Day 1 and 2 :

I thought it would be cool to post a tour diary so you guys know what we’re up to while being on tour pretty much in real time whenever we can post an update. We had to cancel the show in Prague due to some last minute delay in the delivery of our Russian and Belarus visas. This is a bummer as we were looking forward to playing this show so all our apologies to the promoter and people who were intending to see us. We’re happy though we had to cancel one show only.

So here we go to the next show at Triebwerk in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. A 14 hour drive all the way from Paris under a neverending hard rain across France, Germany and Austria. We finally get there at 6am welcomed by our friend Zock from Astpai, all asleep. We’re all exhausted and hit the sack pretty quickly. Everything goes better after a very few hours of sleep, a shower and some food. We’re heading to the venue for a soundcheck at around 5pm. The venue is sweet, the whole crew is awesome and so is the food. Before the show starts we get to meet a few people we were virtually in touch with but never actually met like Martin and Michael, nice to meet supportive people… Two local bands are playing tonight and I gotta say I don’t really feel in shape to play but as usual just before hitting the stage it all goes better and the adrenaline is on. The crowd is definitely awesome on that night, it’s good to see people know the songs and the lyrics. We play a pretty good set for a warm up show, and it’s awesome feeling our original sound is back with Digo’s comeback. This is our first show together in months and it’s really tight. Shit we missed that and it’s good to play shows like these again ! Tonight we won’t party hard and will rather have some sleep before we head to Hungary for our second show. 


Day 2 and 3 :

This morning was really a shocker. After spending a great time and resting at Zock and Bertl’s house (drummer of Rentokill) we went to bed at around 5am. We got waken up a couple of hours later by Bertl screaming out that the house was on fire and we had to call the firemen. It was spreading very fast and the smell was extremely bad. In pretty much 5 minutes we gathered all our stuff, sent it through the window before we get out ourselves by the window, watching the place burn until firemen arrive. Around 20 of them came and stopped the whole thing. Bertl was a bit burnt and overall really shocked and so were we. Our thoughts go to him as he lost everything he had (computers, phone, vinyls, cds, clothes, bed, furnitures…) we couldn’t feel more sorry for him and we hope he’ll be better soon. It was insane to see how much of one’s life could be swept away in the blink of an eye. Of course most important was that everyone was safe though. We felt weird for the whole day on our way to Hungary.

By the end of the day we arrive in Szeged for our second show. The place is kinda funny and it seems like this show won’t be very crowded according to Coli the owner of the club as there was a bigger show on the day before and students aren’t in town. Sundays always suck anyway. Coli is very friendly and it’s his birthday today so it should be party time. The first and only support band starts and pretty much nobody’s there. There are a few kids who seem to be waiting for our show. By the time we’re on there’s a bit more people and as we get more into the setlist everybody’s going crazy which makes the show way better than expected. We’re back then for a three song encore before the real party starts and everyone gets wasted. We have the chance to sleep way more than the previous nights. Coli brings us in the afternoon to a typical Hungarian restaurant. Some were lucky and some weren’t I can’t really say I enjoyed my dish haha. Our show in Budapest being cancelled we decided to go there and do a bit of sightseeing. The drive is not too long as it’s only 2 hours away from Szeged. The old center is incredibly beautiful and there’s  we keep walking around until we get dinner and go to sleep.

Day 4 and 5

It’s 8:30 am and we’re waking up early to head to Ukraine cuz we don’t know what to expect from the customs there at the border. We spent a few hours in Budapest to get some food, drums stuff and so on and drive then to Ukraine which we finally reach by the end of the afternoon. It’s getting colder and we’re all a bit anxious about crossing the border as we don’t know what to expect. I guess this anxiety was for a reason and we couldn’t be more right. The guy we’re dealing with couldn’t be less unfriendly, doesn’t speak anything else but Ukrainian and get pissed off cuz we don’t get a single word of what he’s saying. At some point we get to make things a bit more laid back and have a laugh together. An old guy speaking English comes and asks a few questions about the purpose of our visit. He definitely seems wise and eventually lets us in ! We only spent 15 or 20 minutes there but it felt like it was way longer than this. We’re also pretty happy we didn’t have to give any money as this is the way it all works 90% of the time in eastern countries. We’re like entering a completely different world. Road signs are all written in Cyrillic, roads are getting bad and architecture is very different. Uzhgorod is close to the border so we get there in half an hour only. Not being able to understand any sign is very frustating. We meet Andrew (promoter of the show) and then Emile and his sister Ornella who are hosting us for a couple of nights. Both are really nice.

The next day we hang out in town it’s very sunny there’s not much to visit though. After a walk and having lunch we go to the club. Shows start pretty early here and the first band kicks off at around 6 pm. It’s finally our turn to take over the stage and put our backline which is a mess with all the cables on there. The sound is kinda weird and it seems the sound engineer isn’t doing too good but it doesn’t matter I guess around 100 people are there and they’re most definitely very excited. I didn’t feel like we played a good show probably cuz I know our music too much but the audience was just great and the response is unbelievable ! That was a great preview and start of the Ukrainian leg of the tour. We’re all pretty exhausted and decide to rest but as usual we end up talking, joking and fall asleep a bit late.

Day 6

Today is our first big drive in Ukraine and we were warned about the states of the roads here. Therefore we agreed to get up early and here we are on the road at 8:30am. Our GPS says we’ll reach Chernivtsy in more than 8 hours for slightly more than 400 km. Wow ! That’s something we’d do in 3 or 4 hours in Western Europe. There’s not a single cloud in the sky it’s almost like summer, way to go where you’re on tour! The roads at first are ok but turn out to be a real disaster then. I couldn’t even imagine that was possible and I can tell you it’s killing the van. There are holes everywhere, crazy vibrations not to mention big trucks you have to stay behind for a long time before you can pass them. Then come the police controls. I gotta say not speaking a word of Ukrainian makes things easier sometimes. As they’re not able to communicate with us policemen let us go. Conversations are pretty funny though and we all end up with a smile on our face. Good thing is gas is very cheap compared to the crazy prices we have to deal with in France these days. We arrive at the venue after a 9 or 10 hour drive and are pretty dead. We couldn’t even find a place to eat on the way except gas stations and we’re starving. 

We’re playing tonight at a Hard Rock Café and the place is sweet and packed. I was told later on the turnout on that show was 300 people which is awesome for a first time! We meet Dima the promoter of the show, really cool dude. His english is really good but managed however to provide us a translator for anything else which is just too kind. Her name is Ulyana and right away we have to go with her to a restaurant for dinner as the timing is gonna be very tight again. We have to eat pretty fast in order to make it back in time to the club for our show. Our performance is quite early again. I have a small interview to do with a local TV and it’s 8 pm by the time we put our gear on stage. Loading out was pretty stressful with all the turmoil and the long drive of the day combined to the lack of sleep. The sound engineer is no wizard either tonight. I keep getting these feedbacks in my monitors and it takes some time before we start to play. The crowd is waiting for its fix of punk rock so we go on despite the small problems which aren’t solved yet. From the very first notes I can see people turn the place upside down, moving, sing along… Feedbacks are still on and they kill my ears which keeps making the show not very enjoyable on my side. Despite my requests in the mic between songs it doesn’t change much. We keep going further in the setlist and I still have the same issues. Ulyana comes to my rescue and ask the sound engineer to fix it up. He sure did I had no vocals in my monitor anymore haha ! He’s finally putting some vocals back and I get the same feedbacks again. Great ! Shit happens but luckily people make this show totally worth it. By the time we’re done they’re asking for an encore but we have to cut it off, there’s another event after the show. Amps are just switched off and there’s a storm of people talking to us, asking for photos, autographs, I think we never signed so many in 8 years than in one show. The crowd was incredibly awesome and made this day so much better than it was. A big thanks to Chernivtsy !

Ulyana our translator who is looking after us like an angel brings us to the hotel and we’re so looking forward to having a good night of sleep and a good shower. We have to do an interview first and it ends up with another party. I’m having some flu all of a sudden and decide to hit the sack not to make it worse.  

Day 7

We have to wake up early again and even if it’s another rude awakening I’m very surprised and glad to see the flu is gone. We leave pretty fast but lose one hour because of our gps getting lost all the time. It’s hard to find a good map for Eastern Europe and even though the one we have does the job it gets out of control sometimes. After driving on the most improbable rocky roads and crossing the smallest villages we eventually find someone who can give us the right direction in a store. We get to Kiev in time for the show after 9 hours. We’re all dead but it’s good to see our friend Max who booked our Ukrainian shows. We finally meet the guys of his band Sportloto playing tonight with us. After a few drinks and some food it’s our turn to take over the stage. At this very moment I seriously need to take a piss and count held of the huge queue to the restroom I decide to go for a piss outside. What a bad idea ! I’m caught in action by 3 policemen who ask for my passport and keep it. They start to make a huge deal out of such a pathetic story. I don’t understand a fuckin’ word and after such long drives and not many hours of sleep it’s getting on my nerves. Some Ukrainian guys finally arrive and try to sort out this issue. The cop keeping my passport is definitely an idiot and after 10 minutes of arguing and 10 bucks I get my ID back. I can go downstairs where my mates are waiting for me to start the show. Luckily the place is packed with 150 people who are already screaming “Straightaway” on and on before we even kick off. First notes of Another Day and everybody gets fuckin’ nuts, already fist in the air singing along… the first circlepits start right away. Way to go at a punk rock show ! From the beginning till the end the crowd keeps the same intensity and it’s incredible to be given such a positive and wonderful energy back. Between each song people keep screaming our name and ask for more. This show was definitely a highlight of the tour.

I found out then on myspace that one of the guys in the front row had a 20 hour journey round trip by train to come and see us. There was also today this big Straightaway fan Yalick from Belarus who came to our show in Uzhgorod. He came all the way from Belarus to attend 3 of our shows in Ukraine in addition to the one we had coming up at the end of the tour in Belarus. Kiev was the second one he attended with the same big smile. We kinda heard later on he was sleeping in trains in the meantime before catching our next show. Thank you guys for giving us one more reason to play in this band.

We’re heading to Ivan’s place. He was the promoter of the show on that night. Very nice guy and actually not the kinda people you would expect to see at a punk rock show. I like that. We’re all exhausted and tonight there’s not gonna be any after party.

Day 8 and 9

Another day and one more time we have to wake up very early cuz the show itself is starting early. Roads today are actually much better than what we had to face over the last few days. It already feels like we’ve been away from home for a long time, it’s amazing and weird how being on tour makes you fee totally disconnected from time. We get in Dnipropetrovsk in time but lose some to make it to the club. We finally meet Shura the promoter of today’s show I was already in touch with on the net and it’s always great to see our friend Max along with the guys from Sportloto. The club is very cool and makes us feel at ease. Food is ready by the time we get there and we’re all looking forward to having a proper meal before the show. I guess we’re getting sick of buying junk food at gas stations every day. Today only Sportloto and Straightaway are on the bill. I think around 100 people show up to the show. By the time we get on stage I can see we’re all very tired, conditions have been tough and hard on us. Driving 8 – 9 hours a day and only 4 hours of sleep a night max is definitely not helping. However the crowd is very responsive and such a boost again and we manage to pull off more energy than we had in stock. By the time the show is over we’re already taken over by a shitload of people asking for photos, autographs and wanna have a little chat. It’s good to be in touch with people even though communication is very limited but the looks in the eyes and the smiles on people’s faces tell more than words could say. We’re off to get some food and get some rest at the place we’re staying at for the night but once again it’s time for an afterparty until early in the morning and we won’t get any sleep tonight. Andrew from Sportloto takes good care of us and cook for us. I gotta say the man has skills for sure. Pretty much everybody’s drunk as night passes by and we have hell of a funny and good time. Luckily tomorrow’s show isn’t that far and we’re not worrying too much about the roads so we’ll be able to get a few more hours of sleep.

Today is the day for Kharkiv, Sportloto’s guys hometown. The drive isn’t long and roads feel like Western Europe. Good to have some relief cuz drives have been pretty physical and hard on us and our van with all these wholes. The club’s called Churchill it looks pretty cool nothing fancy but sweet. The way I feel when I first see the venue is definitely important and today I’m sure the show is gonna be kickass even though they all were tremendous so far. We’re a bit in advance for once so Andrew and Max bring us to a very sweet restaurant close to the club and food is totally worth it! With full stomaches we’re ready to go and do a quick soundcheck and wait for the show to start. Tonight is only Sportloto and us again. Our boys Vladimir, Gena and Sergueï who are taking care of the Russian leg of the tour are showing up as we’re heading to Russia the very next day and it’s cool to eventually meet them. A little while later Sportloto starts the show in front of 200 people. I can feel this is their third show in a row and they’re getting better and more at ease. Max seems to be really happy to play in his hometown and I can feel the atmosphere is gonna be sweet tonight. It’s our turn to kick it and I can’t wait to play. By the time we’re putting our gear on stage people start screaming our name, it’s great to see the place is packed again. It’s really hot on stage but I can feel everyone in the band is at ease and there’s gonna be some high energy. As we get more into our set we get better and the crowd isn’t disappointing at all either. God I love this country! It’s just cheerful to see people with such huge smiles, so happy and enthusiastic to be here. By the end of the show people ask for an encore so it’s time for a little cover of Strung Out’s very own Velvet Alley. We take a lot of photos, sign a lot of autographs, we talk with this really nice and supportive girl called Julia with such a cool DIY featuring our Straightaway’s logo from the album on it, it was really cute to see that ! Tonight no after party tomorrow is time for Russia and we have some apprehension. Max and his girlfriend Svetlana are amazing to us and we can’t thank them enough for treating us so well ! We’re gonna miss everyone for sure !

Day 10 and 11

9:30pm and it’s time to say goodbye to Ukraine and meet up with our Russian buddies to hit the border. It’s only 50 km away from Kharkiv so it’s not taking too long to get there. We’re all a bit stressed out as the French administration gave us a few warnings and recommended to be cautious as Russian customs are very picky and random. Therefore to avoid any problem we decided to go for an ATA carnet before going on tour. This is where you guys need a few explanations. This is an official document you have to pay for with a listing of your equipment, backline or anything else actually with values to prove you’ve paid taxes on these products, you’re going in and out with them so you’re not intending to sell them or anything. We thought it would be safer to hit Russia and we had no idea how it would fuck us over. It all starts with a long wait for reasons I ignore cuz I can’t say there are many people in the queue. It seems hard to get someone to talk to and check out our ATA carnet as nobody knows what this is all about. They’re familiar with TIR carnet for trucks not ATA. We keep waiting, doing nothing and not knowing what we’re after. Gena speaks to a few people but without any real success. After a few hours they decide to check out our van and see our equipment. Whilst we put all our gear off the van so they can check the weights we’re told that we won’t be able to pass the border today as the guy taking care of ATA carnets is on vacation. He’s back tomorrow and we’ll have to wait. The worst being that these guys don’t even look like they’re after money. We’ll have to stay in a small place beside the customs area where they rent cheap rooms to sleep for the night. The first Russian show is gone. The whole trip was incredibly sunny until today it’s mad cold and rainy. Good way to start Russia ! For the first time of the tour we’re all in bed by 9pm after such a bad day. I’m really gutted to miss the first show in Voronezh. We wake up the next day still stressed out but hopeful. It all starts the same way and we keep waiting for hours until we get to see the main guy. Our whole file was ready and just needed to be stamped and that’s where problems started. We never used that carnet before and asked French customs for advice. They told us it had to be stamped when we get out of the European union which was a shitload of crap. That Russian guy explained he couldn’t let us pass with this carnet as it’s not stamped by the French customs. Gena is trying as hard as possible to push and find a way out but it’s not taking good shape and I’m really starting to get worried. In the end the only option we’re offered is to go back to Ukraine which means our one entry visas are not valid anymore, get new urgent visas, come back to Russia without the carnet and pay close to 800 euros so more than 1200 euros in total for the 400kg of gear we have count held we paid close to 300 euros for this ATA carnet. Yeah whatever! We all feel like this is pretty much the end and we’re gonna go back to France, Gena is so gutted he could almost cry after putting so much time in this tour and this is all such a letdown. After 30 hours here (!!!!!!) we’re going back to Ukraine and can’t believe this is happening. After half an hour of shattered thoughts I pull myself together and think of a few options to try to pass the border again. We go back to Kharkiv to the Russian embassy and we’re told that our visas are still valid as they weren’t stamped which means they weren’t closed. Therefore we don’t have to ask for new urgent visas ! What a kickass news. Andrew from Sportloto quit his job earlier so he can take care of us and we’re all happy to see him again even after such a short time. Andrew is the man ! We’re sleeping at his place tonight and will see Max and Sevtlana again. Actually Max tells me at night that he’s happy to have us one more day here even though he wished we made it through. Andrew aka the cooker is back and we have another killer dinner. The more time we spend time in Kharkiv the more we feel at home! It’s time for a few acoustic covers of NOFX, No Use For A Name, Lagwagon, The Ataris and Fab is the man in charge. After that we’re headed to bed. 


Day 12 and 13
New day, new hopes, new stress. We meet up Gena, Sergueï and Vladimir again. Gena just told me we missed two great shows and 300 people showed up at each one. What a shame! Most of insurance companies don’t work in Russia so we need to get one first. We finally make it back to the Russian border again and luckily with the turnover and shifts there’s a brand new team. We show our visas and aren’t getting any problem. Good point! They wanna have a look at the van and keep looking into it in a kind of weird way but eventually let us pass. Now it’s time for the second checkpoint. We fill in a paper for the exportation of the van in Russia with a friendly Russian girl from the custom for a change. We’re asked what’s in the van and we explain this is our equipment and cheat on the weight to avoid all the paper stuff and taxes. The guy is not picky and lets us go we all can’t believe we’re in! We’re all euphoric like we just won a world cup ! First gas station and diesel cost 0,50 euros/litre. What a joke when you know we currently pay 1,45 euros in Western Europe. Russia is incredibly huge and we need to catch up all the distance we should have done over the last few days and that’s now 1200 km. Holy fuckin’ shit that’s already a lot on good roads but in Russia this is the worst nightmare but we have a day off. Anyway we’re in and were almost back to France so no reason to complain. We get controlled a few times by the Russian police we’re getting used to that and no money is coming out of our pockets again. Way to go! The roads are pretty ok until we take one of these national roads on the way to Pskov. It’s already night time and this could look like one of these horror movies scenes. We have no idea where the hell we are and never imagined roads could be so fucked up. We’re forced to drive at 30km/hour cuz our van is definitely suffering too much from the ridiculous state of the roads. Whether this part of Russia was bombed or meteorites must be falling off the sky every two minutes. After pretty much 24 hours we arrive at the venue in Pskov which is definitely cool. If I was asked in which part of Russia is the highest suicide rate I might answer this city cuz it’s really weird haha. We’re all trying to have some sleep. Matt and Sylvain our drivers are literally dead, how could they not be? There’s not much to say we don’t really know where we’ll find the energy to play tonight’s show but I’m sure we will. Surprisingly we’re the only band on the bill and nobody’s supporting. Weird! Only 40 people show up which makes this one the only bad show of the tour turnout wise but maybe it’s for the better as we’re very tired. However again we get this unexpected and unsuspected energy while we play and do a pretty good show despite the lack of people. The sound is really good on stage. Time for an after party after the show. Some decide to go to bed and others to party hard.


Day 14 and 15
Time for Saint Petersburg and we’re all excited to see one of the most beautiful cities in the world with such a great history. The distance is not too long but still longer than it would usually take with good roads. The drive is not that long compared to the rest but that was before we get stuck in the heavy traffic jams in the city. After more than hour we finally make it to the club where the show has already started. It’s incredibly hot inside. We’re heading out to get some food before playing. The stage is really tight tonight and we have to do more than a quick linecheck but this show should be fun and it is right after we start. People are moving, circlepits are starting right away and the quality of our playing keeps getting more and more constant and consistent through the whole tour. The setlist is already through and it’s time for a few hugs, photos, autographs and chats. Unfortunately we won’t have any time to visit the city as our Russian fellows advised us that Moscow is very shaky when it comes down to traffic jams and we might not even make it to the show on a Saturday if we leave in the morning. We’re all pretty reluctant to have another night drive especially as we’re more than tired and I feel so sorry for our drivers. However after missing two kickass shows already there’s no way we’ll risk to miss out on another one so we pack our stuff load out and get ready to hit the road again. It’s midnight by the time we leave.

After such a long drive we reach Moscow. It’s a huge city and looks like the US East Coast sometimes. Big straight avenues, big buildings but there’s always something to remind the communist era. We’re welcomed by a very nice girl named Vicka for our stay in Moscow and we head off to bed for a few hours of sleep before the show as we barely got some in the van. I fall asleep like a baby and I feel like a week wouldn’t be enough to recover from the lack of sleep we’ve had but it’s totally worth it. 4 hours later we’re up and have to go to the club for the show. I have to say I wouldn’t mind sleeping more haha. We’re already back in the van, it has definitely become our very own home for the last couple of weeks! Tonight is a 4 band bill with our friends from Sportloto again but Trick Shot from Russia cancelled as their drummer quit a few days ago. The club is small but pretty cool and classy. The food tonight is the top of the pop. Really sweet. Sportloto kicks off and not that many people showed up. Less than a hundred I’d say and I find it pretty odd as Moscow should be one of the best shows on the tour. Actually every show was amazing so far except Pskov due to the lack of people. The guys from Sportloto have to leave right away after they played and that sucks. We barely had time to hang out. Supermarket from Moscow, which shared the bill with us in St Petersburg as well, are on now. It’s way more crowded and hotter. I’m trying to get some rest I’ve got one of those bad headaches that kill you. It’s already time to get on stage fuck my headache I’ll work it out somehow. The place is pretty packed between 200 and 250 people for sure. Everybody is staring at us and eager to see our show while we’re putting our gear. People start screaming our name and it’s time to start with Another Day. Moscow here we go! First song and people get nuts in a few seconds only and this is gonna be another memorable show no doubt about that. People seem to know the lyrics and sing along, the now usual circlepits start as well and this is why you do stuff that doesn’t seem to make sense like driving for a whole night just for a one hour performance. The reward like tonight is more than worthy and despite the tiring schedule we couldn’t be happier to be on stage. We’re done and asked for an encore and there’s no reason why we wouldn’t give them so more. Show is over and all my clothes are so wet I feel like I’ve just had a shower all dressed up. Time for the photos, nice chats and all that jazz and then loading out. Right after the show we’re told that our show tomorrow in Vladimir has been cancelled! What a bummer. We’re offered a new show not far from Moscow but what can we expect from a show booked 24 hours before with such a short promotion? Anyway we’d rather play, get money and hopefully get a good time so game on. We’ll see how it turns out. We’re off to the afterparty and there’s gonna be a lot of alcohol for sure!


Day 16 and 17 
We’re up at a pretty reasonable time to go and visit Moscow a bit especially The Red Square. We’re taking the metro and it’s great not to use our van for once! The Red Square is pretty impressive and huge we don’t spend too much time but are all happy we saw it. We’re back to Vicka’s place and see Vladimir. Shit that guy drunk Vodka since yesterday’s night until 1 pm today and he’s completely wasted. There’s no word for it and we’re all having a big laugh! Just for your information he didn’t drink for the 3 or 4 next days. 

We’re heading to Dubna, the drive is pretty short and roads are good as we’re in the Moscow area. It’s only 130 km away from here. We arrive at the club and it’s really cool and professional. I like the place. That’s already a good point for a show booked a day before. A cool catering is waiting for us in the backstage after we’re done with the soundcheck. When the show starts I can’t believe what I’m seeing. More than 250 people are in the club! What the fuck??? I’m asking our Russian guys if that show was already on and we were added to the bill or if it was just promoted for us since last night. That was the second option so I was right. This is completely insane. 250 people have showed up after a one day promotion that’s really sick. We’re up on stage, it’s hot again for a change and people are beyond excited! They keep screaming Straightaway for a few minutes but we can’t start as we’re not ready. We try to be as fast possible and the show is on. If I was asked what was the best show you guys played so far I would tell this one without a single doubt. The intensity of the crowd left me speechless and this is the kind of shows you wish would never end. There’s a small mezzanine and people keep diving from there all the way through not to mention crazy stage divings, circle pits, spontaneous hand claps and other crazy things. Seeing all these smiles made not only my day but my year! Playing in band and being on tour can be sometimes for the worst but obviously for the very best and tonight we had the time of our life. Dubna thank you we love you all! Time for another afterparty. Digo and myself head off to bed earlier than the rest of the guys. I missed Matt being wasted as hell and I heard it was a must see. Dammit ! 

Day 18 and 19
Today is our last Russian show in Istra and our last day with our Russian guides Sergueï, Gena and Vladimir which is kinda sad. It’s not far again and that’s cool to be able to get more sleep and shorter drives. The weather was sunny and all of a sudden it starts snowing just when we get in Istra. The venue and the stage are huge. Pretty damn good club! I dunno how the hell we’re gonna fill that up but Eastern Europe is full of good surprises. Cmex are opening the show and it’s actually their really cool bass player who’s putting on the show tonight. The food is great again and another good surprise is the club is well crowded when we’re on. The stage is really big the master on our guitar amps is pretty loud and I like that when you can hear the real organic sound of the tubes working at their best. I’m really tired tonight. Actually my vocal cords are. My voice is all good and not trashed but for some reason I have a hard time singing tonight. This is a pretty weird feeling. I’m just burned the lack of sleep is the reason why I reckon and that’s very important for the recovery of the vocal cords as you might guess. I still manage to do the job quite properly and we do another good show. Tours usually have ups and downs in the quality of shows sometimes you’re good sometimes you’re bad and I haven’t felt this at all this time. We’ve been able to keep playing well and good shows and that’s really making me happy and hopeful. Due to the numerous requests we’re back for an encore which includes Strung Out’s Velvet Alley’s cover and Bitter Pill acoustic that we haven’t played at all since almost a year and haven’t worked on ever since but it’s not bad. The last song is barely over and people take over the stage for a drumstick, a pick, a photo, a handshake or anything else! No need to load out now we sleep at the venue tonight so let’s go straight to the afterparty with the nice guys of Cmex and much more people. We have to wake up at 6:30 am tomorrow. We’re heading to Belarus for a couple of shows and we’re not so sure about the roads and the border so we thought we should be careful. I’m off to bed at 3 am with Matt especially cuz of my voice. The rest of the guys are partying hard and getting seriously drunk! 

Time to wake up and they’re still all drunk especially Fab who is usually the strongest guy in the band when it comes down to alcohol. He looks drunk like before he went to bed and it’s just pure fun. I can’t believe we have no video of that. Ouch now we have to load out and doing that at such an early hour ain’t cool at all but it has to be done. 7am we’re leaving. Surprisingly the highway to Belarus has four ways and is almost perfect that looks like a big improvement to us! We can finally drive at 130km/h and we’ll be in Vitebsk earlier than we thought. Another factor I forgot was that there’s a different time zone and we’re losing one hour so need to worry about the timing. We pass the border in 15 minutes so everything’s in order! We reach Vitebsk right on time and earlier than we were supposed to but today is an early show. We meet Alex who booked our shows in Belarus and Yalick. Remember that guy who came to a few of our shows in Ukraine ? That’s him! The club is cool again close to 200 hundreds kids showed up and 2 bands are opening. Guys from both bands are really nice people and this looks like another great show. Time for another Straightaway show and this time is not gonna be any different and I’m glad about it. Kickass crowd, enjoyable show, a lot of sweat, the perfect recipe to a good punk rock show. No need to spend too much time on that as it happened pretty much the same way for all the shows and that’s for the best! After a great after party in a nice flat and lots of cool people including tonight’s promoter who is an adorable girl we’re off to bed pretty late with Fab. Saul is sick so he was the first one sleeping for once.

Day 20
One more rude awakening for the last show of the tour in Minsk as Berlin is cancelled. Only 4 hours of driving and a great highway to go there. For some reason I ignore roads in Belarus are much better than in Russia or Ukraine and even cities seem to be better and cleaner. Is it because this is the last dictatorship in Europe? Weird… Anyway we’re in Minsk and it’s a nice city. This is one of the last times I switch on my computer in the van to update this diary. We went to a great restaurant and had a wonderful lunch before going to the club. The venue is actually weird at first sight cuz the stage is incredibly high. Everybody’s exhausted to the max and it’s not bad this is the last show tonight cuz sooner or later it would have been hard to pull off more energy when there’s none left. It has worked till now but I’m not sure it would for much longer. I’m pretty much like a zombie and don’t really know how I will make it happen tonight so I’m on energy drinks. Not sure it’s helping at all. Fab is sleeping pretty much all the time until the show. Opening bands are pretty good tonight. It’s really hot in here the venue is packed with more than 200 people and the crowd is ace. Maybe the energy drinks worked cuz I’m feeling better or maybe it is the adrenaline to play one last amazing show that is driving me. From the very first notes till the end the crowd never stops I see people singing along to our songs again and everyone’s giving us so much energy that there’s not a single moment I feel tired. What a good way to a finish a tour! My voice is definitely good tonight and I have great sensations. A girl gets on stage and kiss me while I’m playing. Eeeeek I still wonder how she managed to do that count held of how much I was sweating! Another girl calls me and kiss my lips by surprise. It was funny as it reminded me the exact same scene with Joey Cape from Lagwagon when we played we them in Lyon, France. Minsk was definitely among the best shows of the tour with Dubna. Great memories. I hope we’ll come back soon !

The tour is over we have our heads filled with insane memories and a strong will to come back very soon and live all these amazing moments again. Thanks to anyone who came to a show, asked for a photo or an autograph, had a nice chat with us, to all the promoters, anyone who bought some merch and all our new friends out there. Special thanks to Max, Andrew and Sportloto in Ukraine, Sergueï, Vladimir and Gena in Russia, Alex and Yalick in Belarus. You guys rock and see you all soon!

Lotfi