After a spectacular show in Belfast it was time for me to fly back to the UK, mow the lawn and pick some apples, before the UK leg of the tour.

First up was Bristol and all fingers were crossed that the van was fixed. In the end it was picked up 1 hour before the planned set off time, talk about cutting it fine. Bristol would be a very different show to Belfast. Downstairs in the small room with a 50 person cap, it was about putting in the hard miles to build the profile of the band. The amazing news an hour before the bands came on was that it was now sold out, the bands first sell out show outside of Northern Ireland. Irrespective of the size of the venue, this is a fantastic achievement and the band are visibly  buoyed by the news. Support came from Polly RS, a singer songwriter with a real Tori Amos style vibe. Her short set was a great precursor to the main event.

The boisterous crowd were well up for the band, with what appeared to be a large contingent of Logan's overseas fan club, and from the initial notes of recent single 'Stars Bleed' they sang along and gave great support. It's a small venue but everyone was right down on top of the band from the get go to really get into the mood of things. It may be October but things got warm quickly but it didn't stop the dancing and singing. 

With Taylor and Lauren off the small stage at the front and the rest of the band on the stage behind them, there was next to  no separation between crowd and band and this just added to the atmosphere. The crowd seemed well versed in the new material and responded well to each new track. 'Girl' from their first album 'Seatbelts for Airplanes' went down a storm and Lauren, bouncing away getting into the track, nearly knocked herself out on the speaker. Although in such a small room with a low ceiling, the sound guys worked miracles to achieve a pretty good sound for all concerned. Taylor, ever the lively front man, couldn't be constrained for long by the small space and found standing on the monitor gave him a little more perspective of the venue but standing on the table by the stage, head pressed to the ceiling was even better. Another great show and the crowd even formed a 'circle pit' for the last song, 'Lucky'. It was definitely more 'uncle Mickey's 60th birthday bash down the village hall', than Slipknot at Download, but the punters were loving it and just into the music. The end came too soon and, like all of the dates so far, the sold out crowd bayed for more. But it wasn't to be and it was time for a sleep before the tour rolled on to London. 

The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston was not a venue I knew well but it had a lovely 200 cap room out back, with a nice big stage and a great sound (with Jay from Sean McGowan's bands amongst others twiddling the knobs to magical effect). Harker, a guitar rock band opened things up to get the crowd moving before the main event. And while the setlist remained basically the same throughout this run of shows, the audience have all responded a little differently from town to town. The London crowd were a little more reserved on the dancing front while still singing along to the songs. I think there were a few more first timers in tonight but they had clearly done their homework!

The lovely arch that framed the stage, and that drummer Luke sat within, gave a lovely warm feel to the venue, complimented by the highly colourful graphics and cartoons that adorned every wall. And the band responded. They are getting better and better playing these new songs and the vocal harmonies really worked well with this great sounding room. Each night, they have played a new track, tipped for inclusion on the next album. These are sounding really strong and tonight was no exception. As usual the night closed with 'Lucky', a really upbeat floor filler but the London crowd happy just to tap their feet a little livelier than normal!

A great night where I think the band really picked up some new fans ready for the next visit to the capital. It's then a few hours shut eye before the long drive up to Manchester. 

Manchester was to be my last night on the tour as I couldn't make Glasgow. The venue, Retro, is a lovely place with the stickiest floor I have ever encountered (by all accounts there was a punk all dayer the day before the last time I visited!). Happy to say that the floor was nice and clean as we unloaded but slightly less happy after setting most things up on the downstairs stage we were informed that we were actually playing upstairs! I'm too old to be carrying drum kits upstairs (yes my tour photog duties extended beyond the camera work!) The reason for the move was not about not selling tickets or any issues, there was another gig downstairs at the same time. How great is that, 6/7 bands playing at a venue at once?!!!!?

The new room worked brilliantly for the crowd numbers and although a couple of sound issues were encountered (and a mic lead replaced mid song!) it was perfect for the punters who turned up, sung and danced. Unlike London, Manchester definitely brought their dancing shoes and as the band hit the stage, everyone stepped forward and started singing and boogieing from the start. With everyone squeezed on the small stage it didn't leave a lot of space for band movement so Taylor had to improvise and join the crowd on the dance floor in order to throw some shapes. And Manchester sang and Manchester danced. A slightly shorter set tonight as 2 support bands also played but the energy wasn't subdued from start to finish. The banter from the band was fresh and engaging, picking up on the dynamic of the room and recognising this was a very different crowd from last night. 

By the end, the dance floor was full, everyone was moving and they could have played for another hour and the crowd would still have been happy, but you have to leave them wanting more don't you? And that was me done .. after we sold some merch and loaded the van of course. While the tour rolled on to Glasgow to finish this run of shows off it was time for me to leave them to it.

Brand New Friend should hopefully have a great musical future if the cards fall the right way. The new album is a triumph, showing real development and growth and with 20+ tracks already for the next stage they can hopefully keep the momentum going. As a unit they work really well together, the vocals are so strong, the backline is solid and the 'fit' of the guitars and keyboards into the overall picture produces a really full and accomplished overall set of tunes. And the fact that most of them are siblings you can see the connection they have. With Taylor as a front man just tops it off. Above the vocals, he's charismatic, engaging and has that x factor that lead singers need. It just brings it all together and for an audience it draws you in. 

Listen to the album Grandstand in all of the usual places and keep an eye out for when then are next touring in your area, definitely worth going down to check then out.

Words and Pictures by Glenn Morrison