Abney Park London Gig: Part 1 - Before The Gig

Myself and my good lady wife are going to see Abney Park play La Scala in London on Thursday night. We have been looking forwards to this for nearly a year. We saw them play in Wales about this time last year and they were great, and at a time when Trizia was possibly as low as she has been for a long time I seriously believe they saved her life. They are THAT good!
The path we have had to follow though, has had a few bumps. We originally booked to see them at the 'Journey into Steampunk' music festival in Wales, which was to be a weekend of several Steampunk bands, camping etc, with Abney Park playing as the headline. However the promoters had paid for everything EXCEPT the actual travel costs to get Abney Park from London to Wales. They were going to be over here in the UK [they are an American Band]playing a London gig as well. Now, Abney Park are not playing these gigs for profit, they are paying for it out of their own pocket and just hoping to recoup some of the travel costs, to my understanding. They have maxed their credit cards out, and now they can't get to Wales. Well, we were stunned, and to be honest, heartbroken at the news.
The promoters apparently were counting on more ticket sales to get the band there, but due to the ridiculously heavy rains the ticket sales [for a camping weekend] were predictably down. Okay, they couldn't forsee the rain, but personally I would have paid to have the headline band turn up first, THEN get the rest in place. They tried a kickstarter type affair when they realised Abney Park were not going to make it, but it was really too late. No headline band.
So, having paid eighty British pounds plus we found we couldn't get to see them in Wales, and couldn't get our money back due to the small print. Nice. They were our main priority, any other bands were just 'also playing'. But we were not to be foiled, and despite being unemployed and with very little money, we forked out £15 each for the tickets for the one night gig in London. We planned to go down on the coach and get a day or two in doing the sights, meeting up with my sister who is currently working there etc.
Then I got a job. Hurray! after nearly fours years of recession! except now I have had to take time off work to go see Abney Park play, as I am NOT missing them. But to minimise the time away while I am still in my probationary period at work I am now going to drive down in the afternoon I am taking off, then do the gig, and then drive back at about midnight from London to Leicester, to get a few hours sleep and then back to work for Friday. It is worth it, believe me, to see Captain Robert and the crew play.
Meanwhile my good lady wife, Trizia, also known as Euphemia Strange in the SP world, is sewing her little heart out on a coat for the gig, using a pattern that seems to have been translated through three different languages by an dyslexic seven year old. Poor stressed wifey, but she is doing so well at it despite the stress. However she has found a lovely corset online, but we may have to pay a courier to get it to us in time. Again, worth it. This is how much we love the band. Why, you may ask? well for that I shall attempt to write Part 2: The Band. Why Abney Park Rocks!