Just Like Top of the Pops

It’s been almost a week since our gig at Studio Bar and I’ve been both incredibly lazy and surprisingly busy, so you’ll have to forgive me if this entry is a little hazy on the ol’ details. I am a bad person and shall endeavour to do better in the future, I kind of half promise. Depends on how I feel next time I have to do this.

We arrive at the venue nice and early to figure out what’s going on. You see, for better or for worse, no one in the band seems to know what’s going on tonight. I myself am even unsure we’re heading towards the right building, but that probably tells you more about how clued in *I* am than the band as a whole. But it is true that no one’s really sure if we’re even going to be playing before the night is through. With this in mind, early seems best and we arrive at the designated venue to find the doors locked, the lights out and a rather ominous looking For Sale sign hanging from one of the walls.

Knock, knock, knock. Nobody home. It’s currently about… I don’t know… 7 o’clock? Show starts at around half 9 to 10 o’clock, so we’re a little perturbed by this. Oh well, let’s just stuff ourselves with fried chicken until the problem goes away. About 8 o’clock we roll back down and still there’s not a soul in sight. Starting to think there’s been a mix up and we’re actually walking around Penzance without a place to be. We shuffle off somewhere to hide until somebody comes to save us.

And believe it or not, somebody does. At the very last minute we get the call to come on down and do a gig. They sure know how to make a band sweat and I wonder silently if that’s part of their plan to get the blood pumping just a bit faster. It’s probably not and if I had said that out loud I’d look like an idiot, so silently I wonder.

We arrive at the venue and start to set up. It’s all very psychedelically lit with all the primary colours swirling into secondary colours and the ceiling shimmering as if we’re under water. The stage is thrust out to face in two directions with enough space for people to gather round, sing and dance a bit.

Just like Top of the Pops.

The show starts around 10 and it’s all very cosy. The band are packed together, the crowd are all up very close and I can hear clearly all the mutterings for us to ‘get on with it’ every time I take a moment to start spewing my complete and utter nonsense to anyone unfortunate enough to listen. Despite a rocky start and some good natured heckling, we finally find our groove and put on one hell of a performance, if I do say so myself. The more people have to drink, the better we start to look and sound (ah, such is life) and I think everyone has had a good time. There is a rather funny moment of synchronicity between band and audience during the final song of the encore, Quickstep. As the dynamics of the song shift (and they tend to do, a lot) so do the movements of everybody on the floor.

Just like Top of the Pops…?

By the time we reach the climax, the whole floor bursts into life in a moment that quite honestly sends chills up and down my arms. Top THAT, next gig!

Unfortunately my lack of preparation for a long, unbroken set causes a few setbacks. The lack of fluid that usually adorns the space around my feet means that by the time I’m due to go and say hello, all that emits from my throat is a series of hoarse grunts, squeaks and the

odd remnant of something that was probably at one point or another a word. It’s all very embarrassing when you’re trying to network. How can somebody who seems to have it more or less together on stage be such an incomprehensible, sweaty wreck in conversation?

Yeah, yeah “you’re an incomprehensible, sweaty wreck ON stage too!” Har de har de har.

Bit of a jolly in Penzance afterwards. Zeno, his girlfriend and I go clubbing if you can believe it? Those who know me know I don’t fare well in the clubbing scene. I think I do rather well all told. It helps that the place we head off to is 50 percent crazy and 50 percent people trying to cater their wares to crazy people. On the dance floor I observe, amongst other things, a cavalcade of the most amazing hairstyles I’ve ever bore witness to and the heart breaking sight of someone dancing alone whilst wishing they could be absolutely anywhere else in the world.

Just like Top of the Pops.

Setlist for 24/2/12:

Lillipad Lover
Inspector Katz
F**k You (cov)
Mr. Dinosaur
Herb the Taxi Driver
Goose in 4D
Love is in the Sole
Made With Love
Dayglow
A Miskito Called James
Hey Ya (cov)
Chad
Mary the Snowdeer
Rubber Ball
Pirate (in my Heart)
Quickstep
My Voice
D.U.I.
David Bryant Tried to Section and Kill Me
Too Late to Mate
---
Bonkers (cov)
The Rules
Herb the Taxi Driver (reprise)
Quickstep (Reprise)