| Summer 1991 European Tour Diary |
| RESQUE, that fine bunch of chaps currently touring the UK and Ireland with the unstoppably sexy ones, present here for readers of LLL their diary of those halcyon days in August and September when they went abroad as a band for the first time... |
| 26-8-91 Finished mixing the album at Lillyard Studios. Shot straight down to Dover to catch the 8:30pm ferry. And so seven nervous little chickens embark on their first ever trip to Europe! 4 hours later the intrepid team arrive in Ostend. |
| 27-8-91 A mere 500 miles later our team arrives at the ground with their suede lederhosen on and in possession of a ticket for reversing down the autobahn. Hello Stuttgart. Lots of back-slapping as we are reunited with Carter and The Crew, and we're soon back in the swing of it. Our first gig in Germany is a definite 5-0 victory to the British, and a good time was had by all. |
| 28-8-91 A much shorter trip takes us to Munich. Concern starts to grow over Moley's [Resque roadie - Ed] quiet, near-hibernation state. Anyway, we soon forgot about him and concentrated on the job at hand. The venue, the Theatre Fabriu, was packed (one of the many advantages of supporting Carter). The riders here put the English clubs to shame. We decide we don't want to come home. The gig goes well and Mark's dad turns up - he forgot his packed lunch. |
| 29-8-91 We make our way to Berlin Loft and Moley is now very ill. He spends the whole night in the dressing room being sick, and he hasn't even touched the lemonade yet. Helen, Carter's sound engineer, looks after him. The gig goes very well, Carter are storming Europe and we aren't doing too badly ourselves. |
| 30-8-91 We go and see the Brandenburg Gate, buy a furry hat, take some snaps and set off for Hamburg. The gig is right in the middle of the Reperbahn, the notorious red light district. This is the biggest of the German shows, and is where Carter look their best. Moley starts perking up a bit. Getting the gear out was a bit of fun, surrounded by strange ladies with loads of makeup and deep voices offering to give us a hand. |
| 31-8-91 to 2-9-91 Make our way through Strasbourg customs after having to virtually bribe the officials. Hours of intense negotiations later we finally entered France, camping in Metz (near Nancy) and spent two fun-filled days deep river fishing. |
| 3-9-91 After staying outside Paris Locomotive all night in the van we greet the dawn different men. A night in the Moulin Rouge could turn anyone. Carter, Wonder Stuff and Nine Inch Nails were all playing at the Montmartre, just down the road, and we play after they've all finished. By midnight the club is full of people, all of whom are British (it could have been Camden Palace on a Tuesday night) and mid-set we were joined by none other than JimBob for a rousing version of Yeah!. Who said they couldn't do it live? |
| 5-9-91 What weather! We're all tanning superbly as we pull in at the Bikini club in Toulouse. Since it had its own outdoor pool and tennis courts, it wasn't long before we were engaged in sporting pursuits with the Carter crew. But our play was curtailed by what must have been the Mediterranean Monsoon. Huh! The South of France! |
| 6-9-91 After a cracking gig at Toulouse we followed the Carter entourage into the dusty streets of Spain where we all narrowly avoid mass electrocution due to a badly wired venue in Barcelona. After a general overhaul (thanks to Pip, cheap rates at weekends) we proceed in front of the most crazed crowd in Spain. So much for Paella being bad for you! |
| 9-9-91 Back into France for what is, without doubt, the best gig of the tour. Loads of people packed into a room the size of our van, what a mental place! After a bar that never ran out we accompanied Carter to a Fishermans' bar (all-nighter) where the blood ran as thick as the alcohol, due to the local inhabitants. Just like home. |
| 10-9-91 The last night of the tour in a venue called the "Small Theatre". Seats only, no space for standing. The gig turns out to be a press conference for a local festival and we go on to what looks like the audience from the Muppet Show. Both bands tried their hardest but what the hell, it's the last night. After several drinks and harrowing renditions of My Way, we bid farewell to Carter and their crew and head for the White Cliffs of Dover. Thanks to Carter for the experience of a lifetime! Holiday romance, huh? |
| Printed in issue 5 of 'Lies, Lies, Lies', the official Carter USM fanzine. |
| The official Carter USM website: www.carterusm.co.uk |