Ripcord - Slovakia Tour 2000

I joined Ripcord on the Friday 6th of October as they rehearsed in Oxford - on the Saturday we had a gig at the student union in Bristol - and on the Sunday I got picked up at 6:30am and headed off in our seven and a half tonne truck to the channel tunnel. Two days later, after almost constant driving, we arrived in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia!!

Our first gig was at the University of Bratislava in an auditorium on campus - the gig seemed to go really well and a lot of people attended - although quite a few decided to sit on the seats at the edge of the room :( !!! Our next gig was in a cafe and was done "unplugged" - even though everything WAS plugged into the PA, the band just used acoustic guitar, small drum kit & bass. Again the gig went really well and a number of the band members had good conversations with some the local students after the gig - some are still in touch today!!

Our first trip through Slovakia was to a town called Zilina in the northern part of the country. For the trip I took a VERY crowded train with some of the band members and our translater. At Zilina we stayed at a Christian youth cafe called KOMPAS CAFE - it was an amazing place to stay and they looked after us very well.

Our first gig in Zilina was at a school, and our second gig was in the university (above & below). At the back of the room there was a balcony which Mark & Katrina (both on radio mics) both took the opportunity to race up to the top and sing/play over looking the crowd - it was a very "rock'n'roll" moment!!

Above: The gig in Zilina's Univeristy canteen! Notice the balcony at the top - Katrina & Mark sang/played from up there using our wireless mics & guitar!!

Below: A view from the balcony looking down on the stage with Katrina singing.

Above: Me with the PA. Tim (behind) was Ripcord's old PA guy and came on our Slovakia tour to show me the ropes of the system.

Below: Amy playing bass with Tim on drums in the distance.

Above: Gordy (Kathryn) on keys.

During the gig a couple of band members gave their testimony to the crowd and explained why they were Christians and why God and Jesus are so important to them. Everyone was encouraged to find out more by taking a Bible at the end of the gig - at the end of the evening we had run out. I think nearly 100 had been handed out!

While staying at the Kompas Cafe we were asked do our acoustic set. The gig went down a storm and there were people stood in the gardens watching us because the cafe was so packed!!

Above & Below: Acoustic gig in Kompas Cafe.

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