Rehearsals and other rackets - March 09

On 4 March the new thoroughly electric band convened in Darkest Putney...

Steve, Nick & Rob

Roger King, Nick Beggs, Rob Townsend, Gary O'Toole and yours truly paced like expectant fathers, in the hope that once everything was finally plugged up we’d get to do what musos do best... deafen people of course! Ah, the smell of the soldering irons, the din of the overhead trains, the rattle of tea cups, the cackle of the crew... it all comes back and brings a tear to the eye.

Gary & the rainstick

Nick Beggs was the first to suggest we break the ice by trying out Slogans. In other words we started with an absolute ball-buster! The band thundered as did the trains above - the whole place shook like an earthquake. More trickery followed as the gauntlet was thrown down once again, this time for a hairy version of Mechanical Bride. Nick's platinum plaits were swinging, Roger's eyebrow was raised, alongside Gary's rain stick looking suspiciously like a spear he'd half-inched from an Aztec chieftain on our last Mexican expedition, whilst Rob's sax blasted like a runaway New York fire truck with no brakes.

I knew we were up and running like King Kong's mad half brother on a rampage to even up the score against the bastards who'd shot down his hero, the head of the family. HE'S BACK, AND THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL!

Of course even Superheroes have to stop for a coffee now and again. As we swaggered into the TV room our collective manhood instantly shrivelled at the sight of Anne Robinson berating yet another of her hapless guests. Help, get us out of here! Roll on the tour...

Goodbye Anne, so-long Putney, farewell fish and chips, and welcome to the land that gave you fountains and mountains of pasta. The next blog stop - Italy itself...

Roger & Steve