Music
Great Cynics’ most memorable moments from tour with Jeff Rosenstock
Great Cynics vocalist and guitarist Giles Bidder reports from the band’s recent tour with Jeff Rosenstock.
Warning, may contain some suitably rock and roll behaviour.
One car crash, two van breakdowns, being dragged out of a toilet by a 50-year-old lady while tripping on shrooms, and 26 mostly sold-out shows. That’s how I’ll remember our 2016 tour with Jeff Rosenstock.
We were asked to write a tour diary but I don’t wanna bore anyone with a day-to-day thing (and I don’t wanna re-live my van breaking down again) so instead, I will give my personal top moments of tour:
1. Amsterdam. I turned 25 the night we played in Amsterdam, so I was expanding my conscious. Following deep conversations about whether drinking your own urine would “double the effects”. After being pointed towards the girls’ toilets, an older lady, perhaps middle-aged, walked in on me, mid sip (a first and last) and proceeded to drag me by my T-shirt up against the wall next to the sink, and then out the door of the toilet. We made up shortly after.
2. Sold-out shows. To book a tour and invite over someone you’ve listened to and respected for years, and for those shows to sell out is an amazing feeling.
3. Jeff Rosenstock. To get cheesey for a second, Jeff, Kevin and John are three of the most weirdly talented people I’ve seen play music. Every night they were inspiring and entertaining. Amazing songs. Amazing people!
4. Ireland. Kev and Empty Lungs Belfast crew and the lovely people in Chewing On Tinfoil showed us the best time in Ireland. Playing a theatre music hall supporting Ireland’s most prolific ska-punk band, to hiking through a valley to a mini-beach with a load of dogs was sick!!
5. LIT
6. Skating in Berlin. The lovely people at Cassiopeia skatepark always let us in for free since we did our first Euro tour with Gnarwolves and Broadway Calls in 2012. Sickest venue and park.
7. GUERILLA POUBELLE LETTING US BORROW THEIR VAN. Thanks Till, we love you.
