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02/07/2008 - Frome 26/06/08 Edinburgh was grey and overcast as we set off on Wednesday morning for the latest of our road trips and of course Editors gig. This one was actually the following day in a wee town in the south-west corner of England called Frome, pronounced, Froom, not From, as most of the people in the queue, who has also travelled to the gig, had much fun debating about. The reason for leaving a day early was simple, so not to be completely frazzled by the 8hr drive that we would have had to do on the day if we had not decided to break it up with a stop-over in Birmingham. This also meant we could stock up on some yummy Krispy Kreme’s. Ever since the Frome gig was announced there had been a lot of speculation and excitement about it within the online fan community. Would they dust of some b-side rarities? Would there be new stuff? These were just some of the hopes and rumours that were being bandied about the board. For me, a long held dream of hearing one of my all time fav tracks played live felt like it may actually become a reality. The smallness of the venue, the Cheese & Grain, also added to the feeling that this was going to be a very special night that would become a mythical moment in the bands history that, those fortunate enough to be there, would recount to others with passion and glee at how Tom, Ed, Chris and Russ came to a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere and blew the roof off its local nightspot. This of course is exactly what they did. Navigating our way through the narrow streets of Frome (had to mount the pavement more than once just to get along them) to our hotel came as some relief for not only, marking the end of the long trek down, but also getting out of the congestion hell that was Bath. Unsurprisingly it was just as bad the next day as we headed back north. So here is a top tip for you, avoid Bath at all costs as it sucks big style. Having discovered very quickly that there was not much to see or do in Frome other than sit in the room, eat the remaining doughnuts and watch the tennis we decided to go down to the venue at about 3.30 and start queuing for the gig. As time went on it became clear as we chatted to others in the line, that they had also found it almost impossible to find some hot food to eat. Besides a nearby Greggs, there was next to nothing in the way of places to get something to warm and edible in the town centre. It wasn’t till the next morning as we went to fill up the car with fuel at a Sainsbury’s on the town outskirts that we came across signs of civilization in the form of a Pizza Hut, McDs and a KFC. We were stunned to say the least. As time passed, the clouds got greyer and the wind more brisk. Band members and crew were a regular sight as they heading to and from town, maybe with better luck at finding warm food. Light showers peppered the early evening but it wasn’t till about 15mins before the doors opened that the rain became steadier. At this point Ed, who we had bumped in to earlier and as ever was kind and gracious enough to natter for a few minutes, was seen walking back across the car park towards the tour bus carrying two cases of beer. Drummer and band ‘gofer’? Or just his turn to get them in? You decide lol Once at the front barrier on Russ’s side, time went by quickly. More chatting was done and Howling Bells provided a nice easy listen as support. The song before the band took the stage brought a lot of smiles and dancing amongst the slightly older members of the crowd (and some of the young ones as well). With the volume cranked up, an old dance classic boomed out, Ebeneezer Goode by The Shamen, proving that those old E’s are still good at delivering a great buzz, as many danced and sang along to its cheesy infectious beat. Glowsticktastic. Looking relaxed and happy the band took to the small stage to an almighty cheer. Tom briefly set out the plan for the evening’s proceedings, a run through of their 13 song Glastonbury set, a 5 min break before returning to the stage to play some tunes that they don’t play very often. Then it was full speed ahead as they rattled of song after song with great confidence and precision, barely giving them or us the chance to come up for air. The intense energy and passion with which they perform is something I have blogged about before. Hmmm that’s disconcerting, the spell check didn’t underline blogged as a miss spell so I guess it is now seen as a proper word in the eyes of the English dictionary. But yeh, live, simply incredible. As always the sing back during Rats was simply immense. It is such a glorious moment that even now, as I type; the hairs on the back of my neck are tingling just thinking about it. I am often asked by friends why I go to see them so often. It is because of moments like that. Moments of such pure joy and elation, that you just never want it to stop. A natural high, that keeps you coming back for more. The fifth song of the night, All Sparks, drew to a close, a looping guitar note carried on as Tom sat down to the piano. Then out of his mouth came five words that made our hearts race and our mouths drop in a state of gobsmackedness. The words… ‘this is a new song’. What followed was 4 minutes of lush sounding loveliness that left us drooling at the thought of the next album and wanting it to be out now. A song about being there for one another and facing whatever comes your way together. Hopeful and upbeat, proof yet again, that they are not the gloomy rockers that the media love to portray them as. No Sound But The Wind… soaring, gorgeous and fabby. The rest of the set flew past and before you knew it, Smokers was ending. As always Fading was just epic. I swear it just keeps getting better and better. With such a strong, tight set, Glastonbury was going to be rocked to its mud covered core the following night. The 5 minutes was never reached as they quickly came back out on stage. Tom said that the next bit was to make it value for money but to be honest, it already was. Heads In Bags quickly followed the encore opener of Banging Heads and then….. It happened… they went and played it. They only went and blooming played it!!!! Whoooooooo… Colours!!! Yesh, I am welling up just thinking about it lol. Those that know me will know how much and how long I have wanted to hear this track live, so when it started up, to say I was ecstatic is a gross understatement. Not even a swift kick to the nuts would have stopped me smiling or dampened the euphoric feeling of hearing it live. It was simply amazing. Even better than I ever dared to imagine. The gorgeous Open Up brought the gig to an uplifting and emotional end. A few of the boardies were almost moved to tears by its beauty. It had been that kind of night. Tom said it had been the best warm up ever but it may well be the best gig ever. I have just noticed how long this blog is so I best wrap it up. Piano surfing count on the night was one with an 8.2 for the clean and flowing landing. The highest vertical leap by Russ was about 2ft. With the half twist, foot slept and solid landing, it scores a high 9.4. And of course… Thanks to the band and crew for the best night ever and of course Colours. Thanks to all those involved that made it happen. A big shout out to the boardies and everyone we met and chatted with. Mrs GaryUK would like to send a special thanks to Mr U for the hug. As well as taking the time to chat with everyone after the gig. Yet again my car got us all the way there and back without any hassle. And as always a big thanks to my road trip partner, Susan aka Mrs GaryUK (to funny Mr U lol). It was a long one but, by god, it was so worth it. Love on the filthy streets is so….. sublime
Gary
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