FRENCH TOUR / LONDON GIG
26-30 June '97

Our trip to France had it's ups and downs. We got off to a good start and made good time driving down to Dover. Our friend Mel had taken some time off work and was driving down with us. This was good as it meant that a couple of us could travel in her car and reduce the squeeze in the van. Seeing as we were going to be travelling in convoy, I had hired a couple of walkie talkies so that we could keep in touch. At first I was laughed at, "What do we need them for?" they said. However they proved to be not only great fun, but invaluable in several circumstances. We actually arrived early for the ferry that I'd book and we got on an earlier one. Having arrived in France we started the drive to Ris Orangis, which was just the other side of Paris.

I had been told by our promoter in France that there would be no problem getting a motel room on the way and as we didn't really know where and when we were going to stop I hadn't booked anything. Well all I can say is that I won't be making that mistake again. We stopped at some motels on the motorway and they were both fully booked. We then drove further down towards Paris and tried at some more. Again, fully booked. By now it was getting ridiculous. 4:30am and everywhere was either closed or full. Eventually, we found a hotel and at about 6:30am put our tired little heads on the pillow for a few hours kip.

We couldn't afford to get up too late as we still had to negotiate the notoriously busy Boulevard Peripherique (the Paris ring road). As feared it was bumper to bumper, and to add to the misery it was absolutely chucking it down. We were a bit late, but we eventually arrived at Le Plan. The gear was unloaded and set up in no time. Sound check complete Grant went to the hotel. He was bringing Mel back who was dropping off her car.

I finished setting up the lights and the merchandise and managed to grab something to eat. Both myself and Gen were very wary of the food, as last year we had both got very "upset tummies" after a meal there. Before long it was nearly time for the band to go on. However, where was Grant? Mr. "Yes I know the way." and "I'll only be half an hour." had been gone for about 2hrs. Having called the hotel, I found out that he was on his way.

The gig went very well and then it was time to pack up, load up the van and go to the hotel. After the usual hanging out with the fans, signing autographs and getting pictures taken of course. Another long drive, so it was straight to bed. For me anyway, some of the others stayed up and watched some football on the TV.

Another wet day for driving. It was just about all motorway, however having to pay the tolls all the time was a bit of a drag. La Rochelle was a nice seaside town with a small harbour. We managed to have a quick walk round before dinner. Something which I rarely am able to do, however as the venue only had 4 big spot lights it didn't take long to sort out the lighting.

One of the support bands was good and they were very metal. The club, although not that busy, was starting to get very hot. Even standing still I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead. The gig went fine and the guys came off absolutely soaked. After having packed up most of the gear, I heard that a particularly obnoxious Frenchman was upstairs in our dressing room throwing food and booze around. I rushed up to find the very drunk man practically passed out on the floor. There was food all down the stairs and the room was soaking. I don;t get upset that easily, but this guy had really pissed me off. I tried to explain to him and his friend that they had to go now. Eventually, he was dragged to the top of the stairs and slide down to the bottom. Having loaded the van, we left.

It was back to Tours for the festival. Although it's not a festival as in Reading, Phoenix or Glastonbury. More of an open air gig really. Again we set up, sound checked and went to the hotel. I sorted out the set lists, while some of the others went into the centre to try and find Bobby something for his Birthday, which was the following day. Back for dinner and then the gig. A couple of technical problems meant that I didn't really enjoy the gig, however judging by the reaction, the crowd loved it. After us there was a dance band called Spicy Box. Bobby, Gen, Grant and Chris went out to have a look and listen. We had been worried all day that it would rain, however it stayed off until about half way though their set.

SET LIST

She's In Pain
A Bullet For The End
Confessions of a Teenage Pervert
Had Enough
Try Hard to be Psychic
Breathe
Hello
Always The Same
Get Along
Heaven Only Knows
Mental Bruising for Beginners
Go To Hell
Conversation
Ignoramus

As you may know, we had been asked to be part of a football tournament which was partly being organised by Le Plan. This involved getting back to Ris Orangis for 8:30am for registration and the start of the games. Having got to bed at 4:00am, Chris and Grant got up at 6:00am and drive though with Florent (our French promoter). Myself and the others followed a bit later.

As it turned out they didn't start playing until 11:00am, so they may have been able to get a few more hours in bed. The team, a combination of our promoters company and BC, were drawn in a hard group. They won 2 and lost 2 and I got to play the second half of the last game. The event had 38 teams taking part and the eventual winners were going to have the honour of playing before one of the World Cup games next year. We had to wait for one of the results of the other games to find out if we were getting through to the next round. Sadly, we just missed out and finished 17th overall. Not to bad with a half strength team with some very hung over players. We decided to drive up to London that night.

We got into London late and split up. Some of us going to stay with friends in North London and the rest staying at Gen's house. We had the luxury of a long lie the next morning, before heading over to Camden. This was the first time I'd been at the Camden Falcon and was a little shocked to see the "venue" at the back of the pub. It was a smallish square room with a triangular stage in one corner.

Soundcheck went off with no major problems. Just enough time to sort out the T-Shirts, put up some posters and get something to eat. There was a good turnout for the support bands, however I wasn't around to see them. Due to the cramped space on stage and the amount of people in the venue, we went on a bit late. After a couple of problems getting their guitars to make the correct noise, it was time to ROCK!

A very hot, sweaty and powerful performance followed. A few new songs were played and Grant's guitar strap broke mid song and he had to play the rest of it down on one knee.

All in all we had a great time. Apart from anything else, it was just nice to get out on the road again.

Nic.