Woolfire update: Loopy now playing on Sunday (August 31st)

After a lot of shilly-shallying we now have a slot at the Woolfire Festival. Loopy will be on the Main Stage at 12.30 pm on Sunday (August 31st) ... a perfect lunchtime slot (bring a picnic).

For directions etc ... got to http://www.woolfire.co.uk/

Squeeze Another Practice In Before The Gig

Present: Ad, Eg, Gi, Tom

Eg turns up in work clothes, looking very smart.

It turns out that after endless emails asking for the time of the Loopy performance at the Woolfire Festival next week [where we also said that we couldn't really do Friday] we finally hear that we've been booked for 5pm on the Friday to open the festivities.

It doesn't look great.

Still, at least we've got what is rapidly becoming known as the Jeremy Irons Gig.

Post Practice Pint Topic of Conversation: Did I lock it? Going back to check the door.  Eg's popcast idea [a live streaming of the band].  A festival in Hungary - we five can stay at Tom's parents' flat.  Gi's Killer B-Sides again.  Tom embarrassing his mother in front of other mothers on a walk in the park when he was young.

Pre-Gig Practice

Present: Ad, Fea, Gi, Tom

A quiet time in the Valley. We were the only band playing tonight, even the Taxi firm opposite seemed a little quiet this evening. All the better for the band to use this time to prepare for the end of the month gig at Woolfire Festival. Oh yeah, and the wedding in September that we're supposed to be doing. Jeremy Irons' neice's wedding.

Of course he'll be there.

Tom had a list of songs for us to practice. Always tricky without the cues from the lead singer but Ad and Fea did a good enough job of sorts to get through the evening. Interesting to hear the 'off the top of the head' words used when the actual lyrics aren't remembered.

We went through the songs again in batches of three.

Post Practice Pint Topics of Conversation: Radio 4. Smoking in front of parents. Poor memory. Short-sightness plus long-sightedness equals good-sightedness. Trevor MacDonald's infamous blooper and that it wasn't about Josie Lawrence's attempted murder. Because Josie Lawrence is a comedienne. Poor memory. Dungeoness. Deal. The Evolution of the B-Side. Gi's theory on the shape of table that makes the best buffet's at gigs - not ones that are stuffed in the corner [clogs up the flow of food-gatherers] but the inverse of that. Tom tries to describe a chevron shaped situation. And poor memory.

Recording Somersaults and Love the Way

Present: Ad, Eg, Tom

Guest Musicians: Ed, Ben

Ed graced the boys with his presence and produced some rather superb Sax work on 'Somersaults' with Tom conducting.

Meanwhile Ad and Eg fiddled with 'Love the Way' in a practice room.

Recorded 'Love the Way' with Ben on bass, Ad on ukulele and on Ed's banjo ukulele. Tom plonked about on what Ben had been informed by its maker as a 'belaphone'? We thought is was a marimba or glockenspiel.

A wooden xylophone at any rate.

Tom wanted more tracks again.

Recording went on till way past midnight as more and more tracks were used up on impulsive instrumental and vocal harmony inspirations. Reassuringly, this will keep the band busy for months to come during which they shall be stripping out everything they whimsically crammed in.

Latest Betting

Tom to try a new slightly different harmony [5-1]

Eg to re-record flat vocals [6-2]

Gi to want to beatbox the bridge [1,000-1]

Fea to ignore the need for input by talking about his boiler/job [evens]

Ad to be the one to write the blog post [betting suspended]

Practice

Present: Ad, Fea, Tom

First time practice after Ad's back operation and Fea's school inspection.  Both events refusing to inspire the mining of any decent seams of conversation. 

A-Ha's 'Take on Me' successfully given an outing, while two new potential songs were jammed into existence.

Post Practice Pint Topics of Conversation: 

Speed limits, school inspection, mobile phones [Tom's new whizzy courtesy phone Vs Fea's faithful original he bought in 1974 - which he still doesn't know how to use].