Who Stole The Pineapple Thief?

This is a whinge I admit, but a justified one I think. The Pineapple Thief recently announced their Your Wilderness tour that will be happening in the New Year. Now I am a big fan of The Pineapple Thief, as you will see from the blog tags they get played a lot on my internet radio show and I certainly do not begrudge Bruce Soord any of the deserved success that is long overdue, but let's talk tour dates, more importantly gig locations.

The Pineapple Thief, Bristol, December 2014

Unlike previous tours Great Britain is getting just three dates, Glasgow, Manchester and London. The venues aren't massive but for a band born in the south-west of England, there appears a gaping geographical hole in the itinerary (well two if we are being fair).

No doubt someone, somewhere thought the London gig will cover the south and the Manchester one the midlands and north. Clearly someone who doesn't appreciate a non-Londoners dislike to the big, confusing, noisy alien capital, the cost of public transport or just how long it would take fans in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset (and South Wales) to get to London with its congestion charges, strange parking restrictions and maze of roads.

It's not just this tour, the south-west is increasing getting the short straw by many prog bands (though oddly not prog metal bands) and for many they seem to draw a line from Manchester to London and ignore everything to the west of that line.

Yes this is a whinge but is it really too much to suggest bands do a minimum of five dates in Britain, one south-east, one south-west/Wales, one north-west/midlands, one north-east/midlands and one Scotland (we all have suitable venues)? I'm sure someone will mumble that you'd make the effort if you really wanted to go or the cost to the bands, but that's lazy arguing. Other, similar sized artists manage to do it and it is not always practical to be getting home at 3am on a work night (and London? Ugh!)

Yep, that still means some traveling but as Bruce knows getting anywhere from Yeovil is a pain in the arse, making that anywhere the other side of the country (and back) shows limited consideration of fans in the south west (and north east).