Blog: Lewisham

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It was a difficult journey to distant LEWISHAM last night, as the train i was on spent half an hour standing just outside London Bridge station, without announcements or indeed any open windows, so it all got a bit stressful... luckily i had my NEW BOOK: "Brand New Friend" by Mike Gayle. All his books are ACE, and, having just finished it on the way in today, i can confirm that this one is too. He came to one of my gigs once you know, OH yes!

I eventually escaped the transport system, and got to the Fox & Firkin to find it didn't really matter as everything was running at least an hour late. Lewisham and ENVIRONS is a VERY relaxed place, every time I've ever been there things run late and nobody seems to mind as they are very RELAXED about it. I guess it is because everyone there LIVES nearby, and are unfettered by worries of transport, and it is very pleasant indeed, the only downside being i always seem to end up leaving early.

Anyway, eventually the other bands were sorted and set up (during which i chatted to MANY lovely people who'd turned up, including Nick Who Is Friends With The Chemistry Experiment, Ian The Organiser and the WHOLE Kooba Radio KREW, it was LOVELY), and Carl who was ALSO running things said "I don't think you need a soundcheck do you?" then "Is that really insulting to you? As Guy With Acoustic Guitar?" and it was an INTERESTING question. The answer is not "insulting" exactly, but it is a bit FRUSTRATING sometimes when people assume that, just because you're on your own, you don't need a soundcheck. True, a soundcheck of just voice and guitar needn't take more than a couple of minutes (tho GOODNESS KNOWS there are plenty of people who take MUCH MUCH LONGER over it - also the same people who will quite happily go WAY over their alloted slot... but i DIGRESS) but it's always good to... well, CHECk the SOUND is working. ALSO, daft tho it may seem, it's important in that it makes clear that HEY! there may only be ONE of you, but you're playing for JUST as long as the BAND on afterwards, and are NOT just a temporary diversion between the "main acts". I explained this to Carl and then felt HORRIBLY GUILTY in case he thought i was directing these comments at him! If anybody sees him, please tell him i wasn't - it's something I've thought of a LOT, and he's the first person thoughtful enough to ask about it!

So yes, I sang about half of "Fly Me To The Moon", after which The Middle Aged Lady Regular Halfway Through A Bottle Of Wine (another STAPLE of this sort of thing, similar to The Guy Who Thought It Was An Acoustic Night) asked why I'd stopped singing it, so I promised I'd do it in the main set, which i DID, along with a few others as FOLLOWS:

Fly Me To The Moon

The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B)

Red & White Sockets

Never Going Back To Aldi's

Good Luck In Your New Job

Clubbing In The Week

Fucking Hippy

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Easily Impressed

Boom Shake The Room

It went REALLY WELL! I really really REALLY enjoyed myself. Starting with "Fly Me To The Moon" made a nice change, and I was INTO it dead quickly. I'd worried a little about doing "Never Going Back To Aldi's" as I haven't often played it on my own, but I slowed it down a bit and had some STOPS, especially for the "I will never accept Steps" bit, and was RATHER pleased with it. I was also, truth be told, rather pleased with MYSELF - it feels GOOD to be confident enough to CHANGE things around a bit, and it's not something i feel as often as I'd like, so it's NICE when it does happen. It feels like - oh baby! - i have DEVELOPED as an ARTISTE!

GET ME! So yes, it was most pleasant. "Good Luck In Your New Job" went well (it's going to be coming off the SUBS bench a bit more often now i reckon), some people CHEERED at the very IDEA of Audience Participation in "Easily Impressed" and did it WELL, and "Boom Shake The Room" was FAB!

I had a LOVELY time, and then ALSO enjoyed going round the room giving out the new flyers. That is SUCH a good idea - not only is it a really HANDY way of getting round to see if anybody wants to buy a CD without me losing ALL dignity, but hopefully it'll mean people who liked it can come and get on the mailing list. If this is YOU, gentle reader, then HELLO! WELCOME!

When all was done i had a chat with TEAM KOOBA, passing on WISE ADVICE to Young Myles, discussing with Alex BLOG NERVES (he worried that anything he said might be taken down and used in BLOG form, and i confessed that i find it WEIRD when i LAUNCH into telling somebody a story and they say "Yes, i know, i read your webpage". It can be slightly UNNERVING!), and generally talking MANLY THINGS with Mr J YEAH. I was relieved to find i wasn't the ONLY one who was UNSETTLED by the toilets - they'd put CANDLES everywhere, it was like going into a BOUDOIR whilst the normal resident had nipped out for more POT POURRI, which isn't really the kind of ambience one necessarily WANTS in a Gents Lavatory - and we then discussed the inevitability of THE MAN BRA, and various body building and KARATE stances one might use to diminish the Masculine Teat.

Basically, i had a LOVELY time, only diminished by having to leave to catch THE MONORAIL, and so miss the Nathan Persad All-Stars. I SPED through the City Of The Future thinking what a GRATE life it is, really.

posted 16/9/2005 by MJ Hibbett

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