With a new line-up the Norwagian band Tristania came to the point of no return, and they go forward with their new album Rubicon. To intruduce their new members and the new album they go on tour. Asrai and the Polish band Unsun joined them

07-10-2010 - On the Road

Around 21.00 hours we gathered around at our meeting point near Rotterdam. We stood on the road near the highway and we saw the red bus coming long time before he passed us…

In the distance we saw that he didn’t take the right turn. Luckily the driver decided to call a cabdriver to help him out, so just with a tiny delay the tourbus arrived.

In the meantime Harold, our tour-manager at the Darkest tour, entered the group, he will be on this tour as well and we were happy to see him again. We’ve missed him.

Mariska join us as well; she is doing the merchandise this tour. In a good mood we put all our stuff into the bus and looking for a bunk (At the bus a bed called a bunk), what will be our home for the next days. Tristania’s sound engineer was already at the bus, so we’re ready to go. Robin and Devon waved us farewell.

And in the same spirit we got on board of the boat..

It’s a good thing that it’s not allowed to sleep on the bus in your own bunk while you’re on the ferry.

Heading to Calais, the next morning we had to be early at the airport to pick up Tristania. At the border we were so lucky to visit a homey customs in the middle of the night, the warm welcome we got, will always be remembered.

It’s so much nicer to get some sleep at a cold couch with in the background, the loud sound of the Disney movie; Junglebook, because they have to entertain all those kids in the middle of the night.

08-10-2010 - The Underworld - Londen - UK

We were happy to be in England again and on time we arrived at Gatwick airport, to pick up Tristania. It seems that Tristania had a gig the night before, so I guess we had overall the same sleeping hours…

Everybody with puffy eyes and a good spirit, yes we’re ready to start the tour. It would take us some time to get to London, so we catch up some sleep.

Close to Camden town we regained some new energy; never underestimate the power of shopping. The bus parked close by the Underworld. So we could find the way back easy. It was about 25 degree so we all had a summer feeling in autumn.

Tristania was heading to a signing session for the brand PSYLO.

We took the time to get lost at the rebuild Camden Town. And we gave a good booster to England’s economy.

Right before we had to go back again we bumped into our Dutch fanbase, it was a really nice to see them. For us it was about time to get back to the Underworld. That was not easy to do so, shops were calling us and we really didn’t have enough time to see all what we wanted to see. A good reason to go back again… Duty calls; up to the buss to meet up with Unsun and to get ready for the show. First we needed to unload the bus, and to do so we had to get the bus to the backside of the Underworld. It was just to get to the other corner…and to get all of our stuff out of the bus. At least we had more then enough time to do so

This trip took us more then an hour by bus, what we could have done in less than 2 minutes when we were by foot. It was a musical ride; we heard a lot of claxons coming from the London traffic. Who seems really happy with our 20 meter long touring bus, with of course a trailer. Well at least it was a red bus, so we didn’t want to hear too much complaining. One hour, three traffic jams, two almost crashes (with a Murphy bus) later we arrived at the other corner of the Underworld. Now it was time to unload our stuff and get ready for the kick off of the Rubicon Tour 2010.

Without any problems we put on all the stuff and it was nice to see that from the start there was good teamwork. We didn’t have much time so after Tristania’s sound check there was only time for Unsun to do theirs. And they needed to get ready for the first show of this tour.

At the door somebody cleaned up and throw away some papers at the door, a shame when it turned out that one of those papers was our guest list. Luckily Martin was smoking out-side so he managed to get our guests; Ruud and Sabrina in

The venue was getting crowed and Unsun got a warm welcome from an enthusiastic audience.

It was the third time that Asrai played at the Underworld and it was nice to be back again.

To see old and new faces in the crowd, it was a pleasure to play again.

Straight after our show we were heading for some food, well at least we intend too… the restaurant just closed while we’re playing and we got a flashback from the three times before. Then we also missed our dinner.

We wanted to see Trisiania’s performance, now we had all time for that.

Tristania gave a great performance and the atmosphere was really good. After the show we had some nice talks at the merchandise stands.

everybody was enjoying the evening. Musically and personally it promised to be a good tour!

The next show will be in Holland so we load all the stuff into the bus and trailer, and heading to the ferry again.

Tristania, Asrai en Unsun – Underworld, London

Posted on October 12, 2010 by musiccredo tekst: Sabrina Smit

foto: copyright www.deadbysunrise.co.uk 8 oktober – Underworld, London.

With a totally unique sound, Dutch band Asrai is high respected among gothic fans. The band treated us to nine songs of their albums Touch In The Dark and Pearls In Dirt. The acoustics of the hall is excellent and the female lead singer Magriet has a clear voice and also a lot of energy, easily convincing the crowd.The band enjoys themselves very much in performing on stage. Most striking is the wide variety of songs, each with very different composition and chanting like Your Hands So Cold, Pale Light and In Front Of Me for example.

Stay, Awaken, Restless, Hollow, Sour Ground and Shadows is the second part of the set, where the energy grows. The band members are real veterans, which shows by the incredible virtuoso performance and their ability to entertain the audience at the same time. Margriet addresses her songs not only to the fans in front of her, but she also knows how to reach the people in the back of the hall.

At the opening of their performance the English crowd initially is very quite in anticipation of all things to come. Heads are turning around in growing astonishment. Asrais performance is an exciting experience. It felt like a thriller and one by one the crowd gets under the spell of this music. In no time people are headbanging like a madman and go through of the experiece of the overwhelming power of Asrai. I know that the band can be really proud of their high quality performance, and this is only the first night of the tour. Check out the tour on http://www.asrai.net. Check out the rest of this review at: musiccredo.wordpress.com

Tristania + Asrai + Unsun at The Underworld, Camden 8th Oct

5 piece (bass, guitar, drums, keys, female vocals).

I like their CDs, sometimes I think their music is really excellent. Sometimes scratching a bit of s punky gothy itch as well as being femme metal. Live tonight their sound was excellent right from the start, and I was into it straight away, and headbanging away merrily. A very enjoyable set, and I can say I enjoyed them more than I had expected, so great stuff.

Check out the rest of this review at:

Last FM

11 Oct 2010, 12:07

Fri 8 Oct – Tristania, Asrai, UnSun

Asrai: 7:45-8:32pm

By AndyMerritt

TRISTANIA, ASRAI AND UNSUN

This was an evening of outfits, jewellery and Goth Metal. Three bands, three different interpretations of the style. Plenty to look forward to.

A full-bodied Margriet Mol appeared on stage, accompanied by her Gothic colleagues. This was the same lady whose photos I had seen on the merch stand with a rose in her hair and bats flying around in the background. “Delilah’s Lie” was straight from the crypt.

This busty woman’s ghoulish screams could strip the paint off walls. Where Unsun had been catchy, Asrai’s performance was about mood and power. If a skeleton had emerged from the back of the stage, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

Dark and shadowy musical images accompanied Ms Mol’s forceful singing. With make-up for the occasion, her expression and eyes suggested that she meant everything she was singing and more. “In Front of Me” followed. Her voice reverberated across the room in accompaniment to a dark and heavy electro-beat, but she equally proved her ability to deliver dark sadness and emotion.

The steady beat of the drum and the dark anger of the guitar work set the sullen tone. The guitarist’s face was mysteriously hidden behind a mop of red and black hair. For me, the stand-out song was “Hollow”, presented to us as a new one. This song provided plenty to move to as well as the trademark Darkwave atmospherics. An electro beat worthy of fellow Dutch Gothsters Clan of Xymox whistled through the catchy and dark heaviness. I sensed that Ms Mol was pleased with the way it went. So were we. “Shadows” ended the band’s show. This afforded Ms Mol a final chance to impress us with her lungs. The keys rang out, the dream beat solidly and the guitars struck a punitive rhythm. Ms Mol cosied up to the guitarists. “Shadows” capped off a thoroughly dynamic performance from Asrai.

Andrew Doherty

Check out the rest of this review at: Metalteamuk.net

09-10 - Metropool- Hengelo- Holland

On time we arrived at the Metropool at Hengelo. That venue is brand new and looks really cool.

Especially the showers were really appreciated, and that after one day, so that’s a promise for the upcoming shows.

After the show there was a small after-disco were some Norwegians got lost, well they were not the only one.....

Backstage we bumped in to Bertolf (a Dutch artist), who performed that evening as well… He never heard about a band called; Gate to Hell.

Well neither did we. It’s the name of the rental company for the backline.

Margriet had a flashback to Spinal tap when the elevator played tricks on her and she got lost at the venue. In the end she was saved by the stairs, but she had to pay the price with caring all her stuff downstairs.

Tristania – back on top with passionated show in Hengelo

Posted on October 13, 2010 by musiccredo

tekst: Silvia Deurwaarder

Asrai is a Dutch band on this package and has a real own label in the gothic scene.

With their typical sound, not easy to describe and you need some time to switch over from dark melancholic Unsun to an overwhelming performance from these musicians. From the beginning till the end they give two hundred percent and easily warm up the crowd.

Front woman Margriet Mol has a strong voice, a bit raw now and then. It is definitely worth a compliment that she grows more and more into the set after some songs and shows a lot of power. ‘

Manon van der Hidde on keyboards, also responsible for the heavy backing vocals, adds an extra dimension to the live show.

Again the sound is a bit too loud, maybe the sound guy didn’t realise the venue wasn’t totally packed and the balance was gone for a while. For a band like Asrai the little details on arrangements, vocals and piano are very important and it needs a lot of attention to change levels all the time.

Pale Light’ is a very dynamic song with fast drums from twin sister Karin Mol and it awakes the energy for sure! It is great that she has some spotlights on her, because hidden behind the drum kit she shows a lot of energy with a big smile on her face.

Together with the groovy guitars and bass, a dark and intense sound is also translated in the performance of all members.

Especially Margriet is a real eye-catcher. ‘Stay With Me’ has a uprising beat, dark and doomy with on top a fragile Margriet, showing that is capable of so much more. Excellent first impression!

more: Music-credo

10-10 - Melkweg- Amsterdam- Holland

The following morning the bus stopped by a fancy hotel, so we could freshen up. The faces of the regular customs we won’t forget easily when we were splashing some water on our faces to get awake. And they will never forget ours, with our toothbrushes in our mouth. Clean and with blinking teethes, smelling fresh again it was time to go to Amsterdam

The picturesque capital city of The Netherlands, with the famous canals of Amsterdam. To cross the canals there are historic small bridges… And that turned out to be a problem for our big tourbus. To make a u-turn is impossible so we got stuck on one of the bridges.

Again we caused some traffic jams; we even got stuck in a traffic jam we caused. Finally we got near to the Melkweg.

And straight in front of the door of a police station we got stuck again.

We couldn’t park at all because of a crappy parked car. It was hilarious when we found out that that car was from one of the policemen. The parking problem was soon fixed after he removed the car.

The bus was really tight parked at the canal in front of the Melkweg. First we needed to check if everybody could swim, in case of a minor accident.

Everything was quickly on stage and after the soundcheck we could enjoy the dinner. Although Rik was forgotten by the waitress. In the end, acording to the famous A'dam mentailty he got some food what she chooses for him, although not the one he likes....

It was time to get ready for the gig. Some special guests were at the Melkweg and again we enjoyed seeing familiar and new faces.

We met a guy who missed the London show and flew over to Amsterdam to see the Rubicon package at the Melkweg..

Sarkophag-rocks.com

The next band is a band I have seen before – it is Asrai from Holland. I must say that their former shows didn´t impressed me at all but I have to change my opinion when I hear the first tones blowing out of the speakers.

They´re better than I can remember, it´s like seeing a totally new band. I can say that I really enjoyed every minute of their show very much.

They have grown into a band who know to put down a hell of a show with a perfect sound and light-show. I can´t believe that it´s still the same band because singer Margriets vocals sound clear and powerful.

The audience enjoys it as much as I do. Before we know it, the show is over.

With their short but steady set they are able to set the stage on fire which builds a hot welcome to the main act of the evening. When the stage is build up for headliner Tristania, Asrai is handing out autographs and pictures to their fans.

Report by Hans

Unsun, Asrai en Tristania @ Melkweg Amsterdam

Geschreven door Rebecca

woensdag, 13 oktober 2010 07:34

Aardschok en Melkweg gaven 2x2 kaarten weg voor Asrai en Tristania en op 10 oktober. Rebecca was één van de velen die ons de titel mailde van het nieuwste Tristania album; dat was natuurlijk "Rubicon".

Rebecca viel in de prijzen en schreef voor ons het onderstaande verslagje:

Voor een zondag avond was het toch redelijk druk in de Melkweg.

Als eerste stond Unsun gepland. Het was nog niet zo heel erg druk en ze deden erg der best om er een mooie show van te maken. Helaas was de stem van Anna een beetje te zacht en onduidelijk waardoor ze vaak weg viel bij de muziek.

Asrai mocht als 2de optreden. Het liep toen al voller in de zaal. Het geluid was al een heel stuk beter dan de band ervoor. De show was erg goed en het enthousiasme spatte eraf! Het publiek reageerde er erg goed en enthousiast op. Een top show dus.

Helaas hebben ze in de Rubicon tour maar 2 Nederlandse optredens gehad, dat hadden er wat mij betreft wel meer mogen zijn!

Nogmaals bedankt voor de super avond.

Daarna was het de beurt aan Tristania, de hoofd act van de avond.

Er werden voornamelijk nieuwe nummers gespeeld van het album en het publiek ging uit zijn dak. Mariangela en Kjetil waren fantastisch bij stem en het duo is voor mij de perfecte combinatie!

11-10 Glazart – Paris - France

When we arrived at the Glazart, we had to park at a bus station. The people looked so strange at us, probably they were wondering about our destination.

Paris is known as one of the most romantic cities of Europe, we didn’t see anything of that.

No Tour Eiffel, no Sainte Chappele only the big sound wall on the sideline of the highway.

Well our destination was the Glazart, a black venue with less light at the small corridors. Feeling our way to stage and backstage. It was time to discover more about this venue.

And then we’re not even talking about the beach feeling we got when we got out side. It looks like we were in Mexico. 25 degrees, a nice venue, nice people… What more do you want? Except for not getting lost all the time while searching for stage?

And there was a lot to discover. Really cool art on the walls. A pearl was a terrace in the venue.

When Unsun entered stage, the audience got really enthusiastic.

And that vibe never disappeared. What a great audience!!..

Clapping, screaming. It was so inspiring that even Margriet’s hands got in the air.

Publié le 13 octobre 2010 par Flug

Changement de style avec Asrai et leur look 100 % gothique, avec une musique plus proche d’un Faith and Muse survitaminé que les groupes à chanteuses habituels. Ne connaissant pas beaucoup le combo, c’est plus une découverte, qui sera une bonne surprise. La musique se veut metal, dark-wave, gothique, parfois new-wave avec une chanteuse très dynamique qui saura se mettre le public dans la poche assez rapidement comme avec ce « Pale light » ou bien le limite punk « Awaken ».

La musique d’Asrai est vraiment variée et les dix morceaux passent assez vite. Sympa.

by Ouraz

Asrai then arrives on stage. If this group has a certain reputation in Holland, it's not really the case in France for most viewers, myself included, is a discovery. First surprise, the singer, whose style "Gothic Lolita" contrasts with the energy it displays Valkyrie. With the singer Unsun, the contrast is quite violent. Bassist, red-haired half black and half to the numerous tattoos, looks great too.

Recorded background music, and go. First surprise, the song is excellent, a female voice serious enough, low and modulated, very far from the shrill voice and sweet and cutesy ordinarily encountered in the middle of the metal. Once again, the contrast with Unsun is obvious, and it is more a very pleasant surprise!

The charisma of the singer is also significant, impossible not to get into the concert.

It was unfortunate that the room does not lend itself to a more active public participation ...

In any case, the benefit is original, assumed a kitschy, but musically original and interesting, it is certain they will retain their names.

Set list:

• Your Hands So Cold

• Restless

• Pale Light

• In Front of Me

• Stay With Me

• Awaken

• Delilah's Lie

• Hollow

• Sour Ground

• Shadows

After this shocking though really nice experience it was time

to enjoy Tristania’s show.

After the show we meet and greet the French. Far too soon we had to pack and leave again. We won’t forget this audience easily.. Viva la France.

At 24.00 hrs we were almost ready with loading when it was time to congratulate Manon with her birthday.

Time for presents....

The birthdaygirl

Time to celebrate and gave her some presents in the bus, sing-along’s from Happy Birthday in English, Dutch and Norwegian.

...and some drinks

12-10 Die Rohre Stuttgart

That morning Mariangela was freshen up her French, reading the newspaper we brought in the other night. She read out loud our horoscope and told us what the stars had to tell. We were warned bout the fact that we need to go to the dentist. Well we are believers now, especially when Karin’s tooth broke in two. We tried to find a dentist; well they are all closed on a Wednesday in Stuttgart.

In the meantime we heard rumors about the riots at Stuttgart regarding Hauptbahnhof. It seems that the Stuttgart 21 project has been a controversial issue among politicians and locals since the idea of a through station for long distance trains - running under the existing station. That issue collapsed, days before we had to play at the Röhre.

We were prepared for the worse when we arrived at Stuttgart. Despite of the violence what happened days before we didn’t see the issue for cancelling the show for this evening.

A fan was waiting for us, showed us the park and we singed some pictures....

Well we were there, and we were ready to play.

But the organization didn’t even have the decency to show up and explain their decision to cancel the show.

We went into the park to check the situation, had a nice drink, because you have to admit. In Germany they know how to make a nice terrace. And again we had summer temperature, nice drinks. And the only remains of the riots were the pictures on the walls.

Protest.. with cuddly toys on the trees ..

Running scared for some Norwegians ....

There was no use to stay there, we couldn’t reach somebody from Röhre and to stay all day at the park was not an option.

Enjoying the weather, and the beer ....

Although when we heard that we almost had to go we had some concerns about finishing the drinks.

We autographed the pictures of a fan which was waiting for us at the venue. We got back in the bus and on the road again. Were we showed more hospitality than we intend too when the backdoor of the bus opened unexpectedly on the highway.

No show and no time left to enjoy the day. We parked at a Raststätte were we stayed for the night. When you walked in the dark you could hear the screams coming out of the bus from the girls by watching a scary movie.

In the morning we left, heading to the Frankfurt show.

13-10 – Batschkapp/ Nachtleben - Frankfurt - Germany

The jinx we had at Stuttgart didn’t leave us the next day, heading to the Batschkapp we heard that the show was somewhere else. That venue was Nachtleben, situated in the middle of a shopping centre. And there we had to park the bus. To get the parking done we killed some bushes, because we had to drive straight through.

We played that night at Nachtleben. The floor was polished over there, damn that was a slippery floor, so sliding down the stairs to the stage. There were some challenges for some of us; the stage was just as slippery.

After unloading the bus and a short interview there was some time left to explore the shopping area. Probably we took a wrong turn, because we ended up in area what look like a red light district.

There was a small backstage, so everybody sat down at the venue checking their email. After dinner, and the gig of Unsun we got ready again for our show.

Tristania took with them a special guest, Pete Johansen. He’s brilliant on the violin and as a person. That night for him it was the last show on this tour, it became a night to remember.

Talking about the jinx who didn’t leave us, first Carlos, one of the crewmembers, had some problems with his leg and it seems more serious then we toughed, so he had to go to the doctor. (At least they were open.) Back with medication and the receipy: rest!

In Front of Me

Pale Light

Die folgenden Asrai sollten vor zwei Jahren als Support von Moonspell, Gorgoroth und Cradle of Filth in der Batschkapp spielen, allerdings fiel der Auftritt aus. Diesmal hatte es geklappt, und ich war gespannt, denn damals hatte ich lediglich über die Band gelesen und auch jetzt hatte ich noch keinen einzigen Song gehört. Mit druckvollem Sound und sauberem Spiel kam recht schnell auch bei Asrai gute Stimmung auf, mit ihrem 80er/90er Gothic-Sound trafen sie den Geschmack der Meisten im Publikum.

Knueppelknecht.de

During their performance, Pete broke a violin string, and short after that the snare of the drumkit was ruined.. As quickly as possible we prepare another snare in the meantime the string was replace and before we know it everything was back on track again. And Tristania played with such an intensity we won’t forget easily.

14-10 - Markthalle- Hamburg- Germany

The next morning we said goodbye to Pete who had to catch his flight back to Norway. The tour won’t be the same without him.

For the people who were awake it was time to get some breakfast or at least a coffee. Again we found a nice place, we were impressed by the sizes of the cups and we enjoyed our drinks.

The Markhalle is a special place; it s so close at the train station that every time a train passed you could hear it on the bass-amp. And that had an effect on Martin. So we were enjoying ourselves even more on stage just looking at him and guessing when the next train would pass by.

First we explored the market, before we were heading back to Markthalle. When we arrived there, we found out that we had some problems. While unloading, the wheel of the trailer broke off. We were lucky that we were at the hometown of the tourbus rental company. So they could come over to get it fixed, among other small details.

We were killing time with nice food, and getting all the stuff up to the venue. It was many stairs and we were soooo lucky that there was an elevator. Some of us went to a shop to buy some drumstuff among other goodies.

Getting some cookies backstage

When Tristania got on stage we were in a good mood and that night Kjetil was full off jokes. And at least the Dutch delegation appreciated the remark that he wasn’t a Berliner but a Hamburger.

We know the drill by know, packing and loading and laughing. It’s nice to do that all together and the teamwork is really good.

While waiting on the elevator we found time to be on the big stage.

15-10 - Alte spinnerei- Glauchau – Germany

The next day we arrived at the Alte Spinnerei, it’s a really nice venue, with a cozy atmosphere. Were a good breakfast was waiting for us.

There was some time left for doing some groceries and some of us found out that you get even nice ladystuff at the handymen. Manon found some crème to loosen the muscles. We were splashing around with the crème, just to warm up.

We all were impressed by one of the stagehands who manage to carry heavy stuff with one hand while we needed four, to do the same job. So in not-time we were ready.

Well on stage it became burning hot. With the stage lights on, (pointed at Manon’s back, were we put loads of crème.) We got the special effect that steam was coming out of Manon’s ears.

When we started to play our new song; Hollow, the floortom (part of the drumkit) decided to live a life on its own. The tom crashed down. Karin sends out a message for help, when just at that moment the monitor men decided, that was time for some relaxation.

And he smoked a cigar. So we had to stop. That moment they noticed that something went wrong. The floortom was easily to fix and time to continue our show.

Photos by Art of Nero

We had a good time at the Alte Spinnerei, before and after the show we met some really nice and enthusiastic people and had nice talks.

At the end of the evening just before we had to get outside we took a groups picture again.

16-10 - Loch Ness – Kraków - Polen

The next day we arrived at Loch Ness, no not in Scotland, but a cool venue in Polen

Nice underground atmosphere.

After getting the stuff in we took time to go to the shopping mall that was really nearby.

When we got back in the venue it seems that there was even more time left, so together with Tristania we decided to explore the neighborhood. nice city, great view!

Back again at the venue it was time to enjoy some pizza en got ready for the evening. The crew was really nice and the crowed were amazing.

The smoke for the lightshow was used enthusiastically (we couldn’t see a hand backstage). And again that night the drum kit seems to get its own live on stage. Moving like hell like it was doing a dance for its life. It costs some creativity to control the drum kit that night.

The crowed screamed for more, we were not sure if there was enough time to do so. Despite the roaring sound of the audience we made room for Tristania.

A good reason to come back!

And give them more music.

Intro i wychodzi Asrai. Również bez zbytniego entuzjazmu ze strony publiczności. "Hello, we are Asrai from Holland, and it's our first time in Poland. Poland - Holland, hahah". Na początek "Your Hands So Cold". Od razu słychać różnicę w klasie wokalistek, Margriet ma mocny, czysty głos i świetnie nim operuje.

Setlista składała się z 10 utworów, w tym jednego nowego - "Hollow". Z tego, co pamiętam, zagrali jeszcze: "Pale Light" (uśmiech wokalistki widzącej, że śpiewam refren był bezcenny... ale do czasu), "Shadows" (na koniec), "Stay With Me",

"Awaken" (byłoby niezłe pogo... gdyby było), "In Front Of Me", "Sour Ground" i "Delilah's Lie".

Nagłośnienie było trochę lepsze niż podczas występu Unsun, zdecydowanie lepiej słyszalny był wokal, bas wymiatał.

Poza tym były pewne drobne problemy z perkusją przed utworem "In Front Of Me". Basista zapytał "shuold we play?" i nie czekając na odpowiedź zaczął grać riff, podłączyła się wokalistka ze słowami "in front of me (tu bas przestał grac i dalej a cappella) just for a while to ever see". Gromkie brawa, "dzięki very much, now next song", się pośmialiśmy i zaczęli już grać normalną wersję utworu.

Asrai znałem z płyt, toteż wiedziałem, czego się spodziewać, ale i tak miło mnie zaskoczyli swoją charyzmą (mimika twarzy i gestykulacja Manon były powalające; do tego stwierdziliśmy jeszcze, że przypomina Vibeke, więc był już zupełny odlot...), zgraniem i poziomem swojej muzyki. Występ jak najbardziej na plus, niczego w nim nie brakowało. Ba, niektórym tak się podobało, ze wołali o jeszcze! Za co zespół grzecznie podziękował, bijąc nam brawo z uśmiechami od ucha do ucha. Dodam tylko, by być skrupulatnym, że basista co chwilę upuszczał kostkę, łącznie grali lekko ponad 50 minut.

Dłuższa niż poprzednio przerwa, ponad 20 minut, Gyri się rozpakowuje, podłącza osprzętowanie, wołamy, machamy, prześlicznie się uśmiecha, macha w naszą stronę, sprawdzanie mikrofonów, problemy z sygnałem do wzmacniacza Andersa, wymiana blach w perkusji, test świateł, rozklejanie setlisty. Jako jedyny mam na tyle dobry wzrok, by ją przeczytać, wiec czytam wszystkim dookoła, którzy chcą usłyszeć (jeśli komuś zaspoilerowałem, to przepraszam!).

Check out the rest of this review at: Rockmetal.pl

Photos by: Grzegorz Chorus

At the end of the evening we did a jingle for a radio show..

The next day we had to play at Bratislava, so there was a tight curfew to get back on the road again. We had to pack and load the bus and trailer again. It gave us some adrenaline kicks, because we were straight on the road and cars know how to put the pedal to the metal when they passed us. We were almost ready to go, when we found out that we couldn’t leave because a car was parked straight on some cables of the bus. No time to find the driver so the guys lifted the car so we could remove the cables.

Sadly we had to skip the after party, so we made one at the bus.

17-10 – Randal- Bratislava- Slovakia

We won’t forget that bumpy road to Slovakia. That night we didn’t sleep that much.

Ralf, our bus driver tried to buy a toll-vignette to drive on the road without any problems. At the gas station they didn’t understand him, so we left without the necessary papers.

Early in the morning we had an extra stop when the police checked us out and give us a ticket, what was 35 times more expansive then the toll-vignette!... The police took pictures of the bus and after they received the money we were allowed to continue the journey. Rock on…

So we had to go back again and going to the right venue. Although that stage wasn’t as big, the venue was really cool, whish we had one like that in our hometown. Cool art, nice bar and again an underground atmosphere we like so much.

Because of the extra delay we had to rush to the venue, and when we arrived, we entered, after climbing some stairs, a really big stage. Pleased we walked to the crew who wasn’t expecting us at all. Soon it turned out that we walked one fence too far.

We put everything on stage; we eat a little and enjoyed the bar. Electricity was something special over there, as soon when somebody connected his laptop the light went out at the dressing room.

Downstairs the shower was not like home, and when we heard that the shower upstairs was much better we decided after the show to take a shower. Karin and Margriet start their journey. They found some dark places over there and got totally lost, when Martin and Manon found them.

It was a happy end when we came back in the venue, smelling fresh again and ready to party. Well and at the Randal, they know how to party.. We met some nice people who introduced us to some traditional drinks. na zdraví!!

It was a really nice evening and as ever all good things comes to an end.

We had to go to the bus again. The next day we have a day off and going to spend that one at Prague. Except for Kjetil, who took a hotel at Bratislava to spend some time with his girlfriend. He would come to Prague by train to join us again for the Exit Chmelnice gig.

Before we left there was a guy from the audience, who promised himself that he could join us to Prague, so he was banging on the door of the bus, because he wanted to get in. Sorry, for that night we already had a guest. Ole’s nephew.

Na zdraví!!

18-10 Day off!!!

Prague, it’s the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Some of us visit already this beautiful city. So they could lead the way. First things first, and we brought Tristania to their hotel. Before we could enjoy the day off, we drove to the nearest parking station. Although the nearest… We still don’t know what happened that day; the whole city was full of police. And they blocked a lot of roads. In the end it took us more then an hour the get there. Crossing far too narrow streets were it was almost impossible to get thru. We were really impressed by Harold’s driving skills. WOW.

It wasn’t the most touristic area, and first we needed to figure out where we are and what we wanted to do. We all wanted to go to a good toilet and saw that there was a University close by. While we were heading to the University we bumped into the guys of Unsun.

We defiantly wanted to find a decent toilet and we all bashed into the University, to find out that the toilets are closed. Of course we didn’t know how to get a key. There was no other option then to go to the centre of Prague.

After getting some directions we found a bus stop. The chauffeur was so kind to let us travel for free to the nearest subway station.

Luckily there was a Mac and we finally found those necessary toilets. Rik bought in the meantime some day tickets.

We would meet Mariangela at the Karlův most or in English; Charles Bridge, full painters, statues, owners of kiosks and other traders alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge. Well we were one of those numerous tourists enjoying the view. When we crossed the bridge we wandered around, till the evening fall.

It was easy to find out were to go and like some tourists we got into the subway, looking for a bank to get some cash and something to eat

Mariangela needed to get back to the hotel and we would call each other to meet up later on again. We wanted to visit the golden lane, we never got there.

We heard from several people that they were working in that area and that probably the lane was closed.

We received a message that Tristania was getting to an Indian restaurant, we were thinking about the restrictions regarding the use of the toilet at the bus in combination with some spicy food. We decided to look for another place to eat. That couldn’t be somewhere else than at Satan’s place. It was hell’s kitchen with devilish good food!

It was not that easy to find a subway station. When it was so dark, we hardly did recognize the streets.

But we did found our way back and when we arrived at the parking station the fence was closed.

Woytek, the drummer of Unsun came out of their bus and he was able to ask the security to open the fence. The rest was getting to the bus when Mariska and Karin forgot time talking to Woytek. When they finally got back to the bus it was time to watch a movie. And catching some sleep.

19-10 - Exit Chmelnice – Praha - Czech rep.

The following morning we got a small visit from the security guy, he was curious who and what he guarded that night. Before everybody was awake the guard was armed and ready to continue his job.

We got ready to pick up Tristania at the hotel and after we drove by the Dancing house, a special office complex, for the fifth time it was time to get some help.

We ordered a cab that would drive in front of us, to guide us to the hotel.. The cabdriver made a sharp u-turn to get to the other side of the road, well that was not that clever of the guy because for the bus it’s impossible to made the same move.

So first we had to go straightforward looking for a place to turn. We found that one at a crossing point.

Again a lot off traffic was getting stuck when we do our turn, on the sideline of the road there were some policemen watching our movement with a certain interest. When we were almost there they arranged that we could get back on the road and leading us to a complete different road. We never saw that cabdriver again.

So for the sixth time we crossed the Dancing house, and again when we found another cabdriver who did understand that we had some space restrictions.

And he lead us were we ha to be. Of course we passed the Dancing house again. Finally we arrived at the hotel to pick up Tristania.

They wondered for a while what were doing because they saw the bus going up and down on the other side of the road.

For the eight and last time we passed the Dancing house. We had enough sightseeing for today, time to get to the Exit Chmelnice.

Again we arrived at a nice venue and we had a good work-out for that day. There were three stair and we had to carry all stuff upstairs.

We killed some time hanging around, singing some I love rock & Roll, and get ready again for the gig. The audience was great and actually getting nuts at Tristania’s gig. After the show we had a great time at the merchandise.

TRISTANIA, ASRAI, UNSUN

19.10.2010 @ PRAHA, EXIT CHMELNICE

Asrai mě odradili od bližšího seznamování, už když jsem si prohlížel jejich fotky na Last.fm: spílejte mi do konzervativců, ale mě postarší ženštiny v latexu vážně moc nepřitahují. Naživo Asrai působí stejně jako na fotografiích: true gothic pětice (z toho tři ženské: zpěv, bicí a klávesy), nad jejímiž modely gothičtí návštěvníci jistě závistivě slinili

, ostatní se spíše shovívavě usmívali – například kytarista v latexových kalhotách trochu připomínal potápěče, ovšem jelikož mu jako 'top' sloužila jakási atrapa brnění, zřejmě by se potopil jenom jednou. Žerty stranou: Asrai hudebně rozhodně nebyla taková hrůza jako Unsun,

Nizozemci působí už neuvěřitelných 20 let (co jsem říkal o postarších ženštinách?) a rozhodně jsou sehraní a drží určitý koncept. Pochválil bych mocný ženský zpěv; zaujaly mě též aranže, kdy latexový

potápěč fungoval se svojí kytarou spíše jako subík, který tvrdil muziku v refrénech, zatímco jednotlivé sloky byly vybudovány na rytmice a klávesách. K rytmice jednu genderově zabarvenou poznámku: ještě nikdy jsem neviděl takové jemné mazlení s bicími, jaké předváděla paní bubenice. V tom musel být buď mateřský jemnocit, nebo obava, že jí při prudkém pohybu praskne korzet. Hudba Asrai je spíše pomalejší a atmosférická, věřím, že pro fanouška gothic rocku nebo metalu se muselo jednat o záživnou show. Ne tak pro mě – avšak zde jde o můj dojem, nemyslím, že by kapela udělala cokoli špatně.

Check out the rest of this review at: Marastjakcyp.com

20-10 - K 17 – Berlin – Germany

Back to Germany again and we were looking forward to visit a Raststätte. For a nice drink, breakfast, shower etc... That morning we heard that Volbeat and Entombed crew had a bus accident with their Red Car tourbus in Norway, well that made us quite. Glad that nobody was injured.

It’s always nice to be in Berlin, one of our favourite cities. When we were looking through our windows we see all the streets we passed, and they were so close by to some cool places and shops... It was a shame that we couldn’t stop to shop.

When we arrived at the K17, we had to get trough an 18 meter lane with a 20 meter bus. Well we didn’t come as far as we had in mind. At least Harold got the bus parked. We enjoyed the homemade cooking and had some fun backstage.

It turned out that Ole lived for some month in Berlin and fluently he made a small speech in German. (Vielen dank) Of course we were all impressed. The shows were nice like the audience. When we were back in the bus again we came up with the brilliant idea of getting some Dönner kebab and falafel.

We never forget the guys face when we all entered his shop and order for twenty men. Guess that after we run in, he earned enough and could close the place for that night.

21-10 - Backstage- Munchen – Germany

When we were driving to Munchen it was snowing and really cold, hard to believe that the first days we walked around in our t-shirts and now it was shivering cold.

Back to Backstage again, this time the venue is on the other side of the road, confusing because further on it is an exact copy of the old place. You would think that we would find our way. But again we managed to get lost. It is getting the story of our lives. Stagehands were helping us out and we never unloaded that truck so quickly.

When we were ready to go for our sound check, we discovered that our backdrop-bat was flying up side down. We were glad that we could save that one. It was far out the funniest sound-check ever. The Backstage crew was really fun and knows what they were doing. This promised to be a good show and it did.

One of the best and sure the funniest soundengineers we met on the tour.

Thanx you guys

22-10 - Z7 – Pratteln- Suisse

We were heading to z7 and today it would be the last show of the Rubicon Tour as we had it for all these days. Suddenly the end of the tour was there.

We’ve been before at the z7 and it is such an awesome venue. With a really nice and good crew, the food was made with love and care… it shows!

For Eivind we collected all autographs, and surprised him with that one. If you want to see this one you have to go to

THE ROCK INN at Oslo - Norway

The last Rubicontour picture of all bands together, although we wait for some who are missing

After the soundcheck it was time to get ready for our last show on the Rubicon tour

Mauser Unsun' guitarist played Exile together with Tristania; adding his guitar souind...

It adds someting to a really nice song

Wise words straight before you enter the stage.

At the last song “Tender trip on earth” we entered stage.

joining Tristania on the last song

Tender trip on earth

Tears falling from the sky Words from a lullaby everything beautiful dies For now, we're hanging in Though we are blessed with sin You make my heart sing

The Rubicon tour came to an end, an awesome time were we met really nice people, fantastic audience, good crew and we came in venues we whish we have them at home.

Thank you all to make this tour to a special one...

23-10 Female voices fest Wieze – Belgium.

It was time to go home, but not before we had a stop the Female voices festival – Wieze. Tristania had to play their last show and unexpectedly Unsun was entering the stage there as well, because one of the bands was cancelled..

It was nice to meet some old friends again and to see that some people were searching at the program when we would play. Not this day, we’re just there to enjoy ourselves and we had all time to watch Unsun and Tristania, without thinking about getting dressed and doing change overs. Among other things.

The next morning Tristania had to catch a plain from Hamburg, with the trip in mind we had to leave on time. We were back in the bus again when suddenly we heard banging on the window.

The band members of Unsun were there to say goodbye. We were all in a good mood; although there was regret that it all did came to the end. Big hugs and small presents, we hope to see them again… Thank you so much for the great time we had, specially Woytek . we’ve been such a good team, on drums..

dzičkujč!

Heading home, from Wieze first we go back to Rotterdam, before the bus is going to bring back the back-line and bring Tristania to the airport.

at least he can swear in two languages

On the road Gyri and Rik adopted satans-son, now it's time to talk over were he's going to grow up and where to spend his holidays...

In the middle of the night we arrived at our meeting point were Robin was waiting for us.

Eivind was leaving the bus here as well and we would bring him to a hotel. So he can take the plain from Amsterdam to Norway. Harold was pick up by bolle. Time for unloading our stuff for the last time, we had to give lot of hugs. It was strange to say goodbye.

We had such good times with each other, at the bus, backstage etc. We will miss it and hope to see you soon again.

Tusen Takk for uforglemmelig opplevelse!