i've finally found it. best song / music video combo EVER...
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
i don't wanna smk mrjwna, i just wanna get high, on another drug...
soooooooo very cold today.
soooooooo looking forward to nye.
(don't worry robin. i've got you.)
album of 2008 goes to - THE NODZZZ. well done the nodzzz. i have enjoyed yr record more than any other this year. wish i could be at yr nye show with sex vid ("nests" 7" wins the 7" of 2008 - necros eat yr heart out) and finally punk (favourite band of the last 10 years). that would be too good. the world could possibly implode at that show. i hope it does.
soooooooo looking forward to nye.
(don't worry robin. i've got you.)
album of 2008 goes to - THE NODZZZ. well done the nodzzz. i have enjoyed yr record more than any other this year. wish i could be at yr nye show with sex vid ("nests" 7" wins the 7" of 2008 - necros eat yr heart out) and finally punk (favourite band of the last 10 years). that would be too good. the world could possibly implode at that show. i hope it does.
Sunday, 28 December 2008
he closes his eyes when he kisses her...
when my shift at paradise vendors was over i went to play pool. perhaps the best way to spend a sunday evening.
especially when omar is around. i haven't seen him in TOOOO long. the perfect gentleman, and funny with it too.
winner stays on and i stayed on for what seemed like forever. my eye was in. so much so that i 7-balled kev. you know what that means, right? it means that he had to drop his trousers and run around the table. ever time we play pool together we joke about 7-balling each other. it's never happened until tonight. he sucked it in, and took care of business. the perfect sportsman. he had new xmas boxers on too, which made the whole experience even sweeter.
and then to jurgita, with the best plaid i've see this year. a round collar!?!? in all my grunge years, i've never encountered that before!
then obviously things got a bit drunken....
and then we start playing for money - what little we have... (at this point omar started to get really good).
and then it's time to saddle up and ride into the freezing cold night, a little bit poorer then when we arrived. brrrrrrrrrrrr.....
especially when omar is around. i haven't seen him in TOOOO long. the perfect gentleman, and funny with it too.
winner stays on and i stayed on for what seemed like forever. my eye was in. so much so that i 7-balled kev. you know what that means, right? it means that he had to drop his trousers and run around the table. ever time we play pool together we joke about 7-balling each other. it's never happened until tonight. he sucked it in, and took care of business. the perfect sportsman. he had new xmas boxers on too, which made the whole experience even sweeter.
and then to jurgita, with the best plaid i've see this year. a round collar!?!? in all my grunge years, i've never encountered that before!
then obviously things got a bit drunken....
and then we start playing for money - what little we have... (at this point omar started to get really good).
and then it's time to saddle up and ride into the freezing cold night, a little bit poorer then when we arrived. brrrrrrrrrrrr.....
sunday in the paradise vendors inc. office
today all i had to do was dupe 25 tapes for 2 shops in japan.
unfortunately, in an utterly painful d.i.y. manner, i have to dupe them in real time, one at a time.
the good thing is that i can do this from my bed - i do have to get up every 7 minutes for turn the tape over, but apart from those intervals, i haven't had to get up all day.
i've just listened to music in my tomb. i had forgotten about how much fun this can be.
i've even turned down 3 invitations to go outside.
best sunday ever - start a tape label, you can be productive and unproductive at the same time - it feels good.
unfortunately, in an utterly painful d.i.y. manner, i have to dupe them in real time, one at a time.
the good thing is that i can do this from my bed - i do have to get up every 7 minutes for turn the tape over, but apart from those intervals, i haven't had to get up all day.
i've just listened to music in my tomb. i had forgotten about how much fun this can be.
i've even turned down 3 invitations to go outside.
best sunday ever - start a tape label, you can be productive and unproductive at the same time - it feels good.
Saturday, 27 December 2008
east coast tour diary 10/07 - excuse bad grammar etc...
we land in new york, get the subway to jake's place, who runs one of the labels we are on called lovepump united. he also shares the flat with michelle (our booking agent) and dan’s (the mall, utter dude). we dump our bags, eat pizza then go to our first bar, which we will end up in a lot over the next month – it’s called daddy’s. it’s owned by laura from the roger sisters. We stay here and get really destroyed – I’m not saying this lightly. Jet-lag and alcohol rub each other up the wrong way. Eventually jake, michelle and dan join us once work is out. At around midnight Matt is sick in the girls toilets and ends up asleep on the pavement outside the bar.
6/10
The henrick and myself wake up at 7am unable to pretend to sleep anymore. Therefore, everyone else gets a rude awakening. There are some serious hangovers in the room.
We go tourist crazy. State of liberty, ground zero, clothes shopping. It ruled! – not ground zero obviously. After a whole 7 hrs of exploring we go to a bar in the east village.
After a drink it’s off to kim’s record store to put up posters for our cmj show. Then, the perfect day is ruined as we go to guitar center to gear-up for the tour. Strings, leads, cow bells etc… I hate buying music stuff. It always feels like a waste of money.
he looked so good in these. if only he had enough $'s to buy them.
Back to Brooklyn for more beer and pool. Just as I’m ready to go to bed I end up getting dragged10 blocks up to another bar. Things go crazy here. Back to someone’s apartment for karaoke. Weird vibes floating around. Finally get in at 6am. I heart nyc.
keex & michelle
After a couple of hrs sleep, Rick burst into the room where me and kev are sleeping shouting “The flats flooded!!!! “ How amazing are we as houseguest! Before I can fully open my eyes we are all stood in our pants scooping up water from the bathroom floor and into the bath. It’s up to our ankles. The toilet has been overflowing for 3 hrs or so. Doing this after 3 hrs sleep would hurt usually, but with our hangovers it’s REAALLY hurts and is terribly confusing. The neighbours are up now banging on our door. It’s obviously leaking through their ceiling. We ignore them the best we can and finish up moping. Then we go for a buckfizz / bloody mary breakfast. it’s such a beautiful day. I thought October in new york would be cold – apparently it is usually…
Tourist mania continues with a trip to coney island. WHAT A CRAZY PLACE!!!! I love it. It’s amazing. Chilli fries all round. It’s so hot in new york at the moment. The combination of the sun, sea and shoot the freak blows my mind. No hangover can ruin this
or this...
or this
or this
On returning back to Brooklyn we go out to some bars and end up in one called union pool with our old buddy, chris (who used to play in a band called aids wolf – he is honestly one of my favourite people in the world).
Before we know it, it’s 5 am and I’m seriously deep fried.
7/10
Tourist fest continues with central park and other manhattan sights. Come the evening we go to the cake shop to see dynasty handbag and paradise island play. New york is eating us alive, and I’m loving it.
8/10
Today takes us on the great cheap sleeping bag trail. we fail this challenge and buy really cheap blankets, that will make the first part of the tour very cold.
The evening takes us off to see buddy markland aka sleeping states play at the mercury lounge. After the show we all go back to daddy’s. it’s really nice being here with markland in tow.
9/10
we finally get to start the tour today in boston, and I’m relieved – we’ve basically just had a crazy holiday in new york, and I’ve spent too much money. We get up early and go to the garden grill. I have a muffin, and then me and kev head off to manhattan to pick up our tour van from the most beaten up and graffiti tagged van rental place in the world. Our van however is pretty new. When we see what we have rented, I get scared. I’ve never ever driven anything THIS big before…ever. .. let alone on the different side of the road in America. So the vans huge. We deal with it, well kev deals with it, and get stuck straight into ‘being lost’ mode in the middle of manhattan. Kev is driving and I’m trying to navigate. He does a great job as we titter on the edge of arguing with each other.
We finally make it back to michelle’s where ken (kev’s old friend who has managed to supply us with a full backline for a month for free) meets us and drives us to various practice spaces in Brooklyn to scrape together our backline. At some point the day before I managed to break off half of one of my back teeth on a bagel. I need a dentist. My face hurts…
Boston - Basically O’Brian’s is a horrible sports bar full of agro construction workers. From the stage you can see straight out of the windows, so you can literally watch people walk by as you play. They can see you too. It’s odd. It’s really cold here. It’s a bit of a shock compared to NYC. I’m uber stressed about my toof. Tried phoning a few local dentists but they basically behave like I’m speaking another language. Emergency appointment???? Call back tomo etc. one posh dude actually put the phone down on me.
A band called Tinsel teeth play naked and turn the mood around.
Markland and ed turn up and turn the mood even further around. We play. It’s pretty decent. We load out, pack the van in a manner that would have fugazi reaching for the pen and paper and then head off to ricks aunt and uncles, where we will be staying.
10/10
i wake the next morning comfortable but cold and as if by magic I’ve been booked in to the local dentist by pre’s new auntie and uncle. Amazing. Dentist costs $60 and patches me up for the rest of the tour. Bargin. We go out for lunch which rick’s uncle pays for – such truly amazingly kind people, and then we head off for rhode island, provendence. My first time behind the wheel…. Eek.
The drive goes ok until we arrive at the venue where me and kev have a huge fight over parking the van. We don’t speak till the next day. Kinda kills the vibe a little. Kills the vibe a lot actually…
The venue is also an art space. Ac220. it’s cool, but it’s pretty empty. We get free burritos. We don’t sell any merch and it quickly becomes apparent that we have been a little enthusiastic with our t-shirts ordering. Tinsel teeth turn up. Rad, rad people. We head back to brandon’s tinsel teeth’s where we will stay. He is so lovely. Still ignoring kev.
Brandon's place is amazing. It has a huge basement with a pool table and practice space, snakes in the living room, weird crabs things, toys everywhere and a small dog named danzig.
We party, but it’s kinda hard to party as kev is the party boy, and we’re still being frosty. Me and keex bail first and go to sleep in danzigs room. It’s so cold. Keep waking up all night. Finally morning arrives and danzig has been sick and pooped right by my head.
11/10
We go to this amazing vegetarian place called Julian’s for breakfast .
After breakfast we start our drive to a Vassar, our first college show and the first date with mika miko. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be touring with them.
We arrive at Vassar in the pouring rain. the campus is huge. All harry potter-esque buildings (not that I’ve seen harry potter) and healthy looking white kids. The venue tonight is a common room. Posh sofas, lamps, super high ceilings and the biggest tv you have ever seen in yr life.
Gowns play first. They are really good. At this point the crowd consists of 20-30 kids – some in their pj’s, some clutching revision notes and some with both. We are not allowed to drink as it’s a dry campus, so they have to smuggle beer in for us, which we drink from plastic cups.
Our set is bad. 2 kids slam dance in a goofy way. I kinda feel like they are taking the piss. It makes me feel weird. It makes me doubt myself…
Things hotten up when mika miko start. The small crowd goes crazy – loads of inflatable guitars appear from nowhere. The kids go nuts throwing them around. It’s so much fun. I’m aware that I’ve got a huge, stupid grin on my face. I can’t believe I’m standing here with some of my longest and best friends, watching this happen…
At this point the college security charge in like they are busting a gg allen concert or something. Dean from no- age (who is along for the tour)
starts to film them. They get super flustered and try to take the camera off of him like they are the cops or something… it’s really odd.
After this has died down we drive to a party at one of the kids houses. We drink whiskey and some of us do stronger things. We dance with members of gowns and mika miko and cut loose.
12/10
bard university.
We have breakfast with gowns before we leave. I can’t eat the food I ordered – feel really sick.
The drive to bard is really pretty. It only takes a couple of hrs to get there, but we’ve heard they have a swimming pool, so we leave early to take advantage. The venue turns out to be a garage by one of the football pitches which they have spray painted the hell out of. It’s a really cool space. as we unload, jocks do laps of the pitch while a bunch of kids jam in the garage. I know whose side I’m on.
Once loaded in we eat in the canteen and me, kev and keex go for a swim. The changing rooms are like a scene straight out of saved by the bell. we swim and swim some more.
As we leave the pool we notice a sauna. As mine and kev’s pale skinny frames settle down in the searing heat, a hairy and naked 7 foot middle aged beast walks in. he looks like André the giant…
The sauna is tiny and really dark. Andre the giant starts inhaling and exhaling REALLY loudly whilst stretching out in our faces. His junk is too close for comfort. I get the most severe fit of the giggles ever. At this point I think he’s going to kill us. How can he think what he is doing is ok? If he was in the sauna on his own it wouldn’t be ok… After what seems like about 4 days, he finally leaves, at which point I can laugh freely.
The show is amazing. really packed and the kids go nuts. Mika miko slay once again.
13/10
After a night sleeping in a very dirty house I start the 8 hr drive to Washington dc. Whilst singing along to Fleetwood mac I crash the van… not massively, but it’s pretty scary. Kev takes over and I get a coffee to calm my nerves. I’ve let the team down…
Tonight’s show is in the function room of a spiritual centre. It’s a really odd vibe. It’s dry obviously. It’s really odd playing a show without having a drink before hand. Something I should try more often.
There are about 30 students here. The promoter lets us order from an Italian takeaway. I order a feta salad. It’s horrible. Honestly. I’m not being difficult. Tinned carrots, off feta etc. I don’t like it. I leave it by the bin. I should have thrown it away while I had the chance, as by leaving it I seemed to have offended the promoter. She brings it back to me later on in the evening shouting “don’t forget yr salad!” ‘I’ll never forget that salad”, I muttered under my breath.…
She keeps putting it with our stuff, and I keep moving it.
After the show as we are loading the van, it’s sat on the front bumper waiting for me! The boomerang salad. Salad days… guess we must be in dc!
The show is ok. The lights are on while we play and people sit and watch politely. It’s kinda embarrassing. A million miles away from last nights show. Mika miko make everyone move. They are so amazing!
14/10
we leave at 9am to start a 8 hr drive to mystic (as in mystic pizza – they filmed it here).
we are basically playing a workings men club. It’s amazing. members only bar downstairs and a big hall upstairs where all the local weird kids are going crazy to local punk bands.
The bar is a total American experience. Pool tables, American football on the telly and a barman that looks like he wants to skin the loud, skinny English people alive.
We have a drink and matt tries to kill the barman with kindness while me and kev play pool. As we play the ceiling above the table is literally bowing from the force of the kids upstairs slam dancing. Mika miko turn up and we play darts and pool together, cos everyone knows that it’s more fun that way.
The 2 kids who are putting the show on tonight are 16 and are so cool. We play to about 30 kids. No one really gets into it except the 2 dudes.
After the show they take us to the worlds 2nd biggest casino! The biggest is also located in mystic. Open 24hrs. it’s kinda depressing. We eat burgers, get seriously told off for taking photos and then gamble – but we don’t gamble as the minimal bet is $10. we drink the free drink and leaves.
We get to stay at one of their houses, which is an amazing wooden house in the middle of the woods. He has a basement where he drums and a husky dog which is the greasiest doy I have ever stroked.
The next day we go to the mall with them to hang out before we leave for the next college. They are so sweet, and although they probably wouldn't agree, their lives seem pretty cool.
15 / 10
sarah Lawrence is pretty dull. Kate miko miko buys us a create of beer which is nice. The show is ok. We sleep in someone’s common room.
16/10
we get up and go to an old school diner and then drive to the next show in ashbury park – home of springsteen.
It’s a really weird, kinda seaside ghost town. Seems ruff and run down, but also pretty posh at the same time. It’s so quiet.
The venue is a really old bowling alley. Happy days style. The stage is actually in the middle of the lanes.
Once again the show is pretty awful. I honestly think it’s the worst show we’ve ever played (although ally from Vivian girls ,who it turns out was at the show, told me last week that it was really good. I don’t believe her. I’ll never believe her).
It bums me out cos dean and randy no age are here and I want to play good in front of them. We play to a stunned crowd of locals and old people trying to bowl. Mika miko don’t seem to enjoy it too much either. In between a song kate runs down one of the lanes and throws herself into the pins. It’s so funny.
After the show we all bowl which is fun.
Matt and keex have a bust up, which is also fun, and we stay in a motel for the first time since the tour started.
17/10
first hotel of the tour and I wake up on the floor…
back to nyc today for cmj…
jamie is in town.
we play an instore at soundfix record shop, which is odd. Instores are odd. Then we go to manhattan to a college radio show where we dj and do an interview and get free beer.
nirvana did a session here. wow...... weeeee....
By this time I’m pretty drunk. So much so that I wonder into the mac store and come out with a laptop.
After free vegan food back in Brooklyn we go to see no age at the bowery ballroom, who we miss whilst queuing outside.
keex/jake/dan/hendo
we do get to see deerhunter though, so all is good.
18/10
we wake up early after 4 hrs sleep to start the drive to Dartmouth for the last show with mika miko. The drive through the vermonth area is beautiful. It’s all lakes, fallen leaves and hills.
The college is jocks-ville. $34000 per year fee… rich jocks. The worst kind.
We get our first soundcheck of the tour and a chance to iron out some creases. We’ve been playing really bad so far. After our little practice to go and eat chinese and celebrate rick's birthday!!!!
We play really well tonight – probably due to the free beer. We say our goodbyes to MM and go back to some girls mansion. It really is a mansion. 16 people live here.
It used to be a frat house,
and apparently it’s haunted by a 13 yr old girl who hung herself in one of the rooms on the 3rd floor. We go and have a look. It’s totally creepy. Honestly. Really old dark building. In the basement there is a big tomb. I’m got the willies big time until we walk past a room full of debaters playing beer pong and listening to weezer. Good work guys! Sing it loud and proud “I’m got my dungeon masters guide, I’ve got a 12-sided die, i've got kiddie pride…”
cool pits indeed...
We all sleep in the living room together – close. With one eye open. Sometimes two.
19/10
I get up at 8am and shower. We leave at 9am to head back to nyc for our cmj showcase at the knitting factory with sightings, health, japanther, old time relijjjionn plus a ton more.
We get stuck in traffic for hrs.
The showcase is amazing fun. We get to hook up with our old friends in health, and label girls and boys.
We play to a full room.
I’ve never been so hot during a show. Keex gets super drunk.
After the show we head over to the cake shop where health are playing a vice show.
The next day we all go for a big family breakfast then drive to philly…
20/10
get to play with finally punk tonight!!!
nice tee's ladies!
The venue is super cool. We play in the middle of a skateboard ramp.
Chad from finally punk plays sax with us and kev plays bass with them for a song.
wife swap.
It’s my favorite evening so far. By the end of a drunken night
we’ve planned a European tour with finally punk. Super amazing girls.
21/ 10
sunny purchase
about an hr into the journey back to new york state rick manages to put his bum through one of the van windows. I can’t even begin to explain how this happened. Glass everywhere. I’m glad he’s done this as it takes the limelight away from my van crash earlier on in the tour.
We patch it up and drive onwards to yet another college show.
College shows aren’t generally as good as normal shows, but they pay really well. We’ve been getting on average $800 a show, which is handy as the van is roughly that much to hire for an hr.
After another...
boring, boring interview
we drive straight back to new york to swap our broken van over for one with all the windows intact.
va swap - 4am... yawn.
22/10
back to Washington dc…
we play an art gallery with health and yip yip. There is no one here!
crime novels (aka ellery - amazing guy. hunt him down and adore him.)
It’s so odd – but it doesn’t matter as we have a super fun night out with health and ellery. Bj’s brother comes out with us. Jake won’t let me go to sleep because he’s not ready to stop talking to me. I think he’s joking, but he isn’t. I’m lying on the floor in a sleeping bag and he keeps talking . each time I drift off, he wakes me up and starts talking again… if it was anyone else I would have moved to the van.
23/10
pittsburg
if ruff. Especially where we are playing. As we park up theses dudes start checking out our van. They basically stand by it all night.
We are playing at this art gallery space. the promoter (mani) is a total dick. We ask how he’s doing and he tells us he’ll be better once tonight is over…
We ask him what’s for dinner. He says there isn’t any. We get the contract out and show him that he’s agreed 5 meals.
He tells us that he’s not sure why he agreed to that as there is only going to be 2 people at the show.
This guy is amazing. he really is such a dick – but he’s right about the turnout. 2 people, and a hardcore band that only play music about or taken from the film star wars…
We play really well though. As we leave we say thanks to mani for some reason, and he simply replies “yes”. You have to laugh really.
24/10
cleverland – ohio.
This is a weird one. The venue is a big house – kinda like a squat. Rats and pigeons in cages…. The “promoter” looks like Charles mansion and is very nice.
He takes us upstairs to the living room where there are 2 people super high doing a quija board. Everyone is pretty guarded. We shuffle over to the sofa and sit quietly sipping beers. It’s really dark. Candles are burning. There is a big dog pissing on the sofa and someone is trying to connect to the internet on what appears to be the worlds oldest computer. The scarily people slowly start to talk to us a little. They tell us to be careful when we go and get food. It’s a really ruff neighbourhood. They have been held up by gangs in their own house before. That’s why they all carry guns now. for protection…. Oh no, don’t say that!
So we venture out to get food, and good to their word, there is a gang standing outside the house. They leave us alone thank god…
The show is fun. We play with the death set.
There is this kid called perry who is wearing a white hoodie which he has painted” bloodly cunts” in big letters with red paint across the front. He’s really nice. Perhaps a little drugged out, but utterly harmless.
He buys everything single item of merch we have.
I smoke some weed with him and the next morning wake up in a dog’s basket… I never usually smoke weed.
the next morning kev recalls getting up, bear footed, in the middle of the night to wee and stepping in a massive pile of dog sick. Nice place.
25/10
cininatti.
Again, it really ghetto here. It’s cool though. The venue is a huge hall and looks like it should be used for ballet classes or something. The show rules. Really busy. Loads of dancing. Then we get to sleep on the floor in the hall where we played, which I always like doing for some reason.
rick's in heaven
so is keex.
26/10
The next morning we go to a diner. I’m sick of eating eggs so I tell the old guy at the grill that I’m not hungry. He tells me that I look like I need to eat. I tell him that I’m on a diet, at which point he cuts me down with the ultimate line…
‘you’ll need to be on a diet cos I’m gonna punch you so hard on yr head that you’ll be 6ft wide.”
He’s joking of course, but I leave and go and get a coffee somewhere else. Before we leave we go to a really cool record store and I buy lps and comics, and American movie on dvd.
Off to Chicago.
Venue is called reggies and has a record store upstairs. It’s pretty big. We play with a band called kk rampage who are awful. It’s a good show for us.
matt finds himself a little pumpkin.
27/10
the drive to Columbus ohio takes forever. We stop off at a diary farm on route and eat and look at cows.
We arrive at the venue around 10pm. It’s a funny sports bar, and it turns out to be Halloween fancy dress. We play with pissed jeans who are amazing.
we can’t match them.
After the show we try our hardest to get to this house party but fail. We end up at some guys house electrocuting each other with his electric fly squatter. Good times.
28/10
long drive today to Baltimore. It’s mine turn to drive. We get to the venue around 10pm. The drive takes forever. It’s a gay bar. I’m in a mood – nothing to do with the venue being a gay bar may I add. Everyone else has fun, and I’m sober and moody.
Johnny death set shows up. Good to see him again. He’s really nice.
The show is ok. Afterwards we go to a warehouse party. Apparently HR from bad brains lives there. It’s a crazy scene, and I decide (with much regret the next day) not to get involved and sleep in the van. I say sleep, but what I really mean is lie awake all night freezing to death waiting for the party to end, so I can go and sleep inside. It doesn’t end. I go in around 11am to wee and everyone is still up looking very pale and edgy…
39/10
Brooklyn – todd p show.
Farewell show at death by audio. All our new friends are there to greet us. It’s a great show for us
– a photo from the show ends up in spin magazine. double spread!
After the show we end up drinking in the bar we first went to in Brooklyn – daddy’s. once again matt disappears. We later find him asleep on the pavement outside jake's apartment.
matt/keex/jake/michelle
and then back to london, full of resentment and hatred towards each other....
6/10
The henrick and myself wake up at 7am unable to pretend to sleep anymore. Therefore, everyone else gets a rude awakening. There are some serious hangovers in the room.
We go tourist crazy. State of liberty, ground zero, clothes shopping. It ruled! – not ground zero obviously. After a whole 7 hrs of exploring we go to a bar in the east village.
After a drink it’s off to kim’s record store to put up posters for our cmj show. Then, the perfect day is ruined as we go to guitar center to gear-up for the tour. Strings, leads, cow bells etc… I hate buying music stuff. It always feels like a waste of money.
he looked so good in these. if only he had enough $'s to buy them.
Back to Brooklyn for more beer and pool. Just as I’m ready to go to bed I end up getting dragged10 blocks up to another bar. Things go crazy here. Back to someone’s apartment for karaoke. Weird vibes floating around. Finally get in at 6am. I heart nyc.
keex & michelle
After a couple of hrs sleep, Rick burst into the room where me and kev are sleeping shouting “The flats flooded!!!! “ How amazing are we as houseguest! Before I can fully open my eyes we are all stood in our pants scooping up water from the bathroom floor and into the bath. It’s up to our ankles. The toilet has been overflowing for 3 hrs or so. Doing this after 3 hrs sleep would hurt usually, but with our hangovers it’s REAALLY hurts and is terribly confusing. The neighbours are up now banging on our door. It’s obviously leaking through their ceiling. We ignore them the best we can and finish up moping. Then we go for a buckfizz / bloody mary breakfast. it’s such a beautiful day. I thought October in new york would be cold – apparently it is usually…
Tourist mania continues with a trip to coney island. WHAT A CRAZY PLACE!!!! I love it. It’s amazing. Chilli fries all round. It’s so hot in new york at the moment. The combination of the sun, sea and shoot the freak blows my mind. No hangover can ruin this
or this...
or this
or this
On returning back to Brooklyn we go out to some bars and end up in one called union pool with our old buddy, chris (who used to play in a band called aids wolf – he is honestly one of my favourite people in the world).
Before we know it, it’s 5 am and I’m seriously deep fried.
7/10
Tourist fest continues with central park and other manhattan sights. Come the evening we go to the cake shop to see dynasty handbag and paradise island play. New york is eating us alive, and I’m loving it.
8/10
Today takes us on the great cheap sleeping bag trail. we fail this challenge and buy really cheap blankets, that will make the first part of the tour very cold.
The evening takes us off to see buddy markland aka sleeping states play at the mercury lounge. After the show we all go back to daddy’s. it’s really nice being here with markland in tow.
9/10
we finally get to start the tour today in boston, and I’m relieved – we’ve basically just had a crazy holiday in new york, and I’ve spent too much money. We get up early and go to the garden grill. I have a muffin, and then me and kev head off to manhattan to pick up our tour van from the most beaten up and graffiti tagged van rental place in the world. Our van however is pretty new. When we see what we have rented, I get scared. I’ve never ever driven anything THIS big before…ever. .. let alone on the different side of the road in America. So the vans huge. We deal with it, well kev deals with it, and get stuck straight into ‘being lost’ mode in the middle of manhattan. Kev is driving and I’m trying to navigate. He does a great job as we titter on the edge of arguing with each other.
We finally make it back to michelle’s where ken (kev’s old friend who has managed to supply us with a full backline for a month for free) meets us and drives us to various practice spaces in Brooklyn to scrape together our backline. At some point the day before I managed to break off half of one of my back teeth on a bagel. I need a dentist. My face hurts…
Boston - Basically O’Brian’s is a horrible sports bar full of agro construction workers. From the stage you can see straight out of the windows, so you can literally watch people walk by as you play. They can see you too. It’s odd. It’s really cold here. It’s a bit of a shock compared to NYC. I’m uber stressed about my toof. Tried phoning a few local dentists but they basically behave like I’m speaking another language. Emergency appointment???? Call back tomo etc. one posh dude actually put the phone down on me.
A band called Tinsel teeth play naked and turn the mood around.
Markland and ed turn up and turn the mood even further around. We play. It’s pretty decent. We load out, pack the van in a manner that would have fugazi reaching for the pen and paper and then head off to ricks aunt and uncles, where we will be staying.
10/10
i wake the next morning comfortable but cold and as if by magic I’ve been booked in to the local dentist by pre’s new auntie and uncle. Amazing. Dentist costs $60 and patches me up for the rest of the tour. Bargin. We go out for lunch which rick’s uncle pays for – such truly amazingly kind people, and then we head off for rhode island, provendence. My first time behind the wheel…. Eek.
The drive goes ok until we arrive at the venue where me and kev have a huge fight over parking the van. We don’t speak till the next day. Kinda kills the vibe a little. Kills the vibe a lot actually…
The venue is also an art space. Ac220. it’s cool, but it’s pretty empty. We get free burritos. We don’t sell any merch and it quickly becomes apparent that we have been a little enthusiastic with our t-shirts ordering. Tinsel teeth turn up. Rad, rad people. We head back to brandon’s tinsel teeth’s where we will stay. He is so lovely. Still ignoring kev.
Brandon's place is amazing. It has a huge basement with a pool table and practice space, snakes in the living room, weird crabs things, toys everywhere and a small dog named danzig.
We party, but it’s kinda hard to party as kev is the party boy, and we’re still being frosty. Me and keex bail first and go to sleep in danzigs room. It’s so cold. Keep waking up all night. Finally morning arrives and danzig has been sick and pooped right by my head.
11/10
We go to this amazing vegetarian place called Julian’s for breakfast .
After breakfast we start our drive to a Vassar, our first college show and the first date with mika miko. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be touring with them.
We arrive at Vassar in the pouring rain. the campus is huge. All harry potter-esque buildings (not that I’ve seen harry potter) and healthy looking white kids. The venue tonight is a common room. Posh sofas, lamps, super high ceilings and the biggest tv you have ever seen in yr life.
Gowns play first. They are really good. At this point the crowd consists of 20-30 kids – some in their pj’s, some clutching revision notes and some with both. We are not allowed to drink as it’s a dry campus, so they have to smuggle beer in for us, which we drink from plastic cups.
Our set is bad. 2 kids slam dance in a goofy way. I kinda feel like they are taking the piss. It makes me feel weird. It makes me doubt myself…
Things hotten up when mika miko start. The small crowd goes crazy – loads of inflatable guitars appear from nowhere. The kids go nuts throwing them around. It’s so much fun. I’m aware that I’ve got a huge, stupid grin on my face. I can’t believe I’m standing here with some of my longest and best friends, watching this happen…
At this point the college security charge in like they are busting a gg allen concert or something. Dean from no- age (who is along for the tour)
starts to film them. They get super flustered and try to take the camera off of him like they are the cops or something… it’s really odd.
After this has died down we drive to a party at one of the kids houses. We drink whiskey and some of us do stronger things. We dance with members of gowns and mika miko and cut loose.
12/10
bard university.
We have breakfast with gowns before we leave. I can’t eat the food I ordered – feel really sick.
The drive to bard is really pretty. It only takes a couple of hrs to get there, but we’ve heard they have a swimming pool, so we leave early to take advantage. The venue turns out to be a garage by one of the football pitches which they have spray painted the hell out of. It’s a really cool space. as we unload, jocks do laps of the pitch while a bunch of kids jam in the garage. I know whose side I’m on.
Once loaded in we eat in the canteen and me, kev and keex go for a swim. The changing rooms are like a scene straight out of saved by the bell. we swim and swim some more.
As we leave the pool we notice a sauna. As mine and kev’s pale skinny frames settle down in the searing heat, a hairy and naked 7 foot middle aged beast walks in. he looks like André the giant…
The sauna is tiny and really dark. Andre the giant starts inhaling and exhaling REALLY loudly whilst stretching out in our faces. His junk is too close for comfort. I get the most severe fit of the giggles ever. At this point I think he’s going to kill us. How can he think what he is doing is ok? If he was in the sauna on his own it wouldn’t be ok… After what seems like about 4 days, he finally leaves, at which point I can laugh freely.
The show is amazing. really packed and the kids go nuts. Mika miko slay once again.
13/10
After a night sleeping in a very dirty house I start the 8 hr drive to Washington dc. Whilst singing along to Fleetwood mac I crash the van… not massively, but it’s pretty scary. Kev takes over and I get a coffee to calm my nerves. I’ve let the team down…
Tonight’s show is in the function room of a spiritual centre. It’s a really odd vibe. It’s dry obviously. It’s really odd playing a show without having a drink before hand. Something I should try more often.
There are about 30 students here. The promoter lets us order from an Italian takeaway. I order a feta salad. It’s horrible. Honestly. I’m not being difficult. Tinned carrots, off feta etc. I don’t like it. I leave it by the bin. I should have thrown it away while I had the chance, as by leaving it I seemed to have offended the promoter. She brings it back to me later on in the evening shouting “don’t forget yr salad!” ‘I’ll never forget that salad”, I muttered under my breath.…
She keeps putting it with our stuff, and I keep moving it.
After the show as we are loading the van, it’s sat on the front bumper waiting for me! The boomerang salad. Salad days… guess we must be in dc!
The show is ok. The lights are on while we play and people sit and watch politely. It’s kinda embarrassing. A million miles away from last nights show. Mika miko make everyone move. They are so amazing!
14/10
we leave at 9am to start a 8 hr drive to mystic (as in mystic pizza – they filmed it here).
we are basically playing a workings men club. It’s amazing. members only bar downstairs and a big hall upstairs where all the local weird kids are going crazy to local punk bands.
The bar is a total American experience. Pool tables, American football on the telly and a barman that looks like he wants to skin the loud, skinny English people alive.
We have a drink and matt tries to kill the barman with kindness while me and kev play pool. As we play the ceiling above the table is literally bowing from the force of the kids upstairs slam dancing. Mika miko turn up and we play darts and pool together, cos everyone knows that it’s more fun that way.
The 2 kids who are putting the show on tonight are 16 and are so cool. We play to about 30 kids. No one really gets into it except the 2 dudes.
After the show they take us to the worlds 2nd biggest casino! The biggest is also located in mystic. Open 24hrs. it’s kinda depressing. We eat burgers, get seriously told off for taking photos and then gamble – but we don’t gamble as the minimal bet is $10. we drink the free drink and leaves.
We get to stay at one of their houses, which is an amazing wooden house in the middle of the woods. He has a basement where he drums and a husky dog which is the greasiest doy I have ever stroked.
The next day we go to the mall with them to hang out before we leave for the next college. They are so sweet, and although they probably wouldn't agree, their lives seem pretty cool.
15 / 10
sarah Lawrence is pretty dull. Kate miko miko buys us a create of beer which is nice. The show is ok. We sleep in someone’s common room.
16/10
we get up and go to an old school diner and then drive to the next show in ashbury park – home of springsteen.
It’s a really weird, kinda seaside ghost town. Seems ruff and run down, but also pretty posh at the same time. It’s so quiet.
The venue is a really old bowling alley. Happy days style. The stage is actually in the middle of the lanes.
Once again the show is pretty awful. I honestly think it’s the worst show we’ve ever played (although ally from Vivian girls ,who it turns out was at the show, told me last week that it was really good. I don’t believe her. I’ll never believe her).
It bums me out cos dean and randy no age are here and I want to play good in front of them. We play to a stunned crowd of locals and old people trying to bowl. Mika miko don’t seem to enjoy it too much either. In between a song kate runs down one of the lanes and throws herself into the pins. It’s so funny.
After the show we all bowl which is fun.
Matt and keex have a bust up, which is also fun, and we stay in a motel for the first time since the tour started.
17/10
first hotel of the tour and I wake up on the floor…
back to nyc today for cmj…
jamie is in town.
we play an instore at soundfix record shop, which is odd. Instores are odd. Then we go to manhattan to a college radio show where we dj and do an interview and get free beer.
nirvana did a session here. wow...... weeeee....
By this time I’m pretty drunk. So much so that I wonder into the mac store and come out with a laptop.
After free vegan food back in Brooklyn we go to see no age at the bowery ballroom, who we miss whilst queuing outside.
keex/jake/dan/hendo
we do get to see deerhunter though, so all is good.
18/10
we wake up early after 4 hrs sleep to start the drive to Dartmouth for the last show with mika miko. The drive through the vermonth area is beautiful. It’s all lakes, fallen leaves and hills.
The college is jocks-ville. $34000 per year fee… rich jocks. The worst kind.
We get our first soundcheck of the tour and a chance to iron out some creases. We’ve been playing really bad so far. After our little practice to go and eat chinese and celebrate rick's birthday!!!!
We play really well tonight – probably due to the free beer. We say our goodbyes to MM and go back to some girls mansion. It really is a mansion. 16 people live here.
It used to be a frat house,
and apparently it’s haunted by a 13 yr old girl who hung herself in one of the rooms on the 3rd floor. We go and have a look. It’s totally creepy. Honestly. Really old dark building. In the basement there is a big tomb. I’m got the willies big time until we walk past a room full of debaters playing beer pong and listening to weezer. Good work guys! Sing it loud and proud “I’m got my dungeon masters guide, I’ve got a 12-sided die, i've got kiddie pride…”
cool pits indeed...
We all sleep in the living room together – close. With one eye open. Sometimes two.
19/10
I get up at 8am and shower. We leave at 9am to head back to nyc for our cmj showcase at the knitting factory with sightings, health, japanther, old time relijjjionn plus a ton more.
We get stuck in traffic for hrs.
The showcase is amazing fun. We get to hook up with our old friends in health, and label girls and boys.
We play to a full room.
I’ve never been so hot during a show. Keex gets super drunk.
After the show we head over to the cake shop where health are playing a vice show.
The next day we all go for a big family breakfast then drive to philly…
20/10
get to play with finally punk tonight!!!
nice tee's ladies!
The venue is super cool. We play in the middle of a skateboard ramp.
Chad from finally punk plays sax with us and kev plays bass with them for a song.
wife swap.
It’s my favorite evening so far. By the end of a drunken night
we’ve planned a European tour with finally punk. Super amazing girls.
21/ 10
sunny purchase
about an hr into the journey back to new york state rick manages to put his bum through one of the van windows. I can’t even begin to explain how this happened. Glass everywhere. I’m glad he’s done this as it takes the limelight away from my van crash earlier on in the tour.
We patch it up and drive onwards to yet another college show.
College shows aren’t generally as good as normal shows, but they pay really well. We’ve been getting on average $800 a show, which is handy as the van is roughly that much to hire for an hr.
After another...
boring, boring interview
we drive straight back to new york to swap our broken van over for one with all the windows intact.
va swap - 4am... yawn.
22/10
back to Washington dc…
we play an art gallery with health and yip yip. There is no one here!
crime novels (aka ellery - amazing guy. hunt him down and adore him.)
It’s so odd – but it doesn’t matter as we have a super fun night out with health and ellery. Bj’s brother comes out with us. Jake won’t let me go to sleep because he’s not ready to stop talking to me. I think he’s joking, but he isn’t. I’m lying on the floor in a sleeping bag and he keeps talking . each time I drift off, he wakes me up and starts talking again… if it was anyone else I would have moved to the van.
23/10
pittsburg
if ruff. Especially where we are playing. As we park up theses dudes start checking out our van. They basically stand by it all night.
We are playing at this art gallery space. the promoter (mani) is a total dick. We ask how he’s doing and he tells us he’ll be better once tonight is over…
We ask him what’s for dinner. He says there isn’t any. We get the contract out and show him that he’s agreed 5 meals.
He tells us that he’s not sure why he agreed to that as there is only going to be 2 people at the show.
This guy is amazing. he really is such a dick – but he’s right about the turnout. 2 people, and a hardcore band that only play music about or taken from the film star wars…
We play really well though. As we leave we say thanks to mani for some reason, and he simply replies “yes”. You have to laugh really.
24/10
cleverland – ohio.
This is a weird one. The venue is a big house – kinda like a squat. Rats and pigeons in cages…. The “promoter” looks like Charles mansion and is very nice.
He takes us upstairs to the living room where there are 2 people super high doing a quija board. Everyone is pretty guarded. We shuffle over to the sofa and sit quietly sipping beers. It’s really dark. Candles are burning. There is a big dog pissing on the sofa and someone is trying to connect to the internet on what appears to be the worlds oldest computer. The scarily people slowly start to talk to us a little. They tell us to be careful when we go and get food. It’s a really ruff neighbourhood. They have been held up by gangs in their own house before. That’s why they all carry guns now. for protection…. Oh no, don’t say that!
So we venture out to get food, and good to their word, there is a gang standing outside the house. They leave us alone thank god…
The show is fun. We play with the death set.
There is this kid called perry who is wearing a white hoodie which he has painted” bloodly cunts” in big letters with red paint across the front. He’s really nice. Perhaps a little drugged out, but utterly harmless.
He buys everything single item of merch we have.
I smoke some weed with him and the next morning wake up in a dog’s basket… I never usually smoke weed.
the next morning kev recalls getting up, bear footed, in the middle of the night to wee and stepping in a massive pile of dog sick. Nice place.
25/10
cininatti.
Again, it really ghetto here. It’s cool though. The venue is a huge hall and looks like it should be used for ballet classes or something. The show rules. Really busy. Loads of dancing. Then we get to sleep on the floor in the hall where we played, which I always like doing for some reason.
rick's in heaven
so is keex.
26/10
The next morning we go to a diner. I’m sick of eating eggs so I tell the old guy at the grill that I’m not hungry. He tells me that I look like I need to eat. I tell him that I’m on a diet, at which point he cuts me down with the ultimate line…
‘you’ll need to be on a diet cos I’m gonna punch you so hard on yr head that you’ll be 6ft wide.”
He’s joking of course, but I leave and go and get a coffee somewhere else. Before we leave we go to a really cool record store and I buy lps and comics, and American movie on dvd.
Off to Chicago.
Venue is called reggies and has a record store upstairs. It’s pretty big. We play with a band called kk rampage who are awful. It’s a good show for us.
matt finds himself a little pumpkin.
27/10
the drive to Columbus ohio takes forever. We stop off at a diary farm on route and eat and look at cows.
We arrive at the venue around 10pm. It’s a funny sports bar, and it turns out to be Halloween fancy dress. We play with pissed jeans who are amazing.
we can’t match them.
After the show we try our hardest to get to this house party but fail. We end up at some guys house electrocuting each other with his electric fly squatter. Good times.
28/10
long drive today to Baltimore. It’s mine turn to drive. We get to the venue around 10pm. The drive takes forever. It’s a gay bar. I’m in a mood – nothing to do with the venue being a gay bar may I add. Everyone else has fun, and I’m sober and moody.
Johnny death set shows up. Good to see him again. He’s really nice.
The show is ok. Afterwards we go to a warehouse party. Apparently HR from bad brains lives there. It’s a crazy scene, and I decide (with much regret the next day) not to get involved and sleep in the van. I say sleep, but what I really mean is lie awake all night freezing to death waiting for the party to end, so I can go and sleep inside. It doesn’t end. I go in around 11am to wee and everyone is still up looking very pale and edgy…
39/10
Brooklyn – todd p show.
Farewell show at death by audio. All our new friends are there to greet us. It’s a great show for us
– a photo from the show ends up in spin magazine. double spread!
After the show we end up drinking in the bar we first went to in Brooklyn – daddy’s. once again matt disappears. We later find him asleep on the pavement outside jake's apartment.
matt/keex/jake/michelle
and then back to london, full of resentment and hatred towards each other....
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