Italy/Spain Tour Diary (w/Rome Dropbox Link) (Patreon)

So after our show in Slovenia we headed down to Venice for a day off before heading to Ravenna, Rome and Brescia for shows. We had a really great time playing in Italy for the first time in late 2015 with Cradle of Filth and seemed to have quite a lot of fans there, so were expecting these to be great shows.The RAVENNA show was relatively small in comparison to most on this tour, but still went quite well and we were greeted by some very enthusiastic fans at the merch desk post show. We were playing a bit out of town, so not technically in Ravenna which made sight seeing a bit difficult unfortunately. We often arrive about lunchtime and really only have maybe 2-3 hours free before soundcheck which means that if we aren't in walking distance or near public transport sometimes we can visit somewhere and really not see much except for what is within a few minute walk of the venue. This was pretty much the case with this show unfortunately, but alas there is always next time. ROME was up next and is honestly one of my favourite places to play. I've always been a sucker for ancient history and so being in a city with history that goes back thousands of years, when I am used to living in Australia where everything is brand new is something I really appreciate. When we arrived at the venue we loaded in all our gear as quickly as we could and most of us then grabbed a lift with Oceans of Slumber into the main part of Rome which was about half an hour away.  Oceans had never been to Rome before so we headed straight to the Colosseum so they could stand in wonderment and then walked around some of the surrounding areas. Oceans were needed back at the venue for soundcheck quite soon and so after maybe less than 45min both bands piled back in their van to head back to the venue...that is, except for me. NeO weren't needed for at least a couple hours and so I decided to spend an extra hour or so wandering around by myself and then get the train or bus or uber... I didn't really care how I got back, I figured I would work it out somewhere and just wanted to see more of Rome! We had a day off here last year so I saw the Colloseum and the Pantheon and a few other things but I hadn't had a chance to see the Roman Forum which had been closed by the time I had got their last year. It was still open now so I went in and got a chance to witness the ruins of the great ancient city of Rome and walk amongst it all. I thought it was pretty amazing. I took heaps of photos and videos....too much for the video so instead here is an additional DROPBOX link to check out all my personal photos and videos from walking around in the Roman Forum:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nqj67nnyi0ngdow/AADvbu4EjAhSPIxeTRod7haBa?dl=0After a 50min bus/walk/tram/bus back to the venue it was then dinner, merch and warm up for the show! The show itself was absolutely amazing. The crowd was really packed in to the venue tonight and the vibe was one of the best of the whole tour so all up an amazing day.BRESCIA was up next again fell in the category of being a bit out of town and hard to see too much so the afternoon was mainly spent hanging out backstage listening through some new song demo's. I also had an interview to do pre show which went well and then into our normal routine of swapping around amongst ourselves selling merch, warming up, doing the show, hanging out with fans at the merch desk, counting merch, packing up merch and loading out, trying to find time for a shower somewhere in amongst all that, then onto the bus for the next city. This was another show where the Italian fans really came through. The vibe was absolutely fantastic, especially for a city that we had never been to before.  Another thing that really surprised about this show (and Rome as well) was how many CD's we sold! In parts of Scandinavia where Spotify is really big you can have 400 people there and literally sell 3 CD's as people just don't really buy them very much anymore. So I'm not sure if it's an Italian thing, or if fans just all bought them to get signed (which sometimes happens) but either way it definitely stood out as different from the rest of the tour the radio of CD's sold to people attending. Maybe that is boring info to you guys...but I find little things like that from country to country quite fascinating. BARCELONA was a place I had wanted to go to for a while. I had heard from many people what a wonderful city it was, but alas upon arrival the thing most prominent in my mind was that we had run out of batteries for our wireless gear so needed to find a supermarket to get some more, and I really needed to get to a gym. I sometimes have issues with my right shoulder/neck and working out goes a long way to keeping this part of my body in good condition  and if I go too long jumping around on stage without a workout it starts to get sore and I get headaches etc. so alas that took priority today whilst some of the other guys went off sightseeing. Benji, Dan & Brendan all went down to the beach but forgot to film...haha The show was another great one and once again it was really exciting to see so many people enthusiastic about our music in a place we had never been before. Finally MADRID was a show we had been looking forward to for some time as our friend Lindsday Schoolcraft of Cradle of Filth was going to be in town and was coming to the show. Lindsay jumped up with Oceans for a couple songs and balcony being our dressing room made for a fantastic vantage point to watch the rest of the show and so for once could watch all of Oceans while I warmed up and then not miss any of the mighty Enslaved as we relaxed post show. Next up was FRANCE.... Benji's homeland!

- Tim