I’ve just got home from playing Winchester about an hour ago, my ears are ringing but it’s darn well good to be touring again. A couple of days ago we got home from Spain which included a three day solid drive in the van. It’s like the Shawshank Redemption (for whoever’s seen it), when we’re in there for so long it’s like we’re institutionalized and it feels strange being anywhere else..
Spain tour was wicked once again, very hot (40 degrees) so coming back to England is more bearable despite the English heat. Shows were fantastic, one tour ritual is a shot of whiskey each mid set, goes down a frickin’ treat. We’ve enjoyed once again cheap beer, which is always warm as it is kept in the warm fridge that is the Fun Bus. Tour food is rubbish. Crisps, baguette and chorizo (still mildly favorite!?), and that’s it. You never feel full, whilst trying to get inventive to feel full up new delicatessen tried was the ketchup and salad cream sandwich and the beans on toast (cold and just bread). We did get taken out for a delicious steak by our friends Fatima and Juan (spelling?) which was ace, it was like Christmas. Much sangria was drunk which made us much drunk on sangria. MacDonalds was overused, the highest frequency was 3 in two days, the first being a big mac meal for breakfast at 10am. it’s not big and it’s not clever.
In France we stay in Formula 1 hotels, basically rough 2 star hotels on an industrial estate in the middle of bloomin nowhere. They are all the same inside so on the way home we get up from our hotel, drive 8/9 hours then arrive at the next one and it seems like you haven’t traveled anywhere! We had a campsite in Madrid where inbetween shows we
- caught some sweet rays (stand ruggers next to a blackboard and all you will see is a John Deere hat, a pair of eyes and some teeth) – jammed in the sunshine – played frisbee; we invented a game which is good to play when you get up in the morning. everyone play frisbee and whoever misses their catch does a shot of whisky. we call it frisky, great game – sweated and got burnt, except hunt (merch roady and lout, but whole lot of fun) who was adamant he wasn’t burnt despite resembling a lobster – grew moustaches. bowman’s was amazing before he shaved it off, ak’s is growing still. we met the most amazing sound guy in Madrid, he was ‘tashe tastic, my idol.
one night mike was about to go to bed after post-gig-partying when hunt busts out the amazing line of ‘come on mike, you can get another litre in you’. it was only remembered by driver Geej who was the only sober person in our camp. the line was used many a time after that.
shows were so late, we were told for one gig to sound check at 9pm, we then went on at midnight then drove many miles to play another show at a festival at 5.15am!! it was nuts, when driving home it was getting light. during the festival our Spanish friend Kike went up on our Y axis when he picked up a bottle of 4€ whisky, held it in the air half a foot above his head and necked it, it was amazing, i can’t even stand it but there wasn’t nae a flinch. legend.
before setting off we installed a new sound system in the back of the van which is two speakers and a bass on the floor which has a volume control. in the seat across from the bass bin there is a corner where the bass is trapped and when you sit there all you can hear is wooom wooom wooom! even more when someone turns the bass bin up, worst seat in the van award goes to… and best seat goes to the one next to an ace photo on the wall from a certain type of french magazine…
tour songs have to be:
bombay bicycle club – always like this
minus the bear acoustic album (journey there)
enter shikari – juggernauts
normally we come home from spain and we’re deep in post tour blues but oh no we’re now blitzing the uk and it’s right, oh so right.
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