In cooperation with Cécile Alge and our local newspaper rheintaler.ch we kept track of our tour adventure. Click on the images to read the translated versions of our diary. Have fun!



<-- Rheintaler Rocker auf Europa-Tournee -->

Rhine-Valley Rockband on European Tour

The Rhine-Valley rock band Black Diamonds is currently on tour with the two Swedish groups HEAT and degreed in a huge nightliner. A big happening for the local musicians. But the adventure also demands a lot from them.

In loose order, they give insights into their touring life, which started this week in Copenhagen.

So the members of Black Diamonds drove in their minibus from tiny Kriessern to Copenhagen - a 14 hours journey. The musicians took turns in which two were sleeping, while the other two slept - or at least tried to.

After their arrival things got tough: three bands and a lot of equipment - everything has to fit in the nightliner.

The first tour soundcheck took a little longer for all bands to set the base for the sound, but it was worth it. Before the show, the Black Diamonds then felt the lack of sleep, everyone was totally knocked out. But adrenalin works wonders - and luckily the show was really great!

Last night, the bands played in front of a full house and tropical warmrth in the "Logo" in Hamburg. The whole process with setup and soundcheck was already much easier than the evening before, but still demanding.

The Black Diamonds have clearly taken too much material and without "Tetris abilities" it would not be possible to load it all. Nevertheless: the concert was great and the band members were able to sell a lot of shirts and CDs afterwards. And there was also some time for some aftershow party...



Source: rheintaler.ch/artikel/rheintaler-rocker-auf-europa-tournee/45429 - 02.11.2017
<-- Rocker mit wenig Freizeit -->

Rockers with little spare time

The rhine valley based rock band "Black Diamonds" is currently on tour in Europe with the two Swedish bands H.E.A.T and degreed in a huge Nightliner. A big adventure for the local musicians, but also demands a lot from them. In a loose sequence, they give an insight into their tour life at this point.

The concert in Berlin was not sold out, but the atmosphere in the audience and in the band was still great. It was also the first stop in a city where the musicians saw only the bus and the concert hall. There was no time for exploration.

After the performance, the bus drove straight to Munich, where the guys were awaited by a big crowd - even a few familiar faces were there. That rocked a lot! In addition, it was the biggest stage of the tour so far, which really invited to let off steam.

Meanwhile, the band members only need about half the time for set up and for the sound checks - suddenly there is something like free time. Last week they even had a day off. A blessing, because the strains of the tour are slowly becoming noticeable.

The "Black Diamonds" enjoyed the peace and quiet of a campsite near Milan. Following another highlight, which was the concert in Kufstein. The audience and the musicians had a lot of fun, and the rhine valley rockers sold more merchandise articles than ever before - of course that had to be celebrated.

Once all the equipment of the three bands in the bus and trailer was stowed, there was a small aftershow party on the bus. Until 4 in the morning there was laughter and singing in place! And on Sunday (5 November), the "Black Diamonds" played for the first time in Italy. - Yeeaahhh !!!




Source: rheintaler.ch/artikel/rocker-mit-wenig-freizeit/45614 - 06.11.2017

<-- Riesige Bühne in Spanien -->

Huge stages in Spain

The rhine valley based rock band Black Diamonds is currently on tour with the two Swedish bands HEAT and degreed in a huge Nightliner. A big adventure for the local musicians, but it also demands a lot from them. In loose sequence, they give insights into her touring life at this point.

Milan was a great experience for the Black Diamonds - they could rock in front of a full house and really enjoyed playing there.

This was followed by a travel day and since the bus driver had to keep his rest time, the musicians spent a few hours sightseeing in Béziers, France. Cheese and wine tasted excellent. However, the band members found that their school French is heavily rusted. So they talked with hands and feet and complemented with English so the communication was at least running.

The following Spain concerts were an absolute blast! Huge stages and highly motivated helpers, delicious catering and also a great audience. Even though most of the audience had never heard of the "Black Diamonds" before, people seemed to like it. Bilbao, Madrid or Barcelona - everywhere the boys were asked to take countless photos with enthusiastic visitors afterwards. That was a completely new experience! But they also enjoyed playing on such big stages.

Behind the scenes there was one constant: Attention - the voice is a fragile good and there were really two or three evenings, where the "Black Diamonds" were not happy after the sound check. Eventually, the concerts finally succeeded. But that also required a bit of discipline - putting on sweaters, avoiding air conditioning and, above all, only enjoying the aftershow parties in moderation. Problems that one does not know from single concert evenings.



Source: rheintaler.ch/artikel/riesige-buehne-in-spanien/45765 - 11.11.2017

<-- Endlich ein WC mit Brille -->

Finally normal toilets

The rhine valley based rock band "Black Diamonds" is currently on tour in Europe with the two Swedish bands HEAT and degreed in a huge Nightliner. A big adventure for the local musicians, but also demands a lot from them. In loose sequence, they give insights into her touring life at this point.

René, Simone et Francois arrives à la gare de lions ... well, at least the "Black Diamonds" are on their way to their show in Paris. In the middle of the city lies the Nouveau Casino with hardly any opportunities to unload the tour bus. Because of the narrow streets it was also not the favorite destination of the driver Mike.

But the venue was really charming and the helpers were very helpful and motivated - one even spoke Swiss German. The schedule between the arrival and showtime was so tight that the Rheintaler Rocker did not even have time for dinner. At midnight the whole location had to be vacated, because they invited a different audience for disco. But That did not harm the atmosphere in the packed club at all - great audience, great show!

On Sunday evening they played the only show in their home country - at the Z7 in Pratteln. Pride and joy resulted after finding the cleanest location and the best food of the tour so far. It was also very nice to finally see and use a proper toilet again. The concert was also special for the Rheintaler because so many familiar faces were attending. The band members did not expect that, thus the joy and motivation rose even more.

Switzerland was followed by another three concerts, including in Aschaffenburg in Germany. Because of a construction site, the tour bus could not drive directly to the hall and the equipment had to be reloaded on small Sprinter. As usual the setup was fast and easy. The Rheintaler musicians then stayed backstage on the second floor and went on stage in time for the show. What surprise to find a packed hall - on a Monday night. It was just great!!!

The next stop was in Belgium. Another great venue, delicious beer and great staff. The crowd was maybe a little more reserved, but all in all, the "Black Diamonds" also had a successful concert evening in Belgium.




Source: rheintaler.ch/artikel/endlich-ein-wc-mit-brille/45963 - 16.11.2017

<-- back to england -->

«Come back to England!»

The rhein valley based rock band "Black Diamonds" is currently on tour in Europe with the two Swedish bands HEAT and degreed in a huge Nightliner. A big adventure for the local musicians, but also demands a lot from them. In a row, they give insights into her touring life at this point.

The rockers were astonished in Holland when they read their band name above the concert venue "de Pul". The club was also really nice with two floors, big stage and friendly staff. As usual, the Black Diamonds opened the evening with their 40-minute set. The highlight was when Erik Grönwall, the HEAT singer, came on stage during the Black Diamonds show, bringing everyone a cup of whiskey and thanking them for their hard work - that was great!

At the end of the evening everyone was happy that another day off was due. Five concerts in a row are extremely exhausting, especially with all the loading and unloading, setting up, etc. In addition, all musicians caught a little cold, which was taking its toll. The off day was spent with a lot of idleness and visits to the local shops in Cannock - the perfect way to recharge the strained "batteries".

Next on the tour program: 4 UK shows - again a new experience for the Black Diamonds. It was nice to see that the people in England are still really set on rock'n'roll. In Wolverhampton the stage was extremely small and needed improvisation when setting up, but audience wise the place was great and the rhine valley boys were received with open arms. It's an incredible feeling to be in front of a packed club and to see that the people like it.

Tourhighlight in Nottingham

The following day in Glasgow was a bit more difficult. Although the place was in the middle of the city and the rockers could stroll a bit through the streets, but the stage was on the second floor and there was no elevator ... phuuu ... that was tough! The hall had to be vacated extremely early, which is why the show start was scheduled almost simultaneously with the door opening time. The Black Diamonds went on stage with a crowd of 5 people, although the venue filled up quickly during their set. The unloading was then ... well, suboptimal with all the stairs. Especially because people were blocking the way. Nevertheless it was a hard but fun night!

The absolute tour highlight was Nottingham. The "Black Diamonds" were caught by surprise when they went on stage and noticed that the hall was already full - few minutes after doors opening! The mood was exuberant and after the concert, the rhine valley musicians were repeatedly asked to come back to England to play more concerts - that was totally unexpected.

Nottingham was followed by another day off before the tour ended in London. One thing is clear for the Black Diamonds: they have found some friends on the bus who will be missed once the tour is over.




Source: rheintaler.ch/artikel/kommt-wieder-zu-uns-nach-england/46134 - 21.11.2017