Mixing and Finalising tracks

Present: Ad, Eg, Fea, Tom

The new album is nearly complete. Decisions made on track listing, cover art, sleeve design, names to be thanked. One trumpet needs to be added to the opening track and one song ending needs to be finally chosen. Eg adds a new vocal to Hearts Pumping.

Ad brought in a load of song books he saved from being thrown out for everyone, Fea brought in his Ofsted inspection report - one of them is in tune with the context of the evening; Ben brings up the, as yet unwritten, Loopy Musical, Eg suggests commissioning Ad to write it; Eg's support act story of the gig in Portsmouth he went to - Goth guy wailing at a keyboard while a chased [as opposed to chaste one can only assume] semi-clad girl rubbed baby oil over herself; Ben's car fetish and the time he sold his convertible BMW to a dodgy bloke who needed to withdraw money from multiple cash machines before midnight and how Ben didn't want to turn the engine off cos it wouldn't start again; Ashes to Ashes, Red Riding, Humax Changed My Life, not receiving BBC channels and selling songs to Girls Aloud, Take That and anyone who might take them.

Tracklisting:
Corner Of Your Mind
Somersaults
Found By You
The Smile
Twenty-One
Secrets And Lies
Love The Way
Hearts Pumping

Practice

Present: Ad, Eg, Tom

First room on the right. One lamp, two acoustic guitars, a bass and a ukulele. A few covers and six new songs introduced. Come On Eileen [cover: murdered], Hold Me Now [cover: GBH'd], Extraordinary Life, Where Do I Go, Totally Completely, Sky Above My House, Fiat 500, TV All Day. Signs of age; the typeset is too small for Eg.

Post Practice Pint Topics of Conversation: should budget airlines charge extra for heavier passengers? Personal experiences of sitting next to 'heavier passengers'; Tom's 'compulsory atendance' at Driving School, Ad gets all the questions right; Eg's discovered he can play mp3s on his car stereo, and that he has draws under his drivers' seat.

Mixing

Present: Ad, Eg, Fea, Tom

Ben's excellent mix of Hearts Pumping only needed a few tweaks before being accepted by the boys as complete. Love the Way took a bit longer to slim down the over-enthusiastic additions that had been made over time leaving the lads with two possible final mixes with slightly different endings. Twenty-one was more straight forward.

While Ben knob-twiddled the basic mixes, everyone else used a back room to jam and practice new songs.

Tonight's work seemed to decide for us that the new album was indeed to have eight tracks and that album art ideas were needed soon.

A very productive evening. Eg gets Ben to give us just the ending of Secrets & Lies for ring tone purposes.

We love Ben.

Gig: Mark and Catrina’s Wedding

Present: Ad, Eg, Fea, Tom

Venue: Cain Manor, Churt Road, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 8SR

Interesting one this one. The Bride and Groom were big fans of the band. And especially wanted the boys to play at their wedding.

News came in late that the band was a drummer down. Wedding Guest Tom left the proceedings to organise a replacement via Ben at Valley. Nice young man called Rich took on the task. He motored all the way from Winchester to Cain Manor with a make-do drum kit cobbled together by Ben and stuffed into the back of his car.

Awaiting Eg and Fea, Ad verbally took Rich through the songs on the set list. Subtly muting himself whenever a wandering guest came within earshot.

So, with no rehearsals, no idea what songs he was going to play, a few loopy originals thrown in for good measure and only Ad’s mumbled beat-boxed drum rhythms to go on, Rich was looking a little nervous.

He was also incredibly hungry.

With the wedding speeches over, the kit was set up and arranged. A small plate of sandwiches magically appeared for a trembling Rich. The rest had to wait for the buffet later in the evening.

Within the first couple of songs it was clear that the band was ‘Going To Be Alright’. Rich was a steady drummer and managed to relax enough to play some fine fills – especially in many of the covers that were played – and to start and stop, pretty much well enough for no-one to notice that much.

Two sets later, with an a capella and a couple of drumless numbers [Too Late, Take On Me] thrown in at the beginning of Set 2, Rich was Loopy’s New Friend.

In fact, you could say he was the band’s new buddy, Rich.

Buddy Rich?

No?



The Groom, also stepped up to play a very quiet guitar along with Tom while Eg sang a specially requested Simon and Garfunkel number.

The Buffet consisted of most of the usual quiche, sandwich, pizza and satay chicken on a stick options with the interesting inclusion of asparagus spears wrapped in salmon.

The Bride looked beautiful, the Groom handsome and both had apparently had a rather good day.

Other stuff: Small kids in front of the band dancing; Fea keeping his calm while talking to the Offensive Mad Midget who wasn’t a head teacher after all; Tom MC’ing. Bride’s sister using Ad’s mic in the encore to sing along to Take That’s ‘Back For Good’ while Ad sings ‘Want It Back, Want It Back For Good’; Eg getting the Maitre De to bring coffee for him, Ad and Fea; Ad getting his leg felt up; Ad performing the Kids From Fame’s ‘Desdemona’ in the lobby before leaving.

Pre-Gig Rehearsal: Curry Night at the Willow Tree

Present: Ad, Eg, Fea, Tom

Ploughed through a bit of everything this evening. Covers and Originals. All in the hope that the wedding guests on Saturday week will be too drunk to notice the inevitable balls ups.

More importantly though...

Rolling up at the Willow Tree at the usual Few Minutes to Closing Time the boys were greeted with the exquisite delight of a pub that had just finished a Curry Evening.

With leftovers.

Landlord offered four plates.

Say no more.

Nom, nom, nom.

Post Practice Pint Topics of Conversation: The curry, the curry, Giles missing out on the curry and the curry.