UK tour - Birmingham

[ It's been almost three weeks I've come back from Transfer UK tour. And yet, I still hadn't written anything on this blog to tell you a bit about this wonderful adventure. I hope you will forgive me for my lack of "seriousness". I hope you'll forgive me for being more Laure than being the lead admin of the French Street Team. I hope you'll forgive me for pouring my heart, instead of choosing empty "professionnal" words. I hope you'll forgive me for being such an unusual admin. I hope you'll forgive for not being as good and rigourous as my fellows admins from UK, Germany, Netherland, Spain and USA. I hope you'll forgive me, for these articles you're about to read are supposed to be too personnal to be published here. But I'll do it anyway. That's the question I've been asking myself for three weeks before making my decision: Where to publish this article? On my personnal blog, or here, where it's supposed to be "official" and public? Well you have the answer. I may be wrong, but I have the feeling I'm doing the right thing. It's the best way to make you share the magic. ]

The UK tour started for me on June 26th, in Birmingham. Though I'm french, I had traveled from Spain, where I went to a festival. I took the earliest plane from Madrid to London, where I was supposed to catch a coach bus to Birmingham. I hadn't slept,  I was exhausted. But I couldn't care less. I was so happy to get to see Transfer guys again. Do you know how it feels to actually miss the band members as much as you miss the music? Well this is exactly how I felt.

I arrived at the venue's doors around 3.30 pm. I know it's stupid, giving the doors wouldn't open before 7pm, but it's an old habit from the time I was a Muser. I just can't feel secure if I'm not at the doors before, no matter how famous is the band. I'd do the same for any other band I love. I always have to be on the front row. Besides, I like to run into the band unloading their van/truck, and watching them bringing their stuff into the venue. I got lucky and my wish was granted; I arrived at the perfect time to meet Andy, Jason, Matthew and Shaun before the show. It was such a pleasure to see them again! They were as friendly as ever. I met another Transfer fan called Lee, that I had on my facebook but I hadn't been able to recognize in the first place... Epic win Laure!
Anyway, we got to chat with the band for a while, especially with Andy who lingered for a long moment with us outside. Brought him some gum from France as a little gift! Everyone knows about Andy's passion for gum, right? Well if you don't, just look for pictures of him on stage, and you'll know what I mean. As he told us himself, laughing, there isn't a single picture of him without the mouth opened, chewing his gum. So I told myself he'd be pleased if I bring some "Hollywood chewing-gum". Well, the name of the gum brand is such a joke, for there's nothing hollywoodian, or even american at all about this gum. 100% french. But for us french people, it always sounds cooler, when it sounds american. 

" - Wanted to bring you something exotic!

  - Well it is exotic, for I've never heard about this gum!"

Yay, score!

The show started around 7.30 pm, with a weird band that made Lee and I to have a good laugh. I still couldn't say if the singer was a boy or a girl. but though, we were very proud when we saw the label stuck on their thigh:

Then sorry folks, my camera switched off because the battery was low.

The second band was a band from Wolverhampton called The Rimes. Yep, I know more about them than the first band, because I really liked that one, and the members have become  sort of my buddies. I'll get to see them again for their next gig on August 6th. You should definitely try them and listen to their stuff on their website. Come on people, give them a go, they're young and try to make it. Thank you.

Anyway, sorry for the advertising. So, back to the story, I had a good time discovering them. 

Then the moment I had been waiting for more than three months. The guys appeared on stage, and, only seeing them setting their instruments was enough to make me happy. So happy I could have easily cried. Maybe I did. That was it; everything was about to start again. I had missed their concerts so much. I had been counting days, hours, minutes, seconds, to that moment. And here I was, ready to explode with joy.

From the very moment they played the very first notes of Losing Composure, I got this incredible feeling I get everytime I listen to this song: the feeling of swallowing a sun. For it gets me so cheerful its feels warm in my belly, in my throat, in my whole body, in my heart. And I jumped as hard as I could. I kept skipping like a kangaroo during the whole song. 

Then, they played Like It Used To Be. The song which Matthew's voice reaches perfection for. I'm just fond of the moment he sings "If we keep on pushing oooooon!" His voice always slips so pleasantly right into my heart at this part of the song.

Then, Take Your Medicine. Oh, I'm such a Shaun girl on that one! Can't take my eyes off of him for this song. I just love watching him doing the back vocals. "Have I had enough? Did I take too much?"
He always closes his eyes blissfully while singing, and his voice is so soft! He always moves me when he does that.

Then, Wicked World, a cover from Black Sabbath [thank you Heather for the info! ] . They played it beautifully, and I was happy to discover a song that I didn't know.

Then, Wake To Sleep, my first Transfer big crush. Oh dear god, I just love that part of the show. The part when I become a character of the show haha. For I sing along so loudly than I get almost louder than Matthew! And the crowd around me often stop looking at the band  for a while and stare at me instead. For the famous part: "I WAS A LONELY BOY, ASLEEP UNHINGED MY MIND WOULD RUN! RUN TO THE OCEAN SHORE, OVER THE MOUTAIN I WILL COME!"
Besides, I know BY HEART Matthew's behaviour on stage. I know exactly when he's about to do some stuff not recorded on the album, I know exactly when he's about to rise his voice, whereas he doesn't do it on the CD. I know when he's about to shout things like "yeah!" or "no! between two lyrics. So, I know there's a part of the song when he always shouts "NO!" on gigs. "Never will believe what I say [NO!]". So I just can't help myself shouting it with him. 

I. Am. SO. SORRY. About. All this. I always get so caught into the music... It's like music was controlling my body, inhabitating me!

Then, on Lee's request, they played You Are the Wolf. Again, ashamed to admit I didn't know that song. but Lee was so excited about it. He told me Jason sings on that one. Was curious about it. And hell, Jason is a good singer!  An excellent discover! If you have it, please feel free to send it to me!

And then, the last song already. White Horse of course. The song I'm a Jason girl for. Of course, and like for ALL of the songs, they're all terrific. Otherwise they wouldn't be one my favorite bands, of course. But Jason. On White Horse. Holy. Mother. Of. God. He's so good he makes me shiver. 

End of the show. I was soaked in sweat. more than the four of them together.
Asked for Jason's setlist, as ever, for he was on the left side of the stage; and I'm always on the left side of the stage, it became sort of a signature since White Lies tour. Asked for Andy's drumstick as well ["Again? but you already have one! If I'd listen to you, I know you'd ask for one every night!"... yes, Andy likes being sarcastic with me haha ]. Then I went directly to the merchandising table, where Andy, Jason and Matthew joined us for a signing session. Shaun had disappeared again, and I was waited by the person who would host me on that night, so, after a quick chat with the boys, and the Rimes as well, after many hugs, I got  to go, without getting the chance to have Shaun's signature, unfortunately. But oh well, I'd see them all again on the next day!

See you tomorrow folks, for telling you everything about the gig in Newcastle! 

[ Laure ]