Well, that was tiring, but amazing.

 First UK shows of the year - at the Shiiine Festival in Skegness, then back to Esquire's in Bedford.

As expected, being on the road with friends, band members, and crew is just the most joyous experience. It's such a genuine pleasure to hang out with people who are basically family. Even the crew—we've worked with John, our FOH, for more than 20 years now! Skegness was somewhat bracing, and slightly down-at-heel, but it was an absolutely incredible gig. I'm not even sure why! Earlier in the day, it seemed as though the general organisation and crewing of the venues just weren't up to the usual standard of the "Shiiine gigs, which normally run like clockwork. There were questions over stage access, set-up times, depressing room access, tech specs, the lot. But, as soon as we stepped on stage, it was as if a weight had suddenly lifted. We tore through the set, everything worked, all the songs went over perfectly, and the crowd went bananas. So, we left the stage just an hour later, feeling like completely different people. The wave of adrenalin took several hours to subside.

The next day, we were already exhausted, when we got up (never a good sign) and it was going to be yet another long day. The journey from Skegness to Bedford was thankfully relatively short, so we checked in a little early, into the hotel (a rare luxury, for us) and the entire setup/soundcheck experience was flawless. but it was one of those days which saps the energy (and there wasn't much to start with!).

Gig time was 9.15, so we weren't off until nearly 11pm, back to the hotel for about midnight, and then we all ended up drinking and chatting in the hotel carpark, until about 2 am, with the sting in the tail of the clocks going forward, robbing us of an hour's sleep. Maybe got about four hours, maybe a little less. Consequently, today's has been a real slog. I keep looking at my watch, thinking "Can I go to sleep, at half-nine?"

Rock'n'Roll, what a business, eh?