coup d'tea

Day 6 - Brussels to Antwerp

Where to start with the last 24 hours?! You might first want to read yesterday’s blog and my super positive mood to put what I’m writing now in perspective!

The Cut Ups went and had a wander around the medieval part of Brussels; a really amazing place! We couldn’t believe our luck to be here! We watched some of the Napoli/Fiorentina match in a bar, then trundled back to the venue, which was definitely a cheap wedding reception venue on other days of the week. A young metal band were opening up and their equally young friends were throwing themselves into each other. At one point, a swivel chair was produced and like some shoddy wrestling league, was used as a prop in their testosterone based homoerotic grope fest. Their mums seemed pleased that their boys were going to be “real men”. Next, a Belgian punkrock band called Pignition! They played to a lot less people valiantly; then the demise of the evening!

It turned out that Broken Few from the North East of England as well as Ollie from Rooftops were on tour too, and were playing this show. Both great, both playing to very few. The metal kids were a distant memory! God bless the couple who drove from Eindhoven for this show; they made it worthwhile, and they had the misfortune to lock their keys in the car and pay to get them out. In a stroke of clairvoyance these good people said that there were probably plenty of people around the venue who would smash the window for free…

Leaving the venue carrying my guitar I noticed glass on the pavement, then that the drivers door was open, then that stuff had been ripped out… when the totals came in, we were down 8 passports, 1 id card, 1 satnav, 1 stereo, 1 electric razor, 2 pairs of sunglasses, 2 sets of possessions and 1 member lost €300. We scoured the streets- surely no one would want a set of someones tshirts? No avail… Pierre the promoter and his friends were very helpful; we got the police report sorted, dropped Crazy Arm at their friends, and carried on. The van window got fixed and the last of us, Seb, got to bed at 8am.

Waking up and driving through Brussels, to have one more look for discarded clobber, I was struck but what a great city it was; full of hopes and ideas, trying to build society up, but we haven’t created anything until no one is desperate and everyone helps each other out.

We made it to Antwerp and met Sam, a really great guy- his band Silver and Gold will do well for themselves. They played tonight, and I was into what they’re doing. The show itself was a standard Sunday night affair, but with a fairly fruity barman in a venue where a Manowar poster took pride of place on the wall! Dan and I are now watching “Punkrock Holocaust”, the film where a serial killer strikes at the Vans Warped tour. Pitiful!

Here’s to a better 24 hours as we head back to The Nederlands!

16 January 2011 ·

• Tags
• The Cut Ups
• Crazy Arm