Where to start? The heat? The history? The tragedy? The driving? The choir?

 

I think it began and ended with the heat.

 

Well done everyone who braved it. I think we were all well rewarded for the discomfort, which we, the band,  personally dispensed with as we walked down the tunnel into the amphitheatre for soundcheck, to gaze upon its ancient vista, and the accompanying magic. There’s something about that place... Ghosts, beauty, symmetry, timelessness and the brooding magnificent presence of Vesuvius on the horizon ...which caused all the trouble in the first place.

 

Pompeii was a gig to live up to, for sure. But we were ready. We’d rehearsed the set and the choir in Germany. We were (at least psychologically) ready for the heat which we knew would be extreme. But we weren’t expecting rain!

 

As it turned out on Sunday, it was just enough rain to look pretty in the lasers as we played Sugar Mice, without drenching the equipment. Nothing burst into flame anyway... Ian’s drum screens blew down and I caught them out of the corner of my eye, flying past while I sang “Fantastic Place”. It sure was.

 

The band are now scattered around Europe enjoying holidays until the end of the month. Not so, the singer who will be working in the studio with Mike on the vocals and finishing off the overall direction of the new album. Then, comes September, and the UK tour...

 

We’d like to thank our crew for assembling the nuts, bolts, cables, staging, boxes of noise and light, to make the show exist, so that we could do our thing.

 

Kudos to Andy G for percussion, and, my goodness, weren’t the choir wonderful?! I get the feeling they’ll be back.

 

It sounded great (thanks Phil) and looked amazing (thanks Yens).

 

Thanks also to Lucy for successfully negotiating the tricky red tape of an Italian city along with extensive beard-stroking by the Archaeological department of antiquities. Not straightforward...And we mustn’t forget Tim Sidwell for capturing it all on film and Anne-Marie Forker for her amazing photographs'

 

Thank you most of all to you who made the journey. We heard there were representatives of 50 countries! Incredible. You were great, as ever.

 

If you weren’t there, we have good reason to think the movie will look terrific. (The drone shots alone are quite something.)

 

Love hugs, volcanoes and (minor) car accidents to all.

 

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!    I’m going for a lie-down...

 

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[image by Anne-Marie Forker www.forkerfotos.com]