Great New Sterio

Tonight has been nice. To be honest I've been looking at it less like a gig and more a lovely way to take my mind off of recent events... possibly in part due to the fact that it was so last minute and unexpected. I had prepared myself to spend the evening sitting in feeling sad, so it's been a really nice surprise.

The evening kicks off in a pretty upbeat manner as well. A lot of people I know that I haven't seen in a while and am very glad to see show up. Some stick around, some don't, but their appearances are all a huge lift to my spirits. So even the fact that when we finally hit the stage it's almost a ghost town, I'm very much in the mood to work the crowd. I possibly do or possibly don't do a good job. Happily, even when the atmosphere is dwindling (and it should be noted that it rarely does), there's enough in the background to keep me amused, such as an impassioned couple furiously making out in the middle of a song about erectile dysfunction. Hopefully not a self fulfilling prophecy.

In the middle of the set, I experience - believe it or not - my very first heckler since I've been a singer. Chalk it up to living a sheltered life, or experiencing an inordinate amount of luck, but there you go. As such it's a surreal moment and for a couple of seconds I'm not sure how to handle it. So after he's interrogated me about how I'm doing and why I'm holding a tamborine (we don't have a tamborine in the band) he begins to tell me about a great new sterio he's bought. I find myself quickly getting drawn into a conversation that's moments away from being impossible to extracate oneself from. Luckily I swoop out at the last minute.

I've learnt my lesson and it's a lesson well learnt.

Other than that, there's not much to report. Good set, good crowd, albiet thin on the ground. I don't blame anyone for the turnout, it's been a last minute 'making-the-best-of-a-bad-situation' kind of affair, so bearing that in mind, the whole thing has gone swimmingly.

A final exchange takes place whilst packing away. I take Zeno's drumming carpet out to the car. A woman who might just be a couple of sheets to the wind sees me with the rug.

"Oi, Aladdin! Can I be your um... Jezebel? No... it's not Jezebel, is it?"

"Jasmine?" I ask.

"Jasmine! Yeah, that's it!"

I'm walking away at too great a speed. Pretty woman has just engaged me in some saucy banter. I need to say something witty, probably some sort of Aladdin based pun, and I need to say it quickly. Unfortunately I'm almost out of earshot, so I plump for the next most intelligent thing I can think of.

"Hahaha."

They don't call me the ladies man for nothing.

In fact, they don't at all.

Setlist for 10/2/12:

Lillipad Lover
Inspector Katz
Dayglow
A Miskito Called James
Chad
Made With Love
Herb the Taxi Driver
Quickstep
David Bryant Tried to Section and Kill Me
Hey Ya (cover)
Too Late to Mate
---
Bonkers
The Rules