Barrow

Boneheads driving and he has a chest infection, I’m surviving despite a mouth ulcer and a sore throat. It’s a grey day and we all meet up at mine for tea and toast, Bens travelling with Mike, there’s a functional air to the gathering, like a last supper of sorts as this is the last gig for a while….and it feels a bit like an add on or a friends request, we set off and arrive without stopping, Mike and Ben beat us to it but only just. The Nines is a revamped and incredibly plush modern night club, a gaudy mirror balled disco palace kind of place. It feels incredibly clean and I’m not complaining, just thinking how Craig would have loved it. The stage has a gold lamer drape and a couple of pole dancing risers. This is a club with pedigree appeal, it says so on the flyers, whatever that means. We sound check and go back to the hotel, Mike and Ben are staying over, and Bonehead and I are getting off afterwards. My throat is feeling a bit better and so far I’ve managed to avoid the fags. It’s a quaint little family hotel, the foyer walls are covered in photos of politicians, we play spot the Tory, there’s Heath, Knott, Widdecombe, Balmy Boris, Tarzan, it’s a right old mug fest; enough to put you off the place. People are arriving at the venue as we do, by taxi, and we catch something of the support, a solo American called Peter I think his name was, he wasn’t my cup of tea or any of the bands for that matter but some people found him entertaining. He didn’t get booed off or anything. He was kind of engaging, but somehow in all the wrong places. Jon Byrne plays next and it’s refreshing to see someone with a genuine passion, I’ve seen Jon before and his set is typically intense. Jon was born to be on a stage and as Mike quite accurately observes, he looks uncomfortable everywhere else. I couldn’t agree more. Our show is good; surprisingly people seem somewhat reserved. Bonehead has his own little fan club here as it’s something of an Oasis town people inform me. Afterwards we say hello to people we sort of know but don’t really and sign tickets for girls with impossibly attractive accents, then we leave, Bonehead and I, not quite at the speed of sound but getting there. This has the last band show for awhile and I’d just like to thank everyone who came along to support us…it’s very much appreciated as ever. VP