Between the battlements
UK tour blog 1 - October 2015

Steve beside old fortifications in Southampton

Historic gateway, York

The day after our return from Belgium, we hit the road running as the UK tour took off to a fabulous start with terrific crowds at both GLive Guildford and Shepherds Bush Empire London. Family and friends came... With John Hackett guesting at Guildford and Amanda Lehmann too in London.

Following an equally fun show at Northampton, we went on to Cardiff, where the excitement in the streets matched the vibe inside... There were a ton of serious sports fans there, perfectly represented by the gigantic rugby ball apparently embedded in the castle wall! Good to see Geoff Downes there. We both talked about how much we miss Chris Squire.

On arrival in Southampton, Jo and I took a brief break to explore a slice of its history, including an intriguing Medieval cargo ship, Norman and Tudor houses, and an impressive old wall with battlements. A town renowned for its ghosts, we stood wondering just how many spirits of pirates and smugglers must still haunt that busy port and the timeworn buildings standing close to the shores.

Following a joyous gig at Southampton, we had a tremendous crowd reaction in Basingstoke. It's great to hear how people are appreciating the current set!

Then on to York, reputedly the most haunted city in England and for sure a fascinating place with many old buildings dating back over at least 2000 years... In contrast the modern venue has a great vibe and we enjoyed the gig. Good to see family again there, along with brother John guesting.

We had a morning free in Aberdeen, so Jo and I took a cab with a really helpful guy Alec through sunlit autumnal forests into the scenic Cairngorms to visit Braemar Castle. Yet more lofty battlements! This was once residence of John Erskine, a maverick character referred to as the Eleventh Earl of Mar on the Genesis album 'Wind and Wuthering'.

The Aberdeen gig was great fun, and now heading down to the Sage, Gateshead...