Tales from the Rails part 10: Berlin Basements and the Time Bandits

‘Tales from the Rails’ now reporting from above the clouds. It’s Monday and I am London-bound after a fantastic weekend in Berlin. On Saturday night I played at a new club in town called “T” and it was, in many respects, one of the best shows of the tour and equally the most stressful. As …

Tales from the Rails part 7: The Grey Road to Star City and Sparkly People

I’m on the train from Coventry to Manchester and am making the executive decision to combine Birmingham and Coventry into one “Tales from the Rails West Midlands” post – so here goes! On Thursday evening I played at student hideout ‘The Soak’ in Selly Oak, Birmingham. Unfortunately students were as sparse as rowdy locals were …

Tales from the Rails part 4: Grand pianos and neon streets (aka just follow the noise)

With every trip there’s a moment before arrival where I fear the magic will one day wear off, but it never does. I arrive at Liverpool Lime Street station and feel uplifted – this city may not have that effect on everybody, but it does on me. Once upon a time (or maybe twice – …