Rockin' all over the World

Ha, and I bet you thought I'd dropped off the face of the planet!

Yes, it's been three months or so since my last post - I guess that means I've been busy, right? Well, I guess you could say that. Let's recap, shall we?

Let's start with the end of my last post: the audition went very smoothly and I've now been playing with that band for three months. I slotted in pretty quickly, so much so that we had gigs organised almost right away - and the first one was just two nights ago! That's right, I've now played my first gig in London. It was so much fun, the crowd was surprisingly large (in the end a smidgen over 60 people showed up specifically to see us - the venue fits 100) and we all had a brilliant time. But hey, don't just take my word for it - here's a couple of videos!

The first one is from a song called Cut:



This next one is from a song called Turn. It has a really cool bass line, so naturally I like it a lot:



There's also heaps of pictures on my flickr page, so if you're interested check them out. We have another gig scheduled for November 10, then we're going to do some recording and hopefully a couple more gigs - unfortunately, our lead guitarist has decided to head back to Australia at the end of December so I'm not quite sure what's going to happen after that.

On to the next band. Well, a couple of weeks ago I decided to quit the first band I joined. Things just weren't working out, I was becoming very bored with it all and I was becoming less and less impressed by Dave's intentions. For some reason, I just happen to think that the most important thing a band needs more than anything else is songs - not a tailored image dictated by costume designers and DJs. I guess I don't know anything about the music industry in the UK though (at least, that's what Dave tells me) because he was far more interested in these things and completely neglecting to write new songs. After five months together we only had three songs, which if you ask me is a bit pathetic. I hope he manages to get the success he's desperately craving, but I'm afraid he's going to have to do it without me.

Funnily enough, the night I'd decided to quit Dave's band I thought I'd take a look on Gumtree to see if there were any interesting offers going. After a short search I came across another band looking for a bassist, so I took a listen to their tracks - and was totally blown away. I instantly wrote to them expressing an interest, and the next day I had an audition scheduled for the next weekend. I was also sent three songs to learn, but I was so into them I went ahead and did a fourth as well.

I turned up to the audition around 10.15am on a Sunday morning, met the band and plugged in - then played as if I'd been with them for years. It was pretty much perfect, and it was the same for all four songs. After we played, we chatted for a while and I had a good feeling about how it was going - I'd been shitting myself all week, I really wanted to be in this band. They told me they had a couple of other guys to see and they'd let me know later in the week. I said my goodbyes and headed home. Not 30 minutes later my phone rang - it was the guitarist, telling me they decided I was perfect and they didn't want to see anyone else.

I'm beyond excited about this band, the singer has an amazingly strong voice and she writes really interesting and slightly quirky lyrics that I like a lot. The guitar work is fantastic, the drums are cool and, most importantly, they have really solid bass lines that I enjoy playing. I'm already perfect with half a set's worth of songs, I should have the other half ready by our next rehearsal.

That's the exciting stuff out of the way. Work is much the same, although it's been a bit busy the last couple of weeks (and frustrating at times), but I'm still pretty happy there. Not a lot else to talk about there, really.

Haven't done a lot of travel lately, mainly due to work and the bands. I did take a trip to Dudley to see the Aussie Pink Floyd Show which was kind of interesting. The main attraction in Dudley appears to be the zoo, which has been constructed around the ruins of Dudley Castle. Sadly, the zoo was quite a depressing place - most of the animals were in some pretty small and shabby cages - the orangutans in particular had a truly awful area and they looked miserable.

At least the gig was good: I met up with my mate Brian and we hung out for most of the day, having a few pints and some food before the show. And wow, what a show! I know I'm never going to see the real Pink Floyd, but these guys do a pretty damn impressive imitation - at times you could close your eyes and you'd swear it was the real thing. They also had a massive light show complete with multiple lasers - but no inflatable

I also recently spent the night in Brighton so I could go and see vileevils playing - which I think was worth it, in the end. As it turns out I could've easily made it back to London after the gig, but it was nice to have a day off work and just chill out by the seaside.

So now I'm digging through my memories to try and recall any other important events and nothing is sticking out, so I guess that's about all to tell for now. I've had a couple of people tell me they're not as interested in these music posts, but I'm afraid you're going to have to bear with me as it's pretty much all I've been doing. The good news is I've just booked a week's holiday away for the end of November - I'm going to Berlin! I had to take a week off before the end of the year otherwise I was going to lose my holiday time, so I was racking my brains where to go. In the end my flatmate said I should go to Berlin because she had a brilliant time when she was there, so I did a small amount of research and decided it sounded good to me! So fear not, faithful readers, there will be more travel posts coming soon!

Until then, you're going to have to put up with a couple more music posts - Carter USM is next week, plus the Young Gods are coming back to the UK for a lengthier tour than last time so I'll be going to see them a couple of times again. Oh yeah, and EMF are doing a one-off show too - with Richard Poppie on bass!

In the mean time, I'll leave you with this:

15 Years - Well Worth the Wait

I think I was around 15 when I first heard of Skinny Puppy. One of my friends had just come back from a trip to America and had brought back a CD of theirs called 'Too Dark Park'. It was a twisted, nasty and thoroughly amazing album which helped open my eyes to a new form of music I was slowly beginning to appreciate.

Tonight, I finally saw them live - and it was entirely worth the long wait! Before I discuss it, though, let me go through what I've had to endure to finally see them.

First of all, they've never - ever - toured Australia. There were constant rumours that it was going to happen, but that ended rather obviously when they split up in 1996. Once again, one of my favourite bands I'd never see live. Things turned positive a few years ago when they announced they had reformed and were touring again - with the band even saying they were planning to finally make it to Aus!

It never happened. Word on the street was they asked for too much money, so they never made the trip. Another tour missed.

Tonight, however, all of that changed!

Before they took the stage, however, a rather bizarre chap named Otto van Schirach did... something. His accoutrements involved a laptop, a mixing desk, a strange looking stuffed bird and a flashing (what looked like a) dog. The music was crazy and so was he - he waddled around the stage dressed in a kind of superhero costume (complete with eye mask, cape and underwear), then proceeded to make incoherent noises along to the music.

To be honest, it was utter rubbish, but it was hilarious at the same time. He was very obviously taking the piss, which became even more apparent when someone came on stage with him dressed in a giant woolly monster costume - with a pair of bananas for teeth. Otto then pulled out a flashing toy sword and pretended to duel the beast, eventually slaying it along with the music. Later on, more costumed weirdos hit the stage, but nothing could top the banana-beast.

Then the time came - finally, I was going to see one of my all-time favourite bands! This time around they're only a three-piece: cEvin kEy, Ogre and some dude on drums. Their last tour, Otto van Schirach was their guitarist, so I was a little surprised he didn't turn up on stage.

The first couple of songs Ogre was hiding behind a shadow screen, making weird shadows to go along with the vocals. It wasn't until the third song he finally stalked out looking like a cross between a geisha girl, someone from KISS and a vivisection patient - fake blood everywhere and pumping nicely.

For the entirety of the show I alternated between dancing and taking some pictures (and videos - check YouTube!) and by the end I was drenched in sweat. The crowd was okay, although there were far too many tall people in front of me standing still and elbowing anyone who accidentally nudged them. I had a good time regardless.

The set list contained these songs, but not necessarily in this order:

Anger
ugLi
Dogshit
Tormentor
Rodent
politikiL
Amnesia
daL
Hardset Head
Dig It
Worlock
I'mmortal
Fascist Jock Itch
Far Too Frail
Blue Serge

I'm ecstatic I finally got to see them - once again, proof of why I have no intention of ever leaving this city. I'm just having too much damn fun!

This was the first gig of music month too: next week is Tool, the week after is Sonic Youth and a couple of days after that I'm heading back to Birmingham to see the Aussie Pink Floyd show. Then a few days later I'm off to see David Gilmour! Did I mention how awesome it is living here?

I guess you may be asking what I've been up to the last few weeks? Well, it's been ups and downs really. My first week in the flat was relatively sedate, full of work and band practice. It became somewhat exciting on the second weekend when I went to Denmark Street to buy a new bass - oh boy, is it beautiful. I'll get some pictures up at some point - then again, maybe I'm the only one interested in bass guitars?

Later that afternoon, after arriving home, Dave sent me a message that he was a pub near Tottenham Court Road and I should join him. Always looking for an excuse to get out, I was on my way there in minutes. We proceeded to chat, bullshit, drink and have a great time for the evening - until Dave's girlfriend arrived with two of her friends.

By this time I was very, very happy (read: acting like a drunken dickhead) so I made a bit of a fool of myself, but that's okay because we were all doing the same. Anyway, by the time it was time to leave, Dave and Murielle headed on their own way - while one of the friends asked me where I lived. I told her, to which she responded that she was in North London as well and we should share a cab ride home. Not one to say no to a beautiful woman, I agreed. Then she surprised me by saying I should just stay at her place. Not one to say no to a beautiful woman asking me to stay at her place for the night, I agreed again.

On the way home, I started flirting like crazy with her - and I'm certain she was returning some of it. When we got close to her place, she insisted we stop off at an off-licence and buy some more drinks - which we did. Arriving back at her flat, I plonked myself on the lounge while she sat on the rug - and then called me over to sit with her. Not one to say no to a beautiful woman urging me to sit by her on the rug, I joined her.

We spent the next hour or two chatting, bullshitting and listening to music until the light started to appear outside - at which point she panicked a bit as she had to work the next day (but not until 1pm). Feeling a bit tired myself, I agreed we should retire. Ready to hit the lounge for the night, I was stunned when she told me to follow her to the bedroom.

I am ever so tempted to leave this story right here to let your overactive imaginations to run wild, but I'm not that cruel. Other people are, as you're about to find out.

As it turns out, her bed was quite huge so she offered to share it with me, so long as I didn't make any moves on her. She lent me some clothes and we hopped into bed, chatting some more and making eyes at each other - I swear, it was not a one-way thing. After a bit more bullshitting, I plucked up the courage and decided to make a move - fortune favours the bold and all that.

I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. Then I leaned forward and kissed her on the nose. Then I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips - to not a great deal of response. I tried again, to a bit more response followed by her stroking my face. Taking this as a positive sign, I leaned in for another kiss - even better response.

Until she suddenly exclaimed shock about how she'd kissed a 22 year old guy earlier in the night.

That effectively put an end to my advances, which I'm sure was the intended effect.

I tried to put my best face on, smiled then rolled over and went to sleep. Woke up many hours later, showered then headed into the city to meet Kylie for a catch-up day. We'd swapped numbers before I left, and I actually felt really positive about the whole thing. Hell, I may have been turned down, but I still managed to spend the night in the bed of a beautiful woman. Things are definitely looking up!

I'd dearly love to say this story had a happy ending, but it doesn't. The aftermath is long and complicated, which has lead me to feeling very angry and used in a way. I haven't seen her or heard from her since, but I've been told to stay the hell away by the only person who knows her at all. For once, I've decided to take this advice.

Once again, this little escapade has just proven that I know absolutely nothing about women and that they're the most wonderful and frustrating creatures on the planet. Then again, I've only told my side of the story.

There's still more to tell, though. Yesterday we kicked the singer out of our band. He's a really nice guy, but he's been thoroughly unreliable when it comes to rehearsing and the final straw came when he announced to Dave his intentions to move to America or, if that fell through, back home to Italy. This was the point when we realised his heart simply wasn't in the band, so we started looking for new singers. Two days later, we found her in a close friend of Murielle's. Now all we need is a drummer and we'll finally have a proper band!

I might also be joining a second band this week, too. I ran into an old friend from Newcastle a few weeks ago and his fiance's band has just had to kick their bassist out after ruining a very important gig for them. When I mentioned that I'm a bassist, his eyes almost popped out of his sockets and I was quickly having an intense conversation about music with the lady in question. I've been given a handful of songs to learn and I'm going to have my first practice (I guess it's an audition, really) on Thursday. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Umm, that's about it really. If anyone is reading this, please send me an email (andrewontour@gmail.com) so I have an idea of how large my audience is - it's something I've been curious about for a while.

End of an Era

Tonight is my last night staying in a hostel. I've been here just over two months, so needless to say I'm really, really, really looking forward to leaving.

Funnily enough, I think I'm going to miss it. Okay, so I'm not going to miss sharing a room with five other smelly, snoring bastards. I'm not going to miss having to lock my valuables up every night, nor will I miss waiting for a bathroom to become vacant while busting to go to the loo.

However, there are a few things I've enjoyed. Primarily, it's actually been a lot of fun having so many people around. Take last night, for example. Rather than come home and just sit on my bed (there's no lounge room here), instead a bunch of us had organised a trip to the Slug at Fulham for a night of drinking and debauchery. Which is precisely what happened! Then there's the Sunday afternoon gatherings at the pub, the Friday nights out on the town... there's almost always something to do. Having thought about it, most of it seems to involve abuse of the liver. I never used to be like this - what happened?

But all good things must come to an end, and there's a few things I'm really looking forward to that I'm going to put into practice as soon as I'm out of here. Number one on the list is getting myself in shape! Since I've arrived I've been eating, quite frankly, like a bit of a pig. That's going to change, I plan on changing my diet significantly to include as much fruit and veg as possible, and little to no junk food (oh, I'll miss it).

Then there's the exercise. Aside from my daily walk at lunch time to get something to eat, I've been doing very little in this department. Again, this is going to change. I've never noticed it all that much before, but I'm starting to become a bit porky and I really hate it. In the rehearsal rooms we go to, one whole wall is lined with mirrors - and the last thing I want to be is the fat bass player, which is what I see every time we go there. Even Dave and Alessio were giving me shit about it the other night.

For this, I've decided to hit the gym - ah, yes, that old chestnut. The thing is, I'm really sick of having a bulging belly and I swear I have bigger boobs than some girls I know, so much so that I feel embarrassed walking around in tee-shirts (which comprises 99% of my current wardrobe). I hate bulging in the wrong areas. Really hate it. This is going to change. I'm also considering buying a bike, but I'll see how I go over the next few weeks once I'm in my new place.

That's number one on my list of things to do.

Next on the list is to buy a new bass and two new guitars (I want a nice acoustic as well as an electric), then to get my butt practicing as hard as I can to become brilliant(er). I've actually surprised myself quite a bit with my latest band, I'm actually pretty pleased with some of the bass lines I've been coming up with - but I can do better (I know I can, simply because I hum them in my head all the time).

I must be doing something right, at any rate: while I was at the FLA gig the other week, Felicia was telling me about Dave and Alessio's previous attempts to find a bassist - apparently they went through around 15 others before I popped up. She said it's because Dave is really picky about who he plays with (which made me feel pretty damn good!), but when I asked him about it he said it was more to do with the fact that the others simply couldn't play a note to save their lives, or were just wholly unreliable. I am neither of these things, so I've lasted - and I plan to keep lasting.

I've also had a simple acoustic pop song running in my head the last couple of weeks that I'd like to work on. This is what happens when I spend an entire week listening to the Wonder Stuff!

What's number three on the list then? Well, I haven't made it that far yet, to be honest. I'll let you know if anything comes up.

So What's Been Going On?

It's been a pretty plain couple of weeks, not a lot going on really. Just been working, rehearsing, going out a bit - that sort of thing.

I've mentioned a few times how much I love the music scene over here. I've been to see another couple of bands since the PWEI gig which were ace.

The first one was Ned's Atomic Dustbin, whose name you may remember from the PWEI article - and the picture I had taken with their lead singer, John Penney. That gig was actually on the Thursday night after I was in Brum, so it's been a bit of time since then.

Ned's are another band I've really dug since I was in my mid-to-late teens but never had the chance to see. They have a really unique sound, from John's deep voice and crafty lyrics to their twin bass attack (of course I'm going to like a band with two bassists!), not to mention all of their bouncy pop songs that are infectiously addictive. Well, it was worth the wait! Their set was full of classics (some of which I craftily filmed on my trusty camera) and they were on fire!

Like me, the crowd was advancing in age a little, but that didn't stop us having a good time! There was lots of bouncing, screaming and singing along to be had, not to mention meeting up with friends from web forums once again (naturally, most of them were at the PWEI gig too).

Next up was Front Line Assembly, yet another band I've been aching to see for about as long as Ned's. FLA are an offshoot of one of my very favourite bands, Skinny Puppy, so when I found out about the gig I booked two tickets almost immediately. However, my silly brain forgot one important detail: Lee was going to be in Africa when they were playing (and he'd told me this several times, so it was my own stupid fault for forgetting). So here I was, several days out from the show with a spare ticket and nobody to go with - until luck finally prevailed. It turns out that Alessio's girlfriend is into lots of the same bands as I am, and was just as eager to see FLA - so we ended up going together! By the way, Alessio is the singer in my new band.

Again, it's been around 14-15 years of waiting to see FLA and damn it, was it well worth the wait. Stunningly good - I didn't take the camera along this time so no pics or videos, but I still have my memories! The set list was a bit surprising, especially considering they played only two songs from their latest album - in fact, they played more from Millenium, which was released in 1994! Nothing at all from Hard Wired (which was a shame as I think it's one of their best), but they did play Plasticity, which was unbelievable. By the end, Felicia and I walked out very happy - as well as loaded with merch. Well, I did - Felicia only had a poster which she snagged for me!

Next up on the list are the August gigs: Skinny Puppy, Tool and Sonic Youth. Naturally, I'm looking forward to Puppy most, but the others look like they'll be pretty awesome too. Better yet, a couple of guys on the PWEI forum are going to sell me some Carter USM tickets for November, so I'm going to that too!

I've also managed to pick up a couple of tickets to see DAVID GILMOUR! Easily my most favourite guitarist in the entire world, he's going to be launching his new DVD in September. There's going to be a world-wide premiere in selected cinemas showcasing 85 minutes of the DVD, one song being performed live as well as a Q&A session beamed to all the locations. But where will all of this being taking place? Only at the Leicester Square Odeon, which I just scored tickets for this morning!

Let's see... Roger Waters in January, David Gilmour in September. Is this shaping up to be the best year I've ever had? All signs are pointing to yes.

I love living over here, I think I may have mentioned this before. Again, why would I ever want to leave?

At Last, the Truth

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and quite a bit has happened since then. I think it's about time to spill the beans about what's been going on for the last couple of months.

As I've already explained, I've been working here in London for three weeks and have been looking for somewhere to live for a couple of weeks longer than that. What I haven't explained is why this happened. I didn't run out of money, if that's what you're thinking.

Just before I left on my big trip to Oxford and Ireland, two new tenants had moved in with Lee and Margaret - I think they'd only been there for a couple of days before I headed off. After three excellent weeks on the road, I arrived back in London on a Saturday afternoon to find nobody at the flat - and no one was there until Monday night. However, when that person did arrive I was greeted with more disdain than enthusiasm.

Now, at this point I had already realised just how much of a pain I've been to my extremely kind and patient friends, so I felt bad enough that I was again taking up space in their home - so much so, that I was already planning to head out on the road again in a week to see my cousin in Paris. However, I still had to wait around in London for the Young Gods gig. My original plan had been to stick around in Ireland for a few more days and catch the ferry to Swansea, then make my way back a couple of days before the show. Unfortunately, the Cork-Swansea ferry had stopped at the time so, panicked and not knowing what else to do, I thought I'd head back to London instead.

I knew something was wrong when the same person completely ignored me the next day, so it didn't come as a huge shock when I was sent an email the following day from Lee to tell me one of their new flat mates had complained about me being there - and that I had to leave.

Now, I know Lee and Margaret read this so I just want to assure them once again that I don't hold a grudge or any malice against them! Quite the opposite, in fact: they have both been so unbelievably kind to me that it actually woke me up to how much of a pest I must have been. Besides, we still hang out and do things together all the time - it's barely changed!

At this point, I had a few options available: one was to pack my things, place my tail firmly between my legs and head home defeated; another was to hit the road again; finally, I could face up to the responsibility I've shirked over the last eight years and actually start to make my own way in the world - on my own.

The day after the show I checked myself in to a hostel in Shepherd's Bush. The next day, I started looking for work and a place to live. As I've already explained in previous posts, it took no time at all to find a job. Finding a place to stay, on the other hand, is not as easy - who'da thunk it?

However, the story doesn't end here. I've now been working for three weeks and I'm thoroughly enjoying it - I like the work and, quite frankly, I do a bloody good job. I've made a bunch of new friends here at the hostel and we've been having a great time. I've joined a new band and I'm having a brilliant time, I'm still in the process of learning the songs but I'm really excited at how they're turning out. I've started venturing out on my own as well as with friends. I still haven't been hit by a truck, but I did have a mild side-swipe on Friday night which was quite pleasurable. Sadly, she bolted just before midnight without a number or even a goodbye, but it was far more than I was expecting to happen so I was quite pleased anyway! Besides, the truck with my name on it will come eventually. I'm in no rush.

And finally, the best news of all - this afternoon I received a call to let me know one of the places I looked at this week would like me to join their household. The final piece of the puzzle has been filled!

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that being forced to move on was the best thing to happen to me since I arrived - no, the best thing to happen to me for a year. There are a few other things that have happened since I arrived that I don't really feel comfortable writing about just now, but the good news is that I've recovered from it all far better than I could've imagined.

Is Everybody Happy?

Yeah!

12 years ago I went to see PWEI in Bondi Junction, then again the next day at Eastern Creek Raceway.

Three days ago, I finally saw them again! Okay, so it was minus Clint - but it was still worth all of the trouble I went through to get there!

It all started early Saturday morning... on a bus. Although they're far more efficient, I can't justify taking trains willy nilly. Still, I arrived in Birmingham around 12.30pm and met up with my friend Brian - who I met only a couple of months earlier in Caernarfon!



After dropping my bag off at my cheapie hotel, Brian proceeded to give me a guided tour of Birmingham. First we walked past the Rainbow, a pub part-owned by Fuzz (the drummer from PWEI), then went for a walk through the Custard Factory and its small market before arriving in the city proper.

Despite the weather being so crappy in London, it was spectacular in Brum - blue skies and really hot, but this didn't deter us from exploring. Of everything I saw, the most memorable would be the modern art gallery - which contained, quite literally, some real shit. Honest.



About a month ago, two of these modern art type guys decided their next project - you're going to love this one. The gallery held an auction to raise some money, but it had to be a value that could be broken into two separate notes of any currency. In the end, the winning bid was €505 - which the two guys proceeded to eat. One note each. I am not making this up. The exhibit we saw was the result: two rather dirty and crumpled up Euro notes, as well as a video showing the whole affair. That's right kids, modern art is shit.



The only way of following this up was with a meal, so we headed to the pub for a drink and some lunch. Once finished, it was time to catch the number 9 bus to Stourbridge. Any PWEI fans out there will know why this was a big deal!

An hour or so later we finally made it to the home town of three of England's greatest bands: The Wonder Stuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Pop Will Eat Itself. Pretty damn exciting for a fan, but realistically not the most exciting place I've been to. Brian was meeting up with some friends at the local Irish pub, so that's where we spent most of the afternoon - until it was time to head to the venue!



I was dead keen to arrive when the doors opened as they were going to be selling super limited edition tee-shirts and I didn't want to miss out. In the end, we beat the merch guys to the venue! I spent the next hour taking pictures and meeting lots of new people - most of them fellow PWEI Nationers, but I also said hello to John Penney who was DJing for the night. He's also the singer for Ned's Atomic Dustbin, who I'm going to see this Thursday night. I couldn't resist asking him if he remembered Def FX, as they both did a big tour of America in the early '90s. Surprisingly he did remember them, quite fondly as it happens!



At 8.30pm Miles Hunt took to the stage with his very lovely band-mate Erica Nockalls on the fiddle. He started off with a few songs from his new solo album, before band-mate Malcolm Treece joined them on stage to do a bunch of Stuffies songs. I don't have a lot of their stuff, but what I do have I really like - so it was a pretty damn cool set, I thought! Funnily enough, even though the night was billed as a vileevils gig, the crowd for Miles was pretty damn big.



When Miles ended, I quickly staked my claim at the front of the stage (with a bunch of my fellow Nationers). Despite the announcement a few days ago that Clint wasn't going to be here, there were still a few whispers around the place that he was going to turn up. That didn't really matter that much to me as I was about to see vileevils! I've been busting to see them ever since they formed, so I was buzzing with excitement - and I'm ecstatic to say it was miles better than I'd hoped!



Starting the set with Reaper (We don't fear the Reaper, We celebrate good times, We don't sleep 'til bedtime, honestly, sometimes), the boys were on fire for the entirety of their relatively short set. Only seven or eight songs all up, but they were all as brilliant as I'd expect them to be. They're absolutely a worthy follow up to the mighty PWEI juggernaut! With camera in hand, I did my best to snap as many cool pictures as I could while still jumping around having a good time. Alas, it was over all too soon... however before Gra departed the stage, he told us all to stick around for something special.

I think you can guess what it was.



Minutes later, one Richard March appeared on stage - followed by Gra, Fuzz and Adam! Sadly, Clint didn't turn up after all, but what we did get was some classic PWEI tracks from their long and sordid history. Starting with the inevitable There Is No Love Between Us Any More, they then stumbled their way through R.S.V.P., nailed Not Now James We're Busy, almost incited a dance floor riot with Get the Girl Kill the Baddies, before climaxing with Their Law. I'm pretty sure there was something else in there as well, but my memory is failing me for now.



Brian and I had already organised a taxi back to Brum with a couple of friends of his, which wasn't for another couple of hours, so I thought I might stay by the stage in the vain hope I could organise a photo with the boys. After a bit of waiting (and purchasing of more merch!) I managed to score a photo with Erica, who was on her way to the backstage area (not only is she stunning, but damn is she TALL!). Eventually, my waiting paid off as Adam ventured out with some gear - I asked if I could grab a picture with them, to which he was more than welcoming!



Heading into the backstage area with my favourite band... how to describe it? Unbelievable, to coin a term from another great UK group - how's that? During the show I had the bright idea of writing a text message on my phone to show Gra, explaining just how far I'd come to see them. It worked too, he mentioned it during the show - and now I was able to explain personally what I've been through in order to see them again. After a few minutes chat, I thought I'd best not to hold them up for too long so we all huddled together and took one of my most prized photos of all time.



I'm having such a brilliant time over here, there's always something to see or do practically every day of the week. Most importantly, I feel like my life has turned around completely from where it was a year ago: I'm happy again, I'm feeling positive about life and my self-confidence is growing back more and more every day. Now all I need to do is find somewhere to live and I'll be even happier!

Before I go, I'll leave you with a little souvenir from the show. This is Get the Girl, Kill the Baddies performed live by the greatest band in the Universe: Pop WILL Eat Itself. Enjoy... or else!

Another Time

Oh well, looks like it's not going to happen. Gra and Fuzz have just posted that Clint won't have his visa in time to make it to the gig, so no secret PWEI show. Still, it's going to be unbelievably brilliant to see the vileevils, so I'm hardly complaining!

I guess I should tap out a few words about what I've been doing since I came back from Amsterdam. Not a lot, is the short answer. The long answer is...

Well, actually I didn't really do much at all last week except hang out and prepare for work. After everyone telling me it was going to be difficult to get a bank account, all I needed to do was turn up to a short seminar and fill out some forms. The next day they rang to let me know it was done. Easy!

I'm sitting here racking my brains trying to think what I did between Wednesday and Friday, but nothing is coming to mind - which makes me think I did bugger all. Which is highly likely.

Friday night, on the other hand, was my inaugural night out in London - on my own, that is. To start things off, I joined Lee and Margaret in celebrating Susie's birthday by going out for drinks and some food in the city. Poor Lee was still recovering from a cold and we being browbeaten by both girls to come out for dinner - to which he finally relented. We were then entertained by the restaurant staff tying balloons to Susie's wrists and arms, before presenting her with a massive birthday hat made from balloons.

After dinner, I headed off to the Inferno club in Camden - and had a brilliant time. With my rather eclectic tastes in music, it was wonderful to go to a club that only played the kind of music I like! I was originally planning to leave at midnight so I could catch the tube home. Instead, I left at 3am! I'd already planned for this contingency, though, and had written out which night buses I'd need to get back home. This took a good hour on its own and I eventually staggered into bed at 4am - with the sun coming up. Can't wait to do the same again next month!

On Saturday, I was invited to dinner at Lee and Margaret's place so, feeling a little under the weather, I made my way over there in the afternoon to watch some teevee, chat, help Susie load music on to her new iPod and, of course, eat.

The biggest thing to happen this week, of course, is the start of work! Rocking up on Monday morning at 9.30am, I spent most of the day becoming familiar with the business and the products they have. Was a bit of fun. By the end of the day I did get around to doing some work, but I didn't get into any serious stuff until the next day. It turns out it was a good week to start too, as on Wednesday the office was booked in to do a training course!

In the meantime, I've also decided to get back into music again. I came across an ad on a website on the weekend that had a link to a demo that I liked quite a lot - sort of like Joy Division/early New Order. I contacted them and met up with the guitarist last night and we hit it off pretty damn well. So well, in fact, that we both ended up drinking in the pub for almost five hours. I guess it goes without saying that I got the job!

I've also been looking for places to live. I've inspected a couple of places that didn't do much for me, but there was one that I absolutely loved in a fantastic area, a really nice place and brilliant people. It's not often that I absolutely click with anyone, but the girl living there was one of them. I don't find out if I get the place until Monday, but I really, really hope I get it. Not only because I hate looking for places, but because it was so perfect!

Only one more day of work until I head to Brum for the 'evils gig. I'm excited beyond the capacity to rationally describe it in words, so I better go before my head explodes.