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We’re lucky enough to have Koops, El Colosso vocalist, submitting a tour diary while they’re away on their European tour. We wish them all the best! Thanx Koops and El Colosso! – Ed.
In another few days the band that I sing in – El Colosso – is traveling to Europe for its first international tour. First tour of anywhere, actually. We haven’t toured Australia yet, apart from a few gigs in Ballarat, Bendigo and Frankston.
We’re heading off to play twenty-odd shows in thirty-odd days, promoting our debut album Pathways, taking in Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, France and Spain. It’s a tour that doesn’t just involve a crap-ton of money and a big flight to get there, but also a kind of leap-of-faith to remove ourselves from our families and jobs and commit to really living rock and roll every night for more than a month in a different city every day, in rooms full of perfect strangers, 14,000 kilometres away from everything we know.
Not fucking fantastic being away from our families though. In truth, that totally sucks.
Preparing for the tour has been a lot of work, but huge fun. We’ve not just stepped up rehearsals for the many weeks leading up to it, we’ve also been preparing new songs for our next record. AND we’ve also had the opportunity to play at The Forum, supporting South African band Seether. How many times have we all been at that venue and dared to dream of one day playing there? We were like kids in candy stores. Or just like the big bloody kids we really are playing at the Forum! But the new album is written, we are super-tight with our tunes, and all that remains is for us to get there and show a different part of the world what we can do.
While we are traveling over there I will be submitting short pieces to Desert Highways detailing some of our adventures. I hope you can come back to this and that you enjoy our stories as much as we are going to enjoy making them. We’ll also be posting the occasional vlog on our Facebook site, so LIKE El Colosso and follow the crazy times ahead! You can find us at facebook.com/elcolossoband or follow on IG el.colosso.official
For some reason Anthony at Desert Highways wanted us to list our favourite, most loved, most influential albums. So check out our lists below, and feel free to comment to tell us how shit our tastes in music are!
We’re back in Melbourne in a couple of months. See you then!
Koops.
Benny James (Guitar & Vocals)
Axis: Bold as Love – Jimi Hendrix Experience
Houses of the Holy – Led Zeppelin
Crack the Skye – Mastodon
Blast Tyrant – Clutch
Black Gives Way to Blue – Alice in Chains
Second Coming – Stone Roses
Dopes to Infinity – Monster Magnet
Superunknown – Soundgarden
Van Halen – Van Halen
The Southern Harmony Musical Companion – The Black Crowes
Peter Hayden (Drums & Vocals)
II – Led Zeppelin
Bad Motorfinger – Soundgarden
666 The Number of the Beast – Iron Maiden
Welcome to Sky Valley – Kyuss
Rated R – Queens of the Stone Age
Double Platinum – Kiss
Master of Puppets – Metallica
The Elder – Kiss
Dirt – Alice in Chains
Heaven and Hell – Black Sabbath
Craig Fryers (Bass & Vocals)
Are You Experienced – Jimi Hendrix
II – Led Zeppelin
Master of Reality – Black Sabbath
10-1 – Midnight Oil
Master of Puppets – Metallica
Badmotorfinger – Soundgarden
Mr Bungle – Mr Bungle
Vulgar Display of Power – Pantera
Angel Dust – Faith No More
Core – Stone Temple Pilots
Matt ‘Koops’ Cooper (Vocals)
Dynasty – Kiss
Scary Monsters – David Bowie
Reggatta de Blanc – The Police
Van Halen – Van Halen
Vivid – Living Colour
Chocolate and Cheese – Ween
The Real Thing – Faith No More
Badmotorfinger – Soundgarden
Truth and Soul – Fishbone
Crack the Skye – Mastodon
European Tour Dates:
June 13 – Meisenfrei, Bremen, Germany
June 14 – Stellwerk, Hamburg, Germany
June 15 – Kulturrampe, Krefeld, Germany
June 16 – Vagon Klubb, Prague, Czech Republic
June 18 – Museum Obchodu, Bratislava, Slovakia
June 21 – Festival de la Musique, Sélestat, France
June 22 – Rock ‘n’ Eat, Lyon, France
June 25 – Sonic Ballroom, Köln, Germany
June 26 – Muziekcafe Elpee, Deinze, Belgium
June 27 – Blue Devils, Orleans, France
June 29 – Mardi Gras, A Coruña, Spain
June 30 – Salason, Cangas, Spain
July 1 – Café Cultural Auriense, Ourense, Spain
July 5 – Sala Impacto, Plasencia, Spain
July 7 – Babylon Café, Leon, Spain
July 8 – El Zagal, Aldeamayor de San Martin, Spain
July 11 – Louie Louie, Estepona, Spain
July 12 – La Gramola, Orihuela, Spain
July 13 – Veneno Stereo, Castellon, Spain
July 14 – Rocksound, Barcelona, Spain
*More dates to be announced.