Tours passed, photobook stories, exciting reviews and new/old recordings...(if you say it fast it reads like the start of a poem)...

The fact that I had to explain that the title sounds a bit like the start of a poem if you read it quickly (and with the right dynamics and rhythm in the phrasing) means that it's probably not written intelligently or creatively enough to just come across like that without any prompting from me, but things could be worse - you could be sitting by the roadside with your face ripped off, TRYING to scream. A disgusting thought, but it made me laugh when Adam said it to me several years ago after something awful happened - it's a Mad Max quote, you see.

Blogging seems to be the in thing at the moment, and a great way for us to share information about our band, and whatever other creative ventures we are all involved in. There has been a lot going on with Jairus recently, so this is what's new:

We have re-recorded the song Wilomina-Theodoseus-Hangs, which is available to listen to AND download from our Myspace page. This song originally appeared on 'The Need to Change the Mapmaker' back in 2004 and we never felt that it was captured to its full potential. This was mostly due to the fact that we wrote the song the night before recording started, and it was a very rushed process. Wilomina has been a staple of our live set since we reformed (January 2009) and so we decided to re-record it during some rehearsal time back in April - head over to the Myspace to have a listen and please let us know what you think!

In other news, we have some exciting information about where our new EP is going to be available from. It will be downloadable for FREE, very soon - details as to where from will follow.

We are also looking for bands who may be interested in doing some weekend regional mini-tours with Jairus over the Summer and Autumn months - if you're interested please e-mail us here: jai.rus@hotmail.co.uk

Below we have a review from Rockmidgets.com of the new EP:
And below that is a live review from Rockmidgets.com of the first night of our tour:

EP REVIEW

"Back in 2005, Jairus looked primed for big things. Having recently signed to Big Scary Monsters, their acclaimed self-titled EP and appearances with the likes of Killswitch Engage and Pelican turned all manner of heads on the UK post-hardcore circuit. Now, having regrouped last year following a two year hiatus - after vocalist Adam Bray left the outfit to concentrate on his studies - Kent's finest have returned with Build My Gallows High, arguably their most impressive work to date.

With their sound bolstered with the addition of keyboardist Alex Cocks, one of the first things that strikes you about the EP is just how god-damn huge it sounds. Kicking off with the discordant guitars and larynx ripping screams of 'Turn, Heel', the six-piece masterfully blend in moments of subtle, almost Radiohead-esque melody. Each of the four tracks on offer are nothing less than stunning, while 'Film Noir' goes for the jugular, the more restrained passages of 'Fallen Patricia' sees Bray sound eerily like Thom Yorke at times, before 'Our Goddess of Love And War' closes matters in typically towering fashion.

With work set to begin on their long-awaited second long-player shortly, Jairus' time looks to be finally here, as despite all the young pretenders who've sprung up during their absence, Build My Gallows High proves that they're still head and shoulders above everybody."

LIVE REVIEW

"Fuck me, were Jairus really this heavy first time around? As the first date of their tour with Maths, you might expect the reunited outfit to be a little ring rusty, but augmented by new keyboard/synth man Alex Cocks, Jairus sound absolutely immense tonight. While all six band members may struggle to all cram onto the small stage without bumping into each other, their set is near faultless with its blend of jarring post-hardcore guitars, subtle melodies and weird-ass time signatures. On this evidence, don't bet against their upcoming new EP being the best thing they've done yet, which is quite some claim."

That's all from me for now, please keep checking back for REGULAR updates!

- Dan Lucas