The tour kicks off at Hay-on-Wye How the Light Gets In festival. The drive there is set against an amazing backdrop with the sun coming down behind the mountains and lighting up the grey rain clouds. Inside the Landy is blind panic as we believe ourselves to be very late. Dan Hep puts his foot to the floor and we speed around welsh winding roads, making wrong turns and desperately trying to find internet signal for the map. Good job Dan. We make it in time for a sound check. There’s some crazy dancing (not by me might I add) and then make our way to the Baskerville Hotel which is one of the most amazing buildings I have ever stepped foot into.
Baskerville Hall
I’m not sure it was the bottle of rum that I had consumed or whether it actually was the most surreal place I’d been! Unfortunately no photos as battery had died when using map to find the gig. Anyway, each of us had a bunk to ourselves and a good night’s kip before Meadowlands Festival in Lewes.
Fox and Mule have a flutter at roulette in the Casino tent
Very excited about this trip as lots of my mates are planning a party and a kidnapping of my good self. The sun shines, we drink, the rain pours, we drink, I think I might have to quit the band because of the threat of a wash out but then, just as we get ready to get on stage the rain stops, a crowd gathers and the dancing starts. Great fun….followed by more great fun. A vague recollection of finishing off yet another bottle of rum, cider being thrown over me and…hmmm, not much more. Must have found my way to the tent though because that’s where I woke feeling extremely rough with a nine hour journey to Newcastle ahead of me.
Rum fun
The rain comes down all the way but then, as the Angel of the North appears so does the sun. Hurray. As Dan Gray pulls into his home town he starts to reminisce and tells tales of Geordiness. I can’t go into those but maybe he’ll have his own CD of these later in his career! Friends gather, it’s a great gig, Dan’s Dad joins us on stage for ‘Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinnie’ and the crowd joins in. We hit the town after for some more rum fun. To our relief we find a dodgy pub on a corner with lots of people inside with big eyes and funny moves. We drink.
EXTRA – The Skinny Sisters did a revealing photo shoot for us at Meadowlands, the results of which will be revealed online as part of our album launch day celebrations on 11th June… Get ready for an eyeful!