Well, iI left my hotel this morning (it’s tuesday morning in Manchester, England) around 9am and it was sunny, warm and a beautiful day. Now it’s 9:30 and the clouds have rolled in and it will probably rain for sure! Can’t believe i am up this early, considering how Daddyo, Chapple, Rusty, Ringo and myself were up eating Pizza and driking Wine at 3am in the morning! We taxi’d from the BIG HANDS pub last night around 2am and were starved. Why, you ask, were we at the Big Hands pub last night? Because they threw the LOVE WITH ARTHUR LEE AFTER PARTY and had flyered the Manchester Academy, where we played last night. And, damn, i wish i had took one of those flyers. they were hilarious! But first things first, right..

So, we pulled into manchester around 2pm monday and checked in our hotel…you guessed it, The Premeire Lodge, and then we all (sans Arturo) went to check the town center out and Rusty bought an English Football shirt. we did that till about 3:30 then we went back and got ready for soundcheck n stuff. So we get to the venue and kinda chill a abit and then after everything is set up we checked the stuff out. i felt that, in liverpool (the night before), the sound guys weren’t giving me what i needed so i wrote them reall big notes to turn my guitar up loud..AND THE FOOKIN comedian did just that, making my guitar un bearably loud at some points during the show…be careful what you ask for, huh? Now, get this. there were about 1400 people in attendance. we had sold out the university too fast so they moved it to the academy (so they could get 500 more people in). WE ROCKED MANCHESTER like nobody’s business. The best show…i know i say that but this just kicked every show in the ass. Also, we played……….DAILY PLANET! yep…and it sounded better than i expected…i even saw Mick (who was selling Merch) dancing around!

One of the most amazing moments was when the crowd broke into a manchester football song but changed the words to “Arthur Lee” over and over again. A strange moment in the show happened on the 3rd song. Some jerk threw beer on Rusty and Chapple and hit me with a cup of water. Arthur was very angry and actually asked who did it and said something to that stupid fool. but it didn’t stop the show and we just kicked some ass from therebouts on. After the show, we were invited next door to BIG HANDS and the fans were just unbelievably nice to us, buying us pints and just chatting about how much they love Arthur’s music and how much it means to them. I heard so many touching stories in that one bar. It wouldn’t be right to discuss them in the diary but i will pass them on to Arthur today on our way to Sheffield. he has touched so many people with his music..it’s just amazing. If you could have seen the LOVE (pun intended!) those fans had last night in Manchester…i never felt to special onstage in all my years. The show seamed to go by in a flash. One of my all time fave groups, THE SMITHS are from Manchester and this woman named Natasha, and i were chatting over Guiness, and she was explaining to me all the various lyrics that related to areas in Manchester. And she shared with me a story of someone she lost that was close to her and how the experience of the music she loved played a part in her healing. That’s how powerful music is. It can be interpreted in so many ways and it has the power to take you through so many emotions-highs and lows-and it can also help you remember something really nice.

So, now, here i am…that pizza still reminding me of last night and with a slight guiness hangover (well earned! Barry, are you listening?). Speaking od Barry, he just changed addresses again…everytime i mail him something, he moves and misses it! As i said to him, he changes adressess more than a dutch hooker… Well, i suppose i have to run off now. it’s nearly 10am and we’ll be checking out of the hotel very soon. Tonight is Sheffield and then we’re off for a day! Cheers|!

Mike Randle