Return of the Burn out Mama band Day 3

The next day we left around midday for Helsinki with Ed and Mika taking the train from Turku and meeting us in the centre of Helsinki in the early afternoon at the Ambar a trendy Internet cafe come late night hangout space for clubbers on their way home!

We were to meet up there and head off to the Train station to catch a train to the venue in Malmitalo which is on the outskirt to the north of Helsinki, Leaving Reija free to drop off instruments and pick up various bits of backline equipment. Everything was going to plan when we got on the train then all of a sudden Ed got up from his seat in the train and started frantically rummaging through his bags and pockets going ”Wooh,Wooh,Shit,” when we asked what was up he calmly said "I think I have lost my passport" which met with silence.He looked through all his stuff a couple more times before we arrived at our stop with no luck. So now to add to Broken Saxophones, Lost Luggage, Unscheduled bus journeys! Now we also had a lost Passport in the mix as well! Ed checked his bags and pockets about 10 more times before saying! “Shit must of dropped it in the Internet cafe".

Mika had a phone number for the Ambar cafe in his phone but no one had seen or handed in anything when he called up!

When we walked into the Malmitalo venue Reija met us smiling saying "Oh great you all made it here in one piece! She noticed we were not smiling and asked "Hey! What’s going on" I replied “definitely not Marvin Gaye, Ed's lost his Passport”!

She nearly fainted at that" And said "What do you mean" “Yes Reija Ed’s lost his passport, and no we’re not joking”. Reija was understandably not smiling at all now as Ed explained what he thought might have happened while simultaneously going through his bags yet again! Meanwhile yet another Tenor Sax had arrived for Ed to use here in Helsinki so he immediately started speaking with the Saxophone player and trying the Sax out! Reija got on the phone to see what could be organised for the passport as Ed would need something to use to travel back to the UK. It was now quite late in the day and all offices were closed including the British Embassy where he might have been able to have emergency travel documents issued! Meanwhile a call from the Airport regarding my lost luggage came through! I had decided not to get the bag delivered at the B & B we were booked into in Helsinki but instead I would just collect it when I was leaving the next day at the Airport! Since I had managed without the bag so far”

Ed had now remembered that he had a copy of his passport details on a USB stick that he had with him. Fortunately it was all still there so he was able to get a photocopy made that would hopefully allow him to travel back to the UK which as it happens he was able to do the next morning.

The gig went really well after all of that with a reasonable size crowd showing their appreciation with some encouraging sounds and words afterwards backstage from some of them! The Saxophone player who had brought along a couple of Saxes for Ed to try out had then taken a look at Ed’d Tenor Sax and managed to carry out a good enough repair job that allowed Ed to use his own Sax until he had time to take it in to be fixed properly when he is back in London.

After the gig we headed back into town on the train and straight back to the Internet cafe just to see if Ed's passport had turned up in the meantime but unfortunately nothing turned up!

Next morning Ed flew back to Manchester for a gig and was able to use his photocopy and driving licence to get back to London, when I went to the Airport I had to first collect my Bag then immediately check it straight back in.I got speaking to the check in staff who had noticed a green Found tag on my bag they said "Your not by any change with the musician who flew out this morning Mr Jones”? When I said I was in the same band they cracked up laughing!

All in all it was a good few days spent in the company of some excellent musicians not an incident free weekend of gigs but certainly not boring! I am really looking forward to going back to Finland with the Burn Out Mama band, although we could do with a quieter time next time that’s for sure. Thanks to all at Turku Jazz Festival and the Malmitalo in Helsinki! Hope to visit and play them again one day.