Blog: Hello London!

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On Sunday morning Mr McClure and I reconvened in the hotel lobby, noticed that all the receptionists had the same colour of dyed red hair, and checked out. Over BREAKFAST in a nearby pub we had a LENGTHY discussion, which can be summed up thus: "Everything's going really well isn't it? I wonder if it'll continue to do so?" We then discovered TOM HEAVEN: next door was a shop with a DISPLAY CASE of flapjacks! Er... because Tom really likes flapjacks, you see and... this is another one that only people in the band find interesting isn't it? Sorry.

We got in the car, and headed SOUTH, and whilst we did this we listened to our ENTIRE CD Discography! It was BRILLIANT! We were rather amazed to find that, actually, "Say It With Words" ISN'T as ramshackle and patchy as we'd thought it was, and that there were some DEAD GOOD songs on it that we'd forgotten about, especially "Stop Look And Listen". We were also relieved to find ourselves singing along with EVERYTHING on "This Is Not A Library", and grinning happily throughout "Shed Anthems", and during all the CDs were DISCUSSED our Favourite Memories... i tell you, it was like a DVD Commentary, and indeed we got a bit carried away with this idea and started saying "Mmm, nice work from Emma here" and "a CLASSIC Tim Drum Fill there" and so forth. It's a good job there was nobody else in the car... especially when we got a bit more "creative" and started singing Unusual Harmonies...

We made two stops on the way down, and one of the places we stopped at had a Marks & Spencers Simply Food - ooh la LA! Tiger Tom (new nickname, details available on request) had never sampled the Adult Delights of M&S foodhall, and I was pleased to be able to INDUCT him. Mmmm, FRUIT SALAD! So yes, it was a DELIGHTFUL trip, and we found ourselves in London WELL ahead of schedule. Within five minutes the Source Of My River arrived, and another five minutes later The Pattison Panzer pulled up, containing the whole family. With no Fleay today, unfortunately, we were thus QUORATE and made our way into the building. EVERYONE got given name badges, including the babies, and then it was UP to 6Music!

We DECAMPED in the Staff Room, much as we had done for the New Year's Day show, and again, much as we did then, we had several practices. The difference this time, however, was that we had a very active two year old with us who was helping her Dad play the drums - every so often I'd think "What on earth is Tim DOING?!?" and then look round and see that what he was doing was trying not to clout Edie with a drum stick whilst she was whacking the floor tom. Aaaah! Also there was much excited dancing and giggling... which Edie joined in with.

We got a few run throughs, and then our abbreviated Validators were led into the studio, leaving the babies with aforesaid Gravitational Field Of My Planet. We got our MASSES of stuff set up, and a VISIBLY SHAKEN Mr Lamacq found himself sat next to Tim and his kit, with the rest of us grouped nervously on the other side of the room. We had a run through of the song, and then we were ON! We had a quick chat, during which I introduced the band and, I think sounded LESS like a Wurzel On Amphetamines than usual, and then it was SONG TIME - the past few weeks I've actually been quite relaxed in these parts, but this time, GOLLY, I was a bit SCARED - looking over to see if Tom and Emma were OK, hoping the TEAM MEMBERS in the staff room were OK, trying to listen to Tim and not go out of time, also concentrating on not playing the wrong chords, hoping to goodness my words didn't fall onto the floor AND trying to remember exactly how each bit had to go to fit in... it was a BIT STRESSFUL i must admit, and when we were finished i was MIGHTILY relieved - will that be the last time I ever sing that song, I wonder?

We got packed up, then packed up our bits and bobs in the other room, and headed off to meet the BBC Types in the PUB, including the 6Music News Reader who ALSO, by Strange Chance, also happened to be the best friend of the girl I lived next door to when we were all three years old. SPOOKY, huh? Unfortunately they didn't allow children (the pub, that is, not the BBC Types), so we all sat outside for a bit and compared how KNACKERED we all felt after the Weekend of ROCK. With hugs and waves the Pattisons headed off, and we nipped back inside to say hello the the TYPES, and in ANOTHER Spooky Twist it turned out that many of us had Different Connections to Charlie of The Fighting Cocks... it IS a small world, although I would not want to walk around it.

It was all very nice anyway, and everyone seemed quite pleased with what we'd done. We all headed off our seperate ways after a while, with me and The Soil In My Garden heading to PUTNEY to see John Otway (more of that... LATER!), and gradually it struck me that I'm really going to MISS these Sunday trips to the BBC. It's been GRATE bobbing along on the train of an afternoon, and the BRANE POWER used up on (generally) Saturday mornings working out the new set of lyrics is already SEEPING into other areas of SONG. Also, we learnt a VALUABLE lesson for the band, that Tim has MUCH to say and a KEEN EYE for lyrics (as indeed does The Tap On My Sink, especially this week when she DISSECTED an early draft and made me do it BETTER!) which will be utilised more in future. Basically it's been a WHOLE LOT OF FUN all round really, I hope I get to do something like it again some time!

posted 5/7/2004 by MJ Hibbett

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