 |
| BAND RECORDS PRESS MERCH SHOWS AUDIO VISUAL CONTACT LINKS HOME |
 | ||||||
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 MORE PICS  RECENT PICS |
|
V I S U A L UK & IRISH TOUR, DEC 2002 Alta May toured the UK and Ireland for two weeks in December, opening for The Apes, Washington DC's latest and greatest export. Jeff "Drummer Ape" Schmid took some snaps, as well as the mighty Paul Drake. The story begins in Brighton, on England's south coast. We played at the Free Butt, an oddly named but friendly and accomodating venue. We opened the show, with The Star Spangles following and The Apes headlining. The Apes rocked! We knew instantly that this would be an amazing and fun tour! The next show was in London, at the Art's Cafe. Lomax opened, and played a great set of Mission of Burma-esque noisy rock - great blokes as well. We were next and did our best to deafen everyone in attendance. Thanks to Howard the promoter, also known as KNOM - we'll see you next time. Our third show was in beautiful Bath at the Moles Club. Bristol's Ivory Springer played a sharp set of Shellac-ish rock. We had to bail right after we were done to catch the ferry from Wales to Ireland - otherwise we would have loved to hang out some more with Tim and Dave of Purr Promotions - next time. 12.05.02
Well, we were bummed about rushing off from Moles to catch the ferry 170 miles away but glad that we did because we made it with literally minutes to spare thanks to Paul Drake pushing the pedal all the way through Wales.Moles Club, Bath, England Ivory Springer, Alta May, The Apes CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE             Once we landed in Ireland at 6am (after a 4 hr ferry trip), we had to drive 3 hours or so to Cork. All of us pretty much up all night, we stopped a few times to enjoy the beautiful, sunny, frosty Irish countryside along the south coast. 12.06.02
After many long hours we make it to The Pine Lodge, in Myrtleville, about 10 miles from Cork on a beautiful craggy inlet. Mick, the proprietor, welcomes us in and shows us to our rooms. A few of us go back downstairs for a few well-deserved pints of Guinness.Journey to Cork, Ireland           The gig was brilliant. Alta May and The Apes rocked for the packed, enthusiastic room of young and old alike. Thanks to Emmitt, the promoter, and Mick is a mighty fine host - we relish the chance to return to The Pine Lodge. 12.06.02
We had a fantastic gig at the High Stool in Limerick but, alas, no visual documentation. It was among the best shows of the tour - a packed, enthusiastic crowd on a Saturday night. The kind of show that, no matter what goes wrong (bass amp blows up, mics go out, drummer breaks specs), the energy overrides everything. Thanks to Ivan and Albert of The AMC - brilliant.The Pine Lodge, Cork, Ireland Alta May, The Apes        Next up, Dublin! Whelan's is a fantastic venue, and the hotel accomodations were deluxe. Thanks to Michael for fixing the bass amp and for the drinks. Also, thanks to Sinead for doing masterful sound and keeping us up late! Finally, Brian and Suzie - we can't wait to come back to Whelan's. 12.08.02
Whelan's, Dublin, Ireland Alta May, The Apes       After a leisurely morning in Dublin, it's a mad dash to the dead-sexy super ferry in Belfast to make the cross to Stranraer, Scotland. The next gig is at The West 13th Bar in Glasgow, and the bands make it to the venue midway through opening act The Greasemonkey's excellent set of garage punk rock. The show was a blur, but enjoyed by the 13 folks that ventured out on a freezing Monday night. Thanks to Simon and The Greasemonkey's for their hospitality.Next, Liverpool, home of the Beatles and Anfield (which means nothing to anyone except for Marcus). It's Erik's birthday - Marcus & Garrett supply the card, and Paul Ape grabs the cake as merriment is had by all. Opening act Purple Gekko do a wicked Billy Jean cover and the Avril Lavigne lookalike singer wears chaps despite the bollock-bursting temperature in the room. 12.10.02
Nottingham Social is next, home of the mythical Robin Hood and near-mythical Brian Clough. CNL Touring's Jon Barry is based out of Nottingham, and we're pleased to see him once more. Drake's mates, who we've borrowed the gear and van from, drive down from Leeds - cheers lads, everything sounds and works out great. Cheers to Neil for the crash pad. Opening act Designer Babes perform some angular rock, spat out in choppy, chunky intervals.Masque Theatre, Liverpool, England Purple Gekko, Alta May, The Apes         12.11.02
After Nottingham it's Sheffield University. This Student Union rocks! There are at least four bars and drink specials all night long! The stage is huge with excellent gear. Openers The 20-22's play a great set of alterna-pop ala Ash, Stereophonics. The fog machine is in full effect as we take the stage and play to a great crowd of young students. Great sound and a good show. We nearly sample every bar in the joint but have to go back to Nottingham to invade Neil's floorspace once more.The Social, Nottingham, England Designer Babes, Alta May, The Apes        Friday - a day off! We've played 10 nights in a row and take the day off to drive back down to London for our Saturday night gig at The Garage. McLusky is headlining, and we open the show to a very large and very filled room. The sound is amazing and the people at The Garage are the best. We play our best show of the tour on the best night of the tour at the best venue of the tour - a perfect way to end. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you, to all those that came to the gigs, had a chat, let us invade their homes. Super special thanks to Men of The Match Paul Drake - tour manager/driver/photographer/espousal of rock wisdom extraordinaire! And to Jon Barry, of CNL Touring, who put it all together, took care of us, and who actually came out to three of the shows - unheard of! Til next time.... |
|
GOT PIX OF THE BAND? SEND THEM IN >>> PRESS PICS   (web resolution) |
|
 | ||||||