A warm welcome - October 10

The city of Lisbon

Steve during the gig
Photo © Ben Fenner

Steve with a gigantic pineapple

Portugal hits you by stealth when you're not looking. Lisbon showered us with smiles, gifts and sunshine, all wrapped up in warmth after a chilly London that hit freezing point last week!

Local people seemed amazed that I could speak the language well enough to get by and crack the occasional joke both backstage and on. We loved the place... the first time I'd played an electric show there since an explosive gig with Genesis, as the Lamb lay Down in Cascais way back in 1975. Portugal is beautiful, teaming with enthusiasm for music. The night before the gig, a group of us had a fab dinner with Rodrigo Leao (mentor of Madre de Dios) with his wife and pals in a busy characterful part of Lisbon where we partied into the night. An old city filled with young spirits, celebrating and drinking in the early hours of the morning, an atmosphere of fireworks and fiestas.

Although we hadn't played together for a little while, the whole gig was a total blast. The killer band exploded into life and the locals floored us in return with a fantastic response and a hundred varieties of port!

We really look forward to returning to Portugal at the earliest opportunity, and our deepest thanks to promoters Vin, Helena and Rui plus everyone who helped to look after us so well and for making it all possible.

As always my thanks too to our entire tribe of merry marauders - Brian, Richard, Dave, Ben and Tigger along with the amazing band of Roger with his chords of glory, Nick in his new demented toff Victorian undertaker outfit, Amanda in her sassy blonde tresses, Gary O'Toole sporting a "don't mess with my drums" beard with leather trench coat and Rob, the funkiest sax player in the biz - or do I mean the bus...?

We're all going on a...'

A flower?