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Blog:
New album blog - 2007 02/04/07 April fool's day has come and gone without any damage done and the smoking ban kicks in today in Wales. Some of us are happy about it and some aren't but it's all good for us in the end. So, we move swiftly on to Easter and who can believe it’s been a year since we went on tour with Sophia? So, where are we at with the second album?! We haven't gone to the studio to record yet, but we’ve put together almost 100 minutes of music that will be edited down to around an hour or 10 songs, which ever comes first. We hope to be recording very soon and get this beast of a record together. At the moment, we're putting the finishing touches to all the music and we're all very excited about laying it down. We're gonna record it with Charlie Francis (who did Make Good Areas Disturbed) because we love him!! Listening back over the past few months work there are differences in tone and mood, but as far as we can tell the quality is really high. All we have at our disposal is time and that’s what we’ve been using wisely so we can make the album sound as good as possible. Without going short on tea breaks, debates, beer, fine wines, cheese, youtube and most importantly - football results. 26/01/07 We have the music for 10 songs at the moment, we're yet to formulate any lyrics and decide which songs will remain instrumental and which will have vocals. That bit should be amusing! The songs have grown really organically and it's a little darker in vibe than the first record. European Tour Diary – April/May 2006 12/04/06 Arrive in Ex-Machina Club, Forli (IT) after three day’s travel through UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In the time since we left, Silvio Berlusconi has been voted out of power as Italian premier and Bernando Provenza, ‘capo di capo’ of the Sicilian Mafia has been arrested after forty years on the run. Fears run high that Vito’s first trip to Italy may be misconstrued as attempt to take over government and Mafia now that a power vacuum exists. During soundcheck, some major problems regarding the venues wiring come to light when 90V of power are delivered from singer’s mic to mouth. Are they trying to assassinate Vito because they think we’re here to take over the country? Eventually all problems are sorted by Dr. Digby (certified genius of sound engineering) and the show is on. Great first night for all concerned and quite a few albums sold – hopefully we can maintain this for the next thirty-odd shows. 13/04/06 A boiling hot, sunny day reminds us that we’re not far from the Med as we drive to Turin to play at Spazio 211. No shocks tonight and another good show. Turin crowd a little more restrained than Forli, but another good night for album sales. Discovery of the day are Salamini’s, which unsurprisingly are mini-salami’s and accompanied by some fine Italian red wine, help to keep us awake till 0430. Spitting competition off hotel balcony proves inconclusive. 14/04/06 Another beautiful morning drive from Turin to Casalpusterlengo which is a gorgeous medieval town near Milan and clearly designed to be accompanied by the most rousing Ennio Morricone soundtrack imaginable. After a properly relaxed afternoon in the town square coffee houses we load in to the venue which is a proper PROPER theatre with a big stage and everything…! Lots of shapes thrown in show and temptation to run about stage like loons is grasped enthusiastically. Beer provided is locally brewed, extremely tasty and very, very strong. Inevitably, bedtime sails past without anybody noticing. 15/04/06 Everybody prepaped for long drive to Rome by being exceptionally hungover. At least the sun has eased off a little. Arrive at Qube Disco late afternoon and greeted by acres of galavnised metal, foul smelling bleach and a 4 x 1m banner facing the stage advertising the Italian Gaydar website….what are they trying to tell us? Very strange show starts well for Vito, but halfway through Sophia set (the most quiet and fragile part) the doors open for the Goth disco that is scheduled to follow the show. It becomes impossible for Robin to carry on, so the show closes early and we have to load out through the swaying and gyrating Goths. Amazingly we succeed and say ciao to Pietro, our Italian promoter as he scooters off into the night. 17/04/06 After a hellishly long drive from Rome to Paris, we are welcomed at La Maroquinerie and meet up with the string section specially shipped in for the Sophia show. Last time Sophia toured with strings they missed Paris, so tonight is payback for the Parisian crowd. Thanks to some fab scripting from Virginie, Vito can speak in French tonight, although how much sense was made of it we will never know. They seemed to like it, although it was strange to hear laughter when there were no jokes being told. Playing with the strings is magical and when the May Queens tunes are unfurled, the crowd look terrified/delighted. None of us have ever seen the front row of a crowd with their fingers in their ears, nodding heads along to the beat. Surreal. Try to have an early night but Norsk vodka decides its not an option for us. 18/04/06 No gig today, but events take a turn for the worse when in a random check on vehicles at motorway peage, south of Paris, the police pull us over and weigh the van. Turns out we’re almost 800 kilos overweight and after a pretty hefty fine, we are told that we cannot progress any further until we either get a new van or dump the gear (or band) by the side of the road. Holding panic at bay, the phones come out and in a frantic hour of cross-channel chat (and pony petting) a new van is booked, to be delivered in the early hours of tomorrow morning. In relay we head for the nearest motels and hole up for the night. And lo, at five in the morning, the Nite Flite double-axled Mercedes arrives and we transfer gear. The horrors of Mister Bed aside – we can recommend avoiding this particular chain of motel should you be travelling through France – crisis seems to be over and we can carry on to Switzerland. 19/04/06 New van is a tighter fit and the Playstaion from the previous vehicle has been replaced with a mirrored/star lit ceiling (classy!). We play sardines all the way to Dudingen, but at least we’re on the road again. The venue, Bad Bonn, is in prime Heidi country, on the side of a lush green hill and surrounded by views of the alps. This is definitely what we came for. First time we get a boo from crowd – for not doing an encore - I guess they liked us. Most intimate gig so far, the crowd could have operated our effects pedals they were that close and all credit to them for standing that close to the PA. Vito aren’t the quietest band in the world when we get going. 20/04/06 Scenery only gets better as make the short drive to Lausanne, a stunning university town on the shores of Lake Geneva and flanked by more snow-capped mountains. The venue, La Romandie, is an old cinema and the grandest place Vito have played so far. The crowd is also the biggest yet and the vibe is fantastic. Watching all those heads nod in unison to ‘Arrested’ is a massive thrill. Get the champagne treatment from the promoters – ok Sekt, but still good – and end up partying the night away at a club called Jaggers. Air guitar on dancefloor nearly rages out of control, while tequila flows like golden nectar. 21/04/06 And so to Zurich and El Lokal where we receive the strangest reception so far from the club owner. Gifts and insults in equal measure. However, the venue is rammed and Vito do their best sales on albums so far - alls well, etc. Seems like the pleasures of Lausanne hit Dave Drive a little too hard and he spends the day alternating between puking into a bin liner and sleeping at the hotel. If life’s a journey, travel well…..and how! 23/04/06 Is there a goddamn laundry open in Berlin on a Sunday? Is there f**k! The German’s are NEVER going to win the World Cup if they can’t clean their pants on the Lord’s day. Dirty undies aside, Die Roter Salon is a cool venue – proper ye olde Communist architecture and vibe. Crowd really up for the gig too which always helps when you know your pants need a wash. Onto the Burger Bar – don’t know if that’s its name but that’s what we call it – for some cracking 60’s psychadelia tunes and way too much Absinthe. Stumble home at 7am through the Berlin rush hour – really glad we’re not going to work in an office today. 25/04/06 Following an overnight diversion through Czech Republic (ah, Prague – is there anywhere finer in Europe?) we hit Vienna and the B72 bar feeling fairly refreshed after the shenanigans in Berlin two nights ago. Still slightly freaked out by the sex cabins on the Czech-Austrian border we get on with the show and are spoiled again by another fantastic crowd. The B72 crew take us under their wing and we dance (and drink) the night away, safe in the knowledge we have all day to sleep off the hangovers. 26/04/06 Argh – its too hot to sleep! After struggling through to early evening, we are treated to a marvellous home cooked dinner, during a really humid thunderstorm, by the fabulous Kerstin and Alex. Despite the gorgeous food, the disastrously hungover Sophia/Vito collective struggle through to dessert and meekly offer apologies for unfinished courses (Note to K+A – we’ll return the favour one day, we promise!). However, the TLC does its job and come show time everything goes off like a charm. Another great crowd – I know it sounds like we’re repeating ourselves, but its true! – and another messy night of dance and drink, except this time, there’s no lie-in…. 27/04/06 8am load out…what the f**k?! Everybody is broken, but after eight painful hours we make it to Dresden and the Star Club. Another old cinema like Lausanne, but this place has some serious rock’n’roll heritage. Pretty tired gig for all concerned, but the crowd do their bit and their energy lifts us all for another rousing May Queen’s finale. Funnily enough, everyone has an early night. 28/04/06 And then to Cologne and the Blue Shell Club. Vito do first interview with Intro magazine and we try not to talk the poor guy’s ears off – not sure how successful we were. Strange crowd tonight. Little to no reaction during Vito set, but when we leave the stage they go crazy. Same for Sophia. Another fairly quiet night for some of us – less so for others. 29/04/06 A special show tonight in Krefeld for Philip Lethen’s birthday. Philip is a photographer who has worked with Sophia (amongst others) for some time and will take some beautiful pictures of our ugly mugs when we go to Brussels. Everyone at the party is in ball gowns and ties, which is a bit surreal, but the party vibe is there and everyone has a ball. Martini anyone? 30/04/06 En route to Belgium, Led Zeppelin make their first appearance on the van DVD player and something shifts in the cosmos for all concerned. Le Botanique is a fantastic venue and La Rotonde where we play is really cool – if a little challenging for Dr Digby and the front of house sound. Vito play really well (Hammer of the gods, anyone?) but Robin’s voice seems to be suffering which causes concern all round. He manages the set but is clearly suffering by the end. Looks like a visit to the doctor’s is on the cards. 02/05/06 Arrive in Munster, but Robin has decided that his throat is too bad to play and following a visit to the doctor it proves to be a wise choice. A throat infection has set in and he needs at least five days to recover. We can’t really afford to miss that many shows, so Bielefeld is cancelled for tomorrow and we decide to take a chance on Hamburg for Thursday night. 04/05/06 After a couple of quiet days off, everyone is rip-snortingly ready to play again and all Vito batteries have been recharged. Robin’s sounding a lot better too so we head off to the Knust club in good spirits. Vito are really hitting their stride now and tonight’s show is probably the strongest so far. Lucky for us the venue filmed it, so expect clips online some time soon. Sophia set goes well and Robin is clearly making excellent progress with his throat. Sadly, Dave Drive and Dr Digby leave us tomorrow, so we finish the night with a small, but adequately messy party back at our hotel. May the Fourth be with you. 05/05/06 And then there were six. Booked into a boat hotel – a boatel if you will – but the rooms, sorry cabins, are so small we decamp to nearest Ibis. A pity as a night on the water would’ve been fun, but we fear the lonely sailor syndrome of a cramped cabin. Soundcheck without the doctor goes ok but dodgy amps conspire to disrupt Vito set. Spirits a little lower tonight even though albums sell well. Tour fatigue setting in? 06/05/06 Fatigue banished after really storming Vito set at Glocksee in Hannover. Sell most albums of any show so far and get some more bubbly from promoters. Dawn somehow sneaks up while we’re not looking and we crawl off to bed tired, but happy. Question of the day: Are The Clitz a band or a troupe of strippers? 07/05/06 After a little detour to avoid the Hannover marathon, we arrive in Halle and Objekt 5 venue. First appearance of Vito stomach bug causes some concern, but interviews and gig mean little time for nursing. Pretty good show all round and topped off beautifully by everybody – well nearly – getting a single room for the night. 09/05/06 Holed up in Antwerp and the Vito bug has moved on causing more sickness, but again the show must go on and the Arenbergschouwburg is a great place to do it. First appearance of reggae-Sophia (The Irises) causes much amusement at soundcheck although I don’t expect they’ll be seeing the light of day before the Beach Bar/Banana Boat dream is realised. Really cool crowd tonight and pretty good album sales too. All good! 10/05/06 And so, to Amsterdam. A keynote gig for many reasons, not the least of which is a rendezvous with the Cardiff Mafia who have travelled over for Vito. At least that’s what they said when they were sat baking in the sun outside a coffee shop, making sure all the pretty boys/girls had been looked at sufficiently. Another big show for the Vito delivered with aplomb – easily as good as Hamburg even if the Paradiso is much bigger and the crowd a lot more dislocated from the stage. Everyone happy post-show and bizarrely enough, a few drinks are enjoyed by all. 12/05/06 After a short hop northwards to the coast(ish), Groningen is like a mini-Amsterdam complete with canals and bikes. Vera is a great venue with loads of cool history. Of the posters and photos on the walls, everybody finds a band they call ‘one of my favourites’ and a genuine feeling of awe sets in. Gig goes well and although album sales aren’t as frenzied as in other venues, the people we meet are all really cool. The staff really look after us as well and we retire to the band apartment above the venue to review the show which has been recorded for us. It sounds great and reminds us that every gig we get that little bit better, which you tend to forget when you’re in the bubble. (NB. It would be great if we could name some of the staff at all the venues who looked after us but quite frankly, you all got us far too drunk to recall anything useful like names….so apologies to all, but hey, you gave us the booze) 13/05/06 A five hour drive to Magdeburg and Projekt 7 which is a tidy little student union-type place on a business school campus. Weird area with not much atmosphere so we stay indoors as much as possible and concentrate efforts on finding FA Cup Final coverage on Eurosport. Good gig with funniest comment of tour from local record shop owner who complains that Vito ‘…are too loud’. Sounds like a compliment to us. 14/05/06 On to the Fishermen’s Café in Langenau, which is a tiny, tiny bar two hours or so from Munich. We barely fit on the stage but the venue fills to capacity and the show goes brilliantly. We end up selling a disproportionately high number of albums for such a small crowd and enjoy a number of tasty White Russians before retiring to our bed chambers. 15/05/06 The Feierwerk in Munich is a complex of venues and arts activities and pretty cool to boot. Show goes well despite Hardcore-punk show downstairs potentially doing a ‘Roman Goth’ to the Sophia set – in the end, it all goes fine. Another band apartment and a large white wall equals a special screening of Team America with the projector and venue staff we kidnap and drag back to watch. In their wisdom, they bring all the ingredients for White Russians and before bedtime, at least one member of Vito can be seen on hands and knees crawling across the floor, when walking is no longer an option. 16/05/06 Festung is bar run by Udo, an old friend of Robin’s and a very small, but cool place in a country town called Traunstein. The building is built into a cliff and out the back is a cave formed from melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age. Seriously, its like the Lost Boys cavern and although its cool to hang out in and chat, staying on your own is a pretty scary experience. The stage is easily the smallest so far, but the vibe is so friendly and cool it doesn’t matter at all. After the show (which was great obviously) Robin and Vito take over DJ duties and Vito mash the dancefloor up good and proper, with Udo keeping the cocktails flowing. 17/05/06 Arrive in Stuttgart mid-afternoon and greeted by mother and toddler group hanging out in club, Schocken. Surreal, but cool. Another big crowd tonight and lots of love for Vito which leaves us all feeling really good. If/when we come back, Schocken definitely has to be on the list. A proper hometown welcome from our twin town crowd, although we forget to educate crowd about Welsh flag and how cool having a mythical beast as your national symbol is…. 18/05/06 Arrive in middle of nowhere (or the edge of somewhere – who can say?) at Café Hafen 2. Smart little venue with powerful live room and another band apartment with large white walls. Tonight’s movie will be The Godfather – what else would Vito want to watch? The show is good and although the crowd is really small, the whole vibe is very friendly and appreciative. Bar staff have never made a White Russian before and after consulting the recipe book end up producing and absolute corker. 20/05/06 ….and
now, the end is near and so I face, the final curtain.
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