Shame the lyrics to WFTSC's title-track couldn't look into the future..."First to Paris then to Spain" was *almost* the perfect thread title, still when New Order arrange gigs in three classic holiday destinations in the space of 4 days we're not grumbling.
Mallorca...was the semi-relaxing start. Gordie and me turned up late on Monday, just in time to see Andy Murray win the US Open to the shock of the locals. This was followed by a spot of sight seeing on Tuesday morn, Gordie taking the antique railway up the island while I had a poke around artist Joan Miro's old gaff which is now a tribute to his work. El Jarvo, Gazman, LeggyD, Canada, MissyJem, Sarah, Col B, Nick King and Norbert all arrived at different times during Tuesday. The afternoon was spent lounging around the pool which overlooked the bay, everyone chilling out, soaking up the rays, getting drinks from the poolside bar and taking turns flicking through Tim Burgess's autobiography. Once the heat started to drop it was off into the Magaluf bars for pre-gig looseners and onto Mallorca Rocks.
At both the Mallorca and Ibiza sets most punters were British holiday-makers, tossing a bit of Blue Monday into their Sangria. So a lot more yoof in the house than normal. Few small travelling groups of older heads from Blighty too. Leeds, Boro, Clapham and a couple of Alex's old mates from Stockport. All left with Viking badges. Ibiza even boasted a group of 20-something lasses on a Happy Mondays themed hen do, all shaking flourescent maracas. And their melons. New Order flyers wallpapered Magaluf and San Antonio, suspect a good chunk of the audience were those who happened to be on their holidays that week. The lucky bleeders.
Rocks' were set within hotel courtyards, the crowd packed tightly around the stage and pool. Only a thousand punters tops at each I'd say, no room for any more, breathing in halogen gas and knocking back sunshine beers, with everyone on vacation the vibe was loose and happy. Mallorca ended up with everyone straggling back through the tacky, neon-lit back streets of Magaluf, in differing states, dodging the female African tourists!. But Ibiza was what we'd all come for and two nights on Europe's party island. It was in Ibiza we hooked up with our fixer Royser and Mrs G, so the Vikings were complete.
The Ibiza gig was hotly awaited.....what would they play off Technique?. In the end it was just Round and Round, with Bernard recognising Ibiza's brief but significant part in the NewOrder story in the track intro. Even Alex's two mates Kev and Rog, professional cynics by trade (just like the Vikings) and veterans of many 80s gigs including Technique USA '89, were blown away by NewOrder in Ibiza. Kev and Rog couldn't believe how joyous the band looked, how great they sounded and concluded on the spot that NO and Hooky are better off apart. With the crowd right up for a party, NewOrder electric and no roof between the gig and the night sky, the mediterranean stars had the best two nights of their lives.
Memories of the after show at the Es Paradise club are hazy but fun-tazi, the tour's centre-piece. Everyone's spirits sky-high after a moment-in-time gig, it was hands in the air and arms round shoulders until the DJ could no longer entertain us. We walked for about 20 mins from EP through San An towards the hotel at around 5am, and then at the insistence of Mrs G took cabs for the final 2 mins!. Watching the sun go down on the day after the gig, with the beautiful people in Cafe Mambo, on the sea front, was a proper Balearic experience. There's a pic of this on my twitter feed (@JohnnyGiles). View it while imagining John Lennon's er, Imagine, playing just at this moment. Because it was. Apparently the band stopped at the hotel where the video to Wham's Club Tropicana was shot and went straight back after the gig as they were all off to Paris early doors on Thursday morn. Andy Rob, who'd booked himself on a later flight, and Gary (Warners) set off to Sankeys in persuit of Detroit techno with Derrick Carter, we were invited but it was 15km out of San An, noone really fancied the journey and we had wrist bands for EP by then.
Wasn't particularly impressed at having to catch an 8am flight to Paris on Friday. After a bit of kip on Friday afternoon, we met up with Wolfram/TheMilkys and squashed ourselves onto a hellish, packed shuttle bus from the Metro to the site where we arrived to witness half of Paris queuing to get in. Comps collected (merci beaucoup Andy) we walked into this hulking festival with political workshops and small bars pumping out hip-hop and reggae then found Captain Solo and Digi Mike at a boozer opposite the main stage. It was here we met NOOL's own Karine who had been really helpful in the run up to the gig with travel tips and logistics. The festival was like a village fete, run by the Notting Hill Carnival organising committee with proceeds going to the Socialist Workers Party. Highlight of the gig was the crowd reaction to another vibrant New Order performance (why weren't they fuct after Ibiza?, aah cos they sloped off early, can we all hear Bernard? "we're professional these days")...non-stop crowd surfing and good natured mayhem down the front. Nobby got bumped from pillar to post, eventually had to give up Micro Mic and looked as deflated as his toy by the end. Stopped out with Wolfram to chat to the hot bar maid at the Communist Party bar -who had travelled up from the Loire Valley to work for nothing! we were hoping free love might have been part of the manifesto but alas not - and then danced badly at a couple of said hip-hop joints.
Sets were pretty similar....R&R played in Ibiza instead of Krafty, HTS at both Balearic shows and middle section dropped in Paris, straight from Isolation to BLT. Added to reports of stellar performances at Bestival and Portmerion this is a great moment to be a ticket holder for the upcoming North American gigs.
Fun times.
Edited by user 20 September 2012 15:12:15(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified
