Big Zee Music

Thursday May 4th The time has finally come, today is the start of the Teenage Casket Co/The Erotics UK tour. Laney74 has arranged to pick me up outside Ilkeston Towns ground @ 12.20pm, @ 12.30pm i get a phone call from him telling me he is running a little late & will be there around 1pm. At 1.20pm i get another call, he will be there in 15 mins. He & Spike arrive @ 2pm hahaha. Laney is obviously still in DIP mode from the previous night!!!!!! Onto Bulwell to collect Jamie & Wylde, gear is neatly packed in & we are off on tour. I make some joke about when do we pick up some 6th form girls, i don`t think any of them have seen "Bad News Tour" as the silence is deafening! Tonights gig is @ Stubbs in Colchester(175 Miles) & we have arranged to meet The Erotics @ their hotel on the A12, which is very poorly sign posted(there wasn`t one)& it was spotted at the last second, but with some skillful driving, Laney managed to bring us to very calm halt. The receptionist was a pretty asstute person, as i`m sure she took one look at us & directed us to The Erotics room without us having to ask. There were hugs all round as TCC & The Erotics reaquanted themselves, i only met them briefly on last years tour, so i just made do with a firm handshake. Mike Trash was missing though, as we walked into the room, the bathroom door opened & there he was, with a razor in one hand & a towel covering his modesty. That isn`t how i want to see one of my favourite rock stars! We arrived in Colchester & after several trips around the one way system, we found the club. It was a decent little club, but the PA guy didn`t show up, so it was down to the bands to set their own sound. There were only 20 people to witness the 1st night, but TCC won`t let that stop them putting on a kick ass show, blasting through a set of some familiar songs & a couple of new ones thrown in for god measure & a cover of Poison`s "Look What The Cat Dragged In" to finish. Since seeing The Erotics on last years UK tour, they have become one of my favourite bands of all time(i won`t mention this again, as i don`t want to sound like a crazy stalker)so when the chance to come on this tour as Merchandise seller/Roadie/Photographer, i wasn`t going to pass it up. I`m going to have to be honest here & say that i was so pleased to be seeing them again, their set flew by & can`t remember much about it(what a dickhead)although "Rock n` Roll killing Machine" & "Drink, Fight & Fuck" did stand out. The crowd seemed to be into both bands, especially the Essex Chavette, who danced through most of The Erotics set, but she did have to stop every minute or so, to pull her bra back up!!!! The only down side to the show was a poor vocal PA, which wasn`t really powerful enough & the PA guy not showing up. At 1am the van was reloaded & we were ready for our 4.5 hour journey home, we had a quick fuel & food break somewhere on the M1, where one band member took a piss in the bushes because the toilet looked like it was about to over flow, i, on the other hand, took my chance with the bog. It was a close call!! We arrived back in Ilkeston @ 5.30am tired but having enjoyed my 1st day "on the road" Friday & Saturdays gigs are on home turf, Potters & Junction 7, so hopefully we`ll get a good turn out & see some familiar faces. Things i have learnt so far: 1: The seats on the bus are uncomfartable after 1.5 hours. 2: We can get the ipod to work through the bus stereo, you just need to get violent with it. 3: It`s a complete shitter when the ipod battery runs out & you are reduced to listening to shit night time radio. 4: when you are sleeping in the daytime, turn off all telephones, as being woken up after 4 hours sleep makes you want to kill someone. 5: We think that there is an AlQuieda camp at the service station. Friday May 5th It`s a local one tonight @ Potters in Langley Mill, with support from Patchwork Grace. I have one problem with the venue & that is, during sound check, it is frequented by dossers, who, when Jamie is checking the mics saying "testing 1-2", they shout things like "3-4" & fall about in fits of laughter, as if it has never been said before & then shouting, "shut up you blonde cunt". Excuse me, why don`t you stop eating mountains of food , you obese twat, can`t you just fuck off back under the stone from which you crawled? Dickhead. Talking of the sound check, tonight we have a proper PA with a sound engineer as well & what a difference it makes, everything is crystal clear & the vocals sound way better than last night. There is a good crowd tonight, with TCC bringing a big crowd & Patchwork Grace have brought their Bunch of rabble rousing teenage fans with them. Could The Erotics leave a lasting impression on the youngsters? Well, if the amount of them buying The Erotics rub on tattoos were anything to go by, it was going to be easy. At this point i have to say thanks to Andy for giving Cathy a lift down to the gig & then taking us both home afterwards, much appreciated. Patchwork Grace kicked things off with their own brand of Sleazy, Glam that we all love. It`s also good to see their new drummer, Danny Gunn settled in behind the kit & with him has come a different style of drumming from previous drummer, Scott Lawson, & this has given PWG a fresh sound. I was wondering if Crip can grow hair at will, as his hair seems to get bigger every time you see him play. With TCC & The Erotics taking it in turns to headline, it was The Erotics who took to the stage next. I was determined to take this gig in properly, & not let it pass me by without remembering it. Their performance was fantastic, & when you realise that this is a band which hasn`t slept properly for nearly 3 days, due to travelling you can`t help but be impressed by them. They had a good crowd at the front of the stage & they won a lot of new fans, with nearly all of PWG fans dancing to them. If they can play as good as this at every gig, they will go back to the USA with loads of new fans. Teenage Casket Co rounded of a great gig with their brand of "Power pop, Glam", the dance floor was packed with people singing along & dancing as though their lives depended on it, & this just made TCC raise the roof that bit more. It really is a great sight to see a band that is firing on all cylinders & obviously enjoy playing together. Whilst taking photos, i was just about to kneel down in front of Jamie, when he gave a well timed shout of "Don`t kneel there" good job he did, as the floor was covered in broken glass, that had at one time been a pint glass. I think Crip got the blame for that. 20 mins later & the floor infront of Jamie was covered in glass & water again, with Rob getting the blame this time. On the merchandise side, it was quite good night, with The Erotics tattoos being the best seller, mainly to Patchwork Graces female fans, most of whom put them on their faces More things i have learnt: 1: When you are having as good a time as i was, you don`t realise how drunk you are, until you get home. 2: Lorna & Beckys dance, is the best dance routine i have ever seen. 3: When Becky is drunk, she lets you write on her, using permanent marker. 4: Packing away the merch stand is a lot more difficult when you are drunk. 5: Non of us thought that there was an AlQuieda camp anywhere on todays journey. Saturday May 6th. Another local one, tonight it`s the "Wildside" night @ Nottinghams, Junction 7, with support from Swedish Glam band, "Vains Of Jenna". Tonight is the 1st proper "Rock Night" of the tour. The Wildside nights are pretty popular, so everyone is expecting a good turn out. A few people who had been @ Potters the previous night, showed up here as well, obviously they couldn`t get enough of TCC & The Erotics Brand of "Low Down Sleazy Glam." Cathy came along as well & Lee, Paul, Phil & Andy(all fellow Ilkeston Town fans & team mates @ ASC Ilkeston Town)came along with her. Andy was @ Potters, But Lee, Paul & Phil were seeing the bands for the 1st time. As for a big crowd, well, this was reckoned to be the biggest yet for a Wildside Rock night. Nottingham people know a good thing when they see one. We salute you, one & all :-) Vains of Jenna Got things underway. I`ve seen them on MySpace & thought they sounded pretty cool & they gave us a good show, reminding us of how the Glam scene looked & sounded back in it`s 80`s peak. Happy days! TCC were on next & they gave yet another fine performance, with just about everyone in the venue singing along. I reckon most peoplein there has seen them many times before & just can`t resist them. It was also damn cool to see Rob Wylde impersonator, Nikki Sikk showing everyone how to play a real mean air guitar. You rock like fuck my friend. The Erotics hit the stage last & topped off another great gig, but it could have been so different, when, during the opening song, bass player, Billy, ran & jumped feet 1st against the side wall, but didn`t land properly & fell flat on his arse. Luckily he bounced straight back up without missing a note. That was the cue for Patchwork Grace bassist, Jam, who was standing on a stool in front of me, to fall off that! What was it with bass players that night? That reminds me of a joke: A team of explorers are on an expedition to the jungles of south america. before they set of into the jungle, they recruite a guide from a small village. they are only 30 mins into the jungle, when in the distance they can hear drums, upon hearing this, the guides face turns a ghostly white & he starts shouting "no no, it will be terrible" & then runs off. the explorers decide that they must go back to the village & get another guide. all of the villagers look a bit aprehensive & it takes twice as much money to get another guide. they set off into the jungle & again 30 mins into their journey, they hear the sound of drums. yet again, the guides face turns a ghostly white & he starts shouting " no , no, any minute now it will be terrible" he then runs off back to the village. the explorers return to the village for another guide, this time it costs them 4 times the amount of money to aquire the services of a villager. off they go into the jungle & when they reach the spot the other guides ran off from, they hear the drumming again, the guide starts screaming & tries to run off, but this time the explorers are ready & grab him & pin him to the floor, by now the guide is hysterical, one of the explorers asks him, "what is it? what will be so terrible?" the guide tries to calm down & says "please we must go the horror that comes next is indescribable". "the explorer replies "what can be so bad"............................................... .......the guide replies " any minute now the bass solo will start" Some more things i have learnt. 1: No matter how determined i am not to eat junk food & just eat healthy things, when i am offered a free pizza, i eat it. 2: There are some people who are still wearing the same style of clothes as they were wearing in Glams hay day, that was nearly 20 years ago & your bodys have changed shape, once upon a time, you looked good, now you look scary. 3: Red cod pieces have never & will never, look good on anyone other than the lead singer from Cameo, & even then, it was wrong. 4: Still no more sign of anymore AlQuieda camps We`ve got 2 days off now. Next gig is @ Jailhouse in Coventry, where our good friends Patchwork Grace will be supporting. ROCK OUT WITH YOUR COCK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tuesday May 9th Jailhouse , Coventry. It`s only a short drive tonight, around 1 hour 15 mins, so we don`t have to set off until 4.45pm. We are travelling at rush hour but for some reason, we don`t hit any hold ups & have an easy drive, only taking 1 hour. As we pull up at the venue, Patchwork Grace have just finished unloading, so we enlist them into unloading our van with us, thank you. The venue is fairly small with a decent stage & reputedly, "the best sound man in the midlands". Usually the merch stand is just a couple of pub tables pushed together, but tonight i`ve got the whole of the pool table, which has been covered over, it`s great having so much room. The changing rooms are fairly decent as wee & are situated 2 floors above us, walking to & from them reminded me of the scene in "Spinal Tap" where they get lost on their way to the stage. TCC & The Erotics(or The eBROCKtics, as they are calling themselves for tonight, it`s a lot funnier if you were there!)do their soundcheck 1st, then myself, Mike, Johnny & Billy head out to "Subway" for some food. The line up for tonight was this. Dirty Habit, Patchwork Grace, The Erotics & TCC, but for some reason a 5th band Val Halla has been added without our knowledge, this has left the 1st 3 bands with just 20 mins each & The Erotics & TCC with just 30 mins each. Val Halla & Dirty Habit have brought a decent crowd with them, hopefully they`ll stick around for the whole night. Patchwork Grace are the 1st of th "Out of town bands" & the crowd is getting bigger for each band, they go down really well & i get a few people asking for cd`s, unfortunatelt PWG are waiting for their new line of merch arriving, sorry people, you`ll just have to wait a few more weeks for the cd launch. The Ebroctics(if you were there, you`d be pissing yourself laughing at this) are up next & there are a few people who saw them here last year, good to see that they have left a lasting impression on people, & the people seeing them for the 1st time seem to be having a good time as well. TCC are headlining tonight & there is a good crowd here by now, usually midweek gigs here aren`t that well attended, but tonight the thought of missing this great line up must have been too much to bear. TCC tear it up to a very appreciative crowd, tonight we have them all, lads headbanging & throwing "Devil Horns", girls dancung & even an EMO kid buys a TCC shirt, we`ll convert you from the dark side yet!!!! We get all of the gear packed & loaded, then head to the bar for a few after show drinks. Tonight we had a little game going, ebery time you mentioned a certain persons name(this is where the eBROCKtics comes in)you had to drink a shot of Jack Daniels, i had done really well up until this point, but after a couple of pints of Strongbow, i let my guard slip, Mike Trash is 100o blame for this. Eventually around 1.30am, Laney tells us that it is time to go, we say our goodbyes to the landlord & bar staff & head home. The 1st 30 mins of the journey are very uneventful, the fun starts when we pull up at the services @ Donington for a piss break. Myself, Spike & Wylde went in for a piss, then wylde tried to get something to eat, i took one look at Spike & said "Lets fuck off & leave him", so we run out to the van shouting "Go,Go, we`re leaving Wylde" we jump in the van & pull out of the car park, we`ve manged to get out without Wylde seeing us, but we are still close enough to see his reaction when he realises that the van isn`t there anymore, we`re sure he was nearly crying. We go back for him & the look of relief on his face is amazing, he jumps in & said "You bastards, i was touching cloth there, i thought you`d forgotten me" lol Mike Trash`s alcohol intake now seems to be taking full effect, & he is doing impressions of the unmentionable person & following it with pig noises, on the face of it, that isn`t that funny, but when you are loaded with Stringbow & Jack Daniels, it is the funniest thing you have ever seen or heard, & my stomach is aching by the time we drop him off. I get in around 3.30am after what for me, has been the best show so far. We`re at The Grapes in Sheffield tomorrow & that is usually a good size crowd. Things i have learnt today 1: MIKE TRASH IS A BAD INFLUENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2: People in Coventry don`t have much money to buy merch. 3: The landlord of The Grapes is a very nice person 4: I have given up on seeing another AlQuieda Camp Wednesday 10th May. The Grapes, Sheffield. It`s only a short journey tonight & should take 45 minutes, so we don`t need to set off until 5pm. This means i could spend most of the day in bed!! We are only 5 minutes into the journey when a shout goes up from Mr Delerict, so we turn around to go back & fetch his bag. Wylde jumps out get it, whilst we turn the van around, he is stood at the side of the road waiting for us, & Laney decides to carry on from last night & drives straight past him & stops 100 yards up the road, we find it hilarious, Wylde doesn`t, haha. We get there at 6pm & have to cart the gear up 3 flights of stairs, it doesn`t take us long when we all get stuck into it. Vains of Jenna are tonights support band & i`m looking forward to seeing them again. After soundcheck, Myself, Spike, Johnny & Billy head into town to see if we can find a Subway so we can get some dinner. We ask 2 lads if they know of one, they then spend the next 3 minutes arguing about which one is nearer, so we walk off & go to McDonalds instead, it`s not great but it`s going to have to do for tonight. When we get back to the club it turns out that they haven`t been able to get anyone to take the door money, so i set up the merch stall next to the door & do both jobs. We don`t have a stamp, so i draw a smilie face on the backs of peoples hands, most people find this amusing, but there are a few who look at me like there is something wrong with me, they may be right! V of J are on good form tonight & get a good reaction from the crowd & i sell a few of their cd`s. Party on Wayne! (if you`ve seen V of J you will understand that last comment, if not, tough, i`m not explaining it) TCC are up next & there a quite a few poeple who have come especially to see them, they are kept happy by another good performance & the band are having a blast as well. The Erotics are on last & despite having a few problems with mics, they win a lot of new friends & fans tonight & have their best night on merch as well. We get packed up fairly quickly & head straight home, (no drinking games tonight, thank god) & we get back around 1am. I didn`t learn anything today! Thursday 11th May The Cavern Club, Liverpool. It`s just over 100 miles to Liverpool, so we set off at 3pm & have a steady drive north. when we get into Liverpool, we take a wrong turning & end up getting lost, we drive around for while, but don`t seem to be getting anywhere near the club, so we decide to ask someone for directions, we stop twice & on both occasions the people we ask don`t come from Liverpool & don`t have a clue where it is. We drive around a bit more & spot 2 people dressed in Motley Crue & Trash light Vision shirts, so we ask them, it`s a relief to hear them say it is just round the next corner. They decide to follow us to the club & it turns out they had heard about us playing, but they thought that it was next week & were just about to go home, so it looks like us getting lost was a good thing. We can`t get in to set up until after 7pm so we just have to hang around outside, while we are doing this, Johhny takes a photo of Billy & the statue of John Lennon. Billy, you are a bad man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We thought that last night & 3 flights of stairs was bad, until we see 6 flights tonight. The bands get set up & soundchecked & the sound in this place is amazing, by far the best of the tour so far. Mr Soundman, you rock. Subway is fast becoming our favourite place to eat on this tour & luckily, there is one just round the corner. After eating, I took some posed pics of The Erotics, hopefully they`ll use some of them on their website or myspace page. There are 5 bands on tonight & TCC & The Erotics should have been on 4th & 5th, but some of the people who have come to see us have to leave early to get the last train home, so we are very nice to the soundman & he lets us go on 3rd & 4th. The 1st band are ok, the female singer has a fantastic voice, but the music does nothing for me. I don`t know where to start on the next band, they were just shit on so many levels it was unbelievable. The singer/guitarist seemed to be suffering from "Morrisseyitis" whilst the keyboard player stood there & didn`t do anything, i kid you not, for 3 songs he didn`t do a fucking thing, other than look as though he wished he wasn`t there & then out of the blue, he sang a few lines of a song, then didn`t do anything for the rest of their set. And their other guitarist looked so timid, that i`m sure if one of us had tapped him on the shoulder & said "BOO" he would have died on the spot. This was by far the worst band i have ever seen in my life & i have seen some shit bands!!! The Erotics tore into their set & the sound of a loud rock band dragged a few more people into the room & there was now a decent crowd watching, our 2 new young fans had been joined by another of their mates & they stood at the front & rocked like fuck. TCC carried on where The Erotics left off, showing the people of Liverpool what a rock show is & that boring Indie bands should just shut the fuck up. When TCC finished people started to leave & the only people left where mums, dads & Bezzie mates of the next band, to me that says a lot about them, when it`s only family that want to watch them. They didn`t offer any surprises & were pretty lame, the biggest response they got was when they finished with "Sweet Home Alabama" & "Born To Be Wild" even your family & bezzie mates think that your own material sucks hahah. Whilst stopping with Rob Wylde, The Erotics have been watching "Max & Paddy" dvd`s, & when Mike Trash realised the bouncer looked just like Max, he decided that he wanted his photo taken with him as he thought it was hilarious. I gave the statue of John Lennon one last kick in the bollocks & headed home. We had just got onto the motorway when Trash decided he needed the toilet, so we stop at the next service station for him. Trash & Wylde go for a piss in the bushes( which are in view of a small police station) Trash then gets in the van & we drive off & leave Wilde again hahahahaha You`d think that we would get bored of this, you` be wrong though, as it gets funnier every time. We reluctantly let him back on the bus & make for home. Things i have learnt today. 1: The Cavern club is very overrated 2: Leaving Wylde at service stations gets funnier every time we do it. 3: Scouse indie bands are crap Friday 12th May Winnington Rec, Northwich. We are going to be away for the next 3 days, so i have to remember to pack a few things, i`m just about to go out of the door, when Cathy asks if i`ve got my sleeping bag, a quick search of the house & i`ve found it & i`m on my way. Instead of the usual boring motorway journeys, we are going to travel through Matlock, Backwell, Buxton & over The Cat & Fiddle & show The Erotics a bit of the peak district. We stop off in Bakwell to buy some Bakwell Puddings, these will be saved for breakfast tomorrow. The drive through Derbyshire makes a very nice change from just sitting on a motorway & it`s a nice day so the views are brilliant. We stop off at The Cat & Fiddle pub for something to eat & take a few pictures as well. We get to the gig at 6.45pm & get set up straight away. The soundcheck goes well & just as we are finishing, the support band turn up(whos name i can`t remember, sorry)& run through a song & we are ready for the doors to open. When the doors open, the room fills with teenagers in a matter of minutes, it seems to be more of a youth club than a rock show, but i`ve been told that they go mad for the bands. The support band do a good job & get the crowd dancing along to them, it seems as though their trip from Newcastle has been worth while. Teenage Casket Co are on next & a good crowd has gathered infront of the stage, they`ve played here before & it seems that they have quite a few fans here. With a stage as big as this they have loads of room & Laney seems to be bouncing from one wall to another, Wylde soon follows, but Delerict doesn`t do much running around, he just pulls his now famous "Rock Faces". After TCC`s set, a girl comes over to the merch stall & asks if i have a marker pen so she can get the bands autographs, she then turns to Laney, pulls her top down & tells him, not ask him, to sign her breast, Laney looks quite embarrased as he signs her & i find his embarrasement very amusing, until she turns to me & tells me to sign her, "But i`m not in a band" i tell her, "I don`t care, sign me" is her answer, she has got a crazy look in her eyes & i`m scared, so i sign my 1st autograph. The Erotics are headlining tonight & there is a good growd infront of the stage when they start, but due to the actions of one girl, who is running around grabbing people & chucking them on the floor, running at people & sending them into the stage & just being a general pain in the arse, the crowd soon disperses & there are only 4 people at the front watching the show. After 20 mins, Trash decides he`s had enough & says "If you`re not going to listen to us, i`m not going to carry on playing." Then he unplugs his guitar & walks off stage, i get the feeling that this is the first time this has happened at this venue, as the crowd seem genuineley shocked. The sound engineer decides he has to take action & says that if they want to hear some more from The Erotics, they had better start showing a bit of respect for them. The crowd returns to the front of the stage & The Erotics return & carry on with the gig. Looking back, we should have done something to stop the crazy girl, as she was the main reason people weren`t at the front having a good time, but in the end it didn`t turn out too bad. We get packed away & have a few drinks before heading off to Nicks(the promoter)house, where we are staying tonight. He cooks us pizza & hands out some more beer, before we head off to bed at 3am. Saturday 13th May Sanctuary Rock Bar, Burnley. "What the fuck is that noise?" is my 1st thought when i wake up, it`s very low, & seems to be growling. Then i realise what it is, Rob Wylde, your snoring is terrible!!!! It`s 8.30am & i`m now wide awake, but noone else is. Laney opens his eyes, asks what time it is, then promptly falls straight back to sleep, bastard, why can`t i do that. At 10am, i decide that i have had enough of trying to get some more sleep & i get up & one by one everyone else seems to wake up, with the exception of Trash & Delerict, but once the kettle is boiled & tea & coffee is made their animal senses awaken & they stir from their peaceful slumber. We head off for Burnley just after midday & it takes about 1.5 hours to get there. We park up & go in search of a pub that does food & has the FA Cup final on tv. We eventually find a decent one that does 2 meals for £5, we all order a meal, except Billy, who has 2 meals for £5, you greedy bastard!!!!!! We have got a good view of the big screen & settle down to watch the footy. It turns out to be the best FA cup final i have ever seen. The atmosphere gets a bit edgy when West ham go 3-2 up with inly 10 mins left, there are loads of Liverpool fans in here, but only 2 West Ham fans & one Liverpool fans spends 5 mins staring out the Hammers fans. It`s 3-3 after 90 mins & we head off to Sanctuary to get sound checked. Whilst we are setting up, i keep nipping downstairs, to watch bits of extra time, it ends up going to penalties, Liverpool win, shame really, as i would have loved to see the Hammers win. Sound check goes pretty well & i`ve got my merch stall set up next to a serving hatch for the bar, result. I`m not sure how tonight will go, as the last time i came here to see TCC, they were at the end of the "Born To Rock" tour with "The Dangerfields" & they didn`t have a great night, there was a small crowd & all they seemed to be doing was heckling them. By the time Patchwork Grace hit the stage, all of my doubts have gone, the room is packed & the crowd is totally different from last time. PWG do a fantastic job opening the show & the crowd really appreciated them, with lots of people dancing at the front of the stage. It must be a real buzz to play a venue where nobody knows you & get that sort of response from the crowd. Someday soon, PWG are going to be huge. The Erotics hit the stage & the crowd is now well warmed up & well oiled & are in search of some kick ass, sleazy rock, they get it & more. There are a few people who are singing along as well, so word of this band must be spreading. They tear through their set & by the end, i don`t think anyone hasn`t enjoyed themselves. This is quickly turning into the best gig of the tour. Halfway into TCC`s 1st song & all of my worries about how they would be recieved are gone. Tonight the venue is full of real music fans just wanting to hear & see a good show & not full of dipshits who think it is clever to slag off bands. The crowd & band are having the times of their lives tonight & they are feeding off each other & the atmosphere is fantastic. This is now officially the best gig of the tour, for no other reason than i say so, ok. Tonight is a great night to be alive. I leave the merch stall open for about 30 mins after TCC finish, then Laney tells me to get packed away. YES, it`s time to drink. Most of what happened for the rest of the night remains a little hazy, this may have something to do with our little drinking game, which involved drinking lots of Jack Daniels. Although i can remember realising my tour pass had been nicked, some woman licked my head(wtf) & Trash had his chain nicked.. At some stage i must have got into the tour bus, because the next thing i remember is waking up in Manchester. We are stopping at Delericts brothers flat, he isn`t there so he has left us a key & card to get into the secure car park, the only problem is, is that the key & card are hidden in the car park, so Delerict has to scale the car park gate, find the key & open the gate before someone sees him & calls the police. Somehow he manages this. Well done. I don`t actually remember this, or getting into the flat or going to bed. Sunday 14th May. Thatched House, Stockport. I wake up somewhere around 10.30am & it takes me a few seconds to remember where i am. The sound of Delerict & Wylde soon reminds me, fuck me they`re loud. As i lie on the floor, i try to remember what happened the night before, but i can`t remember much after packing away the merch stall, i can only imagine the trail of destruction that has been left behind. I stagger into the Kitchen/Living room & try to find a glass or a mug, but there aren`t any in any of the cupboards, i decide the next best thing would be to get a shower. After my shower, i head back into the kitchen, where Delerict is making tea & coffee, where the fuck did he get the mugs from? It turns out that his bro keeps them in a draw, What The Fuck!!! Who keeps mugs & glasses in a draw? I`m in no mood to discuss this, so i just sit very quietly with a cup of tea, my head feels as though someone is jumping on it. Eventually everyone surfaces & drinks Delericts bro out of tea & coffee. For some reason, the talk turns to what animal each of us is, after a lengthy discussion, the following has been decided. Mike Trash = Grizzly Bear, Johnny Riott = Eagle, Billy Belaire = Fast Weasel, Jamie Delrict = Lizard, Mike Hollinshead = Cookoo Clock(hahahaha), Rob Wylde = Fucked up peacock with brain trauma, Rob Lane = Koala Bear, Craig Lamont = Walrus Eventually, we head into Manchester in search of food, Pizza Hut is a good option, so we all pile in there & stuff our faces with the "All you can eat for £5.49p Buffet". God knows how, but whilst we are there, we end up having a conversation about Keith Harris kicking the shit out of Orville, this may not sound funny, but we were pissing ourselves laughing. We leave Manchester at 5.45pm & head off to Stockport. It takes us just over an hour to get to the venue. It`s a proper Rocker/Biker pub, with decent stage in one corner. For some reason, i get the feeling that things aren`t going to go right tonight, but i can`t say why. Sound check goes ok & all we have to do now, is wait nearly 2 hours until show time. TCC are on 1st tonight, they crank up their guitars for the big Rock entrance, go over to the mics &.........Nothing, no vocals whatsoever. They keep going with the intro until it`s obvious that something has gone very wrong. The sound man has a root around at the back of the stage & after 5 minutes he gets the vocals back on. What happened noone knows, but the mics were working fine during the sound check. TCC finally get going & put on another good show, despite the problems. Tonights crowd isn`t the most animated we have ever seen, but they show their appreciation at the end of each song & they seem to be enjoying it. Luckily, when The Erotics hit the stage, there aren`t any problems & they blas through their set. Again, the crowd isn`t very animated but they are enjoying themselves in their own reserved way. If we`re honest though, it`s a sunday night & we didn`t expect much more . The Landlady passes around a jug for people to put money in for the bands, we make £35. At least it will pay for the diesel to get us home, & the Landlady has said that she would like us back on a Friday or Saturday night when they get a bigger crowd. Despite the less than excitable crowd, both bands have one of their best nights on merchandise, so it wasn`t such a bad gig afterall. At some point in the night, it was decided that the USA leg of the tour would be called "Brockin `n` Hoggin" & Delerict even designed a logo for the tour. A photo of this will be added soon! We got away around midnight & i finally got into bed around 2.30am. It felt so good to be in my own bed, with Cathy, rather than sleeping on someones floor. I learnt a lot of things these past few days, but then got drunk & forgot them all. Monday 15th May MFN, Ilkeston. Last day of the tour :( I can`t believe that this is the last day of the tour, it`s gone so quick. The tour bus picks me up @ 5.30pm & we make the short journey to MFN. Tonight is their Bike night, but the weather doesn`t look too promising, so i don`t think many of the bikers will be here tonight, it will just be the bands hardcore fans, & there are plenty of them. When we get to MFN, Laney hands me a t-shirt that he has had printed for me. See picture below. On the back it says "You cant stop BROCK & ROLL" lol