Turning Up Out Of The Blue In Germany

I don't get scared that easily but I got slightly scared when I was twenty, on a bus in the middle of nowhere travelling through some German city (I forget which.)

Daniel had invited me along to his German TVPs tour you see. He didn't know Sexton or Liam so very, very well (playing as his backing band for the first time ever) and thought it would be nice to have me along too, we had been spending an awful lot of time together.

He gave me a crumpled up fax with the dates and venues on it and said that he would arrange everything with Andy from the band The Bartlebees who promoted the tour.

So there I was, in the middle of nowhere it seemed and I suddenly panicked slightly. I was usually absolutely relaxed about everything in those days but I suddenly realised that I had been a bit too relaxed. I had no contact telephone numbers, no map book, just a few lines of scribbled directions.

I found the place ok in the end. I couldn't work out why the snare drum was being hit on stage by Armin the drummer repeatedly, I'd never been to a sound check before. And I was surprised by the graffiti and general dinginess of the back stage area. Back stage in Germany is slightly dingier than back stage elsewhere, a reaction, I presume, to the general order and tidiness in Germany as a whole.

Of course Daniel had given Andy absolutely no warning of my arrival. I was very fortunate that there was a spare seat in the van. I think it was Liam who started calling me 'coach' to reflect my role. The Toerag studio set (where Liam was the recording engineer) all called me coach from then on - people like Bruce from the Headcoats, Holly and Debbie from the Headcoatees, and still do.)

I have a suspicion that the Bartlebees, Patrick Andy and Armin, thought that I supplied Daniel with smack too. Kenji was visiting from Japan to film the performances and Stefan drove, wearing a chauffeur's peaked cap.

The only time in my life when I have consumed more alcohol in two weeks was a year later when I returned to tour with the TV Personalities, this time playing bass guitar.

And so these tours and and The Projects touring Germany years later, along with my parents taking my brother and myself to Germany for most of my childhood summer holidays means that I have visited more German towns and cities than English ones. In fact, I think I've been to them all.