Hearts & Hand
Grenades UK Tour 2026
Part Two Of
Three
Sunday 31st May 2026
Call Of The Wild Festival, Lincoln
The bus call was 08.00 so I was up at 06.00 and by 09.30 we were on site at the Lincolnshire County Show Grounds for the Call of the Wild festival.
Weirdly, the first thing that happened was someone (no names
but it was CORY…) found a glory hole in the toilets. I know right… but, even
though everyone fell around laughing, I’ve never seen a van empty so quickly in
my life. Perverts!
Once we’d collected our passes and parked up, we went for a
walk around the site, basically trying to find coffee and toilets (without the
glory hole).
We bumped into Kris, who’s Mum (Leonne *) would park next to
us completely by fluke. There goes that red thread again.
Cory, calmly, casually, just happened to mention, in
passing, without the slightest hint of drama, while we were in the middle of the Lincolnshire County Show Ground with only
six hours to show time that… he didn’t have a bass pedal.
Ever seen a Tour Driver beat the living shit out of drummer
the middle of the Lincolnshire County Show Ground with only six hours to show
time?
As calmly as I could, I asked if he was sure he didn’t have
a bass pedal and while everyone played back the load out from last night, I
just went and looked in the back of the van. Cory and I confirmed that he
didn’t have a bass pedal. Fuck! OK. Challenge accepted.
I left a message with Simon from Molly Karloff before making
my way to the media centre where I knew Kris and Leonne were based.
Two things happened. Firstly, they gave me the names of
three people to find in the backstage area in order of importance. Secondly,
Leonne who has mobility issues offered to go home and get a bass pedal.
Let me put that into perspective. Leonne, who I met two
years ago on the Bruce Dickinson tour. Who I’d only met ONCE before today. Who
has mobility issues and spends a lot of her time in a wheelchair. Was offering
to go back to her vehicle, drive home, collect a bass pedal and lend it to
Cory.
Right there and then I knew she was going to find the
Polaroid and she was going to get all the swag. It was my call to make and make
it I did.
I collected Mike and together we went for a walk and a talk,
towards the backstage area, where the bass pedal issue was resolved without
any drama from the crew. I contacted Simon and Leonne to bring them up to speed
and thank them for their help.
Actually, while I remember, because of the space issue, none
of the bands were allowed into the backstage area until a few hours before
their show time. We were all put into a holding pattern like aircraft waiting
to land at an airport.
I’m not sure what happened between the sound check and show
time, but something happened and it was a show stopper. Literally, there was
going to be no gig. And, if I ever live to be 100 years old, I swear I’ll never
understand what, “Put phantom into channel four,” means. But it meant something
to someone somewhere and as if by magic all four members of the band sprang to
life.
As the band waited stage right for their cue, they decide how they were going to walk onto the stage and in which order. It worked like a charm.
I watched Heart & Hand Grenades walk onto that stage as one band and I watched Hearts & Hand Grenades walk off that stage as a completely different band.
That performance was to change the band forever(more) and we
all knew it.
I even had photographers in the pit begging for the set
list. I’d never seen that at a gig before.
From a personal point of view, I’d never seen H&HGs play
on a stage that large before, as I’d only seen them play in pubs and clubs. I
didn’t know they were that good at making a large stage look so small.
I’d always secretly wondered if they were capable of taking the band to next level, of being able to communicate with a crowd from a bigger stage, if anything, it was the opposite, they excelled on that larger stage. They just oozed confidence. Bloody hell fire. Just how wrong was I.
Dream-state is the word that springs to mind when trying to explain how it all felt after the gig. I’d love to tell you that everyone was buzzing, jumping around, that it was party central, it was anything but.
We all calmly loaded the van and left the backstage area
and made our way back to the media centre for an interview and my chance to buy
Kris and Leonne a T-shirt.
The best part of the interview was the part no one saw
unless you were in the room, it was so funny to witness. Everyone was chatting,
laughing, joking, just like being in someone’s kitchen having a chat and a lot
of fun was being had by all. Then as soon as the cameraman said “Action!”
they all clammed up. Like rabbits caught in the headlights. I know that doesn’t
read like much, but it was so funny to witness.
Ninety minutes earlier they were running around the stage in
front of a thousand people and taking on the festival, now they could barely
string a sentence together. Funny.
Because we were being led by Mike we went straight to the
nearest bar. Going back into the arena was the correct decision, festival folk
walked over, asked for selfies, kind words were said, while others just clocked
the band and smiled politely.
Because we’d gone directly to the festival we still needed
to check into the hotel. As time was slipping away, we followed suit and also
slipped away. Truth be told, I put my foot down and announced. Van. Now. You
have two minutes or you get a taxi. I did explain this in the hotel in 2023 and
I wasn’t lying. More on that later. Promise.
Once we’d checked into the Holiday Inn Express Lincoln
City, Lincoln, the plan was to go for dinner and a beer or two in a pub.
I can tell you that didn’t happen. Everyone was so emotionally drained, that we
never got further than reception.
Picture the scene, with all of political chaos that was
going on behind the scenes, the band playing a blinder at the festival, having people
walk up and say that they had just gone online and bought tickets to see the
band later on the tour, the emotional swing that had just taken place, had drained
us all, and as a gang, we all felt it.
So, when we re-grouped back at the reception area of the
hotel that is where we stayed. Not only did we not make it out the door to go
for dinner, not only did we not make it to the nearest pub, which for the
record was across the street, we didn’t even make it to the bar in the hotel,
which just for the record was about 10 metres away.
We were fucked. We were all in what felt like a state of
shock. Someone used my phone to order pizza from Papa Johns. We ate. We drank.
We chatted. We went to bed.
I’m not really sure how else to try explain what happened.
Let me know. Did what you just read make sense?
* https://nogginwalsall.blogspot.com/2024/06/a-man-called-drake-and-his-project-part_25.html
I met Leonne at Rock City, Nottingham on the Bruce Dickinson
UK tour in 2024. See the blog for more details of the red thread.
Monday 01st June 2026
Day Off
Bus call was 11.00 and everyone was on time. Which was very
kind of anyone, and to show my appreciation, I’d already been up since 07.30 I’d
cleaned the vehicle, dumped the rubbish and popped to Morrison’s supermarket
and bought bananas and oranges. Dear family members back in America, yes, I was
looking after your children. I bought a few dozen donuts too. Just to add balance
to the diet. What!?
In a previous life Jeremy used to live in Gloucester, so we
decided to use Gloucester as our base for two days. It would give Jeremy the
chance to meet up with family and it would give us a head start on the drive to
Newcastle on Wednesday.
As is the tradition when H&HGs tour the UK, it rained.
You can set your watch by it. If anyone out there needs rain, ask your local
promoters to book H&HGs. Guaranteed rain or your money back.
The drive to Gloucester was uneventful punctuated by two
comfort breaks and lots of positive online reviews of yesterday’s triumph.
By 14.30 were at The Oakwood Hotel, Gloucester, but who
would have thought it would be so difficult to get a taxi into Gloucester.
Once we’d left our washing at Soap & Suds the oldest
launderette in Gloucester we went into town for a bit more history, culture, and
some sightseeing.
We started at The New Inn pub. The announcement of Lady Jane
Grey’s succession to the English throne was made from the inn gallery in 1553. That’s
history. What more you want?
We even had a band photo taken. It took ages to get Cory
into that suit of armour.
Before long, it was time for Fish & Chips. So off to “Ye
Olde Restaurant & Fish Shoppe” which is the oldest chippy in Gloucester,
while the building itself goes back the 1530s, it even has its own wishing
well.
Obviously, we all ordered fish & chips, obviously, except
for Stef, because Stef, being Stef, had Pie & Chips. Only to swoop on
Mike’s fish like a bird of prey.
We collected the washing and made our way back to the hotel.
Once we were back at the hotel, we all decamped into the
bar area where we took over a corner of the room, and that was it for the rest
of the evening. Just lots of chatting. Food. Drinks. And more chatting.
I know, right? Exciting, right? But, that’s the thing. What
exactly do you think happens on a day off on tour? It really is laundry day and
it really is that plain, dull, normal, it’s back to reality for 24 hours.
Here’s how it works.
When you’re on tour, it’s just like being on holiday, every
day is a Saturday and every night is a Saturday night. Be under no illusion,
there is a lot of hard work and hundreds of hours of preparation that goes into
each individual gig, as I hope this blog as proven to you. But a Saturday night
is a Saturday night, right?
But what’s the first thing you do when you get home from a
holiday, I’ll tell you right now what you do, you put everything into the wash
and you relax. Think about it. That’s exactly what you do. Everything goes into
the washing machine and you simply relax.
Well, that’s exactly what a band does. It’s what a band
needs. They need those two things, it’s not a question of wishing or wanting or
hoping, it’s a basic raw need. Like drawing breath, and without it the band
suffocates and eventually dies.
Laundry and relaxation. The band needs to recharge its
batteries. And you should never underestimate the joy of a fresh pair of
socks.
A day off means just that, OFF.
I got to bed well past midnight, by then the rain really was
coming down and the photoshoot in the graveyard across the street was called
off. Shame that.
Tuesday 02nd June 2026
Fuel, Cardiff
Falling asleep to the sound of rain was deeply satisfying. Waking at 07.30 with a Ping! less so.
In the lobby I tried to get online to pay the parking
tickets. I simply don’t care what anyone says, every hotel does its best in
trying to block your interweb access so you have to buy their premium service.
It really does piss me right off.
In this hotels defence, we were in Gloucestershire, which
let’s be honest is only step along the evolutionary line from Norfolk.
So far, the parking costs have been, Heathrow hotel £11,
Heathrow Airport £7, Bournemouth hotel £60 x 2, Cambridge £35, but it was all
factored into my thinking from last July. I promise you that Mike and I had a
conversation in Buffalo, where I told him, if we can park safely and for free I
will, if not, I’m parking outside the venue and taking the parking ticket. Mike
looked me straight in the eye and said, “That’s your responsibility.” Before
laughing and walking off. That was fine by me.
While in the lobby area of the hotel it suddenly struck me
that this would all too soon be over. Today was Tuesday and this was the end of
week number one for me. Just one more week to go. In fact, this time next week
the band will be back in Buffalo. And it hit me so hard.
Bus call was 14.00 and we arrived at Fuel right on time. I
reversed into the street and that’s where the vehicle stayed.
There were two other gigs in Cardiff that night and to
compound things, Wales were playing Ghana in a pre World Cup warm up game
literally in the next street. It would be the last time we would experience the
pre festival ticket situation. From Newcastle onwards things were to
dramatically change.
While I’m on the subject of advanced ticket sales, a few
days earlier, Mike, Stef and I went away for a chat and I said something like this.
“Why should anyone care? It’s not like your DC or anything. I mean really, why
should anyone bother. You haven’t played in the UK for three years. There’s
been no new product for two years. Why should anyone care?”
Back to Cardiff. I went off shopping and I found a Tim
Hortons. Cory, Stef and I went back for food, coffee and a photo op’.
Out of all the gigs on the tour, this was
the one new venue I was looking forward to the most. I’d heard so much about Fuel. I’d
love to tell you that it didn’t let me down. Yeah, I’d to tell you that, but I
can’t and I won’t.
On a positive, the staff were great, no complaints there. Very
professional. They really couldn’t do enough for me personally or the three bands.
But I just thought, is this it? It was basically Maiden
central. Fanboy central. Maybe it was me and the attitude I now have towards
all things Maiden. Oh well. Maybe next time.
The Polaroid made a comeback and I think it was found by a
lady named Annette, but this was after she’d already bought loads of swag from
the merch, so we struggled to find something to give her that she hadn’t
already bought. Now that was something I’d not envisage. I made a mental note
and set to work thinking about a solution to that issue. I found it too. More
on that on the next tour.
The singer in the support band. Wow! One should never do this, one should always see the band, not the individual, but when one can, one must. The singer in the band Karmen Field is a star in the making. Whatever it is that makes someone stand out, she has it.
I, for want of a better way to explain it, went full on Yoda
mode. I stood back and people watched. I took notes. I started to make plans.
Big plans. I might be able to offer the band something other than just driving
the van. There were so many things that we could do, and for the first time I really did start to see a much bigger picture, a picture I could help paint.
I grasped for all it was worth to hold onto my place as
someone on the outside looking in. Yes, I’d been invited into their gang, and I
was more than happy to join, that feeling of acceptance made me feel trusted. I
had been given permission to act on my own gut instincts, that whatever I did
or said, would be accepted. But I was the last one join their gang and I knew
my place. I liked that place. I felt safe. In control. It was my safety net. It
made the thoughts, ideas, plans, feel more truthful, honest, because I was
still outside looking in.
By the end of the tour, I’d been offered five jobs as either Tour Driver or Tour Manager. I said yes to all five. Two of which have already been signed off.
Frankly, I couldn’t wait for the gig to be over and speaking
of which, the load out. No, fuck off, bollocks. We are not going to do this
again. It stops tonight. Right, this is what we are going to do.
We don’t have a road crew as such, it’s just us, making it
up as we go along, doing what we can when we can. So, I’m going to be a cunt
and if I upset people, good.
What I did was this. Once individual items of gear had been
packed away, I would remove them from the stage and place them on the floor, in
front of the stage, making a small pile. This, by default, meant that we did an
idiot check of the stage.
Once everything was off the stage, I made sure someone
actually did do an idiot check of the stage. Which by default meant that
everything that needed to be in the van, was in that pile. It was such a simple
way to do it.
That way, by default, we couldn’t forget anything because
everything was visibly in one place. I could then call out in what order I
wanted items bringing to me. That load out took less than five minutes. We did
it that way for the rest of the tour.
Just like I had done with the previous four gigs, I went
back into the venue and thanked the staff. But I just wanted to get away ASAP.
We stopped at the services on the M4 J23 for food. McDonalds
at midnight, it’s so romantic isn’t it really.
We arrived at the hotel around 01.00-ish everyone went off
to their rooms and I went off to park the van. I was beginning to look forward
to this time by myself, it was becoming my time. Time to be alone with my
thoughts.
What I haven’t mentioned yet is this. Everyone at some point
had come to me and complained or commented on this or that or them. This
happens in my normal job too. I’m not sure how or why people feel it’s OK or
they feel comfortable in confiding in me, but they do. Maybe I should become a
Priest.
I’d become an Agony Aunt or should that be Uncle to everyone
in the band, and being alone with my thoughts, in the van, at night, for ten
minutes or so became something that I would look forward to. I felt cleansed.
I’d use that time to think about the following day. What I’d need to do or not
do. I’d try to think of the negatives that may come our way, and if they did,
how I’d react or more importantly not react.
I wonder if anyone noticed. Or cared.
I got to bed somewhere to close to 02.30 for my own good.
Wednesday 03rd June 2026
The Cluny 2, Newcastle
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Bus call was 09.00 my alarm went off at 07.00 and I was at the van by 08.20
Considering this was the longest drive of the tour, it was
one of the easiest. Weird how it works isn’t it. And, in many ways, it was also
a mirror to the band and what they had gone through and to where they were
right now.
What is it that Churchill never said, “If you’re going
through hell, keep going.”
I’ve hesitated for three days about writing the following, but
after taking advice and listening to the opinions of others, I feel it’s the
correct thing to do.
When it comes the music business, we all live and work in a
very incestuous environment. It doesn’t matter what level you are operating at,
we all talk to each other. There are very few genuine secrets.
So, cutting a very long story very, very short. In 2023 on
the second H&HGs UK Tour, there was a third party (in this case a promoter)
who dropped the ball. Because that person isn’t here to defend themselves, let
me be generous and offer you this as an explanation. We all make mistakes. I
do. You do. We all do.
Baring that in mind, there is making a mistake and then
there is making a mistake. Not only did this person’s actions have a negative
impact on H&HGs. It also had a negative impact on a second band. It also
had a negative impact on a few venues.
If I ever live to be 100 years of age I don’t think I’ll
ever get to the bottom of it. All that really matters is that the two bands
managed to work out what was going on and they are at peace which other and are still desperate to work with each other on tour.
The venues understood too, but the damage to reputations was
done.
Jump forward to October
2025 and I was at a Molly Karloff, gig at the Cart & Horses in
London. I bumped into Greg and Adele from TowerRok and I introduced myself.
They already knew who I was. Not sure how and I never asked.
Anyway, we started to chat. I asked them their story. They
asked me mine. We continued to chat. I mentioned the issues from 2023 and they
said something like, “Yeah, we know…” Then they proceeded to tell me about some
of the issues they were having with some venues.
Such was the damage that was done in 2023, that not only was
there still hesitation around the band, but a lot of the venues had indefinitely
banned the promoter and any company he was involved with.
There is no point pretending that didn’t happen and there is
no point pretending that people don’t know that story, because as I mentioned
before, we all live and work in a very incestuous environment. There are no
secrets.
I did genuinely feel for Greg and Adele as they had inherited a world of hurt that wasn’t of their doing. They were being asked to play on a very sticky wicket, and it was difficult not to have sympathy. And on that subject, I will be forever grateful to them for bringing H&HGs back to the UK.
Jump forward to 2026 and I’m becoming aware that things are not going well at all. I’m trying not to panic, but I’m starting to worry for my friends. When we chat on the bands Messenger page, I try to stay positive and do my best to read more than I type.
It’s five days before the start of the tour, I’m at that gig
in Wolverhampton, and I’m told, “the tickets have been a hard sell.” I was
almost in tears. My friends didn’t deserve this.
The actions of one person three years ago did not deserve to
still be having an impact on completely innocent people. Because it’s not just
the band who are being impacted, there are new people being impacted too.
If I ever meet that promoter, I shall shake him warmly by
the hand and thank him for bringing H&HGs to the UK and then I shall shake
him warmly by the throat for being such a cunt.
Why did I tell you that? Because tonight, at Newcastle, that
all changed. It finally stopped.
When I wrote that I watched a different band walk off the stage at COTW it wasn’t because they were a different band, it was more
the perception of others, finally they were able to cut through the lies,
the bullshit, the stories and myths that had been told, the band were offered a
chance to slay the dragon and that’s exactly what they had done. Everyone there
that day had witnessed something very special and everyone knew it.
It had been a long hard three years, and I, completely by
fluke, had witnessed it. I’m so proud of my mates for not quitting. For not
walking away. Hit, after hit, after hit, after hit, like a punch drunk boxer
stuck on the ropes, simply too stupid or too tired to go down.
I knew that financially they were in a bad place.
Emotionally they were being eroded. Spiritually taken to the abyss and asked to
look over the edge. Their dreams had led them to a very dark place. And yet
they still strode on.
It had taken the band three years to slay that dragon and
three days for the UK to play catch up.
So often in life, your perceived defeats lead you to your
greatest victories.
Did any of that make sense? Yes? No? Anyway, moving on.
It wasn’t just Olly & Donna either. As we ate in the
bar, the band were being recognised. Now that really was weird. People who were
going to watch Geoff Tate next door, were popping into the bar for food and
drinks, and yet they were recognising H&HGs. No one approached us, they
just did the double take, pointed, gestured, mentioned it to their mates.
As for the gig? All three bands played an absolute blinder,
but there was something very different about tonight and we all knew. It was
just so obvious that there had been a change.
Out of all the gigs on the tour, this was the one venue I
was least looking forward to the most. Simply because of the gig next door. Never
mind all of the toxic politics from the previous tour, who the hell wants to
play a gig in the smaller sister venue, while in the larger big brother venue
next door, the gig is Sold Out. And yet, against all of the odds. It was by far, the best gig on the tour. And not because of the band, but because of the
crowd. Learn the difference.
After the gig, we needed to get supplies, so we all went
shopping to TESCO. If that doesn’t ooze Rock n’ Roll excess then I’m not sure
what does. But shopping in TESCO at midnight is exactly what we did.
Back at the Novotel Newcastle Airport, I was reminded of an
interview with Bill Barclay, who in the 80s, was Dave Murray’s guitar tech (Iron
Maiden). During the interview Bill said about Iron Maiden, something along the
lines of, “I’d see the sweat coming out of the eyelets of their trainers.”
Every night I’d get back to the hotel room and find soaking
wet clothing hanging up everywhere drip drying.
After each gig, while still at the venue, Jeremy would
remove his soaking wet T-shirt and then change into a dry one. Doesn’t sound
that impressive does it.
He would then hang
out, chat to fans, sign anything put in front of him, before loading out and
going back to the hotel, in soaking wet clothes.
It wasn’t only Jeremy, it was all four band members. At the
end of the tour Stef literally binned her stage clothes, having basically
destroyed them on the tour. But more on that later.
Thursday 04th June 2026
The Giffard Arms, Wolverhampton
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Bus call was 09.30 and as tired as everyone appeared to be, everyone was still buzzing from the previous night. Actually, it was more like COTW, it was more of a stunned silence.
Our hotel was in Stourbridge instead of Wolverhampton, which
for all the people that don’t know is a good 10 miles south of Wolverhampton. This
added an extra 40 to 50 minutes onto our journey, but as it turned out, it
ended up being a wonderful piece of good fortune.
For the whole tour Stef had been plagued with tech issues, so we sourced a music shop in the centre of Stourbridge. We stopped outside. Everyone ran in to get supplies and everyone ran out again. To anyone looking on, it must have looked like a bank robbery. Next time I’ll make them wear stockings on their faces.
Once we’d check in at the Premier Inn, Cory and I went off
to the nearest Launderette. The locals were great fun. Showed us what was what.
Asked about the band. Wished us good luck for Wolverhampton and the rest of the
tour.
I then tried to explain to Cory that those women would have
seen it all before, after all, this was Led Zeppelin, Diamond Head, Pop Will
Eat Itself, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and The Wonder Stuff country. Go on, try and
impress them, they’ll just laugh at you.
Cory and I continued to bond which is easy to do with no one
else around and time to kill.
We left the hotel on time but thanks to rush hour traffic we
got the venue at 17.25 which was 25 minutes late, and you know my feelings
about being late. I offered my apologies to anyone that would listen. But I’d
learnt a lesson and that error would not repeat itself.
Out of all the gigs on the tour, this was the one venue I desperately
wanted to be perfect, and there I was, like a badly ridden horse, falling at
the first hurdle of The Grand National. Glue factory for me then.
On a positive, that load in was rapid. I ran everything up and
down those stairs so quickly, and if nothing else it would make my doctor and
personal trainer happy. Not too sure my knees felt the same way though.
Did I become over protective? Did I try too hard? Did I
micromanage? Yeah, guilty as charged.
Identical issues that had arisen at previous gigs, which I’d
either let go or simply ignored, only for them to be solved by natural
selection, suddenly became problems that loomed over the gig like the oncoming
storm of death and destruction. So, it was out with my sword (easy Ladies,
EASY!) on with my helmet and off to battle I went.
Strange, but as I write these words weeks later. I can’t
remember a single one of those issues that seemed so important at the time.
There’s another lesson for me to learn.
I was like a proud parent on school sports day… while giving
the Darth Vader death choke to all the other kids in the race.
Mike, Daz and Sonia all rocked up as did Elyse, who just for
a change, I found hanging around the entrance to the toilets, where she rubbed
her special hand cream into my palms. God she’s such a perv! And I love her for
it.
What happened next, is something that I simply can’t
explain. Whenever I’ve witnessed it, I’ve never been able to explain it. I
guess you just have to be there.
Tonight was just one of those gigs. One of those gigs when it all just goes CLICK! and everything just falls into place and it becomes a gig that people speak of forever and everyone wishes that they had witnessed it.
I’ll leave others to rant and rave about it. But I will tell
you these two things.
Firstly, after the gig, Daz pointed at me from the other
side of the room and said, “I want a word with you…” Gulp! went I… Oh fuck what
have I done? I thought to myself, as I promptly hit the playback button inside
my head and played back the whole night in fast forward, and as much as I wanted to
run away and hide, I thought you know something, I’ll take my kicking now thank
you very much… I walked over as bravely as I could, and before I had a chance
to apologise for something of which I knew not, Daz put his hand out to shake
mine and said, “I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to a fucking
great band.” Gulp! went I again. Panic over.
Secondly, Brett said something along the lines of, “I’ve not
seen a band play like that on a school night in maybe 20 years…” “Next time
I’ll make sure you play over the weekend…” Later he would keep his word and ask
a member of staff to remove the only H&HGs poster in the building. Which
now sits proudly in my collection.
Speaking of which. Bournemouth & Wolverhampton were the only two venues to have H&HGs promo posters on the walls. Blackpool did have two but they were spotted and removed a few weeks earlier by a fan, who asked the band to sign them.
None of the venues had flyers. Who exactly is responsible for that? Moving on.
Back to tonight’s gig. Stef got everyone to shout out “CUNT!” which was instantly turned into a Meme. Daz eventually found the Polaroid, and no, I didn’t tell him where it was. And Mike gifted the Soundman a T-shirt and thanked him for doing such a great job, and well deserved it was too. He really did become the fifth Beatle that night.
Hotel or the bar? How far is the
hotel? 10 miles. How far is the bar? 10 metres. Never argue with a
mathematician. Off to the bar we all went. It was mental. The band were flying,
buzzing, the adrenaline (no pun intended) was flying through them. You could
almost see it, sense it, touch it, and I was so happy for my friends. They had
worked so hard, gone through so much, mentally, physically, emotionally,
financially. The joy, the genuine happiness I felt in seeing those sacrifices
get paid off.
We partied like mad bastards at a mad bastard’s reunion party. Well, I say “We” I stayed sober, it was everyone else, but it really was a lot of fun to watch my friends let their hair down, to pause, to let go, to have that release. We all knew that it was another step taken, another door pushed open, that tonight really was one of those pivotal moments in the band’s history.
I have no memory of Mike leaving, or Daz and Sonia for that
matter, and I was the sober one. I walked Elyse back to her car and it would be
another week before she found her glasses.
We eventually got back to the hotel on the wrong side of 02.00 and by that, I mean the correct side. And I eventually got to bed just before the rising sun at 03.00 it was a straight race and I won, but only by a short-head.
What a fucking day.
Oh, and while I remember, I lied about Newcastle being the best night of the tour, in school yard talk, it just got Top Trumped by The Giff.
This 2026 tour T-shirt first saw the light of day in Buffalo 2025. As soon as I saw it I instantly thought of The Giffard. I explained to the band. I went online and found images. We all agreed to do a photoshoot. As you can see, everyone arrived on time.
Interlude
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