They came.
They played.
They conquered 
Background and match report here:
The consequences of searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus
The consequences of searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus Part II
The Impresario returns
The tour kicked off in Belgium. Trey Blake, who is autistic and had never performed before, flew out there and they hooked up with Geert Hellings (guitar) and Nicolas Rombouts (bass) to quickly rehearse the album Precious Bane (Feb Americana album of the month in UNCUT, and 4-star review in MOJO), and to put on a couple of shows around Antwerp before kicking off the UK tour.
It was mainly small/intimate venues, so most of the tour was sold out or almost full.
Having had to source a mixing desk and monitors as well as a sound engineer, I was a tad nervous heading up to set up all the tables and chairs in the venue at 5 pm with no sign or word from the band 
I was glad I had chucked a vegan shepherdâs pie into the oven before heading up, as they arrived famished. When they started the soundcheck, I nipped home and brought up the food, heated plates, soft drinks, wine and brownies for a pre-gig dinner in the âgreen roomâ. It was lovely to get to know the band over a relaxed pre-show meal
My friend Jim Pearson, who had travelled up to Manchester with me two years ago to see Jim White, opened the show with a fab set of self-penned songs and had the almost-sold-out hall singing along in full voice before the band went on at 8 pm.
From the very first song, they wove their musical magic, alternating between Jimâs and Treyâs contributions to the album. The formerâs tend to be more ethereal, the latterâs maybe more âearthyâ, channelling a definite Marrianne Faithful vibe.
The two Belgian musicians were superstars, weaving a fabric between these two âweirdosâ and creating a coherent vibe for the whole gig. Lots of happy/sad/poignant/hilarious moments between the songs. There were a couple of times I thought I saw Jim wipe a tear from his eye.
I had to help tidy the hall, whilst the Belgians packed up the gear in the van and Jim manned the merch table.
They were happy with the ÂŁ1500 ticket- and ÂŁ800 merch sales 
Back home, the singers hit the sack and I had a drink with the Belgians before turning in.
Happy with the way the evening went, I think I enjoyed the next morning even more. They drifted down intermittently for breakfast, giving me a chance to do my inquisitions at my leisure, till everyone was fed and watered, and then we just sat around the breakfast table for an hour or so chewing the fat. Anyone who has witnessed me at an open mic knows I can chew a lot of fat! 
Jim left a lovely review of the evening on his fb page and I was chuffed to see Johnny Dowd and him making âfunnyâ remarks about meâŠ
Before heading off, Jim went out to the van to get two of his books to sign for me.
They piled into the van and left.
Thereâs at least one more post in this saga, as I am working on my musical âthank you cardâ or souvenir to document the experience. Watch this space 
Meanwhile, for anyone still reading and interested, here isâŠ
Some video footage:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFys-pELFBAOsxdlGsg2M25dgjG9h4M0i&si=1KsNZHSF5EADwoV4
âŠfor the rest, read my previous comments 
