News Tour Diary: The Computers (Part Two)

The Computers are currently on tour with Leeds’ Pulled Apart By Horses. The band’s vocalist and guitarist Screaming Al has been keeping a detailed account of the trip for DIY.

Day 3 - Sheffield Leadmill

Tonight’s show was at the Leadmill in Sheffield, a venue we have never played before. It was pretty big, more than five times the size of the previous night in Newcastle. after load in we had a chance to chill out back stage for a while. We put this to good use by attaching fifty pegs to Aidan’s face. Stretchy face!

The show was a big one, by that I mean lots of people. Before we’d even played a note I had kicked a monitor speaker off the front of the stage onto a photographer! Right on him. Sorry dude!!! Luckily after that tragedy the show was awesome. I think at some point I was standing on our merch store. I find it hard to believe I made it over there. My guitar cord must be massive as it was miles away. Good security at the Leadmill. They held me up on the barrier as a big pit kicked off. Helping kids kick each other in - thats the way it should be.

Day 4 - Manchester Academy

Manchester. Playing on the bottom floor of the Academy today. In the last nine months we had played every other room at this incredibly big venue, the top floor with The Duke Spirit, the middle room with Alexis On Fire and The Subways and the giant main room with Death From Above 1977. With tonight’s room we have the whole set! Tonight’s show was very, very sold out.

Let’s skip back a bit though. Earlier on in the day we had recorded a live session in a working real live church in Salford, Manchester. It was really really cool and all being filmed. I did however blaspheme and then chip my tooth on a microphone. Divine intervention? Quite possibly.

The show was fucking great, maybe one of my all time favourites. I can’t quite tell you why. If you were there maybe you could fill your friends in because it really was a special TING.

Day 5 - Bristol The Fleece

Today we had to get up at 7.30am to go and do a radio session in the middle of Manchester. I know for some that is not early but FUCK it was too early for me that day. Radio session done we had to hot foot it down to Bristol for tonight’s show.

We had never played the Fleece in Bristol before. It’s a cool venue just on the outskirts of the city centre. Again very,very sold out! Packed in like prisoners of war, the audience had nowhere to go. I used this to my advantage by standing on a few of them at the front as sort of a make shift stage extension. Thanks kids. Somehow ended up at the back of the venue halfway up a pole with a pit raging between me and that stage. My work here was done!

After the show back to Exeter for a day off. Most handy being that close.

Day 6

Today was a Sunday. A day off spent in exeter of all places. I pretty much just spent the whole day kissing Percy on his squashed up face.

Day 7 - Birmingham HMV Institute

I like this venue it’s big but not too big. It’s just right! Tonight was of course sold out again, a running theme. Great show tonight. I managed to split the crowd in two before making them fight each other. A trick which often doesn’t happen so effectively! As I was Crowd surfing with my guitar and mic stand I noticed a few big signs saying NO CROWED SURFING. Luckily I did not get kicked out of the venue.

I feel at this point I should mention our touring buddies Pulled Apart By Horses who totally spanked it tonight along with every other night on the tour. They really are the BEST.

Day 8 - Norwich

Tonight Norwich. Home of Alan Partridge. Norwich is a place that not so many tours come to, I think mainly due to it being quite close to London but also kinda out on a limb. It is however very worth making that trip. Great crowd and a really cool show. By this point I have a cold. We’ve pretty much been on tour since september without getting the dreaded tour flu so I guess I was over due. Even more snot than a normal show tonight. Can you imagine it!?

I did one of the best crowd surfs I’ve ever done tonight, like that bit in Wayne’s World, you know the bit.

p.s. Massive Morrisons in Norwich.

Day 9 - Southampton Soul Cellar

Really small venue tonight called the Soul Cellar. 250 capacity and totally sold out. Good news. Tonight’s show went off! I don’t think I don’t think the security really knew what hit them. The show was on the first floor and I could feel the floor moving up and down. Great people involved with putting on the show tonight. Thanks! Along with Manchester this is a contender for the sweetest show. I think this was Pulled Apart’s favourite show. Don’t quote me on that though.

Day 10 - London Electric Ballroom

The Final show. LONDON,THE BIG SMOKE.

London shows can be strange. There always seems to be a lot of pressure around them and so, so much to do, like interviews etc. That being said we did have a while to hang out after getting to the Electric Ballroom in Camden so me and Aidan went up to the lock for a bit hanging around eating pizza. You get the jist.

After soundcheck we had to get dressed straight into our stage wear for some photos (at this point these clothes are so disgusting it really is hard to imagine unless you actually get close to them or maybe just in the same room because they stink!!!). We then just stayed in them to do a bunch of interviews. Apologies to anyone who had to be around them!

Well here is the thing, London, you may be stressful at times but you’re the fucking best. Taking to the stage at a packed out Electric Ballroom for the first time I had great vibes. I could feel the energy and knew it was going to be a great one! It really was. I loved every second of it. I’ve seen some photos of me up on the top of the PA. I have no idea how I got up there but fuck it. The Electric Ballroom may be be my new favourite venue. It’s tough to say what makes a show go from being good to GREAT but tonight it was certainly to do with the crowd, the setting and maybe the goat I sacrificed to my God moments before show time. We may never know.

Drinks were drank, hugs were hugged and we said goodbye for now to our new besets, besets buddies Pulled Apart By Horses. One of the most outrageously fun tours we have ever done. Thank you to everyone who got down to us and everyone who checked us out.

Stay Wild.

Al xx