TOUR BLOG

Day one and gosh, we're off and running already! 2 interviews and one BBC session later, here we are about to embark on our first Erasure support slot at the Waterfront, what a big place that is! Then we shot off to play some trendy club for the single launch of the very good Belfast band Corrigan. Phew!

So this is cheating a little because it's not Dublin, but it is the very nice seaside house where we stayed with chum Mark from the Olympic Lifts. And this is significant because this is where Piney fell in love, that's right, day 2 and Piney has met her mate, the beautiful basset hound puppy Missy. If only Missy was a person... *sigh.

So the show at Vicar Street was ace last night and then we played the most lovely show at Ballroom of Romance, and then A Scholar buys some cheese and we go see the most amazing art at the Modern Art Gallery in Dublin, if you are anywhere near Dublin you really must see the Laurie Anderson exhibit (Piney is a fan). Then another great gig at Vicar Street. Hurrah!

So ferries freak Piney out a little bit, so here is a picture of PC who has been so kind as to tour manage during this whole adventure.

Piney and A Scholar And A Physician await soundcheck at Usher Hall in Edinburgh... thank goodness a Scholar brought his uke for sitting around moments such as these.

Bright and early at the Glasgow Academy, gosh look at all those lights and sets and things. Piney is glad her equipment fits in a suitcase!

So last night the Glasgow Academy gig was jolly good and then Piney and A Scholar And A Physician headed down to the Soundhaus where they put on a more rockin' show, what a great and friendly bunch the Glaswegians are! Really the Soundhaus felt like it could have been the coolest club in Berlin, all this fun made for quite a late night. Pictured you can see Piney at the BBC for the breakfast show. Getting out of bed wasn't the easiest thing this morning. Then Piney went to Aberdeen for another show whilst A Scholar And A Physician went to the Lake District for a day off.

So what a long day this is turning out to be. Piney found the snow to be magical and beautiful but the journey to Aberdeen was a lengthy one. The gig at snafu was amazing! Motormark did an unplugged set which was blissfully dynamic. Then Piney did a solo show, joined by Jane Motormark for a special rendition of Nightsong. Piney did an encore of Olivia Newton's John's "Let's Get Physical" which went down a treat!

As Piney makes her way to Newcastle on the train, A Scholar, A Physician and label boss, P-C, are being stick in the muds. Luckily indie rockers “undertheigloo” come to the rescue and help to push them back on track.

So while A Scholar And A Physician go off to work elsewhere, Piney is back in London at the Mute Studios with her country roadshow recording her forthcoming E.P. Yee-haw!

Wow, so we played the Hammersmith Apollo, that's a jolly big place! Piney is a bag of nerves in the dressing room before hand, but they smashed it! All's well that ends well!

Here is a very sleepy Piney at the end of an intense weekend in the studio... 3 days and 7 tracks later, she's off the hit the road again tomorrow!

So Nottingham was very receptive and made a Kansas City girl feel right at home. Thanks. Then Piney hopped across the street to do a show at the Rescue Rooms which was fabulous! The people were super cool, the jazz was good, and a fab time was had by all.

AT LAST A DAY OFF FOR PINEY! And so she shopped, she shopped and she shopped. She also drank a lot of soy lattes. She met up with Mark Radcliffe for a drink, and he has kindly agreed to narrate her forthcoming audio book. Then Piney and the chaps saw "The Life Aquatic" at the local art cinema house and Piney decided she very much likes Owen Wilson.

This is a lovely venue, but it does smell like Piney's dressing room is situated above a Chinese restaurant for some reason. The gig was amazing, thanks to Manchester for being so friendly! Then Piney was off for a live BBC interview and well, she's very sorry that she said a swear word on air, she's normally not a sweary Mary, so sorry to all who were listening, its just that Piney really doesn't like Ugg boots very much. It also came out that A Scholar is cute and A Physician has done speed dating. Thanks for having us on the show Michelle.

Another interview and another good gig, it would seem we're on some kind of roll... Then Piney and A.S.&A.P. went out with some local boys for drinks in a local bar and it does seems like Sheffield is quite a stylish town.

Gig in Preston was great! Piney is going through soy latte withdrawal, but thankfully there was plenty of caffeine in the rider. Here is John the lovely friend of Piney and A.S.&A.P. who has been helping us out all week with driving and lifting equipment and stuff. The bag in his hand is full of beer, free beer, the beer we get each night we do a gig, Piney thinks it's a conspiracy to make her outgrow her dresses...

Driving back to London, we drop A Scholar off in Birmingham so he can rehearse with his other band Trademark. Piney sleeps pretty much constantly in the car so Steve and John has rustled her up for a pee and a coffee. Piney has seen entirely too many of Britain's service stations already...

What a great gig! And Piney stays with her lovely friends the Cranes. Here's Piney, A Scholar, A Physician with Jim and Ali from the Cranes at their own little after show party.

Here's Piney pre-makeup at Colsten Hall... this dressing room had show biz lights and all! That's Piney's favourite.

Piney did a session for Kerrang of all places! Who'd a thought it? Kerrang! It went very well nonetheless, and the gig in Wolverhampton was amazing! The people of Wolverhampton know how to rock! (Okay that's super cheesey, but it's true.)

This is Piney's tourmobile most of the time, and she spends most of the time in it, sleeping whilst PC listens to techno music.

Piney admires her favourite pair of ruby red slippers and is told that there is no "witch" in Norwich.

The gig at St. David's Hall goes swimmingly well as all are in a good mood because some sporting event went well or something. Then Piney was off to do a sesh for Red Dragon FM late late... A Piney's work is never done.

Piney scowred the charity shops of Hull to find lots of good treats. She also must thank Matt from the Edible Five Foot Smiths for loaning her a keyboard stand and with a last minute problem with the midi controller he saved the day with a fresh synth! Thanks! The gig at City Hall was amazing, here's a photo of our friends at the front. They'd been to several shows and as this is the last UK date with Erasure it was a whistful goodbye. Cheerio, and jolly good to meet you all! Then off to one of Piney's favourite venues, the Hull Adelphi, for an aftershow gig!

So A Scholar is off to support Visage with his other band Trademark and joining us is the lovely and talented Technician! The gig tonight was great, gosh the people in Copenhagen sure know how to make a girl from Kansas feel welcome, thanks!

Another great gig, another great night, thank you Copenhagen!

The boys head off to Berlin, but Piney is lucky enough to head out on a Swedish adventure! The lovely Karolina (pictured) was a kind hostess. Piney loved Malmo, like lots! Piney smashed it in a solo style and danced 'til dawn with all the Radical Cheerleaders.

Piney hugs a giant egg on this Easter Eve in Berlin, where "the wall" once stood. There was an interview with a nice man from Fritz radio, the Erasure gig was huge and packed (there was huge power supply panic), and then she was off to play another gig with the lovely Swedish band Nervous Nelly, they were super chaps!

A Physician And A Technician strike a pose whilst Piney is beginning to catch a flu-like bug, blek! The gig goes smoothly and she's off to play show number two in the red light district which wasn't nearly as seedy as it sounds, a bit David Lynch-ish if anything.

The lovely Katrin Schla is over to visit her homeland for Easter hols. Katrin makes Piney vegan sandwiches (a rarity in Germany it would seem) and Piney is on the mend thanks to the comfort and hospitality of Katrin and her family. Oh yeah and the gig was good too.

It's awfully cold in Offenbach... PC bundles up. Piney is off to do another show and low and behold Client are off to DJ in the same venue! Much fun was had by all at this stylishly intimate venue.

It's a day off, Piney sleeps. A Technician flies back to England and we pick a Scholar up from the airport to finish the tour.

Piney loves Munich, this may have something to do with the appearance of the sun and the disappearance of her flu. She meets a lovely radio lady called Sabine, and then does some shopping. It's the penultimate night of the tour and the Piney crew and Client and friends get sentimental in our shared dressing room. There was shenanigans with cars getting blocked in and keys getting locked in and it was really quite an adventure! All's well that ends well.

It's April fools days, perhaps it was this jovial spirit in the air that causes the Piney Gir tourmobile to take a small detour into the Czech Republic. Well we were just so close, it made sense to stop in. This did in fact make Piney very late to her soundcheck... The Dresden gig was amazing! The tour ended on a real high point, thank you Dresden! Piney says her goodbyes to Vince and Andy, Val and Ann Marie, Client, and all the crew. Then they're off to play a show across town with indie/alt country band Savoy Grande. Piney's show ends in thunderous applause and cries for more. Shucks.