VB reader, Patrick Millard (pictured below), recently went on a trip to Berlin with The Shutes. He got in touch with VB earlier in the week to offer to share his experience of the trip. We’ve split it over two parts, the first going out today and second tomorrow. Enjoy. Ed
It was a few weeks ago now but I think I can still remember the things that happened. We had stayed the night in an airport hotel outside London and those early hours were strange and not worth recalling.
It got interesting when we boarded the plane.
I sat next to Mike (Champion – vocals/guitar) and he was swaying between catatonic fear and hysterical acceptance of death.
He hates flying and this is why Chris (Jones – drummer) chose to sit behind us and not across the aisle from us. I had never been on a plane with Mike before so it was a new experience for me.
Flight over, sighs all round
When we landed he was so happy to be alive that he seemed almost to have enjoyed the fear, as if each time he went flying he was taking a huge gamble. He welcomed the successful landing as a man does who has bet everything he has on one small card or the roll of a dice.
I suppose this is, to a certain extent, what we all do each time we pay money to strap ourselves into a plane, but Mike seems to really believe in this.
Whilst everyone else is annoyed at popping ears and engaged toilets and the person next to them taking up the arm rest, Mike is waiting to see which card will come up. So we landed and Mike was smiling and we stood outside the airport waiting for a taxi.
Off to explore
After dropping our luggage off at the hostel (a vast maze of a place that I knew would cause problems later) and taking in a few of the sights of central Berlin we went to the venue, White Trash, and the band sound-checked and had a meeting with a man from Sony.
I wasn’t invited to the meeting so I sat at a table to get some food and was served by a man in a long wig. I liked him because he was one of those transvestites that don’t put all of their effort into realism, they just add a pair of high heels or a necklace or, in this case, a flowing, glossy, black wig, to their otherwise male outfit.
Despite my inability to decide what I wanted to eat he still served me with a smile and a flick of his long hair.
Then we started drinking and by the time The Shutes started their first set I was well on my way to not being able to find the hostel, let alone the room.
Find out how The Shutes were received in part two tomorrow.
Image: Sara Rodle
