Thursday 31 May 2012

Do not collect two hundred pounds


31st May

Just played Glastonbury 2012! On tor. .a ha ha

Life is all about the ups and downs….and right now, the downsides are the best bits!
The biggest hill climb so far 100-771 feet…..now that is character building with a mobile studio on your pannier rack! Especially with the threat of rain ( bungee leads and covers)

The Wells castle 15th century prison was todays main location…great bounce back of sound ( and the odd visitor popping their head in!)













Staring down the barrel of north Devon…Chulmleigh via Tiverton here we come ( slowly)

Wednesday 30 May 2012

"Take me to the bridge" - James Brown


30th may

A day like today should start with an “as much as you can eat” breakfast!

500 kilometres! Monumental moment on route to the 1st session of today.

A viaduct! 10 pillars of old red brick in the middle of nowhere…..
Great place for a rehearsal, worked on the track “my music”  and then recorded the vocals.
Great place to create the face!


We are now written into the history books!
The curator of Malmesbury abbey was so interested
in the “just for the record” story, that she took our
flyer and wrote about it in the church records…..














Little did we know that the rest of the day would be the biggest physical and mental challenge so far. Hills, we found them, food we didn’t……..
 “A day like today should start with an “as much as you can eat” breakfast! “

Todays stats: 607 kilometres from Lowestoft ( the other side of Britain ) 
Going to Bridgewater via Wells and Glastonbury......

Outstanding in the field recording


29th May

An Acoustic set in a launderette and shoulders deep in a field of electric blue corn flowers…..





496 kilometres, and a new back wheel for nailz …….off to the streets of Bristol....here come the hills!


Monday 28 May 2012

Like a Bicester in the sun


Monday 28th May…..


“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! I should have looked in my mirror”

A lady in Steeple Claydon said in a petrified voice!...the rest of the album nearly needed to be recorded in intensive care!…..
1 life down…..Please check your mirrors when opening car doors…I nearly wore one!

Anyway:



“Morning” “Morning” “Hi” as we cycled through the park in the center of Bedford about 9am….
Found a great bandstand, set up and ran a couple of tracks….



Just happened to be a guy taking photos in the park at that time….Cheers Tony! 


Next! The Marshall centre in Bletchley, Thanks so much to Neil Smith for sorting it! 
.......Stood on the steps in the Marshall head office and gave it some! 


Todays stats: 412 kilometres and we are now about half way across the width of Britain! luckily we have finally found some hills! 

Off to Cirencester tomorrow…..i wonder what it will bring!

Sunday 27 May 2012

Vertical challenge



Sunday 27th 2012


“When the door opens shuffle round and tuck your legs under the plane"

…..oh sick. Fatigue and lack of sleep adds to the nerves!
Falling towards the ground at approx. 140 miles per hour is always a good pick me up for a big days cycling! Always guaranteed to will wipe that smile off your face and replace it with an even bigger one!

70 kilometers later we are in Wyboston Lakes, where I ran the set in a concrete tunnel, by a lake and in the “Wait for the Wagon” pub......










….. Bicester tomorrowvia cycle route 51

Hangar left at the next junction


26th May 2012

As the hangar doors opened the Cambridgeshire sun illuminated the planes.
Wow! The sound bounced around the hangar with a massive decay…
Set up the recording rig on some old aeroplane wheels and place the bikrophone stand suitably spread to capture it. Played the tracks “Evaporated” and “Black and blue” standing in between 2 planes as the sun went down.
In the middle of a river yesterday……aeroplanes today….the plan is coming together!
So good.So so good

Todays Stats: 123 kilometres, 1 broken spoke, 1 cream tea, High point= recording in the aircraft hangar, low point=lack of food=:((
On to Wyboston tomorrow….just got to jump out of a plane at 10000 feet first!

Saturday 26 May 2012

Go West!


Friday 25th May 2012

Ridiculous!…the guitar hangs off the back like a spoiler…..hmmm, as Nailz disappears off into the distance I realise that my acceleration is 0-60 in never…and that is down hill with the wind behind me.
Turn left at the wind turbine, just behind the gas works…so idyllic! The furthest easterly point set up a ran a couple of tracks……am I going to get washed away?...how long can I stand here with my back to the waves on a platform of seaweed…..
So here we are at the start point…..SMASH…my guitar strap came undone and guitar hits the concrete….lucky that it is me proof…only fractured front…battle scars! Now…..to Watton.
Hello, good morning, hi.

The first big row of the trip!

Heading roughly in the right direction we found cycle route 1.
Found a fantastic place by an old ruined bridge…climbed across the old stones in the river and worked on the track “Take”
Standing in the middle of the river rehearsal, what a place to eat and work on tracks! The sound of the river over the old creases makes you play louder. 

…..”Push on, dig deep”…but this is only day one right? And the terrain is so flat in Norfolk…..
If you need something worked out….tell me…..i’ve got plenty of ponder time bruv!
So lucky to be cruising in the sun.....with the fields of green corn like inland seas tides in the wind.
Still 20 miles to go.

In Watton tonight…..nowhere booked to stay tomorrow yet…..it’ll be fine!


On to the Wimblington airfield in the morning……where I’m jumping from 10000 feet to my bike at 9am……..


Thursday 24 May 2012

Ready, steady.......


Thursday 24th May 2012

This is the beginning, the pre blog blog.
All of the build up, all of the training, gigged last night, all recording gear in the panniers ( with a little room for a suit….ha ha) 3 train journeys…..and we are at the start line.
Even done a pre play set outside the museum ( in front of the Lowestoft bowls club)


Maps loaded….ready to go…(in 5 hours)…lets see what the 1st day brings…..