Cheltenham

And so to the final gig in the Town Hall at Cheltenham. We are expecting a huge echoey experience but the hall is quite modest, holding about 200 people. Tiny sound desk and very little lighting, but the guy who does it all is really good at his job, so for the last gig we have really good sound.

Cups of teas, beers etc ready and waiting. A bit of time between the sound check and performance so Tom makes music in the dressing room.

The audience are one of the best. Their enthusiasm fills the hall – there is a fabulous ‘cockerel’ imitator. Neil asks for help from the audience in one of the ‘adverts’ and gets what is probably the best farmyard sound to date. There is a big crowd to meet Neil afterwards including one of our neighbours from way back when we lived near London (28 years) – and we still recognised each other. Also waiting is Bob Carruthers who is making Bonzo DVD and will be conducting a filmed interview with Neil at the hotel tomorrow. We seem to take an age to leave tonight, maybe because it is the last gig. Eventually we make it to the Thistle Hotel which is spacious and geared up for late night revelry.

Neil’s thought for the day, ‘Human consciousness is probably the last true wilderness on the planet.’

Tom’s poem  -Olde Worldy- ‘Extrah lletterrs inn werrds, Mayke them beautiffull.’