UK Tour Diary Part 3
Day Five--Stayin Alive
Hanging at the Cafe most of the day, trying to recover from illnesses. Cafe 9 in Sheffield is becoming our home base. It's a lot like Flipnotics (used to be). You can read, listen to vinyl, and chill outside on the sidewalks. The staff and regulars are a very kind and tight-knit group, and were very welcoming to us. If you want to play music, they have guitars (even a lefty!), a bass, and a piano; and they cut the house music when anyone wants to play. Musicians casually come in and play a few songs like it's no big deal. Everyone listens, it's great. A++, or as the locals say, "mint".
Tonight we played a singer songwriter showcase at The Brothers Arms, another pub managed by a local band. We were the only Americans on the bill. I enjoyed hearing songwriters with completely different styles, approaches, and influences, and there's this magic connection between Americans and British music because we've both listened to each other's music over generations of time. It was a cool experience to get to hear local musician's original tunes and cover choices. Hearing the British vocals on American tunes is something I could listen to all day. Note to self--minor chord, descending chromatic movements sound really cool and sad. Trippy.
Day 6--London Calling
We arrive in London to play the 12 Bar. Originally located on Denmark Street (the famous rock n roll street in London), the venue had recently been forced to move because of development. The new location is a cool dirty rock n roll spot that would have fit in well to the hay days of the Red River rock scene. A three story club featured at kitchen at the top, and the second floor overlooked the stage. We also met Steve. Steve was our sound man for the evening and had toured the world with some of the biggest acts in rock n roll. He really shouldn't have let me in on that secret because I followed him around that bar hounding him for stories until they kicked us out. Steve happily obliged. He had lived in an area called "the murder mile" for most of his life. Just as it sounds, it was a rough area noted for once having hosted 23 of the nation's 100 murders for the year. We had a good laugh that no one can afford to live on murder mile because the rent skyrocketed. Slade was his favorite band, and he schooled me on a lot British rock history. He was an expert story teller, and his tales were epic. My favorite was about when he hung out with David Bowie's wife and had to "batter" someone who was out of line. Notable quotes were: "Pete Townsend will kick you in the nuts.", and "Get that fucking cunt off my stage!" He was going to visit his mom the next day. I hope we go back just so I can talk to him again.
We arrived at our home for the next couple of nights, a 4 story music co-op that was a pub in the 1800s. It had a 60s vibe with bright colors and paintings everywhere. Outside was a garden with a plaque memorializing the site where the first bomb was dropped in England in World War I. The bomb miraculously did not explode and remained there until the 50s.
Day 7--Sights, Guns, and Attitudes
Tony didn't want to go sight seeing in London, so Ash led the charge. We went to Denmark Street to Regents Sound Studio where the Rolling Stones recorded their first album. Jimmy Hendrix had also recorded there and Elton John before the name change. It's now a guitar shop, but also works as a museum of sorts. We visited the oldest pub, Pillars of Hercules, which is near the Borderline club. We also saw the grounds where the famous Astoria which had recently been demolished to make way for luxury flats. Another sad similarity to add to the collection. Speaking of similarities, one big difference that stands out in England is that the cops don't have guns. The SWAT teams have them, as do the protectors of the royal guards who wield sub machine guns on the streets. We see this as we pass by over to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. It seemed like notable hypocrisy given the nation's anti-gun stance, but such are the times we live in.
Regents Sound Studios where The Rolling Stones recorded their first album.
Amandalin being told to 'move along'.
What time is it anyway?
That night we played at an ex-serviceman's club that hosts an American country music show. We played with Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue from New Orleans, and met Izzy who played guitar in Austin for years. The club was packed with rowdy drinkers and music fans. The bartender downstairs was telling everyone off and even called one bloke an "arsehole". We liked her. She said she didn't drink beer, only whiskey so we joined her for a shot. That's when she informed us that Tony had been kicked out just before we played. He got busted shaking the vending machine, a big "no no" at this place. The ride home featured Ash singing a medley of old wrigley's gum jingles word for word. It was hard to tell if Juicy Fruit was better than Big Red.