sorry for taking so long in updating the news! it's been a busy summer. the chickfactor lady moved to london and has been using all the usual chickfactor time for things like job hunting and visa getting. we have the lovely kendall cf taking care of the mail order for chickfactor and enchanté records in new york. email gail if you need to send her some records in london. we are sad to report that the new issue of chickfactor isn't ready yet -- sorry! -- but we are working on it. we normally would have gotten cf done in the vile heat of manhattan summer, but we are behind and do apologise.

we've had to postpone the chickfactor shows we were hoping to have around halloween in barcelona and stockholm, and hopefully we will be programming some events in those cities (and paris, lisbon, dublin, copenhagen, rome, paros, oslo, and scads of other eurocities) in the springtime and beyond.

we are planning to have a two-night chickfactor holiday ball at london's bush hall:

chickfactor presents

L'Age D'or du Pop: a glittering gilded holiday bash

sat dec 6
stephen duffy + the lilac time
the pines
(the real) tuesday weld
jennifer o'connor

sun dec 7
the clientele
club 8
the aluminum group
tender trap
+ special guests
+ fashion show featuring the designs of andrea loest

dress code: gold lamé, red velvet, cuff links, tiaras, and spats!!!

copromoted with strange fruit.
starts superearly! doors 6pm, showtime 630pm; £10 per nite or £17 for weekend pass
tickets on sale now, call the 24 hour ticketline at 08700 600 100.
or go to ticketweb, search for bush hall in venues and there you go.

bush hall, 310 uxbridge road, shepherds bush, london W12 020 8222 6955

enchanté records are still very proud of our 2002 compilation all's fair in love and... chickfactor; buy one now! but we are also on hiatus, though we do plan to put out more comps in the future. keep an eye on TFT (the new band from versus + containe chick fontaine toups) to find out when their new album will be out; and in case you missed the pacific ocean's latest album, so beautiful and safe and warm, click here to get yourself one of those as well. that dude bill callahan from smog produced it and did a pretty snappy job, slightly more dark and arty and spare than their usual cinematic pop vibe.

stuff we've been listening to lately in addition to TFT and TPO:

• the latest pipas mini album, golden square (annika) -- they just get better and better and I'm not just saying it because of my proximity to them!

• the new clientele record, the violet hour (merge), which is more music for your most delicate hungover lazy mornings.

• the relict's extremely gorgeous debut album, tomorrow is again (Label), which is worth seeking out if you need some tender loving.

• keep an ear out for the new smiths covers album on matinee. I know, I know, it's a risky idea, but I've heard a few of the tracks (pipas, the would-be-goods) and it's shockingly ace.

matinee and foxyboy records have each released the first pines eps ever on compact disc -- so by all means get out there and get true love waits, volumes one and two, as soon as humanly possible. I cannot express how good these are.

mr. dump's latest, grown-ass man, is an essential accessory for winter. we know that the magnetic fields, the would-be-goods, and the real tuesday weld have been in the studio and we can't wait to hear all that of course. and you should go out of your way to hear the new tender trap record, which features my flatmate lupe nunez-fernandez co-writing and singing a maxi dance single called "como te llamas?" (it's also on elefant's modapop comp!). for more recommendations, click here.

I have actually made a price list for my photographic prints if you want to buy some. I will also be updating images gailohara.com shortly. the last bit of news is that the stephin merritt documentary isn't finished yet, but we actually have done quite a bit of work on it this year so who knows -- it may see the light of day someday. ciao for now.