Golden Fable member Rebecca Palin wrote a tour blog for Run-Riot about the band's experiences supporting Field Music on their UK tour.

After seeing them perform at several festivals over the summer, and thoroughly enjoying both ‘Measure’ and ‘Plumb’, we were absolutely thrilled to be asked by Field Music to support them on their October UK tour. Here is a brief account of what we got up to whilst on the road!

Day One - The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen.

After many weeks of rehearsals it was finally time to set off. We packed up our tour essentials (various kinds of tea and scrabble included) and set off to our first destination – Aberdeen. The long, long drive from North Wales was joyfully broken up by a visit to the lovely Tebay services - a highlight of band touring since 1972. On arrival in Aberdeen we were immediately struck by how friendly and welcoming Field Music are – already we knew that touring with them was going to be a real pleasure. We all enjoyed performing at the Lemon Tree and were somewhat overwhelmed by the lovely reception we received from the audience afterwards. They were very friendly indeed. For the first time we were able to watch Field Music and straight away their catchy, clever riffs became embedded in our brains! 

After a brilliant first night we made our way to the first of many tour Travelodges, this one in Dundee.

Day Two – Oran Mor, Glasgow.

In the morning we got up to the usual band mischief:

We then gradually made our way to the city of Glasgow. The venue that evening was a beautiful converted church. After completing sound check and setting up, we spotted a dressing room photo opportunity:

 Again we had a great time on stage – in general it felt like the Field Music audience were respectful and appreciative of new music.

 After the show it was off to Travelodge number two, this time in Carlisle.

Day Three – The Cockpit, Leeds.

On route to Leeds we made a stop at a quaint little farm shop for some much needed refreshments. Definitely a welcome change from the usual motorway services. There was even a llama and a camel in an adjacent field! We were rather excited about playing at The Cockpit, as some of us had been to some brilliant gigs there in the past. All in all we had a great evening, made all the more special by the presence of the lovely 6 Music DJ Marc Riley, a huge Field Music fan.

Day Four – The Kazimier, Liverpool.

Anyone who has ever been to this venue will know it is brilliantly quirky and individual. Again, Tim and I have seen some fantastic bands and comedians here (The Low Anthem, and Paul Foot), so were very much looking forward to stepping on the stage. The reception we received here was truly lovely, and due to the layout of the venue we were able to watch Field Music in action from above which was a treat:

A picture of us performing, courtesy of Marie Hazelwood:

 Day Five – The Electric Ballroom, London

Before the London date we actually had just over a week off in which we busied ourselves with recording and preparation for the next leg. We arrived at the Electric Ballroom to be greeted by a very helpful and professional team at the venue. Sound check was therefore gloriously relaxed and thorough. After setting up the merch display (something I have to admit, I very much enjoy) and putting on our costumes we took to the stage. The audience in London was the largest we played to, and we so, so enjoyed it. The feedback afterwards was super too.

 Day Six – The Haunt, Brighton.

During the day we were able to have a gander around the wonderful, vibrant Laines in Brighton. We had a spot of lunch (there are so many delicious establishments to choose from there) and made a trip to the fantastic Resident. There we bought some musical goodies, and spotted this!

 The gig at the Haunt made for another enjoyable evening, and beforehand we were again able to find an amusing dressing room photo opportunity:

Day Seven – The Komedia, Bath.

After a few too many hours in our touring vehicle, we arrived in the beautiful city of Bath. After navigating its confusing one way system, we found the Komedia. This was another truly lovely venue – a converted cinema with red velvet aplenty. On arrival we were treated to some delightful edible items that had been prepared by the resident chef which were very tasty indeed. For various reasons sound check was fairly speedy, but all turned out well as we thoroughly enjoyed our support slot once again. People were particularly complimentary and friendly after we played. When the evening was over we collected our things, and made our way to yet another Travelodge – this one in Hartlebury. Travelodges at 2am – a surreal experience I’m sure many bands are familiar with. 

Day Eight – Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry

This was to be the final night of our tour with Field Music, and already we were beginning to feel sad about parting ways. This venue was a seated theatre, so the evening had a more reserved, intimate atmosphere. After sound check and before we played we enjoyed a final meal with Field Music – they really are such genuinely lovely chaps. We can’t speak highly enough of them. After the show we said our goodbyes, took a final tour photo and made our way to the final tour Travelodge.

Day Nine – Swn Festival, Cardiff. The last day of tour took us to the wonderful Swn festival. Here we played at Chapter Arts Centre, squeezing in an acoustic radio session with Bethan Elfyn of amazing radio beforehand.

Finally we made our way back to North Wales, for much tea and rest! Overall we had a truly wonderful time, and although we were tired we were rather sad for the tour to be over. Bring on the next one!