Roundup of 2012

As it was such a momentous year we thought a quick round-up/retrospective would be in order.
Well, what a year that was! Beginning in January with a truly memorable gig: Live at the Target: Live at the Peel; where as the Cryptic Clues we welcomed back Andy Revell and thrilled a sell-out crowd. It was not only a great gig, but also a really fun night, and to top things off the raffle and auction of ‘TN’ memorabilia raised £ 1200 for the charity, Unique.
Then in June, having accepted an invitation to play ‘across the pond’, the XII line up flew to New York to play at the last NEARfest alongside the likes of Van der Graaf Generator, UK, and others. It was a 5-day party that created some lasting friendships and memories that will never be forgotten for all those who went. Oh, and we got to do some sightseeing too…
Finally the Cryptic Clues Autumn tour, beginning with a brilliantly received headline performance at ‘Summers End’ (the UK’s biggest and friendliest prog rock festival), and culminating in the show at the Barbican in London – watched by well over 1,100 people (300 at the show and over 800 on-line). Incidentally during it’s time up on the web, the webcast had more than 2,700 views. Wow! The feedback from the show was fantastic, and we were also delighted that we had the chance to see (and thank) many old friends. The after-show party was great fun too, and it rounded off a remarkable year for us all. Thanks to all who made it happen!
With all this live work it is perhaps not surprising that there was only one release: but what a good one! The Definitive Edition of Live and Let Live. It turned out really well (particular thanks to Karl Groom for re-mastering it) and it has already become our fastest-selling ‘Definitive Edition’ so far! Our aim is to keep all our titles available in physical format with the help of Dave Robinson at Festival Music. In addition to this, we had our first digital sales last year via CD-Baby, iTunes, Amazon, etc. – something we hope to expand on significantly in 2013 through our own web-site, and beyond…
Finally, we would also like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped and supported us last year: distributors, promoters, lighting and graphic designers, cameramen, reviewers, our road crew, family, friends, and loyal fans. Quite simply we could not do it without you!
And to end this round-up of 2012, a very special thank you to Dean Baker, Roy Keyworth & Andy Faulkner who seamlessly slotted in to the various line-ups enabling us to play some storming shows last year, which will live long in the memory… thanks, chaps!
Here’s to the rest of 2013!
Posted Mar 2nd 2013