Sunday PM – Oslo:

Hey guys.

One week into our European Tour and doesn’t time fly when you’re enjoying yourself?!

It was only a week today we were stepping on to our lush new tour bus for the first time & making our way across the Channel for the first show in Antwerp. Beth’s lovely Wholefood shopping spree at the start of the tour has seen us off to a nice healthy start & kept us going whenever we get the munchies thru’ the night.

There is something quite special about stepping onto the tour bus at the start of the tour not quite sure what your driver’s gonna be like or if your bed is comfy. Luckily the impeccably clean & pristeen interior was a nice indication that we’d be alright! Thanks Paul & Clarkey (aka Ramone).

Having had a glorious night’s sleep ma boys stepped into the Lotto Arena on Monday morning to see the stage & set already set up. Our wonderful crew had worked tirelessly the previous day getting things ready for the boys’ imminent arrival. Tom was last to stroll in as usual, his dulcet tones could be heard 50 metres away still trying to master my accent after 4 unsuccessful years and now I apparently remind him of a pigeon?!?

Despite a few jangling nerves all round the boys got off to a flyer in Antwerp & had a blast. There is something quite special about that unique Belgian choral chant reverberating around the arena at 115DB!

Before too long it was time to roll into the next town – Rotterdam. Beth & I first off the bus as usual & straight to catering whilst the road cases were flying thru’ the load in door and onto the stage. Setting up my office in the morning is a bit of a ritual for me I have to say, ensuring everything is aligned as it should be, cables wound neatly, printer flush with the end of the desk, day sheets & time sheets blue-tac’d to the wall 5mm apart – you know the kind of thing. Beth just looks on bemused as if I’m bonkers (she’s probably right…).

Another fine night at a packed Ahoy in Rotterdam & 2 shows down now, everyone seems comfortably into their groove.

Next stop Amsterdam and something a little different – after playing to 8,000 people in Rotterdam it was time to get up close & personal with 400 lucky fans for our BNN/3FM show at Hotel Arena. Watch the website for transmission dates of the show in Holland btw! Having done a few club shows in the UK recently everyone was well versed in the art of making the best use of a small space and once again things ran like clockwork and a great time was had by all!

Next stop Copenhagen and our first day off on the tour in one of our favourite European capitals. In reality, for those of us at the "top of the Christmas tree" there is no such thing as a day off (despite a bit of shopping, some yoga, a trip to the gym and nice food). "Its no easy being us" (Beth just popped in for a blether).

Beth: "By the way, how come Colin, TMTTS, always seems to get the biggest, nicest room whenever we have a hotel stopover…. hmmm?!?"

Colin: "Well the thing is Beth, as I keep telling ma boyz, as TMTTS, it’s important the hotel keep the TM sweet anticipating future business in their establishment".

Show day in Copenhagen and a late hotel check out means we pull up to the venue perfectly in time for sound-check. An extra long sound-check gives the boys time to rehearse some songs you may not have heard already or which they haven’t played in a while – maybe they’ll pop up in the set very soon, or maybe not… you’ll just have to watch this space 🙂

Another long overnight, this time to Stockholm yet our bus pulls in right on cue & into the underground maze. Sweden holds a special place in my heart as I was TM several years ago to one of their finest exports The Wannadies – I even managed to find time to pay Par & Christina a flying visit and drink some strong coffee in their gorgeous apartment! Strangely enough the first thing I did when I got there was straighten up some of the the paintings hanging in their hallway…

Back to the gig in time for sound-check. I swear the boys hadn’t moved from the same spot – Tim, headphones on & buried in his laptop probably working on yet another masterpiece, Tom, headphones on & buried in his laptop probably watching Foyles War, Richard headphones on & buried in his laptop probably listening to the new Death Cab album & Jesse looking rather forlornly at his wardrobe flight-case which is considerably smaller than the other 3 three brightly coloured wardrobe flight-cases!

Watched out front for a few songs and I’m loving the visuals in Again & Again – very very cool – keep an eye out for it.

Woke up this morning as we were pulling into Oslo and our second day off. Gig’s gonna be packed, hot & sweaty tomorrow and we can’t wait to see all our Norwegian friends!

God natt.

CD TMTTS