Before we became parents we lived in Galicia, in 2015 we decided that change was in order and we needed to take a step in some direction to make it happen.
I left my job in July of that year and enrolled in a Teaching masters starting the end of that September. In the meantime we hit the road, with guitar, tent and sore throat we started off on an adventure around Europe playing on the streets, bars, open mic nights and eventually on the radio.
We met the most interesting of people, and saw the cities and towns in a totally different light than if we were to go there as mere tourists. My father always said to me; “You can pass through the same city many times and meet many different cities”. Never a truer word for me, I had been to some of these European cities previously for work or pleasure, but never as a musician looking to find a little corner to play in. It was exciting and genuinely a worthwhile experience.
So far, in our career, we have played in a few European countries including; Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium and Holland, and it’s interesting to see how the audiences and their reactions differ (or not) from country to country, and city to city depending on the street corner or music venue, what works and what doesn’t, it’s fascinating!
.I suppose from that trip, for me, what really sticks out as a WOW! experience was the night we played at the Open Mic in Zummer Fabric in Antwerp.
We arrived late to the warehouse, it was buzzing, food and drink vans outside, funky art work all over the place and full to the brim, you could tell it was a happening spot. I remember meekly sneaking up to who I assumed was the organiser and asked if we could participate, Tiago and I were sort of pushing each other to go, “You ask, I asked the last time!”, anyway, it was my turn. She told me that they were full but would allow us to play seems as we had come such a long way. Before us, (if I remember correctly) was a guy rapping and before that a guy that told a joke. It was so varied, it was wonderful. Then, it was our turn. Tiago plugged in the guitar and we started playing our song “Digging”. You could feel a quick shift in the atmosphere of the venue, and suddenly all eyes were on us, you could hear a pin drop. Once we finished the song the place erupted in applause. It was only one song, but for me, it was the best concert we ever gave.
Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxFVF3z_RiI