Nov 19 UK, We Will Miss You!

We arrived in Glasgow after a ride that took us much, much longer than it was supposed to. 16 people cramped in the bus where there’s barely enough place for 8. After a ride that turned into some kind of party that some of us don’t remember much (or so I was told and heard by other people…!). The venue in Glasgow was inside an art school, with a dressing room that could barely fit 2 people. So we took over the student’s café and made it our own HQ for a few hours. Sitting like that in a university, knowing we would play there only a few hours later, reminded me of the Coffee House Sessions that we’ve made in the UK earlier this year, in February. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the evening would be a weird one, though, maybe because it reminded me so much of the Coffee House Sessions that were acoustic gigs, and that this is not what we were about to play. Maybe was I just still numb from that too long bus ride. So many things were similar to the Coffee House Sessions, but somehow, everything was different at the same time. We’re only a few months later, but it’s easy to tell that we’re different people. In everything that means. For the better and the worse. But somehow, I feel that we’ve all gotten closer to being who we are supposed to be. Still miles away from who we can be, but still, reaching it one step at the time, with confidence, and all together. While a few months back, it was hard to be all together, whereas right away, it simply feels natural, and this is something that we long for. And I knew I was wrong for thinking there was something wrong.

As soon as the guys set on stage, it’s like everything surrounding me disappeared, telling me we were at the exact right place at the exact right time doing the exact right thing; being ourselves. To the best we could, with the good sides and the bad sides. And the concert was explosive! To quote a review of the gig by Rave Child “the sextet have so much energy that it seems there is barely room for all of them on The Art School stage”… And it was exactly like that. That night in Glasgow, the guys were not only on stage. They were EVERYWHERE. They were one, all together, and with the audience, in a magnificent way…!

And then came the gig in Coventry, a gig I was really looking forward to as I knew I would see PJ and Dawn again, Ash & Sara, Steve and Paul. And I couldn’t wait to see those people we had seen for the last time in Nottingham in March. It felt like those few months we were too far! The venue, called “Kasbah”, was a little out from city center, and looked like it was straight out of the Tales of the Arabian Nights. Seeing this, I knew we would be in for a special night. Because of the people we knew were there, and those we didn’t know yet, but also because of the decor and the ambiance. Somehow, yes, this show would be one we would remember for a very long time. And it was. There was no flying carpet, no magic lamp, but the magic that was there was real nonetheless!

And then Manchester… One of the first cities we ever played in, but where we had not come back in 7 years. 7 years…! I had the chance to walk around town a little bit before it was time for sound check. And I was amazed at how hard it was to make eye contact with anyone. People have their own things to do and go their own way, and what surrounds them, no matter how impressive it can be, doesn’t seem to exist to them at all. I was out for a very short while only, I must admit, but in that hour, I haven’t made eye contact with anyone. And I think that this is exactly the image we’ve had of the UK before we started spending more time here, and before we started to get to know the people not for the impressions they leave us with, but for who they truly are. The audiences are hard to reach. They are hard to impress. It feels like they’ve seen everything already, and they’re not impressed easily. But somehow, every time the guys go on stage and take this chance at being themselves, it’s like all of this doesn’t exist anymore. Suddenly, the long hair and the beards that didn’t impress them become something different, something more meaningful, something that you can’t see with your eyes only… And it’s simply what being true is all about…

And then came London, a city I personally like for what it is and where so many things happened for the band. I was excited to be back there, and was really looking forward to it! I mean, how could I not? The last 2 gigs we’ve had there have just been completely insane, and I knew we would have people come from all over the world to see us play that night. Longtime friends, new friends… The gig was one where the guys raged like never before, where every note and sound they played felt just like their lives depended on it. And it was loud, but not only because I was once again way too close to the speakers. It was loud in a total different way, so much that I had to stop taking pictures at one point. I couldn’t understand what was going on no longer. It wasn’t the YFE I knew that was on stage, so I felt. And it made me feel like I was estranged to my own self. And as scary as this was in the beginning, as much as I tried to hold on to what I knew or thought I knew, I decided to let go as Alex started singing the ending part in the song “From The City To The Ocean”. It might be nothing I know. But this is what letting go is all about. This is what discovering new horizons is all about. What allowing moments to unveil themselves is all about. That night, I became estranged to myself, because I decided to let go and explore what the unknown was all about. Because I decided to let music affect me in a way I had forgotten it should, so focused I was to take photos of the moments that happened on stage. But the best moments will be those I live through this camera lens of mine. And these are the ones I want to share with you, as moments, when they are live, become eternal.

And I think that the “after show”, if I may call it like this, was exactly to this image. We were in a room aside from the venue, where the sound could barely be heard, and where the only member of the band that stayed the whole time was Alex, who took pictures with everyone, and who also photographed everyone. A moment that was simple, but real, of such a naive simplicity that it will be eternal to each and everyone that was there.

And then came London Day 2, day where the show would be broadcasted in its entirety on the SFCC, the band’s fan club. And this show, imperfect maybe, became another eternal moment, for people all over the world, who united all together at impossible times of the day to share something we all knew was more than 6 people on stage… 🙂

We are right now on our way to Hannover. I can’t believe there’s only 4 gigs left to the tour. It feels like time has gone by way too fast once again. Those 5 days in the UK have gone by in a flash, but have left in us all a mark that will not disappear. From a moment to eternity. Thank you!

– Stephanie

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