Nothing doing...

...'til the Chania rock festival in Crete on August 8th. Blimey, it'll be hot.

After a pleasant evening's eating and drinking in the lovely city of Riga we headed off through a landscape of seemingly endless forest to the Fonofest - a bit like a heavy metal jamboree in a wooded clearing. Sadly it was pretty sparsely attended - a shame as it was organised by some very nice enthusiastic young Latvians who let us have a country house for the night. I hope it was enough of a success to warrant many more - those in attendance were having a whale of a time. Jamie very kindly toured the site offering strawberries to the punters, advertising his wares by having them smeared on his face, an approach which left many wary as to the motive behind his display of fruit-based altruism.

We arrived at the With Full Force festival near Leipzig to the sound of Motorhead playing and Les wondering loudly why we weren't pissed (he'd gone ahead as part of the advance drinking party). It was a standard German rock festival - big and well organized. Anathema played at half past one in the morning but plenty of people stayed to listen. The stage crew were pretty tetchy but that's hardly surprising as they'd been there for three days dealing with petulant musicians and road crew who'd forgotten to bring mains adaptors (for example).

Poland this weekend.

Riga

Waiting for everyone to emerge from their rooms so we can head out for some food in Riga's old town where our hotel is conveniently located. Perhaps we'll head for "Hospitalis" where diners sit in gynaecologists' chairs at an operating table while waitresses dressed as nurses spoon feed them "curious European cuisine variations." Or maybe "Gauja", a "tiny cafe that brings back memories of the Soviet way of life during the 70s." There, one can eat authentic Soviet era cuisine served on authentic plates whilst listening to cold war era Soviet music, all the while tended to by waiters wearing period clothing. Steak and chips will do for me.

The photo above (look carefully - that's a magazine she's holding) was taken on the train from London to Leeds.

Fonofest and With Full Force...

Heading off for the weekend, first to Latvia for the Fonofest, then to the "With Full Force" festival in Leipzig. If anything interesting or amusing happens I promise you'll be the first to know.

It looks like Anathema's return visit to Tunisia is going to happen later rather than sooner. Please refer to the band's official site for any news regarding future performances.

Best regards

Darryl

Looking back at the South American tour it was pretty good fun on the whole. I must be unique in having had a flu bug a couple of days before heading to Mexico, only to then get rid of it whilst there. For me South America was a continent full of cool trucks, in all shapes, sizes and states of repair. A lot of vehicles are personalised in some way - from trinkets on the bumpers to full-on elaborate paint jobs. In Buenos Aires it seems a sign writer can make a pretty good living painting up the local buses. I imagine beef farmers can't be short of work there either. It's quite amazing what they'll allow on the roads in Mexico City - accident repair centres must follow the "no job too large" business ethos en masse. Internal flights between shows put European airlines to shame - the facilities on a two hour flight with Lan aced out those on the Iberian long hauls with ease. By the way, stern Iberia stewardess, three small cans of lager do not constitute "too much alcohol on a plane", particularly when there's still seven hours of flying to be endured. As expected we didn't have much of a chance to get stuck in to South America - our experience being airports, hotels and gigs as usual, but it was well worth it nonetheless. Unfortunately we had to do the entire trip without trusty drum tech "International" Mick Reed, so were forced to do as best we could when encountering non-English speakers, though I think we got by without causing too much embarrassment or offence. I sincerely hope to go back to South America someday, hopefully with a few more days off to have a wander about. Until then, it seems we're heading back to Tunisia at the end of the month so stay tuned for more news.

Chile

Just finished setting up the stage in a bloody big sports arena in Santiago. We're staying in the Sheraton which is a little too posh for us in my opinion, particularly since our trip from the airport took us past many shanty towns. The weather has been beautiful - warm and sunny - though our promoter assures us that it's supposed to be cold and global warming is to blame. In light of recent events over the Atlantic everyone's feeling a little nervous about the fourteen hour flight to Madrid tomorrow. A few ales before take-off might be in order.

Argentina

Feeling nicely refreshed after a day off in Buenos Aires where there's a decidedly autumnal feel to the place. It rained all day yesterday but that didn't stop Matt and I heading off for a spot of sight-seeing with local helpful chap Dennis who took us to a couple of monuments and the old port. After a record store signing session we were driven to a restaurant (more a temple for the worship of meat) for some dinner and then back to bed. All very boring really but just what was required after the last few days traveling. From now on the schedule is pretty relaxed with flights at reasonable hours and (hopefully) decent venues with proper facilities. A couple of the band are feeling a little under the weather but that's hardly surprising considering the amount of time spent on aircraft and the hours we've been keeping. Our arrival at airports is usually met with masked doctors frantically collecting health questionnaires filled in during transit (do you have any of the following symptoms: fever, sore throat, aching limbs, etc) while passengers are filmed with thermal cameras and police stand by, presumably to arrest the infirm. It's invariably a snaking melee of irate travellers as queue management is non-existent and immigration and customs still await. Not what you want after a long flight. Still, it could have been worse, we might have been flying on one of these:

Ecuador

All a bit hectic really, what with flying in and playing on the same day. The venue was as described and lacking in many basic health and safety areas (must not stink of diesel being one of them), though it meant Vincent finished the concert in dramatic fashion, flat on his back after an electric shock from his effects pedals. Quito seems a nice town, though the sight of a dirty two-year-old kid wandering alone next to a main road without a care in the world was a little jarring, particularly since we were enjoying the luxury of the Hilton Colon hotel. Sleep patterns can now only be described as farcical, though the schedule means we can relax for a couple of days on arrival in Buenos Aires. We're flying via Peru so dramatic scenery should be available to those interested along the way.

Waiting for our connecting flight to Ecuador in a most mellow departure lounge in San Jose, Costa Rica. We all wish we were getting off here - it looks ace. The Mexico gig was well received by the most enthusiastic audience I've ever seen and therefore can be classed "worth the effort". I've lost all concept of time and distance now but it doesn't really matter any more. We're straight off the plane to the venue in Quito today (a brick hut if rumours are to be believed) but after that it's two days off in Buenos Aires.

Mexico

It seems like I fell asleep in London, had a seemingly never-ending nightmare about planes, then woke up feeling knackered in Mexico. It turns out this is all true, apart from the falling asleep bit. Twelve hours on a plane is a long time, and I was awake for every sodding second of it (not to mention the previous connecting flight as well). There were some breathtaking sights as we flew over the Bahamas though (see above). It was pretty chaotic at Mexico City airport - wheelchair-bound officials were helped by thermal imaging cameras to spot fever to make sure no-one had swine flu, while sniffer dogs looked diligently for naughty stuff in baggage. Customs officials invited everyone to play the "press the button" game - you press a button - a green light means pass through, a red light means you're searched. All passed except Danny, though he didn't get too much hassle. The drive to the hotel was nuts as expected - no driving regulations to speak of and some very interesting vehicles. Nice food at the hotel, though the fact that the peso and dollar signs are so similar had me wondering if we were in one of the worlds most expensive restaurants ($178.00 for a steak!?).

Off to the venue now. Lets see what awaits.

Slobbing around for a week in London before heading off for Mexico and South America next Tuesday. The Spanish leg of the recent tour was a bit of a drag - none of the venues were particularly great and most were in the industrial outskirts as usual. Alicante was nice though, Danny somehow getting the audience swaying along to an impromptu rendition of "The Jolly Pieman" - a bizarre sight, footage of which may appear on Youtube. I would highly recommend Portugal to anyone who's never been. I'd always imagined a bit more Spain with a different name but couldn't have been more wrong. Most on the bus seemed pleased to be heading home by the end of the tour - sound man Ian Bond itching to get to LA and his missus, the band bungalow-bound to put the finishing touches to the album. I on the other hand am happy doing absolutely nothing.

Cheers.

In Granada at a classic industrial estate venue. It's been raining so hopefully life on the bus will be a little more bearable than yesterday in Madrid. Unfortunately the schedule means we haven't had too much time to explore, though Vincent has been making sure he takes in some art when he has the chance. Nothing particularly blog-worthy has happened to be honest - the shows have been well attended and well received, the drives between cities smooth and uneventful. I did get left behind at a service station but a quick phone call sorted that out. Oh yeah, I think I might have lost a couple of cables but I'm not sure. Maybe something exciting awaits us in Alicante.

Portugal/Spain

Having a morning cuppa in the new Traveller's Arms (not quite as charming as our last mobile local but we're working on it) on "the Cream Machine" while driver John steers us through big open plains and the odd town towards Bilbao after shows in Lisbon and Porto. I like the new bus, mainly because there's only ten of us on board this time. The bunks are a little bigger and the toilet has rocks in it (either turd deterrent or ornamental piss-feature, we can't decide which) but on the whole it's business as usual. Portugal is a great country - like a grander version of Spain. We had a spectacularly tasty meal by the waterfront in Lisbon, enjoyed to the sound of a swarm of giant hornets (actually traffic noise from the nearby bridge) and then headed for the old town to sample the traditional Portuguese drink known locally as "a bucket of vodka with ice in it". Les' birthday was celebrated after the Lisbon show with a huge cake and happy birthday sung repeatedly to him by a nutter. Porto is a typographer's dream - elegant buildings with cool lettering and neon signs everywhere you look. Multi-skilled Mick Reed joined fine support act Leafblade with his djembe drum last night, managing to squeeze in rehearsals during breaks from his new job as chief lampshade designer for the tour.

Romania

Flew in to Bucharest, stayed in a hotel, had some beers and food, Anathema played to a couple of thousand people in a big hall, then we flew home again.

Touring Portugal and Spain starting Monday and we're on a bus again. Hope it's as much fun as last time.

A most agreeable way to record guitar.

Just come back from the pub - my first "leisure time" in a week. It was jolly nice to read the paper over a pint on a warm spring evening in Yorkshire. Speaking of springtime, there's an awful lot of rabbits running around outside the bungalow, all quite cute with their white tails bobbing about the place, though I can't help imagining what they'd be like in a spicy Sicilian tomato sauce with some crusty bread to dip in. Mick has very kindly supplied us with a motorcycle and mountain bike for our recreational and transportation needs while isolated here, bringing the shops a little closer, but providing less of a chance to say hello to the horses tied up by the roadside along the way. I'm going to buy the poor things some carrots tomorrow. Plenty has been done recording-wise since our return to the UK - the tracking for the album is rapidly nearing completion. Les is doing some rough mixes for record company and management ears. It's nice to hear the songs in an almost complete form - so much of recording involves listening to little snippets as you try to nail a particular vocal part or whatever. We've had news that visits to Colombia and Brazil might be added to our South American trip in May making the whole thing pretty bonkers flights-wise. Not good news for notorious aviation-phobe Matt.

The photo shows the big board in the studio, pictured some time ago I might add.

The Tunisian escapade made it into the papers back home in England, namely the Liverpool Echo and The Sun!

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/04/10/the-devil-s-in-the-detail-for-city-band-100252-23357537/

I'm with Anathema in the studio for a couple of weeks (currently recording Vincent's vocals) so I might write something about it if anybody's interested - just waiting for something blog-worthy to happen. Knowing this lot I won't be waiting too long.

How about that?

I just had a call from Ahmed, our esteemed promoter in Tunisia, telling me that the missing guitar has been found! Apparently he received an anonymous tip-off pointing him towards an area of woodland close to the Acropolium where he found the damn thing sitting there. I still can't quite believe it. Many, many thanks to all those in Tunisia who did so much to help find the guitar - your efforts obviously pricked a guilty conscience.

Cheers!

Back home...

...in London for a few days before heading back to the bungalow to help Anathema finish the album. We returned from Tunisia minus one rather expensive Les Paul guitar which in all likelihood went missing from the Acropolium sometime between Friday and Monday when we were denied access. Also one piece of hold baggage was removed from the connecting flight to Manchester in Paris. This happened to be Jay's bass, so we're down two guitars on the deal. The bass is traceable fortunately. So if any of you good people in Tunisia come across a wine red flame top Gibson Les Paul in a black Gibson case, possibly with an Anathema sticker on it, I'd be awfully grateful if you'd let me know. You can leave a message on this blog.

What a massive pain in the arse that all was then. In spite of everything though, I'd like to say that I and the band have nothing against the Tunisian people - what happened during our visit was a series of unfortunate events. We would like nothing better than to return to play the concert, which judging by the fans we met will be an amazing event. All being well Anathema will return sometime very soon so keep your eyes peeled for news. In the meantime, the next stop is Romania on April 29th.

See you in a couple of weeks.

After four days at the hotel waiting "just one hour more" for authorisation or whatever, the gig has finally officially been cancelled (not by the band of course). We've been up to the venue and removed all the guitars and keyboards we set up on Friday, all the while watched by disbelieving fans, who one assumes experienced this same disappointment just two days ago. It's such a shame for all the Tunisian fans (and of course those who travelled from elsewhere). We don't really know why this happened and who really was to blame - there's been a lot of talk and a lot of silence surrounding the whole affair. The one thing that is certain is that Anathema will be back to play in Tunisia in the not-too-distant future.

Until then, bye for now.

For the record

I'd like to make it clear that this blog is not intended to be an official source of information regarding any of the bands for whom I work or any other persons mentioned in any of the posts, merely a series of (hopefully entertaining) anecdotes about life on the road with Anathema and others. I hope it is read in the same spirit with which it is written.

Cheers

Darryl

To all the Anathema fans who travelled to Carthage to find the concert postponed: myself, the rest of the crew, the promoters and the band tried everything in our power to make it happen but sadly were prevented from doing so by circumstances beyond our control. We'll do all we can to put on a great show for you tomorrow evening.

Hope to see you there.

There were a great many angry fans at the venue on Saturday evening and quite rightly so. Many had travelled a great distance and won't be able to make the Monday re-schedule. In an attempt to make amends Danny and Vincent put on a great little acoustic show in the hotel bar for around fifty lucky fans and a few unsuspecting guests. Our promoter Ahmed has assured us the gig will go ahead on Monday once the correct paperwork has been presented to the correct people. So we found ourselves with a day off today and headed to Sidi Bou Said for a prolonged high-pressure sales pitch from the local hawkers and shopkeepers. I almost had to buy a bronze horse just to escape with my life. It's a lovely little town, all white and blue due to some strange local bye law, though sadly lacking in places to enjoy a cool beer. Everyone's back at the hotel now, starving and waiting for the restaurant to open.

Okay, now this is good. The gig has been postponed until Monday evening and we have been denied entry to the concert venue, having arrived this morning to find a police guard at the entrance. Our promoter informed us that somebody, in an attempt to scupper the project, has told the Tunisian interior ministry that Anathema are Satan worshippers who eat black cats and drink their blood (but draw the line at kissing their anuses - see earlier post from Blois). The ministry have requested song lyrics to peruse over the weekend in order to put their minds at rest. We're now sitting down to a nice dinner (courtesy of our apologetic promoter) while someone heads up to the venue to break the news to the disgruntled fans. We'll have to see what happens on Monday.