The first words I heard this morning. “Fuck the barbed wire” You guessed it Dave has been sleep talking again. I’m laid in an old bank vault in Emmen. Last nights gig is going over and over in my head. What a night.
We picked up Lotte in Rotterdam in the afternoon and arrived in Emmen about 3pm. We loaded in and the other guys went for a walk around the city. Will and Joel find a little music festival and watch a Jazz band. Dave rummages in the free show and plays dress up. I instead opted to go for a little sleep before the show. Around half six Lotte came to wake me up for dinner. We all ate the lovely dish called Roti. An old Suriname recipe. After dinner we wash up and prepare for the show. In soundcheck we work with Lotte on one of her songs. Were advised that the show will be a late one because a lot of people are outside enjoying the sun. Around 10.30pm David takes to the stage and again I’m thinking that he’s getting so much better. Smashing out a couple of new poems. ‘1942’ a new one has myself and Will nodding with approval.
Afterwards Lotte in her polkadots and Bettie Akkemaai guise plays her first set of the tour. I’m immediately impressed by her improvement. I’ve not seen her play since I toured with her twelve months ago. She holds the attentive crowd. It’s great to see them laughing and joking with her. She’s become a really confident likeable performer. Catchy tunes too. For her last song she invited The Yallas up to the stage to play ‘Gordforsaken Crown’ with her. It was so much fun and it’s great to see Bettie rocking out as the frontman of a band. It’s also nice for me to play guitar and being allowed to fade into the background a little.
The crowd our nicely revved up for our set. As people arrive we are asked from many people if we will play ‘Kaassouffle’ I teasingly tell them no because this is a vegan squat. Earlier in the day Will noticed on the wall our set list from the last time we played. This comes in handy because I can use it as a reference to mix up the set from the last time.
Whilst in Nijmegen the other day I was bitten on the thumb by a spider and my thumb was swollen which meant I couldn’t play guitar in Belgium. However after a couple of days of antihistamines the swelling has all but gone and tonight I can pick up guitar duties again.
We start by playing Mi Corazon Part 1 and then we break into Venus and the Horse. The room is almost full and people seem to be up for the Saturday night party. The Rebel Poet joins us for Mental and the room is hotting up. By the time we get to Rock n Roll Kid people are already in their pants. It’s such a great sight. Yet again the crowd chant out ‘Love Your Jorl’ during the band introductions. At the end of the song the crowd are chanting for more. We had of course forgotten to play a song. Are you guys hungry I ask. “YEAH!!!!” they roared back. Dempsey demands silence from the crowd so I can whisper the word Smakelijk then we erupt into the much requested ‘Kaassouffle’. Everyone goes wild. After the song the crowd still want more. I feel great. Joel is tired but we agree to play ‘Under Attack’ then we really are finished. Somewhere in the set Will broke a string. Dave passed him my Gretsch. It was great to hear him play it and test its limits. With me owning a guitar like this It’s like your Grandma owning a Porsche to do her Sunday shopping. Then she loans her Porsche to the Stig. Will Grinder is the Stig. He tears my guitar around the track at a million miles per hour. It’s great to see what my guitar can do.
After the set we mingle with the crowd. I’m exhausted. I drink a few beers. I’m also offered some joints but I decline. Someone passes Will a lovely handwritten note. I sign some records. People want to party but I’m thinking about the next seven shows so I make sure I am first to bed. Before I get there we get offers for more shows in Emmen. One suggestion is for a radio company to record a future show to make a live album. That would be amazing. I think about this whilst laying in bed. Sweet dreams.
