TOUR DIARY DAY 2: A travel day started with getting the car fixed in a brummie garage, which could have been mundane but I have feeling that this tour isn’t going to turn out that way. As I started apologising to the mechanic for having so much music stuff in the boot, his face lit up as he asked if we were musicians. I said we were and that we needed to get back on the road to head to Manchester for a gig. What followed is a perfect example of not underestimating people or letting the scene dictate the character. 

So it turns out that our mechanic’s big hobby is singing in musicals. With a fine light baritone voice he sang a few snatches of song and we discussed the importance of warming up, before he quoted us a very reasonable price for a replacement tyre. His next audition is in December. Good luck pal!

While we waited for the car to be fixed I had a small emotional breakdown in the post office while Gus discussed the racist front cover of the Daily Mail (apparently all people who use their phones while driving are polish) with the newsagent. Gus restored his calm with coffee and I had some soup and an emergency midday nap, before our singing mechanic called to say the car was fixed. 

We hit the road and despite great clumps of mid-week traffic we contented ourselves listening to lots of music and the thought of some of Gus’s mum’s home brew when we arrived. Arrive we did, upon which we were fed vegan curry, beer and entreated to complete a puzzle before we left. Gus and his mum being the rockstars they are promptly headed off to see some New York rock band tear the paint of the walls of Gullivers, while I saved myself for tonight’s gig, which we are preparing ourselves for by drinking strong coffee and tackling the tricky grassy bits of the puzzle (it all looks the same!!). Mikey Kenny from Liverpool will be joining us tonight to play his beautiful tunes while he will also join Gus’s quartet alongside with top bananas John Ellis on keys and Sarah Dale on cello. See us there or wish us well! x