Kites Tour – Part 3

Exchanging Glances Over Glasses

So this was our nadir. We clambered into our vehicle on Wednesday morning without the usual Flintstones-like aplomb. As I configured our Sat-Nav for Manchester, I was demoralised, fatigued and disillusioned. Privately, I was dreading our journey through the barren moors of Northern England and yet, somehow, the experience was to provide roboration for our troubles. I soon learnt that this was not a land of dark Satanic Mills, as William Blake may have described it, but one where hope springs eternal. As we twisted and meandered our way through the salubrious countryside, I could feel Kites’ lifeblood return.

We were greeted in the car park of Blueprint Studios by Frederick and his assistant Christopher. These two amiable characters instantly put our combustible nerves at rest. My previous experiences of recording houses had been limited to snotty adolescents slouching before faders and dials like they were attempting to fathom Pythagoras’ Theorem.

Blueprint Studios was to be an altogether different affair.

We were ushered into separate rooms and left to set up our equipment with the sort of care usually reserved for Airfix model aeroplanes. The glamour of Blueprint seemed like a world distantly removed from the flat cider, temperamental equipment, and howling feedback that we had grown accustomed to. I could not have imagined how easily Kites would assimilate this new territory. Georgie and Taio refined their parts in under three takes whilst Richard aided Frederick in pin-pointing snares and crashes which were a nano-second out of time. Some might call such punctiliousness ludicrous but I was charmed by his thirst for perfection.

We left the studios flushed with excitement and clutching our first professionally engineered demo. It hasn’t been released yet and therefore I must urge patience!

Manchester embraced us in its bosom as we frolicked through its streets in a whirlwind of interviews, inebriation and youthful folly. It all culminated in a fantastic show at the Night & Day Cafe where we were fortunate enough to meet the lovely Andrew Grimshaw of Get Your Ears Out.

There was only one journey and one more show in Brixton before our maiden tour would reach its natural denouement.

We were tired.

We were dirty.

We were enriched, enhanced and empowered by our experiences.

We were ready to face a nebulous future with confidence and optimism.

A huge ‘thank you’ to our manager – Matt Errington – who made this all possible.

Next stop: Indigo2...