First of all, we'd all like to thank you for your support whether by liking our facebook page, retweeting us, listening to our soundcloud uploads, coming to our gigs, promoting our gigs, recording with us or just being generally supportive of the Kitten Pyramid journey.

It's been a busy year evolving from three people to twelve and then down to a sensible five with Gemma taking time out to have her baby which is very exciting! There have been some amazing collaborations with Great Scott, Joe Bird, Matt Redfern, C.N.S.R. and the one and only Dave Ball. We've had tremendous support from Tim Fletcher at the Burton Mail and found new friends and venues in the form of Keith Large from the 76 Club and Burton's Bewers Bar and The Tower Brewery. Keith, Alistair Kennedy and Tracy Hill will play a big part in our Burton plans next year. Big shout out to Phil from Silent Filter for allowing us to headline at our first Birmingham gig too!

We've had a little radio exposure with BBC Radio Nottingham and Derby, 6 Towns and Hermitage. Rob's been off the drums...then back on the drums and the new core Kittens in the shape of Chris Baldwin, Mark Hamon and Dan Baker have influenced the new Kitten Pyramid sound that you'll hear onstage and on our forthcoming debut album ELEPHANTS which we're recording in a few weeks time at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales with Nick Brine. The album is due to be released in March and we're going to be meeting a PR company when we're in Wales which we desperately need to push under the noses of the right blogs, magazines, promoters and whatnot. Would be good to finish 2013 with a well received debut album, a few festivals and some regular airplay ready for recording CARS to complete the double album project.

Anyroad, thanks for all your help and support - we really appreciate everything you've done for us and hope to see you next year :)

In 1965 Rockfield was acknowledged to be the first residential recording studio in the world. The now famous studios have played host to many of the world’s biggest artists - Rush, Oasis, Iggy Pop, Nigel Kennedy, Simple Minds and in 1975 was the primary studios used by Queen for the recording of the greatest pop record of all times ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

The albums gonna be great. I've had a good listen and I love the different shades on the record. The way it moves between atmospheric and hard edged is very cool. The lyrics are great and very expressive and I like the way your influences come to the surface while at all times retaining your own identity. I think with the help of myself and the creative environment of Rockfield we can create a great album that will sit perfectly among many genre's and sound fresh in years to come.

There's some great radio tunes on there that with the right production could get some great exposure. I think I could add to the recordings by bringing a better dynamic to the songs. Expanding on the atmospheric nature of some of the tracks and making the soundscape bigger and also stripping back some of the tracks to a more intimate, raw feel, creating a great dynamic across the album. Some of them sound more finished than others. Some sound like they need recording from scratch while others sound like they just need a bit of tidying up and a great mix. They're all good but my immediate favourites are Marmalade, Crazy Diamonds and W.H.A.L.E. There's a few arrangement issues but nothing major. At the heart of the record though is great songs and if you have great songs you're already most of the way there."

Nick Brine 29/10/2012

After working with some of the biggest bands in the business – from The Stone Roses to Oasis – music producer Nick Brine has returned to Wales to give up-and-coming musicians a helping hand. AT the age of 16, Nick Brine was a tea boy at the famous Rockfield Studios in Monmouth. Just a year later, he was working as a music engineer with The Stone Roses, who were then at the height of their fame and recording their album, Second Coming. By the time he was 18, Brine was working on the second Oasis album – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? – which went on to become one of the biggest selling recordings of all time.

“When you were recording it, you just knew it was going to be massive,” he recalls. “I remember Kingsley Ward (owner of Rockfield Studios) walking into the room and he just looked at everyone and said, ‘That’s going to sell 10 million’.” Since then, Brine has teamed up with other major names in the industry – from Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Williams to Stereophonics and The Verve. Now after running the Leeders Farm studio in Norfolk for five years, which he launched with The Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins, Brine has returned to his native Wales to set up the Welsh branch of the company to help emerging bands break into the tough industry. As well as setting them up at studios, he will be providing them with access to major events and offering advice, management, PR and artist development by running courses and workshops in production, mixing and the music business in general. He will also be running competitions and promotions to help launch them into the spotlight – something which he’s already done successfully in Norfolk. “The business has established itself in Norfolk and The Darkness have re-formed so Dan needs the studio now,” says Brine, who’s originally from Monmouth. “My wife also works for a youth theatre in Tredegar and is expecting twins in November so we felt the time was right to return to Wales,” adds the 35-year-old, who has a two-year-old daughter Honey.

Now based in Tredegar, Brine will be focusing on helping young musicians take a step into the business but he will also continue working as a producer from local recording studios, including Rockfield. He says the industry has completely changed since he started out as a teenager two decades ago. “In a way it’s easier now,” he says. “In the past, only a select few had record deals but now every record you work on can be put out there thanks to the internet. “But it also means that now there are a million bands competing in the shop window rather than just the hundred or so with record deals. “We also have to prove that it’s worth coming to work with a professional producer rather than just doing it yourself in your bedroom. So it means that we have to keep making great records. “You don’t make money from [hiring out] studios any more but you have to adapt and look at different sources of income.” Brine has plenty of tales to share with the emerging musicians he’s now supporting – from his days with Oasis to working with The Boss in New York. “Oasis were fantastic, generous guys – to have been that age and working with the biggest band in the world was fantastic,” he recalls.

“The Stone Roses were also a phenomenal band – to be in a room while they were playing live was just amazing. “Bands used to really enjoy being in a studio back then. It was a really fun and vibrant era for music.” On one occasion, Brine found himself in New York with Springsteen as the American superstar was collaborating on an album which he was working on. “He was fantastic, a brilliant laugh and full of stories which kept us entertained. He’s just an amazing musician.” While his list of past collaborators reads like a roll of honour which wouldn’t look out of place in the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Brine says one of his greatest moments was working with his favourite band – alternative Scottish rockers Teenage Fanclub. “I loved them before I even got into the music business,” he says. “I always liked what they stood for. They’re unsung heroes really as they’ve never had massive commercial success but most of the bands I’ve worked with say Teenage Fanclub are their favourite band. They’re inspirational musicians.”

Now Brine is looking forward to working with young musicians who may well find themselves inspiring others a few years down the line. “I just hope to give them a foothold in the business and help them to become successful.”

By Karen Price, Western Mail - August 2012

There are already plans for gigs next year with, most recently agreed, a spot at the Assembly Rooms, Derby on January 26th, a circus - also in Derby, Burton's 107 Station Street and The Roebuck and Lichfield's Sparks Cafe along with other out of town gigs. There should also be another gig at Birmingham's 02 but in Academy 2!!! Lovely. [Photo: Thomas Marson]