Afterwards, I mean after all the buzzing and the tiredness, we realised that one day somebody will write a book about The Betsey Trotwood and the way it hosts all manner of gigs and parties so very modestly in the weekend wilds of Farringdon.
Where did we have James's first solo gig? There, on Burns Night in 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKiJYwMvlik&t=352s
Where did we celebrate his life? There, on Burns Night earlier this year.
There have been so many great gigs, both as an audience member and as a performer.
I'd thought my new album would be out by now, or at least well on the way to production. But life has twists and turns, and I took a message at The Rebellion Festival in Blackpool from Tiny Global Records to say they were ceasing trading- and so would obviously not be able to release my next record as we'd agreed.
By then I'd already asked Bizarro Promotions to set up a small tour, staring with Sunday's gig, to promote the (by now ghost) album. We'd decided to invite Robert Rotifer to play too, with his Radical Friendship Theory project, because he had his album to promote. Would Kenji come along and sing?
Yes!
What a treat for all of us.
I've been re-playing, mixing, re-singing the album for months and it was a blessing to actually physically rehearse the songs with Ruth on bass and additional vocals. She suggested three rehearsals, which was a great idea because it allowed us to work out the backing vocals really well and it's a big ask for her to suddenly have to learn both those and bass lines for twelve brand new songs in a very short space of time. She completely rose to the occasion though, but more about that in a bit.
We'd not known how many people would turn up but there was a last minute ticket flurry and the lovely little room was packed to the gills. Robert started off, with Ian on drum (nattily covered with a tea-towel, the drum not Ian) and Alan Crockford on bass duties. The set passed in a dream, with Kenji's wonderful vocals soaring across the audience and pin-drop silence as we all listened. Ian and Robert sang backing vocals on some of the songs, Ian sang a song, Michael J Sheehy sang a song (sung by John Howard on the record) and so did I (oh so high!). He had a wonderful reception for what was really a one-off set; the songs are so strong that they work with any combo of his musician friends.
I don't know what I was expecting for my set. It was a very risky thing to do, to play a whole new set with no 'oldies' at all, but the songs have to be in sequence. They are also incredibly emotional to sing, because they unearth memories not only overtly but also subliminally. And some of them are fast! I sweated! But Ruth provided steady bass and gorgeous harmonies, Terry Tyldesley (Kat Five) came and did the vocals she contributed to the record for one song and Robert also joined in for a song he plays on. Then it was down to me to tell the up-and down stories of Brighton punk, which will actually be celebrating its anniversary next year. At the very end, my glasses started to slip off my nose, finally hitting the floor just before the last two lines of the song. A spectacular end! (ahem)
What could be a better end to the afternoon than to play Balloon with Robert, a calming but politically relevant song that we used to do in our McCookerybook and Rotifer incarnation.
It's Tuesday and I'm only just coming down. What intensity! A weekend of catching up with Kenji and Till, and a gig that exceeded everybody's expectations, attended by members of Would-be-Goods, Railcard, Jetstream Pony, Hefner, Birdie, and many other friends from the musical community and beyond (hello Joan!). And Gideon Coe, too, and his partner who both provided such positive feedback that I'll move a mountain to get these songs released.
And yes, my brother James would have been there, of course he would. We lived through so much together in those Brighton days. I'm glad Andy, our little brother, came along. I'll be brave enough to invite the rest of the family next time. I am proud to have made a set of songs that tell the truth, the dark and the light, of what it was like to be a punk in Brighton 49 years ago; and big thanks for Ruth for putting in the work.
Roll on the next gig, in Glasgow, on the 12th of November, where the indefatigable Lorraine Lucas will be supporting me with her new songs: https://wegottickets.com/f/26674
I slept for ten hours last night.
Photos from Terry Tyldesley: with Terry afterwards, and with Robert and Ruth
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