What Really Happens on Tour? UK Edition

Hello, this is Vaidotas. I’m currently writing from Germany. We recently finished our tour in the UK, which I’d like to tell you about.

We decided to fly to the UK, while Robertas alone drove our tour minivan all the way from Vilnius to London over two days. So he had to leave earlier. Why do we need a minivan? Because we carry a lot of our own equipment: a full drum kit, guitars, and a sound engineer’s console that weighs around 120 kg.

We’re doing this tour without major promoters—just on our own, with the help of someone in each country who understands the local specifics better. Our UK tour was organized with the help of Lisa—a wonderful example of human kindness.

Our first UK concert took place in this city. You can feel London’s fast pace as soon as you enter it, so we were rushing to get ready for the show.

The tickets were sold out. Even though, looking at the venue, more could have been sold, there were limits due to safety regulations. Safety is important everywhere.

The concert went great, and the audience welcomed us warmly. ’80s star Limahl (He even gave us his postcard with some lovely words written to us) and Deban from Wiwibloggs also attended, and we later did an interview with him.

On the way to Birmingham, we were told that the audience there can sometimes be tough and unpredictable. For the first time in our career, we had a stage with railings—like a barrier. The venue has this setup due to the unpredictability of the crowd. That surprised us, because the people who came were very kind and friendly. The atmosphere at the concert was simply amazing!

By the way, I received a small bottle of whisky as a gift, which had once been taken directly from David Beckham’s hands. Now it’s mine—a lovely memory.

We also learned a new word: “Bostin,” which means “great.” So we can confidently say—it was a bostin show!

We stayed in a rented house in a small town between Manchester and Leeds. It was nice to experience the rhythm of everyday local life. Of course, we’re still surprised by the two separate water taps in sinks. But what amazed us most was the shower system in the house. Mantas spent a long time trying to figure out how to turn it on.

We just couldn’t understand how to get the water running. Suddenly, Robertas shouted from another room: “There are two cords hanging from the ceiling by the door. Pull one to turn on the light, and the other—for the shower.” What?!

That means you have to pull a cord on the other side of the bathroom before even stepping into the shower. That logic—and those cords—really surprised us. But you get used to everything. It’s interesting to observe cultural differences.

The Yorkshire area charmed us with its beauty, especially now in spring when everything is blooming. The concert in Manchester was wonderful. The audience was engaged, and there was a beautiful sense of connection.

On the way to Leeds, we noticed a screw stuck in the front tire. The tire was still firm, but we were worried it might start losing air. It was Saturday, and nearby repair shops were closed. But we found one roadside place open. We stopped, and the tire was fixed. What a relief.

It was interesting to learn that some people had flown in from Washington, D.C., USA, just for the concert. A long journey—we’re truly grateful for that kind of support.

The concert was full of great emotions. I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about Leeds and thought it might not be very attractive. I was wrong. I had time to walk around the center, and I can say the city’s architecture—both old and new—really impressed me. The city is full of people. I liked it a lot.

Scotland welcomed us with sunny weather, a hilly landscape, and very hospitable people. The venue staff immediately rushed to help us carry in our instruments and were truly friendly. The city breathes deep history and somehow reminds you of life’s impermanence—live now, live fully, see beauty, and be kind to others. Personally, I really loved Scotland. I’d definitely like to return for a longer exploration. The concert took place on Sunday, but in Edinburgh people live life fully every day, so the show attracted a great crowd and was filled with good energy.

After that, we traveled to Newcastle, from where we took a ferry to Amsterdam. More about that in our next Roopsletter.

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Today we’re sharing a video about the UK part of the tour. How did we live? How did we travel?