I awake this morning with this guy laid on top of me. He’s been there all night. I feel pretty refreshed this morning. My throat is still bothering me. Saying that it held up well last night.
Yesterday I had quite a lazy day. I stayed in bed until midday. We had a band breakfast and then me and Will go to pick up the van from the car park which was a few miles out of town. We return to Jacks house where we had being staying the last couple of days to pack for the final time. We load up the van and say our goodbyes. I love Jack. He lives and breathes punk rock. He doesn’t just buy the albums and t-shirts. He houses the bands and musicians. He knows all the venues, promoters, and staff. His knowledge of the Amsterdam punk scene is second to none. I love listening to his stories and as we drive away the band are echoing my sentiments.
We arrive at the venue about 5pm. We are greeted by H. A very friendly Finnish lady who shows us around the complex. I try talk some Finnish with her but I am very rusty and it is a very difficult language. The venue is amongst a former prison complex on the outskirts of Amsterdam. It’s lovely. Like a little community. We take one look at the venue and we’re all impressed. If this place was in Leeds it would be wall to wall with hipsters massaging their moustaches and paying £7 a pint. Instead it will be wall to wall with Anarchists, Migrants, Punks, and Travellers eating quality vegan food paid for by a donation.
We take a look at the room and decide to do something different tonight. It would be lunacy to put a full bloodied Yallas gig in this room. We notice a piano in the corner. Joel’s little face lights up with excitement. “I’ll play piano” he calls. Vince on Accordion, Will on Banjo, and myself of acoustic guitar and vocal. We have a quick little practice before food is served and people start arriving.
The food is delicious. I haven’t got a clue what the soup was but it was rivalling the soup I had at The Headshop in Nijmegen in July. Lovely stuff. The main was equally delicious. The room is full now and it looks like more people are arriving. I missed dessert as I was setting the stage. Dave Holmes is on first. He was on form again. The room was so full people were standing in the hallways. Vince was once again captivating..
After Vince’s set we start by thanking the venue for their hospitality. I also explain that the show we’re about to perform has never been done in this style. Earlier in practice we had the idea to re-arrange the songs into a hybrid of country/honky tonk/cocktail lounge hybrid. It was brilliant. I found myself missing lyrics or allowing the music to run through because I was creased with laughing. The crowd love it, they laugh and sing along. We majorly reworked ‘Medusa’ and afterwards we talk about recording this new version. This show we were getting paid by donations and I’m amazed at the healthy looking donation tin. WOW. They loved us.
Afterwards we join the friendly folk for drinks and many cannot believe that we don’t play shows in that style. I try explain that we’re a blistering balls out punk rock band. The venue closed about 1am and me and the band stay up late drinking, listening to Manu Chao, Nick Cave, and Pissed Jeans whilst talking art and photography. There was a genuine buzz around that table about what we had done. We start thinking of venues in Leeds with pianos and expanding this idea further. It’s nights like tonight we’re ideas are born, bam there was the spark, you can pinpoint that moment and it looks beautiful. It genuinely was one of my top 5 Yallas gigs of all time.
I’m excited about the show in Nijmegen later. Nijmegen feels like home. Here’s a picture of Will looking cool as fuck on a Metro yesterday.
