Having 2 months off over December and January we had become rusty, and after rehearsals in Norwich we flew to Madrid to meet up with our great road crew. The gig had been changed in Madrid to The Aqualung, a bit of a disco kinda venue, not very good for sound and with a stage so deadly slippery! I proved it by falling flat on me back in Dougy Giro! The on stage monitor sound was dreadful, I had problems with new plectrums I had made and all kinds of things were going wrong, as well as us being outta shape and playing untight too! Having said that, we thank you lot for being so nice and putting up with us on the first show of the tour! .

One night later and we were a different band! We played a great set in Bergara, the venue and sound were great and we were back on form, we also played Ashbrooke Launderette for the first time in years! We will also include Rita's Innocent on the March dates too. Anyway thank you again to a sold out wonderful crowd. .

Puenta La Reina.... well... always lovely people there, though we have always suffered with sound poblems at The Gares Club, it's just all stone and not much atmosphere, but you lot made us feel very welcome, and again the show was sold out! Cheers for your support. .

Barcelona... This venue has always been one of my favourites. We had 3 shows under our belts already so now evertyhing was running smoothly, what can I say? We enjoyed it more than we have ever done, thanks to a sold out fantastic crowd, a great stage and a great night. Thank you. Due to the success in Spain another six shows have been added, please check to tour list! .

Today we all met up in Amsterdam, that’s the band and our great road crew, Koen, Ernie, Bernie and Matzi. Twas really nice to see each other again, and after a bit o time off we were eager to get into the gig mode and the swing o things. We arrived at the Paaspop festival site around 8pm; no chance of sound checks at most festivals and here was no exception! The gear was unloaded backstage, where the guitars were re-strung, drums erected and amplifiers wired up. We took this time to chill out (literally!) in the caravan/dressing room. After a great set by BEEF we were on, we were sleepy as it was really late, 1am in fact, and coz o the clocks changing it was actually 2am! The stage crew at Paaspop were great, a great onstage sound monitor guy too, not a bad sound considering we had no check! We were greeted to a nice crowd THANK YOU! Unfortunately due to curfew restrictions, we were only allowed to play for a limited time, sorry about that! But we did enjoy it, we were rough, too rough, having a few weeks off had resulted in us being rusty, its no excuse though, we should o been better, but it was great to see you lot! Now I sit back in the hotel room writing this, itching to get back on stage tomorrow and prove that we really can perform well! Can’t wait. Good night. Olga .

Well, another day, another festival! Only a 2-hour drive from the hotel to the Breezand Paas music festival this time to one of the smallest festivals we have ever done! Great though! Tonight we were on before a Dutch AC/DC tribute band in a venue of around 500 capacity! Anyway, after a quick check of the instruments and no real sound check, we were on! What a sweatbox! The gig was sold out also, crazy heat! I will say though, we were sooo much better tonight, still not great, but not bad at all! You lot were really nice too! It was so hot that our Yul Brynner model even collapsed with the heat! Once again, because of time limits, we had to cut the set short. Festivals are great, but it’s much nicer when we can do our full set and with a sound check! We really wanted to play Rita’s Innocent, but we needed to run through it in a sound check! Sorry, tomorrow for sure! Anyway, i am writing this in the van on the way to Saarbrucken. THANK YOU to Holland, look forward to seeing ya all in Germany tonight. I just got a call from Chris (3 Colours Red) they are here now also touring Europe; hopefully we will get to see them play while we are here! Good luck to them for the tour! If you don’t get the chance to see us, then try to check them out, one hell of a band. I am gonna study the words of Rita’s Innocent now! See ya soon Olga .

GREAAAAT to be in Germany again! We arrived at the Hotel about 1.30pm, a quick wash and the daily shave, then off to the venue, The Garage is a noisy hall, sound bouncing everywhere, nice place though! I think the last time we were in Saarbrucken was 20 years ago!!! Very nice people tonight, great crowd, we didn’t play Rita’s Innocent perfectly, but it will improve, it wont get any worse anyway!! All in all, a nice gig! Great to see Patrick from the German TOY DOLLS website. Spitting Off Tall Buildings done well as the support, they will be with us for a number of German shows, check em out! Back in the van again now! 75% of touring time is spent in the van! On the autobahn and heading for Dussledorf Zakk. I am a bit anxious because we aint been there since 1987! Will there be anyone there? At least Patrick from the website is coming! Really looking forward to it. Hope to see ya there. Take care Olga .

After a good sound check at the Zakk we felt less anxious about the gig, a lovely venue, good sound stage and sound system. Another great set by S.O.T.B, thank you to them. So, the time had come, lights down and we were on stage. We were good and a great audience too, great to see ya after such a long time. Rita is getting better and our performance is too! We are in tour mode at last! Cheers Olga .

First time ever in Kassel for THE TOY DOLLS, though I have been to this small town on numerous occasions! The Kulture Fabrik is a small venue (which prefer). Maybe it wasn’t the greatest show in the world, but we did OK! Great to see new faces and some old ones too, especially the guys from the Bates! Thank you for coming! Now, as usual, I am writing this in the van, heading for Bremen, the traffic is awful! We have been stuck in a jam for hours, but that’s touring for ya! Can’t wait to get to the gig! 18 years ago since we played Bremen. This will be our 6th consecutive gig tonight, and I we are feeling it! Me voice is holding out however! Lets see what happens tonight! C ya Olga .

Well Hello Bremen! Long time no see! A great stage and venue. Perfect for the audience to see the show, with a pit for the crazy lot and seating around that for the oldies to watch! It was the last night for SOTB. They done great, thank you to them for being such nice guys, and girl! We will miss ya. Nicely warmed up by SOTB and we were on stage. Apart from a dreadful onstage sound monitor mix, we really enjoyed it; you lot gave us a great welcome, with a crowd off around 700, its perfect size venue for us, very nice. This is a venue where I’d personally go to see a show. You should check it out if you get a chance! So... Tonight’s gig is in yet another Schlacthof, in Wiesbaden... See ya there Olga .

After a five-hour traffic jam we eventually reached the venue. I had played here 3 years ago, with The Dickies in the smaller room; I remember the crowd were really nice then. Tonight was even better, a wonderful crowd, great lights, sound and stage! We had watched FINDING NEMO in the van on the way to the gig, so we were in high spirits! Me voice is holding out, its got about 2 more nights left in it! The gig was fantastic, a crowd of around 1000 lovely people, the night rocked and I loved it all. Thank you to lots of you who travelled great distanced to this show, cheers! The sun is shining now, sitting outside the hotel, about to get in the van and head for Munster, I will be really happy if we are as good tonight as we were in Wiesbaden! Take care Olga .

Like Wiesbaden, it had been years since we had played Munster. In a nutshell… The Sputnik Halle is a real punky venue, great to be close to the crowd again, a great crowd, loads of stage diving and surfing, beers in the air, sweat etc... Mega stuff!!! We weren’t at our best, but the great venue and close contact with the audience made up for it! A great tight sound too. Loved it! THANK YOU! .

First time ever in Efurt and what a nice crowd! Apart from loads of on stage monitor man problems and a real noisy venue full of crazy mirror balls, we had a great night! So nice to see so many new faces! Here I am, lying on the bed exhausted! 9 consecutive shows brings us to a day off tomorrow! In Leipzig! Now I treat meself to a cold beer and a hot bath! Then zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .

Hey! Back on the road after a day off in Leipzig! Our German crew went to the cinema, DTN went into town shopping for DVDs, Koen and Ernie were in bed by 10pm,Tommy bought new Dickies trousers, and I got a new pair of beautiful Dr Marten boots! Loads cheaper than in London! So, first time ever in Leipzig, a nice venue, great crowd a good sound and lights, we were not so bad also. Unfortunately some crazy guy jumped on stage and pulled Yul Brynners head off!! We got it back though! Hopefully he will be standing proud again at the next show! A small accident also when I kicked our giant LAMBRUSCO bottle back to our road crew and knocked all our spare guitars and acoustics off stage! But, there ya go, I never pretended to be a footballer, I will stick to pretending to be a singer! See ya Olga .

First of all THANK YOU to a sold out venue in Nurnberg, a superb crowd, and a great sound, down to our fantastic sound engineer, Bernie. Twas great to see you all again after such a long time. The gig was rockin, bloody hot!! We usually play in a town close by called Erlangen, cheers for the hundreds of you who turned up from there! Cheers to the guy who threw his inhaler on stage during I’ve Got Asthma, you crazy man! Glad ya got it back! Tonight was a real hot and sweaty punk show, just the way I like it!. So... back on the road heading for Karlshrue now. See ya there Olga .

There are certain times when the band, crowd, lights and sound are just wonderful and tonight’s show at the Substage in Karlshrue was one of those times. I threw caution to the wind and bleached and dyed me hair blue for the occasion! After our very average performance at the Stuttgart Rohre (near by) last year, we were eager to prove ourselves. Thanks you to a great sold out venue and wild crowd, we did! The Substage is a great venue, low ceiling and close audience contact, a great night was had by all. Lovely to see the guys from Popzillas and Thomas from Wizo too. All I can say about tonight is wow, and THANK YOU YOU LOT! .

A bit sad leaving Germany today, but great to being seeing you French lot again! Last time we played Mulhouse was 97 with Marty and Gary Funn, so it had been a while! By this stage in the tour we are feeling kinda dazed and tired, but I can’t wait to get on stage each night! Crazy?! A great crowd at the Mulhouse show, we were not as good as the night before, but not bad! And we really enjoyed it. Merci! After only a few hours sleep, we are now back in the van, heading for Claremont Ferrand, around a 7 hour journey, so I am gonna try to get 40 winks! See ya tonight. .

After a crazy journey through rain, hail, snow and sun we arrived in Claremont Ferrand, quickly checked in the hotel and headed for sound check. A great venue tonight with fantastic lights/sound and great local stage crew. Unfortunately we didn’t have our usual sound engineer (Bernie) tonight, he is away for 2 nights, and so we were extra anxious! But the local sound guy was a big TOY DOLLS fan and did a fine job, THANK YOU to him, well done! We had a great night; we played well and had a great crowd to support us, CHEERS! A good, all round decent gig. So, we all slept well, back in the van now and heading for Bordeaux...see ya there! Olga .

The venue in Bordeaux was a weird one! Built as a disco, the stage was terrible, curved at the front and the mic stands and sound system about 4 meters from the audience! Horrible! But I guess it’s the same for all the bands who play there! After a sound check riddled with electrical problems, shocks and a load of other stuff we had our meal in the dressing room. We sat there, depressed that our usual sound guy couldn’t be with us, and with the knowledge that the local sound guy totally sucked. We forced our food down, then suddenly we hear that the support band are THE SAINTS… WOW!!! Opening for us??!!! Mega! I had actually supported the Saints in another band in 1977! Great to meet up with them again, we had a good chat with them and felt in better spirits! So, 8.30pm and the Saints were on stage. Perfect Day and I’m Stranded still sounded fresh, thank you to them for a great set. We were greeted by a great crowd, but we suffered with on stage monitor problems and mad electrical interference, and a crap soundman, THANK GOD our usual sound guy will be back tomorrow!! But having said that, we really enjoyed it! Very friendly crowd, THANK YOU! So, as usual we are now sitting in the van, LET ME OUT! A 5-hour journey to Montpellier today, the sun is shining and we are heading south, smiles all around! See ya there. Olga .

Here we sit in sunny, pretty Montpellier, our van is away having new tyres fitted, so we are sitting outside the hotel, reflecting on our show at the Rockstore. Well, another one of those nights where everything went just fine! A great crowd, venue and band! Bernie, our sound engineer was back! We were relaxed and, what a great night we had! Great to see you lot again, and thank you to a load of you who will be joining us in Toulouse. We are really flattered. See ya there! .

Well, the end of this leg of the tour is here, a happy and sad day, we were all exhausted after tonights Toulouse show! Following a nice sound check we ready and eager for the gig to start, it had been 8 years since playing the Bikini club in Toulouse and we were looking forward to seeing ya! At 10pm we were greeted by a sold out crowd of 1000+ people, me voice was going, we had microphone problems, and we could hear nothing properly on stage but a great night was had. Poor Tommy Goober snapped a string in The Entertainer, but he did a cartwheel to make up for it! The monitors all broke and mic stands where smashed etc… a punk show indeed! You lot were great THANK FOR A GREAT TOUR! Now… We are back in the van we travel 11 hours north today. Here we meet our UK van, unload the equipment and say our goodbyes! A few nights off, we need it! I am looking forward to seeing you Spanish lot! But for now all I wanna do is sleeeeeep! Take care Olga .

Ola Zaragoza, an interesting venue, an old theatre. Even after only 6 days we had become a bit rusty, but a nice, not so bad show, with a lovely crowd again. Nice to see some familiar faces in the crowd too, thank you for being so loyal and turning up at a string of shows! Tomorrow is Valladolid, we are eager to be better than tonight, we will be! Good night Olga .

The last time in Valladolid was about 16 years ago at the tiny Hippo club, I remember it well, hot, close contact with the audience, nice. Tonight’s venue is so much different, a huge stage, big venue, but its nice, great lights and lovely sound system and nice local crew. We sat outside at the back of the venue, meeting people who were at the show 16 years ago, so nice to talk with ya all, but now I am feeling old! Anyway, what a fantastic night we had, we were back on form and you lot rocked! Mega stuff A great night, Thank you for having us back!!! .

What a strange venue tonight, the stage is TOO high, a strange sounding venue with a concrete stage! Anyway, we didn’t get on stage until after midnight! A great crowd, a wild crowd in fact, sorry about the local security men that night, they were too eager to get people off the stage immediately, we had words with them after the show! But, it was a great night, lovely to see a whole bunch of you come down from France too! Cheers! .

So, back in Bilbao after 10 years, and its raining again! But that didn’t stop you lot turning up, the venue was packed and you lot were great! All kinds o things went wrong for us tonight! Our bass drum pedal smashed twice! Forcing me to sing House of the rising sun! To pass the time! Our exploding bottle refused to explode! Me special finger plectrum broke off! Etc etc... Moan moan! But we loved every minute of it, really! A great night was had, a truly LIVE gig! Thank you! 3 nights sleep now, and then off to the south o Spain for sunbathing, ha, I wish! Can’t wait to see down there though! See ya soon! Thank you to all of ya. Olga .

Wow, the temperature was soaring! Great for lying on the beach, but hard work for doing a gig. In Almeria we played in a large tent, and following a long sound check, due to bits n pieces of our equipment being smashed on the flight we headed off back to the hotel for some grub. We returned to the gig around 11pm, expecting the place to be full, but like many Spanish shows, the doors had just opened, and the punters were coming in veeeryyy sloowly! However, by the time we hit the stage the place had filled up nicely! Apart from having equipment belonging to all the other bands on stage with us! We had a great time! Twas great to see you lot again, one hell of a night was had. Cheers! .

It’s getting hotter day by day! And we aint complaining! All I can say about the gig in Granada is FAB! We played well and the crowd were fantastic, THANK YOU! Sorry to hear about the guy who broke his leg in the audience, hope you get well soon. Take care Olga .

I quiet little town called Hellendoorn was where today’s festival was held, about 1 and a half hours drive from Amsterdam, way out in the countryside! We arrived at the festival site around 3pm, where the band before us, Alanis Morissette, where just about to take the stage, a huge stage! They played well, so we had to be good! With no sound check and with equipment we had never used, we hit the stage around 5pm. A sold out crowd of around 8,000 greeted us. Again, having had a few days off, we had become rusty; we also suffered with a few equipment problems, ahhhrgh! But never mind, you lot were great, thank you! Though we were not at our best, we really enjoyed the afternoon! We had a great time. Lovely to see the Dutch board members, Patrick from the German TOY DOLLS site, and everyone else too! Cheers! .

It was soooo cold in Holland, even though we love it there, we were looking forward to getting some sun in Mallorca! We arrive at the hotel over looking the sea, on the beach (wow!) around 4pm. Needless to say we were sitting round the pool drinking cocktails by 4.05pm! The night off, relaxing had done us good! Our sound check in a football field in Manacor was next; we fried in the red-hot sun from 2pm to 5pm! How could we perform that night in such heat?! Worry ye not, by the time we were on stage the temperature had dropped to jacket and scarf wearing level! Strange! With the heat from the lights and from our performance, the cold night air made everything soaking wet! The guitars, the giant Lambrusco bottle, everything! I was even getting electric shocks from the microphone due the dampness! But we done well, a great improvement on the gig a couple of nights back. A lovely crowd too. I was happy! So nice and flattering to meet you lot who had flown in from different parts of Spain just to see our tiny band! THANK YOU! Next up, NEXT PUNK festival in Switzerland! See ya there Olga .