Oh I do like playing in Bristol! Whether it's the Thunderbolt or the Knowle Constitutional (or that little pub I once played, or Thekla or St George's Chapel or The Trinity back-in-the-day). It's got a good feeling in the air, a bit of excitement, a bit of love. People smile at you in the street, and it's full of not-normals, which is a wonderfully relaxing environment if you have travelled there from the ironed-flat suburbs. Actually, the street I live in isn't too bad, but it's threatened by a bit of a 'we don't do that here' vibe from some other parts of the 'burb.
Up the steep hill I climbed, with my trusty guitar trying to persuade me to stay at the bottom of the hill. No, petal, we have a gig to do and you're going to really enjoy it! The guitar knows, but just likes to make a fuss so that I appreciate its efforts.
Katy and Kevin were there setting up. It's been granted a Community licence, so now officially belongs to their co-operative. They are happy, and double that because they had such a great time playing in Spain (they are The Lovely Basement and have just come back). I love it in venues when people are taking care of the equipment; the chap in the Thunderbolt hoovers the stage before gigs, and Kevin was cleaning the mike stands because they were sticky. It makes you feel cared about, alongside the building and the equipment.
I met The Woodlice, two men who play bass and guitar and sing. It did occur to me in passing that when I was seventeen, I used to listen to two men playing guitars and singing in Wylam Folk Club, and things haven't changed. But of course, they have: everything has. Instead of being cocky w*nkers (sorry polite self, but sometimes...), these chaps were quiet and played a set of tuneful, neat songs that said a lot very concisely. They were the shortest songs I'd heard since The Jeanines played last year in Scotland, and it was a relief to be able to hear messages delivered in such a meticulously-arranged fashion. Their set was almost like a Christmas stocking, full of small surprises to unwrap, and was just right for the occasion.
There was a decent turnout of Charlie Tippers. I'm sure they are a sort of secret Scout troupe or something, with codenames and badges concealed on the wrong side of their jumpers. It is always a delight when they materialise at a gig, and here they were. Tim was rosy with the success of winning a seat on the council, and they have also just released a new album. There was a very relaxed dog in the audience that changed position for each song: sitting up, lying down casually, bolt upright, and so on. I left out my difficult song (can't tell you what it is in case I hex it even more) but added At The Bathing Pond because it felt as though people might enjoy a bit of singing. It was a lovely afternoon. Thank you K and K for inviting me!
On the way home just before the sun went down, the train ambled through Wiltshire, whose trees have grown extra lush with the rain. Illuminated by saturated air, they were more shades of green than you could possibly imagine, glowing like some sort of undersea photograph in an old National Geographic Magazine. The landscape looked double-tinted and magical. I'm so glad I saw that.
Today, even though it's sunny I've been recording and editing. I hated my bloody songs yesterday, but today I think they're brilliant. That always happens. I now need to lose the hay fever so I can sing proper vocals on them.
I was going to go out for a walk, but I'm too lazy now.
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