Saturday 8 February 2014

MAN-EAGLE TOUR 2013: Blog [Part 5]




DAY 5 – “Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy”

We wake up find that what Pete told us was true - no hangovers! And we drank A LOT last night. That wine must have been seriously goooood and (relatively) healthy stuff... Having said that we still aren't feeling right by any means.

QUOTE – ‘I’m more wine than water...’ - Hetty

However we're soon presented with a Slovakian breakfast - garlic broth, and bowls with croutons, ham, and cheese to sprinkle in the soupy goodness. It tastes incredible and it totally sorts us out, we feel normal again!

We drive out to a kind of country club / bar in the middle of the rolling hills and fields for some much needed lunch. Inside there are HUGE stuffed deer heads on the walls, bigger than any deer any of us has ever seen or imagined could even exist! There is a definite hunting vibe about the place... They look like they've just smashed their heads & shoulders through the walls and are just watching you calmly as you tuck into your grub. We have goulash, aptly made with venison.

<<<< Check out the BEER PRICES!! Happy daze :-)

We head over to Pivny Bar, Skalica, for the show. It's a small venue, especially after the festival! But it turns out to be the most amazing gig!! It's also Joe’s Birthday, so we continue the celebrations from the wine cellar the night before! The owners of the bar don't let us pay for a single drink all night. Rob signs a girls boobs. The owners buy our tshirts and get us to sign them - they afterwards framed them and they now have them as a kind of Wall of Fame! They sent us this photo:
The organiser from Hrko Fest, Dodo, sorts the sound & lighting for us; he brings in the full crew from the festival!! We're totally looked after! It doesn't even matter with the crowd that there's a big language gap - we communicate with the few words we've learned and have an incredible time. As Vault Of Eagles play Rid Of Me (P J Harvey), getting Anya back up for some harmonies and a jam, we are all happily amazed to find that everyone is singing along! More people there know and love P J Harvey (and Patti Smith) than in many of the UK shows we've played! After we've all done some encores, a few people from the audience get up and join us on stage. They won't let us leave, buying us shot after shot... After shot...

Finally we head back to Pete's friend David's country cabin for a sleepless & extremely happy night! We're provided for all our needs again - it is unbelievable the hospitality we're shown! At one point David goes out in the middle of the night & shows us rows of fresh peas growing in his garden! He says to come out and graze whenever we feel like it. It starts raining at one point and everything feels refreshed outside, we go out and enjoy it! We have a few jams, there are a couple of guitars around. David starts playing a captivating circular rhythm and sings a traditional Slovakian song. It's beautiful the way the vocal melody lilts around, lulling us all almost into a trance as it circles back round again. Have a listen to it here in this short clip:
VIDEO - "THE MOUSE SONG"

Afterwards we ask Pete if he can translate it as we loved the feel of it. The explanation is not at all what we expected - "Buy some mice, skin the mice, make something from the skins, sell what you've made with the skins, use the money to buy more mice!!!!!" Amazing. We're slightly disturbed as well! But it is still beautiful.

TO BE CONTINUED...

>>> Click here for Day 6 - "Sittin' On My Sofa" <<<<