I’m a lucky girl. I mean really. Don’t think for a second that I take things for granted. Like tonight for instance…after several failed attempts, I finally was able to get myself to one of Judie Tzuke’s shows on her Moon on a Mirrorball tour. That, in itself is exciting but to find not just one Tzuke but three Tzukes on the bill (the lovely Bailey supports and, along with her sister Talulah, they both do incredible backing vocals on their mum’s set…more on that later), plus the delectable David Saw as support was almost a Christmas, birthday and a bank holiday rolled into one.
When Bailey approached me about maybe coming to some shows and perhaps writing some blogs about the tour (it was a very relaxed agreement!) I was initially hoping to come to them all. Alas, real life intervenes and work builds up and lives come crashing down around your ears, and suddenly the best laid plans and all that…but it turns out that, for a blogger, this was probably the best day I could have decided to rock up, armed with a laptop and a tray of twelve doughnuts.
Indeed, they almost didn’t make it to Bristol at all. Between a dangerous high-speed blowout on the motorway, flying spanners and mystery illnesses, it was nothing short of miraculous that a note was even played. Now, I’ve never had a blowout but it is one of those weird anomalies that does haunt me at moments when I look down and realize either my speedometer is broken or I’m breaking a lot of rules (ok, laws). The simple possibility of it is enough to scare me witless, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to manage in a splitter van.
But Neil, the man with magic in his driving hands pulled super life-saving skills out of the top drawer and pulled them to safety. I wasn’t there at this point, but I’m assured that what followed was some spinning spanners heading straight for the leading lady and a lot of boys trying to loosen and lot of nuts for a long time. Finally, it was the strength of guitar man Graham that won the wheel over, followed by a lot of murmurs something along the lines of, “Yeah well, I loosened it.”
But against all the odds they arrived safely in Bristol where I met them happily esconced in a little dressing room waiting for Wagamamas (other Japanese food stores are available) and what a happy bunch they all are. Now, you may think it’s all glamour on tour but it’s actually just good fun. Both Bailey and Judie are washing their hair in the sinks, the dressing rooms are too small to swing the proverbial cat, the boys are doing each other’s hair (I won’t name names) and even this blogger is happily dragged in to help out with ironing. Because that’s what this lot is all about. It’s about touring around singing great songs with your mates…and for at least four of them, your family.
As far as tours go, I can’t think of one I’d rather be on. Maybe it was the near-death experience that brought them all to such high spirits, but I don’t think so. I have a sneaky feeling that this is just a great tour to be a part of. Or perhaps, it’s the fact that they get to play some of the most wickedly vibey and lovingly crafted songs written this side of the sixties.
Because, when you look back over Judie’s back catalogue there are some quietly unbelievable tracks. Songs such as Sportscar, Sukarita, Joan of Arc and Vivien are nothing short of outstanding and tonight were outstanding enough to get the whole venue on it’s feet applauding what was nothing short of a bloody brilliant show. Now, us Northerners aren’t supposed to cry; it’s part of the contract you sign but at least three songs put my eye make-up at risk. She’s simply a bit legendic (forgive the neologism…I couldn’t think of a better word) and every flaming well bit as good as she was back ‘then’…if not better.
And the crowd definitely thought so – especially the girl dancing her socks off in the back row. But this isn’t a review, it’s a blog and it’s nearly over. It’s just hard not to write about how wonderful it was because, it was.
Now though, they head back to London for a well-deserved day off before hitting Union Chapel in Highbury & Islington for the all-important ‘London show’ on Thursday night. If you’re around on Thursday and you haven’t got any plans then that’s the place you need to be. In fact, even if you have got plans and even if there was a tube strike, and your house was burning down and your cat had just died…it’d still be worth getting there. I can’t wait to get back.
