Day 502
Tuesday November 19
We had a plan for a little excursion today, although with checkout and with suitcases, not that much. But even that gets knocked off course by the first real cold day since we’ve been here. A bit of wet too. So we just do a lovely cafe breakfast then head off early to the airport because, why not? Which means all the time we want at the airport to have lunch somewhere too, then we’re off, back to London.
Where it’s bloody cold.
The timings aren’t so bad though. A 30 minute wait outside for the Stansted airport bus to Stratford, then whatever wait we have there outside for the overground 25 minute or so train ride to Camden. But it is bloody cold with a touch of rain. Then all of a sudden we see a bus pull into the next bay which states its destination as Kings Cross, which is just a little hop and a walk south of us. So essentially all the way home. And it’s the same company we’re booked with. Damn. Really? When did that bus start happening? We hustle right on over and speak to the driver and ask if we can get on this bus with our tickets to Stratford. We can. And he’s leaving right now. Oh wow. Straight into the warm, then straight off and on the road, and yeah, pretty much straight home. We tell the driver we’ve never seen this route and he says it only started a few months ago. So wow. Now we have a Stansted service almost to and from our door. And there’s more. There’s no-one else on this bus and he picks up no other passengers on the way, so he asks where would be most convenient in Kings Cross for us to be dropped off. This has ended up being a virtual airport taxi.
On this very lovely last leg of our journey, and as we relive the incredibleness that was last night, Maja realises it woke something up in her that she never knew existed. The pure exhilaration of a frantic, steaming slam dancing moshing punk rock crowd. And the total revelatory experience of crowd surfing over it all. And we happen to know that the tour does have some UK dates left in it apart from London. That’s it. We’re not sure where, but we’re going to see Frank again.
Day 503
Wednesday November 20
We check the tour schedule today and see tickets still available for the show in Wolverhampton on February 18. Booked. We’re going again.
Day 509
Tuesday November 26
Out at Ramshackle today. We have a massive backlog of songs we’ve never played live, and a whole bunch we’ve never even properly rehearsed. But they exist. We were almost thinking we would have one of them ready to play tonight – Invincible. It’s so there, but at the same time, so not. So no. Not. But I Really Like Koalas, The Cat and My Game My Rules. Number two and three there we’ve not played for a while so it was good to give them a dust off and airing. And I Really Like Koalas has taken us a bit by surprise and really seems to be becoming something of a crowd favourite. It’s essentially the story of the day Maja broke her ankle way back the first bursts of The Diaries, and the subsequent visit to the emergency room. It’s a fun, jaunty, fluffy song I promise. Inspired by, among other things, sitting in a waiting room watching a wildlife TV documentary on silent. Probably one of those David Attenborough ones. Oh, and the Covid reference because this was during Covid times – We sit between the perspex screens/ The animals, birds and all three trees are company/ It’s all we see.
Day 510
Wednesday November 27
When we were in Madrid it was decided the speaker we were carrying around was too heavy. So we ordered a new one. One of our new things is also that we want a standalone battery powered model so we won’t even need an accessible plug socket. It came a few days ago and we had a really exciting NSD – New Speaker Day. Until we turned it on and discovered it was terrible. Won’t say what it was, but enough to say that it’s really popular with buskers so we thought it would be perfectly good enough for us. Oh no. So hard to get a good sound. And now when I hear buskers using it, I realise they’re having the same issues. It just somehow gets lost in the outdoorsiness of it all. Or maybe no-one cares. Anyway, we battled with it for half an hour. A horrendous overengineered complicated thing of a thing with banks and banks of tone controls and just about every setting sounding like it was underwater. Then, when we did get a good sound and then adjusted the volume, that made the sounds go all wrong again. Eventually we had to admit that our excitement had to be let go and that this thing just wasn’t working. And even if we could find a way to wrestle a semi decent sound out of it, can you imagine, with our setup and Now Hustle approach? A whole pub, and pub boss, already sceptical and impatient, watching us struggle with soundcheck? No, no, no thankyou. We need to be immediate and totally low maintenance. So we packed it away, sent it back, got our money back, and ordered something else. Lighter and about the same price.
We get that today, and oh my. Just wow. The sound of this thing is so natural that we weren’t sure at first it was even on and working. Until we turned it up and discovered that yes, all on. It’s instant. Turn on, ready. Just what we need. And you charge it. Just like a phone, or any other device. So now we can set up wherever we want in a venue. Not even the need for a socket. And with both me and Maja being wireless, no need for cable taping. This really is put down, turn on, plug in and you’re ready to go. Play.
The only thing we weren’t massively sure of – is it loud enough? Oh, it sounds find in the living room of your apartment. But every guitar amp ever sounds just loud and fine in the shop or at home. Then get it onto a stage, or in front of a drumkit and you discover just how loud that thing totally isn’t. So we had to get it in situ for an actual real world test. Where could that be? A friendly bar where we could turn up and make some noise without playing an actual show. Quinns maybe, but far too big. We’ve very much discovered our portable setup doesn’t work in big bars. Werewolf. Let’s try Werewolf. This is a wonderful new(ish) bar hidden right among the backstreets of Camden. And even passing it you’d miss it if it wasn’t for the sign directing you to it as it’s still a little way down the alley there. A true Camden gem to seek and find out. It’s a horror themed bar, full of decommissioned ghost train items including the little carriage cars which yes, people hang out in. The music is heavy metal from a juke box, and over the bar they constantly play horror movies in silent. The bar’s overall theme is American, so yes, this is an actual American Werewolf in London. The almost ever present Jordan has become a friendly recent addition to our Camden experience and we’re sure she’d let us at least have a little soundcheck play. So we take ourselves down there and yep, there she is. We have told her we play, but she’s never heard us and is very happy to help now, and intrigued to see what we have. She invites us to set up where the bands here generally do, just outside the main bar – more on that in a minute. We’re impressed by the quick setup. Jordan is stunned. Speaker out of bag, wirelesses plugged in, line check. Yep. That sounds good. Ready to go. We give an entire blast of I Like You (Better When You’re Naked), complete with full stage performance. Just as we finish, a few guys from different groups come out of the bar to see what was going on. They give us a big rating of approval and are even more impressed when they discover that what they heard was our own original song. We won’t be playing anymore, this was strictly an in-situ soundcheck we tell them. But they take cards and say that yes, they will very much check us out. And now Jordan knows a bit more about what we are too. Brilliant. Job done and this will do the job.
Now back to that main bar on the other side of the wall. It really is something. Basically, one seemingly bare concrete room is all the thing was made out of. They saw it as a canvas and have really made a fun and very welcoming hang out space with cartoon horror models and imagery everywhere again, much of it looking like it came from the interiors of ghost train settings. It probably did. And when I say the whole place is one room, I mean the whole. You’re sitting among all the usual bar accessories and beer barrels you would find in a bar cellar. Bar cellar and bar are all one in here. Including an actual brewing station right next to you and beside the jukebox. This is where it all happens. Literally. Me and Maja discovered it independently and were both excited to show it to the other. Then, when we came here for the first time we were both like, this is the place I’ve been meaning to show you. It’s since become a bit of a fixture and a regular treat for us and Jordan’s very much been part of it. And tonight it became the scene of our soundcheckcheck.
After that we settle down in the bar and have a few drinks while chatting with Jordan and then a guy visiting London on business who very luckily happened to find this place. His name’s Anthony and we totally kidnap him, having a drink or two with him here, then taking him with us for drinks in the next bar down which is another out of the way bar you’d struggle to come across if you were just a casual visitor.
Day 511
Thursday November 28
You know that thing people often say when they’ve just got back from holiday? No, you do. Oh, I need a holiday after that. Well, the incredible trip to Madrid was so action packed and active, that we’ve come back really quite worn out from it. With that, Maja declares first thing today that we need another holiday. A real one this time. One where you sit by the pool and don’t worry about getting out and doing anything. Doesn’t matter where you are, the whole objective is sun, relaxation, and no getting out and about tourism. She gets online and it’s done. We’re going to Tenerife. This Sunday. A holiday where we won’t have to think at all and where everything is just taken care of for us and the only decisions we have to make are to pool or not to pool and to beer or to wine. Yep. We are going all-inclusive. Don’t judge us. We have literally just done Madrid. And totally done it properly
