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Lightyears to appear on Channel 4

The music video for “Come With Me” – the song we wrote for the Josh’s Band project – is being screened in full this Friday evening on Channel 4 between 9pm and 10pm (during Celebrity Big Brother) to an estimated audience of 3 million people.

Watch this space for full details of timing later in the week.

If we manage to sell enough copies of the single (which is out NOW on Universal Records) we  may be able to make the UK Top 40 Chart on Sunday. It’s important that you buy your copy by midnight on Saturday to maximise first-week sales and optimise our chances of chart success!

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE SINGLE ON iTUNES.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE SINGLE ON AMAZON.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE SINGLE ON PLAY.COM.

Thanks, as always, for your support!

ps. You can watch the music video for “Come With Me” by clicking here.

“London, England” sells out on US tour

We had such an overwhelming response from American fans during our recent Stateside tour that hard copies of our latest album, London, England, have now completely sold out.

The album is still available on iTunes priced £7.90. Click here to buy your copy.

Watch this space for a re-pressing of the album for those of you who prefer the old school format!

We released London, England in January 2009. It features many of our most popular tracks including “This House Will Burn”, “Emily” and “Sleepless”. The latter two tracks were produced by Hugh Padgham, the four time Grammy-winning producer responsible for selling over 50 million records with Sting, Paul McCartney, Elton John and many more.

Ireland’s State Magazine gave the record 4/5 and described the band as “Babyshambles with better manners”. Read the review by clicking here.

Further reviews of the album can be read here, here and here.

Read my blog on the experience of recording London, England by clicking here.

Stadium gig this Saturday

We’ve just been invited back to London Road Stadium to play in front of a sell-out crowd of 12,000 people this Saturday afternoon before the Peterborough United Vs Swindon match. 

Peterborough United, who were promoted last May from League Two, have just achieved a consecutive promotion and so next season will be playing in the Championship. They wanted a party atmosphere and so they called on us! And we shall deliver.

We have an interesting history with PUFC, A.K.A. “The Posh”, with whom we released a charity single last year in aid of local organisation Free Kicks, which sets up days out in sport for sick and disadvantaged the children. The single raised a ton of cash and even reached #45 in the iTunes Plus Top 100. We were then invited to perform at the closing match of the season and, subsequently, at a pre-season friendly against Manchester United a few months later. Click here to read up on our adventures at Posh on the Tour Diary page.

We are already in talks with the club with regard to playing in the stadium more regularly during the ’09-’10 season. Watch this space for updates…

And congratulations to the Posh for a second promotion in a row!

LYs offer fans free money! No catch!

Our new album London, England is now available to buy from our online shop, priced £5 (click here to visit the shop page and buy your copy) – but for those craving the digital option, the album will become available to download from iTunes, Napster, eMusic and various other online outlets in the coming weeks. In the meantime, outside of www.TheLightyears.com the album will be available exclusively from independent download store and social networking site Amie Street. 

If you’re not already an account holder at Amie Street, then boy do we have a treat for you – $5 (that’s £3.38) of free store credit, no questions asked, for Lightyears fans (courtesy of Amie Street and Fanbridge)*.

That’s right, we’re just chucking money around as if it were confetti (which it may as well be in the current economic climate). 

Click here to join Amie Street and receive $5 of free store credit. 

For all those unfamiliar with the Amie Street system, newly uploaded tracks start free and increase in price as demand for them rises. A little bit like Wall Street. Only without all the back-stabbing and Armani suits.

* don’t worry – you don’t have to be based in the USA to use the site!

New Lightyears album out now

Morning pop fans! Welcome to Monday 19 January – a day that shall hereafter be remembered for unleashing the furious might of our new album London, England upon the world.

The album is now available from our online shop, priced £5.

Click here to buy your copy!

For those craving the digital option, London, England will become available to download from iTunes, Napster, eMusic and various other online outlets in the coming weeks. In the meantime, outside of www.TheLightyears.com the album will be available exclusively from independent download store and social networking site Amie Street.

Our Top 20 Moments Of 2008

So, as 2008 draws to a close, I thought I’d send out a festive greeting to all our fans. Y’know, kinda like The Queen’s Speech.

2008 has been an unpredictable year. We’ve never known quite where we’re gonna end up from one month to another but it’s been a pretty exciting ride all told. 

We have big plans for 2009. Our new album “London, England” is coming out in the New Year and we have a feeling you’re gonna like it! Plus next year is gonna be all about you – the fans – and we’ll be spending our time creating music, media and all manner of delectable treats intended for your voracious consumption. More about that after Christmas… 

In the meantime, we’d like to thank Lightyears fans everywhere for your continuing support of the band. Wherever you are and whoever you’re with, have a disgracefully Merry Christmas and a calamitous New Year.

In the meantime, here are our Top 20 Most Memorable Moments Of 2008:

1. Performing at London Road stadium to thousands of people (twice!)
    
2. Being played on XFM
3. Being name-checked in The Guardian newspaper
4. Selling out The Troubadour
5. Performing in front of Barry Fry and the Mayor of Peterborough
6. Reaching #45 in the iTunes Plus Top 100 with charity single “Posh We Are”
7. Touring to Ireland to play at the launch of national music magazine State
8. Making the short-list for Best Pop Act at the INDY Awards
    
9. Presenting the award for Best Female Solo Act at the INDYs alongside Feargal Sharkey and Mike Rutherford
10. Playing London Astoria 2
11. Drinking a toast in a Korean jacuzzi at 7am after one of the best gigs of our lives
    
    
12. Performing twice at Glastonbury Festival
13. Supporting the Mystery Jets at a packed Barfly
     
14. Fans at Brightlingsea Festival singing all our lyrics back to us on a hot August evening
     
15. Flying Business Class to New York!
16. Headlining the Time Out Festival in Union Square, Manhattan
     
17. Releasing our EP “At Midnight” in the USA and being nominated as “Single Of The Day” at Amie Street
18. Filming a music video for “Obama Republic“
19. Recording our new album “London, England”
20. Buying a bitchin’ new van!

Here’s to 2009!

Chris Lightyear

Lightyears in FourFourTwo

The Lightyears get a mention in this month’s edition of football magazine FourFourTwo following their collaboration with Peterborough United Football Club on the charity single Posh We Are.

The single, a re-working of the club’s 30 year-old terrace anthem, was released in May of this year to raise money for Peterborough-based sports charity Free Kicks. The record reached #45 in the iTunes Plus Top 100 Chart.  

See Page 123 of FourFourTwo’s October edition (part of the “Planet Football” feature) for the band’s appearance. 

Our sources suggest that this represents The Lightyears’ first appearance in the national sporting press. Hopes for the future include a double-page spread in the Subbuteo Almanac and an intimate and revealing exposé in the Gymkhana Gazette.

Lightyears to play to stadium crowd

This week The Lightyears have released a charity single with Peterborough United – and the band will be promoting the release with a gig in front of a sell-out crowd of 15,000 people at London Road Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Charity record “Posh We Are” is a re-working of the club’s 1973 anthem and is available now on download from iTunes and Napster. All proceeds from the song will go to sports charity Free Kicks.

To purchase the song visit www.PoshWeAre.co.uk or download it directly from iTunes here.

The song is currently charting in The iTunes Plus Top 100 at Number 45.