Between Coastlines and Downpours - November 2019

Folkestone show
Photo © Jo Hackett

Leicester show
Photo © Mick Bannister

Portsmouth show
Photo © Jo Hackett

The first half of the UK tour has been a great success... Fantastic crowds and the band have been on fire!

We kicked off at the Waterside, Aylesbury, run by David Stopps who used to run Friars Aylesbury in the Genesis days. It was great to share memories with him of our gigs there, including the day when Pete broke his leg in an early attempt to surf the audience...

David surprised us all with a special Friars Aylesbury 50th anniversary award. We felt extraordinarily welcome, the gig went off like a rocket and it was a terrific way to start the tour... Mum was there too celebrating with Prosecco, and the whole atmosphere had tremendous warmth.

We then drove to the Kent coast for the Lees Cliff Hall, Folkestone show. Amazing to see the coast of France across the water in that spot... It's like looking across a large lake! The gig went down a storm and there was huge excitement in the air.

No time to stop, we headed north the next day for Sheffield... For the gig there, we were joined by special guests Amanda Lehmann and John Hackett. The vibe was great, it was fabulous to have them play with us, and Amanda also teamed up for the next show in Cambridge, where the crowd went electro-static! Amanda, Jo and I also enjoyed a walk through those historical walls and towering spires, for which Cambridge is famous.

On arrival in Leicester we heard that much of Sheffield was under a deluge of water, so we counted ourselves lucky that we had just missed it! Our thoughts go out to all those in the midlands who have been forced out of their homes by it. We still had to dodge the rain, but as always, the Leicester show generated its own extraordinary heat and power. Cardiff was equally fiery, and it was good to catch up there with fellow muso Geoff Downes and his wife Marty as well as Rob Reed and Christopher Fry of Magenta.

We travelled from Cardiff to Liverpool. Had enough time to take a stroll between some heavy downpours to visit the Catholic cathedral, or "Paddy's Wigwam" as some call it... and we thoroughly enjoyed the explosive show with fantastic crowd! Our drive to Brighton for same day show was a long one, held up by two unfortunate accidents, but we resolved things quickly on arrival and the gig was spot on time... Terrific to catch up with pals, including Nigel Glockler of Saxon and Roger Dean. What a fantastic atmosphere in such a beautiful venue, the Dome. As part of the India inspired Royal Pavilion complex, it has a unique feel. Jo and I enjoyed walking the Brighton streets the following morning, from the Pavilion through the Lanes to the seafront, between the Palace Pier and the old burnt out "Skeleton Pier" as we call it...

Following another exciting show in Portsmouth, Jo and I took a break for one night at home, before joining the band again in Salisbury to start the second leg of this wonderful UK tour...