tubs on tour

pack psychology, men without women, the pagan depravity of Ipswich

drunk again

We’ve finished our UK/IRE tour. Some scattered notes I made along the way:

1. Touring is strange because, unless you actively try to isolate yourself, you spend every waking moment as part of a platonic group. Which is unnatural. It’s rare to spend an equivalent block of time with even a romantic partner. And so I find that most days on tour, I’m only genuinely alone when showering or taking a shit. But even then, everyone’s bowel movements seem to be passively monitored and someone will likely materialise outside the door and start hurrying you if you’re taking too long. You sleep next to a guy you know, lie in bed on your phones together, maybe sometimes you’re forced use the same towel. So you can see why even the sanest touring party can descend into a web of petty resentments. Tiny alliances are made and reneged on, certain members become Villains of the Day, the load-out becomes a taboo subject, snorers become second class citizens and so on. But all that said, this tour has been harmonious. Maybe because we have some fresh blood. But I think generally The Tubs have a good way of dealing with this by mercilessly bantering each other 24/7. In our ‘Dead Meat’ lineup, which was me and three old friends from Cardiff, we tended to push this too far and often became a kind of circular firing squad. But I think the band has always been good at creating a pathologically unserious atmosphere which sublimates the natural aggression and irritation inherent to touring. And of course the upside is that everyone ends up bonding in a lizard brain pack mentality way.

2. Why do so few women like The Tubs? In London and Glasgow there were a decent amount. But everywhere else the crowds have been astoundingly male…..I’m talking like upwards of 98% male. And mostly over the age of 45. Not that I’m hating. These guys are my lifeblood. They get rounds in, they love buying vinyl (whereas most people my age, myself included, couldn’t care less). And I’d argue they’re more ‘diverse’ than the ‘6 Music Dad’ label gives them credit for. They tend to be an interesting mix of wimpy indie rock guys ; seriously hard look blokes in Fred Perrys ; guys our age who look like they work in tech ; teenage boy/dad combos; elderly men with canes and eyepatches ; autistic guys who love setlists ; guys with manscaped beards who look like they host men’s mental health podcasts. I’m all for it, and I often notice a whiff of anti-provincial snobbery and ageism in that ‘6 music dad’ discourse. But that said: I’d obviously rather there were more women at the shows. A few years ago, this might’ve been thought of as having a political dimension- I remember a ‘feminist punk’ calling me out for The Tubs being an ‘all-male band’ back when we formed in 2018. But I think, these days, it would be a little weird to assume that female musicians would actually want or need our patronage. Women are increasingly out-performing men in the music industry, at least on an artistic level, and though plenty of gendered obstacles remain (unequal childcare responsibilities, more severe ageism etc) I think we’re at a point where making special representational considerations would simply be patronising. The issue is more social and aesthetic i.e it’s more fun to have a mixed crowd. The question then is… why are The Tubs particularly repellent to women? Maybe it’s because people using terms like ‘jingle jangle’ to describe our music. Though as I say, there were definitely more women in London so maybe we just appeal to a kind of Carrie Bradshaw cosmopolitan type…yes…. umm…maybe that’s it…….

taylor with claire from former champ- one of the few women we encountered along the way

3. Have you ever been to Ipswich? It turned out to be the most depraved place ever. The show was great but afterwards we went to a faux medieval pub called St Judes and found ourselves in a Pagan nightmare. A regular with bulging eyes kept trying to smell Taylor’s beer while he was innocently attempting the Yard Challenge (he’s now third on the leader board despite the interruption.) Then he let off one of the most putrid farts ever and kept wafting the fumes into our faces, before proceeding to fight the promoter for daring to laugh. We tried to escape but he suddenly became sycophantic and begged us to listen to him whistle. We agreed and he began making an unbearably shrill harpy noise like nothing I’ve ever heard. According to the BBC, “Heathenism, from the Germanic tradition, is very popular in the Ipswich area given that it is a Saxon town, and was Pagan until the year 800.” What Camille Paglia called ‘the cthonic abyss of Dionysian nature’ is definitely alive and well in Suffolk.

further proof of Suffolk’s demonic connections

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reads this and came along. I’ll put another TUBSTACK essay up soon and some more unreleased music for paid subs xxx