TesseracT (UK 2010)

On The Road With… TESSERACT

(UK Instrumental Tour – September, 2010)

Becoming a drum tech for Jay simply came from offering whilst talking on Facebook about TesseracT and Heights playing together. I’d planned to be at 4 of the 7 gigs they had so I said I might as well roady and drive for them, then I could drum tech too, and so I did!

Friday 24th – Alton

The first gig for the mini UK (or rather surrounding London) headline tour was in Alton with Heights and two local acts but as soon as we get there, Dan‘s voice starts going and ends up he can barely talk to announce he wont be performing and the show will be acoustic. One support band was Arboretum, new but heading in the right direction. First time for me seeing Heights too and I was actually surprised there is just 3 of them! Jay plays different in this band and doesn’t use a click track though the set up is the same. By the way this venue kicked ass – lots of kids all full of energy, the place was packed!

Saturday 25th – Luton SU

The next night of the tour takes us to Basick Records 5th Birthday Party, very exciting as we get to see Chimp Spanner and Monuments too but Dan did not improve and decided to sit the entire tour out to make sure his voice recovers in time for their N.American with The Devin Townsend Project, so the tour was to be an instrumental of the Concealing The Fate EP.

Also little did I know I would get to meet a few Twitter friends for the first time!Lisa of UKMU all the way from bonnie Sctoland, @KatFromEarth, @GirlFromTheShip and @DizzyDalek from Cack Blabbath. Also Joel from TotalRock and TotalRock listener ‘Dave from Luton’ also known as ‘AKA’. This night there was a lighting guy too, Connor. Everyone was awesome and it was a great night!

Tuesday 28th – London

So a couple of days off for also having to miss a gig but next up is the London gig with The Safety Fire, Cyclamen and Hero In Error at Camdens Purple Turtle. Plenty of people of course as most of the countries press is based in London, also a lot of friends again and even though it’s September, it was bloody hot!

Wednesday 29th – Bracknell

Next a gig with Heights again at a theatre in Bracknell! Kool gig and went down great, lovely big stage with good access.

Thursday 30th – Nottingham

Next up we hit the Midlands greatest city in my opinion, and certainly the most rocking – Nottingham. It was actually the first time I’d be at The Old Angel for a gig! Bit of a sticky venue and an odd crowd, certainly for Nottingham, but they seemed to enjoy the instrumental set. One guitarist of a support band managed to make a fool of himself by saying to Acle that he must have liked Fellsilent and proclaimed they were his favourite band – odd that he didn’t know him or of TesseracT eh!

Friday 1st – Milton Keyenes

So for the last night in Acles home of Milton Keyenes at a venue I’d actually been to before! Supporting were Monuments and Hero In Error again over from Ireland for the ill fated Big Finger Festival, which is now cancelled and turned out to be a scam! Massive crowd here, uncertain whether they were there to see the bands or just be around music, but either way still a strong support for metal there.

Thus concludes the tour and the long drive home: Milton Keynes; Reading; Clapham; Marylebone (home)!