Aaaaaaaaaaand.... back from the U.K. tour!

MIKE BURN

I returned last night with my bandmates from our 10 days U.K. tour which brought us in various cities and landscapes in Southern England, Northern-Wales and Scotland.

After a 20 hours bus drive from Scotland back home to Germany, I'm rather exhausted and don't have much to show - but anyway it's great to be back

We had a great time and touring stress of course, but had wonderful days especially in Scotland! What a lovely country that is and the people there are so much more relaxed than in the southern U.K. I wonder why that is! LOL I suspect it's the Whiskey and the incredible nature there - only the temperatures are not what you expect in summer so far up north -brrrrr-

Well, we did some live recordings which are not transferred/mixed yet and of course some pictures - anyway, everything I can offer right now are a few quick shots done with a small digicam - better than nothing at least and a live recording we did a few days before leaving to the U.K. during a festival over here

Our first gig was the Nozstock Festival in Bromyard near Birmingham:

I took this shaky pic in Nozstock from backstage while another band was playing, which shows a bit of the athmosphere.

There were more than 1,000 visitors:

MIKE

10 free song uploads||1 free video upload

MIKE BURN

The next two pictures were taken a few days later in a club in Rhyl/North-Wales where we played in a packed club on the same level with the audience, which was a crazy experience (no real stage there, but loads of party people)

bbchris

Great photos Mike!! We want to see more!!

I see from the last photo that Kate has learned the "FAMOUS BBCHRIS POSE" hahahahahahahhhahaha :banana

AQUARIAN AGE · Austrian Peacekeeper Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 612

Quote:
I see from the last photo that Kate has learned the "FAMOUS BBCHRIS POSE"

MIKE BURN

Quote:
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I see from the last photo that Kate has learned the "FAMOUS BBCHRIS POSE"

HAHA

Well, other pictures will need some time since they were done the old analog way and need developing.

BUT... I can deliver an article written about one of our gigs in Rhyl/North-Wales

Quote:
www.link2wales.co.uk/gig05/mbaf.htm

MBAF

HYPERTRAFFIC

KOBE

Bar Blu, Rhyl

27.07.04

(reviewed by neil crud)

What a difference a real PA makes! Think of the bands, really good bands who’ve played at Blu over the last 2 years who have bombed out because the sound was shite. It has improved over the last year but compare it to last night and its world’s apart. The great sound was provided by touring German band MBAF with Kate Cassidy who were generous enough to lend their ware and soundman to the supporting cast. And if the sound tonight isn’t an indication to the Blu management that a little investment is needed then I don’t know what is.

With Paul Scouse on a mission to drown the fact he’s reached a milestone in his life we witnessed Bangor’s Kobe open proceedings. The sharper ones amongst you will notice I also saw them last Sunday at Hendre Hall when they followed on from a band referred to as ‘the D word’. No chance of being heckled tonight as ‘the D word’ are barred from Blu! Not that John and Kobe deserve any heckling (maybe a quick ‘show us yer tits’ or ‘you’ve got an Anglesey haircut’).

Kobe opened with a cracking number that either went into another cracking number or it was a very long song that mutated as it went along, with dirty great big riffs that are thumped out of that guitar.

Like I said last week, they do lack on the vocal front and need someone up there with confidence and attitude to deliver these nothing short of excellent tunes. But they’re carrying on until a replacement is found, and quite right, cos you don’t close a chip shop just cos your head fryer has walked out, no, you carry on and find another one. The song that was, I think second to last was the high point with a guitar solo from one end of the scale to the other that had me picking my jaw back up off the floor. They played it at Hendre as well and is absolutely superb, check ‘em out next time.

HyperTraffic’s beanpole vocalist with a John Lydon face was surprised by the number of people he faced – Blu was packed out – again.

This semi-scouse band, with their songs demanded your attention and that’s what they got. It was great to see people singing City Lights which I’ve been plugging on my show. I kept saying they’re like Joy Division and I got a resounding no from The Secretary and Dean Obscene. He said Stone Roses, she said dress them in black and think of early Bauhaus. I think all three of us had a point.

And just when you think you’ve seen some of the best guitar work for ages in Blu another one pops up! What a great guitarist – he doesn’t have to look at the frets he knows every inch and every sound. Fantastic stuff.

Adam announced before the last song that this was to be their last gig. He wasn’t lying; it turns out the bassist’s work commitments make it difficult for him to carry on and the other 3 want to move in different directions. A great shame, but what a swan song, what a way to go with a set that was moving, uplifting and damn @#%$ good!

Kate Cassidy and MBAF went on with her amazing voice, this Scottish lass is backed by a German band, who looked well @#%$ odd but were amazing all the same. The music was more suited to a bluesy jazzy rock club (anyone know of one round here?), but they had a lot of support regardless.

Steve Sync said they were the most professional band to play at Blu after his! And they had a bongo player that looked like Jesus of Nazareth.

A stereotypical German with a bald head and broad smile playing a £30,000 vintage Gibson guitar. Steve Rastin insisted that they put the guitar in the office & not leave it backstage, ’You don’t know Rhyl mate, that’d be in a second hand shop or on ebay by tomorrow.’

Sync continued his descriptions claiming the bassist looked like a weirdo Hawkwind member or maybe David Wrench’s dad with a @#%$ flat cap on! He also said the keyboard player didn’t do much but looked like an elf. Although Danny Crud’s definition was he looked like a science lecturer off early morning Open University.

Rastin told them to play for 35 minutes. After an hour and a half the masses had drifted away, leaving the faithful and the bladdered to enjoy the music until 1.40am.

Now... better than expected for those who were greeted with "Hi Sauerkrauts, you have 35 minutes to play - fair enough" LOL

MIKE BURN

BTW... we MISSED Paul (ED1G) who was supposed to make it to our gig in Knockvennie/Scotland.

We were even announced in the newspapers LOL (see below).

It would have been great to meet him, but he probably had something better to do

ED1G · PIGGY MOONRUST Joined: 31 Oct 2002 Posts: 2644

Ha ha Mike, thanks.... Yeah I missed yas again

My something else to do was work and I know where I would have preferred to be...

..... miles away in Scotland watching some top notch act..... :yo

Funny and typical tho, I have free time this weekend coming and Iam going to Cambridge.... I will get to see MBAF.... I promise!!!

Looks like yous had a blast, great pics!!

Paul

NEW VIDEO DIARY'S PAGE

bbchris

Quote:
And they had a bongo player that looked like Jesus of Nazareth.

What a great article!! hahhahahahaha :banana

And the "Queen of Rock" one is SO COOL!! WELL DONE!!!

MIKE BURN

Paul!

I always told my bandmates "a Paul might pop up tonight" LOL

Anyway, it was worth a try and it seems that we will be back in the U.K. next year the latest

Here's a pic from the gig in Knockvennie/Scotland where you were missed

....this was our arrival... after hours of driving from Wales to Scotland with our tour bus... we were welcomed by Japanese! LOL

MIKE BURN

Let me explain the Japanese in Scotland LOL

We were invited by the international school in Knockvennie because of the 60th. anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.

One day before our gig in the Knockvennie community hall, we had some sort of public rehearsal in the school in the evening. This was a interestnig experience! We also jammed with the japanese school kids

MIKE BURN

Quote:
bbchris

What a great article!! hahhahahahaha

And the "Queen of Rock" one is SO COOL!! WELL DONE!!!

Chris

Here you have another pic of our "Messiah"-team LOL

...and here is Kate's most original pose

MIKE BURN

BTW... we also had fun during all that driving....

...this picture was taken during a traffic jam on the M25 around London:

...and this was taken when we approached the Eurotunnel which connects France and England under the Atlantic. It's somewhat a futuristic experience:

MIKE BURN

Here are some more impressions from the Nozstock Festival:

MIKE BURN

Werner, our bass player, relaxing before our gig there:

MIKE BURN