...
Champs did another sold-out tour with
Fionn Regan, this time for five weeks.
In order, we played: Glasgow, York, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter, Bath, Portsmouth, Brighton, London, Norwich, Oxford, Canterbury, Nottingham, Birmingham, and then... Waterford, Limerick, Cork, Derry, Belfast, Galway, Dublin, and finally Newbridge.
Not forgetting the odd TV and radio session sewn in. Phew. It was a riotous and defining experience.
The touring lifestyle was a pleasant one... playing drums
every night, drinking Guinness from the rider, awakening in a different
hotel room every morning and heading on to another town to do it all again... what more would a 22 year old want from life? And at least the
reviews didn't
mention my moustache:
"
His band are dressed in various shades of thrift-shop Western, a motley
parade
of cowboy shirts and unorthodox neckwear, and they lend the bite
required to
push Regan's songs towards the edge. The drummer is particularly
ear-catching: he may resemble Buddy Holly wearing a silver waistcoat,
but he
has an unusually thoughtful way of animating the material that recalls
the
great Jay Bellerose, with plenty of mallet work, and subtle touches
underscoring the quieter passages of songs such as "Violent
Demeanour"."
Jay Bellerose...? Nope, me neither.
I was fortunate to be spending my time in the company of some very fine chaps (and chappette), and met all kinds of quirky folk along the way (ref. Derek Acora...). It's always great to be back in Ireland... and I finally made it to Co. Monaghan! (proof to follow shortly)
Anyhow, in other news, I'm currently spending my days on court, in the furniture shop, and at the drums, and my nights at Bar Billiards, and at rediscovering my passion for long-john sleeping.
Various festival appearances to follow shortly.
