I’m just coming up to the grand young age of thirty twelve, I’ve been playing drums for most of my life. Have been in bands for most of the time I’ve been playing drums, and have been drinking for most of the time I’ve been in bands playing drums.

So why is it that until the show that we just played in Helsinki, I’d never had a Jägerbomb whilst on stage?

Those of you who’ve never tried one, I suggest you do so at some point over the festive season, or sooner, and those of you who have tried one, will know exactly what I’m on about.

I mean, it’s not that I wasn’t having a great gig already. In fact it started off great and just kept getting better, but then I heard (what I can’t imagine is a very common sound at a gig in Finland) A vaguely familiar sounding Welsh bloke at the front shouting “Ritchie, fancy a Jägerbomb?”

Be rude not to now wouldn’t it.

So there we are, one song later and not one, but two of these cheeky little thirst quenchers turn up.

Egged on by the whole crowed I manage to down both drinks in the space of a few seconds and then it’s head down straight back into the set for a few more Wildheart classics.

Now I’m not sure if the combination of Jägermeister, intense physical exertion and Redbull is all that clever an idea, but I have to say that immediately after consuming said drinks I began to play the best I’ve ever played, the band was the tightest we’d ever been, the songs were the best songs I’d ever heard, the crowed sounded like angels, and the lights………good god the lights……..And at that point I realize that Scotty is pointing a mic in my face and I’m singing The Duck Song.

Damn! How the hell did that happen?

Thanx Steve, you bastard!

And this place is called Hell.

Stylish and sparse, and serving up fine food until 4am, this awesome hostelry offers treats ranging from reindeer pizza to snails with garlic and blue cheese (called Gas Lipstick, named after the drummer from Finnish megastars HIM and his obsession with this sublime dish – which is possibly the tastiest thing in the world).

It is here the four members of rock’s unsung super group (the band you hate to love, the over-proof underachievers, the resplendently independent… etc etc…) soak in the familiar air that is a Helsinki welcome, speak about activities in 2010, eat rare steak so tender that one has only the exquisite taste to remind you that there is actually something in your mouth, and recall the last 48 hours.

We hadn’t been in Finland for a full day before we’re being ushered to the One Eye Tattoo studio, where we will receive free ink, courtesy of Taneli and Pete. They will tirelessly tattoo wrists, necks, arms and ribs, gratis, while handing out free beers. The last time this happened to us was… um… that’s right, this has never happened to us before*.

Previous to that we were invited to attend the opening of a Wildhearts exhibition at the Helsinki City library, where a couple of Wildhearts fans had pooled their not inconsiderable collections together, much to the bemusement of the elderly patrons perusing the library section of the gallery, that serves as a humble reminder that the power of music is a transatlantic phenomenon in which no translation is needed.

MTV filming and magazine interviews/photos are conducted and radio interviews & station take-overs are undertaken before being treat to yet more delicious Finnish fare bolstered by copious Langerot (translated as ‘long drink’ it’s a pint of gin & grapefruit soda based heaven that must be tasted to be believed, I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love this stuff instantly) and Fisu (a chilled vodka fermented with Fisherman’s Friend sweets that delivers a huge, delicious wave to the sinuses and plants a warm glow to the chest, simply outstanding) leaving us merry and satisfied.

It’s been a great couple of days spent with wonderful people. So great, in fact, that we didn’t want to leave this morning (after about 30 seconds worth of sleep**), but I’m glad to report that we are in Tampere right now, getting ready for tonight’s show. The hotel is lovely and the band are loud.

Also the Chutzpah Jnr mini album will be available at all future gigs that The Wildhearts will play, so I trust you will all get a copy. And in the meantime please feel free to pas it around in files. You deserve it. You’re lovely.

See you at Xmas.

Gx

*Actually I have had free tattoos before, in Japan, but it wasn’t a whole band session, and hey, let’s try not to let mundane details get in the way of literary flow. Artistic license is why reading is fun, right? Er… right?

**This is an exaggeration. Once again I’d like to take the time to admit to using a little artistic license with which to effect a blunt punch to what could be considered a humorous insert.

It’s not long now until the band head out to Sweden to kick off their Merry Xmess tour, and start the festive season off in the usual Wildhearts style!

The dates are:

2/12/09 Stockholm, Sweden – Göta Källare
3/12/09 Gothenburg, Sweden – Sticky Fingers
4/12/09 Jevnaker, Norway – The Untouchables Hard Rock Club
5/12/09 Copenhagen, Denmark – The Rock
9/12/09 Tampere, Finland – Klubi
10/12/09 Helsinki, Finland – Nosturi
12/12/09 Joensuu, Finland – Kellari
19/12/09 Leeds, UK – Rio’s
21/12/09 Wolverhampton, UK – Wulfrun Hall
22/12/09 London, UK – O2 Academy Islington

Check out the Tour page for full details and ticket links.

Special guests in Stockholm will be Conny Bloom and Dregen, along with Roxie 77, Ryan Roxie’s (Alice Cooper, Slash´s Snakepit etc.) solo project. Support for all the Swedish and Finnish dates comes from The Souls.

Support on the UK dates comes from Antiproduct and The Loyalties.

There will be a whole load of new merchandise available at the shows, and we’ll bring you a sneaky peek at it in the next day or so.

If you’re in Helsinki, remember also that there’s an exhibition of Wildhearts collectables and memorabilia at Helsinki City Library from the 8th December.

Also available exclusively at the live dates will be an extra Xmas present for you lovely lot in the form of the Chutzpah Jnr mini album, featuring all the tracks that couldn’t be squeezed onto Chutzpah! earlier in the year!

The tracklisting runs:

• Chutzpah Jnr
• The Snake, The Lion, The Monkey And The Spider
• All That Zen
• Vernix
• Under The Waves
• Some Days Just Fucking Suck
• People Who Died
• Zeen Requiem

So get your tickets now to ensure you don’t miss out on this little gem!

2/12/09 Stockholm, Sweden – Göta Källare
3/12/09 Gothenburg, Sweden – Sticky Fingers
4/12/09 Jevnaker, Norway – The Untouchables Hard Rock Club
5/12/09 Copenhagen, Denmark – The Rock
9/12/09 Tampere, Finland – Klubi
10/12/09 Helsinki, Finland – Nosturi
12/12/09 Joensuu, Finland – Kellari

Special guests in Stockholm will be Conny Bloom and Dregen, and support for the Finnish dates comes from The Souls.

There will also be an exhibition of Wildhearts collectables and memorabilia at Helsinki City Library from the 8th December.

Following Ginger’s birthday show on the 17th December (Have you got your tickets yet?) the band will play some Christmas shows in the UK:

19/12/09 Leeds, UK – Rio’s
21/12/09 Wolverhampton, UK – Wulfrun Hall
22/12/09 London, UK – O2 Academy Islington

See the Tour page for full details and ticket links.

Singing Panic Beach around the campfire with Maria McKee, enjoying, for the first time ever, an acoustic show alone- sans accompaniment- to a hushed and reverent audience, eating delicious crawfish while wearing a paper hat and attempting to join in with Swedish drinking songs, enjoying a farewell lunch of home grown produce that makes the stuff they sell in supermarkets taste like McDonalds, Taylor riding a pony in the garden, a vegetarian restaurant that pick the stuff that morning and give you a plate of what they know you want to eat, our wonderful new friends, the awesome hostess that is Maria Anderberg, Taylor laughing at his first face to face with a cow, awesome schnapps and little woodland creatures falling asleep.

We left Mrs McKee with a birthday gift (that we miraculously found after 5 minutes of searching) and said goodbye last night. It’s also the last we’ll see of Maria A, Krystal and Esther for a while, all true treasures to a girl. Well miss you until next time.

The 6 hour train ride to Stockholm today to meet with Conny Bloom and discuss the set we will play on Monday will provide more invaluable memories. I hope Dregen will show up but we aren’t sure of he’ll be in town. Wonder what Stockholm is like in Summer? Hope we find a babysitter, and a laundrette.

Then we take an overnight boat trip to Finland, which I’m really looking forward to taking Taylor on, where I’ll be reunited with Michael Monroe to carve out some new tunes for a few days before embarking on a huge press day in Helsinki.

I’m busy and I’m clean, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

See you somewhere nice.

Gx

20th February 2009 – Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland – Tickets
26th June 2009 – Peace & Love Festival, Sweden – Tickets

Other bands confirmed for Peace & Love include Turbonegro & Henry Rollins

Tickets for this very special event at Tavastia are available from Monday 28th July from this link:

http://www.tiketti.fi/tapahtumat?q=wildhearts

The event will see The Wildhearts perform the “Earth Vs” album in its entirety.