It’s a curious mix of low and high tech: Laptop running NI Kontakt (it’s on Move Mountains, if you’ve got a magnifying glass) all gaffa taped to a bar stool…It’s the laptop i’m on right now, you can almost see the photo of Lulu which is my desktop background..

I like this photo, Jez’s face seems to be showing confusion AND fear at the same time…

From Iains’ blog. http://www.westway.blogspot.com

Birmingham. We’re getting there - much happier with this show although in Fuhrer Mike’s harsh world the band need significant whipping into shape. I’d like not to be so surprised that some sections are played properly that I forget the words. All of which matters little as tonight’s crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves and that is the only important thing. In the end however bad we or I think we played the only worthy judge is audience reaction. So I think we passed tonight.
And for those interested it was great to have my full voice back, even though it’s either age or lack of sleep which means I’m a note or two short at the very top end. Seemed to have relearned guitar, too. YAY !
Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed before an early start to wrangle the technology into workable action. Mmmm, sleep !

Mad dash out the door and to the train station for a multi-stop train journey. Meet Alan on the platform at Birmingham and continue up to Manchester, him reading The Da Vinci Code, me reading Peak Performance sports science magazine, and listening to the Annie album, “Anniemal”. Rest of the band en route in the van.
Check in to the hotel and meet web supremo Elaine. Soundcheck.
It’s all gone too smoothly so far so things have to change. One of the sound producing units that the sequencer runs decides to keep its musical secrets to itself. No sound. We’ve done entire tours without sequencing but then we were expecting to do that and planned the set accordingly. Nothing else for it but to drop a couple of songs and do some others a in a slightly sparser manner.
The Jungle, main support band and friends of ours, overrun a little so we get to the stage late. New stage tech Pharma is still learning and so some last second checks are run through even as the intro music is playing.
We all loved the show. Not the slickest we’ve ever been and my voice has to be carefully guided through since sections of its range seem to be missing, but it looks like we give people what they came to hear.
A far better performance that Portugal so we’re moving in the right direction. But then a 3 date tour doesn’t give us many more occasions to become the lean, mean, rocking machine we know lurks within somewhere.

Long day of tour managing. My printer takes a beating as multiple tour itineraries are produced and the computer gets into a spread sheet frenzy. Rock ‘n’ roll !

On paper a day off. Still sending Iain lots of files and advice, gradually heading towards the mother of all samplers. No tour managing today so that’s a version of a day off. Feeling utterly knackered, though.

We’re leaving so the weather is at it’s best. Drive back to airport, mental Portuguese driving skills on display which the band decide is “like they’re being pursued whilst drunk”. Lots of wandering across lanes, inexplicable open-road braking, combined with either ridiculously fast or ludicrously slow.
Waiting - it’s what professional bands do most. Wait for the driver to arrive, wait for the band and crew to check out, wait for the plane to depart.
Half the crew have asked me for training and nutrition tips so I start in on the band by telling Jerry you can only see how bizarre British drinking habits are if you swapped a Mars Bar for every pint of beer drunk (they’re not dissimilar calorifically).
It’s Mars Bars at the airport and, when it finally ariives, Mars bars on the plane and once we arrive fresh from sunny Portugal to heavy UK rain, I presume it’ll be Mars bars again back in London.
Me, I drive 90 miles home through the rain and make mental lists of what needs to be done before we kick off again on Tuesday.