Woke at midday after a late one – show last night in Mühlhausen. Hadn’t been up long, feeling groggy when the China tour promoter requested a highlights video for Zebra Festival next month. Spent the rest of the day editing a 45 second video to be used right before we go on stage. We’ve got the 5:30 slot this year. Awesome. It’s getting dark now. Feel like I haven’t been up long & the day’s gone. Haven’t left the apartment. We’re staying with a Bulgarian couple and it’s really nice. They are lovely, generous people.

Vlad and Sebrina’s balcony in Mühlhausen, Germany.

Right now, the guys are cooking dinner & getting on like a house on fire. Tour photographer Simon is staying with us (he’s head chef for this meal). Tomorrow’s show is in Suhl about 2 hours from here, at a club called Gambrinus.

Fires out.

Hard show tonight in Mühlhausen. Started badly for us. Wanted to punch the sound guy. We were playing OK – and he was determined we were Kenny G’s bastard love child. WTF. Thoughts of murderous revenge. Couldn’t hear the drums out front (mixing desks have volume controls for that specific purpose – rocket science). Alas it was The On Fires elevator music – with sweat. Sound guys are a band’s life-line to their audience. When they don’t care, you’re in deep shit. When they know it all (and don’t), it’s even worse. Anyhow, we got through it & The Vagrants hit the stage. Lead singer Renata was so sick she couldn’t perform (takes several bullet wounds to stop her, she’s gotta be in a bad way). Pro as ever, Steve & the guys got up there & played for 2 hours, pulling songs out of their arse, and the occasional audience member to sing. I was one of em, Max was another. Got to belt some Zeppelin, dry humping the stage. Damn that was good. Max hit some ACDC & Talking Heads.

In the end, we had a ball and the night, for me, had turned 180. Steve (The Vagrants) is a great guitarist, beyond what I’d realised. Blue-grassy & blues rocking influenced. He plays like a fast ‘southern’ picker. Amazing to see.

Me swingin’ low, Mühlhausen show tonight in Germany.

Now I’m fading. Writing this and passing out as I write. I’ve drifted off a few times & just come back. Weird. Gotta sign off.

Fires out, from the other side of the world.

Dang that was good. First show – alright. Blast. Back home. Drinkin’, sleep now, adrenaline pumping. Great night.

2nd show tomorrow night. Early start on the road. They say it’ll be 17 degrees on Wednesday – Heat Wave!

Fires out.

First German tour show tonight. Excited & wired. Blue Shell in Cologne with the mighty Vagrants.

En route to rehearsal, Beijing last weekend.

Hangin’ for it.

Fires out.

Drove to Wuppertal to pick up the merch this morning. T-shirts & badges for us and The Vagrants, ready to go for tomorrow night. We’ve gone for black T’s with the yellow lighter design on the front. Looks great. Below, a shot from the balcony at Wilf’s place. He’s a great guy. We’ve been talking about all things film-editing – his job and passion. Been getting some excellent advice about which new software to work on for our videos, now that Final Cut have released an appalling new version (X) which is pretty low-grade and clunky (and a total shock after being industry leaders for so long). Of course, older and better versions of Final Cut Pro no longer work on newer Mac operating systems. Don’t ya hate that.

Wilf’s balcony, Cologne Germany.

First tour show tomorrow night in Cologne at the Blue Shell.

Fires out.

When you’re luggage goes missing at an airport on tour, it’s an anxious time with that little voice in your head asking “Will I ever see my equipment again?”. Somehow, for all the touring we’ve done, we still haven’t permanently lost a bag yet. And, yet again, the latest lost bag (mentioned yesterday) showed up at Frankfurt airport last night after mysteriously missing the flight from Beijing the day before. Don’t know how they manage to do it, but airlines need to stop terrifying their passengers with that stuff. Thankful for small mercies, today I’ve got clothes and equipment again to do the tour through Germany & beyond. Ahhhh the relief.

Gear shows up.

Here’s a shot from our German tour booker’s balcony, looking across the Rhine this morning. Off to Cologne today in readiness for the first tour date on Friday.

Fires out.

Everything went smoothly at Beijing airport. Too smoothly. After a 10 hour flight to Frankfurt, we were still happy about how easy it was all going. Then, the baggage carousel. And, yet again one of our bags is missing. It’s cool though, I don’t have any clothes or enough equipment to play the tour here – but who cares? Hopefully the bag turns up today – apparently it’s not even in ‘the system’ so nobody knows if it exists at all.

Tarmac at Beijing where they’re trashing & losing my stuff right now.

Seriously, how hard can it be to put a bag on a plane (especially the one you’re on, and all your other bags are on)? Let’s look at this for a moment; man on the moon, cars driving themselves, DNA technology, deep-sea welding, bag on a plane – TOO HARD!!! While we’re at it, China Air also smashed part of my guitar case (one of the cases they did manage to put on the plane). It’s a freekin’ road case. They only way you can do that is either drive over it or drop it from the tail-fin. F*CK ME. Guitar is still intact…

It’s nice here in Frankfurt. A little chilly – but that’s cool.

Off to find missing stuff…
Fires out.

Rehearsal today, breakfast first at Zarah then lugging gear to the studio. The streets are bumpy & cluttered. Getting the gear through people & scooters an art not yet mastered. A long playing session, maybe the last before the German tour starts. Labeling of gear & leads, so we know where everything goes. Back through the streets to the hotel. Out for dinner with Elizabeth & Jason who we met last tour. They’re just married. Had a great night, again at Badr’s bar. Great food. ‘Home’ at last. Flying out tomorrow. Frankfurt.

Rehearsal Beijing 31 March 2013.

Fires out.

Biggish night with our promoter last night. Rice wine. Bad news for non-hangover fans. Battled through the morning before rehearsal, then battled through rehearsal – which was awesome. I figure this is training for Germany. Had to go hunting for a bag to replace another bag which is dead already. Too much weight in our luggage. About 100 kilos between us. Merch, equipment, clothes, instruments. Walked around for ages searching. Big department stores – no bags, just fashion stuff. Dammit. Cabs wouldn’t pick us up to take us back to the hotel. Rickshaw ride, eventually (motorised). Fantastic. Kamikaze journey through traffic. Slept for an hour, then out to meet. Great food and beer at Badr’s new bar (we met last time – he saved me by directing me home through Beijing after a bender & a shocking sense of direction). Jo (friend and publicist) is a beautiful legend – she snuck in payment for the entire tab. Holy crap (it was hefty). ‘Home’ at last. Sleep now. Rehearsal tomorrow. Germany the day after.

Behind the wheel, rickshaw through Beijing this afternoon.

Fires out.

We’re hear in Beijing. Took about 22 hours door to door by the time we made it to the hotel at 2am local time. Went out for food and beer. Sleep by 3 (6am Melbourne time). Sitting in Cafe Zarah, cool little place with WiFi around the corner from the hotel. Hooking up all the communications, phones & stuff. Rehearsal in an hour.

Cafe Zarah, somewhere in Beijing.

Fires out.