Blog
Brighton Dome
9th December 2008 | Larry
Pre-production rehearsals
8th December 2008 | Larry
Proud Galleries, Camden
7th December 2008 | Larry
Brighton Rehearsals
6th December 2008 | Larry
Tim’s final blog summation
9th October 2008 | Juliet
It’s 4.30am at the Rusty Trombone Club in Guadalajara. All members of JAMES, inebriated, are making their way back to the hotel as the club kicks us out. There’s a great sense of celebration amongst us and the feeling that this is one of the best tours we have ever done.
We have survived weeks living in a bus together with few hotels to break the Big Brother intensity.
The two fans who drove me, Andy and Larry back to the hotel are telling us that there is a street in the city where the Mariachi players wait for custom. Custom usually being young Mexican men who want to hire Mariachi bands to perform under the balconies of the girls they wish to woo.
“Yeah but they’re not there now? At 5am Tuesday morning,” I ask. Sofia replies that they are there all night every night.
Larry staggers off to bed when we reach the hotel. I persuade Andy that we go see if the Mariachi story is real. He is concerned that this is a front for a kidnapping cartel. I tell him he is drunk. We head off into the deserted city centre of Guadalajara. After 15mns we turn a corner, musicians in full Mariachi costume descend upon the car looking for custom, there must be sixty or so. I feel like David Attenborough approaching a colony of rare penguins. We get out, negotiate terms and take a table and chairs into the centre of a pedestrian street. The troupe surround us. Violins up close (they are the quietest), three acoustic guitars of various pitches, three singers and further away because of the volume, two trumpet players. They play for us in surround sound. One hundred year old love songs that Sofia sings along to. It’s stunning and a fantastic end to the tour. Andy is especially blown away in seeing trumpets as part of mainstream culture. Mexico was an amazing finale to the whole trip. In Mexico City itself we played to 10,000 people. Nobody had ever told us that we were popular in Mexico.
In North America we were also unprepared for the reception and the love that awaited us. People had travelled thousands of miles to see us, with some beautiful gifts and stories about how much our songs have meant to them. We will be back.
Historically it was an amazing time to be touring the States. I followed with passion the country swing towards the point of being about to elect Obama as President (as of today 15.10.08). Four months ago I read his book: “Dreams of My Father” or rather listened to it on CD. It’s not his political positions, it’s the consciousness of the man. If he becomes President I am sure he will make political decisions that I will disagree with but it is clear to me that America has never had a political leader like this at the door of power. Its not only a reflection of the man that has got us to this point but it’s also a tribute to the country that they might be able to overcome the inherent racism that is in EVERY political system and culture in the world and get over themselves. Interracial marriages have only been legal for forty years in this country! When same sex marriages become legal we will also look back with the same incredulity.
The other fascinating historical backdrop for the tour was the collapse of the financial markets. I have been studying this for a while. The whole financial system was based upon an illusion of solidity propped up by our belief in its reality; You invest £100 in the bank it can then invest £1,000. When we stopped believing, it crashed. The rescue packages may temporarily make believers of us again but the fact remains it is still an illusion, just like any religion and can always undergo a crisis of faith.
Brian Eno once said to me, and I paraphrase: The problem with Capitalism as a system is that if you have money it’s easy to make more, but if you don’t have money, it’s hard to make any.
Guadalajara: Tequila and Trumpets
8th October 2008 | Juliet
I first heard of Guadalajara through Kirsty MacColl’s upbeat latin song “These Shoes?” on her Tropical Brainstorm album, where she sings about her time there. Somehow I imagined a tropical paradise with palm trees and a beach. But no, its a massive city west/north west of Mexico City and it’s inland. Anyhow we got there by plane and checked into the hotel. Again there are altitude issues, it’s 1525m high and has a population of 1,670,000 it says here.
Popped to the hotel gym and did some Scooby Doo walking on the treadmill for 15 minutes to get some energy after the flight. Saul was there lifting heavy things and Jim had just finished working out. Saul showed me how to work the tricep pulley machine. No time to lose, we had to get to soundcheck. A driver took us in a mini bus to the venue.
The gig was in a big white tent, massive stage again, festival atmosphere, kind of outdoors. Loads of local people were gathered around the outskirts of the site. A quick soundcheck where Saul stood in for vocals as Tim was having a kip. He sang a version of Seven and it sounded quite authentic.
Then it was time for catering. Excellent fish in a chilli-type sauce wrapped in foil and baked, and tons of salad and clear noodle soup… We retired to the dressing room and everyone had a bit of a lie down. It was more like a kindergarten afternoon snooze than a pre-gig hype. Mark came in to get the setlist and asked, “What the….?” We were a bit tired.
Tim arrived and suggested a warm up by singing ‘Where is the love?’ (Lose Control) acoustically and then said ‘hmm lets go on with that’. So Larry took his acoustic guitar and Tim went on singing… Andy tooted at the side despite suggestions he actually get on the stage.
Again the noise of the crowd was incredible. Cheers and chants all the way. It was a fantastic end to the tour. Local Guadalajaran kids climbed the walls of the compound to get a peek at the gig, hanging on to the walls by their arms like monkeys…
After the show the whole band and Chris, lighting man, went dancing at a local club into the small hours with a load of people we met at the gig, getting drunk on tequila shots and even dancing to White Boy.
Andy went out even later, looking for a mariachi music club. This is what he reported today, Friday evening: Over to Andy:
“hey julietta!
me..i am totally knackered and i cant tell what time of day is. trying to stay awake so that i will get an english nights sleep, but no doubt i will be wide awake at 3 in the morning jumping up and down with my trumpet….its going to take a while to settle back.
Yes me and Tim went in search of mariachi and found a street full of musicians at 4am. they serenaded us with violins trumpets and mexican guitars.
One of the trumpet players let me have a blow and i did a few Tijuana brass blasts to much applause…cant remember much more as the tequila was flowing and i was nearly whisked off to become a permanent mariachi trumpet player.
lovely costumes …silver studded tight fitting cowboy gear with those fantastic wide brimmed mexican hats”
cha cha x
Arena VFG, Guadalajara, Mexico
8th October 2008 | Larry
Mexico City
7th October 2008 | Juliet
As the plane comes in to Mexico I see a city of colours. Brightly coloured buildings, cobalt blue, burnt orange scattered amongst the concrete. It’s raining in Mexico today. We check in to the hotel and end up all eating together in the most beautiful courtyard surrounded by curving pillars and fountains. The crew are all there too. We eat Mexican food which is fantastic. It’s two hours later here than in America. It’s great to all hang out together and there is relaxed talk about plans and ideas for the December shows.
Next day some of us visit the anthropological museum which is walking distance away. The ancient Mexicans were highly prolific sculptural artists. It’s a beautiful museum and the galleries go on and on. We stop for lunch in the courtyard of the museum and drink bright green “cactus juice” and lime sodas and eat great food before heading to the shop to buy books on Frida Kahlo and postcards of Mexican art.
The gig has sold out to 10,000 or so and is in the huge auditorium concert hall. It’s mostly seated with very tight security. The audience go wild. The noise from the crowd is deafening . The stage is so much bigger than any in America this tour. Loads of room for the band to move on stage. The people go wild for the song Fred Astaire and cheer to the lyric that mentions ‘go south to Mexico’!
There a big signing afterwards and lots of fans come back for the aftershow. A great venue for a party. James are happy to be in Mexico for the first time… and hope to be back soon.
Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City
7th October 2008 | Larry
Anaheim House of Blues: Mickey Mouse and all…
5th October 2008 | Juliet
The venue is again full of the most incredible art. A restaurant is attached where people are doing Sunday things, eating and drinking in a wine bar kind of way. Inside the soundcheck is going on, but step outside and you are in Disneyland, full of families and Mickey Mouse ears and purple and pink candyfloss, balloons attached to pushchairs, amongst the juice bars and Mexican eateries. It’s sunny and slightly surreal to walk outside.
Fans from the show in LA have come and are making a day of it, sitting outside the House of Blues eating late lunch in the sun. It feels like a party in the afternoon.
Nick Garside who produced gold Mother and one of the very first James demos is there at the after show. Turns out he is Tim’s neighbour, but they didn’t know it til that night. Tonight we are saying goodbye to Unkle Bob. Apart from Ron and Stewart who are coming to Mexico to do drum and guitar tech work. They are dispersing and driving their Winnebago back across the States. Everyone is very happy after the show and there is a bit of a party on the bus. Saul does a song and dance to the soundtrack of Barry Whites love songs with a cushion up his t-shirt on the drive to the airport hotel. We gather everything off the bus. Tomorrow we fly to Mexico City for the first James gig in Mexico ever….
