Just under two weeks earlier we had touched down at Heathrow only to realize we had picked the coldest March recorded in the UK since 1963. Keep calm and carry on, right? Try and keep warm and carry on. We’re an LA band after all.
Since we were coming in on different flights, and only one of us (me) knows their way around London we decided to pick a pub opposite Camden Town Tube station, slightly pessimistically named “The World’s End”, as our meeting point. In the course of our tour preparations this had become a catch phrase: “See you at the end of the world”!
And that’s what we did. First time that ever worked out well for anyone, but then this is United Ghost-world and things work a little differently.
The next day, jetlagged yet fired up and rested after a night at our awesome friends Isa and Pappas’ place in Camden, we rolled into Hackney aka “Hipster Town” for a video interview and photo shoot for Artrocker magazine. Our first encounter with the UK music press turned out to be a really fun afternoon and, as is the custom over there, we found ourselves straight down the pub for “a quick one” after. The quick one turned into several (as is also the custom over there), and a few hours later we had to get a cab back to Camden to catch an early show by the Inspiral Carpets.
It turned out to be a top night in an even better setting (Koko). Trying to get into the after-show, we were at first foiled by a bouncer demanding wristbands, but quickly solved that problem by making friends with a nice, yet slightly questionable crew that had printed their own (!) Three fellers, all very drunk and friendly and a wide-eyed lass, talking 100mph and bouncing off the walls, all the while offering (more like demanding) to cut my hair. Not to be rude, but even with the jetlag and the booze snapping at my heels, I definitely wasn’t going to let her near me with a pair of scissors.
The after party proved to be fun but a little unimpressive and we drunkenly parted ways after promising our new mateys guest list spots for our own show a few days later.
So a good photo shoot, pub time, rock show, new people, a little dodgy behavior. All in all we had found a good way to get into the London groove.
Time to get ready and start our tour. We were still short of a drummer, though, as Sean was flying in the next day. Time to head back to the end of the world….where we found him, slightly travel-weary, but as usual ready-to –go.
So, on a freezing cold Sunday we were getting serious about this UK tour. We first picked up some gear from various places, including the magical Church Studios in Crouch End. Until recently owned by Dave Steward of the Eurhythmics, this place still reverberates with waves of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine, and all the other legends who recorded here. And of course Annie Lennox’s voice getting that take on “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This”. It was really quite amazing to be there.
Later, after a much-needed night of rehearsal, we headed back to our place in Camden, where Sean found this on his bunk, left by fellow drummer and one half of stellar hosts, Pappas. Yes, that is Animal reading a book on Jazz drumming. Nothing could go wrong now….
…to be continued..
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