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Our monitor man for this evening, Deano.

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Sunday night and all is seemingly well in the sleepy hamlet of Norwich, paddling ground for the mighty Nicholas Parsons. We take the stage to rapturous applause and sizeable grins. They like it. Great.

Uh oh, we appear to have a few people who cannot, and dammit will not, grab hold of the concept of this being a performance of our last album, and continue to shout Suckerpunch, throughout the set. For you, my friend, we will not play Suckerpunch at all, even in the second set, where it stands third song in.

Why?

I’ll tell you why. Imagine the scenario. You’re talking and someone appears to have something more important to say, and they loudly interrupt. You accept that you aren’t the most interesting person alive and so graciously concede to the interrupter. Except the interrupter, hiding within the darkness of a crowd, decides not to continue their line in ignorance and clams up when asked what it is they want. Leaving, in place of a mildly interesting monologue of varying importance an awkward silence that serves no purpose other than to wind up the person talking and leave them pondering the vast level of ignorance and bad manners of someone who’d stop you talking in favour of saying nothing themselves.

I can’t get back into the gig for wishing that people like this would stop coming to our shows. There must be a thousand other bands you can follow? Look on the internet. Although there is a strong likelihood that you can’t operate a computer. Suffice it to say that you bring nothing to the event and you spoil the atmosphere for people who are genuinely enjoying themselves. Your absence will be welcomed.

All in all a stunning performance by the band. Probably the best we’ve played the entire tour. I’m very glad that those who actually wanted to listen in Norwich heard a band at the absolutely peak of their ability. I don’t know why the ignorance of others winds me up to such a point that I find myself losing my own balance and wanting to exact my rising anger. This is my problem. Balance is work in progress, a road with quite a few road blocks and falling rocks, a mode of transport rather than a destination.

Hope Portsmouth has fewer idiots in attendance and I pray that the people that didn’t enjoy it last night never come again.

Over and out of patience.

Gx

Kerrang! came to review it, lots of friends came down to hear it, more than 700 advance tickets were sold for it and they even managed to turn off that awful air-con during it.

What? You might be asking yourself.

Nottingham Rock City, god dammit. One of the finest, most legendary gigs on the planet and when it’s full to the rafters, as it was this evening, it’s a place of awe inspiring lunacy. You could hear the crowd cheering like crazy when Black Spiders were churning out their motor fuelled dirt rock. Man, how loud are they going to be for us?

Answer, VERY. Although Bristol had set the standard pretty high the previous night Nottingham eat standards with chips. Absolutely astounding reception from this wonderful crowd, and one that I was so honoured to have Kerrang! present at. If this doesn’t get a 5/5 review then at least everyone there knows it was, in fact, easily a 5/5 gig.

I live for nights like this, when the band and the audience are so tuned into each other that any night could have been Saturday night. Nice, then, that this was, in fact, a Saturday night.

Especially great to see Pikey Dan looking so happy with his beautiful new girlfriend.

Gig of the tour, so far. We love you Nottingham.

Gx

Gav appears stern as he awaits the falling bricks through this evening's volume.

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Walking around the cobbled streets of Bristol, twisting alleyways alive with Victorian memory and impregnated with vivid history, one can’t help but feel a sense of pride for the architecture that our strange little country boasts. The excited chatter of visiting tourists pepper every exquisitely ornate gateway and cul de sac. And as I marvel at my own heritage I can’t help but think that Bristol, as picturesque as it plainly is, has a serious challenge in the shape of last night’s Brighton crowd. Will the Bristol massive stand up to Brighton’s awesome welcome?

Well, it has to be said that Bristol were more than up for the challenge. As the uproarious cheer urged us into the album set the very vocal Bristolians showed their wonderful support in in voluminous fashion. And the show was amazing.

The sense of the performance turning into a party by the end of the evening was tangible. By the second set we were neck deep in the celebratory atmosphere of the 02 Academy and feeling no pain. And by the end the dressing room was alive with the boozy pats on backs of the band that continued onto the bus where we enjoyed the first collective listen of our new album.

It was a religious experience.

Today we play Nottingham Rock City, a venue that has traditionally stood up to any audience on the UK rock circuit. It’s going to be a devastatingly awesome show today, but Bristol will not be easy to match.

We got website of the week in The Sun yesterday. Sweet.

Man, this merch is awesome. I’m in love with my football shirt.

Gx

I customised Ritch's bass drum today. I'm happy with the results.

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First day of the tour, and I don’t think it could have been any more spectacular.

A delightfully full Concorde 2 watched in joyous rapture as we ploughed through the album from first to last track. The band played incredibly well and the crew performed with military precision, although the man of the match award must surely go out to Shirt, our awesome soundman, who almost ruptured the very grounds of the venue and turned the area into a brand new glory hole.

Very proud of everyone for such a wonderful first gig.

I LOVED the fact that everyone in the crowd stood and listened, something I feared might feel extremely awkward was, in fact, a beautiful moment of sharing. Something that hasn’t happened since we first started back in late 80’s.

It really feels like something new is starting to happen. As clichéd as that sounds. I felt a thrill last night that I haven’t felt at a Wildhearts gig for an awful long time like there are uncharted waters we have yet to sail. Playing with the audience in full attention mode, while bells and whistles fly around the stage from the backing tracks, made me realise that there is always a new thrill when you are improving your sense of spiritual balance. Every day is a new day, every sight is seen through fresher eyes and a less cluttered mind. Every experience is new and exciting.

I almost lost it introducing Tim Smith last night. After visiting Tim recently it made me realise how precious life is and how much we take our health for granted.

I’d like you to take a moment today to tell someone you love them and also to give thanks for your wonderful, working body. You are a very fortunate person and please try to remember that.

It was great to see Chris McCormack, Rich Jones, Crazy Carmen and the uniqueness that is Random Jon Poole. Chris, I look forward to getting this going in 2010, Rich thanks for the book I read the marked page… ouch!, Carmen-keep your port away from me and Jon-congratulations, it’s great to hear that everything is going so well. Hope you got home okay. Love to Louise.

Next stop Bristol. You really have an amazing crowd to beat. Just sayin’…

Gx

There will be no backdrop this evening unless you count a large C2 affair.

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So that last rehearsal is done, we’ve eaten the best Indian food that Bradford has to offer (Saffron, check it out) and now we’re waiting for the bus to turn up and take us onto the Wildhearts tour that I’m more excited about than any in a very long time.

The difference?

We are playing songs that feature backing tracks and de-tuned guitars, the sound I’ve wanted for the band for so long.

It really feel like we are bringing something new to the show with this set, we really feel like we are doing something that excites us after all these years.

There is little point in a band like us staying still after almost 20 years. We must do something that we haven’t tried before otherwise we’ll turn into a bunch of trees. Big, bored trees. In a tired old punk-o-metal forest. Or something.

Seriously, hearing the band so hopped up on volume, harmonies and riffs is a thrill that I can’t wait for you lot to experience.

This feels new. It feels fresh.

Yeah, I know, people have used samples and loops before, but the point is that we haven’t.

There aren’t many things that can stimulate after doing it this long, and we are stimulated. Mighty stimulated.

This is a sound that I feel thoroughly buzzed about. Something that we will feature for the rest of our career, if I have anything to do with it.

Fizzy pop punk is dead for The Wildhearts, we are going to take this somewhere unknown. Who on earth knows where that is, but it’s going to be an amazing ride.

The story is far from over.

Fuck, I feel like I’m in a new band now.

And as awesome as we think this album is we cannot wait to record the next one. Who knows what crazy shit that album will throw up?

As always expect the unexpected.

Man, sometimes it’s great to be in a band!

Gx

Just a quickie to say that rehearsals are sounding fucking immense.

I honestly thought it would take us ages to get these new songs together, but within a couple of days we’ve nailed the bastards and are polishing their little extremities like well loved nubbins of the rock apocalypse, or would that be rockalypse? Actually no it wouldn’t, as it is crap.

Think we may well just go with your idea of playing the album in its entirety, then come back on and play a bunch of more well known songs as the encore.

It could be really weird to have everyone stand gawping at us, not dancing, not going nuts, but staring like an audition for some competition you already kinda won. Or maybe it won’t? Maybe it’ll be as sexy as a stripper dressed as a rabbit? Actually strippers don’t dress, or else they’d be called dressers. And then they’d have to rename the wooden things you put clothes in. Then the universe would start making odd new sounds as it spins on its plinth and we’d all be fucked.

I think you know what I’m saying, and I think you know what language I’m saying it in.

Yeah, that’s right. The language of severe volume.

Will write more when this fucking whistling in my head stops.

See you at the front.

Ouch!

Gx