Minuit

The kiwi band with the French name have been jigglin’ hips from Helsinki to Hanoi.
We catch up with front-vixen Ruth Carr in a rare moment of downtime from her second-hand store scouting.

“Accidentally,we organised a world tour of communist and ex-communist countries. I only realize this now that we are on our last leg, (meta-physically and literally – damn you Russian vodka, Albanian mafia, and that hooker in Prague who jumped me in a doorway to steal my favourite boots).

In Tampere, Finland, two cute hotties complete with tight jeans and neckscarfs, approached me after our gig to say they had made up a little song to sing. After the cryptic ditty they announced they were now off home to masturbate while thinking about me, was that okay? I was caught a little off guard, as no-one has ever asked permission before. I stuttered out approval, then went back to my hotel alone. Maybe this is the new way to have sex? Must make Finland a regular on the tour circuit – they have such good manners.

With the commie tour of Europe complete, it was Goodbye Lenin and Good Morning Vietnam.

Our first gig was at a festival in Hanoi. The ‘Ministers of Cultural Activities’, decided all bands performing had to turn up in the morning and play two songs each for them, and then they would decide if the show should go on. In the months previous, we had to send them our CD’s, and then lyric sheets for every song, and then an ‘explanation of intent’ for the songs. Fourteen of the Ministers lined up dutifully in front of the stage, complete with bad suits, clip-boards and continuous cigarettes. Our songs are(obviously) in English, and that combined with my great kiwi twang would be a challenge for the dudes, but they nodded, made some notes, and we skulked off stage.

The next band got up – a group from Singapore who only played instrumentals… How subversive could they be?! There were ten bands in all, and after three had played, the Ministers called enough, lined up to collect their envelopes stuffed with bribe money, wished us all the best and cruised off. Collective sighs of relief were heard all round, the organisers cheered and cracked open some coldones. What could possibly go wrong now? I’ll tell you what, nothing. It was fab and Vietnam is definitely staying on the tour circuit for Minuit!

See you in 2010, when we extend our gigs to a non-commie country near you…