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Sign to XTC's Andy Partridge's APE Label
The Dubliners sign a 5 year deal for the U.S, U.K, Europe and the Far East
Photos of the Signing on: http://www.pugwashtheband.com/news/pugwash-go-ape

One of Ireland's Best Albums of 2008, "Eleven Modern Antiquities" available on 1969 Records www.1969records.com

>>> For Information / Interview requests / Promotional Copies contact Berube Communications:
Stevo Berube on info@berubecommunications.com or phone 0872442695 <<<

AN IRISH AND ENGLISH SETTLEMENT…..

HELLO ALL…..!!
First off we would like to wish all our wonderful fans and friends a very happy new year for 2009. Here’s to a memorable one.
Which leads us to our very special new year news which has been promised for a while now (a 1000 apologies for the delay folks) but because good things come to those who wait we are eXsTatiCally proud to announce that Thomas, on behalf of Pugwash, has inked a 5 year deal with Andy Partridge’s APE label in England…..!!

HERE WE GO…..!!
The deal, which will incorporate all manner of poppy goodness could never have been reached without the tireless work of Daragh Bohan (on behalf of Thomas and 1969 Records) and Steve Young (On behalf of Andy and APE). The undoubted communicative and legal skills of these two men kept the deal afloat through some rough seas last year and for that they should be applauded!!

DARAGH BOHAN & TOSH FLOOD…..
A little history now : The friendship between Thomas and Andy has been a very strong one for a number of years now and initially, musically, bore fruit on the 2005 Jollity album closer Anchor, which also featured respected songwriter and Pugwash band member of the time Duncan Maitland on the song credits.

THOMAS & NEIL HANNON…..
At that time the first signs of a possible Pugwash/APE link up were mooted and the negotiations got pretty far down the Swindon Old Town hill…..but unfortunately, for reasons all too…..RIGHT, the deal stalled. We say ‘right’ because the friendship and connection that Thomas and Andy have now established was only forming back then and the feeling all around was let’s wait a while. Come 2008 and Thomas and the band release, what most fans and critics alike say is their greatest album to date in "Eleven Modern Antiquities" but Ireland still taps it’s feet whilst a baying U.S, Europe and Far East all want to see the band play and buy the music.

NOW IT FEELS RIGHT…..!!
Thomas and Andy tentavtively re-opened negotiations in the late summer of 2008 and as we’ve already said Daragh and Steve got to work thrashing out a deal that would see Pugwash proudly on the APE roster for the next 5 years with the U.S, U.K, Europe and the Far East all the major targets now as regards Pugwash releases. We couldn’t be happier or more proud.

Then in seperate signing sessions Thomas and Andy put pen to paper. The Dublin signing was done in the familiar and warm surroundings of The Lower Deck public house on the banks of the royal canal, Portobello. In attendance was Thomas and 1969 legend and label boss Daragh Bohan. Also there in their capacity as witnesses to the deal were close friends Tosh Flood and Neil Hannon. Andy’s signing session was performed in his beautiful home in Swindon and memorialised by his partner Erica.

ANDY IN SWISHBACK BROOMSTICK RHYTHM…..
And so…..as rubber faced animal slaughtering failed footballing food warmer Gordon Ramsay would say – Pugwash/APE deal.....DONE!!

The very latest news we can bring you is that the first release of The Pugs on APE will be a career spanning retrospective entitled Giddy. The final track-listing (compiled by Andy) will pull tracks from the long deleted and much sought after "Almond Tea"…as served by and Almanac albums, as well as 2005’s Jollity and last years Eleven Modern Antiquities. The artwork is being prepared at present and as soon as a possible release date is scheduled you will of course be the first to know Pug-People!!

Andy has described Thomas in the past as a “saviour of modern pop” and “Better than McCartney, fatter than Lennon” (which we think must be up there with other classic Partsy-Quotes) but Andy adopted a more serious head on his shoulders recently and stated that Giddy runs “like a modern day ‘White Album’....”, which is undoubtably huge praise, but hey…..we here at Pug Towers won’t contradict the new boss, especially in these times of recession!! Thomas on the other hand has been unable to function let alone speak since the deal was finally…..FINALISED. But he has since blurted out “Andy Partridge, songwriter of the God’s, bona-fide 100% cotton pickin’ life-long influence and role model to me…..can someone pinch me, WITH A HAMMER.”

There is also plans to follow up Giddy later in 2009 with a special release of "Eleven Modern Antiquities" which will include new artwork (we’re very proud of the original artwork but different artwork abroad is a lifelong tradition and one that we’re excited about) and possible very special bonus tracks…..all to come in ‘09.

~ Thomas Walsh / Pugwash (Jan. 2009)

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THE BEGINNING

Since releasing their debut power-pop album in 1999, ‘Almond Tea’, Pugwash, aka songwriter Thomas Walsh and friends, has become an instant favourite of Irish and British music critics alike, many of whom nominated ‘Almond Tea’ as their album of the year. The Hotpress rated it – only 4 weeks after its release – as one of the Top 30 albums of the Millennium (actually #23, ahead of Suede, Orbital and almost everybody else you’d care to name!) As a result, Thomas Walsh has been singled out by many critics as one of the most talented new songwriters to emerge on the Irish scene in recent years.

Meantime Pugwash played stand-out headline gigs throughout Ireland, in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford and Kerry, following on from a nationwide radio tour with additional stops in Sligo, Limerick, Longford and Dundalk, receiving rave reviews that echo fully the response of critics to the album. Support gigs included high-profile appearances with Jason Falkner (ex-Jellyfish), Glen Tilbrook (ex-Squeeze), Cotton Mather, and Martin Stephenson, amongst many others.

THE MIDDLE BIT

2001 saw Thomas Walsh returning to the studio with his old mate Keith Farrell, who had so successfully co-produced ‘Almond Tea’, to begin work on Pugwash’s “Difficult Second Album” (actually its working title!). Working in a comfortable domestic set-up allowed these two play with the toys, get in their friends and take their time to turn out a splendid mix of songs, some old, some new, that demonstrate once again Walsh’s strength in depth as a songwriter of classic pop.

The result, after 18 months, was ‘Almanac’. Following the radio release of key track ‘Apples’ in April, the album itself was released in Ireland on 21 June 2002. It became a cult classic culminating in “Almanac” being voted number 61 in the Hot Press top 100 Irish albums of ALL-TIME, as voted by the top Irish musicians of the past 30 years including U2, Van Morrison, Snow Patrol and Damien Rice
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THE HERE AND NOW and…..?

Most public and press alike knew that the band had to step up to the plate, in more ways than one, for the release of their third record….And By Jove They Did!! Not only did 2003 see the release of “Earworm” in Australia (An amalgam of the first two discs re-mastered at the famed Studio 301 in Sydney and released on cult Church/John Kilbey label Karmic Hit) it also saw the band return to the studio to record what eventually became “Jollity”. A certain Mr. Daragh Bohan had been involved in some of the legalities with the Karmic Hit deal down under and he quickly became good friends with the band. As it was a life long dream of music loving Mr. Bohan he quickly decided to nab The Pugs and set up his very own label. Just the small matter of a name for this venture…..? Well, Thomas had mentioned to Daragh that the working title of the new album was “Estd.: 1969”. Heads were quickly put together and eyebrows raised when it transpired that all the main protagonists involved in the project had a close affinity to 1969. It was agreed then…..1969 Records it was!!

2004 saw the band recording in Dublin and Studio 2 at Abbey Road where the strings, which had been scored by Dave Gregory (XTC), were then conducted by him. The string quartet on the day were only famed session players and unique artists in their own right, The Section (Jon Brion, James Blunt, Sean Lennon, Kanye West, David Bowie to name but a very small few). Further recording was completed by famed songwriter and brass and string arranger Eric Matthews in Portland, Oregon – U.S.A.

September 2005 saw “Jollity’s” release to a plethora of amazing reviews for the album and sheer respectful plaudits for the amazing level of quality of a label so new – THIS HAS FELT LIKE THE FIRST RELEASE FROM PUGWASH. And in so many ways it is, yet the band are very proud of their back catalogue and one which is a sleeping giant amongst the struggling publishing game. All of which will be explored thoroughly over the next 12 months. There’s also the tiny matter of Jollity’s impending release in the U.K, a first for PUGWASH. October 31st is the day for that celebration but plenty will be happening in the run-up to that particular release so go nowhere and be prepared – BE VERY PREPARED…..!!!!!

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