The Tour Has Begun

Konnichiwa!

The tour has officially begun! On Thursday we played at Three in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, followed by our gig at Tight Rope in Nagoya last night.

We didn't get off to a good start, arriving late to our sound check at Three. On the journey to the venue, we got flagged down by a policeman on a bike. Eventually we managed to gather that Mike had taken a wrong turn; this warranted the policeman sending for backup. Once his 3 buddies arrived, 20 minutes of license and passport-checking ensued, before we were sent on our way without a fine as 'it was our first time driving in Japan'. Luckily, our tour buddy Fumi (a.k.a. 34423) managed to cover for us and sound check at the venue first.

Fumi is a laptop musician and put on a great show to start the night at three. Think Autechre and other IDM acts, plus some inventive use of various props - a samba drum, a glass of water, and some heart-shaped bells.

The other bands at Three were similarly of high calibre, and a great range of styles. For us, the crowd was as we'd been told - very polite, clapping only when we bowed or said something in between songs, and not speaking at all during the set, so there was none of the usual background chatter in the quiet sections. There were also a surprising amount of people taping the gig. This is the first time we've been bootlegged (unless English fans are more subtle of course)!

After a very tiring trip to Nagoya, we arrived just in time to get to the venue. Tight Rope was very different in feel to Three, being much more like a rock/punk venue, and the support bands were very much in this vein. We arrived to the soundcheck to find a fan waiting for us (and it seemed like she'd been there a while), and she asked for our autographs! After being caught off-guard, we are all now trying to perfect our rockstar signatures. To the fan: if you read this, we hope we gave you a good set! :)

At the gig itself, everything that could break did: Mike and Adam's in-ear mixes, Adam's guitar rig, Yuka's keyboard/laptop, and Dave's sticks (3 of them - a new gig record). We powered through, however, and got a good response from the crowd.

After a hectic two days, we crashed out in our best hostel yet - the Kyoya Ryokan. This was a traditional Japanese hostel, in which we had a room to ourselves equipped with tatami flooring and Japanese-style futons. Dave's iced coffee addiction was also fuelled by the unfortunate presence of a free drinks machine.

Tomorrow we are going to visit Nagoya Castle, which is a short walk away, and then it's onwards to Osaka!

We'll blog again soon.

Dave, Non & and the rest of TIMNS