Just stepped off the bus after a whole day of travelling into a truck-stop that looked like a scene from the film “Fargo” except, hopefully, without the murders. Days like this are remarkable. We left Wroclaw at about 2am and went to sleep in motion. I woke up somewhere towards the northern tip of Poland and now, as the sun is setting, we’re in Lithuania. It really feels like the beginning of the northern wilds; a remote expanse of snow interspersed with tiny buildings and petrol stations. Walking into the truck-stop cafe it was clear they don’t get many strangers around here. The guys tucked into home-made kebab and chips while I trudged happily in the deep snow and gazed at the endless horizon until the cold sent me back to the bus to concoct my tour-bus staple meal of microwaved gnocchi with olive oil, chilli and sun-dried tomatoes.
Looking at the map I realise I’ve never been so far north and, when we reach Helsinki in a few days time we’ll be on the top page of the European map book, on the same page as the north pole. There’s something about that which feels really exciting and I get that kind of “outer space” feeling I get after travelling for such a concerted period of time. As if your feet don’t understand solid ground any more.
Kinda reminds me of touring in the US where you can spend days travelling between shows and that led Andy and I into a discussion of where that space takes us and what it would be like to write an album in that constant motion. He’s got a travelling studio that neatly fits into a tiny case and he’s sitting here with headphones on right now, tapping his foot to a new groove he’s working on while I type. We just got really inspired about an idea of the two of us doing a road trip and writing the new album that way, maybe in the US, who knows? A track, a state…sounds like one hell of a sonic adventure.
Lou.x
