Day 3: Birmingham
Welcome
Yesterday we picked up our van and backline before driving up to Birmingham for our first show of the tour.
I started off my day with a visit to the Dusty Knuckle bakery in Dalston where I ordered a bacon and egg sandwich, which came on fresh Ciabatta with generous toppings of spring onion and fresh green chili.
I then walked to London Fields where I met Oli, Callum, and Callum, from New Zealand's best band Hans Pucket. They watched me eat my sandwich and then we took a beautiful walk along the Regents Canal.
Afterwards I walked to Chrissy P's flat to meet the rest of the Beths who were picking up the van.
Van Diesel is a 2017 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 314cdi powered by a 2.1 litre four cylinder turbo-diesel engine with a six speed manual transmission. With 140hp at the flywheel and a gross weight of only 3.5 tonnes Van effortlessly keeps us pinned back into our seats. At the same time he's not afraid to tackle a steep hill with a whopping 330Nm of torque at the rear axle. He also comes equipped with a PlayStation 4 and an LG 24" LCD display panel, and four cup-holders.
In the afternoon we drove three hours to Birmingham where we loaded in to our first venue, the Hare and Hounds. Hans Pucket played their first Northern Hemisphere show and did amazing job, and we did our best to follow up with a competent performance.
📸 Andy Coleman
After the show we followed a local's recommendation to a kebab/fish & chip shop, and then brought our meals back to Van Diesel for a cosy and intimate eating experience.
Beth of the day goes to Jonathan for naming our beautiful van. Give everyone else a chance Jono!