Post by DAVE HURRY on Oct 24, 2008 16:42:32 GMT
HI-ON KETTERING
Back to gigging after three months without! All the past week, your humble narrator had been itching to gig again. My journey to Kettering took me from home (Dartford) to Liverpool for work, then to Leeds and then to the gig. Mad! I did get to spend a bit of time in the Hi-On Van of Wonder and Terror, which was nice as usually I spend most of the gig day on the train.
Previous to the final leg of my travels, I'd spent Friday night in the residence of Bruce "I need to get my three wanks in" Dugginson. This was a joy, as Brucey makes a smashing spag bol and had plenty of vino collapso to wash it down with. Adrian "it wasn't a fart, it was more of a cheeky little trump" Swift also made an appearance, and helped me polish off every last bit of booze in the Dugginson household. Hic.
After a lazy morning watching Auf Widersehen, Pet ("they waz the ones wot bombed me granny leyk!") we set the controls for the heart of Kettering. It was an uneventful trip, with no springs or dials flying off into the face of witless passengers and no traffic jams to speak of. Nevertheless, we were beaten to the venue by the other 40% of the band. Speed "ethnic Kaiser Chiefs!" Harris had been entertaining himself with a bit of non-PC action on the motorway, while Nicko "oh no! / you're not allowed to have sex, Mum" McBrain Jnr had been driven to the gig by his lovely mum. Now, Master McBrain's mother is a very nice lady - how she puts up with us turning the air blue in the dressing room is a complete mystery!
Saywers of Kettering is a great venue. It was one of the easiest soundchecks I've ever experienced ("plug in, turn up as loud as you want and I'll sort it out from the front" - what a sound man!!! Thanks, Big Ginger!). The dressing room is plastered with some truly classic graffiti, for example:
Life is like an 8 hour car journey with Kris Akabussi: it's going to get worse before it gets worse.
I can't eat fish on medical grounds. When I'm not in the hospital, I eat it all the time!
And so on and so forth. Spectacular! Rather worryingly, amongst all the true filth that was on the wall (including some words I didn't even know!) there was one spot which had been censored. A good deal of the evening was spent speculating on what this might have been. It could have been The Most Offensive Graffiti In The World, or perhaps the Meaning Of Life. Whatever it was, we were obviously never meant to know.
Showtime rolled around, and I was dead nervous. Three months without a gig and I was feeling a bit rusty. Plus, shock horror, I had forgotten my earplugs. Now, I like to look after my ears as much as I can. Thus forgetting earplugs could be near catastrophic. I lucked out however, and managed to find an old one in one of my many magic boxes tucked away in the van. One earplug would be enough, more or less, as my right ear is mostly deaf due to an infection as a youngster. What I didn't bank on was the loss of balance, but I'll get to that in a bit...
Doctor Doctor hit the crowd, and the punters headed to the front. Stage gear was thrown on, and we got ready to rock. Opening as we were with Caught Somewhere In Time, the Blade Runner theme was up next. This is one of my favourite intro tapes - it's got something about it, a quiet sense of anticipation like you're at the top of a rollercoaster when that clock starts ticking. This had the effect of making me near cack me pants, knowing that the start of the gig was a mere minute and a half away.
We hit the stage, and it felt like we'd never been away. A couple of Brown Moments provided by all of us here and there, with Mr McBrain owing us four bars of Paschendale, and me taking over Speed's mantle as the one person in this band who can't play Fear of the Dark without a mistake! I had a couple of new guitar pedals to play with, including an MXR Phase 90 which gives that perfect Dave Murray solo sound (well, it helps when you've got one of his amps...). This was joyous, but I was starting to feel a little bit woozy onstage. This was down to the single earplug I had in, which was affecting my balance a little bit more than anticipated! Whenever I hit that phaser, I could hear police sirens wailing in my right ear. Nasty! Still, I made it through the gig remaining upright and on two feet, which is always a plus. The crowd were great, and the venue was top. Thanks Sawyers, see you next year!!!
We retired to our lodgings, and I proceeded to keep the rest of the band awake with my thunderous snoring. Sorry lads! The next morning Mr Harris shot off while I treated the Yorkshiremen to a Little Chef breakfast.We parted ways at Kettering station with a jolly "See you on Friday!".
Cambridge Corn Exchange on Friday - should be a poptastic night, with other tribute bands on the bill including a spectacular AC/DC tribute band. Until then, up the irons!
Dave "Fartonium" Hurry
Back to gigging after three months without! All the past week, your humble narrator had been itching to gig again. My journey to Kettering took me from home (Dartford) to Liverpool for work, then to Leeds and then to the gig. Mad! I did get to spend a bit of time in the Hi-On Van of Wonder and Terror, which was nice as usually I spend most of the gig day on the train.
Previous to the final leg of my travels, I'd spent Friday night in the residence of Bruce "I need to get my three wanks in" Dugginson. This was a joy, as Brucey makes a smashing spag bol and had plenty of vino collapso to wash it down with. Adrian "it wasn't a fart, it was more of a cheeky little trump" Swift also made an appearance, and helped me polish off every last bit of booze in the Dugginson household. Hic.
After a lazy morning watching Auf Widersehen, Pet ("they waz the ones wot bombed me granny leyk!") we set the controls for the heart of Kettering. It was an uneventful trip, with no springs or dials flying off into the face of witless passengers and no traffic jams to speak of. Nevertheless, we were beaten to the venue by the other 40% of the band. Speed "ethnic Kaiser Chiefs!" Harris had been entertaining himself with a bit of non-PC action on the motorway, while Nicko "oh no! / you're not allowed to have sex, Mum" McBrain Jnr had been driven to the gig by his lovely mum. Now, Master McBrain's mother is a very nice lady - how she puts up with us turning the air blue in the dressing room is a complete mystery!
Saywers of Kettering is a great venue. It was one of the easiest soundchecks I've ever experienced ("plug in, turn up as loud as you want and I'll sort it out from the front" - what a sound man!!! Thanks, Big Ginger!). The dressing room is plastered with some truly classic graffiti, for example:
Life is like an 8 hour car journey with Kris Akabussi: it's going to get worse before it gets worse.
I can't eat fish on medical grounds. When I'm not in the hospital, I eat it all the time!
And so on and so forth. Spectacular! Rather worryingly, amongst all the true filth that was on the wall (including some words I didn't even know!) there was one spot which had been censored. A good deal of the evening was spent speculating on what this might have been. It could have been The Most Offensive Graffiti In The World, or perhaps the Meaning Of Life. Whatever it was, we were obviously never meant to know.
Showtime rolled around, and I was dead nervous. Three months without a gig and I was feeling a bit rusty. Plus, shock horror, I had forgotten my earplugs. Now, I like to look after my ears as much as I can. Thus forgetting earplugs could be near catastrophic. I lucked out however, and managed to find an old one in one of my many magic boxes tucked away in the van. One earplug would be enough, more or less, as my right ear is mostly deaf due to an infection as a youngster. What I didn't bank on was the loss of balance, but I'll get to that in a bit...
Doctor Doctor hit the crowd, and the punters headed to the front. Stage gear was thrown on, and we got ready to rock. Opening as we were with Caught Somewhere In Time, the Blade Runner theme was up next. This is one of my favourite intro tapes - it's got something about it, a quiet sense of anticipation like you're at the top of a rollercoaster when that clock starts ticking. This had the effect of making me near cack me pants, knowing that the start of the gig was a mere minute and a half away.
We hit the stage, and it felt like we'd never been away. A couple of Brown Moments provided by all of us here and there, with Mr McBrain owing us four bars of Paschendale, and me taking over Speed's mantle as the one person in this band who can't play Fear of the Dark without a mistake! I had a couple of new guitar pedals to play with, including an MXR Phase 90 which gives that perfect Dave Murray solo sound (well, it helps when you've got one of his amps...). This was joyous, but I was starting to feel a little bit woozy onstage. This was down to the single earplug I had in, which was affecting my balance a little bit more than anticipated! Whenever I hit that phaser, I could hear police sirens wailing in my right ear. Nasty! Still, I made it through the gig remaining upright and on two feet, which is always a plus. The crowd were great, and the venue was top. Thanks Sawyers, see you next year!!!
We retired to our lodgings, and I proceeded to keep the rest of the band awake with my thunderous snoring. Sorry lads! The next morning Mr Harris shot off while I treated the Yorkshiremen to a Little Chef breakfast.We parted ways at Kettering station with a jolly "See you on Friday!".
Cambridge Corn Exchange on Friday - should be a poptastic night, with other tribute bands on the bill including a spectacular AC/DC tribute band. Until then, up the irons!
Dave "Fartonium" Hurry