Tour HQ is very aware that many of you have been asking about the final HUGE Unlit to round off the tour on October 4th. We wanted to confirm to you all - wonderful performers and hosts alike - that this will not be happening now.

In its place we will be providing a final fabulous episode to enjoy, featuring the best of the Unlit tour.

We're sorry if this has caused any disappointment but we want to reassure you that Unlit lives on in all its glory. We will continue to provide videos, photos and a retrospective look back from Jont and Dave themselves on this very blog.

So keep coming to visit us right here, because we're not going anywhere!

After the post announcing the hat competition, we received an anonymous tip off in the comments section from someone moonlighting as 'Twin Peaks'. They alleged the disappearance of Jont's hat was the result of someone's light fingered ways... but who the hat burglar was remained a mystery.

Tour HQ sent a tentative message to our enigmatic emailer, requesting a geographical location for the hat. Twenty four hours passed. Nails were anxiously bitten; emails were checked every three minutes, but nothing. We nearly gave up hope...

And then, this:

"I am VERY sorry to tell you that the hat has now been kidnapped and there WILL be a ransom..."

We were straight on the case. (Apparently there was even a ripple through MI5 but that is as yet unverified). More emails were sent and this time we demanded a photo of the hat next to a copy of the day's paper, so we could prove the date.

Just as we were considering changing our name from Tour HQ to Espionage Central, we received the following email, revealing the identity of our hat captor as 'A'...

"I have it on good authority that the hat is likely to be traded in fairly shortly for a genuine 1960's velvet mirrored shirt, from Kashmir, which might well fit suit Jont to a T.

a x"

A trade off, goods from Kashmir and a kiss from 'A'.

The plot thickens...

It's been an amazing Unlit Tour. Some great stories, lots of fantastic music and a whole bunch of wonderful people who all made it happen.

A big thank you to all the people who hosted the Unlits, to those who fed, watered and entertained the guys along the way, and of course to the people working behind the scenes. Stars, all of you!

This isn't the last you've heard of Tour HQ though... over the next week we'll have the last photos and videos to show you, a retrospective look at the tour and hopefully some fun musical surprises for you too.

Tonight (or Friday for those of you tuning in late) is the Brummie gig, which you can watch as it happens and then replay until your heart is content all day tomorrow... but only until the Bristol gig kicks off on Saturday night, because the music from the Midlands will then be replaced by the West Country's finest acoustic sounds.

Stay tuned and from Tour HQ, have a wonderful weekend!

It has come to Tour HQ's notice that there is quite a Brummie buzz surrounding this evening's musical events.

Alongside Jont will be playing The Old Dance School, Bust My Flex, and Abbey Budgen and Dan Wilkins.

Possibly also joining the evening will be premier Birmingham bloggers Chris (of Created In Birmingham) and Bobbie.

After tonight it's south to Bristol for the Unlit finale. There is one hell of a reception waiting for Jont, Dave and Garfield and this is going to be one very looooooong Unlit, that's for sure!

Jont will be playing alongside - in no particular order - Hanggai, Joe Volk, Emily Breeze, John E Vistic Experience, Atavist Future Kings, Toyface, Norbert Thunderclapp, Sam Braithwaite, Howlin Lord, The Douglas James Show and Joseph McGann.

Phew.

When The Time Comes...

A mini Jont!

He was crafted with love by Rosie - Norwich Unlit host and a dab hand with a needle and thread - and accompanied by a lovely letter.

Everyone knows that once you've got your own doll, you've made it... We hope you like it Jont!

Lucky Ben Yacobi took part in the hat poll - he voted deerstalker - and was entered into the prize draw.

We picked his name from a hat this morning (sorry Ben, it was a fez not a deerstalker!) and a Flip Video will be winging its way to him post haste. Well done!

As for the winner of the competition to find Jont's missing hat, we're still chasing leads so an announcement will be made once we've got to the bottom of this mystery.

One anonymous tip-off has suggested the hat is being held to ransom, possibly in San Jose, so Tour HQ is turning detective...

More news, as it happens!

PS... Jont and Dave are still in Blackpool after a cracking mini Unlit there last night at Jayne Morrissey's house. One too many shandies mean they have slightly sore heads, but despite this they are planning on hitting the Big Dipper any moment now. Watch out for the film of them braving the rollercoaster coming later today!

Have a listen here...

The evening was hosted by Jayne Morrissey with seven or eight local musicians and singer/songwriters joining Jont - it was a great night.

The live stream worked like clockwork, but we've had to take it out of here now because just a few posts up, it will be working its magic at the Birmingham and Bristol Unlits!

The wonders of technology never cease to amaze.

Despite Tina the Sat Nav's efforts to take us back to Bettyhill we arrived in Leicester and parked up at Garfield's Mum's house, where we were making our camp before leaving for Leicester's first ever Unlit.

Our host Hannah is a journalist who had interviewed me last week and offered her house for an Unlit - an offer I clearly took her up on - also ran a local choir called The Fosse Singers and was tapped into some of the best music in town. She made a veggie chilli and baked potatoes, and as soon as they finished their weekly practice, in came the choir - all 20 of them!

They were joined by Na'im - the singer of Fatal Star and occasional guitarist for The Happy Mondays! - and Mike Sole, Leicester's answer to Keith Jarrett. What a line-up! I love Unlits like this... nobody really knew what was going to happen, the wind was lapping the makeshift gazebo, there were fairy lights and a small garden full of smiling faces and beautiful, eclectic music.

We had to make it brief as we got the music going at 10pm and had to finish up at 11pm for the neighbours, but that's always best anyway because it allows people to really focus on the music. The choir got us going with a couple, then Na'im played two great songs on acoustic. This was followed by one of the moments of the tour: the exemplary jazz skills of pianist Mike Sole, humming and whirring behind the keys just like Jarrett. Halfway through the first number, moving his left hand down the keyboard, he started to play double bass with his left hand too, then double bass with his right hand... no, not a real double bass but the programmed sound of one. It was such a shock and such a great sample, played with such dexterity that literally there was a gasp from everyone in the garden... sounds over the top but it's true.

He blew us away and then it was my chance to have some real fun! The choir got up and joined me for three of my songs. First they sang the chorus of Supernatural - the part that goes "fill the sky with love"... ah, it was nice to have some back up for once... and then they sang the chorus to Taking My Time (one of the first tunes I ever wrote) and the outro chorus to new tune Sea Of Stars

As the curfew approached, the back gardens of the terraced houses of Fosse Road North reverberated to 25 of us singing "there's something waiting, there's something waiting, there's something waiting out there for you and me..." and we left in to the night believing it was true.

Next stop Blackpool. xjont

It was my first time hearing him: Dave had raved about him after he saw him play several times at Latitude this year, and I'd written to ask him on the tour but he never got back to me.

Fortunately we tracked him down in time to hear his surreal, truthful, razor-sharp brand of nonsense... unlike anything you'll hear but not a million miles away from Ivor Cutler, Ian Dury, Mark E Smith, Edward Lear and The Streets wrapped into one... I dunno, difficult to compare because there is nothing quite like him.

It was good to talk to him and agree on how hard it is to keep going sometimes, but it's the only thing you can do... and for him it's really working out. That year has been a bumper year, gaining him thousands of new fans. People literally go completely mental for his stuff, grown men crying and buying up all his CDs!

Looks like things are turning out nicely for one of the UK's most unique artists - catch him while you can!