Hammersmith

 After the Nottingham gig I had traveled home to Herefordshire and took a day off at home. We were all now starting to feel the workload of the tour.

                                     

 Cardiff was just over an hour away for me by road, so after the gig despite the M4 motorway being closed I was home in no time. I love the little button in my car that say's 'take me home'! It's good for when the vehicle is forced to go 'off-piste' in an area that is unfamiliar, but it can be fooled and give false information. More on that later.

 The following day I crossed the country to the picturesque 'Centre of Learning' that is Cambridge. Like a lot of these gigs, I had played the Corn Exchange in the very early seventies. In the past, the Corn Exchange was where various cereal grains were used and traded as a commodity. By the 19th century, it all became centralised and the buildings were then used for other purposes (in this case, a concert venue).

 The gig was standing downstairs and consequently more raucous than most. Afterwards, I drove myself and Carwyn to the hotel near the legendary old Hammersmith Odeon. The name has changed here a few times over the years, but it will always be the Hammersmith Odeon to me and many others. 

 It's always a challenge to make the London shows as good as possible. It feels like a home gig, and at Hammersmith on the 8th of October 2017 we all felt we had played a blinder. It was a very fulfilling gig which was very satisfying for me, as my good friend Roger Taylor was in attendance. When any notable drummer is in the audience, especially Roger from the band Queen, it is extra special for me personally. All was well.

 We had a day off, then a drive down to Brighton to play the Dome (a gig set behind the Brighton Pavilion or the Royal Pavilion). This building was erected as the seaside residence of George Prince of Wales who became prince regent in 1811. The prince regent became George IV shortly after and employed his favoured architect John Nash to finish the building with an Indian Hindustan style. 

  After the Brighton gig I drove across England to Bristol. The show the following day was at the Colston Hall where I first played in 1971 with my band Karakorum. We supported the founding father of British blues, Alexis Korner. I had been introduced to him when I was at a gig in 1968 where he introduced me to the band Free. The bass player of that band was younger than me! Andy Fraser was 15 years old at the time. Paul Kossoff (gtr) Simon Kirke (dms) and Paul Rodgers on vocals. A great band with the greatest name.

 Chris Thomas, who produced the first three Pretenders albums came to the Colston Hall in Bristol and had also been to the show in Hammersmith. He remarked that it was a great pleasure to see the evolution of the band over four decades. Chris holds a special place for us all and has been a good friend all these years. 

 Well, I am currently in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and I am on stage in two hours, so I will sign off for now.

  I will continue with the catch up of the British tour when I get to Perth in Western Australia in just over 24 hours.

 Thank you all for reading my timeline. See some of you soon in Australia!

M.D.C.

Edinburgh and Cardiff

  We, the band, had an enjoyable journey by train up to Scotland heading north via the East Coast route. We followed the sea for many miles bypassing many interesting villages around many estuaries. One of the villages was Berwick-upon-Tweed that is near the border. Eventually we turned west at Burnmouth and headed for Glasgow.

 The shows were fueled by people singing along and making the stage their own. There's nothing like a British tour. Edinburgh was much the same at the Usher Hall and we found ourselves trying to balance the set list for the venues and audiences. Not an easy balance at all.
.

 It was in the evening of the day off in Edinburgh that I followed my feelings into a Hard Rock Café. It's not the sort of place I go into to be honest, but something tugged me and it wasn't just boredom. I thought there might be a guitar on the wall that I would know. 

-

After a short talk with the manager about a warehouse full of celebrity guitars, I wondered why I was in this lonely place. Then I saw it.
-

It was me old mucker Pete Farndon's pink Hamer bass confirmed by the words below:

Pete Farndon. The Pretenders. 
-

Oddly enough it moved me back into the early eighties and it bothered me. Why? I'm not really sure. But I wasn't there long.

  Nottingham was an odd show but a lot of fun. Chrissie likened the show to playing on a cruise ship. We all agreed it was an accurate description a combination of the venue and the shape of the set list. A friend of mine who was in his mid twenties saw the show and said it was the best thing he had ever seen! Mind you, it was the first music show he had ever been to. Yeah, I know.
-

 Next we played Cardiff in Wales, the home town of Carwyn Ellis. Cardiff is only an hour and a bit away from my home. Late at night, that is. For the show, I wore the red Doc Martens and the red Mott the Hoople 'Brain Capers' T shirt. Red for the dragon of Wales, but also for Verden Allen (Mott the Hoople's keyboard player, Hammond C3) who was in attendance that night. 
-
Note of interest: Verden was in a band with Jimmy Cliff in the early 60's. When crossing the Alps in a van, Jimmy shouted for the drive to pull over and stop. Jimmy got out and rolled and danced in the snow. He had never seen snow before! Great, huh?
-
A lot of memories hit me on this tour and the whole band felt quite exhausted as we headed to Hammersmith in London. Remember, James Walbourne was doing the opening spot as well with The Rails! Quality.

-

M.D.C.