Rehearsal @ The Joint
Before the tour starts we had one rehearsal to get back into the swing of things. This time we were rehearsing at
The Joint which is just down the road from Psapps HQ. So it didn't really make too much sense to get cabs there as it was so close by... but that meant bringing all the equiptment down there on foot - which wasn't neccessarily as easy as it sounds!
Carim and David lugging equiptment down to The Joint
The Joint
Carim packing merchandise for tomorrow
Back on the road
After spending the past few days getting everything back in order, it is time to hit the road again. Judy dropped me off at the airport, which was great - except for one thing... after she had already left, I went to check in for my flight only to discover that my ticket and passport were no longer in my bag... I almost had a heart-attack lol... so I rang Judy, (who was just about home again) and she turned around and drove straight back to the airport and saved my life - during our first journey there they must have dropped out of my bag! I just about made it onto the flight in the end.... good start for the tour?!
Eshan with 'thank you' postcard for Judy
Eshan and Judy outside Cologne airport
Home Sweet Home
Got back home today... I have a week off now to get all my household things back to normal... it is true though: there is no place like home!
Groenland Party - Basel
It was an early start this morning as soundcheck was at 10 am. Apart from a few minor details all went well and we were done by early afternoon.
Andy Ross, our manager, and I took ourselves off to a Rene Magritte exhibition in the afternoon. It was so good. My favorite was actually a piece by Van Gogh which just happened to be there too... it just seemed to stick out like a sore thumb to me!
Anyhow, the Groenland Party show went very well. I think we were all a bit nervous as this was just our second show and we were already playing in front of 1800 people - and it was being recorded for television. Once we got going though we all really got into it and had a blast. And as an added bonus we got to play a song together with Herbert Groenemeyer to wrap things up. Everyone was really happy with the show which of course always makes all the effort worthwhile :oP
Trip to Basel/Switzerland
The journey to Basel went nice and smooth.
After being picked up by the AVO crew, we got taken to our hotel - which was beautiful - apparently it is the tallest building in Switzerland. In the evening Grönland took us out for a lovely meal - gotta make sure we had enough food in our bellies.
Show @ The Metro, London
This morning three big boxes arrived containing Psapp merchandise. Lots of T-shirts and a very cool bag - all designed by Galia. They look so good... I doubt it will be any problem selling these! Luckily, Galia managed to recover enough for us to play at The Metro on Oxford Street in London tonight.
We definitely needed this warm up show before the big TV performance on Friday in Basel, Switzerland! Even though we didn't get to play our full set because we went on a little late, the show was a success and we were all happy with how it turned out - especially considering it was our debut performance. It's an early for us all tonight as we are off to Switzerland tomorrow morning...
Museum Day
Todays planned show had to be cancelled as Galia had a severe throat infection. I took the extra time to go for an extensive walk around London again this time concentrating on the Kensington area. After checking out the Food Halls in Harrods, Knightsbridge - which totally blew me away - I went to the Victoria & Albert Museum and then the Natural History Museum both of which were amazing.
Hitting the town with Judy
My girlfriend Judy has managed to come over from Germany for the weekend.
We went and checked out a cool exhibition at the British Library and then went out to see "Kitty, Daisy & Lewis" play at Cargo in Hoxton. They kicked ass as usual and we had a great time hanging out together :oP
Meeting friends
After rehearsals I went out to dinner with my friend Bluey and his family. It was lovely to see them all again.
Day Off!!!
It was my day off today, so I really tried to make the most of it, as there won't be many of them during this stint... First of all, I took a walk around the City Of London - checked out some beautiful old churches; the Bank Of England Museum and St. Pauls Cathedral.
After that I took myself off down to the ICA to check out their very cool bookshop - just as I arrived there, there was a huge police and military presence, as the Chinese president had just arrived and was on his way to Buckingham Palace... what a strange coincidence. Anyway, I didn't manage to get out of the ICA bookstore without buying a few books - no big surprise really.
After that I popped down to Croydon and visited my sister Shereen and my cute little niece, Aaliyah.
On my way home I happened to see a "Greys Anatomy" poster in the tube... this is the first advertising campaign I have seen since knowing that Psapp have done the theme music to the show.
Crafts Night
After rehearsals, most of us went down to Galias craftsnight - held at the Notting Hill Arts Club. It was a laugh!
Psapp DJing at the ICA
Rehearsals are going well... once we were finished we all got ready to go down to the ICA where Psapp were Djing at the Accidental Records Indoor Fireworks Party... I got to check out an amazing new band called Kitty, Daisy and Lewis who just blew me away... I highly recommend them to anyone who loves a good live show!
Out and about in London
After our first rehearsal today I decided that it was time for a bit of exercise. I took a walk around central London and then ended up at one of my favorite London hangouts - Borders @ Oxford Circus!
Surfin' @ Cato
After arriving here in London yesterday, Carim and I pottered around London for most of the day picking up bits and pieces that we will need for the rehearsals and shows.
Tina at Zildjian put me in touch with Cato music - so we managed to get down there as well to pick up some Hot Rods and cymbals.
Carim packing merchandise for tomorrow
