding snowcapped mountains that loom over one side of the city. We eventually ventured a way up one of these and had drinks before we left, and got a good view of Tirana, the capital.

We jumped in the bus after half of the band managed to be alive for breakfast and made our way to the stage where we were to play later on. It was in the centre of The Block, an area which, during communism, the leaders lived in apparent luxury while everyone else lived under communist rule.

A soundcheck never arrived, so we went and were honoured to have lunch with the British Ambassador, before heading to the Top Channel TV studios to play "Smiling Makes The Day Go Quicker" and "Who's Gonna Catch Ya?" on their Sunday evening TV show, which was an utterly chaotic and positive experience. We'll put this up on our website asap!

The other TV show we went on was RTV News, with the lovely Hueyda, we performed "life is a grimm tale" and engaged in duel language conversation in a live interview.

The main show that we played in The Block on Sunday evening was unlike any other, Martin Kilger from Germany had warmed the crowd up earlier in the evening, and it was growing constantly as a band from Tirana took to the stage.

A few technical issues gave me the chance to talk to and joke around with a lot of people at the front of the stage, apart from the police who didn't show how much they wanted to join in.

As we crashed into "orange is the new black", live in the Block, i knew that coming here had been a fantastic idea, and as hundreds of people waltzed and danced wild polkas, I knew that we couldn't stay away for long. Albania is a very Tankus the Henge sort of place.

This is Ladbroke Grove, next stop Tirana, Albania.

Hi there once again.
I'm currently sat in the middle of utter chaos.
In my house, cables, musical instruments, bags and cereal cover the floor. Mason is asleep on the couch, and a stray bowler hat is mating with the coal in the fireplace.
Generally after we've played a show, a lot of our stage equipment ends up here. We've been pretty busy since we played at the Cobden Club last week, which was a storm, thanks for making your way out to Ladbroke Grove for that one, it's a bit of a trek. The Victoriana decor and great music made it worth it though.

So everything is still in my house. The palm tree is nestling up against guitar amps and George's lizards are still around somewhere...
We're off to Albania today. We are flying the band (for the first time) out to a country none of us have been to. While we're there we'll try and cause as much chaos as possible, get on the radio and television, experience and sample the local food, drink and people and play some live shows.
Oh and of course film most of it for your viewing pleasure!

I hope you've been enjoying our recent bout of video blogs, we have. We'll continue them when we have something utterly useless that we feel the need to transmit, or a new song, or both.

We'll be having a party in London on Monday night (Monday 15th - when we return) in the Spice of Life, Charing Cross Road. It's free entry, please come along! We'll play some songs.

Don't forget our biggest UK show to date, in Scala, Kings Cross. Click here for details

I think that's about it. Keep inviting friends to our facebook page and signing up to our mailing list!

Now I will go and pack my waistcoats and hats for the journey.
Tankus the Henge to Albania!
If Norman Wisdom can do it, so can we.

Keep in touch,
Jaz Delorean
(tankusthehenge@gmail.com)

Mirë se erdhët!

Thankyou to everyone who came to the shows on the 20th and 30th of January.

They were a blinding success, and all who attended experienced altered vision, hearing and co-ordination, many people dancing the polka and the waltz with partners never met before the evening.

Regular customers know, that the travelling show by Tankus the Henge usually provides answers to a big question; Why are we here?

Tankus the Henge say, "you are here to dance'.

------

By a strange coincidence, the Albanian minister for Dance and Joviality was at the show, and consequently invited Chris, Mason, George, Joey, Jake and Myself out to Albania to demonstrate a positive result of immigration into the country. (Between us, we have heritage from Ireland, Greek Cyprus, South Africa, Wales, Romania and Yorkshire) Consequently, we know how to have a good time.

If you haven't joined our mailing list yet, please go to http://www.tankusthehenge.com/signup.php

o2 Academy 2, Islington

Good afternoon. We need YOU! Tomorrow night our performance will be to yourselves, the Milliners Society of Great Britain and several members of the Recording Industry. We obviously need to impress upon these people that we're a worthwhile source of entertainment, so please come along and help us prove it by being a great audience, as usual! We're ONSTAGE at 8pm sharp. Entrance fee to all classes is a £5 note or coins, the same. Nearest tube, Angel. Thankyou very much, and, see you tomorrow night, behatted and bedazzling. TANKUS THE HENGE

New music from us.

Hello Jivers.
We're going to give you an exclusive free download, because we're feeling good, an' all that.
Even though the oil is running out, the Earth's moving out of orbit, there's war all over, and our country is being run by idiots with idiots in the opposition; somehow, we're still feeling good.

SO, how about something good? We'll give everyone who is signed up to our mailing list a brand new track we've been working on, and just finished. Just go to www.tankusthehenge.com/signup.php and get your friends on it too.

See you at Islington Academy 2 on 20th January for a stonking gig.

Snow and gigs

Obviously, global warming is taking it's toll and dragging us into a new ice-age. 

Meanwhile, we're playing two gigs this month in London. 

20th January 2010 - o2 Academy 2 Islington. (Angel tube)

30th January 2010 - Amersham Arms, New Cross.

Here are facebook event profiles for each show.

Islington

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=212818829555&ref=mf

New Cross

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=213275284701&ref=mf

It's going to be a mad year. We'd love for you to join us on our adventures. 

2010: A Fantastic Odyssey

Good evening to you all. 

What with Christmas eve tomorrow and our seasonal snow show over five days ago, it's nearly time for our first ever New Years Eve party. (Go to the gigs section for a flyer) 

It's being held in Streatham as, unbeknown to many, it's the first place every 54 years the sun will rise on New Years Day owing to a strange anomaly of our Old Sol .

Nevertheless, we'll be there playing a full blown set and you'll be there dancing your hobnails off until the Streatham sun rises over the South. 

Besides that, we'd like to let you know that the other night we signed a development deal with CMC which means you'd better jump on our bandwagon now or lock all your doors and swallow the key. 

If you are otherwise engaged when the giant escapement of time and space clicks into a new decade, come to our next performance at the o2 Academy Islington on the 20th of January. 

Details all on the gigs page, as per usual. 

Until then, we'll be kicking snow around, burning things in the fire and skimming rocks across the frozen Thames. 

Before my fingerless gloves unravel, have a very peaceful and merry Christmas, and we'll see you for a Happy New Year. 

Jaz Delorean

Stamp on the face of that Wintertime Blues

Ladies, Gentlemen;
It's been an interesting year. From starting out the year with a snowy scene in Notting Hill, to the madness of Bestival and Jersey Live, and some lunacy in abundance at 12 Bar in London, we'll be ending the year with a Christmas Extravaganza in Greenwich on the 18th of December.
This gig will be reminiscent of Tankus the Henge in 2007, where we threw so many colourful objects into the audience during our gigs, that we nearly had to re-mortgage our Park Lane property. It will be utter, joyful chaos, and attendees are encouraged to bring along things that explode and hats too.

It's at Barcave on Trafalgar Road. Details are on the Gigs section of the website.

Other events that have become milestones have been;

The band joining the social phenomenon that is 'twitter', but still failing to see the point.
Mason getting a mobile phone.
Jaz wrecking his accordion, appealing to the public for funds to buy a new one, and getting nothing.

And finally, we can reveal that our trip at the beginning of August to North Korea was a blinding success.
We played in Pyongyang, Konguk, Ponghwa and Rakwon. Obviously security is so tight that we couldn't advertise these gigs on the internet, but following an advertising campaign on their tram system, which regularly electrocutes it's passengers, we're pleased to announce that Smiling Makes The Day Go Quicker, has gone to number one in their charts.

See you all soon. Keep well.

TANKUS THE HENGE

Hard at work in the studio

Let's go downstairs and 'get some coffee'

mollusc.

Evenin' all.
Thanks for coming out and behaving like maniacs at Jersey Live and Bestival. We had a fantastic time and seeing all you ladies and gentlemen partaking in mega-conga lines and screaming your filthy heads off just made it all better.
After all, brilliant as Elbow are, should one want to dance, one goes to watch Tankus the Henge instead. Thanks!

Next gigs:
-24th September, The infamous 12 BAR CLUB, Denmark Street, London
-31st October, El Día de los Muertos* show, The Mitre, Greenwich High Road, London


(*Day of the dead, or Halloween)

Rats with hats

Rogues, rapscallions and rascals, thanks very much for coming out to the show last night. It's marvellous to see new faces all the time, especially as reconstructive surgery is so expensive. 

Tell your friends about the next shows, at the Judy in June festival on the 2oth of June, and in the Troubadour, London on the 10th of July.

 

New website

Good evening! 

You've probably just found our new website, thanks to Drew and the gang for creating it.

If you're reading this on the blog, go to www.tankusthehenge.com and have a look there.

This Thursday is the show in WATER RATS THEATRE, buy tickets here!

It's a big one, we're on at half past nine.

Hats, braces, slacks and springs. 

Jaz

Brighton to London: final shows of 2008

Thanks to everyone who came to 12 Bar. We'll knock the wall through next time and get some more people in. 

Our charity fundraising performance with Here Goes Everything on Tuesday 2nd December is in the Grey Horse, Richmond Road in Kingston. It will be grand. £5/£4 with a flyer. 

Our last shows of 2008 are on the 18th of December in the Engine Room, Brighton (10pm - £4) - If you've been to the last couple of Tankus the Henge gigs here you know it's going to be mad. Dress to undress. 

AND

19th December - Headline in the Water Rats Theatre, Kings Cross, London. 

£6 with a flyer, will post here. 

This is the Christmas party not to miss. Witness the return of the Tankus the Henge snowstorm, trees, lanterns and fancy dress all under the roof of the Water Rats Theatre. 

See you there. 

Thanks to Drew McLellan for the photographs. 

France

France is a lovely country. Cheese. Desperados. Strange and wonderful gigs. 

Disneyland.

boating across the Channel, we use jackets as sails as the ferry seems to have mislaid it's own

Calypso, our beautiful new wheeled addition to the gang.

Christine, we remember you always.

Jaz is determined to find a use for the flying goggles

kiting

we can see right up George's nose

Mason, Chris, George, Jaz, Joey, Jacob (Milton Keynes, The Stables)

photos by Luke Roberts

The Session.

Yo.
We're performing two brand new songs on the radio tonight, BBC berks 104,4 or http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire
7pm - listen in, also available on listen again for up to seven days.

how exciting!