Coventry

We only confirmed the Coventry gig a week ago and I’ve no idea really what kind of set up to expect. Ben picks me up after lunch and we collect Jeff before heading out to Bowden for Mike and Bonehead. We arrive early evening, the directions hold up, the venue is on the side of a canal, like the opposite lock in Brum. On arrival we catch the tail end of a recording session, there’s a Harp on a stage, a woman harpist [we think although it's hard to tell in the dark] is checking a lap top and a couple of hippy minstrels are moving gear around. They’ve just finished. We say hello and Rich makes the tea. This venue feels like a proper modern art space. My eyes start to adjust and we load in. It transpires that Rich the venue owner/ manager is producing an album during daytime hours and running a club at night. This would explain the snow white tan and the mellow manners. We immediately warm to the set up. Sound check is over and done with in no time, more ineteresting is tonights support, the incredible Thomas Traux. I say incredible and I mean incredible. This guy builds his own instruments and performs the most attractive alternative song/pieces accompanied by modified drum machines and bellow esque horn adaptions [I’m stuggling to describe them here], but do check out his site. We watch most of his set back at the gig before we’re on. He’s an interactive magician and an engineering wonder. We were all captivated. It’s not often you get to see something quite so original done so well. We grab a photo with him the next day as we’re leaving and do the album swop thing. Our gig is a decent affair, we have no complaints, the sound is great and the energy factor is high, the air conditioning is broken hence this turns into one of the hottest gigs ever know to man. Afterwards we mingle and drink and smoke accordingly. All of us now back on cigarettes after only three days on the road [except jeff who has more sense]. It’s pathetic really. I go without a fag for months at a time and then we’re away for a few days and another culture seems to become me or something like that, a poor excuse I know. Since I’ve been home I’ve not bothered. We say goodbye to Taylor Johns the next day, it’s been an inspiring stay in an inspiring place. There was some talk of it being under threat of closure, lets hope to god it never does. VP