and then there was one
Day before flight max says he’s not sorted his (lost on previous tour)passport out in time, also unable to legally leave Belgium due to unpaid fines.
Few days before that pete drummer reported problems, needed the weekend to sort his suit and wedding ring out. Admitted he’d fucked up the timing.
New synth maestro Steven would have been available, but he joined after the 3 tickets were bought by the promoters who were unable to swap Pete’s tickets to his name.
Therefore – staff in the Detachments office reduced to one. Uno detachment dispatched.
Valiantly, though not without apprehension in his heart, Bastien agrees with distraught Italian promoters to undertake a solo mission to Bari.
SAT23JUL
Bastien’s solo mission commences….
“Paranoia. There are ominous things afoot in the world. Unsettled about the Oslo killings. Having to stave off thoughts of impending doom. For some reason I couldn’t help thinking there could be the death of something on this trip
HeathrowT4 – Alitalia…
Milan
had a little wander. Chilled out back in airport restaurant with salad and peroni. Went through security, got on the Bierra Morretti at bar near gates, free peanuts etc.
Milan-Bari
Listening to a lot of Scott Walker on the plane. Drfiting off.
Bari
Sat around for a bit in ariport, waiting feeling slightly edgy. always put a 00xx not a 0xx code when texting foreign numbers.
Got lift to hotel in Molfetta
from Saverio, who likes Man City – Lazio, Mancini connection. Molfetta is on the outskirts of Bari, near the coast.
Had been promised scorching sun. Clouds. But still, warm humid temp a good change. Good to be in Italy.
Hotel, large rm 3 beds, I usually get my own room so no difference here. Sorted out the merch, clobber, got ready, messed up the rm.
Got picked up by Gae from club Discipline and driven to soundcheck.
Picturesque, by sea. Though the wastelands nearby though privately filled heart with dread -momentarily!
The clouds in Bari were something else actually, at sunset I was quite overwhelmed with awe. Quite spectacular.
Venue looked like a huge festival tent by the sea.
Firecrackers went off during soundcheck. Sounded powerful.Moog onstage, Korgs.
Went to restaurant in Bari, gourmet, fresh pizza. Never overcook pizzas, the centre should be a bit soggy, like these. Bene. Apologised to Barbara for the lack of staff aboard the Detachments ship. Slightly fucking embarressing really. Got a Bierra Moretti. Everyone else soon left. Saverio mentioned the news…Amy Winehouse dead. I was genuinely stunned; see her knocking about in camden randomly e.g. pulling pints in Dublin Castle (incidentally, the place I discovered Bierra Moretti(not found it anywhere else)) to ‘keep busy’. I always kind of thought she’d have a long career after riding out her rough patch. Death. That voice – genuine, deep talent capable of embodying real truthfulness and pathos.
Didn’t complete pizza. To assist digestion we ordered shorts Grappa – hmmm, despite the initial, lethal smelling fumes…I like this stuff.
Back in car on way to venue, heard a few tunes, Saverio DJs and learnt his stuff in Berlin. But his DJ name is Gazza, he was obssessed with Gazza back in the day apparenntly he’s a bit of Lazio legend, all the ultras envied him – he was a footballer and a drunk. Got a bit nervy passing the Polizia stopping someone on the highway.
Sat backstage feeling weird, felt urge to drink even more.
Gin&tonic rider, italian bierra. Before gig a had champers with everyone.
A local musician donned a hooded robe to get behind a moog and assist Bastien onstage. Hundreds of expectant people inattendance. 1:30am….
Dry ice everywhere. Audiovideo sounded a bit odd, couldn’t hear the drums onstage.
Halfway through trk 2 – I don’t want to play, I checked the lead for the Hard-disk, pushed it in further and ,voila, the drums came through, not just for onstage but the whole venue. A good start then. Towards the end, now with guitar, really managed to lose self – got into it on a visceral level for last 3 songs Fear No Fear, Circles, Flowers. Could feel the energy really kick in, an element within feeling like I’d had injection of blood from e.g. simenon or jones. Just felt the music more, in the dry ice. FNF injects the intensity.
I think a possible future for Detachments as a group (if there is one, the future is in doubt) will involve more guitars and yet another personnel shake-up… for the much asked about second album.
Apparently promoters heard whispers/rumours in the crowd the band had split. Some people were a bit pissed off, they’d paid to see the full band. But overall it was a good gig.
Post gig, had a Negroni (cocktail), strong stuff, set up merch stall – this should have been organised before. After recent Athens gig we’re’ always aware to bring more merch, we completely sold out of everything there, even ‘not-for-sale’ promo CDs.
The rest is a blur. Nattering to a few random people.
Got escorted/driven home around 3:30 I think.
SUN24JUL
Room, bit of a mess, had difficulty opening some plastic cups last night and… anyway. left 2pm.
Would have liked to have gone to beach. Found a pavillion, sat at the edge, in sun for a couple of hrs, the whole place to myself. Hungover, took it easy in the heat, just whimsically looking at the clouds and the shapes they suggest and thinking of ways to sort out life.
T;
‘Taking it easy outside in the hotel’s luxurypavilion amidst palms,limetrees cedars. Bari’
Got some aspirin in hotel. Lift to airport. flight 5:55pm.
Airport.
swore at toilet assistant for closing place down.
In an abandoned restaurant, seafood and couscous, average and 11E – rip off.
Went through, no queue, ducked under barrier, hench poliziaman went for me. The cops and cops and security in Italy are sadistic and fascistic looking fuckers.
On other side picked up a fancy looking bottle of Grappa.
Flight to Rome. Empty seats next to me, enjoying the space. Incredible window views, utterly sublime.
—
Roma airport, had time to kill and as usual, got into some shit to keep me going; went to check if they’d messed up luggage transfer(well these things can happen), went to check if it was in baggage reclaim but then couldn’t get back in after that. Should have gone straight to transfers. Anyway, asked an infodesk bloke where to go – he glanced up, absentmindedly pointed to another security check. when it got to me I turned back and went under the barriers, off and out, concerned for my grappa. Asked Aliltalia, another memeber of staff to point me in right direction. T3 – OK gratzi. So that nobhead at the info desk before would have sent me into incorrectly into T1. Useless fuck.
Cuttng it a bit fine now. Custom check again, they clocked the grappa. Told me I could send it as baggage…queued at check in for 25min or something, found out it was 55E to send it. Back at customs, they seemed a bit shocked it would cost that much, stupid incompetent fucks – do departments not communicate at Roma? Anyway they checked my bag again, the grappa bottle was empty. They let me through, I’d bought some containers from a pharmacy and transfered the liquid into 75ml bottles and swigged some of the rest. went through…yet another slow moving queue WTF – extra Passport control. finally got through had to run to G11. had I missed it? G11 is a flight ot moscow! asked/disturbrd someone filling a form at info… transpires that despite g11 on ticket LDN is now g10. fuck’s sake. squeezed onto shuttle bus to plane. Delayed take-off.
Airborne. On Alitalia – you can have as many beers as you want for free, pity I didn’t realise this before.
——–
Epilogue
Well.
Back.
Heathrow.
Almost midnight? No tubes to central London. Missed last ones.
got a tube one stop, then another tube, waited, one more tube to Acton Town, 3 miniature journeys, streching to about 45min, usually that distance is 15min one journey. Then nightbus to liverpool st. waited and waited. discoverd no buses to archway. wandered off trying to find finsbury sq, took a while s aw a 43 bus, followed that waited in cold. donned the robe for a while. cold. finally got a deserted bus to archway after waitingf about 25min. what a wretched journey that was. Got out some guy stood next to freshy dead fox. I agreed I’d find something in my flat to cover it. noticed iranian stire still open, the newagey type bloke should have asked there. outside neighbours door some bloke curled up on floor. quieltly turned key and went to bed.
thanking lucky stars I’d made it there and back OK. must’ve been about 3am
Adventure complete.
Well anyway, travelling solo is not so bad, can be engaging and entertaining depending on how one responds to new stimuli. Certainly more fun than being trapped in this shadowy tower here in Archway.
Considering relocating to Vietnam or Goa or somewhere hot and alien for Jan,Feb,Mar2012, but that won’t be possible if I do further actor training.”
Bastien signing off
25July2011.
Detachments 