Hullo you lot, Right. I promised a week or so ago that I'd be sending on an exclusively-fashioned finely-honed Sinister-specific (lip-smackin' etc) competition to win a pre-release copy of Stuart David's fine new book on the origins of the band which I can't recommend enough. This is it. Book blurb: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781408705155, Stuart's blog about it: http://www.stuart-david.com/?page_id=175 Pets Win Prizes: http://missprint.org/sinister/allnightcafe/competition.jpg Rachel from the Little, Brown Book Group (spectacularly the name really includes a comma) is offering 16 (wait for it) copies of the book to those who enter, drawn randomly from your entries. The lucky winner gets the book, a tote bag (how very B&S!) and a poster signed by Stuart, which I'd like to think but can't guarantee is signed in his blood. Five more get the book and tote bag (see pic above) and ten more just get the book. The rest of you get a polite round of applause. I'm not great at statistics but I'd say you have a reasonable chance of winning. Rachel has assured me your email or postal addresses won't be used to spam you subsequently and will be deleted after the draw's over. So that's good then. But firstly a word or two from Stuart to you, yes you: "Although I wasn't fully conscious of it at the time, it was all the people from the Sinister list I was talking to while I was writing this book. So if any of it means anything to any of you crazies, that's enough. It doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks." I'd really appreciate posts from winners after you've read the book, so please remember to come back and tell us what you thought, good or bad. In fact I'd like it if you posted on entering too but you don't have to. I really want to know if others enjoy it as I did and besides, you won it here. Don't forget Mum. Mail from the publisher below and details on how to enter. Please try to ignore the quote she's included from me as it's hardly Booker Prize worthy - Chris's review is much better. The book though is very, very good. Honey x ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Little, Brown says: On April 16th, we're hugely excited to be publishing Stuart David's memoir of Belle and Sebastian's formative year: In the All-Night Cafe. It's affectionate, fascinating, evocative, magical and charmingly written - everything you would expect. But don't take the publishers' word for it - it comes highly recommended by some Sinister people too: Honey says: "I can't recommend it enough. It doesn't have an ounce of twee other than a good bit on a beach, and is written with a very singular voice: it's more of a story than an attempt to produce one of those dreary blow-by-blow diaries of gigs and tours. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say it ends with the Tigermilk party, which I love. It's mostly about him and Stuart M hanging around and finding out how songs work and how records work. I am dying to tell you some funny stories from it but let's just say "if you want to shag him, you should just ask him out"." Chris Jones says: "It made me swoon and feel just marvellous. The re-animation of Sinister is very timely, because it will take you on a beautiful nostalgic journey back to those heady late 90s days and make you fall in love with the band all over again. As they creep towards a slick, professional, internationally touring pop behemoth/contemporary cultural irrelevance (delete as you see fit) it was beyond wonderful to be reminded of why we all fell head over heels for them in the first place. I've been listening to the early stuff all over again, supplementing it with the newly learned scraps of joy from Stuart's book, and boy have I enjoyed it... The fact that I've been able to read Stuart David's book at the same time has made me fall in love with them all over again - I've been listening to the 90s stuff with a totally fresh view. It's been utterly beautiful and I've found enjoyment in places I never did first time round. It's a great fanboy read - I've been reading it on the bus after work and am so sad that I'll have finished it soon. It's put a bit of much needed indie sparkle back in my life." For a chance to win a limited edition early copy of the book (10 runners up), with a tote bag (5 runners up), and maybe a poster signed by Stuart (1 winner), just email marketing@littlebrown.co.uk before midnight on Sunday 22nd March with your name, post address, and subject: "All-Night Cafe". ------------------------------------------------------------------------ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+