We're proud to announce the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to fund the release of the new Pete Fij / Terry Bickers album 'We Are Millionaires', recorded at Church Road studios with 'Broken Heart Surgery' producer Julian Tardo.
Still drenched in melancholy, though this time with just a little pinch of hope, the album is due for release on 10th July 2017 on CD, vinyl & download.
To help fund it, there is a Kickstarter Campaign which aside the usual fare of CDs / vinyl / badges etc includes the opportunity to buy Terry Bickers' signed guitar strap, have a Skype chat with Pete, a Christmas card sent from the melancholy duo or have a song written and recorded by Pete & Terry all about you!
The Kickstarter campaign runs until Tuesday 16th May. Details can be found here.
Pete & Terry take a break from recording their follow up album to 'Broken Heart Surgery' to DJ a night in Worthing at Coast on Saturday July 9th.
Mr Fij's club 'Never Stop' will feature a rare DJ set from Mr Bickers as the 2 play their favourite tracks from the 1980's, bookended by the very best of post-punk / new wave from the late 70's and the cream of early 90's indie/alternative.
The Bickers & The Fij are off for a couple of dates in November as a kind of Bonfire Night weekend shindig.
First stop is Saturday 7th November at The Locomotive in Swindon where our they will be lighting the fuse, and then standing a safe way away from a series of songs both old and new from the forthcoming album, currently in production.
The following day (Sunday 8th) they will be appearing at The Shiiine Weekender at Minehead where they will be launching a series of melancholic rockets alongside Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, Wonderstuff, 808 State, The Wedding Present, Peter Hook, The Telescopes & Pat Nevin.
Don't forget to jump on board the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Facebook page where you can find regular updates of the recording of album #2
Pete Fij / Terry Bickers are stretching their melancholic wings for their first
engagement of 2015, as part of the Speaky Spokey literary cabaret night
at Kings Place, London 5 minutes walk from Kings Cross & St Pancras
station, on Monday 9th March at 7pm.
"Colonising England"
is part of a night celebrating writers talking about their experiences
growing up in England in the 1970's, and features Salena Godden recounting grwoing up in Hastings with a go-go dancing mother and Jazz musician father, Gabriel Gbadamosi reading from his autobiographical novel 'Vauxhall' - an evocative and witty tale of Irish
tinkers, rag & bone men and Nigerian immigrants, living
cheek-by-jowl in a south London slum & there is a dramatisation of Colin Grant's Pen Ackerly prize short-listed memoir, 'Bageye At The Wheel' with tales of all-weekend poker playing amongst Luton's rambunctious Jamaicans
Alongside
playing their maudelin tunes, Pete & Terry will be discussing their
experiences growing up in the 1970's both as part of and alongside
immigrant communities. Tickets are £9.50 in advance and can be bought
online here
Pete & Terry live on Facebook here, you can follow Pete on Twitter here and you can buy Pete Fij / Terry Bickers' album 'Broken Heart Surgery' that topped four citics's lists for album of 2014 here.
After the sell-out screening of the world premiere in Moscow for the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers documentary 'Various Songs' (directed by Peter Bromley of the 1968 Film Group) the film get's it's UK premiere at the Cine-City Film Festival in Brighton in November.
The film, made over a period of 18 months, features extensive interviews with Pete & Terry on the build up to the release of their debut album 'Broken Heart Surgery' as well insights from those around them from their past and present.
The UK premiere will take place on Monday 24th November at 7pm at The Sallis Benney Theatre in Brighton, and is part of the Cine-City Festival (which runs throughout Brighton from 20th November - 7th December). The screening will feature a short acoustic set from messers Bickers & Fij which will be their last live appearance in what has been a very eventful 2014. Tickets are available here
You can buy the album 'Broken Heart Surgery' from the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Bandcamp site, and you can keep up to date with all things to do with the melancholy duo via their Facebook page and/or you can follow Pete on Twitter
Everyone's favourite downbeat deadbeats have gone melancholy in monochrome in a fabulous live filmed session, captured in stunning black and white by the marvellous Bowlegs Music Review.
You can catch the two looking very Country & Western in a live studio recording of 'The Sound Of Love' by clicking here
After the success of their sell out shows to coincide with the release of 'Broken Heart Surgery', the Bickers & the Fij hit the road again this Autumn with a series of UK dates. B&F will also be supporting TPOBPAT (aka The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart) at their Brighton show on Saturday 9th. You can get in to the show at a reduced price of £8 + booking fee (£5 off the normal ticket price) by clicking here. THPOBPAT have cited both Pete & Terry as influences on their music. Pete Fij / Terry Bickers headlining shows: Thur 4th Sept NORTHAMPTON - NN Cafe Fri 5th Sept HEBDEN BRIDGE - Trades Club Sun 28th Sept COLCHESTER- Arts Centre Thurs 9th Oct LEEDS - Santiago Bar Fri 10th Oct STOCKTON - Green Room Thurs 6th Nov LEICESTER - Firebug They hope to add to this list of Autumn shows, and are still taking bookings, so drop us a line if you fancy having the duo bring the mood down. Pete & Terry will also be playing a handful of private house parties - and are available for bookings. Probably not weddings, but divorce celebrations might be apt. 'Broken Heart Surgery' is available from Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Bandcamp page as download or CD, plus from your usual online retailers, as well as UK record stores, distributed by Republic Of Music. Keep up to date about new shows, and all things Pete Fij / Terry Bickers - shaped on their Facebook page. Photo Credit - Matt Hainsby
Messers Bickers & Fij have been invited to appear on this week's 'Loose Ends' on BBC Radio 4 hosted by Clive Anderson. Our two radioheads will be guests alongside Suggs, David Schneider, Janet Suzman, Arthur Smith, Chris Stewart & The Moulettes. The show will be aired on Saturday 21st at 6.15pm, and will then be available on the i-player for 7 days, as well as being repeated on Radio4Extra throughout the week.
You can now order the album from our the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Bandcamp page.
If you pre-order the album you will recieve an immediate download of
the album, and the CD will be sent to your letterbox on release.
Our two downbeat troubadours have received fabulous response to their upcoming single 'Out Of Time' which has won both the BBC6music Roundtable Single of the Week, (beating the likes of La Roux, Manic Street Preachers, David Byrne & Anna Calvi and getting 10.10 from the panel), and also the 6Music Rebel Playlist listener vote which means the single will be played on every show every day all of next week. 'Out of Time' will be officially released on June 30, with the album out the following week on July 7th. You can now order the album from our the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Bandcamp page. If you pre-order the album you will recieve an immediate download of the album, and the CD will be sent to your letterbox on release. You can also pre-order the Pete Fij version of the album that was recrded some 5 years before but never released.
Messers Bickers & Fij have announced the release of their debut album 'Broken Heart Surgery' released on Broadcast Recordings on July 7th, and a series of live shows to celebrate. The album which will be sent out prior to release to the Kickstarter supporters who helped fund the project will be available to the public via the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers BandCamp webpage as well as through selected stockists. Pete said "Well, it's been a long drawn out process to get here - a bit 'will-they-won't-they?' at times - like a soap opera extended story line about the delayed trip to the altar that has taken several years, but finally we're there...everything's in place - the vicar has the rings, the organist is in full flow, and Terry looks quite stunning - this is going to be our special day".
The album will be preceeded by a single 'Out Of Time' which will be released on June 30th, and the duo will be playing a series of live dates around the time of the release
Pete & Terry's Kickstarter campaign ended up successfully funded, with a total of £6766 - almost twice their unofficial target. Minister for Finance Pete Fij said "Wow!" The duo will now be able to press up the album which is planned to be delivered to Kickstarter supporterrs on Valentines Day 2014 with a general release a short while after. You can keep track of all things Pete Fij/ Terry Bickers related on their Facebook page, or you can laugh as Pete struggles to come to terms with the modern technology of Twitter. Photo credit: Tiya Ivy
Rich in sad melodies they may be, but in the cold, hard currency of cash messers Bickers and Fij are as poor as two church mice who have spent all of their meagre savings on recording a downbeat melancholic album called 'Broken Heart Surgery'. In order to rectify this, and make sure that the album comes they have launched a Kickstarter campaign. Finance minister Pete Fij said "The album has been a labour of love, but we're completely broke and to get it over the finishing line we need to fund pressing up the album and then marketing it. We've set the bar low at £1000 beacuse the way Kickstarter works if you don't reach your funding goal you get nothing, but in order to do everything we'd like to do, we require quite a bit more in order to pay for press and radio PR, so we really need your help on this. " Benevolent fans can get their name on the CD credits; own the rare lost Pete Fij 'Broken Heart Surgery' album made some 4 years before the Bickers & Fij recordings; own a used Terry Bickers plectrum; receive a Christmas card from Pete & Terry; or have a song written and recorded about themselves by Pete. The way Kickstarter works, you can only make one pledge - but if you want more than one item that isn't included in one package, simply make one pledge, then in 'manage my pledge' increase the amount up to the value of the extra items you want to have and then message us with your extra requirement & we'll sort that out for you. So start pledging... the funding project runs until Nov 27th, though some of the items are limited edition - so get in there sooner rather than later. You can also follow Pete & Terry on their Facebook page here to get updates on the Kickstarter project. Photo Credit: Photomatic Photo Booth, Snoopers Paradise, Brighton
Following their two sell out shows in Brighton, Pete & Terry will be journeying up the train line to the bright lights of London where they will be playing at Heavenly's The Social (Oxford Circus) on Monday October 28th.
Tickets are available from Ticketweb and are £5 in advance / £7 on the door
Pete Fij & Terry Bickers announce the release of their new single 'Downsizing' which will be made officially available on October 28th (which will be known as 'Downsizing Day').
A special pre-release MP3 download is available now from the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Bandcamp page on a special 'Pay What You Want' basis - so whether you are a prince or a pauper you can own a little piece of Pete & Terry in your very own digital file.
"It's a song for the current climate of cutbacks - how the austerity measures in the economic world mirror those in some people's private lives" said economic spokesman Pete Fij.
The single comes with an accompanying video directed by Mr Fij, made up of stills sent in by fans as well as photographers Pete contacted specially for the project. An article devoted to the video will appear on the site in the next few days.
As befits the subject matter the single is being promoted with a downsized marketing budget - so far it's been £3 for a photoshoot in a passport photobooth. Any offers for ways of promoting the single will be greatly received, as messers Bickers & Fij see if it is possible to have a worldwide #1 hit single on a £3 marketing budget! So if you can help in any way, please lend a downsizing hand.
The duo are also performing 'Pay What You Want' shows in Worthing on Tuesday September 24th and Brighton (2 shows, 7pm & 8.30pm) Sunday September 29th. Please note the second evening show for Brighton is now SOLD OUT, but tickets are still available for their early evening performance at 7pm.
The duo are also headlining a London show on Monday October 28th at The Social, Little Portland Street, (Oxford Circus). Tickets are available from here from Ticketweb
Pete & Terry's Brighton Bom-Bane's show at 8.30pm on 29th September has now sold out, but a special early evening show on the same night has now been added, and the pair have also announced a Worthing show on Tuesday 24th September at Bar 42.
Both gigs are 'pay what you want' affairs in keeping with the 'Downsizing' theme of the single, so fans from all income brackets can attend.
It is strongly recommended to get tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
Brighton (Sun 29th Sept) early show doors are at 6.30pm, with the duo on-stage at 7pm. Tickets are available for the Brighton show from wegottickets here
Worthing show (Tues 24th Sept) features support from Ben Salter & Ross Absell-Maurice. Doors are at 8pm.Tickets from wegottickets are available here
Full details and facebook event page can be found at the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Facebook page
To celebrate the imminent release of their new single 'Downsizing' (details to follow) Pete & Terry will be doing a very special 'Pay What You Want' show at the hidden gem of a venue that is Bom Banes in Brighton on Sunday 29th September at 8.30pm. Just visit the Wegottickets site and choose how much you would like to pay - anything from nothing to £100!
Mr Fij said "We know how times are tough for a lot of people at the moment, so we thought in keeping with the subject of the song ' Downsizing' we would make the gigs as accesible to everyone regardless of how much money is in their pockets - so both paupers and kings can come and rub shoulders together, to a sound-track of downbeat melancholia."
Don't forget to follow our two recession-busting troubadours on their facebook page and/or follow Pete on Twitter
Tickets for the Sunday Service Brighton show at The Albert, Trafalgar St, for Sunday 28th April have now sold out. There might be some returns at wegottickets, but otherwise they will not be available on the door.
Another Brighton date will be arranged in August, alongside other UK dates. Details will follow. keep up to date at the Pete Fij / Terry Bickers Facebook page or follow Pete on Twitter
Here is the video for 'Betty Ford' with our two damp troubadours battling with the English Channel.
"It was a ridiculously cold day" says Pete "20 minutes after we finished filming it began snowing, and my body went into shock shortly afterwards. The playback packed up after the first take, so what you see is an unrehearsed first time take, but I'm not sure my body would have allowed any more - I began showing all the classic signs of hyperthermia afterwards and became quite light-headed and disorientated for some hours after."
Dried-out and warmed-up our two mermaids will be playing live in Brighton at the Albert on Sunday 28th April. Tickets are now available here (£4 advance / £5 door), with a little present for the first 20 who buy tickets in advance or through the door on the night.
Betty Ford will be released as digital download on April 23rd from i-tunes, Amazon and other online retailers. In the meantime you can obtain a special preview of the track at Bandcamp.
To celebrate the launch of their downbeat debut single 'Betty Ford', messers Bickers & Fij will be playing a suitably laid-back Sunday gig in Brighton at The Albert, Trafalgar Street on Sunday 28th April at 8pm.
Pete said "Quiet is the new loud, and slow is the new fast, so with that in mind we thought a Sunday gig would be the best night to play a live launch for our debut single. Like the train service on a Sunday everything will be a little slower, but you'll have more time to take in the view, and you'll get there in the end."
Tickets are available in advance for £4 from Wegottickets
or £5 on the door. There will be a special present for the first 20 through the
door or buying their tickets in advance.
The night will also include support from the fabulous Al Chamberlain who will be giving his own low-key take on love
& trains.
Pete Fij / Terry Bickers announce the release of their debut single "Betty Ford" which will be made available on April 23rd. A video to accompany the single will be unveiled shortly, as well as details of a Brighton show to coincide with the release.
Pete says "I can't believe we've finally got to the eve of the release. This project has been a tale of obsession and meticulous care, and at times I think both me & Terry were protective of these tunes and didn't want to let them out of our grasp, but it's time to let the songs begin to leave the nest one by one, and live on their own in the outside world. They are big enough to handle it now. Fly 'Betty Ford', fly"
Full details of how to obtain the single will be announced shortly. You can also keep up to date on all things Pete Fij / Terry Bickers -related by liking their Facebook Page. For the Twitterati amongst you you can follow Pete on Twitter.
