I have named last month the MONTH OF THE JINX! As fabulous and exhilarating as it was……there where strange things afoot.
It started on the 11th April. I was being driven, in the late afternoon, to a radio studio in central London, past the Marylebone Court where the world press where waiting outside for news on the charging of Julian Assange, Assange was inside the building. It was immensely busy outside and a helicopter was hovering overhead for the whole time I was in central London. I only had an hour at the studio and by 5pm was on way back to West London when my taxi took a back road to avoid the traffic that was building up around the Marylebone Court. Suddenly behind us was a police van, sirens going but we where in the way with no where to move because of solid traffic, the van very quickly and effortlessly hit the back of the taxi and edged us onto the pavement….inside was Julian Assange. The taxi driver was shocked, I was shocked! There was nothing the driver could do. He couldn’t exactly chase after the van and swap insurance details!
Then on the 12th April when I went to the BBC Portland Place to record Loose Ends. Outside there where a LOT of autograph hunters, I was early and alone, my team where on their way. Traffic was so bad I got out of the car and walked around the corner to the entrance and the crowd pushed past the barriers and pinned me against the glass entrance to the BBC. They actually pinned me against the glass, blocking exit and entry from the beeb for a good three minutes. I looked over to the baffled security, who had no idea who I was and asked if they’d kindly help me!
Once in the building talking to the absolutely gorgeous Emma Bunton I realised she had come in through a secret entrance and I had in fact been told to go through the front as a decoy…..this is purely my assumption, but it was the most ridiculous experience, to be pinned against glass doors looking at crash barriers the other side of the fans and security just watching…bloody bonkers.
Then 4 days later a scaffold pole went through the back window of my car in a car park on Park Lane (outside eco warriors had brought the centre to a stand still).
I was appearing at the Grosvenor Hotel with Justin Hawkins, Simon Webb and the SAS BAND. Spent the whole day trying to secure my tour costumes in a car covered in glass, a very weird day.
Things calmed down for a week, as we all got ready for the Scottish tour. We had a blindingly good warm up gig at Gunton Hall in Lowestoft, it was joyous. Then I headed to Edinburgh feeling excited but nervous.
This was my first proper tour in Scotland for quite a while and we all wanted it to be brilliant.
Then the gremlins came back! In Edinburgh at the wonderful Liquid Rooms, perfect venue for us, all the computer files corrupted. All the saved programmes reverted back to old programmes and even though the reviews for the show where stunning, the sound out front was stunning, the audience , the venue perfect……..it was a very different experience on stage. Then we get to the hotel and there were not enough rooms so at midnight I drove off looking for a hotel.
Luckily the next day I was seeing June Field for lunch and she calmed me down.
Dundee was another wonderful venue. At soundcheck we sorted the tech gremlins out and looked forward to the show.
As I walked on stage for the opening song HURRICANE I felt the zip on my dress pull down and I thought this was Wong getting me back for years of pranking but the zip had broken, literally as I walked up to the mic!
Frank, our promoter, very kindly spent the first song crouched behind me pinning me into the dress as I sang. BRILLIANT SHOW! LOVED IT.
I drove to Inverness early to meet Bill Rieflin’s sister. We had a lot to talk about, it was great to see her. We had lunch at the Rocpool Reserve, it was stunning.
Then on to soundcheck in the Iron Works, another great venue.
That afternoon, after soundcheck, I managed to catch my right leg under a protruding table lag, in the dressing room and hit the floor so hard Paramedics where called, because I landed on my hip implant and couldn’t walk. No breaks, just a slightly torn ligament. The Paramedics where brilliant, they made sure I was able to stand and eventually walk. We invited them to the show but they said they were too busy with it being a Saturday……..I will make sure I donate a TV fee to them in future.
On to the Glasgow Grand which ran smoothly, no jinx’x there. The audience where rapturous, we really felt the love, the applause was deafening and joyous.
The Scottish shows were stunning, our support artists where great . The set list was the best ever with the new songs going down really well, the audience knowing all the words to the Crimson Queen songs.
AND as for Scotland itself…….we were so impressed, brilliant place.
Lastly, having seen the interview Simon Darlow and myself did for SUPER DELUXE EDITION, which is a good interview and a much appreciated opportunity to talk in depth about our work process…. I was so wired on coffee I am surprised I wasn’t glued to the ceiling! I have since given coffee up because it ramps me up too much….I am surprised I managed to sit still for that amount of time. Believe me I am not like that at all!
All in all it’s been a weird but outstanding month!
The summer beckons, there are more great shows to come.
HELLO THERE!
HELLO THERE!
On to the Glasgow Grand which ran smoothly, no jinx’x there. The audience where rapturous, we really felt the love, the applause was deafening and joyous.
