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Post by delorentos on May 1, 2012 13:10:57 GMT
Saturday 28th (travel day) We met at the airport at 6 and instantly hit the blue and yellow Ryanair wall of unhelpfulness. Being a band going on tour, if we could, we would skip Ryanair every time that we’re lucky enough to be going somewhere, but for our first gig of our Spanish tour we play Barcelona, and the Ryanair special is unavoidable. Before we got to the airport we weighed everything and checked everything, but when we arrived our measurements were slightly off (mostly due to an errant Glockenspiel). Cue the lady at the check-in acting as if we’d personally insulted her family and then asked for a favour. After 45mins of dignity stripping and repacking we paid the fines and angrily got on the plane, walking past a woman in tears while another hostess told her if she didn’t stop making a scene she was off the flight. Surely it’s a bad thing to upset, or undermine your customers? Surely it’s pointless to make your customers feel like they have to accept whatever crap service is sent their way? I guess no-one can beat their low low prices… Anyway, the flight attendant let me off 20cent on my Twix so they’re not all bad. When we landed in Barcelona (in the rain! Ah here…) we taxied to our flat in the Barrio off Las Ramblas, and then (after some paella) we headed out for a drink in a bar called Sidecar. Tomorrow night we play Music Hall Barcelona, our biggest headline gig in Catalunya and we wondered if anyone would go. These fears were quickly forgotten however, as the night exploited our excitement and kept us from our beds until very late. Wasn't our fault...
Sunday 29th – Music Hall, Barcelona I woke up around midday and went for a walk to look for some internet. I’m pretty nervous about tonight, I’ve been physically very run down and have a coldsore and bags under my eyes to prove it. Naturally, this makes me a little worried that I’ll look like a junkie to these nice Catalonian folk, I have exaggerated images in my head of people recoiling at my leprous state. Which is ridiculous, I know. Of course, some bands spend their lives trying to cultivate the just-got-out-of-the-pit look, but y’know, I’m a musician, I’m not a vaudeville actor playing a part. It’s one of the weird things about being in a band, you kinda have to be a personality too, whereas I’m not particularly interested in my own tv show where I present cute animal videos. (Kieran Kutest kitties? anyone?) Anyway, I vainly searched for lysine (good for skin, nails and lips health fans!) and generally enjoyed the ambiance of a bustling capital city (let’s not get into the politics, ok?)
At three we collected ourselves and headed off to the Music Hall venue. It’s a cool underground venue with a steel dancefloor part, (I would later banjax my knee in a fit of over-excitement on it) and we were told that people would be here, which settled our wondering. (anyone in a band who says they never think “I wonder will anyone come?” before a gig is lying through their tiny arse). After a lengthy soundcheck we grabbed some food, did an interview (we need more Spanish), changed and then headed backstage. After a cool set by Icebend, we wrote up our setlists and headed onstage. The songs rushed by like colours from a train (or something equally pretentious) and the audience were generous and by the fifth song I was finally able to open my eyes and look at them. They looked like they were enjoying it, so I looked over at a wide grin on Níals face and I realised we were too. Woo! As we did the long walk along Las Ramblas with all the gear, through crowds of wandering people, past street sellers whistling through their birdcallers and flicking fluorescent fans skyward, I noticed I was thinking about the last time I was here, and wondering about the next time…. Out of nowhere I heard a guy shout “Hey! Delorentos!” and I turned to him giving me the thumbs up. Maybe it’ll be soon.... Buenes Noches Barcelonés!
Kier
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Post by Aisling on May 1, 2012 17:41:50 GMT
Love tour blogs!
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Post by ilwd on May 1, 2012 17:50:25 GMT
Also love Video Tour Blogs. Those were the days!
Feckin' Ryanair.
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Post by delorentos on May 1, 2012 18:46:11 GMT
Monday 30th April Madrid/Toledo
We don’t have much time to celebrate a fantastic start to the tour in Barcelona… After approximately five hours sleep we’re up and on the first bullet train to Madrid. Matthew McConaughey is in the film du jour, but although he’s speaking English with Spanish subtitles, I decide it’s a bit early in the day. After bogeying a couple of holes in Tiger Woods Golf, I turn off my technology in disgust and drift off at 310km/h. We’re met at the station by a bleary-eyed Sebastian, our brilliant and tireless promoter who has taken the red eye flight the night before, to be in Madrid to guide us through our first round of promotion and interviews. We check into a great apartment where (interesting fact) the renowned Spanish writer, Miguel de Cervantes lived. I’m not sure if he wrote Don Quixote there, but we’re in good company regardless, while slightly disappointed that the crowds who gather outside our front door aren’t waiting for us. We spend the morning stumbling, amicably it has to be said, through first a slot on Madrid’s biggest radio show (the songs at least sound well) and a series of interviews for various magazines and newspapers. Everyone’s really friendly and excited about Little Sparks and the show in Madrid on Thursday. There’s one minor patatas bravas incident, where in our pigeon Spanish, we cannot explain to our hostess that we’ve already paid for our spuds and are forced to do so again, but it’s our first day in Madrid and this small misunderstanding only galvanises us to do and be better. (At this point I’d like to officially enquire if anyone is or knows a good Spanish teacher?)
Our show this evening is only an hour away in the picturesque, medieval town of Toledo. However upon arrival, we spend another half hour spiralling up and then back down its narrow, one- way streets in search of our venue. It’s worth the wait. An old church turned arts venue, our music sounds enormous as it booms from PA, to high wall, to domed ceiling and back again, like a deer swallowed by a cavernous blue whale and then sneaking all its other woodland friends inside for a boisterous reception. When we hit the stage proper, just after ten, it’s one of those moments you have to breathe slow and take it all in. The audience are wonderful yet again and really appreciate us coming, as not to many bands detour from Madrid to visit. They should, as it’s a really stunning spot. While chatting to people after the show, we’re set upon by a bevy of beauties touting testtubes of blackness, the Jagermeister promotion brigade. Now while being teetotal ourselves, we wonder where Mr Jager finds these women with this gene that makes them immune to alcohol consumption, or do they go on a training camp and are their liveried Jagervans simply disguised ambulances, with drips to see them to the next venue? Something to ponder on our day off tomorrow, Ró
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Damon
Full Member
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Post by Damon on May 1, 2012 19:17:18 GMT
The Spanish twittersphere (made this word up) has somewhat exploded with Delos related tweets. Seems you are setting a good impression. Also, if you need someone to follow you around filming video blogs just like in Italy, I'm free. Just saying..
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siobhan
Very Senior Member
Posts: 972
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Post by siobhan on May 1, 2012 20:49:19 GMT
I sort of wish I was in Spain now...
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Post by delorentos on May 4, 2012 11:30:49 GMT
Tuesday May 1st Ro was lying in the last blog, we drank a lot of Jagermeister last night. I’m pretty sure we were given t-shirts and caps for drinking 2 or 3 at a time, but I can’t seem to find them now. Today was our day off, we didn't get back from the Circulo del Arte till early in the morning. After carrying all the gear up 3 flights of steps (mistaking door bells for light switches, and waking up the entire apartment block) we eventually stopped stumbling and giggling to watched the Man Utd –Man City game, and fell asleep.
We made a decision quite early the next day (I say early, we woke up at lunchtime) that tonight was the night to go absolutely ape-shit mental as Adrian was due to fly home to Ireland on Friday. We spent a couple of hours off doing our own thing –everyone in the band does their own thing -either working on mixes, writing, reading or hanging out in the coffee shops of Madrid.
We started the night looking for bars in what turned out to be the gay area of Madrid, and although the very friendly men there were great craic we eventually headed for our old neighborhood (where we stayed the last time). Unfortunately its not the same without Brian Mooney (Guitar Technician/Van Driver/all-round-legend) negotiating with street vendors for cervecas, so we bought a bunch of cans in his memory. The night is a haze now, I know at one stage we were going home and ended up going to another bar, a nightclub and the Spanish version of Coppers. Awesome.
Wednesday May 2nd Today was not a day off –as well as interviews, we had to look our best because we have two photo shoots today, including Little Bit Mag and Humanize Magazine’s photographers. Ross, Ro and I prepared for this by staying up till 6am, and jumping into Kieran’s bed (breaking it). Kieran returned the favour by coming into our rooms 4 hours later bashing pots and pans, singing at the top of his lungs and jumping on to my bed (breaking it). Thankfully there was no make up at either photoshoot so that they could properly capture our beautifully pasty/green/yellow complexions. We did get to see a climbing garden, a building that was made entirely out of rust and ate fried eggs and ham out of tiny metal frying pans. Some or all of things could have been hallucinations brought on by lack of sleep.
Ro and I had passed a gigantic Music shop last night, but haven't been able to find it since. We tried again this afternoon, I’m beginning to think it doesn’t exist. I ended the day by falling asleep in Bar with Adrian and Ross, missing the 3 football matches they were watching at the same time. I made up for this by talking in my sleep to Ross, which by all accounts was very entertaining.
Níal
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Post by Zara on May 4, 2012 12:08:20 GMT
Sorry for the quality of that video above, I shot it. Glad you're having a good time here!
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Damon
Full Member
Posts: 138
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Post by Damon on May 4, 2012 15:32:45 GMT
Sorry for the quality of that video above, I shot it. Glad you're having a good time here! The quality of the video is decent! No need to apologise, any video is a good video anyway. Thanks for uploading. Waited For You (Esperado por ti) in Madrid
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Post by delorentos on May 5, 2012 13:21:47 GMT
Thursday May 3rd (Madrid Show)
We woke up early again, and headed to RTVE radio to appear on “Hoy empieza toto” (“Everything starts today”), Spain’s biggest independent radio show. There are a few tour hangovers in the air – boys seem to continue to be boys, despite any gained wisdom, but we warm up or fingers and throats; and, after a few coffees’, we’re set up and play 3 acoustic songs and do an interview with a translator. The show’s music is cool, mixing alternative stuff with very quirky songs, sounds like something we’d listen to. Again, we’re reminded of our language handicap, but we have a few more phrases and words every day. Afterwards there’s lots of comment on twitter about us and the songs, so we’re pretty happy with ourselves as we head back. You can’t beat the internet to instantly provoke a reaction, but this time it’s good!
After a few more interviews – in which I’m fighting the urge to lapse into broken English in a slight Spanish accent, what’s all that about? – we have an hour off where we each disappear off into the unseasonal torrential rain. I take shelter in S**rB**ks, purely to get a tea and try and create that home-in-a-mug comfort. I’ll never understand the inability of Europeans to make Tea. I think it’s a reaction to the Brits not accepting the euro.
I found some wifi and started reading the news back home, but Instantly got pissed off with it so turned it off, it’s probably best to take a break from the country for a few more days over here. Ironically we ended up meeting at the Irish bar around the corner for dinner before we headed to the venue, but they seemed to have a pretty lax connection with home. Maybe it’s intentional.
When we got to Moby Dick – an awesome nautical themed venue – we set up, soundchecked and the lads did an interview while I sneaked out for a walk around to get my bearings. I’m not sure if it was the coffee, the lack of sleep or the alien surroundings, but I felt pretty uneasy and tired. There’s generally an excitement over the first few days of a tour, which (generally due to drinking and not sleeping) calms down over a few days, so I felt like I was catching up with myself again.
After Aurora played their spacey indie set we stepped onstage to a great reaction. Any unsettling feelings I had disappeared and we played great. I’m never too sure how to write about gigs, but we played songs, it went well and it was one of our best ever shows in Spain. Afterwards we jumped into the crowd and met people and the consensus was good, and we were pretty delighted. I’m trying to be humble I guess, I don’t want anyone to think that we think we’re invincible all the time, but tonight was a good one.
After the gig (and after loads of wiggling of leads and a few false starts) myself and Níal played a DJ set til around 2am. We’re great DJ’s**. They filled us with drink, and I was pretty out of it with drink and tiredness when we were driving home. As a result I wasn’t sure what to say when Dan, our manager turned to us excitedly in the car and told us it was like watching a young “Big Country” tonight….
Kieran
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Post by ilwd on May 5, 2012 22:56:21 GMT
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Damon
Full Member
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Post by Damon on May 5, 2012 23:24:33 GMT
Amazing crowd!
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siobhan
Very Senior Member
Posts: 972
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Post by siobhan on May 5, 2012 23:46:16 GMT
Wow. That's fairly class!
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Post by delorentos on May 7, 2012 13:58:55 GMT
Friday 4th Madrid/Mallorca
“If you wouldn’t mind touching up my eyeballs, that’d be marvellous”.
Eight very red eyes survey the television studio in TVE Madrid. It’s 8am and we’re here to record a live twenty nine minute concert for the aptly named “Los conciertos” music show. I’d like to say I’m getting the hang of this 4 hours sleep a night thing, but it’d be a big lie. After several hours of sound and camera set up, we’re only really waking up as a small invited audience are brought in, their job, to add the “whoops whoops” between songs. It’s actually great to have them, as otherwise it’s a very sterile environment to make music. Far removed from the bantering Jools Holland format, the only voice we hear is that of a mysterious producer up in the gods and his conversation is brief. “Play”, “Stop”, “finished” is about the height of it. We were asked to prepare a cover and do an almost acapella version of Phil Lynotts “Dancing in the Moonlight” which we’ve prepared the day before in a Fr Ted and Dougalesque rehearsal session. Apart from feeling like we’re on the moon, the recording is good fun, the people very helpful and we get a lunch voucher for the canteen to boot. We haven’t had time for breakfast and pile our plates high, before getting a car straight to the Airport to catch a flight to Mallorca.
I last visited Mallorca when I was five and am delighted to see it hasn’t changed a bit. All the big yachts and cruisers remain, as do the many beautiful people endeavouring to lure you into their bars/restaurants. I have to put those fond five-year-old party animal memories to one side though, as we’re very tight for sound check and are straight on stage as soon we arrive. We are Scientists are also on the bill tonight. They’ve quite a big entourage, including former drummers of both the Libertines and Razorlight. Not intimidating in the least When we arrive for our show, just after midnight, it’s clear the stage times have gone out the window. The crowd are going bonkers to an act called FM Belfast. Before approaching them to discuss the merits of an all-Ireland soccer team, we learn that they are in fact an Icelandic blend of the Scissor Sisters and Ireland’s number on cover band Smash Hits, mixing original songs and covers to great effect. At the end of their show they were each dripping with sweat and stripped to their football shorts.
It’s clear that this isn’t the night to play “Waited for you so Long” as we quickly set up on the confetti covered stage. Having arrived a little lethargic, the expectation created by our predecessors is just the kick in the arse we need. We rip into our set, play everything with a dance beat, and don’t let up until the last chord of S.E.C.R.E.T. with the whole room bouncing. Then as ever…glass of beer, hunt for slice of pizza, bed*
*Sharing a bed with Kieran as there are no twin rooms left. They never tell you in rock school, that a vast amount of your bedding down will be thus. Who do I sue?
Ro
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Post by delorentos on May 7, 2012 17:29:37 GMT
Saturday 5th - SOS4.8 Festival, Murcia.When Ro came back into the room this morning at 8.10 I couldn’t believe the time – it felt like I had only got into bed a few minutes before. I’d only got in at 3.30am, and Ro was telling me everyone was waiting downstairs in the bus. I dived into my clothes and legged it down to the bus in a daze – and got on to face 20 or so very tired heads. About ten minutes later the We are Scientists lads arrived in like pros – less sleep than us but not a bother on them. I wanted to ask their secret but I was daydreaming that I was on a spaceship with the cookiemonster from Sesame Street. The flight to Alicante happened because later I woke and realised I was on a bus to Murcia. I don’t remember the airport or plane, although I do remember big bird selling me peanuts at one point. I managed to do a sound-check for the SOS on autopilot after a few red bulls. I was standing in a corridor with Wayne Coyne, offered him some crisps (he didn’t want any) but he was worried about a keyboard so I decided to not to ask him if he any tips about staying awake. Then we met the booker of the brilliant SOS festival who happened to be from over the road in Skerries. Small world! I sleepwalked into a bed in a hotel in Murcia and got three hours kip, and it allowed me to function slightly better. We arrived back to the festival and the place was stuffed full of people and the atmosphere was instantly energising – there’s nothing like that feeling, festival buzz. It makes you long for the summer… We stood backstage and were nervously excited, listening to the bombast of Mogwai from the other stage, and watching and wondering about the crowd. We knew that there could be a good few there as we had a great slot and the flaming lips didn’t start until we finished so we could attract people over – but we didn’t know how good it would be. The buzz on the net about the festival and our performance had been building, but who knows if that means much. When we finally got onstage we gave it everything we had and the crowd as incredible – singing and clapping and chanting ole ole during and between songs… we enjoyed ourselves so much and tried to take it all in, ocassionally catching each other’s eyes with a grin. We walked off the stage to a huge ovation and into the arms of our booker and agent tearily punching the air and shouting in Spanish… over the last week its felt like something was building and this was the culmination. The rest of the night was a disgraceful mess of parties, music, drinking with Yuck and the Flaming Lips entourage and getting to bed at 10am – but this tour pretty much couldn’t have gone any better, and what an ending! Gracias Espania! K
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