Touring and other animals. Day 15

It’s here, the final day of the tour. Just one more run through the show before we go our separate ways for a while. We still have a packed day to get through. Another traffic filled drive on the M3 and M25 up to Colchester via Chelmsford. We have another BBC radio interview today before the show and it looks like we are going to be late. There is too much traffic to be able to put the hammer down so we are left in the lap of the gods.

As luck would have it we are able to turn up just in time and quickly bundle the instruments into the building. Once inside things are all very relaxed and nobody worries that we are late. Faustus go straight into the studio and are quickly on air for the interview and a couple of tunes. I sit in the room next door with the producer and we begin nattering about whats been going on with the band since we were last here a year ago. As usual it’s quick in and out and within 45 mins we are back in the cars on the way to Colchester arts centre.

This venue is always a trip down memory lane for me. It was the first venue I worked in on my first ever tour many, many years ago. Way back when I knew even less than I do now. The venue is an old church which has been a regular tour stop for god knows how many years. Tonight it is the setting for a folk club but when I first came here I was working for a bad called Vex Red who were first support for a band with one of the greatest names ever:

Raging Speedhorn

If really fucking heavy “Screamo” death metal is your bag then you should check them out. Vex Red by contrast are a post grunge rock mix of Deftones, Nine Inch Nails and Silverchair. Their album Start With A Strong and Persistent Desire was unfortunately criminally ignored by the press and the public. I’m glad to see that they have recently reformed and are gigging soon.

Tonights show is going to be good one. We have done a few here over the last years and it always sells well, plus the P.A. system although old Renkus Heinz cubes, is plenty good enough to fill this room and sound pretty good too. I’m greeted by Chris and Johnny the house techs when we arrive and I quickly see that a major change has happened to this venue since I was last here. They have gone digital…..

This venue was one of the last bastions of fully analogue sound and it was always nice to see. Unfortunately their Soundcraft K2 desk blew up and was not economically viable to repair. Now there are many practical advantages to running digital and I don’t have a problem with using it, but there is a definite difference in both the sound of analogue and the workflow. I have a good chat with the house guys about it and we all agree that mixing on analogue equipment is just more fun. The new desk that they have in place is the Yamaha TF5 which I have not seen before. As I brought my own desk I don’t need to use it but I can’t help playing around with the new toy for a little while. I have to say that for the money it looks like an incredible buy and I may consider one in the future when I look to upgrade some stuff.

Because this gig is so well organised setting up and sound checking is a breeze. We run through everything really quickly and it all sounds great. The speakers are a little one dimensional sounding so I am slightly limited by the textures I can achieve in the gig but it’s clear and punchy with more sub than I am ever going to need. The only thing I have to be careful about is not turning it up too loud as it is really easy to do here. If anything I end up starting a little too quietly at the beginning and spend the show gradually pushing my master fader higher and higher.

The room is jam packed with people who seem slightly subdued compared to other gigs on the tour but great sales at the merch stand show that they really enjoy the night. It is an excellent way to end what has been a fantastic tour. Every show over the month has been a success and it’s great to see the public have really got into the new material as much as we have.

Sadly all good things come to an end and the final curtain comes down on the tour. It has been a fun journey and I have enjoyed meeting up with some of you and chatting about all sorts. If you didn’t get chance to see Faustus this time around we will be out on the road again next year so keep an eye out for upcoming tour and festival dates. In the mean time pick up a copy of the album

Death And Other Animals.