California roll

Perry Blake attempts to make it two top 40 French albums in a row with the release this week of California.

Although never available in the UK or Ireland, its predecessor, Still Life, shifted over 100,000 copies in mainland Europe with Spain and Portugal also rather partial to the Sligo tunesmith's outpourings.

"I got a phone call the other day saying 'you've been playlisted in Poland', not even realising that the record's available there," Blake enthuses. "Norway, Denmark, Portugal…there are pockets of interest in all of those countries, which we're hoping to build on with California."

There's also the small matter of a pan-continental railway tour.

"The French cable network, Canal+, are sponsoring and filming it for broadcast, either late this year or in early 2003. We're doing the Orient Express first, and then going from Vladivostock to Japan on the Trans-Siberian Express. To use record company speak, it'll be 'second phase' promotion."

Blake is also hopeful of gaining an Irish release.

"It's odd being on magazine covers in France and Spain, and then coming back here and finding that nobody's heard of you," he reflects. "I'd rather that, though, than being one of those people who sells out two nights in Whelan's and reckons they've made it. There are a lot of countries besides Ireland, although, it being where I'm from, I'd love to make a mark here."