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We played New Zealand… and didn’t lose.

Christmas comes but once a year, but for an iconic arts community in Wellington, New Zealand, it seems even those opportunities are numbered. The Morrisons Building at 13-15 Garrett Street has recently – and perhaps inevitably – been put up for sale, meaning that over 20 years of artist experimentation and innovation is going to be buried under the developers’ bulldozers soon – unless an earthquake gets there first of course.

This Christmas saw the artists opening their doors to anyone who hadn’t been hypnotised into the usual Christmas festivities with an invitation of kai, conversation and open-mic opportunities. So, given the open-mic opportunity what else was an Evangelista to do but return the favour and offer them musical gifts in the form of Jacque Brel’s Grimsby Town (aka Amsterdam) and some of Ray Davies’ finest moments in the form of Demon Alcohol and Acute Schizophrenia Blues. Much fun and appreciation was shown and hopefully this unique community will live to fight for a few more Christmases to come.

I’ll Chase A Drink….

or two with Ged Mckenna, a long time friend and now a new collaborator with the Shepherds of the Nation!

Illustrated by the always inspiring Paul Warren, I’ll Chase a Drink is the first in the hopefully a long line of slightly unhinged collaborations with the wonderful Ged!

What’s been going on? Everybody Knows…

Check out some of our recent work at the Newark Festival and the terrific work of photographer, Lamar just here!

https://youtu.be/_OH0_0t8ynw?si=FKBt84-RbaxEoftX

Shepherding in Brew, near you, in Ashby de la Zouch!

We’re at Brew in Ashby de la Zouch on Thursday 7 September from 8pm, performing some of your favourite songs from our current touring sets including of course that perennial favourite, Demon Alcohol by the Kinks: just the song for a balmy autumn evening in Brew, the craft beer bottle shop and tap room in the heart of the lovely market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire.

Hope to see you there!

It’s September… it’s time to tour!

We’re starting the new month with a couple of great events in some of our best pubs in the East Midlands: The Joiners Arms in Lincoln on Saturday 2 September and Brew in Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire on Thursday 7 September.

We’ll be introducing some songs from our new sets, ‘Songs from my Mother’s Kitchen’ and ‘Dads, Daughters and Son(g)s’ which we’re looking forward to loads! Hope you can make it!

Here’s the address for Saturday 2 September:

And here’s the address for Thursday 7 September:

Shepherds of the Nation at Newark Festival: Saturday 26 August

We’re delighted that the Shepherds will be performing our set of Salutary Songs of Sobriety and Salvation at the Fox and Crown on Saturday 26 August as part of the Newark Hustle from 2.30pm.

The ‘Salutary Songs’ is a catalogue of much loved songs by The Kinks, Divine Comedy, Leonard Cohen, Jo Freya, The Proclaimers and Jacques Brel amongst others; all offering unsettling but ultimately uplifting insights into modern times.

The Newark Hustle is situated in venues throughout the town with street art, food and entertainment galore: just make sure you get to your seat in time at the Fox and Crown to enjoy our Salutary Songs!

Shepherds Coming Home… oh yes they are, oh yes they are…

Here’s a sneak preview of The Kinks Room at the Clissold Arms in Muswell Hill,which will be hosting us and our special guests, The House of Three Cheers on Sunday 27 August from 6pm.

Allegedly, The Kinks used to hang out here back in the day and wrote and performed all their iconic hits here, as well as some songs which weren’t so hot (I’m thinking much of the Preservation Double Concept Album). But those aberrant moments aside, this is like a little Mecca for the Shepherds of the Nation and we’ll be soaking up every last minute of our times together.

Get your tickets here!

Register on Eventbrite

A unique double bill: The Shepherds of the Nation welcome The House of Three Cheers at the Clissold Arms, London

We’re delighted to announce a unique double bill as part of our performance at the Clissold Arms: The House of Three Cheers will be presenting The Original Beekeepers and the public launch of their Pandemic Video: Under The Artex Sky on Sunday 27 August from 6pm onwards.

Makers of fine but slightly silly and strange music since 1984, The Original Beekeepers have been previously described as ‘the skin of rice pudding’.

Nearly 40 years on, The Beekeepers will be playing some surprisingly good new songs along with a few old classics. The House of Three Cheers will be presenting the first public screening of its ‘lockdown video’ which adds strange and paranoid visuals to the Beekeepers’ album, Under the Artex Sky.

Perfect for an early Summer Sunday evening!

All guests will receive a free House of Three Cheers ‘going-home bag’.

Provisional Running Order

6.00pmDoors open
6.30pmThe Original Beekeepers
7.00pmUnder the Artex Sky
7.30pmShepherds of the Nation present Salutary Songs of Sobriety and Salvation
8.30pmSheep herding, Bee hiving and general good times to be had by all

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Sheep herding alert: we’re coming to London!

We’re delighted to let you know that our first foray in London will be on Sunday 27 August at 6pm at the Clissold Arms, the very home of our musical gurus, Ray Davis and his wonderful Kinks!

More info to follow – but you can email us at nick@shepherdsofthemation.uk for more details if you want to get your sheep in line quicker!

Register on Eventbrite

All the lost sheep: it’s got to stop!

Produced by our Shepherd of the Nation, Paul Warren, these three images provide a delightful insight into the Salutary Songs of Sobriety and Salvation.

Paul Warren enjoys drawing on an iPad and spends a lot of his time doing exactly that.  He draws images of people and refers to his artwork as “Momentism,” or “Expressionist Momentism,”  the drawing of a moment in someone’s day to day existence.  A moment that was there a moment ago and is now gone but there will be another one along in a moment, a little like buses.

Paul’s drawing style is loose and, some would say, illustrative and Paul wouldn’t argue with that description. He adds that much of the source material comes from remembered observation and/or conversation and that the use of line and colour is constantly in an evolutionary state of flux. Humour, subtle or otherwise, is often a feature of the imagery and a couple of his motivational yardsticks are, “laugh and the world laughs with you” and “There’s more to art than meets the eye.”