Day 130
Sunday April 30
Just a quiet Sunday with vague plans to have a wander down to The Marquis during late afternoon. There may or may not be some music on. And we may well catch Tommy and have a chat about playing in there. However, we’re not entirely sure what that means because we don’t fit the general model of playing two 45 minute sets or two hours I used to do here or anything like that. We’re really just thinking that every now and again we might be able to jump up after or during someone like we accidentally did in here a few weeks ago. It’s most unlikely to pay, and we’re not entirely sure about doing the hat. We’re pretty much going with: this is London, we’re trying to build, so just getting ourselves out there is enough and we think this is a great venue in which to do that. But really, just a Sunday hang and anything else is a bonus. As we often say, you’ve just got to be on the scene and keep being on it. Which is why we went to The Reliance yesterday for a drink or two, in the process getting to know some of the bar staff and having a lovely little fun catchup with the owner, Mario.
We walk into The Marquis at some time after six. Oh cool The Poptarts are on. This is the band who was on when we came in near closing time two weeks ago just as they were finishing. Tommy offered us the stage and we rocked the place. It’s really cool to walk in now and get a big hello from them from the stage and also from a lot of the barstaff who were in at the time as well. I’m sorry, but it really does feel like a bit of an entrance.
And there’s Tony as well watching everything from just about stage right. He also comes over and says hi and I introduce him to Maja and tell him we’re playing together now. Tony saw me play in here way back when so knows what I’m about and almost immediately he says, ‘Do you guys fancy getting up?’ I think he’s joking, but no. We soon discover this is a bit of an open stage. Not quite an open mic – although Tony might disagree but it doesn’t have that vibe – but more a show played by Tony who is joined by different friends, with the stage being, as I said, open. And now he’s offering to open it to us. Well, thankyou very much. We will take that. Not long after we’ve got our drinks, we’re summoned and called to the stage. The place is packed and very well warmed up. Tony has told me there’s a guitar on the stage I can use and it comes complete with a set of plectrums and a capo. Game on. We haven’t brought anything with us so we have no wireless gear at all and Maja’s using their microphone and of course, lead. So today will see us perform exclusively from a stage for the first time since April last year – The 22nd, and John Lees, Tullamore incase you’re wondering. I certainly was. We play four songs and oh, it goes massive. It’s also fantastic that some of the bar staff were here last time we played so they know at least two of the songs we play today. And the fact that they know them really does show.
We leave the stage and settle in for the rest of the afternoon as Tony leads a quite wonderful show with various people joining him, including some of the bar staff getting up and doing their thing. What an amazing event to have walked in and become part of. Tommy’s having a great time out front and is joining in everything. He and Maja have a huge hug when we leave. Maybe we can just keep doing stuff like this in here? That would be enough. No need to have a talk about that. This is one of our hang out places anyway.
Now we join all the people involved in today’s show in The Lemontree pub just round the corner. Among other fun conversations is one with Tony who tells us to keep an eye on when they have events happening and to let him know when we can make it. That way he can put us on for a bit longer. We were delighted with what we got today, but sure we’d take longer. He then says that after that, he may well put us on in his local area which is just outside London. Out there, he says, he might be able to make sure a few of the right people see us. Whatever that could mean, but it does sound pretty good. With that and today’s outing, that could be the sign of a door or two slowly creaking open. It really does feel like it. If nothing else, it’s another open mic, or more, open stage, where we now have a reputation and can put our name up whenever the opportunity arises. And now we can add a second show now in The Marquis to our gig list.
During all this, Matt gives me a call and says he’s heading to a bar to catch some friends in a live show. We invite our new friends here but they have last trains to catch. As the place starts to close we all joyfully say goodbye and now it’s off to The Queen’s Head just off Piccadilly Circus. In here we catch a good half hour of a fantastic blues rock cover band before we all head off across town to Ain’t Nothin’ But… where we hook up with a few more people we know, not least, Teo who I’ve played with many times in here at the jam nights. He tells us he’s playing his own show here next week. Well, Maja will be in Sweden by then but I’ll be around. Teo, I’ll be there. Not long before we decide to leave, another live band gets started in here so that makes three shows we’ve caught tonight while also having played our own. I told you we were only heading out for a quiet Sunday afternoon. We cap it off with street noodles and a walk back home.
Day 132
Tuesday April 2
Well, it’s that time again. Maja has a few admin things still to sort out in Sweden so she’s off for a few weeks and I’m going to keep ticking along here. We knew that show on Sunday would be our last for a while, and we weren’t even expecting that to happen. So a really great end to our first period of hitting London, and by definition, a really good and solid beginning. And you know, just great that we’ve now tested ourselves on one of the best music scenes in the world, possibly the best, and what we have has continued to work and produce great reactions, just like it has all across Europe.
There have been a few really big moments for our live show on our journey. Times when our hopes, expectations, and yes, confidence, have had to make contact with reality and we’ve been like, let’s see if it can survive this one. Our very first show at The Trap in Clara. Oh, I was nervous about that one. So confident beforehand, but then, ‘Will this really go down well?’ Yes. Very much so. But then Europe and first Berlin, another of the great music scenes of the world. OK. So we did alright in The Trap. Berlin? And our first show there in the heavy metal bar. What a baptism. And Maja’s first ever show. And yes. Tick. Then how about around Ireland? Would we be able to just turn up in bars and play and be accepted, no, cheered. And would people like it enough to put actual money in the hat? Tick, tick and tick. Then a few other countries and cities, not least The Hague where we were told to forget about it because, while we might have done it other places, what we were trying to do would be impossible there. Nope. Done. Another tick. Great. So it works all across Europe in many different types of bars and scenarios and to many different audiences. But then the toughest test. What about London? The ultimate contact with reality for aspiring original acts. Well, so far, tick.
For building on this now, we do have a few leads for gigs in June and we also have a few open invitations for people we’ve played with so far, very not least The Barrytones from Sunday. But we’re not entirely sure right now when Maja will be back, so we’ll see where we are when she does return and take it from there.
Day 137
Sunday May 7
So here I am for Teo’s Sunday night in Ain’t Nothin’ But…
I’ve decided to walk here and I’m going to walk home after. I’ve also made sure to be in at least half an hour before the show so that I might just manage a bit of a hang before it starts getting loud. And yes, apart from it being a great blues show, it really does turn into a bit of a reunion night, not least with Woody, who has his own claim on the 100 hour jam when he pulled in a non stop shift of the first 38 hours or so. And yeah, it’s fair to say there’s a bit of reminiscing on that. I also get introduced to a few people who’ve turned up in the past two or three years which is great. As for the people I do know, I haven’t seen most of them since late 2019, so around three and a half years ago. That seems crazy, but really, things generally tend to be quiet in Januarys and Februarys. Then in March 2020, the whole lockdown thing happened. Then in May 2021, just as things were opening up again after a few false starts, me and Maja were off to Ireland. Of course we have been in here once or twice since returning to London, but not on nights when a lot of blues regulars would be around, so not too many (no) familiar faces. So yeah. just a really epic night meeting people again.
Day 138
Monday May 8
The most of the rest of the month now and I get my teeth right into studio and songwriting and all kinds of musical bits and pieces and practice around that. The occasional social out but nothing Diaryable to report. We’re currently a little bit ahead/behind in here so I’ll tell you now. Maja will return on Tuesday May 23, so day 153 so no more Diary days until at least then.