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U.S.A. Tour Diary – Milwaukee to Chicago

Sorry guys, i’m falling behind with this tour diary. Access to the internet is only partly to blame. I’m actually sat in The Rivoli in Toronto now. We’ve done our soundcheck and i’m grabbing a few moments to get this posted. So here is the diary from Milwaukee to Chicago. Detroit and Toronto will follow soon…

March 6, 2015
We’re driving back to Chicago again!  We first landed in Chigaco almost three weeks ago and have come a full 3,500 mile circle back to it. The last few days we’ve been dancing around it like night-time moths fluttering around an outdoor light,  but tonight we’ll do a show and stay there before continuing on our way to Detroit and then onto our first foray into Canada. If you look at the roadmap of our tour HERE it resembles the flight path of a drunken bumble bee.

 I’m running out of adjectives to describe our shows but last night really was a good one. Let’s say stupendous! We had a whale of a time and the audience also seemed to be enjoying themselves judging by the noise coming back at us. Thanks guys.
The venue was The Ballroom at the Eagles Club in Milwaukee. A grand building, built in 1927 that has frankly seen better days and needs a little love. Particularly to its leaky roof. The Eagles Club or The Rave as it’s otherwise known sports an imposing facade and the main ballroom is a cavernous space that invokes the lavish decadence of yesteryear. It also hides all manner of spooky secrets from its past. After our bombastic set, we were taken on a mystery tour through the bowels of the building. Like a scene from Scooby-doo, we crept along dusty, unused passageways full of old junk using the light from our phones to navigate. The building is supposedly haunted and much paranormal activity has been reported over the years. The basement houses a beautiful pool, now eerily empty and home to supposed ghosts and other disgruntled spirits. There are also three disused racquetball courts. Apparently the ghosts like to hang out in the giant boiler room which we found padlocked. I imagine that’s the only place they can get warm as the whole building was like an ice palace. The security guards manning the draughty stairwells that night didn’t seem to happy about being there. As well as the Blackberry Smoke gig last night was a rave and another live gig. The building contains 3 halls. So, whilst in one room, bug-eyed teenagers fuelled on amphetamines were losing their minds to dangerous levels of subsonic bass, in another room were The Wailers – Bob Marley’s original backing band. After a bit of easy skanking in the Reggae room we wrapped up the night at the merch desk and drove back through the staggeringly cold night to our beds.
Next morning my roommate Phil Campbell and myself woke in high spirits. The music was turned up and there was much singing and dancing around the room whilst we packed and showered, not realising that it was 8.30am. Our neighbours, Damon and Iain we’re not impressed. It’s now been suggested that Phil and I be separated like naughty schoolboys.
We’ve eaten well in Milwaukee. The night we arrived, all the guys excluding Phil and I went to a restaurant with the genius name “Thai-namite”. We’d decided a much better option would be to get in our beds and watch some “House of Cards.” As one episode ended, a knock at the door was heard and there, like a glorious hairy angel stood Damon clutching a take-out Pad Thai. What a beautiful man! The next episode was watched in our pyjamas eating off paper plates laden with spicy noodles. Life doesn’t get much better than this!
Also in Milwaukee is Sobelman’s, home of possibly the best burgers of the tour so far and an absurd Bloody Mary that’s almost a meal in itself. This bring’s me to our third gastronomic discovery in Milwaukee. Glorioso’s. This Italian deli provided us with great coffee, the best meatball sandwich on earth and also a dancing partner for Damon. I turned a corner to find him gliding around the store with a random customer to the italian music being piped through the speakers.  Damon is definitely spreading love and good vibes wherever he goes on this tour.
There was a feeling of excitement in the van as we drove to Chicago. Touring is easy when there’s good food, laughter and “Money for Nothing” blasting on the stereo. No-one was more excited then Paul Sayer however as we dropped him off outside Chicago Music Exchange. We didn’t see him for the rest of the day and when he returned at soundcheck time, he was sporting a shit-eating grin and two extra guitars. As I predicted!
It was a rammed Saturday night in Joe’s bar. Everyone was up for a good time and so were we. For 40 minutes the room filled with Rock’nRoll and smiles before a nice chilly load-out and packdown outside in the back alley. Much like a plunge pool after a sauna.
Refreshing!
2015-03-09T00:00:56+00:00March 9th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Grand Rapids

We’re driving to Chicago. Sturgill Simpson is providing the soundtrack and there are two things on our minds. Ribs and vintage guitars. We have a day off today after our first headline show in Grand Rapids which I’ll come to in a moment. Our plan today is to drive to Milwaukee via Chicago’s many vintage guitar stores and eat some ribs along the way. Space in the bus is becoming scarce. We’ve already acquired miscellaneous paraphernalia on our travels and by the time we’ve left Chicago it wouldn’t surprise me if a guitar or two was added to the already tight pack. There’s even murmurings from Damon about looking for vintage drums. We’re going to need a bigger boat!

After visiting Radio WGRD yesterday for a little acoustic performance, we set off for Tip Top Deluxe where we would perform our first ever headline show in the U.S. When I first walked into the room I didn’t even notice the stage in the corner. You could probably have just about swung a cat on it but only if you had very short arms. The PA was minimal so only vocals and Damon’s kick drum were fed through it. There was one monitor mix and there were no flashing lights. By the time we sauntered onto the stage there were maybe 30 or 40 people in the room. Was this going to be a lukewarm gig? We’re we likely to be leaving Grand Rapids disheartened and uninspired? Absolutely not! In fact quite the opposite! It was fucking awesome and we loved every minute of it. We were so close to each other on stage we literally became one. A multi-limbed being making beautiful noise like some kind of rock’n’roll Vishnu. Highlights were, being delivered tequila shots mid show by Sheri-Sue the feisty waitress and then Phil flinging himself off the stage to dance wildly with members of the audience. Thank you to everyone who came last night to share what one guy declared “a legendary gig”. It was great to hang out afterwards, eating burgers and chatting with people. We also appreciated help with the load out which seemed so much more fun after a couple of drinks.
So, back to the present. In half an hour we’ll have our grubby little noses pressed to the window of Chicago Music Exchange, Paul has sourced Chicago’s finest BBQ and by the evening we’ll be in Milwaukee, home of the Fonz. Morale is high and we’re ready for anything.
2015-03-05T02:36:47+00:00March 5th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Springfield to Grand Rapids

We’re en route to Grand Rapids, Michigan to play our first headline show in the U.S. The show is tomorrow night (tuesday). We don’t have the security of borrowing another bands crowd for this one so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that some people will actually show up – I’ll let you know. We’re now two weeks into our tour of the U.S. We’ve covered well over 3,000 miles already in our cosy splitter van but there’s many, many more to cover.

Since my last diary entry we played Boondocks in Springfield, Illinois. It started to snow as we pulled into town and would continue to do so the entire time we were there.
“You boys hungry?” Was our welcome as we slid open the side door of the van. “We got BBQ inside” we needed no more prompting and were soon tucking into beef brisket, pulled pork, beans and sweet potato until moving became difficult and a heavy, sleepy feeling came over me. All I wanted to do was lie down and fall into a blissful food coma but there was work to be done and so we dragged ourselves towards the stage for soundcheck weighing considerably more than when we walked in. Boondocks was a smaller, no frills venue compared to most of the others we’ve played so far but what it did have was a real sense of community. Everyone was very warm and welcoming, we had a great gig and we really enjoyed hanging out and chatting with the locals afterwards. So much so that we were amongst the last to leave the venue. We bid a fond farewell and exited into the snowy night.
When I opened the curtains the next morning, it looked like someone had painted the window white. There was literally nothing out there but snow. The scene was more Fargo than Narnia and rather than racing out to meet Mr Tumnus, I visited the fitness room along with Paul Sayer and Iain Graham to try to iron out our creaky van ridden bodies.
Next stop, via an absolutely titanic sized Walmart to buy essential supplies, was Peoria, an hours drive north of Springfield. Here we found a great coffee establishment near to the hotel that ticked all the right boxes – Moustachioed men in beanies, girls with tattoos, exposed brickwork, industrial lighting, a giant stuffed bear and serious coffee.  All our caffeine needs were fulfilled and we would revisit the next morning for fuelling up before our journey. Later we went out to gorge ourselves on 16oz Ribeye Steaks in Alexander’s Famous Steakhouse before returning to the hotel for some bedtime episodes of “House of Cards” and some lovely, lovely sleep. See you in Grand Rapids
2015-03-03T15:38:02+00:00March 3rd, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Des Moines and Minneapolis

I mentioned the other day that we’d had some warmer weather in Lincoln. The sun smiled down at us, birds began to sing and newborn lambs frolicked in the lush green meadows of Nebraska. Well that momentary glimpse of springlike fantasy has now been cruelly snatched from us and we are now back to eyeball freezing sub zero temperatures that no living creature in its right mind should attempt to go out in. My testicles have retreated north to warmer parts and are unlikely to reappear until late April and I’m currently scraping ice from the inside of our van window. Despite this, as we walked to Zombie Burger in minus 21 last night, I encountered a lunatic in a T-Shirt strolling along like he was on a beach in Maui. Crazy!

We’d just completed our load-out of the venue in Des Moines. Because of the size of the backstage area at Wooly’s, we had to get all our gear off-stage and outside into the tundra to get it all back in cases and into the van. James Pepper, if you are reading this, just know that it’s at times like this that we really, really miss you!
As space is at a premium, the pack needs to be carefully thought out and each night becomes more refined. It’s like a giant game of Flightcase Tetris. Last night we possibly reached van packing Nirvana. Never before have we fitted so much into so little space.
So, onto Zombie Burger we went. We’d been recommended this place by someone on twitter. I probably didn’t need to order that second burger but It was pretty damn good!
We all went out front to watch The Ben Miller Band last night. This trio of talented dudes play deep Americana roots blues music using guitar, banjo, one-string washtub bass, spoons, electric washboard, trombone and a drumkit. I suggest anyone who gets the chance to see them live should do so. They’re awesome. It’s totally mind blowing how Scott can play basslines using one string attached to a stick on an upturned washtub and be able to accurately pitch the notes by moving the stick backwards and forwards. Plus, the sound that comes out is a deep subsonic thump that the Prodigy would be proud of. It makes me feel like I’m cheating with all my frets and four strings!
Thanks to all the people of Des Moines who came to see us or didn’t come to see us but clapped and shouted in all the right places anyway. We have to namecheck Kenny Champ at this point. A young man with a winning name. He’s showed up at Kansas City, Lincoln and Des Moines, bringing his mates with him. Dude, you turned the vibe of the room up to 11 and we salute you. Nice one Kenny!
Next up, Minneapolis. We played at First Avenue, a legendary venue and the location for Prince’s “Purple Rain” performance in the movie. The show was amazing. The Minnesotans were a feisty bunch and brought out the best in us. A headline show for TTM at First avenue is now on my bucket list. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Minneapolis unfortunately but it will definitely stick in our minds as a highlight gig.
Many thanks to the lady who gave the postcards to Phil to pass onto me. Very kind and much appreciated.
It was a super fast load out and pack for as we had a three hour drive to get us part way to Springfield, IL for the next show. See you there!
2015-03-01T01:06:34+00:00March 1st, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Double Bill!

Today you get not one, but two tour diaries for your reading pleasure. Myself (Nick) and Luke have both documented the events of the last few days in breathtaking detail so make yourselves a nice cup of tea and get comfortable. First up, Mr Luke Potashnick…

Denver and Lincoln and a day off in Omaha…

26 Feb 2015
Hey All,
How’s tricks?
Well, the Denver show was great – Colorado is a cool state and sort of a little out of place where its at geographically.  Grass is legal in this state and everyone is very open and proud about it.  Seems to work fine.
In fact, it has been fun playing with the front row honking every night so far – people are having a good time and reminds me of when people could smoke in venues in the UK.  A far sweeter smell than the B.O. thats floods Uk theatres now!
Anyway, we played a Fillmore venue that sounded just great from where we were standing.  Pictures of Bill Graham (the famous / infamous concert promoter) and other great acts to have played here crowd the walls.  And Chandeliers line the ceiling all the way back… Very similar in look to the Fillmore in San Fran.  Hopefully we’ll get to play there too sometime.
Load out was another freezing and snowy affair but we had an amazing and friendly local crew to help us.  People are really nice here.
The next morning we were taken out for a great brunch by our american label Concorde.  Brunch is taken seriously here.  This was a fancy Italian joint (listen to me!) with bottomless coffee, OJ and an awesome slightly over-zealous waiter who took us through the fine menu and his love of green.  It was a good chance to stock up on some quality food and celebrate our efforts so far.  Thanks Matt!
We then had a slow afternoon catching up on some sleep and reading – just enjoying being in one town for more than a few hours… Was still bitterly cold so there was little enthusiasm to search too far a-field.
A few hours later we were ready to eat again and were lucky enough to be taken out by our radio plugger here, who we’re already very fond of down to her brilliant work so far and moreover her wicked sense of humour.  She sure put us lot in our place.  Brilliant and terrifying in a good way.  Nice one Jill….
The meal was really good, Korean fried Chicken and Chinese Seaweed style Brussell Sprouts anyone?  It had been a good-food-day.
The next morning we got to perform in a studio full pelt for the Clear Channel radio network who are giving us so much support nationwide here (thank you!)…  We threw down some exciting versions of “Ain’t no telling”, “Only Friend” and “Take it Back”….  Fun interviews with Willy and Brad there too.
The drive to Lincoln was long (9hrs?) and dark for the most part – we had dinner at a roadside diner and got our first dose of the Nebraskan hospitality courtesy of Margot our waitress, and an sweet older couple on the neighbouring table.  Just really friendly and warm.  Though it was still bloody freezing outside.
Lincoln was one of the smaller places we’ve been too so far.  A slightly more rock’n’roll sounding room and the crowd were just gagging for it.  BMB, TTM and BBS all got a great reception – the place was charged.  A great gig and one of our first performances of “Modern Massacre” – a real smack in the chest.
We had a post gig evening of pizza slices, local ales and some friendly / semi-competitive table tennis in a great bar by the venue.  I’ve never seen our Tour manager Iain so alive.  Chinese style grip and everything… Misspent youth.
The next day we visited a music shop called Roots Music.  We hung there, Damon smacked snare drums in his endless search for downbeat utopia, Paul and I blasted various guitars and Phil played the theme from the Exorcist on some 80’s keyboard – every time round you could hear more detail.
I bought a little 70’s practice amp – it sounds great and will be the bane of every neighbouring motel room we stay in from now on.
Lastly, we had a day off in Omaha which was only an hour away.  Very cool place with a great Old Market part of town and some cool architecture – few beers, several old fashioned’s and a piece of “Cow” that they’re famous for here.  A truly great meal at the Boiler Room in case any of you end up here.  Oh and it was -16 with some wind chill on top.  Thought my ears were gonna drop off.  Aaaaabsolutely brutal.
Now driving towards our show tonight in Des Moins – can’t wait – we’re having too much fun up on stage at the moment!
Best to you all,
Luke
[line]
Lincoln and a day off in Omaha
Six road weary travellers rolled into Lincoln late on Monday night and crawled up to their rooms in the Downtown Hilton. Tuesday morning saw bright sunshine and temperatures that were almost springlike compared to the Siberian weather we’d been experiencing before. The morning off gave us a chance to take advantage of the hotel(s health facilities. Iain Graham and myself eagerly grabbed our swimming shorts and went to investigate the pool. Upon peering into the cloudy depths of the chlorine bath that confronted us, we decided the gym might be a better option. Spending countless hours in the van can take its toll on your energy levels and your posture so after 40 minutes of (frankly unimpressive) weight lifting we strode back to our room like a pair of self proclaimed gladiators. Our next stop was not a roman amphitheatre to fight lions, but local radio station KIBZ for a chat and a sing-song with a guy called Animal. I’m not sure if this was his actual name but he was a lovely guy and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the band. It’s still blowing our minds that we’re over here doing gigs and getting played on the radio so thanks to Animal and all the other DJ’s who’ve been kind enough to invite us onto their shows.

So, onto the venue. By the time we’d loaded in, hung around for a while then soundchecked, i was suffering from a serious case of hanger. If you’ve not heard this expression before, it’s a combination of hunger and anger. The anger is just a symptom of not having eaten in a while and my slender body not having the reserves to maintain any kind of equilibrium. When i feel the symptoms (hunger, agitation, weakness and mild rage) begin to take hold, i have to find food as fast as possible for the safety of all those around me and any barrier encountered between me and food is met with snarling, disagreeable bad temperedness. It’s not a trait i’m proud of and i can empathise with Dr David Banner when he starts to feel a little moody, turns green and smashes up everything in sight. Thankfully, we found a Ramen restaurant two doors down and within seconds of the delicious hot noodle broth touching my lips i was restored back to my jovial, happy self and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief. Luckily, unlike Dr Banner, I don’t have to buy a new set of clothes after each hanger episode!
Paul and myself killed some time sampling tasty American ales next door before it was time to get our gear in place and make some noise. All our energies are focused into the forty minutes we have on stage and we truly unleashed the beast in Lincoln. Even if nobody had showed up, we would have had a great time. The fact there was a big room full of people sharing our enthusiasm made it pretty special.
Back in the bar next door and after a slice of Pizza we all got involved in a table tennis showdown. Luke Potashnick showed notable skill as did Paul Sayer but the surprise of the evening was Mr Iain Graham who dominated the table with his peculiar Glaswegian style of extreme combat ping-pong.
The next day was a day of leisure. We drove an hour to Omaha and pulled up outside a rather plush looking hotel. Surely there’d been a mistake. This didn’t look like the budget “Make your own waffles in the morning” kind of establishment we’d become accustomed to but Mr Iain Graham had performed some kind of tour manager voodoo to bag us a hotel that ordinarily would be outside our meagre budget. Nice one Mr G!
Myself and Mr G found a little Irish bar in a basement down the road where we drank Guinness, ate popcorn and chewed the fat before meeting the rest of the boys in a slightly trendier looking bar for a tasty “Old fashioned”, and from there, a restaurant that served us a fantastic Nebraska steak. It was a great evening.
Back in our room, Damon demonstrated his unique talent of watching cricket and a film at the same time on two laptops. I guess the left and right brain independence needed to play drums also enables him to concentrate on “American Sniper” and the Cricket World Cup simultaneously but my sleepy head struggled and I fell into glorious sleep.
What’s that I hear coming through the walls of Luke and Paul’s room in my semi-conscious state? It’s a guitar through a Fender Vibro Champ. Could it be..? No…surely not…Yes! that’s definitely “Sweet Child O’Mine”.
Luke’s had a good night then!
– Nick
2015-02-27T00:28:42+00:00February 27th, 2015|

TTM on MOJO Magazine “Physical Graffiti Redrawn”

Released TODAY to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, MOJO has produced a ‪#‎PhysicalGraffitiRedrawn‬ cover mount CD that includes our version of “Houses Of The Holy” amongst many other great covers from current tour buddies Blackberry Smoke, Laura Marling, Syd Arthur and many more. It comes free with the latest issue of the magazine and in addition, the very special Limited Vinyl Edition is also now available. Find out more at http://bit.do/mojoLZtemperancemovement

2015-02-24T16:28:29+00:00February 24th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Snow Globe

Up early and off to Denver we went. There didn’t seem to be an awful lot between Kansas City and Denver apart from vast expanses of Kansas farmland. An indication of how vast this country is – If you drove for 7 1/2 hours in the UK you’d end up at the other end of the country or in the sea. Over here, you can drive for the same amount of time without even seeing a bend in the road.  When we set off, it was a bright sunny day. An hour before we got to Denver we hit snow. One minute we’re cruising down the highway, admiring the view, and the next minute, it’s as though someone shook up a snow globe. As we rolled into Denver the snow was forming a nice white blanket over the city.
Thanks to the helpful and friendly local crew, we loaded into The Fillmore in record time and went across the road for a slice of pizza as the snow really started to come down hard. I get very excited when there’s heavy snow. This probably goes back to my school days when an inch of snow in the UK would inevitably mean the school would shut down along with the rest of the country and we could all go and through snowballs at each other or find a hill to fling ourselves down on a plastic sledge. This snow was a lot more impressive than the measly flurry we tend to get and thankfully, Denver seemed to take it all in its stride. Another cancelled show would have been heartbreaking.
We got a great response from the good people of Colorado. I won’t lie, this tour is proving itself to draw parallels between Robert Scott and his team crossing the Antarctic, but when we get onstage and feel the love from the crowd, it makes battling through the snow and ice worthwhile. Unfortunately for poor Scott, he wasn’t in a band and probably didn’t feel quite as appreciated. Thank you Denver.
After the show, we went back across the road for probably the third or forth slice of Pizza that day and celebrated our survival of the first run of shows.
The next day was a day off and was spent mainly eating, sleeping, reorganising suitcases and reflecting on how bonkers it is that we’re over here doing shows and getting played on the Radio. A popular music industry expression is that we’re “getting traction”. We got word today that we’re number 11 in the Mediabase Mainstream Rock chart. These are very exciting times!
As I write this, we’re travelling in the direction of Lincoln, Nebraska. We’re just done a live session for KBPI and KBCO radio, the sun is shining and we’re re-energised. All I need now is to find a postcard!
2015-02-24T05:39:52+00:00February 24th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Kansas Magic

After locating a decent coffee and a gourmet sandwich as big as my head for breakfast, we once again mounted our trusty steed and rode towards the horizon. This time in the direction of Kansas City, Missouri. The venue for last nights show was the “Uptown”, an old theatre with an Italian Renaissance styled interior. It reminded me of a slightly smaller and more colourful Brixton Academy (U.S. readers – the Brixton Academy is a famous venue in South London.)

After load-in, I went off in search of postcards. There was a time, before the rule of the evil internet, when most newsagents, chemists (pharmacies), petrol stations and any shop peddling tourist tat would have a twisty wire rack proudly displaying scores of brightly coloured postcards with pictures of local landmarks. Not any more it seems. I decided before I came on this tour, I would send a postcard home from each city to my little girl who is approaching an age where postmen are heroes and a delivery addressed to them is like winning the national lottery. Anyway, searching for these antiquated relics of yesteryear is no easy task. Entering Walmart and asking where the postcards were was met with a bemused expression and the reply “Oh no, we haven’t sold those in while.” I did finally locate some in a dusty corner of a CVS pharmacy so the quaint old tradition of non-digital communication is not totally dead yet.
After my quest, I strolled over to a music shop called Big Dudes where I found Luke and Paul. Paul needed to get a power supply fixed. The guys in Big Dudes were amazingly hospitable and helpful. Not only did they fix Paul’s power supply for free but gave us a magic show whilst they did so. I kid you not. It was unbelievable. One of the staff had been into magic since a boy and had now reached an impressive level of card wizardry. At one point he burnt the card he was holding with a lighter. He then took the card Paul was holding to show us identical scorch marks….WTF! Our minds blown, and Paul’s power supply fixed, we went back for soundcheck.
“Anyone need an adjustment?” Asked a large gentleman with a beer in his hand. A local chiropractor had bought in his adjusting table and was offering to crack bones for free. Apparently, It was his way of getting into the show for free. A steady queue of willing participants, including Phil Campbell, began to form and the room was soon filled with the sound of loud grunts and popping vertebrae. I just watched and winced.
The gig was fantastic last night. The crowd were up for a good night and we were primed and ready for it. Phil threw shapes never before seen, probably due to his freshly adjusted bones and the venue ticked all the right boxes for sound and vibe. We loved it!
After the show it was time to pack-up, eat ribs, hop in the wagon and drive two and a half hours to a roadside motel to catch some sleep before the remaining 7 hour drive to a snowy Denver.
2015-02-22T03:01:10+00:00February 22nd, 2015|

U.S.A Tour Diary – St Louis

Last night we performed our first show in the United States of America. It was a momentous occasion for us and spirits in TTM camp are high. We’ve been made to feel very welcome by all the guys in the Blackberry Smoke camp and we look forward to spending time with them over the months ahead. It was a fair old drive from Nashville yesterday, although compared to some of the distances we’ll be covering during the tour, it was really just a short hop down the road. Still, the Gateway Arch beside the Mississippi river was a welcome sight as we approached the city of St Louis. Several years ago, I came to St Louis with another band. It was summer and birds were literally dropping dead out of the trees it was so hot. This time however there was no danger of that as their poor little feet were most likely frozen to the branches. Gear was loaded into the Pageant Theatre and set up on stage. I went chasing around St Louis looking for a 1 amp fuse, came back and blasted through a soundcheck. We we ready for our first show.
Being in this band never seems to get old. We’re out here promoting our first album which we’ve already been playing around the UK and Europe for well over a year but as we ripped into “Midnight Black” last night, it felt fresh as a daisy. I think we all had the same thought as we grinned at each other onstage last night. “Wow! We’ve done it boys…We’ve made it to America!”

2015-02-20T18:27:16+00:00February 20th, 2015|

U.S.A. Tour Diary – Penguins in Nashville

Yesterday was mainly spent shuffling around the Nashville ice caps like newly hatched penguins exploring their surroundings for the first time. It was a fine sunny day with a high of about -5º which actually felt tropical compared to the temperature it plummeted to once the sun went down. Our priority yesterday was to round up all the backline that had been delivered to various parts of the City. Drum Kits, Guitar Amps, Bass Amps, Pedalboards and Flightcases all had to be corralled into one place and loaded into our splitter van which also needed collecting. Full marks to Mr Iain Graham, our unstoppable tour manager for achieving the impossible whilst we sat around in a nice warm vintage guitar shop. In the afternoon, we had a radio session with the one and only Steve Gorman – drummer with The Black Crowes who hosts his own show in Nashville. We had a little sing-song and a chat with Steve before finding ourselves out in the tundra once again. As we didn’t have a show to go to due to the city being entirely frozen, the evening was spent at Soundcheck – a great rehearsal facility in East Nashville, running through some tunes and making sure all our gear was in order. It felt good to be in a room playing again and after the last few days of battling ice, snow and jetlag, we were fired up and ready to take on whatever this tour had to throw at us.
Bring it on America!

2015-02-19T18:00:33+00:00February 19th, 2015|
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