Blog: Day Four: Leeds

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So where were we? Oh yes, ON THE ROAD. Monday morning saw Validators being put to DOMESTIC USE, mending hoses and transporting FERTILISER in The Van. I wonder if this happens when Morrissey tours? Maybe the whole thing was REALLY derailed because Keith The Guitarist is still queuing at Homebase?

I also took the opportunity to go online and find another shitty review on the teletext site. The nice thing about shitty reviews is they ALWAYS have major factual errors in them that allow me to think "that idiot doesn't know what he's talking about" and this one gets a clanger in in the first sentence - no, not calling me a "comedy singer" (although, SOD OFF), but saying it's our first album in six years. Do they not teach GOOGLE SKILLZ at online journalism college these days?

Anyway, with all that done and fond farewells said we headed NORTH, first for LEICESTER, where Tim and Emma got into The Pattison Wagon and the rest of us took the VAN for some TYRE INFLATION. We regrouped in Woodhouse Eaves where Tim's mum had made us a PROPER LUNCH. MAN it was GRATE - we had CAULIFLOWER CHEESE! I've not had that for YEARS, but even that did not prepare me for the JOY that was PROPER RICE PUDDING. Proper rice pudding! FANTASTIC! If The Libertines had been fed proper rice pudding on tour I'm sure a whole LOT of unpleasantness could have been avoided.

Many thank yous and a ukelele lesson for the junior Miss Pattison later we were back in the van and heading to LEEDS. There was plenty of time to spare so we all went to the APARTMENT that me, Frankie and The Tiger were staying in, and had a SHOP TRIP to get some BOOZE and breakfast items.

Next stop The Packhorse, where I was STUNNED to find Frankie ordering TETLEY BITTER. Tetley Bitter, as any committed pub drinker will tell you, is pretty much the absolute LAST RESORT, similar to John Smiths, when you can't face Lager and the Guiness looks dodgy, but here he was buying it by CHOICE. Turns out that, in Leeds, Tetley Bitter is LOVELY. Nowhere else, of course, but in Leeds it was GRATE.

We soundchecked and had some TEA which had been supplied by Lauren, the promoter - DELICIOUS then went for a WANDER. Frankie had been a student in Leeds, so we visited one of his old HAUNTS, and got back in time for the first band, The Bees Neice. They were GRATE - beautiful, FUNNY, touching songs played delicately on double bass, acoustic guitars, WINE GLASSES and a SAW. The SAW playing was especially fantastic, it was BEAUTIFUL and SO tuneful. We were AGOG.

Next up was The Pete Green Corporate Juggernaut, celebrating their first anniversary in ROCK. ALWAYS good to see them, and we'd be seeing them AGANE on this tour, and my only criticism of them is that Dan's bass guitar is actively ALARMING. It looks like something PRINCE might find SEXY - i know this may seem such a small point, but when a band is so DELIGHTFUL the small points are all there is to bring up.

And then it was US, and we did THIS:

Red Black Gold

My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once

Clubbing In The Week

Do More Eat Less

Best Behaviour

Where Is My Torch?

Leave My Brother Alone

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Being Happy Doesn't Make You Stupid

Do The Indie Kid

I seem to recall there being quite a lot of CHAT during this gig, not least a discussion of how many NEPHEWS/NEICES there were available (Emma was showcasing a NEW NEICE, attending her first Validators gig) and the need not to EMBARRASS them. It was all very jolly anyway, and was followed up by BEER, also CHAT, before it was time for us to get some SECOND TEA in and head back to The Flat, where The Tour Whisky was indulged in. I seem to recall the conversation getting slightly MAUDLIN - obviously the thought of the tour being almost over was getting to us!

posted 2/6/2009 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

ROCK EXCLUSIVE: Dan's bass guitar is actually Dan's dad's bass guitar!
posted 2/6/2009 by Pete Green

Is Dan's family from Minneapolis, by any chance?
posted 2/6/2009 by MJ Hibbett

Now you come to mention it, I did wonder why he was asking us to call him The Bassist Formerly Known As Dan.
posted 2/6/2009 by Pete Green

I tried to persuade him to give said bass to me as it sounds so gosh-darn lovely.

Of course this did not work.

Next time I shall ply him with booze first, and maybe set my aim a little lower... a go on the bass perhaps.
posted 3/6/2009 by Jonny The Rocky Nest

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