Tour continues…

General News

Where did we get up to. I think it was Leiden in The Netherlands. Well, De Burcht is a little medieval tower on a hill, next to it is a bar and performance space, like an arts centre or something.  There was a big wedding going on in the church next door and a mobile disco was arriving as I returned from my wander around the town. If you ever visit Leiden you should visit Leiden. It’s a pretty place. The calmness of the Dutch is somewhat disconcerting, but you’ll get used to it. Thank you Vincent Klinkenberg for being so hospitable.

Vincent kindly put me on a train the next day to Rotterdam. A stark contrast, a mess of skyscrapers and construction work. Luckily, De Machinist, is in an area where you have to pass through some genuinely old streets. It is an impressive cultural centre built out of an old warehouse/factory. The guys who put on the show had an idea for a kind of show…introduced by a song about the nights proceedings, then an interview on stage with the performers before they played their sets and a tombola, prizes of dubious quality swiped from their own flat.  Two guys from Poland had come simply to see one of the support acts: Buddha Machine 2.0 – which was a buddha machine played through the PA for half an hour. So I sometimes see if support acts will join me in my set a little. Buddha Machine 2.0 agreed (which was nice since I’d separated from mine in Lille).

In the evening following the show I endured a Eurovision Song Contest party, it happened to be where I was staying, so I had no choice really. The apartment was infested with mice and reeked of stale cigarettes. Every room was filled with ashtrays brimming with butts, even the loos. “I’m running, I’m scared of Breathing”. They were sweet kids though.

My next stop, after sneaking out of Rotterdam, was Ghent. I arrive in the evening and leave first thing in the morning to get the Eurostar from Brussels, so I don’t see Ghent/Gent, which is apparently a shame (but I wouldn’t know). But what a challenge playing in such close company is. I enjoy it though. See this. Kris Bauwens is definately who you should go to if you need to play in Gent. What a gent.

Eurochunnelling back to London.

My first show back in the (not so) United Kingdom is in Reading. What a great show, venue and staff. Liz Janes was really good, I only caught one song because I was busy in the dressing room….dressing of course. I also peeped out for a song of Wild Swimmers, which I enjoyed. My new favourite prop is the ice cube. And downing two litres of water during the set. Adds new meaning to the term ‘the wee hours’ when I get back to London.

Brighton next: I am tired and on my own and it is starting to catch up with me. Sarabeth Tuceck plays, I listen. She scoots away, I play, some people listen. I stuff my own face into a pint glass of water. The people at Shhh promotions will cook some nice food for you.I get back to London in the wee hours.

Liverpool Sound City. I arrive to find an empty bar with Al Highton and Liz Janes sitting happily waiting for something to happen. The show is a pleasant and quiet affair – Liz and Al have to play their beautiful hushed sets to the sound of fat scouse men walking right in front of them, creaking the wooden floor, loudly. I would like to hope that when I cam on I did make those fatties listen. After my show I go for a nightcap with Luke Drozd and Graham Pilling, yes, the poster dudes from Leeds (well Luke’s in London now) and after yawning through Yuck we opted for pizza and bed.

I go for my train when I wake, a coffee and pastry from Upper Crust before going (the cheaper way to train from Liverpool to London) via Birmingham – you get to walk through central Birmingham to go to what I consider the nicest little station: Birmingham Moor Street. I treated myself to a latte and baked potato in the cafe in Moor Street, sit down, admire the old GWR map on the wall, eat, then go to board my train to London.

So to London. Flippin’ London. Big Ol’ London. I have enough time to get back to where I’m staying and have a shower before getting up to Kings Place, the new place…by Kings Cross…where the Guardian now have their offices. Oh, near Farringdon? No they moved. Despite some confusion as to where the dressing room was, initially being crammed in with a clump of classical musicians eating neat sandwiches, we prepare for a show with Howard on drums and Johnny on bass. Two Wings are checking. And Liz Janes comes to play again. T’was nice to see the old colleagues from work, and other familiar faces. Two litres of water drunk again. Bursting at the end I was.

London was over. Hastings was next. Well, St Leonards on Sea. This one came about simply because I share a sir-name with someone. Challenged him to put on a show, and a show he did put on. This was one of the nicest. They were real kind and all their friends lovely. Despite some characters in the crowd I think I came out on top.

I was given a house of my own, in the morning I cooked some eggs. The house was on the side of the old town, up by the funicular, where it gets illuminated by the evening sun. I had to run off to the station

Wales was, well read this. It turned out OK and I discovered genuine decent people in the forms of Joe Coleman, The Gentle Good and Meilir:

http://soundcloud.com/meilirmusic/shifting-time

I have some Lunch, A Welsh Rarebit (cheese on toast with mustard, to you and I), and a wander with Meilir. If you are in Cardiff and want to feel like you are from Cardiff go to this wonderful exhibition, at the old library, you’ll reaise that Cardiff is a real place after all. A regular Stagecoach, single deck, bus, with no toilet, hired by Megabus, takes me back to London.

There is a break of a few days before I play again…

MAY 2011: Tour so far…

General News

Ok so I mentioned HomeGame, let us backtrack a little…

I come back to the UK to play some shows. This starts well, I get the train over to Manchester and Walk up to Chapel Street, Salford. Traipse to Islington Mill where the wristband exchange is…only to find that the promoters (Chris Horkan, Hey! Manchester) have already taken them for me to collect at the venue. It would, of course, be the furthest venue from anywhere. So traipse up to Peel Hall I do…the venue is a lecture theatre – a slope of seating down to a presentation area – my stage later this evening. At the Sacred Trinity Church I see a bit of Cath and Phil Tyler – plain folk songs with reasonable banjo playing – then Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – soundscape with a wailing lady-friend – like Juliana Barwick with a guitar and electronics more than she needs – then it turns out Richard Youngs is playing next – he holds an audience rapt with the most ridiculous show – failing to control a motion sensitive synthesiser and his own voice. He succumbs to it’s limitations and begins to auction records to a still rapt audience – absolutely amazing! This fills me with much confidence, and as i return to a modest audience a t Peel Hall I watch the end of The Wave Pictures. I have no fear of playing tonight. Thanks to Richard Youngs. Brief show rundown – dropped coins, kicked beer can into girls face, played one of my favourite shows of mine. All back to Nicks (I missed Float Riverer for Richard Youngs) for some sleep. Hooray!

Back over the Pennines to Leeds. The show is back at the good old Brudenell… Napolean IIIrd pefroms before me. Then “just like Marmite” I perform on the ‘huge canvas’ of the Brudenell. I can not really be sure what I did – but it involved a beer crate and signing a drumstick which wasn’t even mine. Was great to see all my old pals and family. Also to some of the LDS peeps like Neapolitan the Turd, the Bugles of Birth, Dragged About By Ponies and the Lonely Wolfman.

Next show, Puzzle Hall, down the rugged valley. An intimate show. Some mild audience participation. It just about worked. These guys went to the show, listen at about 20:35 for some Jeff Lewis and then Ambiguity then they give you their opinion of the show :Crow Versus Crow Radio Show #5 by CrowVersusCrow Openers for the night were ‘A Rookery’, some good lyrics in there, liked the mandolin/violin. And thanks have to go to Gav for recommending a friend go see me in Paris…

Now, in Sheffield I swiftly passed through. Part of Sensoria, It was a shame that I could only be brief at places which were big events – would have been nice to stick around. Anyway, thanks for having me Nigel and I am genuinely sorry to have missed In the Nursery.

Glasgow was my next stop – and a lovely train journey through Northumberland – Every British person should know this part of their country, it’s nice. This show was pretty nice, I would not too hastily say that RM Hubbert was my favourite person to share the bill with on this tour – his guitarisationing is SWEET! Thanks to the Arches for the balloon too. It’s nice to have some company on stage. Some words on the evening.

After a wee drink to calm down after the show I settle into a comfortable bed in the Jury’s Inn, safe in the knowledge that I have a complementary breakfast waiting downstairs when I wake. Amazing. Despite the breakfast I make slow progress up to Fife, helped by the fact that the sign for the bus station was pointing in the wrong direction when I got out at Waverley Station.

Arriving in Anstruther is like arriving in a miserable fishing village in the middle of nowhere. But. You can get off the bus and ask the first person you see where you are playing and how to get there, because they are all there for a festival of music organised by the Fence Collective. I arrive in beautiful sunshine and fresh sea air is served in welcome doses. The place is not miserable at all (wait until the rain comes again). My show uses the apples from the dressing room in Glasgow and as you see below, some otherness. My highlight was seeing Geese, and watching the Eider at the shore. Very kindly I was given a little mention in this write up.

Shame I couldn’t stick around for the Sunday – Francois and the Atlas Mountains and JTP. Oh well, must dash… DTB is off to Paris. I will play you a recording of the West Country Girl show one day. Watch this space.

So West Country Girl is the creperie where Josh T Pearson lived. They had me over to play in exchange for free crepe and beer. Their hospitality knowing no bounds whatsoever. I need to tell you this now. Lisen. When you are in Paris you must go here:

West Country Girl, Passage St. Ambrose, 11 Arr, Paris

The next day I have a day off and wander Paris alone. It is a bad place. There are bad people. And you should never be alone in Paris. That is all I can say. It will not be so bad if you are not alone.

I scoot off to Lille and play a beautifully long set on La Peniche. Kind regards to the banana for his contribution. This is not Paris and I recommend you go and visit. Before I play the big show I do an instore at Minor Place records. The first hiccup of the tour is me leaving a small bag of cassettes, Buddha machine, and microphone there.

I learn that Magpies are simply called Pi in French, derived from Pica Pica?

After Lille I play again in Paris, this time less people show up and I get embroiled in a documentary about Primavera Sound and how Toma from La Boutiques Sonores is going and how coll it all is. They let me stay in their tiny apartment which was sweet to see and very kind of them. So makes up for the poor show, not that I didn’t have a nice attentive audience and blow the hell out of their tiny little French minds. Shame on the rest of Paris for not being there. Props to Alexis Gideon – He persevered a little way with a lost voice and lost audience. His shizzoo is so funny.

From Parizzle I get Le Train to the Netherlands. Leiden is, as I think I mentioned, historic. Medieval. Dutch.

The small and respectful crowd are delighted that I play for them, in their sarcastic Dutch way, I think they liked it. Second hiccup is leaving my glasses there.

More on this flippin’ tour soon, my eyes are hurting…