Kevin Bronson on November 4th, 2008

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[Previous segments of Morgan Kibby’s M83 tour diary here.]

Chapter 13: Went to sleep at 4 a.m. again — only to be awakened at 6 by a feeble cry from the front of the bus: “Customs time, boys and girls!” In the pissing rain we dashed half-conscious to the Customs desks and then struggled back in the downpour to the bus with a fistful of stamps and wet PJs for our trouble. Here’s a little picture to illustrate how we all felt:

It took me about two hours to fall back asleep in the bus as it rocked with the sway of the ferry. It is so surreal to know you are on the water and never see it!”  I woke up in a haze about midday to complete disorientation: Out every window of the bus were concrete walls, concrete posts and other buses.”  I soon found out we were parked in some kind of bizarre coach garage located in West London, beneath a 24-hour Tesco.”  Talk about Kubrick. There must have been 25 buses in all in the garage.

I bolted with Lotje for Camden, a pint, new pants (as every pair I have has holes) and, finally, dinner with family, which warmed the cockles of my heart. I tackled my aunty and my cousin with millions of hugs, had the first healthy meal I’ve had in a month, and let my aunt plan my wedding (no, I’m not getting married).”  London is absolutely one of my favorite European cities and playing London has consistently been one of the highlights of past tours. People want to be there, want to have a good time and aren’t afraid to show it. Although I doubt any that attended our Scala show are reading this, I’d still like to say a monolithic thank you.

We’ve started some dates with a U.K. band called the Domino State. But the catch is, they’re coming on the bus with us. Yee-haw, people, strap on your seatbelts: five more menfolks! This means five more body odors, five more potential snorers, five more people to rub asses with as you move towards opposite ends of the bus. This could be the party pick-me-up we needed, or an aroma-filled five-day trek across Ireland, Scotland and England.

Sensory assaults aside, I really enjoyed their set tonight at Scala, and if you like British indie rock, this could be your next purchase.