Skegness Embassy Sun Feb 27th

We seem to make a habit of playing out of season seaside towns these days. Nothing wrong with that in itself, it’s just that when they’re on the North Sea like Skeggy then it’s about 25 degrees colder than anywhere inland, with an icy wind that blows right across from the Urals and straight up your gusset. “ Skegness – it’s so bracing ! “ say all the tourist ads, probably because “ Skegness – come and get frostbite in your nethers ! “ wouldn’t have sounded quite so appealling. At least The Embassy is warm and welcoming, and although we know that tonight’s not sold too well there’s a nice big stage, and so for the first time on the tour so far we can spread out and run the full production. One of the things that we were talking about on the bus last night was how both band and crew seem to have hit the ground running this time out….apart from the initial technical grief we had at Haverhill everything has been remarkably painless, and we’ve dropped into a really good groove right from the off. When I think back a year to how things were at the start of that first tour it seems like a lifetime away; events that would have had us run screaming into the streets last time are now met with a shrug of the shoulders and an“ OK then “. The band’s attitude has got a lot to do with it..…this is a very different way to tour than what they’re used to, but they’ve taken to it like ducks to water, and that’s made for a much easier working environment. It helps that we don’t have any major prima donnas in the tour party, of course, but it’s also because we know and trust each other more now. We know the band will always deliver, even when they’re feeling physically below par, and they know we’ll always make them look and sound great. Even Still As Yet Unnamed Chris Stocker The Monitor Chap has bought into the whole vibe, and so far his only crime has been to be younger and better looking than me.I’ve been on tours where band / crew segregation has made things almost unworkable, but there’s none of that here. Today’s a great case in point….with the help of an excellent local crew we bang the kit up in record time, so we have a nice relaxed soundcheck that seems to be over in no time at all, giving us the chance to get something to eat or even ( Oh luxury of luxuries ! ) grab a quick nap back in the cocoon of our bunks on the bus. As we’d feared, tonight’s not a big audience, and there’s an element of polite applause at first, but gradually a few whoops and cheers come in, and suddenly that invisible barrier is broken down. It seems to be the rockier numbers like You Really Got Me, Light My Fire and Pinball Wizard that get the best response, but the crowd sing along lustily when asked to and although there might not be many of them their demands for an encore at the end are loud and genuine.We hear after the show that the duty manager was so impressed with what she’d seen that she e-mailed the general manager at home during the interval saying “ you’ve GOT to re-book this show ! Good news indeed, but unfortunately another worry does rear it’s ugly head tonight….Den’s been carrying a bit of a bad throat for a couple of days, and after the show he’s decidedly croaky, so it’s on with the big coat and woolly scarf , a quick drop of jollop and off to bed for him. To make things even more fun Chris ( that’s Chris Keyboards, by the way ) seems to be coming down with the same thing. Our safe little bus may soon be turning into a plague house on wheels, so we’re going to have to keep a very close eye on everyone over the next couple of days. We can’t have history repeating itself…..can we ?