It’s a very nice feeling to wake up in my own bed actually feeling refreshed from sleep instead of aching all over for once today. After a leisurely morning including a cooked breakfast, a massive shower, cutting some bed sheets up for my Halloween costume and a bit of a repack it’s time for Paul to pick up me and Mike and head back to the only world we know now, the van. Everyone is in good spirits and the rest or lack of it has made all the difference.
Today we’re off to Middlesbrough, which is about 3 hours away so we settle down to watch ‘Haggard’ to pass the time. After that the TV is miraculously working on the move so we watch the final scores come in and before we know it we’ve arrived at the venue. It’s not long after the end of the match and Middlesbrough were at home today so the pub is filled with shaved head hooligan looking types so we retreat to the end of the bar to meet the promoter Henry. Henry is a really nice guy and former member of the band Dartz! Who are one of my favourites so it’s nice to meet him and see the Shapes guys again when they arrive. After a while, and a few disastrous games of Pub Quiz and Bull’s Eye on the It Box all the hard nuts disappear and the Brute Chorus arrive and we can all relax and tuck into the Turtle’s style stack of pizzas we have for dinner. After that we tell Shapes about the drum clinic, discover bass drum bum aka ‘Kick Arse’ and take some before and after shots of Gav being cured of Snare face as shown here:
Before:
After:
We get soundchecked and head to the van for the most important business of the night, the X Factor. It’s rock night tonight which leads to some cringe worthy rock ballads and ‘rock chick’ comments. Danyl was rubbish tonight and Lucy was still really hot. I also get into my costume, which is the least thought out, shocking costume, and help Mike make a ghost costume out of a sheet. From the van we can see people starting to arrive and almost everyone is in an amazing costume which makes me feel like the let down I am. It’s nice to see a crowd though!
Here’s me and Mike in the process of getting ready:
Soon it’s time for Shapes and they absolutely tear it up, they sound great tonight. It’s amazing how tight they are and I think they get better every time I see them live. We play next, and as the set starts I realise Mike isn’t wearing his costume so I’m the only one who looks like a dick head. I have the last laugh by calling him a bastard then overheating for the rest of the set. I don’t know why I decided that having a load of fabric hanging from me would be a good idea, but it isn’t and over the course of the set my costume gradually falls off, all over my guitar and wrapping round my legs, doing anything it can to make life more difficult. My leads both decide to stop working for a bit for no apparent reason so tonight is a bit of a test for me! I manage to stagger through the set though and we finish the set and pack down then watch the Brute Chorus. They have quite a 50s rock and roll sound done in a really weird way, it’s hard to describe but they were wicked. The singer has an epic moustache and suit combo too.
After the bands finish we hang out with Gav, Steve and Rich and have a few drinks. Luke is somehow the master of getting free drinks even though we finish our free beers off long ago so he becomes my best friend for the night. The DJ starts playing some rock and roll and blues so we all storm the dance floor and bust out some absolutely sweet moves. After the music stops we go back to Henry’s to stay with the Shapes lads in convoy. Henry looks massively unimpressed as Scott beeps the horn and Luke and Broads shout at people through the window. When we get back all 9 of us pile into the living room/kitchen and everyone drunkenly talks rubbish for a bit until the gauntlet is thrown down between Broads and Steve. They roll around the floor with each other for a bit while we all laugh and Mike takes compromising photos then Henry’s flat mate Jen and her boyfriend come home. They get the toaster on and before long everyone is bursting with the never ending supply of toast she fixes up with. We promise to not write false blogs about her like Tubelord and then finally fall asleep. An altogether fun day!
