Since returning from America there has been a lot of sorting out to do for Honeytrap. I’ve also been rehearsing with the unstoppable Steve Jones for our joint gig in Belfast on June 18, working on rampantly uncommercial guitar & laptop soundscapes, and doing a few sessions.

The gig with Ed at The Scala was great but a bit thrown together since the band hadn’t played together since November! The night was sponsored by Budweiser and their logo adorned everything in sight. Ed’s first words to the crowd: “Aah, Budweiser. Tastes like piss.” A huge cheer ensued. We came off stage to see a white-faced tour manager; apparently the head of Budweiser was in the crowd and was threatening not to pay us! Ed couldn’t give a toss. I love that man.

I’ve seen some incredible shows in the last couple of days – The Tiger Lillies at the Soho Theatre : hilarious Brechtian depravity and heartbreak; and a regular night at The Sussex pub in Hackney called The Klinker: free jazz but not in a scary way, just utterly joyful and riveting abandon in front of an unbelievably attentive mixed crowd. I will be playing there in July/August.

I’m sitting at 39,000 feet somewhere above Greenland, on the way home from New York. The old man opposite me has distractingly large earlobes. Ed’s tour ended splendidly with lots of guest musicians onstage at the final show. The album we were working on in Boston actually got finished – it’s called ‘Idiot Savant’ and closes with a song we wrote together called ‘Grim Reaper Blues’. Sample lyric: ‘Life is hard for a necromancer/Why can’t someone find a cure for cancer?…It’s like buying a car and getting a lemon/I wanted Cliff Richard, they gave me John Lennon.’

After that I stayed on alone for a week in New York just recovering and hanging out with some friends we’d made along the way, including Sylvie Lewis and Essie Jain who opened up for us on the tour. Then in the last couple of days I’ve been in Excello Studios Brooklyn with Zach and Tim from the band Boomish, recording bass & drums for my next record. We managed 13 tracks in 2 days and I’m so excited - it’s going to be something really different. Can’t wait to get home and sift through all those takes, mmmmm…

Knackering though the tour was I feel revitalised after being in NY. There have been so many positive experiences, encouraging words and inspiring characters. Now for a wander up the aisle to stave off that thrombosis.