chrisg's Tour Diary

Oh man! Am I tired. Played last night in Bath, a beautiful town 2 hrs west of London. The city reminds me of France, I think because of the color of the buildings. They're all made of that yellow-brown stone that's all over Paris. It's a beautiful town. A bit touristy, but there's also a university here so there's a mix of people.

Our show was at a place called Moles. It has a sign near the door listing the various famous bands that have played there, like Radiohead and Howard Jones. Gareth, the promoter, has totally set us up with munchies and beer. Our green room is actually orange, and looks like it was carved out of rock (which is possible, since we're underground). It smells like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland ' wet and slightly mildewy, but not offensively so. The people in the other bands, Hooker and Gay Dog, are all real nice. Gay Dog are a drums/guitar duo, and have a sound that reminds me of a sped-up Kirby Grips. Hooker are also on tour, but have a much cooler van than our trusty Van Dyke. It has literal airline seats facing a table in the back, with a TV and Nintendo. The singer's voice is a bit like Kathleen Hanna's, but with more control and range. Their set is hard and rockin'. Our set is getting better and better, which is the great thing about touring. Tonight, we were asked to play an encore for the first time! DJ plays songs afterwards, and we all dance to 'Connection' and 'Boys Don't Cry'.

We stayed the night at the promoter's house in Bristol. I am very proud of the sheet sack that I've brought (a leftover from hostel stays years ago), not realizing that it's not much protection on a cold night. When I woke up this morning, I found myself wearing both of the sweaters I had packed, as well as my jacket and scarf. All of these things were originally serving as my pillow. I guess that's why my head hurts a little.

Speaking of heads, my hair is too big. I should've gotten it cut before I left, but I ran out of time. I keep getting tempted to walk into one of these hair places in town and get it cut up. Well, my first temptation was to cut it myself. I even bought some scissors at the market. But I lost faith when I got in front of the mirror. In a way, though, I'm even more nervous about going to some stranger and having them do it (and paying money on top of that). We head back to London today for a show at the Garage with the Rogers Sisters. It should be a fun show, and we're all happy to be spending some more time in London. We've been hosted there by the amazing Sarah, a friend of Jason Koxvold (our fearless video director) that we met in Tahoe a few months back. She has graciously lent us her pad while we've been in town, which has meant a world of difference. We each owe her at least a firstborn.