The Fiddler's Elbow - CandemBefore we even start talking about the show, let's mention the fact that getting to London was AWESOME!! We got upgraded to FIRST CLASS for no extra charge!!! Now, I don't know about you, but that was the first time we flew across the pond in style. WHAT!!???! Leather seats that rotated and leaned in 50 different directions; a constant supply of libations; fresh seafood appetizers prepared right at you seat!! We wanted the flight to last 3 times as long. Seriously, we could so get used to how the other half lives : )...but back to reality now.
If you've never been to London, make it happen. The city is amazing and HUGE. There are a million things going on at any given time, and we were one of them last night. We got to venue by Tube (subway) and it was hot and musty, but it made surfacing to a warm afternoon seem cooler. The venue wanted us there to sound check at 6pm; we were to play at 9pm. It's always funny for us to show up so early for sound checks. We plug in the acoustic, check two mics and are basically done. All in all, an action packed 3 minutes!
We had an odd booking, being slotted to play between to indie-rock bands, who were pretty loud at the sound check. I mean LOUD! So here is Calahoney, barely registering and two other bands blowing the back out of the house. Well as it turns out the first band got there a bit late after being stuck in traffic and they pushed our set back to 10pm. Tra-la-la. Waiting, waiting. No worries, they we pretty good! INDIGO from Suffolk. They were also young; made us feel...uh...what's the word...seasoned! Ahaha.
We get on and played a really good set. The sound was crystal clear! And best of all, for most of our set you could hear a pin drop in the back, the crowd was so attentive. The highlight of the night was Laura just killing it on Waving from the Whims, which she has been doing all tour, and playing London Eludes Me in freaking London. That felt awesome. Laura and I looked at each other in the middle of the song and almost broke out into laughter! We got a recording of the night and if it sounds good, we're gonna put some live tracks up for mass consumption.
The night ended with a band called Princip turning the amps to 11 and playing a short, punk-inspired set. We called it a night in the middle of their set. Not to offend, but we had a 45 min. Tube ride back to the house. So, had to go.
The Fiddler's Elbow has been around for 40+ years and they we're really nice to us. The sound man, Guthier (a Frenchman), was the nicest sound guy we've met the whole tour. Helpful as hell. The only problem with the place, and well the UK in general, is that all the Scotch pours are vehemently measured out! NO OVER-POURS! You get a dram, and that's it. In the States (and on that damn FIRST CLASS plane ride) you sometimes get a dram of Scotch 3 or 4 fingers deep!!! Now, that's a pour! But, other than that London has not eluded us yet this summer, and we're here for two more weeks. We leave next Wed. for a show in Dublin, and are back in London for a few shows. This summer tour is closing soon, but it ain't over yet!
Cheers
Calahoney
4 comments:
Wow! Its like a 360 reading about your travels to London when I just got done reading the vagalong post about some days being better than others! Pretty cool that you got to fly first class to London! That will be the norm for the next tour I'm sure!! :) Sounds like a great show and I can't wait to hear some of the live recording!! Have fun in Dublin!! Cool beans! Keep truckin'!!!! Much love ~ Katie
It's awesome to be able to keep up with you guys; makes me feel like I'm right there with you. Keep having fun! This is AWESOME!
~Dawn
"You guys are going places", that is classic..."Yah, London", that is genius!!! Love this blog, only slightly less than I love my own! Big ups on the first class. Maybe it's a sign. Shrimp cocktail and three finger pours should be on your backstage rider!!!! Lots of Love (LOL)
Los Vagalongers
First class rocks! How did you manage to get that? Was it all the way from New York to London? You lucky dogs you. So does the Guiness taste better in Dublin or the same as here? It sounds like your tour is kicking ass this summer. I wonder if the movie star from New York will end up using some of your tracks on a movie set... I foresee more first class excursions in the near future. Well we miss you back here in Miami but are glad to see you guys are having fun. See you soon.
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