UK Tour - Any advice?

[marklaforest]

Hey guys,

I'm Canadian and heading out to do a tour of England and Scotland next week. I'll be backing up a female vocalist on some original country tunes that she recorded down in Nashville. She's got some radio play going on over there and some good media exposure, but this is her first tour there. We're being paid well and provided with everything from per diems to a driver and tour van, hotels, etc.

Just wondering if anyone on here has done that circuit and has any advice or experiences to share. I'm getting pretty excited about it!

Thanks!

[Rusty Chainsaw]

Firstly, you'll love it. The UK is a great place.

You don't mention the kinds of venues you'll be playing - there isn't a huge market for live country music in the UK, so I'd expect it to be smaller, specialist venues, social clubs and so on. The crowds will be enthusiastic and probably quite drunk. Make sure to talk to people, enjoy a pint or six yourself and be ready to talk a lot about where you're from. Most people will think you're American, so you'll have to set them right - most Brits don't know to listen for the telltale Canadian raising!

In terms of technical issues, the UK's national grid is 240V/50Hz, so make sure any electrical gear you take with you (amps, effects, etc) either has a switching power supply or that you have a good step-up transformer available. If you're taking a laptop or mobile phone charger with you, their chargers/power supplies should work straight off with just a plug adapter (you can pick these up at the airport). Also, regarding mobile phones, don't run up massive bills by using your Canadian phone - go to any mobile phone shop and pick up a cheap pay-as-you-go phone. Shouldn't cost you any more than £20 for a basic one. I'd suggest the whole band get one each for staying in touch. There's quite a few mobile networks, but O2 and Orange are probably the best. Wi-Fi is fairly abundant, most hotels, pubs and coffee shops will have it for free. Or you could pick up a mobile hotspot for £60 or so from a mobile phone shop that will give you mobile Wi-Fi with 3G speed.

For getting around, I'd imagine you'll have a bus laid on, but there's good public transport in most bigger towns. Do go out and look around, and don't be afraid to ask people for directions and stuff (as long as you're outside London - they can be a bit brusque there ). If you're in London, make sure to see the sights - get a One Day Travelcard to get around, as this one ticket will get you unlimited use of the trains, the buses and the Tube all day for about £8. The London Underground (Tube) goes almost anywhere you'd want to go in London and is really easy to navigate. If you're in London, pay a visit to The Gallery in Camden Town to play the best selection of basses in London - it's a 5-minute walk from Camden Town tube (www.thebassgallery.com). Remember to look right, then left when crossing roads (cars drive on the left in the UK). It'll probably rain a fair bit, so make sure you've got an appropriate jacket. Britain is stuck halfway between old imperial measures and metric - distances on the roads are in miles and someone will tell you their weight in stones and pounds and height in feet and inches, but you'll buy fuel by the litre, food by the kilo and the temperature on the weather forecast will be in Celsius.

Ignore the misinformation about British food - there's some great food out there. Lots of awesome Indian, Greek, Turkish and Thai food too. Indulge in pub lunches (Wetherspoon's pubs have a great food menu). Go to a greasy-spoon cafe and have a full English breakfast with a big mug of tea. Get friendly with the service station shop (McCoy's crisps, Ginsters pasties and Mars bars are a British touring musician's best friends). If possible, go to the service stations with M&S Food, as they have the best sandwiches ever, and avoid the ones with Little Chef restaurants. Make sure you take the whole band out to an Indian restaurant for a post-gig curry with all the trimmings. If you're dying for a taste of home, most of the fast food chains you know are there, albeit with slightly different menus. But a Big Mac is a Big Mac anywhere in the world.

Things to be wary of - drunk people, basically. Most Brits are fine with a few drinks in them, but you will find some just can't handle their drink and get violent. We call them "chavs". Fights outside pubs aren't an uncommon sight late at night. Just steer clear and make sure you're in a group if you're out late at night. There's very little gun crime in the UK (handguns are illegal) but there are lots of idiots with knives, so be careful.

You'll be over in the height of the sports season - there'll be lots of big football games on and the Six Nations rugby tournament will be in full flow. Make sure you go to a pub where they're showing the games, have a few drinks and enjoy the atmosphere. Pay particular attention to the rugby - this is what American football would be like if the players didn't wear pads and didn't stop every 20 seconds.

Us Brits love to make fun of people in a light-hearted way, so don't take it personally if you get the occasional comment. You'll probably be alright though, since, in my experience, Canadians are fairly au fait with the concept of "taking the piss". We'll make fun of ourselves as much as we make fun of anyone else. We're very sarcastic and we swear a lot, but we love to have a good time.

Hope that helps...

[bassybill]

+1 to what most of Rusty said, with a few amendments.

Power here is 230V, not 240V (that's just nitpicking) and if you're using stuff that can't be switched to accomodate that, you will need a step DOWN transformer to change the supply from 230V to whatever your gear needs.

The thing about Londoners being "brusque" was pretty tongue in cheek, I think. Ask for advice or directions anywhere you like and you'll be okay.

Little Chef- food isn't bad, but it's pricey. As was said above, best food is to be had away from the big chain places like this. Pub food will be your staple and is generally excellent for quality and value. But try a few restaurants, too - especially for Indian and Chinese food.

The risks from drunk "Chavs" (think Guido and you won't be too far off) were way over stated, imo. There's rarely any problems in the sort of venues you're likely to be playing and I haven't seen a fight outside a pub in a looooong time. I'm not saying it never happens, but it ain't something you're going to see every night. Drunks are drunks wherever you go in the world.

+1 about the rugby - American "football" is a tame imitation in comparison.

Lastly - could you list your tour itinerary here? It would help to adivse on your trip, and if you're playing anywhere local to me, I may try to get over to see you and check out your singer.

[marklaforest]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the great advice!

I played rugby in high school, so I won't be lost. It's still moderately popular in Canada. We also ride that line between metric and imperial, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

The gigs we're playing are a mix of pubs, theatres, clubs, and even one on a boat. There's a couple private things too and radio and media appearances. Check out the full list here on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php...08581655874756

You've been helpful so far!

[s_mcsleazy]

hope glasgow isnt on the tour

[marklaforest]

What's wrong with Glasgow?

[Punk Rock Jason]

Looks like a fun gig. Enjoy the tour. Never would've thought there was a market for country in the UK.....learn something new every day I guess.....

[Skyblue977]

+1 about the rugby - American "football" is a tame imitation in comparison.

Rugby is indeed the game they play in heaven.
Rugby does not have rules but laws.

[Steven1207]

Originally Posted by marklaforest

What's wrong with Glasgow?

There's nothing wrong with Glasgow. It's fine, unless you intend on wandering the streets at night, which isn't advised anywhere in the world if you don't know the area in my experience.

[Thunderitter]

The Old Oprey in Glasgow is a great gig! The Glaswegians love their music, especially with a country twang! Just don't mention the football!

[s_mcsleazy]

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

The Old Oprey in Glasgow is a great gig! The Glaswegians love their music, especially with a country twang! Just don't mention the football!

nope

and dont make the mistake i made ether

aka a englishman turning off the old firm game and then saying "now dance"

got my head kicked in

basicly what this guy says

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeyajsCZej8

[slipitin]

The people to be wary of aren't the 'chavs'...(see 'chavala', palare for 'child' mediterranean origin. London slang hijacked by the media and middle classes who love to comfort themselves by looking down on the next guy)...but the vast swathes of snobs you are likely to meet here in recent times (see above).

[s_mcsleazy]

Originally Posted by slipitin

The people to be wary of aren't the 'chavs'...(see 'chavala', palare for 'child' mediterranean origin. London slang hijacked by the media and middle classes who love to comfort themselves by looking down on the next guy)...but the vast swathes of snobs you are likely to meet here in recent times (see above).

in glasgow there called neds

[hellfleet]

To nitpick further...

Technically our voltage is 230V +/- 10%
= 207 V -> 253 V

It used to be 240V +/- 6%
226 V - > 254 V

Therefore I believe as it is still way within tolerances the power supply was kept exactly the same. So.. both rusty and bassybill are correct



Anyway,
Fights and stuff like that do happen, it will depend somewhat on the venues. If you head up north some of the gigs are likely to end up in little WMC type clubs and the area will make a huge difference. I don't think it is likely to be more dangerous than anywhere else in the world, you can run into trouble anywhere really. Just keep your wits about you and you'll be fine. Looking at the venue list it looks ok

Hope you enjoy yourself here!

[s_mcsleazy]

Originally Posted by hellfleet

To nitpick further...

Technically our voltage is 230V +/- 10%
= 207 V -> 253 V

It used to be 240V +/- 6%
226 V - > 254 V

Therefore I believe as it is still way within tolerances the power supply was kept exactly the same. So.. both rusty and bassybill are correct



Anyway,
Fights and stuff like that do happen, it will depend somewhat on the venues. If you head up north some of the gigs are likely to end up in little WMC type clubs and the area will make a huge difference. I don't think it is likely to be more dangerous than anywhere else in the world, you can run into trouble anywhere really. Just keep your wits about you and you'll be fine. Looking at the venue list it looks ok

Hope you enjoy yourself here!

so what voltage do i run my amp

230 or 240

[iiipopes]

Having been to the UK several times on college tours, holiday travel and otherwise, I have four items in addition to the above:
1) Look the other way when crossing the street;
2) Mind the Gap;
3) Have a pint of best bitters;
4) Can you take me along as well?!
Have fun. Great country. I wish I could go back more often.

[Thunderitter]

Originally Posted by iiipopes

3) Have a pint of best bitters;

'Bitters' (Angostura Bitters) is an aromatic mixer used in cocktails. You would not want to drink a pint of that!

Rather, you'd want to drink a Pint of 'Bitter', which can sometimes these days be ordered as a pint of 'Best' from back in the day when each brewery usually had a range of beers of different strengths. 'Best' was a strong beer and cost more.

In Scotland you have 'Heavy' instead of Bitter, and the 'shilling' factor 70/-, 80/- and 90/- denotes strength.

Both England and Scotland have 'Lager'.

[s_mcsleazy]

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

Both England and Scotland have 'Lager'.

i drink japanese lager. also cider

oh oh oh while your over here you have to try brothers strawberry cider

[SeaBassSteve]

Or some proper scrumpy cider. Old rosie is a nice relatively commercial one.


For the record; lager=piss, strongbow the same.

Some gread advice above , and enjoy our little islands