Tour diary: Scotland & North England 2024
At the end of April our All-Stars took to the road, performing 2 shows in the north of England and 4 in Scotland. The tour started just a few days after our previous tour (with our 30-piece Orchestra) ended so we were getting very used to life on the road!
The tour started with a long drive up to Middleton, near Manchester, for a show at Middleton Arena. It was great to perform at what was a new venue for us, and fantastic to see some familiar faces in the crowd from our previous shows at The Stoller Hall in Manchester (some people in the audience had seen our Orchestra at The Stoller Hall just a week or so before, meaning they had a double dose of Down for the Count in April!). It made us excited to return to The Stoller Hall later this year for our Orchestra Swing Into Christmas shows.
After the show we checked in to the hotel and found out that there was bowling next door - so we quickly headed there for a spirited game, setting the tone for a lovely week ahead. Some of the scores were great, others... less so...
The next day so a short hop over the Pennines to Leeds, where we gathered for brunch at Laynes Espresso, the perfect way to get us ready for a show day. The City Varieties Music Hall awaited us in Leeds, a venue that we first visited last year with our All-Stars, and we had been keen to return to ever since. It’s a uniquely atmospheric venue, and we had a lovely time performing on the (very small!) stage again.
Sunday was a day off for the long drive up to Scotland. However we made the most of it, stopping off in the Lake District. We had a leisurely pub lunch in Patterdale, and then some of us enjoyed an afternoon by a cosy fireplace...
...whilst others embarked on a hike around the shores of Ullswater, enjoying the stunning scenery and really making the most of having a few hours to spare in the Lakes.
At the end of a long travel day, we finally got to our Airbnb, which was just outside of Glasgow. It was ever so slightly more luxurious than the Travelodges that we are used to, and even had a hot tub - which some of us utilised immediately!
Our first show in Scotland was in Edinburgh, so the next morning we ventured across to check out some of the sights of this amazing city before getting ready to sound check.
Our show in Edinburgh was at The Queen’s Hall, a familiar venue for our 30-piece Orchestra, but new to our All-Stars band. The concert was a huge success, and we were greeted by a friendly crowd who made us excited for our return this Christmas with our 30-piece Orchestra (we sold over 100 tickets to the Edinburgh Christmas show in the few days after our April show, so do book now to get the best seats).
Dumfries beckoned next, with a performance at the historic Theatre Royal - the oldest working theatre in Scotland, and a regular touring venue for us. Before to the show, we had a site visit to Easterbrook Hall on the outskirts of the town, where our Orchestra will be performing Swing Into Christmas on 20th Nov 2024. We love coming to Dumfries with our All-Stars, so we are thrilled to have found a venue that is able to house our Orchestra in November for our Swing Into Christmas tour. The warm reception and enthusiastic response from the audience left us eagerly anticipating our return in November.
After our cosy and warm show at Theatre Royal in Dumfries, it was time to drive back up to our Airbnb and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for our next show day - a day which started off with a breakfast of steak and eggs, prepared by Callum, and fast becoming a tradition of our Scotland tours.
Aberdeen was next on the itinerary, and we were thrilled to be returning to a favourite venue, The Tivoli Theatre. En route to Aberdeen, we stopped off in Perth to visit Perth Concert Hall - another new destination on our Christmas tour this year! Perth Concert Hall is a truly majestic space, and is going to be a fantastic venue for our Orchestra in December. Having a quick stroll around the venue, and Perth itself, gave us a lot to look forward to this December.
Above: a site visit to Perth Concert Hall and below, the post-show photo at Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen
It was great to be back in the beautiful Tivoli Theatre, the staff there are absolutely fantastic and we are thrilled to have formed such a strong relationship with the venue - it is a very special place, and we are certainly glad to be coming back later this year with our Orchestra.
Then, before we knew it, it was time for the final day of the tour. Our final show was in Giffnock, near Glasgow, and not too far from our Airbnb. We checked out at 10am and then decided to take full advantage of the day to explore the scenic wonders of Loch Lomond, where we had another picturesque walk and a fantastic pub lunch together. Aside from performing, one of our favourite things about these tours is being able to spend time together off-stage, which we were lucky enough to have plenty of time to do on this tour.
Our show at Eastwood Park was the perfect way to end the tour, with a full and lively crowd, we ended the tour feeling tired yet very fulfilled. After the show it was time to part ways, with some of us staying on in Glasgow for another night, and some of us driving down to Carlisle and then continuing our drive the next morning to get back home.
It was a truly wonderful tour from start to finish, and we want to say a huge thank you to anyone who came along to support us. We hope you had a great time, and we hope to see you at another show soon!
Our entry in the visitor's book at The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
About the author
Ruby Willis is Down for the Count's marketing and communications officer. When she is not writing Facebook posts and making Instagram reels, she is often performing in short films or physical theatre shows.
