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<To Pembury / To The Wells>

The Third Space

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< To Pembury / To The Wells > is the sixth album by The Third Space, named after a road sign in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where Henk used to live and where some of this album was recorded. More than five years in the making, it was finally released on April 29, 2023, after a significant delay, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and

< To Pembury / To The Wells > is the sixth album by The Third Space, named after a road sign in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where Henk used to live and where some of this album was recorded. More than five years in the making, it was finally released on April 29, 2023, after a significant delay, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021.

The majority of this album comprises songs forged from snippets Joe had recorded on his laptop over the years and shared with Henk in late 2018 and early 2019. Forever the "completer / finisher", Henk took these snippets and wrote first versions of the songs from them. "Banksy", "The Little Things", "Leith Hill", "Animals", "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead", "Tale of Two Lovers" and "Go Gently Into That Good Night" are all examples.

In October 2018 and March and August 2019, Joe and Henk spent time iterating these songs in joint sessions at Joe's house in Swansea, Wales. Some beer may have been consumed.

"Post-Human (Ghost in the Machine)" was slightly different. Although this also started out life as just one of Joe's "snippets", later elaborated by Henk, it wasn't until our occasional drummer and friend Mitch Deighton passed the song to his brother, Paul Deighton, renowned DJ and remixer at Ministry of Sound, that the current version was created. Paul's footprint on the song is immense and we are enormously grateful for his treatment.

Uncharacteristically for this record, one song was written whilst Henk and Joe were both present in the same room, in Joe's house in Swansea, one evening in August 2019: "Lost Without You".

Another solitary song was written by Joe alone, the plaintive ballad "I Love You", which chronicles the break-up of a relationship; though Henk sings harmonies and special effects on the track.

Drums: Mitch Deighton / Max Saidi Drum programming: Steven Separovich (column: inches); Paul Deighton Bass: Joe Farthing; Dan Giles; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Steven Separovich (column: inches) Bass keys programming: Paul Deighton Guitar: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Steven Separovich (column: inches) Keys: Siljan Panovski; Joe Farthing; Steven Separovich (column: inches); Paul Deighton Strings: Elliott Kempton / Niki Yaghmaee Saxophone (on "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"): Fabian Saxy Vocals: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede

Produced by: Paul Deighton: "Post Human (Ghost in the Machine)" for Mighty Moog records Siljan Panovski: "Banksy"; "Tale of Two Lovers" Steven Separovich (column inches): "Funk The Night Up (Last Night On Earth); "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"; "The Little Things"; "I Love You"; "Animals"; "Lost Without You"; "Go Gently Into That Good Night"; "Leith Hill"

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The Full Spectrum

The Third Space

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Having taken nearly five years to write, record and produce, "The Full Spectrum" is the 5th album from "The Third Space", finally released on Monday 09 September, 2019. One reason it took so long, was that halfway through (in 2015) Joe took on a new job, working as a musician on cruise-ships, which meant he was out of the country a lot.

Having taken nearly five years to write, record and produce, "The Full Spectrum" is the 5th album from "The Third Space", finally released on Monday 09 September, 2019. One reason it took so long, was that halfway through (in 2015) Joe took on a new job, working as a musician on cruise-ships, which meant he was out of the country a lot. Subsequently, the opportunity to get together and work on songs became less and our musical sessions became fewer and more spaced out.

Much as with the previous albums, there was a considerable amount of overlap between this album and the last one.

The majority of these songs were written in the period March-June 2014. The exceptions to this are the opening track “I Want It” which Joe sent to Henk as a snippet the previous year; and “Juliet v Satellites” which Henk wrote on a trip to Cuba following a family reunion in 2018.

Opener “In the Eye of the Storm” is a rock song commemorating a week trapped in the Marriott hotel, New York City, during hurricane Sandy and its aftermath in October 2012.

“Other People’s Lives” – a jangly condemnation of busybodies who invade one's privacy with intrusive questions – was a comment on a nosy neighbour who was forever prying and is a good example of co-authorship: Joe wrote the verses; Henk the riff and chorus.

In the autumn of 2013, Joe sent Henk a 16 bar snippet he had recorded of the chorus to this new song, then called “What I Want”. The snippet included the bass line and haunting keyboard riff on the Twirly keyboard. The idea behind it, he explained, was that this was a song about addiction; whatever the addiction might be to. BUT – and this was the point – WHAT exactly the addiction was to, would remain unspecified. After various iterations, and re-titled “I Want It”, it evolved into its current manifestation, in no small part due to producer Will Manwaring’s magic.

“King of the World” was written by Henk during a skiing trip in Val Thorens at easter 2014. A jangly, poppy, straightforward love song, almost everything that can go wrong does go wrong in the protagonist's life...but he just doesn't care because he is "in love with a girl".

“Montmartre in the Rain” is a piano led ditty, written by Joe, that recalls a trip to Paris in November 2014, when Joe and Henk walked for hours through rainy Montmartre in the early hours, looking for shelter and peace from spectres of ghosts past.

“Juliet v Satellites” is a jangly, ska-influenced pop jaunt through one of the most volatile flashpoints in any relationship – navigating whilst driving!

The dreamy Richard-Hawley-meets-the-Smiths jangle fest “Not Waving, But Drowning” is a rumination on suicide and takes it's title from the famous Stevie Smith poem. It started life as an instrumental Joe had written. But Henk heard something of the sea in the music and thus steered the song there lyrically.

"A Month of Sundays" is The Third Space's attempt at a spiritual, a hymn, a love song to the idea of God. It started life as a riff and chord sequence Henk wrote, to which two melody lines were written – one by Henk and one by Henk and Joe together. Unable to decide between them, Henk ultimately mashed them together, which in places gives a counterpointal effect.
The phenomenon of life is profoundly mysterious. This song is a hymn to this mystery. In contrast to the heavier subject matter of the previous two songs, “On Holiday” is a ska-driven excitation on the throwaway theme of vacation. A completely straightforward calypso tinged celebration of a very simple theme: going on holiday!

The album’s closer “June in June” is a love song to Joe’s mother. But not – as might be expected – written by Joe, but by Henk. When we were teenagers, I (Henk) practically lived round Joe's house, staying round there more often than not and consequently becoming close to his Mum, June. We often used to share a cup of tea and a cigarette together. June was wonderful lady, full of joie-de-vivre, and slightly larger-than-life, with a frequent quote from Shakespeare on her lips, a fondness for Frank Sinatra and an unbounding capacity for love. Over the years I practically became “adopted” by June. One day (it wasn’t actually on my birthday, I don’t think, although my birthday is in June) she told me very generously that she thought of me a “a little bit (her) son” which touched me enormously. I guess when you are in late teenage (I might have been 19 then) you are looking for acceptance, and perhaps I was looking for it more than most. Anyway, it meant a lot to me. This is my tribute to the lovely June.

This album also saw us working with a new producer, the very talented Will Manwaring. Will had been associated with the Third Space since its inception, frequently guesting as a musician (guitar; bass; keyboards) on many songs and frequently engineering recording sessions. But following his enrolment at Bournemouth University to study sound engineering, we asked Will to produce, after Kevin Paul had produced the first four records.

Track listing:

1) In The Eye of the Storm 2) Other People's Lives 3) I Want It 4) King of the World 5) Montmartre in the Rain 6) Juliet v Satellites 7) Not Waving, But Drowning 8) A Month of Sundays 9) On Holiday 10) June in June

Drums: Max Saidi Drum Programming: Joe Farthing; Will Manwaring Bass: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Guitars: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Keys: Joe Farthing; Will Manwaring Vocals: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede

Produced by: Will Manwaring

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Roots

The Third Space

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“Roots” is the fourth release by UK based, virtual indie-pop band “The Third Space”, written in the late summer and early autumn of 2015.

Much as with the previous albums, there was a considerable amount of overlap between this album and the last one. (Really, each album comprises a loose “snapshot” of whatever sequence of 10 songs we have going

“Roots” is the fourth release by UK based, virtual indie-pop band “The Third Space”, written in the late summer and early autumn of 2015.

Much as with the previous albums, there was a considerable amount of overlap between this album and the last one. (Really, each album comprises a loose “snapshot” of whatever sequence of 10 songs we have going at any one time. They are simply the next ten – that are any good. Plenty are just abandoned!)

There is one big difference, though. Whereas the previous albums were PREDOMINANTLY (but not exclusively!) written (at least initiated) by Henk, this record sees Joe coming into his own as a primary songwriter. Songs like "Baby, when you leave", "Broken", "You're Going To Hear My Blues Today" were all 100% Joe written songs. "Upside Down" (Henk's favourite track, despite not having written any of it) was co-written by Joe and his oldest daughter Anna.

Somewhat unusually for “The Third Space”, this is a record remarkably devoid of social commentary. Rather than wider, world politics, it focuses on personal politics: upheaval, turmoil and change.

Both opener "Don't Turn The Telly On", a co-write between Henk and Joe and Henk's "It's Not You, It's Me" chronicle different stages in the deterioration of a relationship; Joe's solo contributions "Baby, when you leave", "Broken" and "You're Going To Hear My Blues Today" do the same. Co-write "Absent Fathers" addresses the impact divorce has on two generations; and "Hide in Heaven" (written by Henk and long time collaborator William Manwaring) documents the saddest of all themes, the death of a child.

The album might be called "Roots", but the overriding theme is about being uprooted...

Track listing:

1) Don't turn the telly on 2) Upside Down 3) Hide in Heaven 4) It's Not You, It's Me 5) Absent Fathers 6) Baby, When You Leave 7) I Hope I Wake Up 8) Broken 9) You're Gonna Hear My Blues Today 10) F*** It

Drums: Max Saidi Drum Programming: Joe Farthing Bass: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Guitar: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Keys: Joe Farthing; Will Manwaring Vocals: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede

Produced by: Kevin Paul

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Parlour

The Third Space

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Parlour is the third album released by virtual band "The Third Space".

Much like the first and second albums overlapped, so did the second and third. They kind of blended into each other. Many of the ideas (riffs, snatches of melody; lyrical snatches; motifs) for the record were generated in the early summer 2013: songs like “Sorrow”; “Successful

Parlour is the third album released by virtual band "The Third Space".

Much like the first and second albums overlapped, so did the second and third. They kind of blended into each other. Many of the ideas (riffs, snatches of melody; lyrical snatches; motifs) for the record were generated in the early summer 2013: songs like “Sorrow”; “Successful People” and “The Joys Of Your Love”. Henk and frequent collaborator William Manwaring recorded demos for these in late summer and early autumn. Then there was a lull whilst work continued on albums one and two. As our “editor-in-chief”, Joe then spent part of March and April 2014 listening to and polishing those demos he considered “up-to-scratch”, including the songs mentioned above. Others he recommended we abandon; and others still warranted re-writing. Consequently, Henk spent part of April 2014 rewriting guitar parts for songs like “Betty” and “Crusades”; and re-writing the verses of “Fear Of Others” in spoken word format. They were finally polished into their present format in June 20014. Kevin mixed them in early July, 2014.

This is also the record where Joe makes his debut as songwriter in The Third Space. Although Joe had historically written songs for various bands he was in as a teenager and young man (“Eleat”; “Inside Out”), had also written “Song For Angus” on our second album, “Losing With Grace” alone, and had contributed plenty in terms of melody, harmony, bridges, chord changes, riffs and the rest to all the other Third Space songs, up until now, Henk had been the principal songwriter. However, on “Roots” we see Joe growing as a songwriter, contributing “Bulldog” and “Monkey In My Head”. Although as part of The Third Space ethos, we credit each other as co-writers, really Joe wrote both of these by himself.

There are probably four motifs on the record: love; politics; finitude and interpersonal relationships.

Love is the theme of songs like “Red” (a rumination on a long-lost love, “…the one who got away…”), “Piece of Me” (about obsessive love) and as its title suggests, “The Joys of Our Love”; politics form the backdrop of both “Crusades” and “Fear of Others”; finitude the plaintive “Sorrow” and inter-personal relationships the Joe-penned “Bulldog” (which references the Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog”) and “Monkey in my Head” (both about run-ins with people he knows) and the Henk-penned “Successful People (Are Seldom Sarcastic”), which was a response to a gratuitous sarcastic comment he had received.

The name for the record “Parlour” was also something of a pun. Given the “finitude” motif it referenced funeral parlours; but the “politics” motif (as well as the philosophical nature of pondering upon finitude) referenced the political salons (or “Parlours”) of Enlightenment era Europe.

But that is me retrofitting the title to the songs. In truth, there is also a third dimension to the name. As an ardent Arsenal fan and season-ticket holder, I wanted to lionise Ray Parlour, the Gooners’ Essex-born midfield engine from the 1990s. Never much of a flair player, he was nevertheless much loved by us Arsenal fans. The reason was his work ethos and down-to-earth nature. He was a real grafter, who just tried very hard and looked like he was enjoying it. We could really relate to that. Maybe The Third Space is a bit like that. We make up in enthusiasm and graft what we lack in flair. And enjoy doing it!

Track listing:

1) Wonder 2) Piece of Me 3) Crusades 4) Joys Of Your Love 5) Betty 6) Sorrow 7) Bulldog 8) Red 9) Successful People (Are Seldom Sarcastic) 10) Fear Of Others

Drums: Max Saidi Drum Programming: Joe Farthing Bass: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Guitar: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Keys: Joe Farthing; Will Manwaring Brass: Pro Studios Vocals: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede

Produced by: Kevin Paul

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Losing With Grace

The Third Space

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Second outing for The Third Space. Poppy melodies, jangly guitars, three-part harmonies and wry observational vignettes. Music for grown-ups with an indie pop sensibility. Witty, quirky, but accessible.

This album overlapped with the first album (“Songs of the Feet”) like a kind of temporal Venn diagram. The difference is that the songs on the

Second outing for The Third Space. Poppy melodies, jangly guitars, three-part harmonies and wry observational vignettes. Music for grown-ups with an indie pop sensibility. Witty, quirky, but accessible.

This album overlapped with the first album (“Songs of the Feet”) like a kind of temporal Venn diagram. The difference is that the songs on the first album were old songs (some touched up and modernised in, 2013), whilst the songs on this album are newer songs.

Like its predecessor (the debut album "Songs Of The Feet"), the songs on this second outing started off life as kernels of Henk songs, which Joe nurtured over time and polished into the true collaborations the songs became.

Most of the songs were written from May to the end of August 2013, in Paddington, London, where I (Henk) was living at the time.

The first album’s title (“Songs of the Feet”) was a pun. So too, this title, “Losing With Grace”. It was a phrase I had talked to my (then) fifteen year old son, Willem, about in connection with football. And an idea that I consider important. To retain dignity even in defeat. (I sometimes like to think of this as an apt motto for life).

But the phrase could also be applied if you play a competitive game (like football) with a girl called Grace on your team, and then you subsequently lose. Then you are also “Losing With Grace”. My dear friends Jeff and Carrie Gothelf have a two daughters – Sophie and Grace. I remember making that joke with Sophie in Fish! Restaurant in Borough Market, London, one evening, when they were over here visiting. And just liked that ambiguity.

The themes of the songs are love, finitude, and politics.

Love is covered in songs like “Entertaining Others” (loss in love), “Love Defined” (which a friend of Henk’s once described as “…what a Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd would sound like if they did doo-wap…”) and “When You Were Kids” (about parental love for their children).

Finitude is the theme of “Stephen Amongst Violets” (about the death of a friend’s brother); “Choices”, “Gone (the light you are)” and closer “Song For Angus” (about the death of Joe’s nephew).

Politics are covered in opener “Papers” (decrying voter apathy) and “Country Song” (about America)

The album is dedicated to Joe’s nephew, Angus Ellis, who tragically died on May 09, 2013, aged just 29. I had just started thinking about new songs to write (after the first album) and the eery penultimate track, “Gone (The Light You Are)”, a song about Angus’ life, was the first song to be written. The Joe-penned closing track “Song for Angus” says it all.

May you rest in peace, Angus.

Track listing:

1) Papers 2) Entertaining Others 3) Chemical Boy 4) Love Defined 5) When You Were Kids 6) Stephen Amongst Violets (From Memory) 7) Choices 8) (Just Another) Country Song 9) The Irony Blues 10) Gone (The Light You Are) 11) Song For Angus

Drums: Max Saidi Drum Programming: Joe Farthing Bass: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Guitar: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Keys: Joe Farthing; Will Manwaring Harmonica: Joe Farthing Slide guitar + violin: Pro Studios Vocals: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede

Produced by: Kevin Paul

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Songs of the Feet

The Third Space

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"Songs Of The Feet" is the debut album of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK, band The Third Space. Poppy melodies, jangly guitars, three-part harmonies and wry observational vignettes. Music for grown-ups with an indie pop sensibility. Witty, quirky, but accessible.

The album title “Songs of the Feet” was suggested by Joe.

I (Henk) had – rather

"Songs Of The Feet" is the debut album of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK, band The Third Space. Poppy melodies, jangly guitars, three-part harmonies and wry observational vignettes. Music for grown-ups with an indie pop sensibility. Witty, quirky, but accessible.

The album title “Songs of the Feet” was suggested by Joe.

I (Henk) had – rather ponderously, perhaps even pompously – been toying with the idea of calling it “Songs of Defeat”, given that we were 45 years old and perhaps had not achieved everything in life we would have liked, as chronicled in the closing track “Far (from where you wanted to be)”.

Joe suggested “Songs of the Feet” as a light-hearted pun, but also in reference to dancing. Given that music is supposed to make you dance! I really liked the suggestion. So…the title of the first record was born!

Earlier incarnations of all these songs were all written a long time ago (just never recorded). Mostly when I (Henk) was at University (1987-90) but one (“Best Friend”) also in the mid 1990s. The most recent song on the album is “En Famille”, which was written in remembrance (and in grieving) of my beloved Aunt Annick who passed away in March, 2013.

Only two of the songs survive in their original incarnation (“Gardens” and “En Famille”). All of the rest were touched up throughout 2013. In between these two dates (1990-2013), these two musical bookends, there was a lot of stuff – work; living abroad; marriage; kids; divorce – but not much in terms of songwriting! 

That has now all changed.

The way we worked on this album was that Henk would bring in a song, in some sort of state of readiness (sometimes near-complete; sometimes more of a snippet) which Joe would then build-upon, expand and polish.

The overriding themes on this record are love, memory, finitude and regret.

Love and finitude covered in the “Best friend” is about the AIDS-related death of a ballet dancer in St. Kilda, Melbourne in the 1990s; “Remember You” is a tribute to Joe’s great-uncle Sydney Wyles, who died in WWI aged only 18; and “En Famille”, a eulogy to a favourite aunt of Henk’s who passed in 2013.

“End of the Road” chronicles the break-up of a love affair.

In terms of regret, “Home” is about a bar bore failing to face up to the reality of his somewhat empty life; whilst “far (From Where You Wanted To Be)” is a rueful look back on a youth now gone.

The exceptions to the theme of interpersonal relationships are “Gardens” (about three gardens mentioned in the bible: Eden; Babylon; and Getsemane) and “Vicar on a Harley” (a pardy of the lack of coolness in all things ecumenical) – and as such have something of a religious motif to them.

Track listing:

1) Gardens 2) Best Friend In The World 3) Home 4) Remember You 5) Colours 6) How The Other Half Live 7) End of the Road 8) Vicar on a Harley 9) Far From Where You Wanted To Be

The songs on this debut album ("Songs Of The Feet"), all started started off life as kernels of Henk songs, which Joe nurtured over time and polished into the true collaborations the songs became.

Drums: Max Saidi Drum / Conga Programming: Joe Farthing Bass: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede Guitar: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Keys effects: Joe Farthing Harmonica: Joe Farthing Vocals: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede

Produced by: Kevin Paul

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