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River party! Greek style
1st August 2013 | Juliet
We all met at Thessaloniki airport and whizzed away on the coach, up high to Kastoria where we stay overlooking a huge lake. It was a three and a half hour journey by road and everyone was a little bit tired.
Giannis and Dimitris had arranged for the meal up the road. A feast of Greek starters, all veggie – much to Larry’s approval – followed by an array of meat that could have fed the whole town.
The town is a centre for furs, and centres around a lake. It’s very hot, in the high thirties, despite being way up in the mountains.
A road sign warns of bears and wolves.
Next day we go soundcheck riverside in Nestorio. It’s an open plan show with main stage next to the river. People are jumping off rocks and swimming, and there is a led Greek-style Zumba going on in a field. A crowd of Greek men and women shaking, stepping, and spinning to Latin and North African beats.
Soundcheck is done. Back to the hotel for swimming and chilling.
Then it’s time for another meal, this time across the lake. It’s agreed that the best food in the world is Greek. “The MOST food in the world,” adds Jim. This time it’s full-on fish and sea creatures.
A pair of pelicans swim by on the lake. Then it’s back to the festival.
The festival is mostly Greek musicians. Thanos played and then an upbeat Greek cabaret band….who just couldn’t stop….
There is dressing room talk of releasing a double album called Shit Storm where all the songs begin with ‘S’. Stutter. Star. Stand Stand Stand. Sound. Sometimes. Sayonara. Strangers. The Shining. Senorita. Semaphore. Seven. Shooting My Mouth Off.
Finally a set list is collated… Curse Curse and Moving On are in, and Jam J was played as well as a run of songs beginning with S. Say Something with its double S went down best.
Afterwards Tim recalls, “I was under the illusion that it would be an intimate five thousand in a moon lit wood and so wrote a set accordingly. When we got out there, it was a bacchanalian enthusiastic beautiful mob of ten thousand wanting to party. We switched a few songs round mid set to accommodate. Though probably should have done a few more.”
We managed to do the gig with very little equipment. “This was a hidden positive,” said Saul. Half the gear had gone up to Scotland due to complicated logistics of three rural gigs in three countries in a week.
During the gig, Saul put on so much mosquito spray he managed to give himself third degree burns, but not get bitten.
“There was something so innocent and idyllic about the whole festival set within such a natural environment,” says Tim.
James love playing in Greece. The audiences are fantastic.
Benátská Noc, Liberec, Czech Republic
27th July 2013 | Larry
And of course the backdrop. Prague is beautiful.
27th July 2013 | Tim
“Don’t say Czechoslovakia. It’s called the Czech Republic.” Max Dingel’s words of advice ring in my ears. Apparently Whitney Houston said “Thank you Spain” during a gig in Lisbon and has never recovered.
Some of us arrive a day early to acclimatize. Jules and I go walkabout from 9 till 1. Conga lines of drunk Europeans bearing t-shirts emblazoned with “pub crawl” bustle the streets. Stag party groups dressed in recognisable fancy dress, in case they get so pissed they can’t find each other, falling over in the streets. Maybe that’s the ‘pub’ in ‘Republic’.
And of course the backdrop. Prague is beautiful. Hansel and Gretel architecture, cone-topped churches with ancient astroglade clock faces. The ‘Czech Republicans’ seem to take this tourist invasion in their stride, after all it seems to be the main industry.
We eat some traditional Czech food. Roast pork knee with dumplings made of poured concrete that threaten to sit in my stomach for most of the summer. Like a snake consuming an overlarge prey. I think I need to go lie down now.
We walk past a wax museum with Charlie Chaplin looking forlornly down at his scuffed and holed shoes. The homeless here begging for money kneel, and have their faces pressed to the ground in a prayer of desperation. Judging by their takings, this doesn’t translate well with the western tourists who need some eye contact to incite empathy. Two doors down from the wax museum is the museum of torture where a bedraggled wax figure sits in the stocks. I’m not quite sure who goes to see a museum of torture; curious thirteen year old boys or a stag night drunken dare?
It’s over thirty degrees. The streets feel very safe despite the absinthe bars. We stumble upon a beyond kitsch shop sprouting gaudily colored Art Deco kitchen utensils.
We had our last day in the studio yesterday. The new CD is going brilliantly. But today I am crashed out from the intensity. Most of my lyrics come in the night so I haven’t slept well for four or five weeks. You have to go a little crazy to get that stuff. Max Dingel (real name) will now play around with what we’ve recorded and present us with mixes in a few weeks time. Our hopes are high that this record will sound unlike any other that we’ve made.
Tim.
Wakestock, Abersoch
13th July 2013 | Larry
The flip-flop approach
13th July 2013 | Juliet
Weather in Wales: scorchio. Weather in London: scorchio. The band and families head for the Super Wayfarer train which wings its way from London to the far side of North Wales. I jump on in Crewe; all aboard the Friday night train to the country of Wales. We zoom through Chester and Colwyn Bay, and on and on along silver beaches and clear glistening skies until we make it to Bangor.
There a golden bus awaits us, and we head into the night to find the hotels which have agreed to have us. It’s five to eleven and there is just time for a visit to the curry house where all curry, regardless of its species, is red and extremely sweet. But it’s time to get into the hotel before the front door is well and truly locked, and we are already keeping the lady in charge from her bed. “Breakfast is over by 9.30,” she warns.
It’s morning. Head to the high street (Y Stryd Fawr) in Criccieth – ‘the pearl of Wales on the shores of Snowdonia’ – for a stroll. Enter the hardware shop where Ana and Mia and a parrot called Milo are screeching/laughing in unity. They buy an outsized fishing net and head for the beach with a small cluster of children. There is swimming and fishing….
Late morning head off to soundcheck in the golden minibus. It’s boiling at the site. It’s all about wakeboarding, but there is no sea here. The stall holders are setting up and there is a superb retro stand awash with Hawaiian shirts and 50s swim shorts. Tim buys a gingham red and white shirt of super crisp cotton, but can’t dance in it.
Pierre is doing the onstage sound today. There is a lot of extra semaphore on stage.
After a lot of feeling hot hot hot we head back to the hotel and sit in the garden, and talk to the unusually textured Labradoodle dog Dougal who has come on tour too. He has his own transport, as he belongs to Dick and Vivian who are in charge of front-of-house sound. Dick is doing the sound (at last minute) and the other two are here for a break. Mia is in heaven once she meets Dougal, and together they trot around the beer garden.
Evening has arrived. I do the counting. There are only five. Andy has his own minibus after his gig in Liverpool last night with Spaceheads, and Larry is somewhere on a beach.
Soon there is a gig. There is football and table tennis in the enclosure. There is make-your-own-pizza. There were flip-flops called Gandys, but now they are all gone. Tim gets some dark green ones, Saul goes for black. Mine are the colour of Absinthe. Jim doesn’t do flip-flops.
There are two stages and each band gets an hour. Echo and the Bunnymen are there. Basically one band stops and the crowd whizz sideways to the other stage. “It’s the flip-flop approach,” explains Hannah, who has keys to dressing rooms and is in charge. This flip-flopping means it’s music non stop. The stages are set up ready to go while another band is on. Clever.
During the gig I bother Hannah a lot trying to access ice for a football injured mini-Tim (his son), and trying to locate essentials like coffee and carrots.
There’s a big whoop when Sit Down comes on but I am still chasing up ice and a medic…
The next day we take the golden bus back to the station, and a very long coastal train ride home via mega-Tesco Bangor. Aboard we have a picnic, croissants and Jarlsberg, blueberries and peaches….there is picnic chaos and those with reserved seats nearby decide to sit somewhere else….for now at least.….
It’s a long way back to Euston on the Super Wayfarer…
Wembley Stadium
22nd June 2013 | Larry
And finally inner echelons of Wembley
22nd June 2013 | Juliet
Not sure what the score was tonight at Wembley. I did ask Jim to do this blog, being football eloquent and all, but he was too busy. …So here goes…
Long taxi ride from St. John’s Wood where the band are resident and recording, round the houses, and round the outer, and finally inner echelons of Wembley…Oh look there’s Nick and Ron, James’ top techs, but we’ve got to drive anticlockwise round inside the stadium. So near yet so far…it takes a while…the place is massive.
First things first. Soup. Courgette and roast garlic. Score 10.
We got England’s dressing room suite with baths galore and pissoirs lined up… There are huge black and white posters of important football moments. I heard Bobby Charlton mentioned a few times, and that’s England’s manager there…when they won the World Cup.
A lengthy run down corridors to the stage, where soundcheck happens. Mr Hat has the sound sorted, even for Out To Get You which is getting an airing this afternoon. The stadium is huge. Security and crowd control are getting into positions. Catering is down the very long corridor and there is a private tent room decked out in red white and blue for The Killers’ aftershow. We take a peek, it’s done up in red white and blue and two corgis sit still as stone near the door. Theme England. Sofas upholstered in the Union Jack, cupcakes and red fruit platters. Strawberries and cherries ….and Rioja….
The multiple pots of red geraniums mark the way to the stadium enclosure. Landmarks established.
Later, watch a bit of James. They don’t ‘leave a little light on’ cos time was short. Out To Get You got an extended longplay version.
As for those Killers with batteries fully charged…they play a long energetic set at full power. Watch from the enclosure near the red geraniums. So many mobiles are photographing, the place is ablaze.
There are a lot of friends and family passing through the dressing room, and by 11pm, all that remains is a platter of dried apricots and in the fridge a solitary Magners. We leave it for Andy.
At midnight we hear of a secret Killers gig at the Garage. Some people go…including Larry whose energy for a party is legendary…….
The corgis are whisked away under each arm of a waiter at about 12.30 from the Union Jack clad bar…The Killers zip away into their carriage at about that time too… as for me, I had already turned into a pumpkin……
Forest Live – Thetford Forest
13th June 2013 | Larry
LG on Fraz Kinky
13th June 2013 | Larry
The fabulously funky Frazer King have had a few upheavals of late, so it was great to see them charm the James forest folk away from the bar/food stalls with their uniquely tuneful brand of agit-pop on Thursday eve.
The new line up brought new life to some older tunes (Poorhouse and Faith In The Community esp.) that made me want to throw away the versions I’ve produced with them and start again.
The ever shambolic Nathan (vox/gtr) rendered his guitar useless 5 minutes before goin’ on stage by botching a simple nut-tightening job! So he had to wrestle with my old Gibson ‘brown top’ (sic). Most folks wouldn’t have guessed it but I reckon Nate thinks he lost that fight.
Proof that, like James, the Frazers are also acolytes of the “Gettin’ away with it, all messed up” manifesto.
Back at the Bell Inn, the hilariously ‘haunted’ 15th c. coaching inn (give us a break, this is 2013 ffs), the only things going bump in the night were the 1970s plumbing, and drummer Jack’s fist hitting the reception desk as he found out that he had to wait 2 1/2 HOURS!!!! for a taxi back to his bed for the night (a big black bus deep in the heart of the forest). Ah well, nothing to do but drink the bar dry till the wee hours of the morn, as his band mates travelled back north to their own beds.
Thankfully, Dave’s mad mate Jazzy Geoff, (internationally renowned Majorcan DJ and occasional Jon Bon Jovi stand-in) held court in his 4-postered room (complete with smoking balcony) so that Jack and his friends could get cross-eyed in comfort until the ‘only’ cab in the county arrived…bang on time!!!
The Teddy Bears’ Picnic
13th June 2013 | Juliet
Thetford is probably trickier to access than a gig in Greece or Spain… We converge from all angles, whiling away endless hours by plane and train from all corners of the United Kingdom. It’s very beautiful over in Norfolk, not that far from Cambridge(ish).
The 15th century Bell Hotel is one of the most haunted inns in the UK. We are staying there. Brilliant. Dad’s Army used to stay here too and film in the village. It’s quaint and homely and the bed is big enough for Captain Mainwaring’s platoon, but is rationed to only one overstuffed, wonky pillow.
The stage is set in a beautiful hidden Emerald Forest…awash with capable tree-tending men in khaki.
We gather in a white MASH style tent and drink tea and cream of tomato soup (vegan option available on request). Then a nice Ben Fogle type leads us through a clearing to the wooden ‘little house on the prairie’ dressing room.
MR HAT IS BACK. He has been released from his main band and is on loan to James for two days.
Frazer King arrive in a retro stylish matte black bus. Gaz is reassuringly in charge.
There is a long soundcheck then a lengthy meeting to discuss the hand-baggage/setlist compatibility issue… (Jim suggested socks, underwear and a spare T-shirt could be on the rider following lo-cost flights to unusual locations on a Tuesday night.) Will the guitars, violin and trumpet be better with their own seats on the plane? Probably.
Meanwhile Tim has a painful shoulder following a bite from a black widow spider. (In California, not this temporal haven.)
Vinny and Freddie take to the skies on the rope walk. It’s an adventure called Go Ape and makes for a dizzy turn just watching them ascend the emerald treetops…towards Rachel, who seems to live in the trees, and also wears khaki.
Later in the production office tent, Vinny and his mate come running in saying they have discovered some bags of white powder up a tree in a field. A Famous Five moment – what could it be? Unsure, Vinny reassured us he hadn’t touched it, “just in case of fingerprints….”
Climbers chalk?
Frazer King played an amazing gig despite them being in a new line-up and Nathan’s guitar breaking before he went on. If you don’t know Frazer King yet you will…they are brilliant.
Lewis was Dressing Room Man. He was so thorough he even cleaned the juicer mid-evening. It seemed as easy as rinsing a teaspoon. We talked about PNF stretching.
James’ gig went fine and the band tried out some brand new songs. The forest surrounds made a fantastic setting… iPad was onstage for freshly pressed lyrics. “Leave a little light on…”
Much later, yet another helpful man in khaki explained that he had tasted the white powder and it was flour… Very strange goings on. A mystery job for Scooby Doo perhaps…?
Finally back at the hotel bar in the small hours. The crew were mostly there too, as were Frazer King, and Geoff had popped down from Newcastle in his turquoise car.
We hung out in the hotel foyer for some time. The man on reception started to tell tales of the hauntings. Something chilling about a bathroom door…and a trap door and an old painting…
Across the courtyard looking up to the first floor was a party. And the hotel manager asked if that man in room xxx was with us? Who could it be? A party? Jazzy….
