Tour Diary – Warwick (January 26, 2013)

It was another after show drive last night:  two hours to Warwick, a small town in the Midlands near Coventry.  It’s a beautiful and ancient little town gathered around the ruins of a 15th century Abbey and an 11th century castle. We stayed in a small Inn, with Hobbit sized beds and some of us were “visited” during the night…it is just that sort of place. We were blessed with a bit of sunshine this morning so I went for a quick walk through the graveyard and across the muddy Commons. This is a part of the country that has been well trod upon, around every corner is a piece of history, lots of blood and intrigue, acts of courage, cowardice and betrayal. The landscape has a distinct Lord Of The Rings vibe, and sure enough, Tolkien was married in the local church and apparently Warwick was the inspiration for a couple of the towns in Middle Earth.

The gig tonight was on the campus of Warwick University (home of the Anarchist Party in the 1970’s) at the Warwick Arts Center:  an ugly little room with beautiful acoustics. We were completely exhausted tonight, but we went with the flow and came up with some beautifully weird moments, sometimes exhaustion is the mother of invention. It was a fun night in front of another excellent crowd and a great way to end this little tour.

This has been a fun and extremely intense week. We fly home tomorrow, but not before we are forced to, once again, tithe a large percentage of our gains to Air Canada….we are in need of a hassle free flight. March will be upon us soon and we will welcome the sight of our big bus pulling up beside the curb. See you all very soon.