THE ZIGGURAT

I recently found an old draft EP I had uploaded to Bandcamp but never published. It contained two iPhone (other phones are available) recordings of live ROTZ shows pre covid. One is an open mic at the Gladstone and the other is a ‘proper’ gig at The Admiral. 
I didn't have much of a recollection of these shows at first, but slowly details have started coming back to me. From the host going awol in the Gladstone, to the Pizza Me pizza and hecklers at the Admiral. (I wish my phone captured more of this! Apparently I start playing 3 Lions, which really winds them up.)

Anyway, this release is more for me. To have an archive of live material from my phone recordings, GoPro cameras, and some of the gigs my friend Dan has been filming over the years. Its nice to look back and be reminded of some of the things we have done, especially in this time before covid and after releasing my EP' The Old Guard. Which was inspired primarily by the 4 year demise of my sanity. Erm, lol. 

More shows will be added here and there.

Sleeve design by Yōkai

Night 7 - Oxford

The last entry in the tour diary was the final one I wrote on the road. I’m now back in the comfort of my flat and trying to pry off the anxiety of going back to work tomorrow. Its sunny outside which isn’t helping me concentrate. Bank holiday Monday beers are joyous but I haven't really stopped since we arrived back in Brighton on Saturday and the bank balance and health are suffering for it. 

Oxford was probably the lowest selling on the tour but the attending crowd certainly made it feel full. Within the walls of the Academy, were some of the most passionate InMe fans I had come across in my time with the band. Talking to them afterwards was a pleasure. 

During Daves solo acoustic rendition of Parting Gift, I hopped out to the corridor to change my t shirt for a St Agnes one I had acquired earlier from the merch desk. I don’t know if its tacky when bands do this but I did it out of sincerity, they were an absolute pleasure to be on the road with. 

I’m now finishing this section of the tour diary a few months later, its June and I’m trying to complete some of the writing I did on the road. I have started a lot of scripts recently about my experiences on tour but also detailing my other interests and in particular, a visit to Coventry for a Zzap Live! a Commodore 64 convention, which was ace. Hopefully some of this will see the light of day soon. First on the blog and then in audio format via my ‘From The Ziggurat’ Chanels.

We’ll see. 

Currently listening to Ocean Loader 2 by Six Leaves Left and new Muse tracks

It was a hot one last night in the Craufurd Arms. Sweat trailing the walls and haze obstructing our view but man it felt good. 

Before the show, I had to perform some routine surgery on one of my basses (well technically my friend Matts bass,) as there is a loose connection in the battery compartment which needed some attention. During the latter half of sound check, the volume started to dull when playing So You Know. I quickly switched to my backup and completed sound checking with that, so as to keep things moving.  

Unfortunately when I Came back from checking in at the hotel and a stop off at Tesco to purchase a set of Duracell 9 volt batteries, St Agnes sound check was complete and my gear was totally obstructed. I had to perform some Mission Impossible style acrobatics to navigate the stage and retrieve my basses and was also aided by one of the technical staff of the venue to grab my bag containing tools. 

The operation was a success and the gig went flawlessly. The lads wireless batteries held out the full gig and I remembered to tune my bass correctly into C# for our latest single Prove Myself, which I had neglected to do the night before. Oops.

We’re currently on route to Oxford for the last official date of the tour, with only Takedown Festival in Portsmouth left for tomorrow. We do have a couple of random festivals over the next few weeks and then will start planning for the latter half of the year and eventual Demons release. It’s a great time to be in InMe.

Currently listening to True (Special Edition) by Spandau Ballet

We are on the road to Milton Keynes, I have a Greggs tea.

We had a nice day off in Bristol and managed to actually take some band shots, something we have neglected to do on pretty much every gig I have ever played with the band. Our photographer TJ is great at organising this stuff. Band members individually can get stuff done but as a collective, we can be hard to orchestrate. 

Gold by Spandau Ballet has just come on the headphones. Like many songs of this popularity, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to it in detail. It’s one of those songs that’s so overplayed, the default response can be to groan. However, it’s fantastic. Clear production, catchy, sax (or similar blowy instrument) and great vocals. 

Anyway, back to Bristol. We played the gig on a boat called Thekla, which has a very interesting history, I would recommend you look it up. The most surprising part was hearing the whole ship sat at the bottom of the sea, dormant for years!

We didn’t have our regular soundman with us for this one but the in house guy Sam was chirpy and accommodating, taking good care of us. 

Following the gig, we went to Bristols own NQ64 for some hang times and games. I especially enjoyed the 80s section again and in particular Track and Field with a track ball instead of buttons, which I had not played before. I think I faired marginally better than the button basher one in Nottingham. 
Dance Dance Revolution was also on the agenda. I somehow won this, forcing me to stay on against another contestant. This was far more knackering than the gig and despite winning again, I bowed out on top, undefeated. Mental note - I really need to get back in the gym. 



 

Curren listing to Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (50th anniversary)

It’s our day off and we are currently on the road to Bristol, where we will stay the next two nights. Tomorrow we play Thekla, another one I did on my first tour with InMe, co headlining with Jäegermeister enthusiasts Raging Speedhorn. It’s actually a static boat, host to many bands on the touring circuit.

Last nights gig at the Rescue Rooms was again plagued by a couple of tech issues. This time, poor quality batteries I had purchased from the local convenience store rendered Gazzs wireless unit almost lifeless after less than an hour of use. Luckily he discovered this before taking the stage of the packed out venue. 

The gig overall went well and once again the crowd were incredible. Getting to witness the moshing and singing from the stage is something I’m truly thankful for. 

After the gig we wandered to the hotel to sort ourselves out and then it was onwards to NQ 64 arcade bar. I have found my happy place. Well, another one outside of the stage. ;) We hung out with some friends and played some arcade machines over a few beers. I liked having a range of things to play as well. From Sega Rally to Track and Field. House of the Dead to the Terminator 2 arcade game. Crazy Taxi, Guitar Hero and physical games like basketball, which a few of the folks got quite competitive over.

The old old ones are where my heart is, late 80s to early 90s seems to be my sweet spot.

I feel this blog getting a bit thin, so I’m not sure if there will be many more updates. I’ve adjusted to life on the road at the moment and don’t feel like I have much more to chat about. We’ll see what happens. Our day off today will be spent on the road, making content and conducting a photo shoot, something the band ALWAYS forgets to do when we get together for shows. Luckily we have our photographer TJ on the road with us to help get this stuff actioned. 

Hopefully some good pics incoming at least.

Photos by @tjx_photos