THURSDAY 31 MAY 2001...

I've got the short straw of identifying venues for the UK leg of the September 2001 Tour. So today I decided to ring a couple of places that have been recommended but where I've never been. This resulted in a disturbing conversation with a venue that I probably shouldn't name.

It seems that pay to play is making a return with a vengeance! Even for a fairly well established band it's not easy to find paying gigs. One of the deals offered to me today was a showcase gig at a Venue?? The venue establishes which bands to use for supports and minor headlines by getting them to play for no fee on a weeknight. It then picks from these bands the ones it wants for the paid gigs. I explained this to Steve as patiently as I could. I'm not sure he followed my explanation. The way he said it back to me it sounds as if the venues are getting bands to play for nothing in order to fill the venue on quiet nights at no expense to the venue but at whatever it costs the bands to get there. That can't be right, can it? I'll have to ring the Venue back and check. Shurely venues aren't still taking advantage of bands in this way?

OK I'm being sarcastic but it's odd that bands are expected to play for nothing whereas even a small-town DJ can expect to pick up £100 for a night's work on a slow night..

TUESDAY 29 MAY 2001....

Another review of UNIVERSAL MISUNDERSTANDING arrives. It's from Demorama.com. Not a bad review! The reviewer says that I could get a job singing for an AC/DC tribute band if I wanted to....I wonder if there's any money in doing that? (YES!!!!)

Steve and Don seemed less than elated by the review. Their apathy must be infectious because it's almost half an hour before Stef says anything at tonight's rehearsal....His silence is freaking me out!

The band has been invited to play in San Francisco later in the year. The vote is swift and decisive. We're going! Now all we have to do is to find another two or three gigs or a very friendly bank manager who doesn't run a mile when he hears the words 'rock band'. This could be tough!

TUESDAY 22 MAY 2001....

First 'GRIEF' rehearsal for a few weeks (it's the change in the weather, we're all keen and enthusiastic) and it's a hard slog. Steve is cold free for the first time in weeks and suddenly realises that he can't sing with his head and ears clear. He's wearing earplugs to try and simulate the effects of having one ear blocked. Something is not right with that boy!

Rehearsals go well. We've fixed the problem with 'How We Used To Live' and it's likely to go in the set for the next round of gigs. There's discussion about finally doing the acoustic tour to hep promote UNIVERSAL MISUNDERSTANDING as well as some discussion about what the single from the album should be. A decision is reached to 'go for it' with the acoustic tour, but the single will be the subject of much debate to come....

FRIDAY 18 MAY 2001....

My tickets for the 'Rock' gig show up. After staring at the tickets for about half an hour I realise that our name is spelt wrong. We've suddenly become GREIF SOCIETY!!! I emailed Steve and told him that we could turn ourselves into the number one GRIEF SOCIETY tribute band in the world! Somehow he didn't seem at all amused...

Later on in the day, the first of the September tour dates in confirmed. A place called the Kashmir Club in London where we'll be doing a very brief set. Good news!! I pencil it in the diary and make a mental note to call Stella (our lovely agent) to try and earmark a few other venues I'd like to play...

TUESDAY 8 MAY 2001....

Steve rang and confirmed that the next GRIEF SOCIETY gig will be at The Rock, in Luton on Wednesday 6th June. He swears blind that I've been in the place before but I don't remember. Ahhhh waddya gonna do? I agree to the gig (although I'm not sure that I have a choice) and he goes off to check out tickets and other arrangements.

Marvellous!!

SATURDAY 5 MAY 2001....

Finally got around to checking the band's post and received word of a few reviews of UNIVERSAL MISUNDERSTANDING. Hard Roxx magazine gave the album a good (if slightly sarcastic) review and Jon Worley's fabulous Aiding & Abetting mag also gave the album the thumbs up. This is good news although I wonder where the hell all the other reviews are?

Steve saw both reviews and was slightly chuffed..Can't ask for more than that...

TUESDAY 1 MAY 2001....

I'm stuck in a backstreet club in Luton, I'm tired and Steve is fiddling with the base of his electric fan. Stef has discovered the benefits of nightclub shelving as an aid to protecting his guitar amp and I appear to be deaf in my left ear.

I must be in hell....

Tonight's GRIEF SOCIETY gig is at The Edge in Luton, Bedfordshire. the layout of the club is weird. It's as if every attempt has been made to wedge the band into a corner where they can't offend anybody.

FAT CHANCE!!

The soundcheck takes two hours. There's a bizarre artificial ceiling and it has a strange effect on the sound. to make matters worse, Steve starts sneezing and begins to visibly deteriorate before my very eyes. Oddly enough, the worse he gets, the better I start to feel. This has happened before (only the other way around) so I guess it must be impossible for us to both feel good at the same time.

The DJ starts playing loads of white rap and Nu-Metal and Steve starts badgering me to change the set. I try and ignore him but he's frisbeeing complimentary drinks tokens at me. I wonder if I can take him to the vet and get him fixed? Don wisely leaves us to it.

We go on about 10 past 11 and it's a kicking, powerful set. A little bit rough around the edges, but tight where it matters and the crowd (and it is a crowd) seems to be having a good time. Halfway through the set my left ear waves the white flag of surrender and I go deaf on that side, but it doesn't matter. The set is mostly stuff from UNIVERSAL MISUNDERSTANDING with a couple of pieces from HWUTL thrown in at the end. A Jolly good time has been had by all!