…is now in our set. We worked it all out in the van then rehearsed it in soundcheck before the Brighton gig last night. New favourite live song? Maybe…
Brighton is such a cool place, especially in the sunshine, we arrived around 2ish and headed to the beach for a beer, people swimming in the sea, light breeze, sun shining down. Then it was to the venue to set up. Great little place the Latest Music Bar and we were well looked after. Tonight we play Bristol, The Louisiana. See you there.
Btw one thing which is really annoying at the moment is everyone moaning about Guns n’ Roses (well Axl Rose) being late at Reading and Leeds. Bands like Foals etc all saying it is juvenile and disrespectful. It’s neither of those things. It’s the way rock n’ roll used to be – Jimi Hendrix always came on late, The Who smashed their stuff up. You also need to remember where Axl and co. have come from. I have a book of interviews with bands from Rolling Stone and one of those interviews is with David Geffen (label boss of GnR’s label at the time). He was asked about when the band were signed. He said he walked into the Geffen offices with the A&R guy who signed them, Tom Zutaut, and he saw these tearaways on the sofa in reception. He said to Tom something like ‘who the hell are these guys? they look like they have been picked up out of the gutter” and Tom said “they have”. Axl and co. were complete nutcases, a screaming ginger haired lunatic, a curly haired heroin taking womaniser, and the rest, they came from nothing and became the biggest band in the world. They were always late for gigs, that was part of the excitement – will they turn up, won’t they turn up etc. None of the current crop of bands can really call themselves rock n’ roll bands if they they don’t get it.
…order an olympic breakfast at the little chef just now. I feel horrific now. Too much food. Too much. Urgh.
So, am on tour with the lads, played Glasgow and Edinburgh last night, both awesome gigs in different ways. Tonight we are playing in Cambridge at the Portland Arms, but we need to get there first, the band are sleeping in the Travelodge just north of Newcastle and I am in the Little Chef trying to not have a heart attack.
Right, this post was going to be longer, I have lots to say but I actually am now feeling a bit sick, to add to the post-Olympic breakfast illness the sun is shining through the window really brightly and making me hot. What a diva.
…feeling like an elephant slept on my chest last night, pretty sure one didn’t. Insides feel sort of bruised. Is that normal? I blame Simon’s new MASSIVE drum kit and unloading it last night after an EXCELLENT gig at Acoustic Edinburgh, where, during our cover of Brothers in Arms I even made the ceiling cry (either that or it was a leak, or someone was trying to take a piss on me). Anyway, was goood.
New single is on the Radio Scotland playlist, so request away for that. I doubt this one will make the Radio 2 playlist cos it’s a bit edgier, more of a 6 Music vibe, in the way these things are categorised, but it’s all good. On 13th Sepotember ‘The Big C’ in which (episode 3) is on air and you will be able to hear ‘Don’t Hold me Back’ – my lovely little song.
Tis but a few days until the tour begins, I am very much looking forward to playing every night again, rather than one off gigs, as has been the way it worked through the festivals / summer season. It’s already autumnal here. Where I live the sky is massive, a big sky, and as the season changes it is at its most beautiful. So THERE!
Hope you are all doing good.
Alex
ps only 9 copies of ltd edition CD left…so get to it!
On Friday we played at Fringe by the Sea, tomorrow we are supporting Amy MacDonald then next week one more gig as part of the Edinburgh Festival then the tour begins (do you have tickets yet…?). On Saturday we recorded live and filmed (by Gillian from Thought Out Media) new arrangements of a few of my tunes, two of which are ready to go (see below). Btw my track ‘Don’t Hold me Back’ is being used significantly in the new US Tv Show ‘The Big C’ episode 3, which is out in the US on 13th September – check it out! And in other exciting news, Brothers in Arms, our cover thereof, is being included on the Dermot O’ Leary Saturday sessions CD, which is coming out on Sony on 27 September. So many things…
Last year we played the Kelburn Garden Party. It was AMAZING. You ALL HAVE TO BUY TICKETS!! Seriously, it is awesome, incredible setting, very chilled out, small, great location, there’s even a waterfall, views of the sea, and, of course, I am playing there on the Sunday…
Alex
ps for those of you down south, come to the Cornbury Festival on the Saturday, 5.30pm, Caffe Nero tent…
I am sat outside the Travelodge in Washington, just south of Newcastle. Bevis and Simon are asleep and Paul is back in Edinburgh. I’ve felt the new songs have come together really well over the last couple of days. There’s no substitute for gigging them. Paul won’t be with us tonight and tomorrow so it’s a three piece, then he returns for the last three dates in London, Brighton and Cambridge.
We had a bit of a shocker after the Leeds gig. I was moving the van (just about to get a parking ticket, avoided by me pretending to almost have a nervous breakdown (it works…)) and the battery light went on, which is the alternator apparently. Green Flag trailed us to a travelodge and we got a mobile mechanic out – overall cost for new alternator was £319.00. Ouch. I went pale when he told me. Anyway, that’s that sorted and hopefully Rosie won’t get all diva like again. She gets mentioned on the Dermot O’ Leary show and turns all diva.
Watched a bit of Jools Holland last night. Really enjoyed it, which makes a change actually, as of late I have thought it hasn’t been all that good. Really liked Alicia Keys and White Rabbits. That Alicia Keys song, New York, is something else. I love it when I hear a song which makes me stop in my tracks, awesome tune and really well delivered live too.
Anyway, off to Birmingham tonight, looking forward to that, then Bristol, London, Brighton and Cambridge. That’s a lot of coffee…
So I was heading to my studio on Friday morning and needed to pick up a mic stand from the back of little old Rosie the van. It has been snowing really heavily here but as it had thawed a little I thought I’d give the old girl a spin, as I hadn’t moved her since I got back from tour at the end of last year. She started, bingo, course she did, good girl, I cleaned the snow off her brow (windscreen), gentely wiped her eyes (lights), noticed the right ear (wing mirror) that I hadn’t smashed on tour i.e. the other one had been smashed, gaffered the ear up, started to pull away, moved a bit and then she was stuck. I thought it must be the snow but on closer inspection seems someone had slashed her front left foot (tyre) which was flat as a pancake. Called Green Flag (”sorry sir due to the exceptional weather conditions someone will be with you but not for about 3 to 4 hours”), and gave up (”don’t bother”), walked to a local garage, then to another, found a man, he drove back to replace foot, no spare foot. Had her towed back into a sensible parking position, scraped curb heavily with the flat foot, got QuickFit coming out tomorrow morning (have to wait all morning for them) to replace foot, am now worried knackered foot as a result of moving it (which would probably result in a write-off…) so I will keep you posted, but let’s put it this way, Rose is not happy, as I am going private on this (Quick Fit) it’s going to cost about £100 to perhaps get her going again, if the actual foot is knackered then I might need to put her down…
Here is the new tour diary. This one is a bit boring but the music is good…off the EP, which is coming your way soon. Just tuned up my guitars, doors open in 5 mins then we are on stage at 8pm. It’s a 25 minute set tonight because Alison and her band have to get to London after their show to do Children in Need.
Actually it’s afternoon, was really tired after the drive from Folkestone to Manchester yesterday, the traffic was really heavy. Am staying with my sister just outside Manchester today (it’s a day off) and slept until about 10 minutes ago. Last night was the Lowry in Manchester, which was an incredible venue.
The set was good except I started My Word What a Mess in the wrong key…eeek….never done that before and it won’t happen again! The problem was I was enjoying the venue so much I kind of switched off a bit. Anyway, it got a laugh…tomorrow at Warwick will be perfection…
Anyway, here is Tour Diary Part 3, I am kind of a bit behind with the footage because the wifi isn’t great at some of the venues. More to come…
