A much needed day off. Before the onslaught of the last 8 dates (in 8 different cities in 8 days), I need a day to recharge the batteries, do my washing etc. I managed to book an osteopath appointment in Sevenoaks, while the rest of the band decided to go to a gig (on our night off?) in London. I drove them into Sevenoaks on my way to the Osteopath. The weather, if anything, is worse than ever! Global Warming!

This is the biggest venue we are going to play in this tour, and the ‘showcase’ gig for us this time. We were up and on the road early (sadly leaving the wonderful surroundings of our hosts). The drive across the Peak District National Park was worth it though, even if the weather was as wet and windy as ever. I cannot remember experiencing weather QUITE this bad in June – even in England!

We made it to Sevenoaks by 3pm – miraculous, considering the traffic was building all the way – being the last day of the extended Jubilee holiday, many people were heading home. The Read the rest of this entry »

We played here last September, and went down so well, they have asked us back. Stuart Fraser-Thomson, the organiser, is a keen guitar student and fan of JJ’s, which helps. Last year he was Men’s Captain at the club. So he is an important figure. He is also a great host. Mid-morning, he came and picked up JJ and Alan and whisked them off to a music shop in Manchester. Jeff, Scott and I made our own way to the club later on, to set up and sound check. This is another totally unplugged gig. No drum microphones, and only vocals in the PA system. A bit of a change from LAST night’s cacophony! After sound check, we were fed (excellently, might Read the rest of this entry »

The drive from Hull started bright and almost sunny, and got progressively more dull. By the time we had made it past York, rain was threatening, and as we climbed the hill 20 miles from Newcastle, it was foggy and drizzling. No wonder they closed the A66 Pennine route! If it was this bad on the coast, one could only imagine how bad the conditions were on the moors! Somehow, by a succession of lucky hunches, I managed to find Trillian’s! It is situated just off the main pedestrian shopping centre in the middle of downtown Newcastle, on a badly signposted back street, and Read the rest of this entry »

June 6th, 2002&text2=our first “proper” gig, in Kingston-upon-Hull, East Yorkshire&text3=This is our third time playing the Springhead, and JJ’s fourth or fifth time (Hellecasters gigs). There is a hard core of Hellecasters fans here, who have now become JJ fans. Tony Beastie (promoter) puts on a good show, and really gets the ‘punters’ in through the door. It was sad, leaving the Bein Inn, but I can think of worse places to go than here. We drove down to Carlisle (where I bade my family farewell: they went back down to London), and cut across the Pennines on the A66, which is a really Read the rest of this entry »