Well, friends, if we wanted the perfect antidote to our last outing, we got it last night! Our virginal appearance at the Nag's Head was absolutely brilliant (I can't think of many things that would have improved it!), and it's only fair that I give you a blow by blow account of the evening, not just so you can absorb, through the ether, the ambience of the event, but also so we can re-live it!
As mentioned elsewhere in this virtual diary, the Nag's Head is famous in Macclesfield and its ennvirons for being the Mecca of music, especially rock music, so we felt privileged to have been asked to play there. However, we were also aware that much of the music played at the Nag's is of a somewhat "heavy" nature, so it was with some trepidation that we approached the gig as, although our repertoire is varied, eclectic and brilliant, it is not exactly out of the Iron Maiden, Metallica or Slayer stable! This was actually confirmed last night when we told that a friend had heard we were playing on Friday night (not Saturday), which is the real "head banging" night, and was trying to contact us to cancel, because he feared we would be killed in an avalanche of beer glasses! Notwithstanding this, Andy had put together 2 sets which, in his professional opinion, would give us a fair chance of escaping with all our body parts intact, and maybe even meet with the approval of the discerning clientele (sorry, you Moondance fans, we had to leave that one out!)! We practised the whole gig on Thursday night, and surprised ourselves with how good we were (even on Hey Joe which we probably haven't done for 2 years!).
So we pitched up at around 8 last night to find the pub filling up nicely, and to hear the strains of heavy rock music pouring out of the jukebox! By the time we went on at about 9:50 there was a sizeable crowd in place, as well as the "locals", I'm pleased to say there were also many familiar faces present, and I have to again say a big thank you to them for their unfailing support - Iain, Tony, Claire, Justin, and everyone else - you know who you are and we appreciate you enormously!
The first set went really well and, by the time we came off at around 10:35 we were really getting a taste for it! The second set started at 11:15 and, amzingly, the "music room" was packed which, apparently is almost unheard of! The next hour or so is a bit of a blur for me, because we were carried on a wave of adrenaline - Andy was smashing power chords all over the place, Matt had his bass turned right up so the walls were shaking, Dave had got the sound balance almost perfect, and was beating his acoustic to death, Chrissie was dancing like a dervish (even disappearing into the crowd at one stage!) and Hugh was threatening to break every skin on his kit! Every number was rapturously received - Somebody Told Me by The Killers got its first public airing, and received the unqualified thumbs up from our most discerning young fans (i.e Lucy and Anna, my daughters!) and even Delilah made it onto the set list as an encore!
We eventually finished around 12:45, leaving the crowd still baying for more but, as I had almost no voice left, we couldn't oblige! After our traditional post-gig group hugs, the consensus view was that it was probably one of the best, if not the best, gigs that we have ever played. Thanks to Sandra for giving us the chance, to the crowd for being so flipping brilliant, and to the band for being the best in Macclesfield, if not the country (watch out Elbow, here we come!)!
So, it's on to The White Lion in Disley next Saturday (28th) - difficult to follow last night, but we're up for making it even better - get yourselves up in the hills for the hottest ticket in town!
As mentioned elsewhere in this virtual diary, the Nag's Head is famous in Macclesfield and its ennvirons for being the Mecca of music, especially rock music, so we felt privileged to have been asked to play there. However, we were also aware that much of the music played at the Nag's is of a somewhat "heavy" nature, so it was with some trepidation that we approached the gig as, although our repertoire is varied, eclectic and brilliant, it is not exactly out of the Iron Maiden, Metallica or Slayer stable! This was actually confirmed last night when we told that a friend had heard we were playing on Friday night (not Saturday), which is the real "head banging" night, and was trying to contact us to cancel, because he feared we would be killed in an avalanche of beer glasses! Notwithstanding this, Andy had put together 2 sets which, in his professional opinion, would give us a fair chance of escaping with all our body parts intact, and maybe even meet with the approval of the discerning clientele (sorry, you Moondance fans, we had to leave that one out!)! We practised the whole gig on Thursday night, and surprised ourselves with how good we were (even on Hey Joe which we probably haven't done for 2 years!).
So we pitched up at around 8 last night to find the pub filling up nicely, and to hear the strains of heavy rock music pouring out of the jukebox! By the time we went on at about 9:50 there was a sizeable crowd in place, as well as the "locals", I'm pleased to say there were also many familiar faces present, and I have to again say a big thank you to them for their unfailing support - Iain, Tony, Claire, Justin, and everyone else - you know who you are and we appreciate you enormously!
The first set went really well and, by the time we came off at around 10:35 we were really getting a taste for it! The second set started at 11:15 and, amzingly, the "music room" was packed which, apparently is almost unheard of! The next hour or so is a bit of a blur for me, because we were carried on a wave of adrenaline - Andy was smashing power chords all over the place, Matt had his bass turned right up so the walls were shaking, Dave had got the sound balance almost perfect, and was beating his acoustic to death, Chrissie was dancing like a dervish (even disappearing into the crowd at one stage!) and Hugh was threatening to break every skin on his kit! Every number was rapturously received - Somebody Told Me by The Killers got its first public airing, and received the unqualified thumbs up from our most discerning young fans (i.e Lucy and Anna, my daughters!) and even Delilah made it onto the set list as an encore!
We eventually finished around 12:45, leaving the crowd still baying for more but, as I had almost no voice left, we couldn't oblige! After our traditional post-gig group hugs, the consensus view was that it was probably one of the best, if not the best, gigs that we have ever played. Thanks to Sandra for giving us the chance, to the crowd for being so flipping brilliant, and to the band for being the best in Macclesfield, if not the country (watch out Elbow, here we come!)!
So, it's on to The White Lion in Disley next Saturday (28th) - difficult to follow last night, but we're up for making it even better - get yourselves up in the hills for the hottest ticket in town!
