Just home from Dublin. And because my little brother couldn't give a flying one about GVSB you're going have to put up with all this.

Got to the venue, the Mean Fiddler, half-an-hour late due to rush hour Dublin and soaking wet from trying to get a taxi. Supposed to interview someone out of GVSB nearly an hour earlier. Passed Eli crashed out along a seat in the bar. Alexis sound-checking on stage. Went backstage, bumped into Johnny messing about with a tape-recorder and headphones in the toilets. Marvel at his new 'do'. Find out from Scott that The Delta 72 didn't come over because Sarah Stolfa, their keyboardist, left four days before the tour started and also that they went to see good friends Kepone in Dublin the night before.

Begin first part of interview with Scott and Alexis before they go finish sound-checking. Both remember chatting on the phone with Our Laura the week before. Girl must have made an big impression. Get on the wrong side of Alexis very early on when I point out that New Wet Kojak's Nasty International is #14 in our fanzine's Top 20 of last year. Unbelievably go from bad to worse with Alexis, when he denies they ever signed to Geffen. Eli walks in wrapped up in a big leather jacket looking seriously under the weather. Near death. Poor lamb. Got soaked walking round Dublin earlier apparently. Won't shake my hand for fear of passing on cold germs. Bow to each other instead. Watch them sound-check. Can't remember what they played. Two new ones. Along with support band Bambi, nod head in appreciation. After sound-check finish up interview mainly with Scott and speak to Johnny a wee bit about Akashic and New Wet Kojak. Leave just as doors open at 8.30pm.

During support Bambi (four 19 year-olds from Dublin, like The Jesus Lizard with keyboards, fucking excellent), speak to Nick Pellicciatto (New Wet Kojak percussionist and Fugazi live sound man) who's doing GVSB's sound this tour. Talk about ethnic identities, politics, the Irish countryside, (not) understanding Irish women and how GVSB aren't paying him enough.

In between Bambi and GVSB, they play a couple of songs by Radiohead (inc. 'Exit Music'), The Smiths ('This Charming Man'), Green Day, Run DMC ('It's Like That') and The Sundays over the PA, as well as quite a few others I can't remember. Venue now beginning to fill up to close to capacity. Nick and Scott said there was only about 60 people at Leicester, or was it Sheffield? Joanne? Unusually good mixture of boys and girls. Nick comments on how 'hip' the Dublin youth is.

GVSB came on at about 10.10pm. Right from the start there's a semi-circle at the front full of rough boys doing their thing. Everybody else grooving. First thing I notice is that Eli is nothing short of his usual manic self. Throwing himself about without a care. You could have knocked him over with a feather earlier. New songs sound even better live, but especially 'Roxy' and 'Push The Fader'. An amazing Bulletproof Cupid followed straight after a very surprising and welcome laid-back amble through Taste All the Fruit, which stopped half-way in, Eli saying something like, "We don't know how to play that one". Kill The Sexplayer, everybody was shouting for, got played late on, dedicated to Therapy? only one of whom I saw in the building. Superfire went down pretty well with everyone, but my personal favourite was Satin Down. Misc: Lights were a bit over the top throughout. Between a few songs Johnny would play samples, pretty much indistinct to me, but caught ". . . House Of GVSB". Coming out for the encore, Alexis assaulted everyones ears with a megaphone.

They may or may not have played all the songs I've listed below. And I've probably imagined a couple more. In no particular order, except for Park Avenue (opener) and In Like Flynn (encore).

Park Avenue
Psycho-Future
Disco Six Six Six
Roxy
Black Hole
Vera Cruz
Sexy Sam
Superfire
Life In Pink (all new first half)
TheKindaMzkYouLike
Speedway
Vogue Thing
Satin Down
Push The Fader
X-Rated Car
Taste All The Fruit
Bullet Proof Cupid
Kill The Sexplayer

(encore)
In Like Flynn
Cowboy's Orbit

Directly after the final song, Eli moved straight onto the turntables and started scratching, while Johnny fucked around with a sampler and Scott sung a few lyrics over 'Billie Jean' by Michael Jackson! Has to be seen/ heard to believed and all that.

After that, the House Of GVSB lasted from 11.30pm until 2am, with stuff like the Beastie Boys ('Hey Ladies'), Digital Underground and who is it does 'Hip Hop Hooray'? Asses shaking everywhere. Try to get together with a young lady. Crash and burn in spectacular fashion.