Check out this video, taken by someone in the audience at Zebra Festival, on an iPhone. Note Max’s jump from the back riser, which was a fair effort given the drop (this is how we make tour injuries…). We Played Zebra last weekend, the day after Midi Festival in Beijing.

We’re back in Guangzhou City, with a few days off before the next round of shows this weekend. The idea will be not to carry any gear and to sleep, at least that’s the theory. The last show on Sunday night at AD Bar in Foshan was a little unusual. We played to the smallest crowd we’ve had so far, but the bar itself was a brand new, hi-tech, super classy establishment. The stage was huge and the equipment totally state-of-the-art, complete with giant video screen behind us. The crowd really got into it by the end, at some point I’d attempted the ‘Pete Townshend’ knee-slide across the stage, ending up flat on my back and taking out Max’s keyboard power. Nice one. The show felt a bit like we were the unruly element at a private party – but we won ’em over in the 2nd half.

Our next show: Freedom House in Changsha.

Checkya tomorrow.
Fires out.

Another great show last night at Tiguan Bar in Guangzhao, China. The band venues here have been great so far, Tiguan Bar no exception – a smallish club (maybe 150 capacity), really well set up with great atmosphere, nice stage setup and a cranking PA system. The crowd in there went nuts again. Every show’s been terrific so far. Tonight we’re playing the eighth China tour show in Foshan at A-D Bar. We’re at a hotel in Foshan at the moment, sound-check a few hours away.

More video from Midi Festival last weekend.

Checkya tomorrow,
Fires out.

In a career first, Kent jumped off the stage last night & crowd-surfed at the end of Without. It was a fairly precarious move given the relationship between Kent’s body mass and the size of the audience members holding him up. Amazingly, no one was injured, Kent arriving back on stage to finish the song, and the set – the crowd went nuts.

We’re all pretty tired today. We got home reasonably early, but after a show like that it’s near impossible to switch off and wind down. Took me nearly three hours and a few beers to feel like sleeping. We’re also not eating enough. Once a day is all we’re getting time for, traveling between shows and hotels. Me thinks there will be a marathon food session some time this afternoon…

Right now we’re on a bullet train to Guangzhao for another show tonight at Tiguan Bar.

Checkya tomorrow.
Fires out.

Had a great show at Livehouse Zhuhai last night – the bar owner joining a long conga-line, snaking it’s way through the packed venue during the set. Awesome. We’re having the time of our lives on this tour.

Today we stopped into a restaurant near the hotel and ate ourselves into chili oblivion before sound-check for tonight’s show. Lucky I don’t have to stand behind me on stage tonight… where Kent will be sitting…

So here we are at Live Bar in Shenzen, after sound-check, ready to kick off in just under an hour. We caught a boat from Zhuhai to get here this afternoon – an hour on choppy green coastal waters, gently rocking side to side (Tom, our tour manager, looking a little worse for wear by the end of it – he’s recovered reasonably well).

Checkya tomorrow,
Fires out.

Hangin’ With The Living, live from Midi Festival on the weekend. We’d been living on trains & buses, traveling across China. By the time we got to Midi festival we were high on adrenaline & no sleep – the roar of the crowd fueling the show. Check this out…

We played Zebra festival the day after Midi (a long flight between the two). Zebra was also a huge show, video coming soon.

We’re now in another part of the country in Zhuhai – for a show tomorrow night at Livehouse.

Checkya tomorrow,
Fires out.

We played the main stage at Zebra festival in Chengdu yesterday. Huge crowd in a picturesque setting, surrounded by fields and lakes. We had a fantastic time at the festival – and also had time to hang out after the show & catch the rest of the bands.

It’s 11am now in Chengdu & we’re just waking up at the hotel. Gotta say, I’m a little sore today after 5 days of really hard travel. We don’t have to move for the rest of the day. Tonight we’re flying out to Zhuhai for a show there on Thursday at Livehouse. It’ll be great to have a couple of days to get some recovery on.

Checkya tomorrow.
Fires out.

Sitting here at Beijing airport. Flight to Chengdu delayed. Here’s a quick bit of video from today’s Midi Festival show…

Zebra Festival tomorrow.
Checkya then,
Fires out.

The On Fires, on stage at Midi Fesitival, Beijing – two hours ago…

We’re back at the hotel for a few moments – flying out tonight for Chengdu and Zebra festival tomorrow.

Checkya tomorrow.
Fires out.

Only a few moments to make this post.

We’re back at hotel Aloft in Beijing. Two shows in two days – living on trains between them. Arrived back in Beijing this morning on an overnight train from Shenyang. We had a killer show there last night at Livehouse, after hauling our gear through rush hour station-people-traffic. Made it to the venue, jumped on stage, did the show to a frenzied packed house, jumped off stage straight into a waiting bus, and back to the train station.

It’s about 10am here now. In an hour we’ll be back in a bus, headed for the Midi Festival. Apparently the stage is huge there. We’re a combination of tired and pumped. Over the past few days we’ve had some of the greatest experiences of our lives. There are still around 15 dates to go, including two big festivals.

We’ve been shooting the whole thing on video. Soon as we get the chance, it’ll be posted here and across our sites.

Checkya tomorrow.
Fires out.

We had a great night with John from Aloft hotels on Wed. He took us out to a lavish buffet dinner at 4 Points Hotel next door to our hotel (Aloft). We’ve been staying in a very nice part of Beijing, in a hotel precinct with manicured gardens & great restaurants.

Thoughts started racing during the night, so I didn’t sleep so well. Got up at 4am & started working with Max on the final plans for this year’s European tour in August. By 11am we were mentally spent & checked out of the hotel. Kent was doing well – still working through yesterday’s jet-lag (he flew in a couple of days later than we did).

We all caught a cab to Tom’s place (the China tour manager). Lugged all our gear up 12 flights of stairs (6 floors) & left it there to go sight-seeing for the afternoon.

Above and below: Somewhere in old part of Beijing.

Got back to the hotel, lugged the gear down the stairs, met Steven and Jane at the nearest subway & caught a series of trains with all our gear to Beijing Station. It was a harrowing experience, to say the least – trying not to injure ourselves or someone else, with thousands of people packed in all around rushing to get home.

At Beijing station we caught on overnight train, like a moving scout camp completed with rows and rows of triple bunks and hundreds of people, to Dalian for tonight’s show.

Right now we’re in a hotel waiting for sound-check in about an hour’s time at Hertz Bar.

Checkya later,
Fires out.