The Moshville Times - The Virginmarys Northern Sun tour diary

The second half (read the first half here) of The Virginmarys’ tour was no less uneventful and even if no-one showed up to surprise us on this half, the band made up for it in the final week…

Night 4: Mansfield – “Lost Weekend”

It’s a chilled out day before heading to Mansfield. Garry’s taken Sam home and heads onwards where Simon, Rachel and I meet him. Tonight’s in a weird venue. The Old Library reminds me of a community centre but it turns out to be a great venue. It’s here where the band recorded Sitting Ducks and Ally performed for his People Help the People tour in 2016.

Immediately, the much larger stage hits me. It’s wide, it’s deep and the band don’t look squashed into a space. The first band seem decent enough, if largely forgettable. Meanwhile, the second, One Giant Causeway, seem more captivating. Whilst not to my taste, there’s something quirky about them and when vocalist Rory Cooper straps on a guitar, the band feel saturated. With three guitars, two could have been ripped out and there’d still be that same, cohesive sound. Too indie for my own tastes but not the worst band I’ve seen.

Walking onto polite cheers, Mansfield seems the tamest crowd of the tour with not much bouncing to be had except for us with polite claps and equal cheering from the majority of the crowd. That said, there seems to be some converts by the end of the night as they weren’t playing to a room full of their own fans, rather people coming out and ing live music. More technical problems plague Ross but the band all take it in their stride with some laughs and it leads to a stripped back intro for “You Got Your Money, I’ve Got My Soul”.

Danny’s hands are battered, wincing at points as he strikes his drums with his usual force, his fingers covered in kids plasters and his wrist gaffer taped. He doesn’t let it stop him, however, and whilst he’s further away from the action, Ally and Ross jump across the stage, taking advantage of a bigger space. The same chemistry from Birmingham is there from the band and whilst there’s not the same feeling in the air as last night, it’s still an excellent performance with Ally taking time out to thank the venue for all their co-operation and dedicating “Sitting Ducks” to them.

For some of us, the tour’s just beginning at this point, there’s a hint of sadness since that for myself and Garry, we’ve ed the halfway point but we’re not letting that deter us. Normality resumed the following Monday after having a couple of weeks off and already, it felt like a lifetime ago.

Night 5: Newcastle – “Falling Down”

Last drive of the tour. Much like the Leicester show, I’m just driving back home from the gig that night. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The morning makes for a fun journey with a nice cross-country run into Newcastle. And it’s the warmest day of the year. Fuck the sun. Irrespective of that, Newcastle looks great in the sun and there’s a cool vibe to the town, the last stop of the tour which is new to me.

Finding the Head of Steam, a quirky lounge playing your standard classic rock songs with Thin Lizzy played every second or third song – a fact I’m quite happy about. I park myself in there to wait for Garry and Jane, another of the regulars you’ll find at a Virginmarys show, regardless of the town they’re in. So, fuelled up, we make our way to the Think Tank as the heat finally dies and The Strands are warming up the crowd. Much like One Giant Causeway, they’re pretty indie leaning but manage to hold my attention for their set for the most part but with the wallpaper on the stage, you can’t help but have a look past them.

It’s another blinder of a set from The Virginmarys but tonight, the set has been tinkered with ever so slightly. One of my personal favourites “Halo in Her Silhouette” has been replaced with the equally raucous “Falling Down”. Screams from Ally and its massive breakdown make it a worthy replacement and it still means you can bounce along to it. Meanwhile “Don’t Want to Be Free” makes an appearance with the band having recently given the demo of it to fans, it’s another of the songs which we can expect on the album.

Naturally, the hardcore fans are up for it and as ever, the three-piece feed off them and as the tour rolls on, they up the ante every night. The running order of the set continues and the anthemic singalong of “Just a Ride” leads the tail end of the set. Letting the crowd lead the first verse, there’s unbridled fury in Ally’s delivery, veins popping as he screams his frustration. There’s a definite sense of the band upping their game this week and the performance is one of the best of the tour. Whilst the crowd may not have been at their peak, the die-hards more than make up the energy levels for the rest of the room.

Night 6: Edinburgh – “Ends Don’t Mend”

Will we skip to the end? If only for one simple fact of this night: sweatiest gig ever. Tonight’s the last night of the tour for a few of us and for others, the only show of the tour. Tomorrow is the last night as the band continue to Lincoln for a Primordial Radio bash. So, in perfect fashion, we make sure Edinburgh is bouncing and those of us in the front row go as hard as we did as if it was the first night. Before the gig, we’ve taken over the back bar of Bannermans with Garry ing me along with Jane, Iain and Yvonne (local gig buddies of mine and their only night of the tour which they later inform me they regret), Wendy and Sarah (who’ve also put in some serious mileage with Sheffield, Mansfield, Newcastle and tonight under their belts) before Ally’s dad, Phil, puts in his own appearance. Much like myself and Garry’s he’s been at pretty much all of the shows thus far.

Opening procedures here was Benny Monteaux and as he explains, he usually has a full band with him but tonight, it’s just him and his acoustic guitar. He lyrics are relatable and his between-song endearing. One song has a round of “Ain’t supposed to die on a Saturday night” and I’m expecting a full digression into The Gaslight Anthem’s “The ’59 Sound” but it never comes.

It’s been four and a half years since The Virginmarys played in Edinburgh and they’re intent on making it worth the wait. Much like the night before, they’re on top form and despite the tighter curfew, are more than happy to have fun as Ally shows when someone shouts something indecipherable to him a couple of times. “Sorry, I don’t speak Scottish,” he says. Another shout. “Was it deep-fried?” he quips and endearingly earns a laugh from the crowd before ploughing on with the set.

Despite the breaks between shows, this is the band in full-on tour mode, as if ramping up, set to blow everyone away at the impending festival show. Ross, in particular, puts in the best performance I’ve seen from him, lunging across the stage and enjoying every minute he’s there. Elsewhere, the main set closer “Ends Don’t Mend” – otherwise known as the bluesiest song they’ve ever made with its massive riffs paired with Ally’s howls – indicates the end is fast approaching. It’s not quite hit me that the end is nigh, I’m too enraptured at Ally’s fretwork on this song, just like I have been every night of the tour.

Meanwhile, “Northern Sun” gives a breather with its slow, haunting intro before it picks up and then we go full blast into “Bang Bang Bang” for the finale. As performances go, it’s one of the best of the tour with myself and friends, much like the band, barely finding a chance to stop. Sweat is stinging my eyes and my voice hoarse. It’s over. Despite that, there’s nothing but grins to be had as farewells are made. With its packed room, Opium has one of the best acoustics of the night, notably with Ally’s vocals much punchier in the mix and Ross’ bass rumbling beside powerhouse Danny Dolan’s drums.

Although some nights were better than others, there wasn’t a bad one amongst the half-dozen. Despite not having the chance to rehearse for the first week, Sheffield and Leicester were still excellent performances and the band only became better the following two weekends. It happens with every band as they’re spurred by the reality of playing to their crowds. Whilst it never became tiresome hearing the same songs in the same order three weekends in a row, the addition of “Don’t Want to Be Free” and “Falling Down” was welcome.

As for myself, it was a fun experience visiting towns I’d never been to before, finally seeing them in Birmingham and it’s proof that no matter what night you saw them, they’re intent on knocking it out of the park. ion for their craft is laid bare for all to see, ensuring they’re as tight a unit as they can be. On top of that, there’s the fans. No matter what night you saw them, there was a sense of community and family, a chance to catch up with people from the last tour and much as the band have a ion for their fans, it’s given back in equal measure.

Tour stats:

Worst drive – home to Newcastle (again, fuck the sun), tied with Sheffield to Leicester
Best drive – Sam’s to Rachel and Glen’s (car picnics are the best)
Best gig – Birmingham
Sweatiest gig – Edinburgh
Politest crowd – Mansfield
Loudest gig – Sheffield
Miles travelled – to quote Stu: “Don’t even think about it”

Header image with kind permission TravellingSimon Photography