News Tour Diary: Citizens! (Part Nine)

Back on the tube for the first time in a couple of weeks and I get extremely excited about the adverts for the Blur/New Order/The Specials Olympic gig. We’ve been hammering ‘13’ in the van and enjoyed Grant’s New Order playlist on the drive back from Bristol last night. More amazing than this line up, is the fact Grant doesn’t know who Usain Bolt is. Literally has no idea who he is or what he does!! WOW!



The line up for tonight’s gig is pretty exciting. OYA is one of Norway’s biggest festivals and they’ve helped put the lineup together with the help of the legendary Rock Feedback guys. Both Young Dreams and Razika have been getting a lot of spottily play on tour. However, like all the best football teams, the line up was better in person than it even looked on paper. Both bands leaving us with jaws firmly planted on the floor. Also the loveliest of folk.



The Lexington dressing room was full of the usual rubbish drawings and slogans (Including some epic cock drawings). However the real attraction was the corner that had been covered with some pretty ace food related band puns. I document them here for your deletion. Flambe Bicycle Club is probably my favourite.



Here Mike gets the set list for the show ready while sitting in front of one of Razika’s lovely Telecaster guitars. Some of you will be checking out that awesome shirt, awesome jacket. The geeks amongst you will be enjoying the maple neck and cherry red sunburst finish. And that’s just Mike (etc, etc.).



After an amazing show we return to the dressing room to find all the kettle chips eaten and the beer gone. It’s a scene of sad devastation. Worse is that it was us that drank all the beer. Well, we have tomorrow off so we retreat to the pub downstairs and enjoy being as near as dammit to home as we’ll get for a few weeks. We party ‘til dawn with some lovely Norwegian people and newly made friends. Nottingham calls us in the distance, but tonight we drink and make merry.