Although we were only there for three days, we managed to fit in two shows and two television appearances, and still have time to go out to a few Balkan techno clubs, go up a mountain, have dinner several times and meet a lot of extremely welcoming people.
As soon as we arrived in Tirana, we made our way to the Rei Club to play some songs, and I got the rare opportunity to pummel the living daylights out of a grand piano on stage. I didn't caress the keys with my boots this time, this probably would have been seen as disrespectful as it was someone elses.
We explored the Block and ended up in a nightclub with insane lighting that just consisted of white chandeliers that flashed on and off relentlessly to the heart-pounding balkan bassline, an epileptic wouldn't have had a chance.
In the morning, the sun was out, and I got my first impression at how beautiful Albania actually was, it was about 18 degrees C, and the skyline is taken up with spellbinding snowcapped mountains that loom over one side of the city. We eventually ventured a way up one of these and had drinks before we left, and got a good view of Tirana, the capital.
We jumped in the bus after half of the band managed to be alive for breakfast and made our way to the stage where we were to play later on. It was in the centre of The Block, an area which, during communism, the leaders lived in apparent luxury while everyone else lived under communist rule.
A soundcheck never arrived, so we went and were honoured to have lunch with the British Ambassador, before heading to the Top Channel TV studios to play "Smiling Makes The Day Go Quicker" and "Who's Gonna Catch Ya?" on their Sunday evening TV show, which was an utterly chaotic and positive experience. We'll put this up on our website asap!
The other TV show we went on was RTV News, with the lovely Hueyda, we performed "life is a grimm tale" and engaged in duel language conversation in a live interview.
The main show that we played in The Block on Sunday evening was unlike any other, Martin Kilger from Germany had warmed the crowd up earlier in the evening, and it was growing constantly as a band from Tirana took to the stage.
A few technical issues gave me the chance to talk to and joke around with a lot of people at the front of the stage, apart from the police who didn't show how much they wanted to join in.
As we crashed into "orange is the new black", live in the Block, i knew that coming here had been a fantastic idea, and as hundreds of people waltzed and danced wild polkas, I knew that we couldn't stay away for long. Albania is a very Tankus the Henge sort of place.
