On the road again - May 10
The show at Compiegne
Gary with splendid new drum kit
En route to Alsace
Happily the early morning of 21 May greeted us with warm sunshine. Jo and I had a lie-in until 5.30am, standard fare for ferries to France followed by a same day show. Once more the white cliffs of Dover slowly receded to a chorus of gulls hovering in the boat's wake, en route to Compiegne via Calais...
We sped down the motorway in the Hackmobile, a twelve seater with rusted gash down its side. It's all glamour! Inside the vehicle some broke into Jimmy Saville impressions along with Dalek impressions. The hybrid of the two has to be heard to be believed, the prize going to Nick Beggs with Rob Townsend as a close runner up. Meanwhile Roger was engrossed in Shakespeare and already able to quote large tracts from Macbeth... "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, creeps in this sweaty van from day to day..." Meanwhile what a wonderful sight, with the warm sunshine pouring in and making the fields of northern France look every bit as enticing as its legendary southern counterpart.
Just an hour away from Paris, we stopped in Compiegne. The gig there at the Ziquodrome had a grande vibe extraordinaire and the audience was fantastique. It was so good to be playing in La France again. Merci Beaucoup to Michel Raymond the promoter.
From there we sped down to the Alsace region... but what was this? The Swiss border? Whoops - quick, find your passports guys! Five minutes later we found ourselves back in France. After a further drive along windy roads through fairytale countryside we crossed a babbling stream beside a gaggle of geese to an idyllic farmhouse cottage that was to become our home for the next two days...
Snapshots!
Duelling guitars
Relaxing backstage after show
