The past couple of days have been a whirlwind. For a start, I got sick like a fucking dog yesterday & got through the show last night in Shaoxing by some act of god. Might have been the frogs I ate, thinking it was chicken. I wondered why the bones were fish-like. Back to the hotel after show & collapse. The back of my eyeballs hurt. When we left for Shanghai this morning I couldn’t see straight so I left my toiletries bag in the bathroom. There goes a whole bunch of stuff I need not to a; stink and b; shave & brush teeth. Dammit, I hate losing stuff on the road. I REALLY hate it. Nobody uses deodorant in China, can’t get it anywhere – so that’s it for the tour. I’m gonna stink this country up.

Marty & Max at the bar at club Yuyintang, Shanghai China.

We’ve got a show in a couple of hours – we’re at the club now, Yuyintang. They’ve got working wifi – which has been hard to find.

Checkya later,
Fires out.

A couple of days traveling & a show last night in Hangzhou at 9 Club. The show went pretty well – the club was massive, the crowd a little light on & the best back-room ever. We had a three-quarter size pool table in there, a huge flat screen TV, stereo system, couches from a palace & two mini-kegs of Carlsberg – which I did my best to destroy (after the show).

Woke this morning, piled into cabs to the station & caught a bullet train to Nanjing where we’re eating now before soundcheck at 61 Club. The guys aren’t happy. It’s taking ages to get food served here. They just brought out the first bit. Gotta go eat.

Here’s some video from Shanghai Uni last week.

Checkya later.
Fires out.

Played Freedom House in Changsha on Sunday night. The show went great, good crowd in a small room. We were pretty tired after 4 shows in a row in different cities but somehow found the energy to smash out another one. The opening band were great – a Chinese version of Oasis. They totally had it down. Great beer swilling tunes with an epic swagger.

Freedom House crowd, Changsha China – Sunday 22nd April.

Since Sunday, it’s been a long couple of days working on lap-tops with not much sleep. Tonight we’ll board an overnight ‘sleeper’ train to Hangzhou for the show at 9 Club. These sleeper trains have bunk beds stacked 3 high to the roof right along each carriage – and smoking is allowed (which ain’t so good for the rest of the band). We’re planning on picking up some beers for the journey to knock ourselves out. We should arrive in Hangzhou by 8am.

Freedom House crowd, Changsha China – Sunday 22nd April.

Checkya tomorrow,
Fires out.

Footage From the Shanghai university show we did during the week. Latest single, Perfect day…

Checkya tomorrow.
Fires out.

Another awesome night at Vox Club in Wuhan. We’re a bit tired today. Hung out at the bar with tour manager Tom after the show & went out onto the street for food after that. At night, the streets turn into a massive food fair. You can eat & drink yourself stupid til dawn if you’re up for it.

Vox Club, Wuhan China, last night.

The crowd was fantastic at last night’s show. We got off to a slower start than usual, but the set hit it’s stride about half way through & turned epic by the end, everybody drenched in sweat.

Sitting back in the wi-fi cafe across from the hotel. Got our train tickets for the next city tonight – Changsha. Leaving in a couple of hours.

Checkya later.
Fires out.

Played the 2nd date of the China tour in Hefei last night. Things have changed since we were there last time (about 10 months ago). Big PA, great back-line. Last year was a tough show there – strange voltage problems blowing things up on stage & somehow we got through it. Things were pretty smooth there last night. It’s an amazing club. Decked out like the old Yak Bar (Abbotsford), with 3 different areas. Apparently, it was ear-blisteringly loud out front with the new thunderous PA.

Last night’s show in Hefei.

We’re starting to settle into the zone on stage.

Up early this morning, into cabs & to the station for a bullet-train to Wuhan, scene of a fantastic club show last year. Checked into the hotel & now we’re sitting in a wi-fi cafe across the street. Vox club is just a few doors down from here. We’re due there for sound-check in a couple of hours. Band discussion just going on – apparently we’re all wearing red tonight. Me & Kent busting out the red jeans. Never wore em once last tour.

Checkya later,
Fires out.
.

Last night was fantastic. The kids at Shanhai Foreign Language University went nuts Beatlemania style. Chanting ‘On Fi-yas’ in unison during the verses of ‘Sky Caves In’. He he. It was a packed university hall. The warm-up bands were great and a whole lotta fun. There was some big love in the room. We did some interviews with journalism students throughout the night.

MC on stage at Shanghai Foreign Language University last night.

Broke a string (a freekin E string) & dropped a few clams toward the end of the set, jumping around too much – but all up, a great night & a good show.

Journalism students before the show.

We’re waiting in the hotel lobby, it’s 10am. Cab & train to the next city for tonight’s show.

Checkya later.
Fires out.

Last night’s secret show went off OK. Not great – but not too bad. Little rusty. Ears are still ringing from my fold-back. Damned it was loud. As Max will tell you, I rarely turn the guitar amp down of my own volition. Last night I kept backing that volume off, and off. The audio guys must have jacked my amp directly to the PA because turning down made no difference. Deafening on stage. When I asked people out front after the show, they said everything was pretty low or quiet…

Our tour manager, Tom, sent us these mini shots from last night –

The On Fires secret pre-tour gig Beijing 17 April 2012.

Had a couple of minor hick-ups in the set but, all in all, it felt pretty good. And good to blow out the cobwebs before we kick the tour off officially tomorrow in Shanghai. Check the Shows page for details.

Checkya later.
Fires out.

Last rehearsal today. A secret show in Beijing tonight before the tour kicks off officially Thursday in Shanghai. Check the Shows page for details.

Kinda tired today. Small remnants of jet-lag creeping back. Adrenalin beginning. Max is still getting changed. She just tipped a whole bunch of foot powder over the merchandise. Trying to get it out of the t-shirts. That stuff goes everywhere. The flat smells like foot-powder.

Max repacking t-shirts.

Checkya tomorrow.
Fires out.

During the week we recorded this video for Strawberry Festival, Beijing. ‘Great Escape’ is this year’s festival theme – so they wanted us to record a story about one of the band’s great escapes…

Rehearsal again this afternoon.

Checkya later.
Fires out.