UK TOUR UPDATE Part I
LONDON: Night 1 of our two-week run with the Bravery happened to be at Hoxton Square Bar. The first night of our Tuesday residency here. We were greeted by all of our London folk and were hoping not to be too zombielike, as there was no sleep on the flight over. Well, everyone but Mr. Ridley, who got a solid eight hours …the bastard!
TRANSFER UK TOUR - Feb 2011 from Transfer on Vimeo.
The show sold out ahead of time, so we were prepared to do what we could to deliver in our best form. The performance wound up to be a good warmup for the nights to come. Thanks to Cat Dal for the interview. Fun times indeed! Also: a special thanks for paying homage to the "muumuu of music draped over the grandma of the genre" description of the band. We think that describes our sound most accurately as well. After this one, we wound up listening to some classic vinyl, drinking scotch and talking about covering a medley of Neil Young songs … not bloody likely on on Ridley's watch, but a drunk consideration nonetheless.
BIRMINGHAM: Black Sabbath was the soundtrack. I like this city's vibe. Our first experience with fish-n-chips happened before this show. I'm curious as to why it comes wrapped in a huge wad of paper? This particular order was gross but briefly satisfied the crew. The show went off well but was a little lighter in crowd. Thanks to Victoria for the interview! Here is the pic, as promised.
GLASGOW: There was some foul weather as we approached the city, but we made it all in one piece. We had been looking forward to the show here for quite a while, as we knew we would see some good friends and were excited that there was day off to follow. Scotland has been quite a ride in the past, but we expected another rowdy one due to the indication of planned inebriation via the "social network". The show was a good one and the crowd was responsive … some had even been into the record enough to know the words. Afterward, we got well pissed, as they say. One highlight of the evening was when a 6 foo 4 inchman in a kilt named Brian allowed a friend of ours to paint his face with glitter and lip gloss while we planned our departure to the house where we were to stay that night. Amazing gesture. 'Tis a braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht, th' nicht!
SoundDiego
Music. Community. Culture.
I was able to convince him to give his best BLUE STEEL ...not bad.
It was amazing to have warm, comfy beds and home-cooked meals. Simple pleasures like these are a well-appreciated luxury on tour. A very special thanks to wonderful Bridgette for the incredible hospitality and for providing us with the brief sense of home.
NEWCASTLE: Our early arrival to the city was prompted by our search for the local music shop, as we needed a couple of supplies. We found Newcastle to be a very interesting city with great architecture. It also had a weird street layout. It's quite different than the American West grid system we are all used to. It felt like we were walking through a movie set and reminded me of our distance from home.
We got a treat backstage at this show, as it was in the balcony of another venue. There was a different show going on while we waited for ours in the room next door. We saw the Rawmones, Green Days, the Reed Hot Chili Peppers and some other Rage Against the Machine tribute band. Ummmm ... AMAZING!
Geordie culture is something else, and I loved it. Do yah nooo what eh mean leik? Wey aye pet. The show worked out, but afterward was the real show, where, outside the venue, we saw hordes of wasted Geordies, (some in costume) celebrating the comeback surprise of the football, (soccer to us yokels) game that transpired earlier that evening.
This guy was my favorite:
I also heard there was a TV show in the making called Geordie Shore, based on the same concept as the Jersey Shore. Lord, let it be. I think I saw about 38 different versions of the Geordie Snookie. CHAVTASTIC!
NOTTINGHAM: Rescue Rooms was a cool venue to play. There was interesting artwork painted all over the walls of the venue -- not to mention the huge sign above the bar.
The show was dead silent between songs, which is a bit tense, but a sign of an attentive crowd I suppose. I had a few Spinal Tap moments wandering around downstairs, lost, trying to find, first, the toilet, then the exit…. It was a labyrinth to the maximum potential. We ended the night by drinking too many beers in the hotel room while watching the commercial-less Super Bowl. :( It was the first time in my life I have ever missed seeing commercials. Truly American …
