<< JUNE
| AUGUST >>
J
U L Y 2 0 0 4
Friday
2nd July 04
New audio
clips available in Audio Samples
section.
They were recorded from the desk at the Broadway
Peterborough in March. We are not dead chuffed
with them...particularly in this Real Player encoded
form...the quality is a bit ropey and they lack
atmosphere as there were no ambient microphones to pick
up the audience. All the excuses made...hope you
like them anyway.
There are new versions of Please Please Me; From Me To
You; She Loves
You; This Boy ; Can't Buy Me Love; You Can't Do That and
I Need You.
<<
Old report from our travels to
China in 2000 >>
Sunday
4th July 04
American Independence
Day...so where else to be but a US air force tracking
station in North Yorkshire.
Band performs 90 minute set to American forces and
families.
Wednesday
7th July 04
9.45am - Radio
interview BBC Radio Northampton.
More songs
added to Audio Samples
section. Anna & Devil In Her Heart from last
years tour.
Thursday
8th July 04
Stables Theatre,
Milton Keynes.
The Stables has grown since the last time we played here
in 1995. Then it was a tiny venue with about 4
rows in front of the stage and the majority of the
audience sitting at the sides. Now it has been
completely refurbished and a near capacity audience were
to witness our show here tonight.
We found the first half of the show difficult with an
on-stage sound that left a lot to be desired. This,
added to forgetting to put the set lists out led to all
sorts of problems like accidentally
missing a verse and a middle eight out of I Want To Hold
Your Hand. (unforgivable!!)
In spite of this, the audience seemed to have a great
time, with the odd brave soul boogieing' in the second
half.
In reply to John on the guestbook - No Hey
Jude.... well....we played it on the tour last
year, but it's just that there are other songs we wanted
to fit in instead of that, and we just haven't got time
to play 'em all.
Roy and Rick
through caution to the wind, and shared half a pint of
bitter at the bar after the show... Rock n Roll!!!
Saturday
10th July 04
Willen Lake Complex,
Milton Keynes.
Corporate fun day for BP... y' know.....the petrol
people.
We were abandoned by our trusty crew today.... we won't
forget this Ade!!!....so the backline was taken to this
gig after the Stables show on Thursday night. We
had an early start to get down to Milton Keynes for 12
o'clock. It's Roy's birthday today and it gets
celebrated in true Cavern Beatles style....
i.e. half a verse of "Happy Birthday to You"
over a cup of coffee that tasted like plastic- Roy
wouldn't have it any other way. We sat round for four
hours waiting for our show time at four o'clock. As we
were getting changed - in the back of a 40 foot trailer
- the black clouds that had been looming overhead for
the last hour or so, emptied their contents over the
event. As we took to the stage, the entire
audience had taken cover in the marquees and the rain
was slashing onto the stage. Even with the microphones
pulled back from their original position, Dirk and Rick
were standing in a puddle of water at the mic. We
had to ask for a carpet to be dragged over to cover up
the puddle because I am sure that I heard somewhere that
there is some real
danger involved being that close to so much electricity
when one is standing in water. As the set developed,
the rain subsided and the audience came out from under
cover and seemed to really enjoy the show.
Another one done!
Wednesday
14th July 04
Carden Park,
Chester.
A 70 minute cabaret performance of what we now are
calling "the boat" set. The selection of
songs first used on the Pride of Bilbao. First
appearance of the Rickenbacker 325V63.
Thursday
15th July 04
Travel
to Alicante.
I think Charlie Watts said that in 25 years of Rock
'n' Roll, 20 years were spent waiting round. Well
I suppose this is true, but it has to be said that there
are probably worse places to have to wait around in than
in Spain, at least compared to the weather that we left
behind us today at Manchester Airport.
Spent a few pleasant hours on a beach bar before turning
in for the night. Dirk gets caught on camera
smoking (again), and Eddie drinks too much (again)
Friday
16th July 04
Restaurante Punta
Prima, Torrevieja, Spain.
Eddie eventually rose from his pit sometime after
midday, sleeping off the effects of the night before,
but was never seen in the hotel pool.
We were picked up from the hotel at 4.30 for the 10
minute drive to the sound check for the gig. On
arrival at the venue, it was clear that we would not be
able to do anything for at least an hour and a half, as
the PA rig was not yet installed on the outside stage
behind the Restaurante Punta
Prima. So we decided to eat straight away, and we all
had our fill of steak and chips. (John, you would have
been in heaven). The backline equipment finally
rolled up at 8.30, about the same time the guests were
arriving, so a proper sound check was out of the
question. This was a little disconcerting,
especially for Roy, who was presented with what was
possibly the worst drum kit we had ever seen.
Unfortunately, the look of it was only the tip of the
iceberg.... it sounded like four biscuit tins with
brass ashtrays for cymbals. Bless him, Roy did his
best and managed to piece the whole thing together, but
it still sounded awful. Thankfully, the stool
managed to last the night out as there was a nasty drop
off the back of the drum riser.
Towards the end of our set, the wind was getting up...a
tribute bands worst nightmare! Eddie was, perhaps
obviously, the unfortunate victim of the strong Mediterranean
gusts, and the sight of his flapping "hair"
almost reduced the rest of the band to tears. Dirk
is particularly uncontrollable in situations such as
these and he coped admirably well with the lyrics of
"Get Back" under the circumstances, managing
to make about 75% of the song distinguishable.
On the plane home, Eddie manages to spill the contents
of his coffee cup all over his new t-shirt (now there's
a surprise) and on a more somber note, we are saddened
to read of the death of Hal Carter, agent, impresario
and former manager of Eddie Cochran, whom we had worked
with on numerous occasions. Our sincere sympathy's
to Abbie and the rest of Hal's family.
Tuesday
20th July 04
Thanks to
Clare for sending this cutting from the Citizen,
advertising the show at Hunstanton on 14 August.
Saturday
24th July 04
Finchley Golf Club,
North London.
Picturesque golf club, nice little marquee, fab
audience.
Saturday
31st July 04
Broxbourne Civic
Hall, Hoddesdon.
Review
A very hot day, the kind of day that you could really do
without the A/C playing up in the car, but life's like
that. Everyone was really tired and perhaps a
little lighter when we arrived at Hoddesdon.
Dave, also was in a bit of a froth. He had been
let down by a guy from LIPA who was going to be helping
with the tech-ing, so he had to set the whole system by
himself. John was on the job too, but by his own
admission only understands one version of plugs and
sockets.... "Ask Ade!....he'll tell ya"
Roy did not help the technical mood by collapsing into
hysterical laughter when he saw how his snare drum had
been set up. We all stood round the kit and tried
to work out how it was possible for the stand to be
upside down. The photos below shows the sequence
of events.. the problem....the investigation....
and the solution.
And so everything taken into account, it was, to say the
least, and extremely lackluster sound check,
which gave no one bags of confidence. We hoped
that we were going to be able to raise our game for the
performance. I think we managed.
Had a word with Eddie before the show and asked him to
refrain from impersonating an ex-member of the group and
keep it to John. Just recently, he has had us in
hysterics with his uncanny mannerism and vocal
representations of a long gone Lennon. I was
telling you a couple of months ago how cruel this band
can be... no one is safe... even if they've left the
band, it would seem.
This was our second
year at Broxbourne and the audience numbers were well up
on the last show, so this was encouraging.
Speaking to some of the audience after the show, it was
pleasing that they noticed that we had performed
entirely different sets... this is our mission.
Decided on
the way home to do a survey of the types of people who
drive in the middle lane of the motorway. Spending
so much time on the nations motorways has led us to the
conclusion that one of the main reasons for congestion
problems is the atrocious lane discipline that prevails
in this country. We will be sending our findings
to the home office. Yes.... it gets
very boring sitting in a car for so long, we have
exhausted all the possibilities of "I-Spy" and
Eddie has finished his colouring-in book.
We would
like to give a special thank you to Ian Colpitts for
sending the review below.
