Viva La London!

Back to the grind after a fabulous long weekend away with the band in London. The sun shone strong and bright, and we were pure roastin the whole time, but it was a welcome change after a very rainy and depression non-summer here in Northern Ireland!

Each of the gigs were really different, all with a brilliant atmosphere and response from the crowds. Sutton was relaxing, a nice way for us to start off, Green Note was buzzing, electric and intimate, and The Prince Albert was really fun and a great way to wind down the weekend.

Big thank you goes out to Sam Thomas who supported us at Sutton, and Emma Pears who supported us at the Green Note in Camden on Sunday night. She powered through the pain of slicing her finger open just 15 mins before going on to play the keys. Big thank you's also go out to Estelle for housing us and being our tour bus driver, to-ing and fro-ing gear to venues, and generally putting up with our banter.

We loved being in London, and hopefully it won't be long before we are back again.

If you were there, I really appreciate you coming. If not, we hope to catch you at the next one.

Check back for pics of the tour on the myspace or facebook site.

Love xo

I'm terrible at this.

You'll have to forgive me. Time has trickled away and life has an agenda of it's own...to cut a long, excuse-filled story short - I'm forgetful.

Here's a briefing of some of the latest melwigginsmusic news:

* Lots of fun gigs over the summer - highlights include beautiful sing-alongs and good fun at Summer Madness Festival, the beautiful and quirky barnyard gig at The Forfey Festival.

* Gearing up for some banter on the mainland with a couple of gigs and radio interviews in London this coming weekend! Tickets still available (only just!) for the Green Note gig on the 23rd of August - click here to get em!

* Lovely cheeky times with Gerry Anderson, live session and interview at BBC Radio Ulster.

* Planning my first ever single release!!! - 'Heart As Your Home' - revamped and jigged up, coming to a wireless near you soon! Release date TBA.

* Having 'Simplified' included on the brand spankin' new EP for our new friends The Fifty Penny March! Their beautiful little compilation CD is available here!

There are a few more exciting tales to tell, but the powers at be have warned me to keep my lips sealed for the meantime...but I promise you, it'll be worth the wait.

Hope to see you London side, please keep checking the website or myspace for all the up-coming dates! And the EP is still available here, here and here!

Again, thank you for supporting me in this little adventure,
xo

AU Magazine Review!

The latest edition of AU (Alternative Ulster) Magazine has given a really beautiful review of the EP. In case you've not had your lazer eye surgery yet, here it is in a good big font:

"After 10 years in Canada and London, Mel Wiggins finally relocated to Northern Ireland to pursue her admirable pure goal - to sing songs about the things that matter. Through her lurics, she denounces injustice and seeks to nurture a sense of solidarity. Little surprise, then, that several charity organisations have asked her to write songs for them. But her poignant and stunning lyricism, close in the spirit to that of Foy Vance, is not only the appeal of My Brother's Keeper. Mel's sugar-spun voice kindly strolls you through these narratives and adds a delicious frisson to the stirring subject matter."

People are nice.

Sunshine & Fermanagh TV

Boy oh Boy, it sure is hot.

The weather has taken a turn for the good in this beautiful land of ours, and all over the place you can see the difference it makes to peoples attitudes and wardrobe choices (cropped trousers central!)...

I'm about to skip out to a band rehearsal with the lovely boys and a few extras that are going to be filling in during some of our summer gigs while some of the band goes on holidays, so we're hoping to fling open the windows and let the sound flow out into the streets of Belfast...if you happen to be passing by, call in!

Just wanted to update you with a little video piece we did for Fermanagh TV. They were kind enough to come hang out with us for a morning at Blick, interview us for their new station and record us doing a few tunes...

Don't forget the EP is up on Itunes and all other wonderful media/music outlets (CD Baby, Amazonmp3, Rhapsody, BandCamp etc) so please get yourself a copy, get out your sunnies and relax and bask in the glorious sunshine while it's still here!

What a difference a year makes!

Apologies apologies apologies to one and all!

As you may see, my last post was one year and 4 days ago...slightly neglected, but I'm back and ready to be on the ball with this whole t
hing again...

So much has happened in the last year with all the music stuff, that it would bore you (and me) to try and condense it into a readable post...but I will tell you this...

Things have been very intense, busy and exciting.

The 'My Brother's Keeper' EP is done and dusted and ready for your ears...you can get it here.


It was such a pleasure to work on this EP with Declan Legge of Big Space Studios. Declan is a top bloke, with so much experience and for someone like me, who gets bored in the studio, he really did make the process much more enjoyable and easy.

I started gigging about 18 months ago with just myself and John on guitar. Not long after, Marty joined us on double bass, and eventually last summer, Pete came on board with the drums. I couldn't ask for a better bunch of guys to gig with. We were also joined by Nathan and Rachael Power on brass for some of the tracks both on the EP and at our launch party, and that has really spiced things up and opened up a whole new sound for us to play with...hopefully there'll be more of that to come...

There has been a lot of press and promotion for the EP, so I'll try to keep everyone up to date on all of that as I take up the reigns of this blog again...

There are many many exciting things on the horizon and I can't wait until the time is right to update you all on them, so please keep coming back!

But for now, I give you my thanks for your support this far on this leg of the journey and ask that you do yourself a favour and grab yourself a copy of the EP and let me know what you think...

Mel x

More Time

I am loving the process of establishing myself better as an artist/songstress and all that. It is a bit of a haul to get things going in the music direction whilst holding down a full time job, a social life and a marriage!

I wonder to myself if there will ever come a time in the near future when I will be able to focus on this full time? If there will ever be a time when I get to throw my whole self into what I believe is the bigger picture for me? I guess the main thing that holds me back, and probably holds us all back from a full throw down into our passion is the question of money...will it pay the bills? Am I being selfish? I'm usually a bit of a dreamer; an 'anything is possible' type of gal, and I know that I've always been provided for, even when times were tight, but my grown up conscience is now at war with my child-like dreamer conscience and the two won't let each other win...

Maybe it's that 'hell in the hallway' idea that my friend talks about so much...the door closed behind you, and the waiting for another to open period of time.

Either way, I am learning to be content with my lot. All in good time, maybe.

So, my new website is up for your viewing pleasure. My friend Tim McNicol did it for me, and I think it is a beaut. Check it out.

Better

I'm currently working on a new song for The Salvation Army's 'Embrace' Campaign. This campaign will be promoting the need for child sponsorship; giving hope and a future to children caught in the trap of poverty and no family.

I love being able to add to the beauty that this campaign is already bringing to kids everywhere. It is once again an honour to use my voice to provoke people, to challenge and hopefully inspire others into action.

Here are the words....the song will be up on my myspace in the next week.


My mammas sittin up in bed with her head held high
She says “I’m leaving you my baby in a little while,
In a little while, it’s gonna be just you.
Well your brothers and your sisters gonna need you now
So be strong my little fella and I’ll tell you how:
Gotta keep on believing, things are gonna get a little better”

A little better is not too much to ask
A little better to see you smile
A little better to watch you walk so tall
A little better to keep your pride
A little better the seed in all of us
A little better we all could be
A little better is not too much to ask
A little better…to set you free

A little time went on and my mammas gone
My little brothers and my sisters think that I’m so strong
I’m so strong, I don’t know what to tell them
And I stay awake at night because they cry so much
And I hear my mammas voice and I feel her touch saying
“Keep on believing child, things’ll get a little better”

And then one morning when the sun was low
And I was getting up to work in the fields below
In the fields below, we gotta live somehow
A good man came to the window and he said “Dear Child
I’ve got a message for you here” and I saw his smile
He said “I think that things are just about to get a little bit better”