UK 30 Shows in 30 Days: Day 13 – A Day in the Life
From NME.com.
Naturally, a few of us started humming and singing Beatles songs as soon as we got to Liverpool, so someone came up with the idea to do a “Day in the Life” blog about what a typical day has been like on this exhaustive (and exhausting) tour, titled after the song. We readily admit that we’d set ourselves up for a terribly boring entry, but still, thought it would help encapsulate—for anyone who cared—the simultaneous tedium and rush of a band on tour.
Like most days, we started the day off by checking out of our Travelodge. Having passed through the UK a few times before, and now well into our 30 Shows in 30 Days tour, we’ve become quite the connoisseurs of England’s various Travelodges. We give Liverpool’s a 4.5—not as nice as Leeds’, but miles beyond Birmingham’s, which seems on the verge of collapse. Depending on what time our load-in is for the next gig and how far we have to drive, we either: a) grab some food, then leave immediately; b) grab food, stick around and explore the city, and then leave; or c) hit the road as soon as possible. Luckily, England’s fairly driveable, unlike the States, and we can usually find time to bum around town.
In Liverpool, we had a nice English breakfast (for lunch), then took some time to visit a war memorial and an art gallery before heading off to Carlisle in our bulky, cozy van. Van life involves laptops, DVDs, books, and some music programming here and there—some of it serious, and some of it purely for our own amusement. Usually, it’s Noah huddled over his Macbook, composing classical scores or cheesy techno.
It’s amazing how early it’s been getting dark here. By 5:00, it’s pitch black outside, which was the case when we finally arrived in Carlisle and unloaded all of our gear. After sound check, a few of us sneaked out for some Italian food before returning to a good-sized crowd at the Brickyard—a nice, if chilly venue resembling an old church. The audience was great and seemed to have a fine time. After loading out—an arduous process, especially when you’re dead tired from a show and going on very little sleep—we drove to the local Travelodge and checked in. This one wasn’t bad: a 7.0, at least.