On the Road Again!
- Grae Wall
- Mar 30
- 5 min read
Do you get that thing after someone dies that you keep thinking you see them in the following weeks. I’ve been getting that the last few weeks following the departure of our old friend Steve Strummer. I’ll see someone from behind or in the corner of my eye and think ‘oh, there’s Steve’ followed instantly by ‘oh no, can’t be’. I think it’s something to do with the brain just not wanting to let that person go, or that their leaving has left them firmly in your unconscious mind. Steve was a great local character that I first met back in the mid-eighties. We once went for a wild weekend in Belgium – so wild that I have very little memory of quite what we got up to. I would run into him in local pubs and sometimes he’d come along to gigs. We’d shoot the breeze discussing all and sundry, but whatever the topic, he’d always leave you laughing with his wonderfully dry sense of humour – just a great bloke.
We also lost my dear Aunty Babe (Babe, as she was the youngest sibling). She spent her life in hotel management and was a wonderful hostess. As kids we stayed in several of the hotels she was managing including The Royal Hotel in Ventnor which I remember very fondly. She had an enthusiasm for life and an encouraging way about her that I will miss. The day of her funeral I was in the town of Santiago de Compostela, so lit a candle for her in the beautiful cathedral there. I think she would have appreciated the idea of a candle being lit somewhere out on the road as she did so much travelling around during her own lifetime.
I found myself in Santiago de Compostela as I was out on another tour of northern Spain with Rico, a long road and rail trip from West Coast to East. The tour kicked off in the town of Vigo which I knew very little about. It’s patently quite a major port, with steep hills rising abruptly from the bay. With two nights there we had time for a bit of mooching around, fine coffee and wine stops and by far the best apple juice of the tour at a little organic food and café stop on one of those steep hills. The gig was at the wonderfully rockin’ Revoltosa bar along with a few fun local bands, a great party to get the tour rolling.
The stop off in Santiago de Compostela was very relaxed, a beautiful medieval old town with a host of little shops and bars, and a restaurant that served French Omelette which is always a bonus with my somewhat restrictive diet. Next up was A Coruña and Don Giorgio. Again, I didn’t really know much about the town, but it turns out to be pretty huge with a picturesque beach area. Next stop was Bar Rock La Clave in Gijón. The pre-gig soundtrack was an exhilarating mix of Iron Maiden, AC/DC and the like, but the audience warmed to our acoustic folk-punk-blues and we had a great night with the folks there.
We arrived in Bilbao with time for a wander around the outside of the Guggenheim, which was sweet, before returning to our favourite Bilbao bar, Residence. Here we had a very attentive and cool crowd with whom we ended up chatting to into the post-gig night. The next day was the longest journey of the tour, one bus and two trains, right down to Vilanova i la Geltrú, south of Barcelona. It was all going well until the last little journey by train from Barcelona. We hadn’t heard that the trains out of Barcelona are currently not the most reliable (hence us being given free tickets for this stretch). We were due on stage at 8pm and arrived at the wonderful Bar IZZI with about five minutes to spare. Fortunately, a lovely local had lent his PA for the night and set it all up, so following a ten-hour journey, we got straight up there and played two sets that went down really well with the very welcoming locals. IZZI is a new bar run by the lovely Ish and Lisa, who even dropped us off at our hotel after – great night. Said hotel had a sea view balcony and a bar next door with a veranda serving fine dark rum – had to be done.
One of the locals at IZZI had offered to be our taxi ride the next day, and by lunch time we were at Bar El Racó in the old town of El Vendrell preparing to play the afternoon Vermouth Session. El Racó is a wonderful old wood panelled bar, and the vermouth crowd took well to our alt-folk ‘n’ punk-blues. The chef there even knocked me up a gorgeous goat’s cheese salad and we spent the afternoon and evening exploring the town, taking in the lovely old church - Parròquia de Sant Salvador - and catching the town band on the little Rambla nearby.
We finished with a Sunday chill-out in Barcelona. It was a nice way to end the week just reminiscing about the crazy whirlwind trip on which we had embarked over fine wine in Plaça de George Orwell.
We are lucky to have a friend (and promoter) Albert who helped set up a few of the gigs and it was a joy to meet so many wonderful folks along the way. Travelling by bus and train also means you get to experience the changing countryside and coastline through your window which is a lovely way to travel.
This last weekend Justine and I went along to the Together Alliance march in London, opposing racism and the divisive politics of the far right – the largest march of its kind in UK history. It was a jubilant and celebratory atmosphere, with groups of all persuasions coming together simply to promote hope over hate. Billy Bragg did a fine little set on the Whitehall stage ending with Woody Guthrie’s ‘All You Fascists Bound to Lose’. In Trafalgar Square, thousands danced along to the House DJs and guest acts, with Zack Polanski & Hannah Spencer centre stage, leading the chants and soaking in what felt like a real moment of hope.
Wherever you find yourself on our little planet, whoever you meet, whatever their beliefs or background, we essentially have more in common than anything that might divide – and that is a truth worthy of celebration.
Comments