Right then, is everybody here?
You – you at the back there – yes, you, boy – are you chewing something?
What is it?
Really?
Ergh. Well, I hope you brought enough for the whole class…
So, if it’s quite all right, shall we continue with the lesson, then, if it’s not too much trouble?
Friday’s escapade to Marlborough was – well, a bit odd, frankly. This is the week, it seems, of the “Marlborough Mop Fair” – a quaint local tradition which seems to consist of closing off the entire high street to traffic, and erecting in it a large – and very much closed – funfair.
This actually made access to the gig easier, as by claiming musician’s diplomatic immunity to traffic restrictions, and by shufting over a few barriers and driving along a couple of pavements, we managed to park the van directly outside the front door of the pub.
We set up in out allotted corner – a bay window, which gave us an excellent view of the rain hammering down on to the miserable deserted fairground rides – and of pretty much nothing else. The layout of the pub is such that from our corner, we could see very few punters, and it was a bit odd to hear ethereal applause wafting over, seemingly from nowhere, after each song.
Emma did a fine job of going to seek out the punters in their lair and mildly harass them, though – which they seemed to rather enjoy.
She also apologised for the fact that both she and I, having previously been road accidented, were tonight suffering from limited mobility due to neck muscle trauma.
“Sorry we’re not jumping around as much as usual – Alan and I are currently both members of the Whiplash Club”, she explains; adding, after a moment’s reflection, “Which is not quite as exciting as it might sound….”
Saturday’s trip to the Bailey’s Court Inn in Sadley Broke was at least closer to home, and drier, and we had the benefit of a small entourage with us to keep us company. I can’t remember much else about the night, really, except that some point I managed to get Emma to totally corpse at the end of a song, thanks to the rather deft (if I say so myself) deployment of a distinctly unsavoury rubber chicken. You had to be there…
If you had, perhaps you could have told me a bit more, I wasn’t really paying attention.
Right then, coming up this weekend – just the one, but a rather lively one….
Friday 18th – Blue Lagoon, Bristol
Just up from the Arches on Gloucester Road, and often it gets quite messy by the end of the night. But – at least usually – in a good way.
Right, that’s your lot for this week, I really have too many other things to do at the moment.
I wonder what they are…?
Square on
A