October 15th: Leeds Cockpit
The Cockpit is a little like The Arches in Glasgow, on a smaller scale. Same sort of barrel roof, same three or four rooms that are all the same shape linked together.
This venue’s got a lot better over the last few years. It used to be a bit of a hell hole, it’s actually quite nice now.
There’s not really much to talk about today, everything runs smoothly.
Martin - The Jungle Chocolate King!
I’m getting to the stage of running out of things to talk about, unless something strange happens. We’re getting into the swing of doing the shows, so in general there are no comedy moments to be talking about. I’ll have to stick to writing about things that may not really have anything to do with touring, just to keep you all interested.
Well, either that or start taking more pics to pad out these entries….
Oliver backstage
Wait, hang on. I know this sounds strange, but I completely forgot about this:
Sitting in the office backstage with the two manageresses of the club, who, not to put things too bluntly, were both a bit on the butch side and obviously a couple. We were talking about the band getting groupies, and they asked me if I ever got any. Well, obviously the answer to that is no, but I was explaining that most of the time I don’t really go looking, my day is too busy. Even if I do see someone nice, I’m gone at the end of the night, so there’s not much point in actually doing anything about it. They both started laughing and told me I had an admirer in one of their bar staff. Apparently they’d taken a bit of a shine to me. I was racking my brain trying to figure out which one of the girls it was that had been giving me looks all day when they said; “yeah … he really likes blokes with beards”. No, not a typo; “He”.
Well, I have to say I was flattered, even if I did have to turn the poor misguided fool down for being the wrong gender for my liking. It’s gotta be a bit of a compliment when anyone is attracted to you, even if it is someone of a different sexual persuation than yours. It’s nice to feel wanted from time to time.
October 16th: Colchester – Essex Uni.
If there weren’t signs up everywhere, you’d still know you were in Essex. Although the campus is in a giant park, it’s the brutal ’60s design of the buildings and overuse of concrete that are a dead giveaway.
For some reason, when we arrived overnight, the campus security have parked us away out of the way next to the playing fields.
With everyone walking up and nothing to do for another few hours, boredom takes a firm hold of us, which is never a good thing.
As Martin (our sound man) and Dave (our lighting guy) are just getting into the final stages of their ‘dance like your Dad’ competition, from out of the blue, a cricket set appears. Some of the guys are obviously more enegetic that the rest of us and decide to have a game. Let’s just say I don’t think Australia have anything to worry about at the next Ashes.
Very bad dancing 
It’s cricket, but not as we know it. 
You’d think students would know how many hours there are in a day.
After the show we pack everything up and were just about to head for the showers when the promoter tells us he’s leaving for the night. We shake hands and say goodbye. Just our luck that the only person who can do anything about the freezing cold showers we have to endure leaves mere
seconds before we find out they’re actually cold. Bugger!
