Posted by Majik Sam on November 29, 2006, 2:57 pm
82.157.104.236
We head off back to the venue with bloated stomachs, too bloated to play as it happens, and much belching, farting and visits to the bog later we hit the stage and do a fine if somewhat bilious performance. The theatre manager says that we went down better this year than last so we are well pleased. We sell lots of CD’s which is always a true barometer of how well we have gone down and we are tired and still somewhat bilious, but very happy. We head back to the hotel, and I decide to get an early night while the rest of the band go off in search of a session. Maybe it’s the time difference of living in Holland but I feel the overwhelming need to head to bed with a whiskey to watch a post Sid James Carry on movie (Carry On Behind), which is the perfect way to be lulled into oblivion. Chris and the rest find a ‘singaround’ with Altan in attendance. Chris comes back to the hotel for his accordion and finds a mini riot spilling out from the hotel Disco. He managed to get into the hotel eventually but there was no way that the bouncers were going to let him back out. He called in to our room in search of booze but I was too far away in the land of Nod to let him in.
Sunday
My early night pays off and I wake at 9am feeling fresh and relaxed and I go yet again for the full Irish breakfast option. Next time I do this I’m going to bring a jar of Peanut Butter with me to have with toast so’s I don’t get so meat bound. I return to the room and Mitch is stirring. He goes for breakfast and I decide to take a bath. First bath in at least 2 months! Here in Holland we only have a shower and although it’s a great shower I miss being able to soak in a hot bath and muse over such important issues as whether there is any difference between the little bottles of shampoo and the little bottles of bath gel apart from the colour. Another thing about the shower is that you can never really have a good go at your feet. In a bath you can have a good long scrub at them and it’s also good for all the aches and pains that come from being on the road. The bath provides some relief from the relentlessness of the tour but it isn’t long before we are back out on the road on our way to an afternoon gig at the John Hewitt in Belfast. We stop at the same service station on the M1 but this time at the ‘greasy spoon’ on the other side. Chris opts for the full Sunday roast that’s on the menu but the full Irish breakfast is lying heavy on my stomach, so I opt for a tempting cold apple pie and custard.
We get to the venue in good time and have another ‘Dads Army’ moment manoeuvring the car close enough to unload the gear, The Captain nearly gets a prang as he’s turning the car around but all is eventually well and we get in and set up and sound check. John Hewitt (1907 – 1987) was a famous Ulster poet who was based in Belfast and the pub is mainly frequented by local musicians, writers, and artists. I have played there on many occasions with the Bearcats and the Flatville Aces. A John Prine tribute man, who’s name I can’t recall, goes on first for 20 minutes and then we play from 4 to 6:30 pm. There is a healthy crowd their and its nice to see several old faces like Kevin and Bill in the audience. But where are the hairdressers and all the other folks that used to frequent our gigs back in the nineties? At one time the Bearcats would attract 600 plus audiences when we played at the Wherehouse in Belfast and we got to know many people and had many fans. Maybe it’s the venue, and maybe if we played a bigger place like the Empire then we might get some of the old people back. Maybe our audience have grown too ancient and settled in there little semi’s and cant be bothered drag their arses out of an afternoon. All I know is that we are a better band now than we’ve ever been and they don’t know what they’re missing.
We pack up and Mitch Chris and Murray head out to the airport for a flight to Liverpool and a long drive home. My flight to Amsterdam is on Monday morning bright and early so I climb into a taxi with Nigel and his family and the drum kit and head back to his. After some food and beer and a wee dram of Jameson’s whiskey we settle down contentedly and watch Madonna and a recent Who concert on BBC. We crash about 1am.
Monday
Up at 6:30,( my cell phone alarm is working for a change) and I phone for a taxi. In the old days in Belfast one had to be careful which Taxi firm you used depending on which area you were going into. Many drivers were shot for straying into the wrong part of town. I think that has all gone now but I try to choose a firm that is nearby just to be safe and the Europa bus station is pretty neutral anyway. The taxi man is friendly (as most of them are in Belfast) but chatty for this time in the morning but we get to the station in no time. The bus sets off soon enough and in 35 minutes I’m out at the airport. The journey back to Holland is smooth and again thankfully uneventful and I arrive happy but very tired. Another tour over and deeper in debt!
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