Well, I’m back in the UK, Manchester to be precise. The end of the Flogging Molly tour was fucking great, and I’d like to take this opportunity to send another big hug and a kiss to everyone in Molly and their crew, and The Architects. Friends for life, good times were had by all.

The morning after the Chicago show I went to the airport and flew overnight to Manchester, whence I got a train up to Newcastle. I arrived in the toon feeling like a bit of a weirdo, what with the time difference and the crap white-wine-and-valium sleeping on the plane. We have full production for this tour (lights and PA) so I arrived to a maelstrom of activity, new crew members, lights and speakers everywhere. It was all a bit hectic, and the first night was a lot of fun but by the end I was completely and utterly knackered. I slept long and hard on the bus, and the Edinburgh show was just plain awesome, from where I was standing. We’re trying out a slightly different setlist for this tour, and we have our light-show that Nigel designed, so it’s a different experience for me. It’s also great having Chuck, Digger and Johnny along, and the Crazy Arm boys.

Tonight’s show is going to be the biggest headliner of my career to date, and I’m really excited about it. It’s almost a shame that this tour is so short, it’s a real pleasure to be back on home turf again. As I spend more and more of my life on the move, I have less and less of a real home. To balance that, I’m starting to feel like England as a whole is my home, and when I’m here I feel relaxed. So, hey everyone, see you at a show sometime in the next week or so.