Category Archives: Blog

I had eel for breakfast this morning. Ok I grant you, not the traditional opening to a blog or indeed a breakfast, but better shared I feel, and I wish I’d felt the same way about the eel. Tonight, we are in Sendai, Japan which you may remember, felt the sharp end of the tsunami not so long ago. Where we played with Ginger tonight, there was no sign of the devastation you will have seen on the TV, but I am told that it looks very different a few kilometres away. Like the wuss I am, I am experiencing jetlag in waves, while John and Ginger ride through it like real men. After the gig (which was outside as part of a music festival weekend) it was a tremendous pleasure to meet a few Japanese people armed with copies of Jackdaw4 cd’s. It’s pathetic I know but I still get a thrill when someone I’ve never met knows our music. Sometimes it feels like we’re a well kept secret among a few thousand people, and perhaps destined to remain that way, (you know, during those moody spells that come to visit me) but it would appear that we’re building a little something out of my sight and it’s enormously validating. (is that grammatically permissible?). Anyway, I’ve used up my daily allowance of brackets (here are some more) so I’ll leave you with a shot of the magnificent 3, backstage pre-show. Tomorrow is a club called Park Square, also in Sendai. Expect more from the sticky end of the ricebowl in 24 hours or so. Matana! Willie.

Willie was recently interviewed by Japanese magazine, Rockin. They also ran a review of The Eternal Struggle for Justice and an advert for the CD.

We’re currently sitting in a restaurant in Plymouth with Ginger and the entire touring ensemble having a nibble, by way of a premature end of tour celebration. Last night, alongside our fellow bandmate Andy Lewis who joined us on a ‘one night only’ basis, we played at The Cavern in Exeter which was in Devon and probably still is this morning. Another thoroughly enjoyable show with a most supportive and rather handsome audience.
Ten days touring back to back with no break is a daunting prospect, especially for a sensitive soul like myself and I confess to a certain smug satisfaction that I’ve just about made it through without completely losing my voice, running away, or collapsing in a sticky pool of sweat, self-pity and tears. Although it has to be said that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Givvi Flynn who has twice on this tour jumped in to sing the hard bits on ‘Animals’, thereby preserving both my voice and the few remaining shreds of dignity I have left. Last night she also sang a steaming version of ‘unlucky in love’ while four cock-handed guitarists lumbered through a faltering, badly synchronised waltz behind her. Jon Poole has been the on tour choreographer and I sense he’s just not been putting the same fine attention to detail in to this as he did his stunning West End smash, ‘Les Miserables on Stilts’.
Tonight at The White Rabbit in Plymouth will be the last Jackdaw4 show in the UK for some time (although there is talk of a full band London show around Xmas so watch the website for that) and John and I are feeling slightly melancholic that it is all but done. Still, Japan is waiting for us in ten days time so we’ve something to look forward to. Meanwhile a huge thanks to everyone we’ve met on this tour and the many hundreds of new names that have responded to my onstage threats and begging, and signed up to our mailing list. We’ll be in touch soon. Oh and the picture today is of a mole. Well gig pictures all start to look the same after a while don’t you think? Willie

Picture the scene – Ginger, Willie, Gav and myself sitting in Willie’s car, setting off on a journey to Brighton from Oxfordshire. “So is your car reliable then?” asks Ginger. “Always has been in the past” replies Will. 20 seconds into the journey we are all standing on the hard shoulder. A further 6 hours later and with the help of some lovely people, we arrived at the Hydrant, which after last night’s set, we are campaigning to have renamed “The Sauna”. Thanks to all the people who came down and the brilliant support. Tonight we’re at the Cavern in Exeter – see you there. Love John & Will.

Only slightly disappointed by the total lack of wooden hills in Bedfordshire, we boldly struck on to Oxford’s Academy to play amongst the dreaming spires. It was a really sweaty one, but the audience was warmly enthusiastic and also won the wittiest heckle of the tour award (you had to be there really, but suffice to say that if you’re coming to the Hydrant in Brighton tonight, just say “capitalist” to Willie). Over and out, John and Willie.
PS – By way of tribute to the late, great Freddy Mercury, the first person to bring us a stick of Brighton rock wins a JD4 album of their choice.