Ramblings of a Madman

Ramblings of a madman : Snippets of Dan Spooners Tour Diary.....


Friday 7th Birmingham Kerrang! Radio and Bar Academy

Hola! It's Spoons here with some Vib snippets. It's about 4am, so technically saturday, everybody else is asleep (bastards) but I can't sleep because of damn cat allergies at our drummer's house. Remember that, if anyone kindly offers to put us up for the night on tour, lock your pussies away or I may have to stab them with something hard and sharp.

We were @ Kerrang! Radio in Birmingham today for a quick interview and a few acoustic numbers. There was also a surprise visitor when we got there - My grandad. How Rock N Roll are we. Now he doesn't just live down the road. He lives in Truro, Cornwall. CORNWALL! I have no idea what he was doing there. But what the hell, he sat in the interview quietly and behaved himself, keeping his bladder under control at all times. Just kidding. No really, there was piss everywhere. Dave, Jonny and Zane performed "Tiny Daggers", "Permanent Disguise" and "Fallen", whilst Hooker and I talked to Grandad about the state of things before heading off to Bar Academy to soundcheck.

Bar Academy is a dirty venue (in a good way) and they have plenty of Magners cider which makes me even happier. Have you noticed how fast this stuff sells out now?! It's mad. I've got to mention a pub called "Scruffy Murphys" which was just down the road - quality. One-armed lesbian? Check. Magners? Check. But nowhere to crap in the men's toilets. Damn.

3 bands play before us, all of the drummers seem to be drunk, and we end up going on stage at 00:15. We belt through the set, finishing with "The Stalker" which rocks like a bitch in a crib. Grandad goes home unnoticed and texts me later. "Interesting gig" he says. Not bad feedback from a 75 year old really, we'll take that. Hooker is not very happy with gig however, and spends ten minutes throwing his handbag around outside. He's going to kill me for saying that. Jonny is also not happy, but only because we have to leave quickly; he has met the waitress from the pizza place we ate at earlier and wants to see if she fancies extra sausage. Sorry Jonny, not tonight. On the drive back, there is nudity at a petrol station, lots of snoring, and Dave making the most annoying sound in the world. It goes something like this. NYYYYAAAAAAAA!!!

Saturday 8th Stockton Georgian Theatre

Good afternoon boys and girls. No grandad today I'm afraid. Today we play Stockton Georgian Theatre which is a really cool venue. Surprisingly, it's an old theatre. High ceilings, great sound on stage, and plenty of cider. Did I mention we drink a lot of Magners? Anyway, Dave is currently in soundcheck, doing so in a scouse accent and repeating the words 'Micheal Greco' over and over again. That's Dave for you. Zane and I went to Subway earlier but apparently someone has thrown half of his sub away, so he's gone looking for it in the bins. No, seriously.

Amazing gig! The energy was incredible, and the crowd response was fantastic. It makes all the difference hearing those screams after each songs, the fans we have even at this early stage in our careers are unbelievable. Big up to the people of Stockton! The only bugger up is my guitar strap snapping during the first song and so Musicman falls to the floor, but I still manage to rock out somehow. I look round at Hooker and luckily he is grinning, not waiting to strangle me. He's like big brother/Mr. Organized in the band so you never want to piss him off really, but I do anyway. I'm the baby, it's part of the job! Everyone seems belated afterwards, culminating in a night out at a place called. Everyone is pretty drunk. Hooker and Dave dance to Kylie while the rest of us drink far too many green shots (I can't remember what they were, just dirty and green). Joe, our sound guy, informs us that the missionary position is underrated. Right. And obviously that is the most important piece of information this fine Saturday evening. Forget the gig. More missionary positions people!