Words by Dawn Irwin & Paul Logue.
Photos by Dawn Irwin except where credited.
Thursday 7TH - 13TH May - 2009
Band Rehearsals.
Holed up at Lansdowne Studios in Cheltenham , The Curse rehearsed for a week straight! Arriving from USA , Germany , Scotland and England the band was in high spirits and keen to get stuck into playing the material live for the first time.
Sadly Ferdy's keyboard was damaged in transit by our good friends at Lufthansa who smashed the case and broke a key. We couldn't get it powering on and Major Tofticles (Sound Engineer & All Round Techy Genius) was drafted in for a repair job. After a few hours of graft he returned with the Korg M1 in working order. It was subsequently protected in transit like a new born baby.
The Curse rehearsing! Pic by S.Northrop.
The rehearsing went extremely well with nine songs being reduced to the strongest six that would be aired on tour. The US label reps arrived in the morning of 13th May and were knocked dead with a run through of all nine songs. The band knew by then that they were more than ready to hit the stage.
The UK gurning champ! Pic by S.Northrop.
The last of the tour entourage arrived shortly after 9 pm. Live photographer extraordinaire, vocal doctor, graduate of the take-no-prisoners school of physiotherapy and affiliate of Eddie Irvine's “Irv the Swerve” club roared up in her black VW estate complete with roof box. This would soon be christened Eden 's Hearse with other suitable driver nicknames being thrown about during the week - The Undertaker, Mrs Coulthard (doffing the cap to the Curse's Scottish roots somewhat) and The Stig spring to mind.
Michael kicks it hard in rehearsal! Pic by S.Northrop.
After a Logue special of tortillas and something else of vague Mexiceltic origin, the beers were cracked open and the jamming began. Ferdy played a mean drum kit that consisted of merch boxes and an empty DVD case; the shredders threw it down on the acoustic guitars and with the rest of us supplying dodgy backing vocals while ordering Mike to stay quiet to protect his voice, the merriment went on until the wee hours of the morning. There is also evidence of someone posing in a Celtic shirt, about which no more shall be revealed for fear of causing a major cardiac incident in a small suburb of Belfast!
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Thursday 14th, May - 2009
The Garage, Swansea.
Our crew and probably most IMPORTANT members of the travelling party, Lee Heydon (Tour Manager/Drive), Joel Peters (Guitar Tech from Heaven) and Major Ian Toft (Sound Engineer and Techy Genius) arrived at Camp Curse. These guys would be vital to a smooth show all week and were worth their weight in gold.
A secret warm up show at The Garage in Swansea , South Wales , had been booked under the moniker of EDNA'S PURSE. It was vital that the band had a chance to perform what they had rehearsed all week in front of an audience prior to the tour. It was a long night, with five bands in total lined up with The Curse on last, but it was a great run through and being the first ever live performance of Eden's Curse, something of a historic occasion. Huge thanks go out to all those folks who stayed to the bitter end to witness the show, during which songs like ‘Judgement Day' and ‘Lost In Wonderland' were aired that sadly wouldn't feature in the tour set.
Edna's Purse guitarist KT does a mean TK in Swansea!
Major kudos must go to Savage Union from Glasgow who drove to Wales during the day, played the show, hung out with the Curse, then proceeded to drive back to Glasgow where they all promptly went to work the next day!! A sterling effort that is surely worthy of a medal for valour!
Be sure to check out their new EP "Exiled From Salvation" that was mixed by Eden's Curse supremo Paul Logue. Buy it right HERE.
Michelle Edna shows off her new frock!
As for all the other male fans in the venue, they were subjected to a series of photographs with the Curse girls … we will reveal no more other than mention that Jay was also christened with a suitable nickname that night which was more attributable to his choice of shades than his actual behaviour!
The trip back from Swansea seemed to go on for ever, and wasn't helped by the misbehaving GPS system, the fog or the massive dead sheep in the middle of the road. The Undertaker lived up to her reputation and deftly avoided the obstacle with some adroit swerving, scaring the bejaysus out of the label reps in the process! Welcome to Wales in May!
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friday 15th, May - 2009
Wulfren Hall, Wolverhampton.
The trip from Wales gave us a taste of what was to come the rest of the week because it seemed that just a few hours after going to bed everyone was up and grabbing what breakfast was available before getting ready to head off on the road again. Before the trip could start, however, there was the slightly gargantuan task of loading Firewind's MASSIVE drum kit into the van. Many Curse members arrived, surveyed the scene and after much chin scratching, discussion and muttering darkly to each other pronounced the task as impossible. Tour Manager Lee and Sound Engineer Ian proved everyone wrong and took great delight in showing that they were experts at giant Tetris!
Ian and Lee win Giant Tetris hands down!
The journey to Wolverhampton was fraught with Friday afternoon traffic, but all panic about being late was dispelled as thankfully Stratovarius was still soundchecking when we arrived. Whilst the opposition's sneezing lead vocalist enlisted the help of The Curse's Vocal Doctor, the band hooked up with Firewind and made suitable arrangements regarding the sharing of a bass rig and drumkit! The Curse boys were then subjected to the vagaries of shared catering on a three band bill. Headliner gets priority … that's understood. Support band goes next …. understood. Then the rest of the food (there was plenty to go around for everyone in the Curse entourage) was thrown out, including a plate of food that had been swiftly removed out of the hands of one rather energetic Curse member! The injustice was worthy of a swift and strongly worded letter to Sir Bob himself!
Paul getting in the groove in Wolverhampton!
The Civic hall has a huge stage, and sadly this was to be the most room that the band would have all week as on subsequent nights they became accustomed to performing on a postage stamp. By the time Firewind had finished sound checking there was only time for a line check before getting ready at lightning speed for the show. Ready to hit the stage, the Curse peered through the curtains to witness that a healthy crowd had taken their places at the front. The butterflies attacked with gusto as first night expectations ran high. Each and every one of the guys had a strong desire to perform to the best of their collective abilities. Memories of rehearsals and the previous night's performance at Swansea flooded back. All they had to do was perform anywhere near to those levels and they'd have nothing to worry about.
The intro tape sounded ... the point of no return!
Scream for me Wolverhampton!
From the opening riff of 'Masquerade Ball' the crowd let out a large cheer and all trepidation disappeared. They kicked it up a gear and the audience lapped up every single bit of it. The allocated 30 minutes disappeared quicker than you can believe and afterwards the band hit the merchandise stand to meet and greet the fans. There were so many cool people who expressed how much the music means to them. Words can't even begin to describe the emotions running through each band member. It's the one part of the business that so far they'd not had a chance to experience yet, and not one of them will deny how much it makes it all worthwhile.
Jay on the ball in Wolves!
Next stop ... Nottingham!
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Saturday 16th, May - 2009
Rescue Rooms, Nottingham.
The girls held a council of war during the night and were first up the next morning. With Lord Jay of Lynch Mob in tow they headed off to see what the town had to offer in terms of nutritious (and disgustingly healthy) comestibles. As the rest of the band arrived bleary-eyed into the kitchen they were greeted by a frenzied scene. Cooked meat was arriving with precision accuracy on landing strips of swiftly buttered bread, sandwich bags were being labelled, fruit was being washed and boxes packed. To hell with Wolverhampton …The Curse would be replete from now on!
Another sign of the times ... in Nottingham! Pic by I.Pollard.
As we were leaving base camp, we had to pack everything and after another entertaining round of Van Tetris and discovering just how much the Hearse could hold, we arrived in Nottingham on a very sunny afternoon. Alas this was to be the best weather on the whole tour as Zeus, Aeolus and Poseidon collectively decided to give it everything they've got on the way to Glasgow and every day after that!
On the lead up to the tour we'd discovered that the original Nottingham venue ( Rock City ) had been changed to The Rescue Rooms, a small club to the side that holds no more than 200-300 people. To all intents and purposes it was going to be a hot, sticky and intimate night!
Pete sings his heart out in Nottingham! Pic by I.Pollard.
It was great to finally meet two of the Curse's favourite journalists face to face after three years - Chris Nelson and Little Linda. After two hugely entertaining interviews prior to the show, there was time for a full soundcheck where the boys ran through a flawless ‘Fallen King' just to keep it fresh for Glasgow and Dublin.
It was then announced that the band was due on stage at 6.45pm which turned out to be a massive 45 minutes earlier than what was originally advertised. It seemed that there was some kind of Dance thing happening afterwards in the venue, so they wanted everyone out sharp and had imposed a curfew. The real shame of the change in timing was that some key people made it to the venue too late. Nevertheless, as The Curse took to the stage, the venue was a good three quarters full but it was packed to the rafters by the end of the set. The crowd was brilliant and really took to the band, with many people in the front row singing along.
Mike and TK in fine voice in Nottingham! Pic by I.Pollard.
The lads played and performed very well, albeit in very tight and cramped conditions onstage, and Paul finally perfected the art of hitting Jay on the head with his bass headstock. Doh! Thankfully it wasn't necessary for the vocal doctor to transform to the suturing surgeon! Jay was subsequently given lessons in ducking and diving!
Afterwards the band again hit the merch stand in double quick time and met many more dedicated fans of the band. Merch sales were very healthy indeed. After the packing of the van and rearranging of passengers in the Hearse, we headed off on the road to Haydock which was to be our half way house for the next two nights. With the party underway in the van, one band member reflected on the fact that he was heading home … whilst another member of the entourage found it difficult to repress the butterflies!
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Sunday 17th, May - 2009
The Cathouse, Glasgow.
A wonderful cooked English breakfast thanks to the Little Chef was enjoyed by the band and crew next morning and we arrived in Glasgow late afternoon after an easy drive. The Cathouse load in was probably the toughest we had to face given the flights of stairs, but we just kept telling ourselves it was awfully good for the buttocks and thighs!
Stratovarius and Firewind's soundchecks seemed to run on again, and once more The Curse had to make do with nothing more than a line check. Thankfully they were advised to get changed beforehand as they were still line checking when the crowd appeared, despite the doors being delayed. After a quick exit stage left and right, the massive crowd was allowed to breach the huge curtains in the bar area, and the intro tape started.
The frontline in Glasgow!
The smile on Paul's face during the day had been as wide as the River Clyde itself! He had been telling everyone "You think these crowds are great? Just WAIT until we hit Glasgow ". As he and TK, Ferdy and Jay walked on to the stage, with Paul pumping the left side of his chest with his hand and giving a thumbs up during the almighty cheer, the sense of pride was palpable and this scribe and shooter, herself a descendant of the mighty Irvine clan, had a vicious attack of the goosebumps. The response was like nothing we had heard in the last two nights. What was even more pleasing to the eye was the number of Eden's Curse t-shirts in the front rows, and the presence, front and centre, of every member of Savage Union, unscathed and still smiling after their gigantic trip earlier in the week!
That insane Glasgow crowd (including Mrs P. Logue herself extreme left!)
The madness that ensued after ‘Masquerade Ball' started was just sensational, with the band ultimately feeding off the energy of the wonderful Glasgow audience. For thirty-five minutes the singing, clapping and headbanging never waned, and when ‘The Bruce' started and Paul and Mike held the Saltire aloft the roar just about lifted the roof off the Cathouse. ‘Fallen King' and The Curse version of Steelheart's ‘We All Die Young' brought a perfect end to a perfect set on a perfect evening. Whilst definitely the highlight of the tour, there was still the bout of Merch Stand Madness to follow. There was a multitude of people queuing to get pictures taken with the band and stuff signed. The band took more in terms merch in that one evening than they'd done at the last two shows put together!
This will be a show that lives on in the hearts of each member on stage for years to come. Thankfully it has all been captured on tape ;-).
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Monday 18th, May - 2009
O2 Academy, Islington, London.
The drive from Glasgow back to Haydock was merciless and once again the wake up call came WAY too early.
With everyone safely aboard the van, Paul and Mike had a slightly more leisurely start to the day with breakfast à la Little Chef, then proceeded to break the lap record to London with The Undertaker behind the wheel, Paul cowering in the back seat and Mike “I drive like this in Chicago” Eden laughing like a drain in the front. The mission was to get to an interview with Total Rock. The less said about that interview the better, but despite the disappointment, the O2 Academy in Islington is a great venue and the band rattled through a soundcheck before the show without any major rush. The Undertaker was dispatched to meet with band friend and vocalist extraordinaire Doogie White who had stopped by to enjoy the show. He too fell foul of the nickname christening and shall forever be known as the Billy Connolly of Rock as he had the Undertaker and the Firewind girls in stitches for most of the evening!
Attitude in London!
The venue was at least two-thirds full when The Curse hit the stage. They rattled through their 30 minute set which got a great reception from the audience in general. Unfortunately someone forgot to put any lights on for the first four songs, and the small gathering of photographers left the pit in disgust. The band's shooter, however, had conducted appropriate negotiations and made alternative arrangements earlier in the evening, and as such there are some photographs from London to accompany this report!
Again the boys arrived at the merch stand to be greeted by a plethora of cool Curse fans and yet again there was the realisation that enjoying the experience of meeting the fans is what it's really all about.
Paul and Jay throw shapes in London!
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Tuesday 19th, May - 2009
Jilly's Rockworld, Manchester.
The short hop to Manchester was one of the easiest journeys on the tour, but none of us had legislated for the extra “dead reckoning” navigation trying to find a way through a mass of roadworks to the venue. The Stig's GPS was on its best behaviour for once, and Ferdy was despatched to conduct another radio interview, whilst Mike was thrown out with his dirty laundry … only to discover that Jay's Samsung Multitask 3000 device had given him the details of a Dry Cleaning company instead. Oops! Parking the Hearse, repacking the laundry and a quick tour of the venue ensued. Grumbling stomachs signalled that pizza was necessary and then the Curse Van rolled up right outside Pizza Hut's window. As if the chaos in town wasn't bad enough, inside the venue the words "The PA is not working" were being spoken in English, German, Finnish and Greek – to an accompaniment of worried faces and blood pressure that registered at the sharp end of the Richter scale. The clock was ticking!
So this is the glamour side of the live music scene?
TK is the Lord of the Strings in London!
The doors were held back and eventually The Curse was ordered to get ready to start. There were no microphones working, no keyboards coming through the PA system and absolutely no monitors for Mike to hear what he was singing. They were also told to drop a few songs from the set. With everything going against them, the natural instinct was to pull the show. Regardless, the boys made the decision to play.
By the time the set started the keyboards were working alongside one microphone stage centre. A key part of the Curse sound is obviously the big harmony vocals and as such it was a very "naked" band that stepped onto the diminutive stage. After four songs the general consensus amongst the guys was that it was pointless to carry on as, despite the bravest of efforts, they realised they weren't representing Eden's Curse correctly. Aside from anything else it was vital to save Mike from blowing his voice … there was still Dublin to come, after all, and as the last night of the tour the boys wanted to ensure it was something special.
Ferdy and TK ecourage a crowd clap a long in London!
Paul and Mike thanked the crowd and apologised for circumstances beyond their control, but this was not the way the Curse wanted to be heard. Paul also promised that they'd return later in the year to do another show in Manchester for all The Curse fans. As the band left the stage the sound guy flipped Ferdy the bird. Charming!
Despite everything, merch sales rocketed with the fans arriving in droves to congratulate the band for making the absolute best of an appalling situation. The guys were blown away and once again realised that they had the coolest fans on the planet.
By 1.00 am the van was loaded and we were ready for the lengthy trip to Holyhead in North Wales. It wasn't long before Jay fell asleep and the Stig could set another record without being reminded about not driving too fast or too close! Another faithful Travelodge, another hour for the van to catch up, another few hours' sleep and before we knew it we were on the morning ferry to Dublin . The boys grabbed some shuteye while Mrs Coulthard did what all girls do best …. shopping! Finding bodies vaguely recognisable as Firewind and Eden's Curse dotted around the boat in various comatose poses only added to the amusement!
Mike singing in London.
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Wednesday 20th, May - 2009
The Button Factory, Dublin, Ireland.
We arrived in Dublin to some fantastic weather. Alas Zeus & Co obviously got out of bed on the wrong side and it wasn't long before they were dumping everything on us again. This coupled with the scheduling somewhat thwarted our plans to visit the Guinness Storehouse. Next time we'll have a day off for sightseeing!! There was, however, one visit to the Celtic store on Upper Abbey Street which kept the American label reps very happy indeed!
The Button Factory is right in the heart of the historic Temple Bar music area of Dublin and is a cracking newly refurbished and modernised venue. For the first time on the tour, and thanks to the efforts of amiable promoter Feargal, the band was able to tuck into a table full of food … and beer! Dublin is such a wonderful city with fantastic people!
Sharing a line in Dublin!
The show started on time and as The Curse proceeded through the set the venue filled to capacity including some Curse faithful who had made the trip from Northern Ireland. The Dublin crowd showed the same reactions and enthusiasm as their Celtic brothers and sisters in Glasgow and as the band ripped through the same set as Glasgow , ending with ‘Fallen King', the reaction was astonishing.
With last night jinx high on the agenda, The Curse joined Firewind onstage for their cover of ‘Maniac'. As both bands had developed a great friendship throughout the week, it was an expression of thanks to them for being such cool people to tour with as well as awesome players. Much to their delight, Apollo and Petros were fed Jameson's Whiskey during the performance, and Ferdy even took over keyboards from Bob proving what a general all round musical talent he is. Gus even managed a grin from ear to ear as TK and Jay sabotaged his solo.
Dublin - Stage view.
A great end to a great tour and both bands retired to the dressing rooms to sink a few celebratory drinks ... which carried on late into the night appropriately in Phil Lynott's favourite haunt, Bruxelles pub just off Grafton Street in the heart of Dublin.
With Mike safely despatched the next morning to Dublin airport and the US label reps ready to relax for another day in Dublin's fair city, the rest of the band took off in the trusty van towards Dun Laoghaire port. Meanwhile, The Stig and TK were heading at breakneck speed towards the Button Factory where thankfully some vital personal property had been unearthed. With one almighty illegal manoeuvre and against all the odds, the Hearse made it to the front of the queue of traffic and arrived via a friendly port administrator just behind the Cursemobile. On board, a justified double Jameson's was consumed! Purely medicinal, of course!
The Curse join Firewind onstage in Dublin!
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