Greetings!
As the world inexorably plunges into 2026, we wanted to update you on our journey since June and share our plans for 2026.
It has been six months of intense contrast. We have been working tirelessly on exciting new projects while navigating a serious personal crisis that has challenged our creative output.
To our free and paid subscribers: thank you. Your presence here truly means the world to us.
Currently, we are pouring our energy into new work that is still in development. Because many of our projects—particularly Starlite’s art installations—are created purely out of passion and are entirely non-profit, your support here is what makes this work possible.
alternatively, you can…
Out and about.
I know, I know, the British are obsessed with the weather and for a very good reason, especially as a Mancunian. There, it’s either raining or about to start…
So, on to the weather.
During August, the weather was uncharacteristically poor, but apart from the occasional day, the rest of the summer was fantastic, and we enjoyed every moment. Starlite and I moved to Foz do Arelho just over a year ago, and November and December were exceptional, with dry, sunny weather. However, this year we have had a lot of rain.
Fucking tourists
We live in a town which borders the Lagoa da Óbidos and the Oceano Atlântico, which during August seems to attract every person from the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Europe. It’s chaos, but wonderful to see, mainly Portuguese families, enjoying nature at its finest.
Squoofers
Hummock is now 14 1/2, has a little dementia, and her back legs are not great, so every morning we take her, with Bob, Edith and Françoise—for those who are reading our missives for the first time, these are our four Labradors, aka hounds of rock, the girls, squoofers—for some hydrotherapy. I carry her the 40m from the van to the lagoon, and albeit with an awkward gait, she walks back unassisted…
During June-September, animals are not allowed on the beach, and although they don’t identify as dogs, many seem to think we are breaking the rules. Not the Portuguese, but the fucking Northern European tourists.
The lifeguard and beach goers start arriving at 0900, and by then, we are long gone.
Every morning, we see the same council workers, Paulo, who blows the sand off the walkway and the lady who empties the multitude of bins along the road adjacent to the lagoon and ocean. They welcome us. We now see Paulo in our local haunt, Cafe Central. We wave, and he waves back, a common courtesy to acknowledge his dedication and service to the community.
We see a lovely Portuguese couple every morning at 0800, who set up their windbreak ready for the day. They wave, say hello and greet us with a smile and a Bom Dia—no sweat. We pick up any plastic rubbish we see and deposits that the girls make, leaving with no trace except happy hounds, our memories and a little sand on our feet.
One day, there was a group of Germans/Dutch setting up at 0800. The male 50+ group leader, sporting a bucket hat, socks and sandals, shouted at us, with some aggression, saying dogs are not allowed on the beach.
I informed him that we live here and they are not dogs. Bob farted, and we carried on.
We trouble no one. Rules can always be interpreted selectively. Hummock is far more important to us…
Conclusion: Portuguese workers and tourists are cool. Northern Europeans can be assholes.
Here’s a video from when our great drummer, Steve Gibson, who is based in the UK, was with us recording for a week.
Visitors.
As we haven’t been back to our home country for a few years now, it’s great to see family and friends from the UK. However, since we work from home, we try to restrict the numbers, otherwise we wouldn’t get anything done: everyone wants a holiday in the sun.
Rhonda & Jeff Beohlert
This wonderful couple hail from the USA, where a number of years ago they sold everything they owned and upped sticks to Portugal. They are enjoying life touring the world, dog-sitting, running marathons and hanging out at music festivals. Cool ehh…
We first ‘virtually’ met them whilst presenting our livestreams during the pandemic. They tuned in every week and became staunch supporters of the band and our music. We met in person at a wine convention in Lisboa, as Jeff wanted to give us some rare, vintage vinyl which they had recovered from their move.
They came over from Figuera da Foz to watch us play a gig and spent a couple of great nights with us, which overlapped with the visit of our youngest son, Joe, his wife Christina and our grandchildren, Emma and the newly born Finn.
Great times.
They also wrote a guest article for us about their favourite 10 tracks. Check it out.
Pauline & Jez (aka the king of eyewear) Levy
I have known Pauline and Jez for many years, was the joint best man at their wedding, and have seen their kids grow up. As I don’t have a biological brother, he is the closest thing.
Pauline works for Apple, and Jez owns an optician’s, EYES on St. Albans, which, bizarrely enough, is in the historic city of St. Albans.
It’s a treasure trove of optical excellence with customer service to die for, and where Suzy and I have our eye exams and buy all our eyewear. We are massive fans, but it’s not just us; he currently has 526 five-star reviews and counting.
We donated a guitar and also recorded a radio jingle to promote the store.
Spex, hugs and Rock ‘n Roll.
We had many wonderful moments, and the day before they left, we threw a party…
The party
Since being in the Foz, we have met loads of people, mostly musicians and artists. We have never hosted a large party before in our home, and thought this would be a perfect location in which to do it.
There was a lot of planning, and it all came together magically on the day with the help of Pauline & Jez, Rhonda & Jeff and a host of Elves who arrived on the day—well, it is that season after all.
It was a musical event with an open stage and a lot of open hearts.
Shaz Bridgens & Mark Cleator
I first met Mark around 2008 when I moved to the Isle of Man. He is a great live/studio sound engineer operating the best recording facility on the Island, Red Lyon Studios.
In 2013, we collaborated on an Electronica project Electrolite, which we love dearly, so much so that I spun in my future wife to our wedding ceremony to the sound of Take Me Now.
Over the years, we have become firm friends, and along with his new partner Shaz they visited us in our old house in Samora Correia and again this year. Shaz is a great singer and front person: together they have a band called Shark.
Mark is a talented multi-instrumentalist and is about to release his latest album—The Listening Device—with another multi-instrumentalist (they are everywhere), James Craig, under the moniker of Cleator Craig. I have heard the final master, and it’s very good.
Whilst he was over, he contributed some crazy Moog Matriarch magic to Stiff, a new track we are currently working on as part of the upcoming VIBRATIONISTS album, which I discuss later in this article.
Jo Somerset & Liz Clarke
Suzy has known this wonderful couple for many years. I first met Liz when she came to stay with us—or rather in her Camper Van—whilst in Samora Correia. We celebrated Liz’s birthday in Lisboa the year after, and this year they came to stay.
Liz, now retired, was a very successful business person in Manchester with her wife Jo, who is also an author with a new children’s book out right now - Mission: Find Mum - which has attracted wide critical acclaim.
Our work.
VIBES
With all the stress we have been under, our written output has been severely restricted, but now we are firmly back in the saddle and publishing regularly.
I am really proud of Suzy Starlite as she is writing poetry like a demon, recently releasing the White Fire series, which contains a spoken word recording.
Coincidentally, ‘White Fire’ was also the name of my first band, which Starlite hadn’t connected until afterwards…
“White Fire isn't a standard dictionary term, but it usually refers to extremely hot fire (white-hot), early-stage fire producing white smoke, or metaphorically, intense passion/purity. It might also imply something exceptionally powerful or divine.”
Here is the first poem:
‘Raising a Nation’
Starlite has always made artwork, most recently the collage for our latest studio album, Starlite.One, along with DIY Pharma, Klangers and Stayin’ Alive.
The originals and prints are available to purchase.
On January 14th, [now February 7th due to an administrative cock up] she is presenting her very first art installation, Raising A Nation, at the very cool Malaica Social Club in Caldas da Rainha. Admission is free.
Raising a Nation is a multi-sensory installation dedicated to the matriarchs who define our history.
Inspired by the laundry billowing from Portuguese balconies, this exhibition reimagines the daily ritual of hanging washing as a profound symbol of care. It transforms a simple domestic act into a testament to the tireless love and grit that built families and fueled communities.
Through striking portraits of real women, the installation weaves personal legacies with the timeless wisdom of folklore and the traditions they’ve carried forward. Raising a Nation is an immersive journey of sight, sound, and the comforting aromas of traditional cooking—an invitation to connect with the unyielding spirit of the women who shaped a nation.
Releases
Our last progress report revealed a few of our new projects, which, now that the studio is fully operational, have started to develop in earnest. Some, which we didn’t even consider back in June, are hugely exciting:
Ramblin’ On My Mind
In December, we released our homage to the roots of most contemporary music.
The track was originally recorded in Germany to be part of a tribute album to Robert Johnson, arguably the father of the blues.
The album hasn’t materialised, and as we loved it so much, we decided to release it as a single with a music video which chronicles our ‘Blues Pilgrimage’ across the American South in 2022.
The video documents our road trip to Memphis, Tupelo, Clarkesdale, Muscle Shoals and Nashville, which included playing at Ground Zero Blues Club, a live session on Radio Memphis, attending the Blues Awards and visiting a load of legendary recording studios, plus all the wonderful people we met along the way.
Enjoy…
It Ain’t Right
VIBRATIONISTS started as a project to reinterpret our Starlite & Campbell material in a totally new way. It Ain’t Right developed into something quite different to the original release, which appeared on our second studio album, The Language Of Curiosity.
The track and accompanying video—created and edited by Suzy (yes, she has been very busy)—is set for release on February 6, 2026 and will be available on Bandcamp, YouTube and all streaming platforms.
New music
VIBRATIONISTS | the album
We love the idea of collaboration, and this new project will be all about working with other artists. As mentioned earlier, our first is with Mark Cleator, and it’s going to be pretty eclectic, as our second is with sound designer and all-around cool guy, Filipe Chegas.
Acoustic album
Since Starlite and I got together, we have been writing acoustic-based music, which, apart from It Started Raining, has not seen the light of day. The music is based around guitars, bass and piano—with drums, percussion and a few synthesisers thrown in for good measure. It’s fun…
If you want to get an idea of where we are going with this, take a listen to:
Electric album
Again, we have a buildup of material which hasn’t yet found its place.
I wrote the riff for Saturday when in France and distinctly remember jumping out of bed, naked, and grabbing my Gibson ES335-12. It was early in our relationship, and Starlite was somewhat startled, not being used to the lack of modesty. She is now…
We recorded the track at the Chairworks studio in Castleford when tracking my second solo album The Knife back in 2013 with Keith Angel on drums and Andy Seward on bass, but replaced the drums (Steve Gibson) and bass (Starlite) when in Germany. The verse was never quite right; we recently fixed it, and it’s now ready to record.
This will be an indie rock-based guitar record. Thunderous bass, powerful drums and layered guitars. Think Suede, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Smiths, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, with a side salad of Led Zeppelin.
Gigs
With all the disruption, we really haven’t focused on live concerts, but that’s likely to change in the new year. As there is a lot of new material in the pipeline, we have plans, and of course, when we know, you will know.
We do have one gig booked for May 2nd at Atelier Museum António Duarte, Caldas Da Rainha, a fantastic and atmospheric venue.
Recording.
Rick Gonzalez
Rick came to us to record four of his songs. He was a full-time musician for many years in Arizona and has a long history of writing and performing his original music, and now lives very close to us in Óbidos with his lovely wife Terri. He sings beautifully, plays bass, guitar and produced/arranged this record.
Recently, we were honoured to be invited to their ring blessing ceremony. Cool and lovely people.
And more…
Since March, we have had a stream of clients from around the area. Meet artist, Fredi V; multi-instrumentalist Joe Mac; songwriter, Oz da Foz and multi-instrumentalist, Steve Taylor.
Production.
Whilst Suzy has been creating art, I have been very busy playing, arranging, recording and producing all this fucking music.
Of course, I have also had to get my guitar chops up to do justice to the pile of material we have started, particularly Trent’s, as being outlaw country requires Albert Lee/Chet Atkins style speed and dexterity—a big ask, but I will do my level best to rock the shit out of those Telecasters and my Gretsch G6120-1960.
STARLITE
Suzy and I first met on the Isle of Man. A meeting was arranged following a call from one of the Island’s top concert promoters, Lenny Conroy, who told me a woman was living in a wooden shack by the sea, with an unusual name and writing great songs. How could I resist?
It was a purely artistic rendezvous, as I was married at the time and Starlite was in a relationship. To cut a long story short, having heard the superb material, I asked her if she had thought of getting a band together to perform and record her music.
Being from the folk-rock world, she had never worked with a drummer, and on broaching the subject, I encountered some resistance—and if you know Starlite, that is diamond hard, and she didn’t speak to me for three weeks—but finally acquiesced, and we found ourselves in my studio—the Gay Bar, a name inspired by the mighty Electric Six—rehearsing and recording.
I was her electric guitarist, occasional bass player and producer, our friend Gypo Buggane was engineering, and Val Nelson accompanied us on bass—yes, this is before Starlite had even picked up a bass—Noah Egelnick on drums, plus myself and Mark Cleator on synthesisers. Starlite was playing acoustic guitar and singing.
We created six demos, and, being the perfectionist that I am, thought the recordings were not commensurate with the quality of the material and Starlite’s voice, so we shelved the project—until now.
Listening back, these songs were the soundtrack to our fledgling romance. We have revisited the demos and are now recording & producing them to the standard they most rightfully deserve. Naturally, Starlite is playing bass on the tracks, sometimes with a pick, which has encountered some resistance (see previous quote)—and I am back being the jobbing guitar player, engineer and co-producer. Fucking wonderful…
Trent Chapa
It’s been several years since I produced a record for someone other than ourselves: it takes a great artist to inspire us to take on such a time-consuming task.
I met Trent in a little bar in Caldas, and we jammed together. He had his songs together, and I held on to the chords the best I could. Later, it dawned on me that the songs were great, memorable, and he had a unique voice.
Hailing from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, he worked as a professional musician for many years, first in a metal band and then as the bass player in a country outfit where he toured extensively. Trent has struggled with addiction, and his lyrics reflect this: authentic, brutal and honest. He is the real deal.
This is a short lyric extract from Give Me Some More.
There’s a fire over Yoakum and I’m pissin’ on the floor
In a run down hotel room, that I did not pay for
God I’m feeling nauseous, lean me against the door
Well life is how I like it, at least awhile more
You tell me that you love me, well I'm just makin’ sure
Oh I’m sweatin’, achin’, spirit breakin’
Give me some moreMany international artists try to sing ‘Americana’, but in my not-so-humble opinion, authenticity can only be derived by living and breathing the music and culture from birth.
He will be the first external artist we have released on our Supertone label, which is a testament to the quality of the artist and material. Both Suzy and I are playing on the record, plus our favourite drummers, Steve Gibson and Hugo Danin, along with a few choice session players.
We are releasing his first single in February 2026. And, don’t bother to look for him on social media—he is not there, yet…
And finally, thanks for buying us a pint or three
We have sincerely appreciated so many of you Buying us a pint! It’s a way of making one-off tips to support our work via the website whilst applying some Northern sense of humour that makes donating a little bit more fun. Timothy Taylor is our favourite English bitter.
Wherever you are in the world, we wish you health, mental clarity and peace, when the world as we know it has changed forever. It’s up to us to keep hold of our humanity, community, friends and family - let’s make 2026 the year we celebrate each other in person and have some great times!
Much love and see you on the other side…
A Happy and Prosperous 2026 to you both! Busy year ahead peeps! xx
Happy New Year to you both.
Let’s hope it’s a good one 🥂🍾