Thursday 2nd December 1999

Hull - Adelphi

We were a little late leaving London as we had to wait for Harry to dry his hair. But eventually we got into the van and onto the motorway for what was to be an arduous journey to Hull. As Der is indisposed, Kev was the main man when it came to driving and he had a tough time dealing with sleet, rain and gale force winds.

7 hours later, we arrived at the Adelphi, very easy to find as I must have played there about 8 times already, and could probably find my way there blindfolded.

We were greeted by the guys from support band Lithium Joe and Jim, the eternal Adelphi soundman. It was good to see Jim again, he is a top bloke.

The venue hasn't changed since Carter's last gig there, which was a part of the Dave Tour. I love the Adelphi, it is steeped in Rock n Roll history. No matter what happens, as long as it is standing, I will always go back there.

Soundcheck was a doddle as Jim is so familiar with the gear and has done Carter several times, so he knows what I like.

It was soon time for Lithium Joe to strut their funky pop reggae. They are a top band, I was particularly impressed with the drummer, he played some cool licks. Once again, here is a great band who deserve to be heard, someone please give the music business a huge kick up the jacksie.

We came on-stage to a warm and cheerful welcome and soon got down to business, playing almost the same set as in Bath. It was another great gig, we played well, there was a bit of dancing, we got a few good heckles and I had a great time wiggling my hips (a new Abdou trait).

After the gig I managed to sell some CDs and shirts to pay for the petrol and also secured some exclusive student accommodation in the area where we could rest our weary heads for the night. Thanks to Dave and the gang for their hospitality, I slept like a baby.

Another good gig then. Thanks to Paul, Jim, Lithium Joe and everyone at the Adelphi for being great. Hi to Chris Von Trapp, Iain and everyone else who braved the cold night to catch the Abdou experience.