Luckily the pickle police has no jurisdiction in Wales so we escaped with out incident! As we got closer to the bridge and the clouds got closer and closer around us we noticed the sign with the toll amounts. £5.50 for a car and then I saw that a small van is £10.90 it took a while to sink in but then the rant began! You want me to pay over a tenner to get into a place where I am going to entertain the population with my merry band of revellers! Well as I got more wound up I was told by the calming voice of the hippy to remember to be polite as the people taking the money had to sit in a small shed and be sworn at all day so don’t be a hater! I took this advice and even called the woman sweetheart as I drove off . She didn’t seem to be impressed! Don’t hate – congratulate!
So we had the postcode of the Duke in the sat nav and turned up at a non-signed up building which had a small scrap of paper with Distorted Breed here tonight at eight written in marker pen on it! This is the place!
We got out of the van banged on the door and were told to come back at six thirty. We should have remembered the rules as we were told this would happen! Pub time then so we went to the Cross Keys pub in Neath and as we walked in the landlord said “ In a band are you!?” expecting the worst we all nodded and he said “Welcome, I like the Manic Street Preachers me!”.
We were then welcomed into his lovely pub which house the best toilets I’ve ever seen. Why mention those you ask well when you go to the venues we do a good toilet is always to be savoured!
Right show time so we go back to the Duke and meet the owner Tony (who is a marvellous chap) and we sound checked. The stage was very small and also a little flimsy so me and Andy decided rather than go through the floor we would perform at floor level!
Conflict Against opened for us as usual and did a blinding job even though their Bass player was feeling very sick and we all had our cameras ready to get the money shot but he manned up and played great instead!
I finally succumbed to my grumpy mood and locked myself in the van and wrote last nights blog as well as a look at the local castle that was right before my eyes. By the time I came outI’d cheered up and with a couple of Jack Daniels inside me I took to the stage with Roxy, Hippy, Andy and the Church and played a blistering set which, if I’m honest was so much fun I forgot about my bad mood.
So we packed up and left for Sue’s house where we stayed all five of us in the living room. The sounds were amazing in the little room as I laid awake snoring levels were huge and Roxy has a chest infection mixed with his asthma and sounded as if death was on its way. He is, as I write this in A and E getting some meds to carry on. Bless him for carrying on, he has been as star as indeed have all the boys just getting on with things through the troubles.
The Church has been amazingly drummer like today by starting the day by saying “ I don’t care I just wanna fuck something!” and then proceeding to fall of the great height that was his air bed.
Andy’s quote of the tour is “Its all a bit Jeremy Kyle, you’ll like it in here!”
Jim’s Quote of the tour “If this doesn’t end in lager, there’s gonna be a row!”
I’m sure all the guys will have a quote of the tour by the end!
So it’s the Patriot in Crumlin tonight we have been promised a crowd and im really hoping we get to play to a fair few more than we have lately but that’s all just part of the road my friends! It being a Bikers club pub we should have tales of drinking Rocking and debauchery on tomorrows blog so stay tuned my internet monkeys!
Love Respect and Dirty Rock n Roll
Jim Distortion
Distorted Breed
