The Sonic Circus forum has been given a well-needed overhaul and brought under the Wildhearts umbrella so we’ve got a thriving community already but new faces are always welcome.

We’ve incorporated a chatroom too, which you’ll be able to access once you sign up for the main messageboard.

The original link will still operate for a while yet, but your new bookmark is http://www.thewildhearts.com/board/, or click the link in the menu banner.

Check out the latest Japanese posts, or follow the language selection from this site’s front page to visit the site.

Congratulations & thanks to Yugo, Kai & Masayo for all your great work creating the site!

Yesterday, The Sun, and in particular Matt Silk, gave their Website Of The Week award to the very pages you are currently perusing.

Thanks guys!

Chat with the band will be scheduled soon too, once everything is running smoothly!

And now for the technical bit: when accessed, a pop-up window should appear. Please accept this certificate otherwise you cannot access chat.

Also please be aware that chat members with @’s in their names are moderators, and while logged in 24×7, we might not actually be there, so don’t be upset if we aren’t able to answer you right away.

And lastly, have fun!

You’ll have already seen we’ve given the whole thing a new coat of paint. We’ve worked hard to make sure it’s easy to use and friendly to everyone’s web browser, but it’s possible there will be some teething problems so if you have any trouble just drop us a line.

We’ve kept Darren and Tara’s first-class content and will be working hard over the next few weeks to build on this further. We aim to keep the quality at the same high standard as the previous incarnation and make everything as ‘fan friendly’ as possible, so if you have any thoughts, ideas or complaints please get in touch!

After much consideration and deliberation, a new webmaster – or, to be more accurate, webmasters – have been appointed.

Wayne Charlton, Kris Coverdale and Rick Steckles will be taking over once the new site has been fleshed out and the technical gubbins sorted.

More news soon…

Ginger’s decided that he’d like The Wildhearts to be the focus of the new web site, as he wants the entire band to have an official online presence.

So when designing, please design for thewildhearts.com, rather than silverginger.com

Forgive us for getting formal for a second – normal service will be resumed in a short while. We just thought that, in the circumstances, we’d at least have a go at poshing up, for we have an ‘official announcement’ to make. And here it is (deep breath)…

We’ll soon be bowing out of the running of this ‘ere web site.

It’s been an amazing three-and-a-half years. Heck, it’s given us enough good memories to last us well into our old age. We’ve met some fantastic people, and been a part of many wonderful happenings. And we’re still huge fans of everything Ginger’s done, and continues to do. But, we feel, the time has come to move on. We’ve taken this thing as far as we can. It’s now time for someone else to have a crack.

We ‘tendered our resignation’ last Tuesday, and Ginger has been very cool and supportive – it’s a totally amicable split, and big hugs have been exchanged all round. Like us, he’s looking forward to some new opportunities.

We’ve waited a week before making an announcement, as we wanted to put a plan of action into place so as not to worry you good folks. Rest assured, Ginger will continue to have an official web site. And the current site will be maintained and updated right up until the day when the new one opens.

In a quest to find a replacement webmaster, Ginger will be accepting applications. If you fancy it, and think you have what it takes to oversee Ginger’s online presence (and do be aware that there’s more to it than just updating a web site – think ‘fan club manager’ and you’re not far off), here’s what you’ll need to do:

• Design a mock-up site for Ginger and put it online (and yes, finding web space is a test of initiative!). You don’t need to go mad – a few pages will be fine. Remember, though, not to use any copyrighted artwork or text. Any work of Ginger’s from the current site is obviously OK, and we’re fine with you using anything from the site that we’ve written. But please get permission from the artists – their email addresses are all on the Contacts page.

• Write a letter or brief essay outlining why you think you’re the right person for the post, and include any cool ideas that you might have for the future direction of the site. Your writing and communication skills are just as important as your Internet skills, so don’t skimp on this part!

• Email your letter of application, along with a link to the address of your mocked-up site, to mockup@scuzz.com

The application process will probably take a good few weeks, so please be patient. We’ll make sure that everyone who applies gets a response when a decision has been made (and Ginger will be making the final decision, so bribing us won’t work!).

We’ll also be cashing in our chips with regard to The Wildhearts Mailing List. Six years on from its creation, we’re both very proud of everything that the ‘LiST’ has achieved. It’s jam-packed with cool people – people who’ve done some amazing and very worthy things over the years. But again, the time is right for us to move on. We’ve been focusing so much of our energy and so many of our thoughts in one place for so long that, well, we’re knackered, to be honest!

The good news is, the Mailing List will be getting two new moderators in the form of Jason and Trudi Knight – yup, another married team who met through a shared love of The Wildhearts! These are good, even-handed people who know their onions, having been around from pretty much the beginning. So please give ‘em a warm welcome to the moderators’ bench, and treat ‘em well. We expect the hand-over will be sorted out within a few days.

And that’s it. Thanks to everyone who’s supported us, and to Ginger for giving us the opportunity to make a little dent in his world. He’s made a heck of a dent in ours.

Lots of love -

Darren and Tara
xxx