Blue Roses

We played our first gig with Wild Beasts in Edinburgh on Thursday. When I say “we” I really mean “I” because, due to various factors, I had to play solo for the first time in quite a while. I was nervous, which surprised me…I’ve done so many gigs by myself in the past but have got used to having a couple of people on stage with me and accustomed to their instruments and voices, so it felt rather strange when they didn’t join in. Nevertheless, it was a very pleasant gig…unfortunately the same can’t be said for the drive home which was long and dark. We had to leave straight after I’d played to avoid getting home at a ridiculous time and so I missed Wild Beasts. Luckily, we played in Leeds last night so we could stay. I always enjoy playing in Leeds and it went well, apart from the classic guitar-strap-becoming-detatched-mid-song incident (I have to say I’m really quite impressed at my own reflexes- no broken toes or guitars). Wild Beasts were truly stunning and we couldn’t really ask to be on tour with a nicer set of chaps.

I keep having to return home between gigs and working feverishly on some new songs which are due to be released fairly soon, (I’m beginning to think that mixing so many different varieties of drink last night was probably a silly idea) which includes a live song which I recorded with the wonderful Grammatics and James Kenosha the other day. I got to play a Fender Rhodes which was magical. More on that soon! Off to Nottingham in a bit…back to work….

Sadie’s fixed her violin in Berlin by a combination of quick mastery of power tools and some internet research. It seems to have settled down, so fingers crossed the bridge will stay in place for the rest of the tour!

We (when I say “we” I really mean Josh and Sadie- I can’t drive….) drove for around twelve hours on Thursday. We’re still don’t really know how that happened- we keep kidding ourselves that we can somehow beat the sat nav; woe betide we should add on another precious minute to our arrival time.

Our home for the next two nights was the hallowed Etap, this time sadly lacking the bathroom made entirely from one piece of molded plastic for ease of cleaning. After doing a session on a nice garden on a bridge in Paris, and playing the gig which was also enjoyable and packed, we had big plans to go to a Parisian rooftop party and meet interesting people and be generally cultured and continental. Instead we ended up back in the Etap, imprisoned by its woodchipped and stained walls, devising a game based on the concept of throwing pretzel sticks out of the window, in a strange state of mind caused by lack of sleep and eating the marmalade and chocolate spread we had thriftily saved from breakfast time.

Today we went to a flea market with the lovely Pierre (who lived with Sadie and vice versa when they were children) and saw a lot of bric a brac which made me very happy. We drove to Rotterdam and saw a man at a service station wearing only a Borat style thong, a swimming cap and goggles. No explaination was given.

We’re now in Rotown in Rotterdam waiting to soundcheck and eating the most amazing meal. The show’s sold out tonight so should be a good one!

The gig in Amsterdam last night was great fun and the venue was pretty full for our set which is always a bonus. After putting as much of our rider in large blue bin bags as possible we drove for a couple of hours before arriving at our home for the night, good old Ibis.

We’re playing in Postbahnhof in Berlin tonight, which is an old railway station building and is big and cavernous. We drove for a few hours today and seem to be developing a special brand of “car insanity” which sets in after a long journey and involves some stupid noises and really bad impressions of foreign accents, and also a special “rap” which we invented to remind Sadie and Josh to drive on the right of the road.

Sadie’s violin has just decided to go mental which is causing a bit of an emergency situation so I should end this entry here…hopefully all will be well with tonight’s show! Fingers crossed…

Laura

After what was probably the most stressful festival experience yet at Bestival; a stray drum kit, mysteriously shifting set times and a near miss with the ferry we arrived in Brussels. I must be honest, I was very slightly apprehensive about the first gig on our tour- not because of the promoters (who were lovely) or the location, just because we had been informed it was happening in an apartment. I needn’t have spent even a second feeling the slightest bit worried though, because this was in fact the biggest apartment I have ever set foot in.

Every month or so the residents (Charlotte, Michel, Nuno) turn their cavernous space into La Boite a Musique, and people reserve their tickets, sit on the floor and appreciate the performances seemingly just because they love music. There was no pretension and I think this made what started out as a totally alien experience into the most natural thing in the world. Our hosts were some of the most genuine and enthusiastic people I have met for a while. We played for an hour and I was totally blown away with how kind people were and also amazed that they called us back for two encores which I’m definitely not used to! Afterwards we ate so much Belgian chocolate which challenged even my high cocoa threshold, which culminated in us sitting on the floor in the middle of this massive space, hacking away at a massive block of cooking chocolate with a hammer. We left in the morning feeling refreshed by the experience and ready to start on our tour with Noah and the Whale. Which brings me to Utrecht where I’m currently in our dressing room surrounded by food which is also one of my favourite things about doing gigs in Europe. Copious amounts of cheese and ham and bread…We were just served some amazing meatballs and mash and I’m slightly worried that I’m too full and sleepy to make it to the stage.

Berlin tomorrow!

…to tour.

We also love drinking wine for breakfast, playing in churches and crazed psychedelic aviation-themed German hotel art, amongst other things.