Blog
Academy 2, Oxford
12th June 2010 | Larry
Oxford takeaway
12th June 2010 | Juliet
Sometimes in life you just don’t get what you ordered. So I waited and waited (in the takeaway restaurant) and still no food came.
The band were watching the football in the dressing room. “Sit down,” said the waitress. I obeyed for a bit, and then got bored. “It’s fresh,” assured the owner of this Lebanese a few doors down, and still I waited. Wandered about a bit, lurking, chatting to the diners, who luckily had every fantastic zingy type food – which they offered – pickled chili here, splash of wine, dab of houmous, foraging here and there, and then suddenly an hour later, the takeaway was ready for take off.
It wasn’t what we ordered, the lamb was random, but they made do back in the dressing room ‘cos the footie was on and that was all that mattered. World Cup UK-USA score 1-1. But of course you all know that.
Meanwhile, Saul had been locked in on the bus by Mia, his young daughter. Magically she had found the master switch that locked down all the doors. Saul was not only missing, he was captive on the bus. Only one thing for it, to wake the driver from his essential hours and get out and get on the stage.
The show was at an intimate little venue, the O2 Academy, and downstairs the big screen was showing the match. The gig started later than usual, for England anyway, so that the match could be watched by fans (and the band). Dust Motes was the opener, as seen and heard on the new mini-album. So the Oxford audience, you heard it first live.
Meanwhile I was backstage grappling with the new juicer, purchased specially for the summer from the budget of Things Necessary. A lack of carrots meant a new combination was in order, and it went something like this: 2 huge bunches of celery, a ton of apples, and even more generous than usual chunk of ginger root, and then limes…the effect was pale green, pungent and exciting on a warm evening in UK summer in the South… Andy said it was the best juice yet, which was nice. Anyway the task of dismantling and washing the monster juicer was mine, and it took time scrubbing and coaxing it back into its packaging…like a jack-in-a-box that wont stay down.
The encore was gonna be Lullaby and Top of the World, or Sometimes and Laid. The audience got to choose. Cheers were pretty level for both options but as the slower Lullaby combo got a few boos thrown in so Sometimes and Laid won.
There was a lightning aftershow of friends and family running round in the dark yard at the back of the venue trying to find people. Then it was a rush to London hotel so the bus driver could get his quota of hours rest in before a sharp start in the morning. It was even more of a rush for the crew to take the gear down and catch that night ferry to Isle of Wight. It was tight but they made it…just.
We clocked in to London hotel in the small hours, looking forward to a quick sleep before heading off for the lunchtime ferry to the Isle of Wight…
Baddiel & Skinner’s South Africa Send-Off Party
7th June 2010 | Larry
Tae Kwon Do Stadium, Athens, Greece
1st May 2010 | Larry
Feta in the Olympic Bathroom
1st May 2010 | Juliet
Saturday. Long drive to Athens, two minibuses. I am sandwiched in the busy one, in the front between Iannis and Vassilis. Saul is making us laugh, doing a monologue as only he can. This passes an hour or so. Then a debate on the most sexed-up music of all time. Barry White wins hands down; Donna Summer and Dr. Hook get a point too. There are also a few jazz funk disco tracks that only me and Dave know, and for some reason all the words come flooding back to other entries.We stop for a snack and a coffee. I get the last spanotirokopita (spinach cheese pie) and offer to share it. Everyone else grabs a bagel. Coffee and cigarettes etc… We are officially in Greece; smoking is in. Sometimes it almost seems compulsory here, it’s part of life’s syllabus.
Today it’s May Day. There’s a riot and clashes with police in Athens. Now in the hotel, it’s on TV. A sombre newsreader is spreading the word on the streets. But outside for the cafe society and tourist shops, it’s business as usual. Some of the band get to see the magnificent Acropolis out the window. Scooters scoot by and the view is a hot city. But there are important things to do and a bit of room shifting, and then all is done and we head to the gig to sound check and eat some Greek food, dolmadakia avgolemono (small stuffed vine leaves in egg and lemon sauce). Thank you, very nice (nostimos).
Outside the Tae Kwon Do Arena, the venue, the bootleg T-shirt sellers are having their take on things. It’s really busy and the driver whizzes round past the harbour of yacht-type boats, and then we are there. The dressing room is a large bathroom with large communal showers and open plan loos. There are no windows. Catering is down the corridor in a similar setting.
There is some ironing activity being done. Jim invents a way to work out while ironing using a vertical iron. Biceps and triceps all done. Could this be the future for men and ironing? Anyway there is steam and much switching between super hot and super cool settings as creases are well ironed out.
Then the handle simply comes off the dressing room door, and we are all locked in this mega bathroom situation, again there are no windows. Just before they go on stage….hmmmn, a few glances of ‘oh dear, oh very dear’ from those who have noticed, and somehow magically it is opened from the outside…
Aftershow is in catering another Olympic-sized bathroom with Heineken on tap. A stylish Greek woman wearing pearls, no less, asks me, “What is this? Feta in the bathroom?”. Exactly. Indeed there’s a row of Greek salads with feta there on the table in this bathroom.
The after-aftershow took place in the form of Taki’s birthday do at a restaurant somewhere. I missed it. Finally got under cover at 3.30am. Then it’s 6am and the alarm is doing something alarming. Repeating itself endlessly and getting louder and louder as if it’s drunk…what’s going on? Oh yes another flight… Gather myself with small Greek (coffee) and fly south…for my next assignment..Again Greece…the deep South..where the internet doesn’t work often so it’s a car ride to the mountain village where there may be a connection.
?? James ?????????? ?? ????????? ??????? ???? ??????…
James look forward to coming back to Greece soon…
???????? ???????!
30th April 2010 | Juliet
Friday. Why do hotels often have a curtain hook, far left or far right, missing? Where does the curtain hook go? Maybe they run off with missing socks…? The sunshine’s out early; time to walk on the beach. Saul and Andy are swimming already.
There’s a great view of the three pointed Rio-Antirrio bridge, the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge, spanning the Gulf of Corinth. It’s beautiful against the blue sea and sky.
Then there is an interview at Radio Mojo downtown. I go out to the Farmakeia on an errand to buy an icepack and some reading glasses.
Back at Radio Mojo, Tim and Jim are being interviewed by Christos. Christos is asking the interesting questions and it’s all quite a discussion, when I pop in the loo, then turn the key and find I am locked in. The key just turns round and round and round. It’s lost its grip but I am not ready to die just yet so keep turning as instructed. After several attempts by the woman behind the door, who keeps starting the instructions with,” Just relax,” then, “Turn the key four times to the left.”
We go through this five times before she suggests I pass the key under the door. There is no ‘under the door’. There is a tight fit like a refrigerator. There are no windows, just white tiles. I am effectively locked in the bog….which is starting to feel like I am in a refrigerator and everyone has gone home, and left me probably to die…soon.
However, I obediently keep calm, and then there is another voice…a Greek man this time…Andreas from Radio Mojo. “Keep calm (always Sweedy), turn the key to the left two times, and to the right two times”… I do this and bingo…
Shaken but not stirred… A good Martini could almost have been in order but someone gave me water.. Keep calm and carry on…
Then a trip to eat the local fish food…prawns piled high, mussels piled high , octopus legs everywhere, and then just in case, a squid came to the party too. Me and Jim went for a legless Greek salad.
The coat of many mirrors had travelled too, and was found crumpled in a heap at the base of the wardrobe, ready for Porcupine. And there are no cuff-links on Tims shirt following its trip to the dry cleaners… Where do cuff-links go? Maybe they join hotel curtain hooks and party…
The show on Aristotelian Street was amazing. A huge indoor arena, with not too much smoking but a lot of singing and dancing from the crowd. Yes, in Greece they smoke indoors. There’s an aftershow at a swanky bar down at the port. Ana was in charge.
???????????? ??? ????? ??? ?????? … ???????? ???????!!!
(My lovely Greek friend wrote this and it says ‘Thank you everybody in Patras, we had a wonderful time!!!’)
Apollo Arena, Patras, Greece
30th April 2010 | Larry
Blackjack in Patras
29th April 2010 | Juliet
Thursday is an early start: 5 am for me. Somehow we all fly into London and meet for the Athens plane. Luckily the volcanic ash has subsided sufficiently.
It’s a long day, a long drive at the other end to Patras. Our driver points out the sights. That was the mountain, on the right, where Oedipus hung out. And that is the water between the lands… Oedipus was a bit accident prone in family matters.
The three hour plus road trip was punctuated by a stop at McDonald’s to try to find a wifi hotspot to download the latest mixes of the tracks for The Morning After. No success there.
The road has one and a half lanes for a while, it’s busy endless highway.
The hotel-cum-casino looks a bit flash and overlooks the sea. We zoom off to eat somewhere with the locals from Radio Mojo. I pop out for a look at the sea.
Larry blew all his per diems at the blackjack table in under an hour. He was getting free drinks for the lads, who were cheering or booing as the cards were turned. The longer Larry played the game, the longer they got free drinks. The female croupier was giggling at us so much at that point she was replaced.
GMTV Performance
23rd April 2010 | Larry
Recording at the Fish Factory
20th April 2010 | Larry
