June '26

Hi all, I’ve managed to do two newsletters in a row! I’m chuffed, I’m going to keep doing it once a month for updates.

There’s not HEAPS of news other than that I’m currently existing in the ‘nice’ bit where I’m writing and recording instead of manically trying to make soundchecks.

I have almost finished this stupid album. I’ve been asked to think of a story for it, preferably a moving story, touching, something written from the heart. For you, my lovely newsletter readers, I’ll admit this is a strangely agonising process to push yourself through but I sure hope you enjoy whatever deeply personal jargon I offer up.

Also, whoever enjoyed the last demo and wants some CD’s of the demos to buy at the next few shows then email me back and let me know.

Shows coming up are as follows

09/07/2026 Alton, UK Alton Arts Festival

24/07/2026 Gisburn Forest, Lancashire SeekOut Festival

30/07/2026 Edinburgh, UK Songs of Joni Mitchell
31/07/2026 York, UK Songs of Joni Mitchell
01/08/2026 Cambridge, UK Songs of Joni Mitchell

27/09/2026 Portsmouth, UK Songs of Joni Mitchell
28/09/2026 Bath, UK Songs of Joni Mitchell
29/09/2026 Cornwall, UK Songs of Joni Mitchell

02/10/2026 Liverpool, UK Jake Xerxes Fussell Support
03/10/2026 Manchester, UK Jake Xerxes Fussell Support
05/10/2026 Leeds, UK Jake Xerxes Fussell Support
06/10/2026 Glasgow, UK Jake Xerxes Fussell Support
12/10/2026 Bristol, UK Jake Xerxes Fussell Support
13/10/2026 Brighton, UK Jake Xerxes Fussell Support
14/10/2026 London, UK Jake Xerxes Fussell Support

23-25/10/2026 Announced St Davids, UK BOIA Festival

I’ll be bringing merchandise to all of these (as well as those cd’s you may or may not want).

I’m sure there’s something else that I’m not mentioning but I can’t remember right now.

Listening: Kath Bloom, the new Bill Callahan record and the new Case Oats song

Eating: Today; cereal with real milk, a banana, a cucumber, an apple, some walnuts, a single salty cracker and a diet coke.

Watching: we watched a very good film called ‘Carandiru’ about the prison in São Paulo

Reading: I have just finished ‘Monkey Grip’ by Helen Garner, as well as ‘My Year with Gertrude Stein’ and ‘Things I don’t want to know’ by Deborah Levy. I’m currently back to ‘White Nights’ by Dostoevsky and considering parallel reading ‘Pale Fire’ by Nabokov (I’m very fancy). Has anyone got any recommendations? Or if they’ve read white nights and/or pale fire (quite complimenting titles next to each other) and not enjoyed them, then you can spare me a month of my reading time and send me in another direction.

This isn’t a book but I did read an article that said going to a show was an endurance test, which I thought was funny and quite often true. The main point he made was about muddy PA systems, which I agree with and I’m constantly confused as to why in 2026 you still can’t hear the lyrics through microphones and why PA systems seem to suck. I’ve always put this down to having mono hearing (I only have one ear I can hear out of) so I have no idea where sounds are coming from and when things are loud it all just hits me like a wall. I thought other people with two ears could make sense of live ‘bandy’ shows better than me and I was just nodding along thinking they knew something I didn’t (there’s a good bit in the film ‘Science of Sleep’ where C. Gainsbourg says ‘shows are boring’). It was quite a relief to find out that someone else also thought that the PA systems ruin shows (this is no shade on any particular venues / persons who may work there). That’s why I prefer solo or duo shows (unless it’s dance music or metal) where I can grasp what’s happening a bit better. I know loads of people will contest that and say they love it, which is great for them, I wish I loved it. Regardless, for all those that feel they can pay more attention to music that doesn’t require thrashing around in the audience, then you can rest assured I am doing everything in the little power that I have to make sure the shows are seated (PAs are fine for quieter music in the fancy fancy venues I’m playing in) because it is really so much better and less boring.

Lots of love, you can get all the tickets (to high audio-quality and comfortably seated shows) and what-not on my website naimabock.com

xxx