:O thankfully no-one was hurt in the shocking Feeder tour bus fire! - I'd be happy to make up a food parcel for them now all their catering has been destroyed... wonder what kind of sandwiches they like? ;)
The Times Eye Magazine
June 2005
It is commonly believed that the rocknroll touring lifestyle is a moving feast of non-stop glamour: glitzy parties, free booze and supermodedl consorting. This is partly true. Once bands reach a certain stature, gig promoters will ensure that their charges dont want for anything. Before a show, a group will be indulged with great food, comfortable dressing rooms and as much alcohol as they can handle. Afterwards theyll be thrown a big party, before being whisked off in a tourbus or private jet to prepare for the next show.
Sounds good?
Well, thats only part of the story. Most of the time touring is spent travelling in cramped conditions. Boredom is a major problem, as are hangovers. Everyone lives for the hour on stage, which passes in a flash. The other 23 hours creep by. Still, when I was invited to join Feeder for the weekend, flitting from Donington to the Isle of Wight, to a supporting gig for U2 in Germany. I jumped at the chance to live the rocknroll lifestyle. How did I fare? Read on.
Day 1
Feeders press officer Gillian is waiting for me at St Pancras station in London for the journey to Nottingham. She is calm, but becomes slightly agigtated when Martin, our photographer, is late. He struggles, laden with equipment, on to the train with seconds to spare. We exchange glances. Or at least we would if he could see: sweat has already blinded him. Blimey. I think. Weve barely started and the panic has already begun. He just mutters: Bloody cab drivers. They should all be shot.
On the train I listen to the latest Feeder album, Pushing The Senses. I like Feeder, although most critics do not. They are a band who have had to slog throughout their 15-year career and, while their music has not always been hugely distinctive, their way with a melody and a crunchy guitar riff means that theyre not only big enough to support U2 but also headline the first night of the heavy rock orgy that is Download.
The train is full of heavily pierced black-clad fans. The closest Ive yet come to getting pierced was stabbing myself with a school compass, but at least Im wearing a black T-shirt. Even if it does bear the slogan BigBaby. We meet the bandat the hotel. As is often the way with groups that have struggled for their success, theyre charming people. No ego and no pretension. However, as we board the tour bus to head for the festival site, Martin realises that this also means no smoking.
"Dont you dare light that bloody fag," says Mark Richardson, the drummer as Martin lifts a roll-up to his mouth. The photographer looks sheepish. Its a poor start.
Backstage at Download were pleasantly surprised that this most rawk of festivals is very nicely appointed. The catering is great and yes, the beer is free. Martin and I take full advantage. I will later regret this.
Feeder go on stage after Garbage. The crowd is suspicious. Grant Nicholas, the lead singer, is not dressed in black. Neither is Taka Hirose, the Japanese bassist. Only Mark, the drummer, really looks the part. Forty minutes later, Feeder have blown the crowd away with a muscular set. Nicholas smashes a guitar at the climax. Afterwards, the diminutive Welshman tells me that its the first time hes done such a rocknroll thing. It was a two thousand pound guitar. I never do that usually, but it was such a rush winning that crowd over. He pauses. "What did you think of the set list? Did we pace it right?" This will become a familiar question. Guitar-smashing rock stars can be sensitive, too.
Day 2
Were up very early. Grant has had some radio interviews to do. The rest of the band and crew headed down to the Isle of Wight festival on the tour busy last night, but myself, Grant, Martin and Matt, the bands manager, will take a helicopter from the East Midlands to the Isle of Wight. Im not a great flyer and, nursing a monumental hangover. Im now really dreading this flight. As is my custom before a flight, I call my girlfriend to tell her I love her. Grant hears me and smiles shyly. "I do the same every time I fly. I really dont like flying either." I gawp at him. "But you must fly at least a hundred times a year."
"Im in the wrong job, he grins."
The helicopter is a Perspex bubble with a rotor blade. A flying Tupperware box. Taking off is scary. But spending two minutes hovering over the airfield is tarrying. Problem Im afraid, chaps, says the pilot, who looks as if he has just celebrated his twelfth birthday. No thrust. We land again and the pilot calls over a mechanic. They have a quick chat. "Shall I give it another go?" asks the pilot. Grant and I look at each other. "No way!" we both shout over the noise of the engine. After a 90-minute flight on an old replacement helicopter, we finally arrive at the Isle of Wight Festival. The place is abuzz with news that Kate Moss has arrived with her boyfriend, Pete Doherty, the erstwhile Libertines frontman who now leads Babyshambles. There are tabloid journalists running hither and thither for a glimpse of the couple. We watch Babyshambles. Doherty, wearing a vest and a pork-pie hat, closely resembles a doe-eyed Harold Steptoe, and his band are dreadful. An hour later in a sponsors elevated tent, drinking yet more free alcohol, we witness Feeder play a triumphant set. The man next to me, wearing a yellow dress and feather boa, is going mental, as are most of the crowd.
When we board the tour bus an hour later to catch the ferry back to the mainland, Martin places his bags in the gangway. Mark, the drummer, boards and trips over them. "Who put these in the fucking gangway?" he growls as he kicks three thousand pounds worth of camera equipment. Martin starts to argue but decides against it when he sees the vein in Marks forehead bulge. Then Grant gets on, fretting. He looks at me. "How was the set- did we pace it right?" I pick up a can of lager, take a gulp and tell him that the set was great. We all then embark on a mission to demolish the bands rider. Selflessly, I place myself in the vanguard.
Day 3
Were up at 6am to take a taxi from our Portsmouth hotel to Heathrow to fly to Dusseldorf. I feel as though my head is about to fall off. Two days of constant drinking and travelling are taking their toll. That and not going to bed until 4am two nights on the trot. I want to go home and sleep, but the biggest gig of the weekend is tonight. Feeder supporting the biggest band in the world, U2. I cant miss that. When I step on the stage at Schalke 04s huge stadium in Gelsenkirchen ten hours later, Im very glad that I ignored the rats chewing my brain. Its a marvel. Below stage is a warren of control rooms. Onstage, standing in front of half-full stadium of 30,000 people (Feeder arent due on for two hours, U2 for three) I feel the power. Whos that fat bloke with the glasses? some German shouts. Or thats what I imagine he shouts.
Later, Im backstage with Grant, a mile away from the stage. Hes worried. "I need to get a feel of the audience, to work out the set. Come with me, Paul, the walk will do you good." We go to see the first support band, the Thrills. We watch from the side while people watch us from the audience. The noise is immense. My brain screams for mercy.
Finally, Grant is satisfied and we retreat backstage, where he argues with technicians and members of the band about the setlist. When Feeder take the stage Im surprised to see U2s legendary manager, Paul McGuinness, standing on the soundstage next to me. Not only do the 55,000 crowd take to the band with enthusiasm but so does McGuinness. After the show Grant is very happy. "I think we gauged that set well. Here, Paul" he laughs as he throws a bottle. "You must be thirsty, have a beer." I nearly turn green but bravado gets the better of me. I take a swig. What the hell? It's only rocknroll.
Menu
FFS Shout Box
-
(Posted on 2008-10-26 15:01:00 by )
-
*mod mode*
for people trying to access the message boards & finding its either very slow or just not loading at all..... proboards central is having some problems and they're working on getting it sorted. dunno how long will be before back to normal. (ok own up, who started a fire this time? :P)
updates can be seen at http://support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=support
(Posted on 2008-10-09 15:30:00 by ) -
my FFS Members exclusive Tracing Lines/Silent Cry digipak arrived today.. what can i say, as ever MW you have surpassed yourself! artwork is amazing! *bows in respect* ta mate
(Posted on 2008-09-30 14:53:00 by ) -
Can't wait to see Feeder in november, would have prefered to see them at the historic Astoria but personally Brixton Academy is my favourite venue! Iv been looking at this site for years... thought it was about time to actually say something... Wooooo!...
(Posted on 2008-09-25 08:48:00 by ) -
Helloooo
my luvvies! i hate long breaks at college so i thought i'd say high...erm i mean hi! :P
xxx
(Posted on 2008-09-22 12:37:00 by ) -
FIGHTSTAR SUPPORTING FEEDER IS MY DREAM GIG BUT I CAN'T MAKE ANY DATES COS I'LL BE IN SOUTHAMPTON :(
no bad words about fightstar they are a ledge band and you will see that when they tour with feeder!
(Posted on 2008-09-14 21:16:00 by ) -
I re-activated my Feeder blog. It has some live music. Check it out!
Thanks
http://20thcenturytrip.blogspot.com/
(Posted on 2008-09-07 19:32:00 by ) -
I am loving the mocked up TL / SC single cover, pure genius!
(Posted on 2008-08-27 17:31:00 by ) -
Hello, Feeder rock!
(Posted on 2008-08-27 13:59:00 by ) -
time for fan power once more guys, lets flex our muscles and remind them why we're the best group of fans around, we did it for Shatter, now add your voice to the campaign to get a physical Tracing Lines/Silent Cry release AND a new track!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/feeder/
(Posted on 2008-07-30 12:49:00 by ) -
'Tracing Lines' release date has been moved from 11th August to 25th August. More to wait! :(
A good thing is that you can download 'Somewhere to Call Your Own' by digital download.
I wonder if the next single will come out on a physical copy as well as a digital one...I hope it does...
New single is on the Feederweb:
http://www.feederweb.com/releases.php
(Posted on 2008-07-29 23:31:00 by ) -
What the f. The Forum just went down.
(Posted on 2008-07-29 20:27:00 by ) -
oh go on stace, listen to it on the bus... just don't sit next to me while you're doing so!
(Posted on 2008-07-24 12:19:00 by ) -
That is possibly my favourite review...of anything...ever.
I'm never gonna be able to listen to Miss You without laughing away to myself ever again. Maybe i should avoid listening to it on the bus then...hmmmn.
(Posted on 2008-07-23 20:11:00 by ) -
and FFS does it again, brilliant review
(and thank god, someone else agrees that Songs From The Crypt was a much better title idea!)
(Posted on 2008-07-23 20:04:00 by ) -
I'm curious for that review too... I hope FFS will write a good one.
(Posted on 2008-07-17 10:08:00 by ) -
Will we be seeing a Silent Cry review soon?
(Posted on 2008-07-17 09:37:00 by ) -
Nice banner ;D
(Posted on 2008-07-16 16:41:00 by ) -
You're forgiven xD
(Posted on 2008-07-16 04:14:00 by ) -
Feeder! Feeder! Feeder! Feeeeeeeder!
sorry guys, mad moment :P
(Posted on 2008-07-15 20:15:00 by ) -
Bloody hell, I hate it when a decent album like Feeder's doesn't get well known. I guess give it another month or two, it will probably get more popularity when an advert pops on TV or something.
(Posted on 2008-07-09 12:55:00 by ) -
Agree... Feeder need to come to Australia. If small little indie artists can make it over here, why can't feeder?!
(Posted on 2008-07-08 08:32:00 by ) -
What happened to the lyrics page? Is it being updated?
(Posted on 2008-07-07 17:59:00 by ) -
I love Feeder's new album :]
what i hate is that i live in Australia and they havent toured here since 2000 i think its time for another visit its been so long and its time to come back around again.
what marcus said its so true...plus they deserve more then what they got now but hey at least there selling records and got a good fan-base too
(Posted on 2008-07-07 13:55:00 by ) -
thanks Rach :)
(Posted on 2008-07-06 15:33:00 by ) -
Yeah Suey, it really annoys me, EVERY TIME Coldplay put out an album there's this big media fanfare, but when it's Feeder it's all hush-hush in comparison :-(.
(Posted on 2008-07-05 09:47:00 by ) -
Nothings funny about a mean review when it's band you like. Why is it when Feeder get bad reviews the writer really, REALLY rips into them?!, it don't happen to other bands. Pathetic and childish, that's what it is.
(Posted on 2008-07-05 09:46:00 by ) -
er... yes. Leo's post was so good he had to post it twice.
Chloe, I love yer tour diaries. Ace reading!
(Posted on 2008-07-03 11:44:00 by ) -
I just listened to the album for the first time there now and i blew off a load in my underpants
(Posted on 2008-07-01 15:19:00 by ) -
I just listened to the album for the first time there now and i blew off a load in my underpants
(Posted on 2008-07-01 15:19:00 by ) -
(Posted on 2008-06-25 12:37:00 by )
-
Feeder photos from Proud Galleries online now at ThrashHits.com
cheers
Raz
(Posted on 2008-06-20 12:57:00 by ) -
it´s a good record, but since Jon Lee was gone, the band has lost the typical "feeder-sound". YESTERDAY WENT TO SOON" is the best record...cheers from germany.
(Posted on 2008-06-19 06:53:00 by ) -
got the Deluxe version and have been listening to it ever since monday! Great album :)
(Posted on 2008-06-18 09:39:00 by ) -
just bought We are the People off iTunes. i love these guys =)
(Posted on 2008-06-18 04:20:00 by ) -
I've just got the new CD, oh... it's marvellous!
It's so great to hold a new Feeder record in my hands! These are the beautiful moments of life! Cheers!
(Posted on 2008-06-17 11:24:00 by ) -
*shouts* :D
I like this album, lots!
(Posted on 2008-06-16 20:58:00 by ) -
Silent Cry in my hands baby! The three years were worth the wait.
(Posted on 2008-06-16 19:25:00 by ) -
Got my deluxe version through the door today :D
Must say though, the bonus tracks aren't really anything special...oh well, so happy to have the CD in my hands.
(Posted on 2008-06-16 16:55:00 by ) -
Whats with the xmas decorations at the top of the page? ;)
(Posted on 2008-06-16 16:47:00 by ) -
ooooo its all pretty! ta for putting my diary up dude :)
(Posted on 2008-06-16 13:35:00 by ) -
Ooo a new look...very swish!
(Posted on 2008-06-16 13:12:00 by ) -
Love the new look! Looking forward to the reviews...
(Posted on 2008-06-16 09:44:00 by ) -
DJ Rodney Bingenheimer on KROQ in Los Angeles played "Into the Blue" on his show. That was pretty cool to hear.
(Posted on 2008-06-10 18:19:00 by ) -
calling out for days is quality! haven't heard the other bside though cos my parents record player is bust :(
(Posted on 2008-06-10 11:53:00 by ) -
Miss You was on Euro 2008 yesterday. There must be a Feeder fan at the BBC!
(Posted on 2008-06-08 23:06:00 by ) -
summer of sport coming up though, euros, olympics and wimbledon.. bound to be some feeder music in the background there ;)
(Posted on 2008-06-04 15:22:00 by ) -
Thats a shame, cheers Nance
(Posted on 2008-06-04 07:37:00 by ) -
Not sure there will be a TV ad. The Singles had one because of the EMI collaboration...
(Posted on 2008-06-03 20:48:00 by ) -
Yeeeehhhh.
We're back on
(Posted on 2008-06-03 17:49:00 by ) -
I meant TV advertising, It's just that I am sick of seeing the ad for the new Coldplay album,
(Posted on 2008-06-03 17:03:00 by ) -
How awesome was Bristol! Who's The Enemy, MPD, YWTS, Insomnia, High, All My Life crowd takeover (!) and a chance to see the guys outside before/after the gig. My best Feeder gig so far :)
(Posted on 2008-06-03 15:13:00 by ) -
sue - what sort of advertising do you mean? street teaming has officially started, brighton seemed to be covered in silent cry posters already...
(Posted on 2008-06-03 12:31:00 by ) -
Any ffs'sers that have myspace feel free to add me - www.myspace.com/staceywatkins - :o)
(Posted on 2008-06-03 10:37:00 by ) -
I don't think there's been a "fire". I reckon Pro Boards haven't paid their credit card bills and have had all their servers repossessed.
(Posted on 2008-06-03 08:27:00 by ) -
When are we going to see some advertising for the new single or album.
(Posted on 2008-06-03 07:50:00 by ) -
Hell yeah, I dont start my new job till the 23rd I'm there :D
(Posted on 2008-06-02 22:27:00 by ) -
If anyone's bored, I just put the recent Kerrang interview with Grant on the Scrapbook :) Well it will kill five minutes anyway...
(Posted on 2008-06-02 20:57:00 by ) -
Hello Fellow Shout Boxers!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 20:47:00 by ) -
A Hate crime? lol
(Posted on 2008-06-02 20:32:00 by ) -
been trying to work out the time-scale from the proboards support forum but most of it is greek to me! sounds like ffs server (20) is one of the worst hit - they have all the data but no power or something (so we won't have lost any posts, though once the forum is back we might have some missing temporaily). from what i can make out they will have power for our server back either tonight or tomorrow night (doesn't help its all in american time :p)
i got that info from here: http://support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=networkdiscussion&action=display&thread=245186
if anyone can figure it out more clearly please do!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 20:19:00 by ) -
So glad they did a small london gig! got 2 tickets! WOOO! is the FFS "Fire" not put out yet?
(Posted on 2008-06-02 20:01:00 by ) -
maybe ffs doesn't actually exist and we all dream it!
"this product is out of stock" - camden gig sold out it seems.
(Posted on 2008-06-02 18:56:00 by ) -
I love the way FFS has put the words fire and hosting facilitiy in quotation marks... like it's fake or something ;)
(Posted on 2008-06-02 18:48:00 by ) -
check the email... it says something about must be in the venue for 9 :D
(Posted on 2008-06-02 17:00:00 by ) -
Bought 2 tickets for the Galleries, but it'd be nice to know what time I need to be there!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:55:00 by ) -
Hmmmn i'm probably gonna be in Leeds....not that i have the money anyway, even itf it is cheap. Oh well.
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:44:00 by ) -
Glad people like the announcement ... sounds like a good little gig! :-) We'll already be on the Isle of Wight at the time :-(
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:34:00 by ) -
well done , Chloe , have a great time . By the way i was in Camden earlier on this year with my hubby , i enjoyed it muchly .
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:30:00 by ) -
i know some of the people in the London area were a bit disappointed with the recent mini tour venues , so hope this makes it up a little bit for you ( you lucky Londoners ) good luck everyone , hope you get tickets . Also the producing of receipt and i.d should stop people buying them just to sell on e-bay .
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:28:00 by ) -
2 tickets bought - woop woop! perfect way to dispell the post feeder gig blues. just remind me not to look at my bank statement when it arrives....! who else is there? drinks in camden first??
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:25:00 by ) -
Special annoucement from feederweb!!!
http://www.feederweb.com/microsites/Feeder/news.html
you ffs londeners grab em'! 6 quid!! feeder!!! its just crazy, enjoy :P
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:15:00 by ) -
fweb 5pm announcement, mini gig @ camden proud galleries next week, £6. 400 tickets, see fweb for link...
(Posted on 2008-06-02 16:12:00 by ) -
Enter to win tickets to see Feeder at iTunes Live in July; http://www.ituneslive.co.uk/feeder/ (iTunes account required)
(Posted on 2008-06-02 15:41:00 by ) -
hehe that'd impress mr nicholas wouldn't it? ;)
(Posted on 2008-06-02 14:30:00 by ) -
You should go out under the cover of darkness and stickerize every lamp post in Crouch End ;)
(Posted on 2008-06-02 13:45:00 by ) -
what, clangers? where???
chloe is back from oxfam crouch end which now has a little pile of silent cry stickers :D i also attempted to stealth sticker some lamp-posts but this was thwarted slightly by 2 pcso's following me down the street....! oops!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 13:23:00 by ) -
It is a fantastic surname....it'd be even more fantastic if it was Clanger :D
(Posted on 2008-06-02 11:23:00 by ) -
I love that the founder of ProBoards is called Patrick Clinger. What a fantastic surname. :D
(Posted on 2008-06-02 10:51:00 by ) -
Loved the green room, i like the fact Mark fluttered his eyelashes when Gabriella's question was something like what music star would you date hehe cheeky! im glad they sung WATP, really love WATP live!
Also on a serious note i just thought i've give out some useful info i've found out, im on another board powered by proboards and because i joined in the recent month, i'm part of the missing data which means i can't login as i joined recently, so when the forum is up and running i was told by chole the last months posts will be back within a few days after SO...If you've joined within the last month and you can't login and you're using exactly the same password, don't make a new account, wait a few days until posts and members are updated to the system and everything should be back to normal, pain in the bum i know but it saves confusion!! :o)
- Stacey
(Posted on 2008-06-02 10:01:00 by ) -
Still no proboards? I think it's just some evil plot to give me no option but to actually do some work....grrrrrrr.
Oooo a butterfly...
(Posted on 2008-06-02 09:53:00 by ) -
just want to say , i'm loving Itsumo , 1 week to go for the single , looking forward to quality 'b' side and counting the days for the album , can't wait !!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 09:45:00 by ) -
i thought the green room was a repeat from when they sang Miss You . When i just happened to turn the telly on to ch 4 they were singing watp . Will catch the repeat purely for Takas dancing !!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 09:29:00 by ) -
hehe sorry Rach ;)
Green Room will be repeated on saturday for those who missed it - some of it is online but theres a couple of class moments that aren't. (seriously, watch it for the Taka dancing...)
Brighton diary - was emailed to Mr MW on thursday so provided i sent it to right email address (!) it'll be up whenever he has time to.
on that note i'm off to my Oxfam shift, armed with Silent Cry stickers :D
(Posted on 2008-06-02 08:45:00 by ) -
Feeder were in the Nokia Green Room again yesterday, singing WATP, I missed it, but its on line, their server is working
(Posted on 2008-06-02 08:31:00 by ) -
Oh dear, Chlo. You just can't help yourself can you?? ;)
Didn't see the Green Room yesterday, have recoreded it though. Sounds v. interesting!
When's Chloe's Brighton tour diary gonna be up on here then? I keep looking for it but it's never here!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 08:28:00 by ) -
'who's the enemy'? guess that would be the proboards techies? , hopefully this won't be a 'silent cry' and they will be 'guided by a voice' to fix it. cos, ffs, we 'miss you'!
(sorry, i'll shut up now and go do something more productive...)
(Posted on 2008-06-02 08:22:00 by ) -
Someone put the 'Fires' out please cuz 'We Are The People' who are unable to access the board! :D
(Posted on 2008-06-02 08:17:00 by ) -
mornin' rach!
did you see greem room yesterday? Taka scooter dancing...... genius!
(Posted on 2008-06-02 08:10:00 by ) -
Yeah, Feeder obviously tempted fate with that song title!
Me wants FFS boards back now, please. :(
(Posted on 2008-06-02 07:58:00 by ) -
theres a joke in there somewhere about track 6 ;)
(Posted on 2008-06-01 22:01:00 by ) -
Least the Fire wasn't on the Boat!
(Posted on 2008-06-01 22:00:00 by ) -
acording to the proboards update page
http://support.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=status&action=display&thread=244766&page=2
only 2 servers left to get up and running.... sods law ffs is on one of them eh?
while we wait, who wants a cuppa?!!
(Posted on 2008-06-01 21:46:00 by ) -
hope the fire gets put out soon , was eager to hear how the gig on the boat went , maybe tomorrow then , goodnight .
(Posted on 2008-06-01 21:35:00 by ) -
Awww, i miss the forum, hope to speak to everyone soon :o)
(Posted on 2008-06-01 18:18:00 by ) -
Wow, totally loving the Gay Parsnips!
(Posted on 2008-06-01 16:23:00 by ) -
proboards hq in the usa has had some issues with a fire, hence most of their servers are down and they're in the process of repairing/changing them all over. FFS will apparently be back up and running later this evening.
(Posted on 2008-06-01 15:54:00 by ) -
was trying last night but couldn't get on message board either
(Posted on 2008-06-01 11:40:00 by ) -
I can't get past this page. aaaaaarrgh
(Posted on 2008-06-01 11:32:00 by )
FFS © 2002
I remember Mark saying on the Feederweb webchat in 2004, when I was one of the competition winners to meet him on the same day, that he likes BLT as one of his faves :).
Am so relieved everybody is alright :), was a real shocker when I read the headline.