Vandal Raptor tour blog #1: Durham & Hull

Durham is legendary (at least, in my mythology) for the Empty Shop, an independent and DIY hotspot which has helped support some of my favourite North Eastern bands.  In fact, I’ve only ever been to gigs and performed at gigs in Durham at Empty Shop.  Until Thursday.

Our first date of the Vandal Raptor tour was through the lovely folks at Empty Shop, but in their new space, the TESTT Space (The Empty Shop Think Tank) is an old office space used as a pop-up art gallery and space for us to flex our claws.

The show is all about rethinking space.  The characters in the play all debate how they can recreate and remould the world around them, how they can think ‘outside the box’.  The audience were a proper lovely bunch, some old faces from the North East poetry and punk scene as well as some strangers.  A lovely friendly, warm energy I always associate with Durham.  Hugely welcoming and huge heartening to kick off tour.

Sunday night we rocked up into Hull.  I’ve always loved Hull, it’s poets and theatre-makers are always gusty and honest, rough but warm.  We did the show at the New Adelphi, the only date on tour at an actual proper punky gig venue (well, there’s Hydra in Bristol but balancing the line between venue and bookshop).  A legend on the music scene, their posters showed bands from across the decades I sadly wish I’d seen (another theme of the show) but also boasts plenty of rad upcoming gigs and events (another theme:  Punk ain’t dead).

When the Hull crowd got into the show, they really got into it.  These tough Yorkshire folks are loud and responsive, and afterwards the very cool band Left Ahead did a set which reminded me of late 80s Chumbawamba.  Ace to get the crowd fired up with a punk play and then see a punk band!  Wish we could take them on tour.

Tonight we’re at my old stomping ground:  The Workshop Theatre in Leeds and tomorrow we hit Hydra Bookshop in Bristol for the last of our DIY dates.  Then Vandal Raptor goes upmarket to the sophisticated theatre spaces of Derby Theatre (20^th April) Harrogate Theatre (24-25^th) and Ovalhouse in London (26-28^th).