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Ten Minutes with Winterfylleth

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Would you travel for over 4 hours to spend less than 10 minutes with one of your favourite bands just to get their latest album signed and a photograph? I DID! Although, someone came from Germany, so it wasn’t the longest anyone travelled.

I don’t think I’ve been to an album launch signing since July 1997 when Paradise Lost played the London Astoria on a Sunday night and they opened the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street so that we could buy the album at midnight and have it signed. (Remember when album releases were on Mondays?).

When the email came through that Winterfylleth were doing a number of album launch appearances and one of them was in Camden on a Friday night I immediately wanted to go. And then I panicked! I’d already pre-ordered the album. Would it be here in time? Worry not! I’ve got plenty of other albums of theirs they could sign.

To add insult to injury, Mark Deeks wasn’t going to be there either.

It’s Wednesday evening. I’m in Skegness with work and I get an email saying the album’s been posted and the hoping starts. It’s late Thursday morning and I’m walking through the front door. Ring has already shown me the postman has been and there on the mat is a small, CD sized package. Could it be the album? IT IS!

I finished work early and jumped on a train to Raven Records in Camden. It’s a tiny record shop with a cafe and an alcohol free bar with lovely and welcoming staff. Just after six a nervous sounding Chris welcomed us all, invited us to have our things signed and the shop started playing the album. A few minutes later we were invited downstairs.

Chris, Simon and Nick were sat chatting to another fan who was on their way out. We sat down and they seemed genuinely pleased to see us. We chatted for a bit, Chris sent my friend Clare, who’s a massive fan and couldn’t come, a voice note, we got our stuff signed and a picture taken. I asked them to come and play in Norwich and they pointed out they were playing in Ipswich soon. Chris was not impressed when I said I was already taking my wife to see Nick Cave that night.

It was all over in fewer than ten minutes, but well worth it!




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