All Points of the Compass
September 2021

Seconds Out UK Tour - Show at the London Palladium
Photo © Howard Rankin

Majestic Cambridge
Photo © Jo Hackett

The second leg of the tour was just as exciting as the first!

It was great to have Amanda Lehmann guesting with us in Cambridge with her red guitar and exquisite voice on the first half of the show. The band was totally on a roll... Roger's keys set every scene magnificently and wove seamlessly through every number, Nad's vocals rang out with his full range from strong to gentle, Craig's innovative drums exploded with excitement and perfect precision, Jonas' bass thundered and underpinned the songs with his special personal mark and Rob's sax took the music to extraordinary new heights... we all played and sang to a fabulous crowd! The following morning, Jo and I made a break for it to take a walk through that majestic city, church spires and halls of learning lining the streets.

Then on to Cardiff, where we had enough time to explore its historic castle walls. We received more terrific reactions to the show in both Cardiff and Basingstoke.

The three nights at the beautiful London Palladium were total magic. Once again, Amanda joined us (also for Manchester), the band was on fire and the audience response to both sets was again incredible.

The vibe there was so positive. I'm sure the ghosts of Palladium shows gone by were dancing along...

Manchester had a special feel as that was the show we chose to film for the next live Blu-Ray & album release. Lots of backstage activity with interviews and preparation and the show took off like a rocket with that powerful sound and those magnificent lights. Thank you Ben and Chris, and Paul too for the filming!

With heavy traffic on the road, we reached Edinburgh just in time for soundcheck, but again we were met with elation! It was wonderful the way the crowd joined in the Seconds Out songs... and what a beautiful city Edinburgh is. I felt on top of the world exploring the heights of Carlton Hill with all those majestic monuments and exquisite vistas.

From Edinburgh to Glasgow, another terrific audience at the show! Then the whole team got together for a meal at a beautiful Thai restaurant to celebrate Jo's birthday. Glasgow is always great fun!

We'll return to Scotland for the Dundee show, but for now back to England, heading for Scunthorpe...