Tour with Part Time Killer
Another tour is under the belt and I figured I would write a short blog to share nice times we had with our finnish friends. Yep, we were on tour together with an amazing punk-rock band Part Time Killer (ex-Flippin beans) from Finnland. We met two years ago in Czech Republic in town of Tabor where we had played a show together (plus One Hidden Frame – another punk-rock band you should definately check out). We were booked in the last minute and didn´t get any gas money, so the guys decided to help us out by buying our merch, for which we were really grateful. We stayed in contact throughout the following months and eventually got in contact and discused about doing a tour together. We would arrange a van and all the equipment and the guys would take a flight down from Finnland.
Part 1: 24th February: Wiener Neustadt
I woke up early and checked all the e-mails. Alex from PTK informed me that they would arrive in Vienna at 16:30 so we had to start quite early to pick them up. Unfortuntelly I also got a message that show in Pieffe Factory on monday was cancelled due to finacial problems that the venue had. We gathered at our rehearsing place and started organizing everything for the tour. We were really exicted, for these would be the first shows since we have been without our previous singer Jernej. We practiced a lot so we were confident about going on tour and afterall, playing infront of the live audience is where the band progresses the most. A day before we got a call from Dino who was lending us the van, that it had some serious problems and had to be fixed. He arranged a deal with a local mechanic who would fix it in the morning (it had a similar problem with a wheel bearing that we had last year on tour, when we had to pay 300 euros to repair it to be able to continue). Anyway, it was now 10´o clock when we should had been on our way already, but there was something more serious with a van, so we only got it at 1´o clock. We are already highly skilled at gear tetris in this van, so we loaded everything in in no time. I was just about to call Alex that we would be late, when I got a message from him that their flight was delayed, so we were back on track again.
First show of the tour was supposed to be in Bratislava, but it got cancelled in the last minute (this tour had many names, one of the them was The last minute tour). Thankfully we have the greatest friends ever over in Wiener Neustadt, guys from a band Soey who saved our asses and put on a show for us at their rehearsing place. We played there once before and we knew the show would kick ass. After 5, 6 hours of driving we arrived at the Vienna airport where me and Jani went to look for the Finns. It was so nice meeting those guys again and we looked forward to getting them know better and hang out for ten days. After we loaded in all their guitars and luggage we departed for Vienna, because we were running late. Not 10 minutes went buy and Eppu (PTK drummer) let one rip and we almost died of laughter. Who would have imagined that a fart could be such an ice breaker, because from that moment on it was like we had known each other for ages.
We arrived at the place where we would start the tour and again we got to meet our austrian friends and even Jak who organized a show for us in Bristol last year. As always there were many members from bands like Astpai and Rentokill there, which was nice. Both, us and PTK have been working on new songs, so we couldn´t wait to play and listen to what everyone has come up with. It was good to start the tour in a small, cosy place so that we got used to playing in front of the people in the new line-up. The gig, I thought went really well and the feedback from everyone gave us confidence that we are on the right track.
After a great evening with friends we went to Heino´s place where he cooked us a delicious pasta and we opened up the expensive whiskey that we brought to make a toast to a great start of the tour. Eppu got wasted and we farted too much…:) Antti won that round!
Part 2: 25th, 26th February: Valasske Mezirici, Ostrava
We woke up at around 9´o clock, took a shower and said goodbye to our good friend Heino. Next gig would be at Club Lira in Valasske Mezirici in Czech Republic, so we had a few miles to cover. We stopped for a quick breakfast and hit the czech highways. When we got close to the town where we were to play we saw that it was only 7 kilometres away from the club where we had problems with nazis two years ago when we had to escape before the shit really hit the fan. But we weren´t really worried and looked forward to meeting Stanley, the promoter who sorted out two shows for us. He has a very nice house/apartment, with a lot of room to accommodate bands, plus an entertainment room where we could play videogames etc. We also got to meet his parents who were the friendliest people ever. They gave us some local alcoholic beverage that was really strong and had a nice kick to it.
After a relaxing afternoon at Stanley´s place we jumped in the van and drove to Lira club. One of the Stanley´s friends had just opened a new tatoo studio and this concert was a kind of opening party so lots of people were expected to come. The venue was a big pub with a stage for bands, plus it had a huge plastic head of Eddie with glowing eyes, the Iron maiden mascot, which added some »coolness« points to the place…We set up the merch and started drinking the free beer while it lasted. There were supposed to be 4 bands playing that eveningt, R.A.F. + Thalidomide, but the latter canceled the show, so it could start later. R.A.F. played some old school punk, which wasn´t my cup of tea, but the guys were very friendly and nice to hang out with. We played second and I guess the show was OK, but the soundguy was clueless and it was way to loud, so PTK guys decided to adjust the volume when they got on the stage. They played here before and the crowd went crazy and sang along, so it was a great ending to the evening. There were more than 150 people at the show. Jani – Proffa (the name given to him by PTK guys) who volunteered to be the driver for the evening and had to stay sober said, that when we get back to Stanley´s place everyone should drink with him. Eppu, his »brother from another mother« didn´t need much convincing and so didn´t Neco and Jay, who indulged on whiskey and schaps when we got back…it was wild! I said »Ei välttämättä!« and went to bed, before it got worse.
We haven´t had to wake up early, because the next day we played at Chilv in Ostrava, 50 km away. I cooked some pasta for everybody and we spent the afternoon playing videogames and working on the song that we planned to do together with PTK, but we didn´t have any time to record…it will have to wait until next time. At this point we felt like we knew Alex, Eppu, Tero and Antti all our lives and we couldn´t wait to come back to Slovenia where we arranged a few surprises for them.
Stanley who was also the promoter of Ostrava show told us to follow him to the venue and we were there in no time. Chliv is amazing club, but we were told that the scene in Ostrava is dying quickly, so there were only 30-40 people there in the end. We set up the merch area and had a pizza and more czech beer. Soon the R.A.F. guys arrived and did the soundcheck. The stage felt great and we could hear everything perfectly. We played second and the show was great until some crazy girl who we met earlier decided that she would jump on the stage and start sreaming into our mics. When she wouldn´t stop screaming in the mic, Jani got to her and took her the mic, but she went to the other one took it from the stand and carried on. We were really pissed and after the song we said that she has get off and she finally left. That bitch was crazy! Next up were PTK and Eppu told her to fuck off straight away, so she left. They had a good set, but it would be even better if more people showed up. After the show we returned to Stanley´s house and went to bed after a few beers.
Part 3: 27th February: Prague
4th concert of the tour was in Prague at the legendary 007 club. We hit the road quite early just to have a head start. We have to thank Stanley again for the royal treatment we recived! Driving to Prague was quite tireing due to bumpy roads and a few drunken nights behind us. The promoter of the show was Thomas from the band Thalidomide. We were supposed to be playing with From plan to progress from UK, but Thomas called us that their van had broken down and that we had to get to the club as soon as possible to do the soundcheck. We were looking forward to seeing those guys play, hopefully we get a chance to see them somewhere soon.
When we got to the venue Thomas´ girlfriend Lenka prepared delicious vegan food for us and there was extra food left, prepared for the UK guys. After the dinner we set up all the gear on the stage and did the soundcheck. The soundguy was some old metalhead, who knew what he was doing and it was one of the smoothest and quickest soundchecks ever…plus the sound was great, so we knew that it would be a good show. Although it was Sunday, many people showed up and both us and PTK had a great show. We were really busy with the merch this night and sold more stuff than all previous days combined. We also met some older punk guy, who knew some legendary slovenian punk bands and asked us to get in touch with some of them, so that he could send them a few questions for the zine he is running. Satisfied with the outcome of the evening we went to Thomas´ place. Jani and Nejc decided to sleep in the van, just to be safe. We went to bed early knowing that we had a long way to drive next day.
Part 4: Days off in Vipava
Next few days we didn´t have any gigs, since the Pieffe Factory gig was cancelled but we didn´t mind. We returned to Vipava to Neco´s place, where we also have our rehearsing room. The drive from Prague was long and I was looking forward to my mom´s food and my comfy bed. PTK guys said that they haven´t been to Italy before and wanted to visit it, so Proffa said he could take them to Venice, since it is not far away.
After they guys returned from Venice the next day we took them to a local wine cellar/restaurant, which we planned to do in advance. We had a delicious dinner and fine local wine to go with it. It was a really enjoyable evening with good friends and tasty food. The night was still young and we went to our friend´s house where we drank his home made wine and tried the salami that he also made himself. We had a great time and even Antti got drunk, which, as we were told, happens once or twice a year. A good indicator that the party was awesome. We also taught PTK guys some slovenian cursing words, since we were already fluant in finnsh…vittu perkele saatana jumalauta! Unfortunately our finnish friends got to experience the typical wind in our area called Bora which was especially fierce these days, in fact there were gusts measured in excess of 200km/h and many rooftoops were uncovered and trees uprooted. We as locals are accustomed to such conditions and can light a cigarette and take a piss in such a wind, but for someone experiencing such conditions for the first time, it can be quite frightening and challenging. The time flew by fast and we said goodbye to everybody and went home.
But the evening wasn´t quite over yet…duh! Proffa got a call from Alex in the middle of the night that Eppu fell and landed on a petroleum heater, severly burning his hand in the process. First thing Eppu did was to photograph his hand, but Alex insisted that he goes to see a doctor right away. Jani took him to the emergency room where they treated him. I got to see the burn next day and it looked horrible…we were afraid that he won´t be able to play drums for the last three shows of the tour, so PTK started to practice an acoustic set.
The weather got even worse through the night with snow starting to fall and the wind had also intesified. We decided to cancel our scheduled trip to the Alps and stayed at Ukko metso´s (Neco´s) house where played Ice Hockey Nintendo game. Eppu kicekd everybody´s ass…next day we had to take him to the doctor to have his bandages replaced and his wound cleaned. At this point it looked bad and we were sure that we wouldn´t be able to play drums. Later Proffa and Jani took them to our hometown Ajdovscina and gave them a tour of our local historical sites. In the evening we had a few bears and wine and had a big Ice hockey tournament…that stupid game was addicting. Eppu won again! Ow, and Tero – Rock´n´rolla finally picked up the acoustic guitar and played something for us! Rock on!
Part 5: 3rd March: Ljubljana
We met again at Neco´s house where his mother cooked some traditional local dishes. I already ate at home, but I usually won´t resist good food, so I had some too. It was nice to jump back in our touring van and hit the road after a few days of eating and partying. This evening we played at Menza pri Koritu in Metelkova mesto…we got there early, so Peter, the promoter asked if we could wait a bit until their meeting at the venue was over. We went to the nearby hostel for a few beers and relaxed a bit, reflecting on the days that have past. An hour later we loaded in all the gear and did a soundcheck…it went well and I was looking forward to the gig.
PTK guys went to backstage and practiced their acoustic set…it sounded great, but Eppu said that he wanted to do the soundcheck to see if he could play. It was painful, but he was able to do it! Most of our friends study in Ljubljana so the venue was soon full of familiar faces. There weren´t as many people as I expected in the end, but to me this was among the best gigs of the tour. Both us and PTK played a good set and the audience was enjoying it. We also did a Satanic surfers cover – Evil with Eppu on vocals and the place just exploded! The sound engineer, who saw numerous band play here through the years told us that he was really impressed by our performance which gave us confidence that we are on the right path. We said goodbye to our friends and departed to Jani´s place where PTK guys would spend the night.
Part 6: 4th March: Ajdovscina
Next day we would play in Proffa´s and mine home-town at the club Baza where we occasionally organize gigs ourselves. This period is a time of festivities, and carnevals, with people wearing masks all marking an arrival of spring. I had to work in the afternoon so I got to the venue right in time to do the soundcheck. We didn´t plan to play on this day, because we planed to have a release party here later in the year, but we changed our minds in the last minute. There was one more band The Users who play a mixture of ska/reggae, but I didn´t catch their set later on.
We played first and there weren´t many people at the venue…typical for our town, where most people come when everything is almost over. It was Ok, I guess, but thankfully the place was packed by the time PTK took the stage and they had a great show, with people in costumes stage diving. After the show there was a birthday party planned by David, a friend of ours, so me and PTK guys went there. In spare time I play in a Bad religion cover band with my friends and the plan was to have a basement show at David´s house, but it ended soon, for most were too drunk to play. A beer or two later we went back to the venue to load the gear in the van and drove back to Neco´s house.
Part 7: 5th March: Beltinci and Vienna airport
The days have gone by fast and we couldn´t believe it was the last day of the tour already. Thanks to our friend Dragan, we booked a show at Ambasada in the town of Beltinci. We´ve played there before on Got Punk? Tour with Harry and Tug of war and we had left with fond memories of that evening. We departed after lunch in a sunny afternoon. It was quite a long way to the venue and we arrived there early again. Proffa suggested we go to a local pub where he has been before, so we went there to have a few drinks. Dragan and others cooked a tasty pasta and soon all was gone. It was really cold in the venue so we plugged all the heaters in the backstage and stayed there to keep ourselves warm. We reflected on the days past and agreed that we have to do something like this again. There were no other bands in the line-up today so we started later. I loved how everything sounded on the stage this night and the show was very good, although there was less people than I expected. PTK were on fire too, and the audience was enjoying the music. Most of us went to sleep soon after the show, but Proffa, Neco, Jani and Eppu stayed for the »to-drunk-to-play« jam session and further drinking.
In the morning we woke up early, because we had to go to Vienna airport, where PTL guys had a plane to catch. We had to return the van the same day so we left early, which meant that PTK had to wait at the airport a few hours for their evening flight (sorry about that amigos). We really enjoyed their company in those ten days and we became really good friends…saying goodbye was quite difficult and a bit emtional. But we know we will meet again soon and rock the europe together. We had a long drive back home and arrived safely with great memories and new friendships.
We would like to thank Alex, Eppu, Tero and Antti, all the promoters who helped us (Heino and the rest of the Soey and Wiener Neustadt crew, Stanley at Stanley promotion for the royal treatment, Thomas in Prague for a great show end Lenka for delicious food, Peter and the sound engineer at Menza pri koritu, KAŠ crew and Dragan for helping us out). Also thanks to all of you who came to our shows and supported us in any way!
