The Union Tour - 23/09/10 Northampton Roadmender

It’s raining, it’s cold but we are on our way to Northampton. Luke and Mark are in the front, and me, Chris, Dave, Pete and Fiona are in the back. We decide to watch a film. A film that will pretty much set the course for the whole rest of the tour. Luke insists we watch it. The film is: Paranormal Activity.

I don’t really do horror films. But onwards we go, pulling closed the curtains and making a makeshift cover for the stupid skylight that means you can’t see anything on the flipdown plasma screen. As Pete and I discover, this actually doesn’t help, and we spend most of the film either leaning backwards at a funny angle, or, in the dark bits, leaning so far forward we look like dogs looking under a garden gate. Needless to say, we got cricks in our necks, but the stomach muscles got a good workout.

For those of you who have never seen Paranormal Activity, I won’t spoil it. BUT, it IS disturbing. We do indeed end up screaming at bits (part of the fun), AND talking about it afterwards, A LOT.

It’s on this journey that the scene is set for the tour diet, which you may have already read about on The Union blog, particularly Pete’s guide to tour food. As a sort of veggie, choice in petrol stations is even less than a normal eater. At this point, I also hadn’t realised that once I get to the venue and get set up, the chances of slipping off to eat something properly are practically nil. Mark and I, staying in the venue while the band go off to eat and entertain VIP guests, have to remind each other to actually eat. Usually the choice we have is ... more sandwiches from the dressing room. I also then take to buying a stash of stuff in the morning for later .. but more of that later too :)

Roadmender is a cool venue, with a bar area paved with flagstones. Unfortunately the merch stand gets moved away from the ‘flow of traffic’, due to a club starting immediately afterwards. One of the guys there is a lifesaver and lends me a proper merchandise board, so my life is easy, or so I think.

The first stand!

I’m sad I can’t see the band, after all it will be my first full -length set. But I work out if I stand at an angle where I can see the merch stand AND just see through the venue doors, I can see the stage. Marvellous. This technique proves very useful at a few of the venues on the tour, and is then one of the first points of reference I seek out on arrival! Where’s the merch .. where’s the viewing point? :)

The venue told me that a club was starting soon after the band finish. What I hadn’t banked on was the area I was in being plunged into darkness IMMEDIATELY the band finish, and dance music blaring out of the speakers directly to my left. Hmmm. I hadn’t banked on that. I also hadn’t banked on having to count about 200 T-shirts in the pitch black.

It’s also at this point that I find out how truly lovely the band are (not trying to ruin their rock n roll cred, but it IS true) - Pete comes over and asks if I’m OK, then fetches me a drink, and Dave comes over to check too.

Surrounded by leggy young lovelies dancing (one turns to me mid-dance and asks ‘what is all this?’. I explain that it’s the merchandise from the band that just plays. Without missing a beat she says ‘oh’ and immediately turns and continues her dancing.) I manage to get all the merchandise out. Quelle surprise, it’s raining again.

We then discover the joys of the Travelodge. With no bar. Enough said.

It’s ALSO at this point that Fiona and I discover there is only one bed. And a small double at that. Thankfully we have been friends for many a year and shared numerous hotel rooms together, so we just make do. It’s only the next day we find out that the sofa in the room is ‘the other bed’. Sigh.

Spot the spelling mistake!