Tour Diary: Citizens! (Part Five) • Neu • DIY Magazine

Citizens! are currently out on the road before the release of their as yet untitled debut album, due out later this year. The band are keeping busy by compiling a daily diary of the tour for DIY. Here’s what happened when Citizens! paid Manchester a visit.

After very little sleep last night, the sight of SERIOUSLY coconut macaroons on a shelf where it is OFFICIALLY stated they are unavailable made me smile. In hindsight it’s not that funny, still I share it with you. I’ll let you decide

The no football shirts policy caused a mad last minute panic. Out went Martyn’s 73 Cup Winning retro Sunderland shirt for a rather more tasteful liberty print, and Thom Rhodes was nearly in tears at having to change out of his Linekar Mexico 86 shirt. The Castle is an absolutely amazing venue though. Total props to them for everything. In the immortal words of Danny Dyer, ‘Proper Gaff’.

The gig room has a real Victorian feel to it. Wooden arched ceilings and red velveteen back drop curtains. Mike fits right in with his dapper moustache. Here we see him and Grant discussing the finer points of the latest Sherlock Holmes publication and Pitt the Youngers latest reform bill…probably.

I was trying to take a picture of a flyer that was named after our song Caroline (Well it was called ‘Stop Making Sense’, and that’s us right!? (Apologies to David Byrne)) but instead I got a picture of Mike looking demonic. A result all round.

And to conclude our Mike themed day here he is with Martyn choosing dinner and the lovely Common Bar in the northern quarter. Highly recommended.

Wonderful photographer and all round band confident Eli hitched a lift north with us to see a Kevin Cummins exhibition and visit her family. They took pity on us and provided an amazing packed lunch for the journey home. Sitting back watching In Bruges with some home made Cucumber sandwiches made a four hour through-the-night drive back to London seem like the greatest thing on earth.