Talking Music and Comics ‘tour’

Want to know more about the creative process behind the CUD ‘Rich & Strange’ comic strip, or hear some hoary tales of the band’s adventures in space and time?

Well, Will and Carl are going on a two-day talkie tour of sorts.

On Saturday 14 July both Carl and Will are joining “Twisting my Memory, Man”, a two-day programme of talks, performances and a chance to chat with like-minded music fans and readers.

Will and Carl will be discussing their comic strip Rich and Strange: The Return of the CUD Band (published in Black Crown Quarterly), plus Tom Hingley of the Inspiral Carpets will be opening the event on the Friday with a talk about his own memoir Carpet Burns.

The event takes place at the Students’ Union, York St John University.
For more info and tickets, click here.

On Thursday 19 July, Will will be at Graphic Brighton, with The Meow Meows’ Danny Noble and Howlround’s Robin the Fog, talking about their crossover interest in music and comics before a screening of Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated, the classic 1968 zombie movie reinterpreted by 100 artists with a new live soundtrack DJed by Robin the Fog.

The free event takes place at 7pm at The Phoenix, Brighton.
For more info and free tickets, click here.

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CUD 2018 Tour Dates are here!

Yes, CUD are heading back on the road again!
No gimmicks. No theme. No anniversary. CUD are playing ALL their best songs.

These are the dates for your diary.
Tickets are on sale from Friday 1st June 9am:

Fri October 26 Manchester Night & Day

Sat October 27 Leicester The Shed

Thu November 1 Newcastle Riverside

Fri November 2 Birmingham Castle & Falcon

Sat November 3 Glasgow O2 ABC 2

Fri November 9 Leeds Wardrobe

Sat November 10 London O2 Islington Academy

Click on the dates for ticket-site links. Spread the word!

CUD Long Division venue and times

We can now reveal the times and venue of our show at next month’s Wakefield Long Division Festival.

CUD will be playing on Saturday 2nd June at Warehouse 23 from 19.45 to 20.35. Long Division have provided a handy Clashfinder tool to help you work out who to watch and when.
Click here to check all times and performers.

And, here’s another reminder that you can pay what you like and download the Division Five album for a taster of many of the acts at this year’s festival, including CUD’s own ‘Superstar’. Well worth purchasing, with all proceeds going to Wakefield’s branch of the Samaritans.
The album is here.

This year’s Long Division is the fastest-selling ever but a few tickets are still available. Click here for details.

See you in three weeks!

 

Carl and Will at Portsmouth Comic Con

Will and Carl will be attending this weekend’s Portsmouth Comic Con along with Black Crown supremo Shelly Bond, partner-in-crime/Rich And Strange artist Philip Bond and the Punks Not Dead team, David Barnett and Martin Simmonds.

Shelly, Philip, Will, David and Martin will be in Panel Room 2 on Sunday at 3pm, to exclusively reveal new Black Crown art and titles, hopefully including a first glimpse of Rich and Strange track 4. And, there will be swag handed out to the early comers, including limited-edition Rich and Strange postcards, above.

Carl will only be around on the Saturday so he’ll miss the panel but he’ll be hanging out with the team on Day One. Keep an eye out for him. And don’t forget to bring copies of Black Crown Quarterly to get them signed.

For more information on Portsmouth Comic Con, click here.

CUD share track for Division Five

Ahead of June’s Long Division Festival in Wakefield, an album featuring 33 of the artists appearing (including CUD, Charlotte Hatherley and the Lovely Eggs) is now available to stream and download on a name-your-price basis, with all proceeds in aid of Wakefield’s branch of the Samaritans. Cover artwork, above by John Welding.

Click here to find out more and order.

Rich & Strange 2.5 out this week

Black Crown Quarterly #3 is out this week (Weds April 18) with the next instalment of ‘Rich & Strange: The Return of the CUD Band’. It’s a shorter episode this time – Track 2.5 – due to the talented Mr Philip Bond’s other many commitments (in the same mag) but, fear not, as Issue #4 promises a bumper episode wrapping up the saga soon.

Track 2.5 reveals Mike Dunphy’s secret machinations that involve these four familiar urchins…

Plus, as well as the comic strip, Carl exposes his taste in literature, music, spirits and eggs (?!?)…

And these familiar garments make an appearance…

Black Crown Quarterly #3 also includes Rob Davis’ continuing Tales from the Black Crown Pub, a Kid Lobotomy spin-off, a ghost tour of Canon St (c/o Tini Howard and R&S illustrator Philip Bond), two features by Leah Moore, plus previews of Punks Not Dead and upcoming new title Euthanauts.

Look out for this alluring cover by Dilraj Mann in your local comic-book emporium from Wednesday.

More info from Black Crown, here.

And you can order digital copies of BCQ 3 here.

CUD at sea and Carl on air

Thanks to everyone who joined the Shiiine cruise this month. Calm seas, a friendly atmosphere and great music made it unforgettable.
Thanks to ‘The Cobbie’ who captured a few memories on video, below.

Yesterday, Carl got together with fellow Shiiine cruise act The Farm’s Peter Hooten, and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin’s Jonn Penney to talk about the trip, plans for the year, and to rate the week’s new music on Steve Lamacq’s Round Table.

You can listen to the show for the next 29 days, here.

CUD to play Long Division

The first line-up announcement for Wakefield’s Long Division Festival took place tonight, and CUD are thrilled to be joining the legendary Billy Bragg, King Creosote, the Lovely Eggs and more, performing in venues in Wakefield from Friday 1st June to Sunday 3rd. (CUD are playing on the Saturday, venue TBC).

Across six festivals Long Division has attracted over 10,000 attendees with over 500 artists. It is the largest Music & Culture Festival in Wakefield. Previous performers include The Cribs, British Sea Power, Ash, The Fall, Gang Of Four and Fat White Family.

More details on the 2018 festival here, with Pioneer tickets (that’ll get you into the big gig venues) available from here for £25.

CUD: Rich & Strange 2 out today

Follow the continuing adventures of CUD young and old in the second part of CUD: Rich & Strange in the issue 2 of Black Crown Quarterly, out today – January 31.

In this month’s tale written by Will and Carl, with art by the hugely talented Philip Bond, discover the origin of the CUD name, admire Carl’s new shirt and signature moves, visit Mike’s Palm Beach mansion, plus who is Carl’s mysterious female lookalike??

Here’s the stunning wraparound cover by Punks Not Dead‘s Martin Simmonds (spot the T-shirt).

Here’s the blurb!
It’s the new Winter’s Edge of Comics Cool in 48 pages! Delight in regular continuing features like legit publications with literary pedigrees! It all begins with the 10-page regular lead feature Tales From the Black Crown Pub, starring Stacey the barmaid, by award-winner Rob Davis (The Motherless Oven). Recurring short features include Canonball Comics: an exquisite corpse that will not stay dead, Cud: Rich and Strange by co-writers/bandmates Will Potter and Carl Puttnam and artist Philip Bond, Swell Maps by music journalist/novelist Cathi Unsworth with illustrations by Cara McGee and a new Hey, Amateur!. Plus: Previews of your future favorite comics like Bandtwits by Jamie Coe, Punks Not Dead by David Barnett and Martin Simmonds, a Walking Ghost Tour of Canon Street by Tini Howard, interviews with your favorite comics celebrities and much, much more!With no CUD tour on right now, the only way to get your hands on a copy of this essential read is through the comic shops. Pop down to your local comic shop, or order online (Forbidden Planet offer this service).

HMS Shiiine interview

Ahead of CUD’s first 2018 show somewhere between Hull and Rotterdam about HMS Shiiine, Carl and Will chatted about pop feet, poop decks and what to expect on the high seas.

You’re playing the Shiiine cruise in March – how are you looking forward to that?
Will: Much so. It’ll be our first show of 2018, an unusual setting and an adventure! We’re also looking forward to it being our in-roads into the lucrative cruise-entertainment market, with an eye on the Caribbean.
Carl: Once more I have an opposite opinion to Will. It’s going to be very messy on the way back. Can’t wait…

Will you be sticking around for the full weekend aboard the good ship Shiiine and the day time antics in Amsterdam?
W: Of course! I wasn’t aware we could escape on a lifeboat, but we’ll be sticking around to check out the competition and sing some shanties on the poop deck.
C: Oh Yes! but it’s Rotterdam that I’m most looking forward to seeing.

It’s something of a unique setting for a gig (ie somewhere in the middle of the North Sea!) – have you played any other bizarre venues in your career?
W: We were the first rock act to play Tower Bridge, something the Victorians didn’t plan on. It was like playing a long corridor. Thankfully, we didn’t have to cut the set in half to allow a tall ship through.
C: And we played an outdoor impromptu show, middle of the night, at Old Sarum, near Stonehenge. Only 10 minutes, two songs, then the police arrived.

Read the full interview here, find tickets links, videos and more!