Gig: The Bear, North Moreton, Oxon

Order of Play: Loopy, Elvis Wannabes, Loopy

The Bear. A pub in North Moreton. It receives the CAMRA's Pub of the Year Award for 2007. What better way to celebrate than to get Loopy to pop out some banging toons.

Only to be sabotaged by four very different impersonations of Elvis Presley by the boys. Well, Giles, very sensibly, opted out of this latest piece of baffling buffoonery while the others each sang a song from the Elvis discography.

The first set suffered a little from guitar-string breakage and the fluidity of the set collapsed. But Eg was on home turf and the locals seemed to enjoy watching, as if at a zoo, the five pop gods stand around looking embarrassed. Ad's Purple Platforms and Hot Pink Leather Flared Hipster Pantaloons seemed to keep their eyes focussed.

Plenty of people watched and as the evening drew on more ventured on to the dance floor.

Then the four Elvi went on. At first it looked likely to be cancelled due to a skipping CD Walkman until a local lad stepped in to nip home and get his. Like a Lamb to the Slaughter.

Felix began with Always On My Mind. Ad howled out Heartbreak Hotel. Tom camply savaged The Wonder of You and Eg saved the whole idea by swivelling his hips in the direction of two young ladies who immediately rose to the challenge and danced to his interesting rendition of Suspicious Minds. It was almost as if they had been paid.

The second set continued with a full dance floor until the end. Many appreciative folk thanked the band afterwards. Which is nice.

Oh yes, and there was free beer. And food.

Gi's car battery, the Pair of Pants joke, Firework Night, Phoebe, Jessie and Shelley running out as Father and husband Eg, started his Elvis song. Shocking.

Set:
Whatever came to mind at the time.
Elvis set - to be available in a forthcoming popcast.
Fea: Always On My Mind
Ad: Heartbreak Hotel
Tom: The Wonder of You
Eg: Suspicious Minds

Pre-gig Practice

Present: All

Eg had a prepared set list to run through. Amazingly. Though the gig on Saturday is being held at his local. He's got more to lose than the rest of the band.

Tom's delayed, something to do with the wrong type of Bex on the tracks.

Amp volume issues are discussed in a lively manner.

Felix leaves before pub-time.

Post-Practice Pint Topics of Conversation include: Tom's holiday from which he has just returned. The buying of a new pedal. The pathetic late night fight between the full bladder and the desperate desire to continue sleeping and it's inevitable victor. Ad sets off a burglar alarm in quiet Boxford whilst trying to let a coughing cat out of friend's seemingly light-switchless and very dark house earlier this week. The position of the coin that needed to be placed on flexi-discs. Tom's pornographic flexidiscs. Gi's fleece, the difficult-to-reach headlining band of the previous gig and the major Tom/Ad faux pas [unwittingly warning the wife of the lead singer of the next band that his band was awful]. The difficulty of sleeping on long and short haul flights. Eg finds it easier to sleep on short haul. Fancy that. The Elvis performances this Saturday.

Gig: The X, Exeter Hall, Oxford.

Order of Play: Cyrus, Loopy, Non-stop Tango.

We had an audience. Which is always nice. Though Non-stop Tango managed to drive them out onto the street a short way in to their set after us. Earlier, during the sound-check, Ad, Gi and Tom witnessed this experimental electro punk group do a sample of their thang and remained open-mouthed until they realised it was their turn to set up.

Leo was on hand to help. Eg turned up last.

We were blessed with a Sound Engineer called James [who claimed to recall seeing us at The Point twelve years ago] and a compère, Richard [who booked Loopy to play the Zodiac at the end of March last year].

Cyrus, one man and his guitar, had a nicely comfortable and relaxed stage presence. He apologises for his short cover of Dancing Queen.

Quote of the Gig: Sound engineer to Eg during the set regarding his active use of the microphone stand. "It may be rock n roll to you but that stand is 45 quid to me"

Eg puffs out his chest in pride.

Faux Pas of the Gig: Ad comes off stage and garrulously informs a friend and her female companion about the awful experience awaiting them with the next band. Yes, the female companion was indeed the wife of the lead singer of that next band.

Second Faux Pas of the Gig ('Pas de deux'): Tom comes off stage and urgently informs a friend and her female companion about the awful experience awaiting them with the next band. Yes, the female companion is STILL the wife of the lead singer of that next band.

Post-Performance Pint Patter: The Elvis impersonations each Loopy member must do. Fea's upset he can't do Always On My Mind. Gi claims he doesn't want to play. The butter nut squash incident.

Set
Somersaults
Someone
Blue Cortina
The Smile
Better Off
Lay Your Table
Kids in America
Meet Me In The Corner
Too Late
Evel Knievel
Wonderful

Audience wanted more? Check.

Full Pre-Gig Rehearsal with an Audience

Present: All

We had a guest this week in the tall, looming shape of Big Dave. Friend of Ad who had nothing better to do this evening.

Full pre-gig rehearsal continued under the mellifluous influence of Tesco's value lager. 2%. Gi informs everyone that 'they can't call it beer' because of it's alcohol value.

Dave owns up to having given his copy of This Year's Evel Knievel to his maid in South Africa, who loves it. Then makes up for the unwitting faux pas by asking to buy a copy later.

Fea left before the pub. Three and a half month old newborn Edith needs feeding back at home.

Post Practice Pint Topics of Conversation: The forthcoming gig at the Exeter Hall in Oxford. Where should the Loopy Christmas Do be held this year. The Mexican food served up at the Mongolian Wok, not. Eg's ideas for the next Loopy Popcast - each band member do an Elvis impersonation and we all judge a winner. Tom to get the backing tracks.

Big Dave isn't quite sure this is real.

It Must Be Love Under An Umb-er-ella

Present
Ad, Eg, Gi, Tom

A clutch(?) of four songs has become staple practice process recently with our shared desire to release them as a CD maxi-single type EP thingy. Maybe that should be the collective noun.... an EP of four songs. No. Sounds terrible.

Four songs. We practice them regularly. Want to release them. Corner of My Mind, Lay Your Table Bare [Tom's Song], Somersaults and The Smile.

Ad introduces his new Zoom H2 handy recorder. Eg brings along the music to Rhianna's 'Umbrella' and Madness's 'It Must Be Love'.

Post Practice Pint Topics of Conversation: Tom's [Diner] Kitchen - Eg's pessimistic prophecy that it would be ready in the summer turns out to have been an optimistic one. Disney Land - paying to have your photograph taken with Minnie Mouse. High School Musical - it's a cross between Grease and Kids from Fame [Ad perks up, Gi looks bemused], the kids love it [Eg's Jessie and he have scripted the next two films - bedtime stories aren't what they used to be].

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