UK Prog Rockers Cosmograf have announced that they will release a new live bootleg style album, “Live at The 1865 (The Official Bootleg),” through their Gravity Dream label on April 12, 2024. Stream the track “Arcade Machine” through the YouTube player below:
The new album was recorded at the band’s show at Southampton’s 1865 venue last March on a short and rare burst of live activity from the band with a line-up that featured Lee Abraham (guitar), Kyle Fenton (drums) and Alistair Martin (bass) alongside mainman Robin Armstrong.
“I had no intention at all of making any sort of live album for our recent shows, but Iistening back to the soundboard mix for this one, I was kind of surprised how good it sounded,” explains Armstrong. “Normally I’d be obsessed in fixing the mistakes and mixing it properly but there was just no way to do that with just a basic stereo track, so I thought it would be fun to release it in all its old school rawness.“
A small and enthusiastic audience of Cosmograf fans assembled one Sunday night in May ‘23 at The 1865, Southampton, UK to witness Robin and his live band play a 2 hour show covering songs from the breadth of his music over the last 9 or so albums. There was no original intention for the gig to be recorded, but a decent soundboard stereo mix was made available after the show, that had captured something very interesting. Much of the set played that night, provided too much temptation not to share some of that experience with a much wider audience.
What it lacks in polished presentation, it more than makes up for in the performance and vibe of a live band in its raw, grass roots environment. Robin reviewed, edited, and mixed the audio within the limitations of the recording and gave it his blessing. For these reasons it’s an Official Bootleg! and stands as an interesting waypoint in the history of Cosmograf.
“Live at The 1865 (The Official Bootleg)” will be available in CD, and Bandcamp download formats.
Pre-Order the CD Version here: https://www.gravitydream.co.uk/product/cosmograf-live-at-the-1865-the-official-bootleg-cd/
Pre-Order the Digital Version here: https://cosmograf.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-1865-the-official-bootleg
Tracklist:
01. British Made (Live At The 1865)
02. The Man Left In Space (Live At The 1865)
03. Bakelite Switch (Live At The 1865)
04. White Car (Live At The 1865)
05. Regretful Refrain (Live At The 1865)
06. Four Wall Euphoria (Live At The 1865)
07. Arcade Machine (Live At The 1865)
08. The Motorway (Live At The 1865)
09. The Ghost Gets Made (Live At The 1865)
Lineup:
Robin Armstrong / Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Kyle Fenton / Drums, Vocals
Lee Abraham / Guitars, Vocals
Alastair Martin / Bass