Clean socks and caberet...

Day 8
1106.1 miles done
Joiners in Southampton tonight. Been here a few times now and I'm delighted to report that the dressing room ain't scary no more. Good news.

We took a beautiful route here today through some amazing English countryside. There was an abundance of thatched roofs and rolling hills and too many caravans. I thought caravans were extinct.... England can keep them. We passed close to Winchester and I wanted to go and visit Ben but it wasn't going to happen.

So the night before last was in St. Agnes in Cornwall. All I want to say about it was that it happened. It's funnier in hindsight that it was at the time. A packed house but no room for us. In truth I had a riot but I've sort of already blocked it from my mind.

Last night in contrast was in The Pheonix in Exeter and it was the most enjoyable gig I can remember playing in a long long time! It's the first time I've played to a seated audience and it had a real MTV umplugged vibe about it. I've played a real selection of different shows with Tommy now. Everything from crying girls and fist fights in Glasgow to 800 people on a festival mainstage to 40 people in a surfer bar and now a caberet show in a theatre. It's almost too much fun man... it's embarassing.

In other news I'm so glad to report I've got clean pants and socks on today.

Love
M xx

Bacon Towers and screaming in the night... Biatch

Has anyone ever woken at 6am to a beaten man screaming in the corner of the room? That happened to me last night.

Truro went off like a bomb with a messy, noisy end. The show was in a bar called The Wig and Pen and it was packed front to back. The audience was definately not the most lively but they were very attentive. We had to tone everything down but the sound was as good as we have had according to Iain and the job was a good'un.

We met some lovely people after the show and went to a party at Miff from Shipwreckeds house. Aptly named Bacon Towers. What followed can be described only as total carnage as boys and girls played the cat and mouse game and one guy tried seducing the room with diva style vocals over Frightened Rabbit tunes. Dirty man. We had drums and piano and guitars and a PA system in the kitchen. Iain drank 3/4 of a bottle of Laphroige, I got an anchor tattoo and Smoke rugby tackled a bollard... twice.

I've put a couple of pics up for you including a poster from Dot to Dot. Tonight we're in St Agnes playing in a tiny wee place called The Tapshouse. Its so small that we cant fit the drums in the room if we want anyone to watch so we are doing a seriously stripped back version with bits of percusion and stuff. Should be fun because we will literally be making iit up as we go.

Not much more really other than did anyone see the video on T4 on Sunday??? On June 1 we are heading to London to film a T4 documentary on Tommy's stuff so hold here for more info.

Lots of love
See you soon
M x

Skins, fans and millions of miles...

Holy shizzle we're in Truro now. Thats in Cornwall. I've never been here before and the drive yesterday took 6 hours and went through 3 weather systems. So far we've taken down Liverpool, Bristol and Nottingham. They were all good shows... In bristol me and Tommy got lost up the hill where they film Skins... that was fairly mad but you did get one heck of a view of Bristol. Iain also managed to turn over a table in a a pub and call some unsuspecting guy a plook (thats Scottish for spot on your face kids) and start some kind of fight.

The Dot to Dot festival was amazing and I really hope we do it again next year. It took me completely by surprise. We had main stage shows too which meant between 600 and 800 per gig which is nice. In contrast tonight we're taking down a wee plocal pub for some local people.... I'm going to be a nervous wreckk tonight.

Anyway, so far we have met some nice fans, most of them girls for the Rizzle, the video has had it's first airing on the telly which was cool, we heard some really nice thing about it. I've already run out of clean pants so thats gonna be todays mission.

Bands I've seen this week that you have to listen to are first and foremost Mumfred and sons (AMAZING!), Dan Black was good and so were Wolf Gang. So far since Thursday 21 to Monday 25 we have covered 889.4 miles and we've only done three shows.

Maybe we'll talk tomorrow
Love M x

Has anyone else noticed the MIlk Bar Kid is back on the telly?

I'm so happy about it. It should have been me.

Scotland again. I've seen the same lassie selling food in the wee shop on Virgin trains 3 times now.

So today me and Gordon sliced up the rhythm section and BV harmonies until they sounded fantastic! It's fair to say that we were bashing our heads against a brick wall at points and sweating a bit but no pain no gain right? We also had the pleasure of meeting the fifth full-time member of the TV Rizzle road team. His name is Dealo his is a master of all things technical and a damb fine chap.

In other news today Tommy Rizzle was filming the video for the first single off the album, Jackets, in London. It is, I believe, to get its first airing next week exclusively on T4. For those of you who want to watch it I will put a time and date on this blog when we know. There is also a little secret bit of something else that is happening in a couple of weeks along a similar vain... but you'll all have to wait and read about that little gem later.

Tomorrow is going to be a blindingly cool day... I'm very excited! It will be a first for me. We are doing an all out full production rehearsal. We will be getting the in-ear-monitor mixes set up, trying out some lights, all the new pedals and boxes of tricks. I'll be tuning my drums and marking my drum mat and stuff. I'm very excited, (easy pleased) I'll make sure I have some cool pictures to share with you tomorrow night.

Anyway thats about it other than to say I can't wait to start the tour. I think tomorrow is the day everything starts, the full team will be together and we'll be taking this rock show to a town near you! Bring it on!!!


M xx

Q..Why do guitarists leave drum sticks on the dashboard?

Another week of hangovers and rehearsals, Fast Hands birthday and then invention of the Brown Smoke cocktail. We have added the third member to our stage outfit and learned a festival and a show set. The beauty of it is just how fast it all came together. Mr Skene (as he will be known from here on) in the picture with a cello has exceptional chat... he does a mean Old Greg and he looks a bit like Germain Clement... and he ain't a bad musician, I guess.

On Monday we went to see an awesome electro band from Canada called Holy Fuck which was wicked and I reckon we might have a lampy to take to a few festivals with us which will be dynamite.... Do you know what I've forgotten what went on most of this week because it has been a bit hectic and I've got a cold. I think I got high on Vocalzones yesterday though... it's thanks to sod's law that the very day we were due to start working out harmonies I wake up with a sore throat. Can you believe it!?!

Anyway I need to go and have a shower and then I'm going to a wedding in Shaftsbury so I'm outta here for now. If I do remember anything worth telling you I'll write somemore before next week.

Oh, crap, aye we got the radio promo's in for Jackets and they look great and the first single went to radio! How could I forget?! Except someone forgot to choose one logo and stick to it but there you go... Also I got some Bongo's and a stand which we will use in a song or two just to mix it up a bit. I also decided I HAVE GOT to learn how to play the trumpet again so I can keep up with these two overly musicians I'm in a band with! I've started to feel like the punchline to every drummer joke ever invented and I refuse to be justification for prejudice.

Much love... I'm off to pack my James Bond suit
M xx

A..So they can park in disabled

Shiny Universal stuff...

I had never been to a major record label HQ before. They have a very clear policy on not employing anyone who couldn't walk down a catwalk for a living and they really like shiny things. The floor looks like a mirror, the walls are made of simulated black marble and polished, frosted glass... even the security guards head was better polished than Alan Sugars shoes. Above the door outside is a rather understated 3D version of the Universal logo that we see every time we watch a movie. Now I don't know much about geography but there was definitely two America's on that globe and nothing of the rest of the world... typical!

The studio was a bit of fun. Mark the in-house producer was a cracking lad with great chat and he makes great Tea. Tommy recorded 4 B-sides and I dabbled on two of them. That should just about cover the first album I think. I got a bit inventive with a floor tom and I think, considering what we had to work with, we got some funky ass sounds going on.

Now I'm on the train north again. This time on Virgin and it's better then GNER. It's one of those "bendy round corners" trains and I wish I was six again because I really want to pretend I am flying a space ship... enough said.

I have set myself another goal for this year as well. I've got to get an iphone. More than anything in the world I want an Iphone with instant twitter with pictures and tunes and satelites telling me where I'm at and things I can shake to find out where to get a Korean sea food dip at 4 in the morning when I hammered in a city I don't recognise.

Anyway, balls to this, I don't know about you but I'm getting bored so I'm off to the buffet car. I've got a date with Stella.

M xx

My own bed a hearty breaky and me lady!!!

Back of the net! I'm home and doing what a man has gotta do!!! Awesome! Flowers have suddenly grown on the tree outside my kitchen window which is weird... I don't like change I haven't OKayed first... and a fuck off big wasp just tried to fly in my kitchen window and that just ain't cricket.

Anyway I got home last night 2 1/2 hours late due to somebody standing in front of the train we were on and I saw my first (very) dead body. I hope I never see that again as long as I live. RIP mate x

So I'm home until Thursday. I am going into the studio for the next two days at Universal HQ, in London town, to record drums on some B-sides and maybe even a sneaky demo or two for the second album. I'm very excited! And then it's back to Scotland and then on tour for a month. After tomorrow night I will have one day at home between now and June 10th. Sheeeet!

In other news we have a Bass player in the band! His name is Gordon Skene. He is a fabulous young man and an incredible musician. Can't wait to work with him... I reckon we're gonna have a riot when we take this rock show on the road.

Also a tour of England has been announced. I sent a facebook to some of you yesterday but if you haven't got it yet or I missed you out go to www.myspace.com/tommyreillymusic for details.

Easy
M x

I have more to tell but...

I just wanted to drop a quick line, mostly to my closest friends and family, to tell you that Gaz, my best pal, just treated me to an amazing memory.

Back in the day when The Ads were at our height we did a radio session in London did a cover of "Where is my mind?" by the Pixies. I had never heard before and it is amazing. It summed everything we were about then and how amazing the band was and how close we were. Check it out at this link... http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=528905 ... and go to "Where is my mind"....

I just wanted to let you know. It is great to have these memories saved for ever.

I want to send my love to every Ad and say I miss them (if they ever read this!).

Love you all
Mx

PS... I have added a wee photo I took earlier of Kev (left) and the super man Mike "not quite sure" Reilly. This is because it's the only picture I've taken for a week and because they're two of my bestest bestest pals... roon ye lads :-) xx