22/03/10 : Berlin & Hamburg. Re-construction time again... Ja hallo everyone, Greetings from the fantastic Gastwerk Hotel in Hamburg. We are working away in our usual fashion, listening to various demos people have handed Alan during the tour, a mini-bar night cap on the side... still digesting all the impressions from the last two nights at Hansa Meistersaal and Altona Kulturkirche. Friday in Berlin was such a special evening, it left all of us a bit spaced - as in quite hung over, but happy..: ) Although, the event was 'special' in more ways than one: the PA, which normally accommodates string quartets and weddings, had to be replaced when Recoil rolled in, and the building soon reached sauna-like temperatures due to little or no air conditioning - but the vibe was so great, almost electric with the sounds and the history of the place. There was a lot of goodwill and love in the audience and it was quite clear that the guys on stage had a good time too. The rather iconic duo of Daniel Miller & Gareth Jones provided the opening act of the evening, introduced by Alan, and what can one say - it was a dream come true for any fan of Mute/DM - an inventive deconstruction of the first DM album mixed in that very space at Hansa studios back in the early '80s. That set was followed by a brief q&a session with Alan, Gareth & Daniel, hosted and translated by a dear friend of ours Anne Haffmans (Mute Germany), before it was Recoil's turn to take the stage.. Our night in Hamburg was quite different, though still special - perhaps because we soon realised we were actually taking part in a Depeche Mode fan convention(!) Anyway - the church itself was beautiful and impressive, the screen was absolutely huge (after much negotiation) and we were made to feel very welcome by the promoter Frank. It's strange though how that church-vibe still gets to you - stern, austere, and just a bit oppressive - it was certainly out of the ordinary. Adding to this 'Strange Hour' was Olivia Louvel, guest act for the evening, who hypnotized the audience with a cool set accompanied by her own film show. After a signing session where virtually the whole congregation got their items signed, we grabbed the rest of the vodka and hot-footed it back to the hotel (which turned out to be peculiarly dead for a Saturday night..?) but after two events in a row we were all quite happy to retire to our rooms. It's not quite the 'Devotional' tour this - but I'm still very happy to take part: ) There are many people to thank: 'Sunroof' (Daniel Miller & Gareth Jones), Johnny Melton, Dennis Burmeister (passionate promoter & self-proclaimed "General of Alan's army"), Anne & Philipp Haffmans, everyone who helped at Hansa, Paul Blau, Olaf Zimmermann, Hayo Lewerentz (for filming the Hamburg event), Ivana Dvorska & Oliver Thiede for contributing more beautiful photos, Michael Jenckel, Olivia, Igor, and Peddy (for cracking the whip!). Prost! Britt