News Tour Diary: Playlounge (Part Two)

Last month, Laurie and Saam from Playlounge set off across Europe alongside Johnny Foreigner, a band they grew up adoring. If that wasn’t enough, they also gained access to bicycle rides across scenic mountains, free pizza when they finished their sets, and some of the continent’s most lavish, unbelievably cheap hostels. With nothing but guitars, amps and a disposable camera, they document the highs (and very few, minor lows) of their first European adventure.

In part one, they provided jealousy-inducing accounts of swimming in the Adriatic Sea; stumbling across streets with Bon Jovi graffiti everywhere, and the not so lavish prospect of being denied entry to Hungary.

15th June

Pulled over again today for no apparent reason. Luckily there wasn’t a fine this time. Suckers. The drive to Prague is soundtracked by Kickball and The Love Of Everything. We’re playing another graffitied punk club, on the walls Trash Talk, Cancer Bats, Japanther and Green Day have left their mark.

As we walk offstage pizza arrives for everyone. On the way to the hostel we stop off by the biggest abandoned stadium in the world and recreate a photo Jofo took their last euro tour. Jr and Dan fell in a neighbouring water feature.

Another late night city stroll (sweet architecture, Prague) before hitting the hay.

16th June

Lewes broke the service station electronics and we bail with 5 litres of petrol - I’m pretty sure we should have paid for. Its a quiet show but we’ve been fed well and given unlimited free drinks so nothing could dampen our spirits. Holla at Schneider if you’re ever in Freiburg.

17th June

Tonight we’re playing in Aachen at an old converted underground war bunker which is now a labyrinth of a punk rock club and it’s so big and I can’t find anyone. Seriously where is everyone? Tour fatigue is starting to set. The show was real fun and Steven Field is here and merch is sold and Junior is the best looking man some guy has ever seen.

Dear promoters of England, Europe is far more hospitable than you have ever known. Eat. Sleep. Wake. Repeat.

18th June

Hamburg bound and ready for our last German show. We’re playing at Club Molotow where At the Drive-In, We Are Scientists, Test Icicles, TV On The Radio and a million other bands have played here.

I had a brief stroll down the ‘strip’ stopping only to eat a hamburger (in Hamburg!) outside a strip club (unfortunately not called The Play Lounge). The show was a blast, our sweatiest by far.

After the show we went to a couple sex shops and played Enid Coleslaw, buying a latex batgirl mask. Out on the street we found a photo booth and stopped to take as many photos as the change in our pockets allowed. Paramore are playing here in three days. I might stay here for three more days. Another hamburger is had before we head to tonight’s hostel.

19th June

The drive to Holland is spent listening to At the Drive In and Biffy Clyro. I have no idea what we were fed but it was so, so good and conflicted with none of my allergies. Another sweatbox show but the venue was cool and our hostel is the other side of the garden so no driving tonight.

20th June

It’s starting to dawn on us all that we’re nearly at the end of tour but no one lets the sadness show. Tonight we’re staying at Centre Parks because that’s what tru punx do (it’s also cheaper than any hostel we could find).

Luckily our time at (the newly renamed) Jurassic Park is on a day off, giving us plenty of time to take it all in. After check-in we hire out some bikes and ride down to the pedalos. It starts raining as we begin to race across the lake. James and myself end up stuck in a tree and everyone is soaking by the time we get back to the other side. So much fun. Next Laurie, Dan, Myself and Martin hit the water park and ride every slide twice.

Dinner was an all you can eat buffet where everyone had at least 4 plates of food (including two trips to the ice cream machine). Wanting to make the most of the 24hr bike hire we set off on an adventure. We cycle for hours and hours and hours, until our legs threaten they might fall off. We take in boats in the harbour and rows of wind turbines and every inch of the forest just outside the resort. Other than Laurie catching a whole fly in his eye and me flying over the handlebars halfway through the forest we all make it back to Centre Parks unharmed. This isn’t tour.

After some snacks and a bath a few of us head out for a midnight cycle, once again along the harbour.

21st June

Back to the pool after check out to hit all the slides again. Snack stop at the shop before handing in the bikes. We’ve eaten like children on this tour. We’ve eaten like kings. Everyone crashes in the van in the ride over to Belgium.

We walk offstage to pizza and make a dash to catch an earlier ferry than planned and miss it by 5 minutes.

After a two hour wait we make it o to the next one and are headed home - well, Laurie and I are heading to Bournemouth for another show, but Euro tour is over.

Thanks guys, best tour ever. Same again next year?