ComEnts

What a great weekend, I could do with a couple of days off to recover though! Friday night was kicked off with a few beers after work to celebrate a colleague's birthday - always good to sit in a beer garden with the sun glinting off the dark green bottle of beer in front of you. Then off to see my ex-housemates for another quick drink and a bit of a catch-up session, before meeting up with my cohorts for an evening of hedonistic excess that ended just as the birds starting chirrupping on Sat morning. The details have been withheld - you'll just have to imagine what shenanigans us rock stars-in-training get up to behind closed doors...

A quick nap later, and I'm off to rehearse with the Yazzle Nizzle Nizzle at Impact. We're just champing at the bit to play our showcase gig in Brixton on the 10th June and we've got the set ready, can play the songs backwards, forwards and in our sleep, and the two weeks-ish that we have to endure before then are going to pass very slowly. Not for me though, as I have other stuff to help pass the time (such as the joy of a day job, not to mention upcoming Red Antennae gigs) - but all the same it's proving difficult to relax and forget about the 10th. Now, it's going to be a big stage with a great sound, so I'm not buying into the "Everything you have ever done in your life has been leading up to this gig" rubbish that some people are selling at the moment - I'm just looking forward to playing a cool gig. But I am still on my toes, in case I overlook something in my desparation to maintain an air of calm nonchalance about everything.

So, the rehearsal went well - it was good fun fine-tuning the set, making sure that all the bits and pieces were nice and tight, and we've even found time to write a new (and most excellent) tune which if memory serves me right has even found its way into the Brixton set! Very, very hot in the studio though, fans on full blast (making it difficult to roll.... cigarettes), everyone was leaking like a tap by the end of it.

Back home, quick bite to eat and a shower and off out into Reading with Y99er. Had to go and pick Cam, Henry and Neil up from the pub first though, they just couldn't wait for us before they refilled their beer tanks! Met up with Mike and a mate of his called Dave (referred to as Dai, he lives with semi-Welsh band Left Side Brain - confusing, as he is Scottish! - top man though, crazy mummy-hugger!). Started out in Afro bar, drank a lot and worried about the band, cos everyone seemed very hung up on the whole showcase gig thing. Lots of long, anxious faces, not much cameraderie until the beer kicked in and people loosened up! Had a fight with drummer Tom outside in the street cos he didn't like my shirt, but a few well-aimed jabs soon corrected his whole outlook on frilly red dress shirts. He's got the kind of face that needs regular panel-beating so I think I did him a favour!

It all got a bit hazy after we left the Afro bar - I remember a kebab appearing in my hand and suddenly finding myself at Mike's house listening to crazy music like MC Hawking, MixMeister Blaumfeldt and MC Hardy Har-Har Har and passing out face-first on his sofa. Quality! Can't remember much else than that though!

So, Sunday - dragged my hung-over self back home, washed, cleansed, vomited, cleansed again and dressed before heading to parents house for big Sunday roast slap-up meal. Half a pound of chicken, eight roast potatoes, sundry vegetables and a pint of gravy later and I'm half asleep in front of England vs. Barbarians on telly (a joke English XV were out-muscled and out-thought by a wise old Baba's side) wondering if I'll be able to manage dessert when I realise that Sonic Undermind are playing at Newbury fringe festival that afternoon. A cartoon puff of dust appeared over my chair as I launched myself out the front door and down the M4 at as close to 88mph as I could manage, but despite my best efforts at time travel I arrive just to see Sonic Undermind packing up and leaving the stage. DOH! Oh well, stayed till the end to see the other bands (Bidgie Reef were excellent, as were a couple of others) and generally hung out, soaking up some sun.

Also managed to meet up with the voice behind my new, top-secret recording project - but only briefly as she was with her friends and I was hanging out with mine - and given the nefarious sorts that I was associating with that afternoon, I thought it best to keep the two apart as much as I could! She's very cool though, I'm used to being like a family with bands and band members, and both Rob and I are already starting to feel like big, over-protective brothers - despite the fact that I don't think Rob has formally been introduced to ... I'll call her Col for the time being. The project is going well, hopefully should have five or six tracks ready for the vocals to be recorded onto when we are all free to do it - it's a pleasure working with Rob B, and I'm looking forward to hearing what our chanteuse sounds like over the tracks! All will be revealed later this summer...

So, back to Mike's place for some more mirth and merriment (I love bank holidays!) before heading home to dive headlong into the black, unconscious void of recuperation. Woke with a start; I'm running half an hour late before I even get started. Balls. Not good. Very quick shower, dressed and on the way to Natalie (singer in Red Antennae)'s house in Henley with guitar and gig bag in tow. Threw Natalie in the boot and commanded Mr. Zulu to set a course for Hackney at warp speed, which he must have done as next thing I knew we were at Old St. roundabout, trying to figure out how to get to Dan Antennae's new pad. Eventually find it, and what a pad! It's like the ground floor of a sky-scraper office block, one big room with a middle section/wall breaking the space up. After checking with the neighbours (who all seemed cool), we were told it would be OK for us to have full rehearsals in there during the day (making rehearsal rooms and studios obsolete for the time being!), which we promptly did!

The Red Ants are gigging in Islington at Lark in the Park this Friday, and although we are headlining we're kind of looking at it as a warm-up slot for the big gig which cometh on the 17th June at Bar Oz in Reading - SoulCyde, Kaldera and Carter are all coming together to groove the living funk out of Reading. It's going to be amazing, and probably the coolest gig Red Antennae have ever played! But we have new material to play, and we rehearsed the set inside out, so we're all quietly confident. Especially now we have an official base of operations in Dan's new pad! He's going to set up some soundproofing (even though the neighbours didn't mind about the noise levels) and once his studio is set up we should be able to record anything and everything we choose to! We're all ecstatic about this, especially Dan who now has the coolest flat I've ever seen in my life.

So, rehearsal over and it's back down the M40 to deposit Ms. O'Neill at her place, and then shoot to my place to pick up my 4x12 Marshall cabinet which I am lending Sonic Undermind for their gig at Reading University that evening. After we've crammed everything we can into my car - including Mike Heff - it's off to the Student Union in my official capacity as "Chief of Sonic Undermind Operations" - a title that was downgraded from "Boss/sir" after missing their show the night before. Soundcheck was completed without too much hassle, and MIke and Pete and I headed off to get some food and to while away the hours before showtime "dahn tha boozah".

Back at the uni and the crowd was gathering. It's slap in the middle of exam time, so most of the students were either in the library or in their rooms, but a respectable crowd still turned out to witness the "high-octane" conceptual sci-fi rock of the Underminds, who were the only band on the bill that night. They were on great form as well, with the nice big stage to play on, and a nice big sound system to play through, they gave a great account of themselves. A girl who was working in the union that night recognised me from when Yankee Nine Niner won a battle of the bands there last year too, which was nice! She was very cool, actually - helped bring in and take out some kit for us, and had a very warm smile! Yeah, OK - so she may have won me over by recognising me from Y99er...! *holds hand up*. More pool, and my one beer for the night (I was driving) later and it was back to Mike's to unload the kit, a quick smoke for the road and Mikey suckered me into playing Pro Evolution Soccer. I've only ever played FIFA football games before, and I must admit the playability of PES is miles better, I don't remember ever being beaten 6 nil on FIFA. Mike obviously took full advantage of my lack of experience and ability, the bastard.

So, tonight I have a rehearsal with All Wrapped Up, Friday gigging in Islington and Sat gigging at a wedding I think. Mmmm, yes time will pass quickly up to the 10th, mainly cos I'll be busier than a bunny in bonking season. I'll keep y'all informed of any major developments till then though.

And cheers Mike Heff, for a legendary weekend - and for introducing me to the Silver Ginger 5 track "Divine Imperfection", which is now one of my favourite songs. Good work, fella!