Post by DAVE HURRY on Nov 19, 2007 12:19:50 GMT
HI-ON SOUTHEND, VERVIERS & NIJMEGEN
Friday 16th November 2007, 2:15pm - A motorway, Belgium
My long weekend started with a lie-in (unlike the other 4/5 of the band). I'd got back from Liverpool on Wednesday evening after a work-related jaunt, and was a bit knackered. We'd arranged to meet at Hurry Heights. Speed "BEANS!!!!" Harris was the first to arrive. Clive "2 foot black cock!" Blurr soon followed, but from then on we had a bit of a wait. Adrian "all we need is a pile of leaves and somewhere to sh*t" Swift was bringing the van, with Bruce "Ooh, I do feel queer" Dugginson in Swifty's car behind. Traffic slowed them down, and they finally arrived at mine about 3 hours after they would have had there been clear roads. Which meant we were in a bit of a rush!
We got to the venue (luckily, the traffic was more-or-less OK for our route) and set up with all the speed we could muster. It was literally gear on, play, gear off. Not even time for dinner!
The gig itself went pretty well, with solid if unremarkable performances from all of us. Poor Bruce has come down with some sort of flu/virus/aids/ and so was not able to perform to his usual standard, which wound him up no end. Personally I really enjoyed the gig, but then I was significantly better rested and less stressed than any other band member around.
A bit of kip in a Travelodge (where we needed an "extra cup") and we were set to drive down to Dover. The ever-forgetful Mister Swift had mislaid his passport, which led to a search of the premises. Eventually it was located under a pillow and we set off. The journey was fairly straightforward, with little traffic and a very slight delay on the ferry. We scrambled to find fuel in time the other end, but got away with it.
As I write, we are cruising down the motorway that takes you out of France as quickly as possible (at least I can only assume that is it's function), and are around a hundred miles from our destination. I'm looking forward to the Spirit of 66 gig, as many of those underground prog rock bands that I so love have graced the stage there. Brucey is still not feeling 100%, Speed is coming down with it and Mister Swift is fading a little too. Looks like me and Blurr will be the last ones standing. Or swaying slightly, if Leffe have anything to do with it!
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Saturday 17th November 2007, 10:30am - Hotel Midi, Verviers
Well, last night was fairly storming. I was suffering from fatigue and was fading fast onstage, but the crowd warmed to us. Bruce did an awesome job fighting through the Throat AIDS and sang really well. I had a brown moment during The Clairvoyant, with some Very Bad Notes in the solo. That was pretty much my only screw-up, and the gig was very much a success. Quicko McBrain of past drumming fame came to see us (as he was driving through), and it was good to see him. After the show the drinks were flowing, thanks to the very generous venue staff. We were visited by a friendly fan of ours (who shall remain nameless for legal reasons) who only seems to appear in Europe. Lovely chap, even if he does chunder everywhere!
Then it was back to the hotel for some kip. I was up first this morning for some brekkie and a wander around the hotel. I don't often get a chance to practice my French-speaking abilities, so it was nice to flex that muscle again. I had a lovely conversation with the chap behind the bar about tennis. At least I think that's what it was about. It might have been about off-shore wind farms!
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Monday 19th November 2007 - Dartford, England
Home!
Well, we actually got back at about 2pm yesterday afternoon. Whereupon I went to bed. And woke up at 7 this morning!
The trip, in my head, was a complete success (apart from the fact that we only made about 20 quid each).
Picking up where I left off, we set out from the hotel in Verviers at about 1pm, leaving ourselves plenty of time to get to Nijmegen for the next gig. Our hire bus was equipped with an X-box doubling as a DVD player, and throughout the trip we watched my entire Monty Python box set, resulting in much laughter along the way. That particular can has set the precedent for the transport we hope to purchase in time for next year's onslaught of gigs.
We arrived in Nijmegen well early, leaving plenty of time to set up which turned out to be a blessing. The stage was a bit on the small side, with Mr Blurr's drumkit barely fitting. The path to the men's toilet was across my side of the stage, which was a minor cause for concern for yours truly but didn't threaten to ruin the gig. Poor Blurr had to sit right next to Speed's bass cab (an Ampeg 8x10) all night, which must have caused a vibration of the bowels! We set up and sound-checked, while Mr Dugginson set about lining his throat with some very nice brandy-esque stuff (which we kept forgetting how to pronounce). We were once again provided with an impressive bottled-beer supply (why is it that only European venues do this for bands?!) which I began making inroads into. Mr Blurr was suffering with a bad back, Mr Dugginson's throat AIDS was still playing up and Mr Harris didn't feel too hot either. Thankfully myself and Mr Swift were unaffected by anything other than feedback.
We set off to find dinner, finding that the club next door had some funky floor-lighting outside. Watch out for the photos from this trip - a couple of right classics were taken! Sustenance was found in the form of pizza after a very cold wander around the town. Most of the day was 0 degrees, while the nights were below. A very chilly trip, to say the least! After dinner we ventured back to the gig, with Bruce setting off his 'Carry-On' sound unit several times. Matron, take him away!!!
The gig was a complete success. My Brown Moment from the night before didn't reassert itself, and the only complaint I had of the venue was the access to the bloke's bog - every now and then I'd be in the middle of a solo, and out of the corner of my eye I'd see some poor sap stood by the back of the stage wanting to rejoin the audience but not wanting to barge past me. Having to be mindful of Speed Harris's stage movements is tricky enough, having to watch out for those returning from the facilities is downright impossible! Nevertheless, it was a great gig. We stood about afterwards for hours chatting to fans and staff alike about what a good time we'd all had. They want us back for 2 nights next year, which is fantastic! We're plotting a week-long European tour next year, so keep your eyes open...
We'd opted to drive straight back from Nijmegen to the ferry port of Calais and forego the cost of a hotel. A couple of stops off for driver sleep and another Monty Python DVD later we arrived at the port and got on an earlier ferry than planned. We made it back to my gaff safe and sound, and parted ways. A splendid trip all round with lots of laughter, far too many in-jokes and three well-played gigs.
Well, don't just stand there man, get it out. GET IT OUT!!!
Friday 16th November 2007, 2:15pm - A motorway, Belgium
My long weekend started with a lie-in (unlike the other 4/5 of the band). I'd got back from Liverpool on Wednesday evening after a work-related jaunt, and was a bit knackered. We'd arranged to meet at Hurry Heights. Speed "BEANS!!!!" Harris was the first to arrive. Clive "2 foot black cock!" Blurr soon followed, but from then on we had a bit of a wait. Adrian "all we need is a pile of leaves and somewhere to sh*t" Swift was bringing the van, with Bruce "Ooh, I do feel queer" Dugginson in Swifty's car behind. Traffic slowed them down, and they finally arrived at mine about 3 hours after they would have had there been clear roads. Which meant we were in a bit of a rush!
We got to the venue (luckily, the traffic was more-or-less OK for our route) and set up with all the speed we could muster. It was literally gear on, play, gear off. Not even time for dinner!
The gig itself went pretty well, with solid if unremarkable performances from all of us. Poor Bruce has come down with some sort of flu/virus/aids/ and so was not able to perform to his usual standard, which wound him up no end. Personally I really enjoyed the gig, but then I was significantly better rested and less stressed than any other band member around.
A bit of kip in a Travelodge (where we needed an "extra cup") and we were set to drive down to Dover. The ever-forgetful Mister Swift had mislaid his passport, which led to a search of the premises. Eventually it was located under a pillow and we set off. The journey was fairly straightforward, with little traffic and a very slight delay on the ferry. We scrambled to find fuel in time the other end, but got away with it.
As I write, we are cruising down the motorway that takes you out of France as quickly as possible (at least I can only assume that is it's function), and are around a hundred miles from our destination. I'm looking forward to the Spirit of 66 gig, as many of those underground prog rock bands that I so love have graced the stage there. Brucey is still not feeling 100%, Speed is coming down with it and Mister Swift is fading a little too. Looks like me and Blurr will be the last ones standing. Or swaying slightly, if Leffe have anything to do with it!
-----------------
Saturday 17th November 2007, 10:30am - Hotel Midi, Verviers
Well, last night was fairly storming. I was suffering from fatigue and was fading fast onstage, but the crowd warmed to us. Bruce did an awesome job fighting through the Throat AIDS and sang really well. I had a brown moment during The Clairvoyant, with some Very Bad Notes in the solo. That was pretty much my only screw-up, and the gig was very much a success. Quicko McBrain of past drumming fame came to see us (as he was driving through), and it was good to see him. After the show the drinks were flowing, thanks to the very generous venue staff. We were visited by a friendly fan of ours (who shall remain nameless for legal reasons) who only seems to appear in Europe. Lovely chap, even if he does chunder everywhere!
Then it was back to the hotel for some kip. I was up first this morning for some brekkie and a wander around the hotel. I don't often get a chance to practice my French-speaking abilities, so it was nice to flex that muscle again. I had a lovely conversation with the chap behind the bar about tennis. At least I think that's what it was about. It might have been about off-shore wind farms!
--------------------
Monday 19th November 2007 - Dartford, England
Home!
Well, we actually got back at about 2pm yesterday afternoon. Whereupon I went to bed. And woke up at 7 this morning!
The trip, in my head, was a complete success (apart from the fact that we only made about 20 quid each).
Picking up where I left off, we set out from the hotel in Verviers at about 1pm, leaving ourselves plenty of time to get to Nijmegen for the next gig. Our hire bus was equipped with an X-box doubling as a DVD player, and throughout the trip we watched my entire Monty Python box set, resulting in much laughter along the way. That particular can has set the precedent for the transport we hope to purchase in time for next year's onslaught of gigs.
We arrived in Nijmegen well early, leaving plenty of time to set up which turned out to be a blessing. The stage was a bit on the small side, with Mr Blurr's drumkit barely fitting. The path to the men's toilet was across my side of the stage, which was a minor cause for concern for yours truly but didn't threaten to ruin the gig. Poor Blurr had to sit right next to Speed's bass cab (an Ampeg 8x10) all night, which must have caused a vibration of the bowels! We set up and sound-checked, while Mr Dugginson set about lining his throat with some very nice brandy-esque stuff (which we kept forgetting how to pronounce). We were once again provided with an impressive bottled-beer supply (why is it that only European venues do this for bands?!) which I began making inroads into. Mr Blurr was suffering with a bad back, Mr Dugginson's throat AIDS was still playing up and Mr Harris didn't feel too hot either. Thankfully myself and Mr Swift were unaffected by anything other than feedback.
We set off to find dinner, finding that the club next door had some funky floor-lighting outside. Watch out for the photos from this trip - a couple of right classics were taken! Sustenance was found in the form of pizza after a very cold wander around the town. Most of the day was 0 degrees, while the nights were below. A very chilly trip, to say the least! After dinner we ventured back to the gig, with Bruce setting off his 'Carry-On' sound unit several times. Matron, take him away!!!
The gig was a complete success. My Brown Moment from the night before didn't reassert itself, and the only complaint I had of the venue was the access to the bloke's bog - every now and then I'd be in the middle of a solo, and out of the corner of my eye I'd see some poor sap stood by the back of the stage wanting to rejoin the audience but not wanting to barge past me. Having to be mindful of Speed Harris's stage movements is tricky enough, having to watch out for those returning from the facilities is downright impossible! Nevertheless, it was a great gig. We stood about afterwards for hours chatting to fans and staff alike about what a good time we'd all had. They want us back for 2 nights next year, which is fantastic! We're plotting a week-long European tour next year, so keep your eyes open...
We'd opted to drive straight back from Nijmegen to the ferry port of Calais and forego the cost of a hotel. A couple of stops off for driver sleep and another Monty Python DVD later we arrived at the port and got on an earlier ferry than planned. We made it back to my gaff safe and sound, and parted ways. A splendid trip all round with lots of laughter, far too many in-jokes and three well-played gigs.
Well, don't just stand there man, get it out. GET IT OUT!!!
