| Page: 2 , 20 diary entries (21 to 40) of 75 | < 1 2 3 4 > |
| Tuesday 31st January 2006 - Wayne's Bar(Nice) |
 Dear diary, We woke up this morning and all felt really good!! We couldn't believe it!! We popped in Wayne's for a coffee and Chappers had breakfast. We decided to go for a walk this afternoon which was really nice. Its really warm here. Better than when came in September!!! After our walk we sat on the beach for an hour or so. Scott made a small castle out of stones with a mote and everything!!! We went to the Mono Prix and got some shopping. We made baguettes for tea. Yum Yum!! It was another quiet gig in Wayne's tonight. Again, we didn't really mind at all as we were still getting used to the equipment. It was a bit more rock than Monday night though!!! After the gig we went over to 'Thor' (another music venue across the square)with the staff from Wayne's and watched the last few songs of a local bands set. We then went to 'Blue Whales' for a pint. Afterwards we went home ate some food and watched The A Team dvd!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Monday 30th January 2006 - Wayne's Bar(Nice) |
 Dear diary, Where do we start?!! We got up at 04:30 this morning having only had about 3 hours sleep. We had to check in at the airport at 06:00. Smoo got a right grilling for that one!! It was the only flight available though!! We arrived in Nice at about 11am and caught the bus to Wayne's. When we arrived we had all intentions of getting our heads down for the afternoon but that didn't happen. It wasn't our fault though.........honest! The manager Justin still had the keys to the band flat and didn't arrive at Wayne's till about 7pm. Anyway. We stayed in the pub all afternoon, drank lots of beer and played cards and Harry Potter top trumps!! We dont really remember much about the rest of the night to be honest. It was a mixture of sleep deprivation and being drunk. It was a very odd feelin!! It was a very quiet evening in Wayne's Bar which was good for us!! We had a bunch of Irish ladies in watching us who were a good laugh!! Our usual rock sound was about as jaded as us tonight. Dan and Scott couldn't get used to the amps and to be honest they didn't really care wether it sounded rocky or not!! 20th Century Boy and Born To Be Wild were probably the funniest. We played them without any distortion at all. Scott couldn't stop himself laughing out loud at one point. It was brilliant. After Wayne's we went to another bar for a cheeky half, got some food and went back to the flat and watched Peter Kay before falling asleep. |
| written by: SBA |
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| Sunday 29th January 2006 - Bunch Of Grapes(Bristol) |
| Dear diary, We got stuck in a massive traffic jam on the M5 today. It took us 3 hours to get to Bristol. What with the radio having a mind of its own it was a bloody nightmare!!! Anyway! we got there just in time to have a quick drink, set up and play. Lisa was really pleased that we made it and everyone enjoyed our set(see video section). We owe a very special mention to Claire who saved us from sleeping in a cold van. We wanted to stay in Bristol over night as we had to catch a flight to Nice at 6am. Thanks again Claire. You saved our lives!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Saturday 28th January 2006 - The Coachouse(Paignton) |
| Dear diary, WE ARE DISTURBED!! We arrived at the venue, loaded in and sound checked. We then had a couple of pints before going on. The first set was quite tame but it went down really well the locals and the landlord. The second set was a different story all together!! There was a lady in the crowd who took it upon herself to start doing some dirty dancing. The trouble was she was in her 50's with peroxide blonde hair etc (see video section)!! Smoo barely held it together during 'Foxy Lady'. The lady was stood right in front him while he was singing "I wanna take you home. I won't do you no harm" it was classic!!!!! After the gig the landlord gave us all a drink. We dont reall know what was in it but it knocked our socks off!!!! psP good night!!
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| written by: SBA |
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| Friday 27th January 2006 - The Radway Inn(Sidmouth) |
| Dear diary, The bloody stereo is still playing up in the van. We must get that fixed!! We loaded in and sound checked. Scott and Smoo played Cluedo and Crystal Maze on the games machine. Smoo won £4 and Scott didn't!!! The gig went well and it was nice to see some familiar faces in the crowd!! Scotts new mic stand decided to fall down during one of Smoo's songs. It was really funny!! We then stayed for a drink or two, packed up and went home. |
| written by: SBA |
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| Tuesday 24th January 2006 - Antelope(Crewkerne) |
 Dear diary, yet another memorable open mic night. We arrived early and watched Wigan beat Arsenal in the Carling Cup! There were alot of regulars attending the open mic night who new each other and we felt a little bit out of place to begin with but as soon as the music started the atmosphere warmed up alot. There were some really good musicians playing tonight including a guy on the flute and harmonica!! We also made friends with a slightly crazy bloke in a rainbow hoody(see photo) who had a case with various percussion instruments and a Rupert the bear. Our set went down really well with the locals and they were all impressed with the tour. After our set a regular got up and played some sing along songs. The crazy guy in the Rainbow hoody offered us to play his percussion instruments so we took it in turns to play bongos. Afterwards the barman borrowed Scotts guitar and played a song. He was allowed to use it providing one of the other musicians played 'Simple Man' by Lynard Skynard. It made a really good end to the night. We managed to exchange details with the bar manager and its looking like we'll probably get a full gig there later in the year!! Night Night!!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Sunday 22nd January 2006 - The Volunteer(Honiton) |
| Dear diary, We arrived at the Volley early today to watch Man U play Liverpool. We set up during half time and then watched the second half. Bad result!! Scott(Liverpool fan) lost a bet and had to buy a bloke a pint of cider cos Man U won. We played our first set after the football which went really well and we tried some new material too. All our favourite locals arrived and we new we were in for a good gig!! After the break we went back on and rocked!! Wolfy(local piss head) went to sit on a stool, completely missed it and just layed in a heap on the floor. It was very funny!! Freddie the 64 year old dancing king was strutting his stuff and doing the splits and Jonny G was singing along and playing air guitar!! Half way through the set Pete came up and sang 'The Volley Blues'. It was brilliant!! By now the pub was packed and we had a great time. After the gig we stayed and carried on drinking with everyone. Scott stayed right to the bitter end and was asked to leave in the end!! A good night was had by all!!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Saturday 21st January 2006 - Mr Kypes(Poole) |
 Dear diary, WHAT A NIGHT!!! We loaded in whilst Bon Giovi were sound checking. We were blown away by the sound quality in the venue and we knew that a good night was in store! It was then our turn to set up and sound check. The drummer from Bon Giovi kindly leant Chappers his kit which made life easier for all of us! We were really pleased with our sound check and Richard the sound engineer was really impressed with our music. It was then time to chill back stage for an hour or so. The back stage area was massive and they had a fridge, coffee machine and internet access. What more could a band need? Smoo couldn't resist and went and got a Chinese for his tea!! The gig was amazing!! The sound was spot on and the stage sound was perfect!! Alot of Dans family from around the area came to watch us tonight for the first time and were blown away by the bands music!! After our set we chilled with a beer, watched Bon Giovi (who were an excellent tribute) and manned our merchandise where we sold 4 albums, 1 EP and a couple of singles. We had some really good feedback from the gig and as a result of that we've been asked to play there again later in the year!! A good night was had by all!! we then packed up and went home. |
| written by: SBA |
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| Friday 20th January 2006 - The Star(Honiton) |
| Dear diary, arrived at the Star and set up whilst taking the odd slurp of a pint!! Dan was gutted as he was really close to owning his own U.S.A Fender Strat but when the guy arrived at the pub he said he'd sold it earlier today. We had an hour or so to kill so we played some pool, watched a bit of footy and waited for the pub to fill up. It was really good to play to our local crowd again and as usual it went down really well and everyone really enjoyed it. We played the same set as Lyme Regis so there was no need to write another set list. We sold a couple more albums tonight which was good. We then stuck around for a bit and drank some more beer and then went home at about 1am. What good boys we are!!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Wednesday 18th January 2006 - Ships(Newton Abbott) |
 Dear diary, we were back in Newton Abbott tonight for yet another open mic night. We thought we'd gone to the wrong venue to begin with as there was no signs of any live music at all. It was ok though, we were just early......again!! The bloody stereo in the van packed up on our way to the gig. A few bashes on the dash board and the old girl was soon workin again!! It was dead in there to begin with and just when we thought we were in for a shit night Jez the barman from The Fox strolled in with a few mates. He was completely trollied and made us laugh lots!! We started our set with 'I Know what you're Thinking' and then Jez got up on stage with us and played tambourine during 'Envy'. It was such a laugh!! We met a work collegue of Smoo's mum who turned up to watch us and play a few songs with his band. They named themselves 'The Scrotes' for tonight and were pretty good. A definite Joe Satriani influence going on there! Scott and Dan were then persuaded by Jez to go up and play a hip hop beat so that he could do some rapping. Scott set up a beat box with his voice and Dan played a little funky riff on the guitar. Jez didn't disappoint! There's video footage in the media section if you feel the need to check it out!! Although it was a quiet night we had a laugh and got a booking at the Courtney for May. We then drove home and didn't stop for fast food!! Dan said "I'm just gonna have a hob nob when I get home"............ Nice!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Monday 16th January 2006 - The Globe(Exeter) |
| Dear diary, It was OPEN MIC NIGHT TONIGHT!! And what a night it was!! We arrived early, had a pint and mingled with the locals. It was then time to start the proceedings. The organiser 'Hum' started the night with some really cool songs and then in true open mic style everyone got a chance to play a few songs. We met some really good musicians tonight including Benny Forrester who was really good. Scott was feelin' a little rough tonight but he said &quoI deserved it"!! We played two sets tonight(seven songs in total). One earlier in the evening and then we went on last to finish the night off!! It went down really well with everyone who was there including one of the members of 'Acoustic Voodoo' who played with us at The 3 Fat Fish. We managed to get a full booking out of it and another Exeter booking too!! Thanks to everybody for their 'good luck with the tour' wishes. |
| written by: SBA |
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| Sunday 15th January 2006 - The Fox(Newton Abbott) |
| Dear diary, After a few hiccups we eventually made it to the gig. We were supposed to start at six and then it changed and then it changed again!! It was a right kurfuffle!! Anyway. We got to the venue, set up and played straight away. Unfortunately we ended up playing to four people!! Yes four people. The barman Jez was very apologetic and made us feel very welcome. He was a right laugh!! Even though there wasn't anybody there we still had fun and sold two albums. Oh, and we got paid!! We then packed up and got back early just in time to pop in to our local(The Volunteer)and have a drink with Chrissy the landlady for her birthday. It was then off home to prepare for tomorrow!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Saturday 14th January 2006 - Winstons(Seaton) |
 Dear diary, We arrived at Winstons, loaded in and soundchecked just in time for our free meal that Rob(landlord) sorted out for us. Cheers Rob!! We had a couple of hours to kill afterwards so we got the darts out, had a couple of games and then played cards. We amaze ourselves at how rock 'n' roll we are sometimes!!! The gig went really well and the crowd were brilliant as usual. Some of them even made signs and held them up for us!! After the gig we enjoyed a few beers with the crowd and managed to sell 4 singles and a couple of albums. Thanks for a good night Seaton!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Friday 13th January 2006 - Rockers Live(Taunton) |
 Dear diary, FRIDAY THE 13TH? what a load of crap! It's been the luckiest day of our week!! We listened to the Foo Fighters on our way to Taunton. When we got there scott needed the toilet so he nipped in to Morrisons "NICE ESTABLISHMENT" he said. Again, we got there early to try and get our cd in a record shop. Success!! We found Martian Records and they happily stocked our cd's and put posters up for us. Cheers lads! We then went to a music shop to try and buy some ear plugs for our gig (They like it loud in Rockers)!! The shop didn't have any ear plugs but Dan fell in love with a Fender Strat (any donations would be much appreciated)!! The shop staff gave us directions to the local hearing centre so we checked it out. They only had one set so Smoo bought them (cheeky sod)!! We then took a walk across town and popped in to the Pen & Quill to drop off some flyers and posters for our gig on Feb 10th. We ended up having dinner there too!! On our way back to Rockers we posted a promotion pack in to BBC radio Somerset! We then loaded our gear in to the venue and sound checked. After the sound check 'Tank'(landlord/sound engineer) played Pink Floyd 'Dark Side Of The Moon' which was perfect for us to chill out to before the gig!! The gig went down a storm. The crowd loved it and we sold a couple of albums!! We've also got another booking for march 04th supporting 'Juicy Lucy'(a lucky day)! We then hit KFC for some supper and headed off home listening to 'Dodgey'...
Picture: Dan & Chappers setting up! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Thursday 12th January 2006 - The Phoenix(Plymouth) |
 Dear diary, arrived in Plymouth after a fun journey in the van listening to Chaz 'n' Dave. We got there early today to try and find a local record shop to stock the cd. When we found it it was bloody shut!!! We went for a wander around the City centre and ended up having dinner in the Hoggs Head, very nice!! When we got back to the van we still had time to kill so we cracked open a tinny each and listened to some more Chaz 'n' Dave! After loading in we were told that this would be our last gig here with the current owners as they've sold it to the owners of Dance Academy. Lets hope that they keep live music there! The night kicked off with indie band 'Mendez' who were a good bunch of lads and good fun too! They renamed Smoo. He's now called Smoopooney!!! Second up were young rockers 'Mary Jane' who were really good but didn't have any names for most of their songs (suicide Dave)!! Our set went really well apart from the slight delay at the start when Chappers got tissue paper stuck in his ear(don't ask). Everyone really enjoyed it and had fun. The Mendez boys requested 'Envy' again so we played it for the second time and ended with the Sex Pistols. Jason the sound engineer done a cracking job as always. He also bought a cd and reviewed the gig for us (see reviews)!! We then packed up, said our fairwells to the owners and Jason and hit the road. We listened to the Chillis on the way home. Dan and Scott shared a sausage sarni and washed it down with Scott's water. They also had a deep discussion about Billy Bragg!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Wednesday 11th January 2006 - Three Fat Fish(Exeter) |
| Dear diary, What a night!! We arrived at the Fish feeling really excited about the gig as we'd managed to sell loads more tickets than we thought we would. It's taken a long time to build up an Exeter fanbase so we had to impress the crowd!! We were supported by two really good bands tonight. First up was Accoustic Voodoo who were excellent and second was Prospects who are a really good up and coming rock band. Our gig went really well and the stage sound was spot on. After our main set we played our infamous porno music and then came straight back in with 'Young Lust'. We had some really good feedback from the crowd and the promoter who wants to book us again possibly to support Ocean Colour Scene!! We then packed away and headed back home with a van full of people wanting a lift!!!
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| written by: SBA |
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| Monday 9th January 2006 - The Old Wellhouse(Paignton) |
 Dear diary, It was our first trip to Paignton as a band today. We left early to try and catch a local record shop before they shut to try and get our album on the shelf. Unfortunately they're shut untill March due to family cicumstanses. We hope they're ok!! We had a couple of hours to kill so we thought it'd be a good idea to visit a couple of other venues! First up was the Spinning Wheel. We gave them our biog pack and explained about the tour etc but they seemed quite negative. Oh well! their loss!! We then got some fish and chips(well it is a seaside town!!) and made our way to The Coachouse. We're booked in to play there on Jan 28th so we thought we'd pop in, show our faces and check to see if they'd received the posters etc. It's a really cool venue and should be a cracking gig!! We then headed across to The Old Wellhouse for the 'Open Mic Night'!!! What a fun night it was too!! There were some really talented performers there tonight. We made some friends too. John was the most memorable with his book of 52 songs. Keep up the good work john!! We also met an artist who altered our angel logo on one of our flyers. He's gonna show us the finished article at The Coachouse. Can't wait!! Smoo fell in love with the Vodka slush machine and nearly drunk the bloody thing dry! He made the landlords night!! We played 7 songs tonight (accoustic style) which went down really well. Everyone thought we were really professional which was nice. It's looking like we've got a booking for a gig later in the year too. We feel very welcome in Paignton. Thanks to everyone for their feedback. See you on the 28th! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Sunday 8th January 2006 - The Carlton Inn(Honiton) |
 Dear diary, we arrived at the Carlton and the FA cup tie between Man UTD and Burton was on the TV. We witnessed Burton hold Man U to a 1-1 draw whilst setting up it was quite funny!! At about 8pm we were wondering if anyone was coming to watch us tonight as it was dead. By about 9pm it was starting to fill up nicely though. It was then time for us to go backstage, open the case of Brasilian lager that Garath gave us and gear ourselves up for our first home town gig as a 4 piece. We had quite alot to prove as we'd always sounded so solid as a 5 piece and we didn't want to disappoint plus Mark was in the crowd watching with an EAGLE EYE!! The gig went really well and, as usuall, we were accompanied by the Marks boys who put on a fantastic sound and light show for us. The crowd wasn't quite as lively as previous times but we were amazed to see so many people there watching and listening especialy as it was a Sunday night and so close to the new year. After the gig we sipped on some more(lots more) Brasilian lager and mingled with the crowd for a while. It was then time to pack away. Whilst packing up Garath presented us with a couple of boxes of Ali's chips. It was like non of us had eaten for a week!! We sat in a circle on our trade mark 70's carpet and devoured the lot!! What a night!!!
Picture: Bar manager Garath sharing Smoo's hair!!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Saturday 7th January 2006 - The Naggs Head(Lyme Regis) |
 Dear Diary. The 2006 tour kicked off tonight at the Nags Head,Lyme Regis ( you can tell a good night is instore when the first thing the boss say's is "What you drinking lads?"), which by the way is a great pub if you fancy a night out away from your usual haunts!! We watched Liverpool beat Luton 5-3 which pleased Scott and Chappers no end!! We then went and got some fish and chips!! The gig went really well with some classic crowd participation allthough we didn't play enough reggae for one lady! She still enjoyed herself though!! It was a relly good first gig for the tour and it went down really well considering it was the first time we had played there. It also resulted in us getting another booking in Birmingham (what a small world)!! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Sunday 11th September 2005 - SBA In Nice |
| Dear diary, Got up at 11 'o'clock this morning having only had 5 hours sleep. We were all feeling pretty rough after last night! Smoo was on form yet again though and sorted the taxi to the airport and made sure we were all ready to go(well done Smoo). Everything went to plan though. We didn't have any probs at the airport and got home safe and sound. A BIG thankyou to the staff at Wayne's for taking great care of us as always. OH NO! I THINK I'VE JUST MUDDED MY SELF!!!! Bye for now diary, speak to you soon! |
| written by: SBA |
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| Page: 2 , 20 diary entries (21 to 40) of 75 | < 1 2 3 4 > |
