Easter Tour 07- The Iain Thomson Band

I guess the best place to start is with the most recent tour I've been on.
In Easter this year I played a week of gigs with The Iain Thomson Band.
I was really looking forward to this tour as we were going to be joined by Marc Duff, someone who is very well known in the Scottish music scene, he played with the band Cappercaillie and is an encredible musician.
The Monday we just used to rehears at the arts centre, An Tobar in Mull, which is run by Gordon MacLean, the double bass player with the band. This was the first time we had played together since Iain, the lead vocalist, has written loads of new songs and we hadn't seen each other for a long time, but we soon got back into the swing of making it up as we go along!
It was here I met Deborah Thomson for the first time. Debby is Iain's daughter and joined us for the tour. She was a bit nervous to begin with, and I dont blame her as we're an... em... unusual bunch of people.
The first gig went well, I love performing in An Tobar. Its got a really friendly atmosphere and everyone there is really nice... good hot chocolate : )
That night we all went back to Iains to sleep. We sat up for hours infront of the fire with a dram into the wee small hours. I can remember crying I was laughing so much at all the stories the boys told and now Im annoyed because I cannot remember a single one of them!
The next day we had to get up bright and early to hed of to Iona. We had one van, 2 cars, 6 band members, 4 taggers along and one HUGE double bass. It was not the comfiest journey I have ever experienced.
The night at Iona was one of the most fun experiences I think I've ever had! At half time, dad, Gordon, Gregor and Marc decided to go for a pint at the local. 20 minutes later we were ready to start and there was still no sign of them. Me and Debby were sent running round Iona, in the pitch dark looking for them. Then in the distance we could see 3 fag ends glowing slowly up the road.
After the gig, we decided to hit the pub again. The bar guy told the boys, as long as the lights are on, you can get a drink. At half twelve the lights were on, the pub was full, and he refused to serve us! We settled for a carry out and walked back up the road to the village hall.
We sat and played tunes in the hall for hours until dad asked Iain to drive him along to the hostel where we were stayin so he could go to bed. When Iain came back, hed picked up Adam, a 18 year old, english, chello player from the hostel.
Adam had been sitting up all night waiting for us to come back to the hostel, as he was bored of his family holiday. The family were very religious and spent all day singing hyms and praying in silence. The were not best pleased when we turned up!
Anyway, we sat in the hall playing tune after tune and at about 3, decided to go back to the hostel.
But, we only had one van, so we all piled into the back of it. Iain drove and Gregor managed to get the passanger seat. That left, me, Gordon, Debby, Adam, Shawn. Sorren and Mark to fit into the transit van. The great thing about the Easter tour, was we played in alot of islands where there are no police!
The hostel was in a field and the van could only go so far so we had to walk to it. But we had no torches, so we used the flashes on our cameras to see where we were going! Sorren decided it would be fun to sneak up on the sheep, wait till he was really close, then Shawn flashed the camere as he jumped on one. I have some very funny photos from that night and I'll try to add them to the blog if I can work out how.
When we safley, sort of, made it back, we went into the sitting room, where the religious people had laid out there breckfast for the morning. Sorren asked if anyone wanted a fry up... so we did. We got Mark to cook all their eggs and sat having breckfast at about four in the morning. We were leaving the next day so we didnt have to explain ourselves, but Adam then realised that he would have to explain where all the food was gone...
Finally deciding to go to bed, we realised there was only 6 beds left. Shawn slept on the sofa and the rest of us piled into the room. me and Debby had to share a bed and Sorren slept on the floor. The snoring in that room that night was something else, i have never experienced anything like it! at one point it was almost in harmony.
The next day we headed back over to the mainland to play in Gregors home village of Kilchrenan. We went to Gregors for dinner and his wife cooked the most amazing chicken parmejan! I've never tasted anything like it!
The gig that night was brilliant, but the audience was mainly rich landowners! Most of Iains songs are about people being cleared from their land and slating people with any power, so we had to tell him to ease off when he was explaining what the song was about. Gregor was on brilliant for that night, he told some really funy stories that i have on a disk of live recordings. I was sitting on the school bus and one came on my mp3, i nearly feel of the seat laughing and i got some very strange looks!
The next night we played at the Oban gathering hall. We went to the Indian before for dinner and Shawn and Sorren decided to get a vindaloo. There was some very red faces over the dinner table. The gig that night wasn't the best, not a very big audience but its often like that in bigger places. Im small wee villages and on islands, everyone knows your comeing and everyone turns up. In big places its less likley to get a big audience.
The next night was the last night, Gigha village hall. We arrived in the afternoon and once the gear was all set up, we sat outside in the bright sunshine playing tunes!
In gigha we were joined by Iains son and 2 step sons and his wife and then we went back to a house we had hired to have a bbq before the gig.
I didnt think the last gig was going to be very buisy but slowly the hall filled up untill it was full. After the gig that night, we put on a ceilidh aswell. It was so much fun meeting and chatting to all the locals. We met one girl, whos arm was all in plaster after she had been in a car crash and she walked a mile to the nearest house to ask to use the phone, and she was really happy she got a ride in a helicopter. She wasnt fased at all by it. The people out there are definatley a hardy bunch! After the ceilidh finished at 3, they had hired a dj! the "yung uns" stayed for a wee while but soon went back to the house.
Once we had packed up the vans, we realised there was nowhere to put the double bass, we had forgoton all about it. so, Gordon and Sorren opend the back doors of the van, held the double bass ontop as Gregor drove it back to the house... like I said... no police :)
The last night was spent sitting up all night telling more stories and drinking more beer. It was a good way to end the tour. However the next day, dad decided to do a photo shoot for the band. All very tired and hungover, we tried to put on a smiley face as dad moved us about Gigha looking for the perfect band photo.
Even though I was exhausted after one week, I would have loved for it to go on longer, and Iain has plans for a tour of New Zeland in a couple of years!