chrisg's Tour Diary

Hopped on the road from Manchester today for Newcastle, which is in the northernmost reaches of England. We had a fun time when we were there last year, with the possible exception of when, in a "when in rome" spirit, I decided to order a Newcastle Brown from the bar and was practically laughed away by the bartender. I guess it's similar to if people expected me to eat clam chowder out of a sourdough bowl everyday, or take the cable car to work. In any case, we head up the motorway, stopping for some caffeine and food on the way (I sample an interesting item called the "sausage roll"). The drive, as most of our drives so far, is overcast and gloomy. A big metal angel greets you from the side of the road as you head towards Newcastle, wings outspread. The weather makes her all the more ominous. We take the wrong turn getting into Newcastle, which makes us a little late, but gives us the chance to go across the beautiful Tyne Bridge. We are immediately greeted upon arrival by Michael, the promoter for the night (and talented bassist for Kubichek), who helps us unload and immediately puts us at ease. We're playing in the same club that we played last year, the Head of Steam. It's in a subterranean room, with a low stage and a PA that's exactly like the one we use in our rehearsal studio. More often than not, I'd gladly trade a high stage and fancy sound equipment for a place like this. The first band to take the stage is Spraydog, with whom we had the pleasure of playing last year. They are all terribly nice people, and better yet, they'll also be playing with us on Friday in London. Their music is immediate and good, with a singer who makes you believe. Adrienne and I are watching their set, and a woman comes up brandishing a paper envelope. Pictures from our show last year! In the world of near misses, I notice that the shirt I was wearing was the same shirt that I wore yesterday. I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Sefelt are the next band up, who are also great. My auditory bias makes me notice the basslines in particular, which are interesting in a good, Carlos D kind of way, not in a slap/pop-i-test-all-the-amps-really-loud-at-guitar-center-so-you-can-hear-me-mad-skillz way. Around this time, I also notice Martin and Colin in the crowd, who put on our show the year before. Because no day would be complete otherwise, I put my foot in my mouth by switching their names. Thanks. Our show is great. The crowd seems really into it, and the aforementioned "tour lock-in" has indeed taken effect. We even get asked to play an encore! Thing is, we've already gone through all of our rehearsed songs. A lovely girl in the front who had been singing along to Appearances (?!) asks us to play In Flight Movie, but sadly we are unable to oblige due to our technical deficiencies. But we do manage to play "They Stay" and call it a night. After the show, we chat with people for awhile, then get directions to the Travelodge where we're staying for the night. It's located right near the side of the Tyne River, and you can see the Tyne Bridge from our window. Tonight is why I do this.