February was a quiet month for the band, with just the one, albeit quite lively gig at The Pilot in the middle of the month. March is shaping up to be quite different. By the end of this month, if all goes to plan, we will have played eight.
Up until a couple of weeks ago, we only had one gig booked for this weekend, however; an annual dinner dance for a yacht club in Portishead. It had originally been booked for 2021, but we all know how that year went, so early in 2021 they contacted me to postpone to 2022.
We've played the yacht club's dinner dance three or four times now, so they're one of our regular spring bookings. Another regular booking we get around the same time is to play the Kite Ball, an annual charity fundraiser for the James Hopkins Trust.
A day or two after the yacht club postponed their annual bash to 5th March 2022, my friend Ria, the fundraising manager for the James Hopkins Trust contacted me to postpone their own 2021 date, but unfortunately wanted to move their Ball to 5th March as well. However worthy the cause, it's a first come first served basis, so regretfully we had to resign ourselves to not being able to play the Kite Ball this year.
And then a couple of weeks ago, the yacht club got in touch to say they'd sadly have to cancel their dance for 2022 as well, as they couldn't sell the tickets to a membership still, not unfairly, a little uncertain about congregating in a crowd.
I dropped a note to Ria to let her know about the cancellation; I knew she'd already booked an alternative band, so I really wasn't fishing for a gig, just wanted to share my darkly amused feelings of "bloody typical" with a friend who I knew would feel it too.
A little while later, she cryptically asked if we'd be available for the 5th if their other band decided to step back. I replied of course, but don't be mean to the other band. She said watch this space. So I pencilled her in for the 5th.
About now, Sam, the Landlord of The Railway Tavern down in Bristol, one of my favourite pubs, called. He'd had a string of cancellations for March and asked if a) we were still available for anything and b) did I know of any other decent bands he could call.
I gave him a couple of other names, and suggested we might be able to do the 4th, if I could find a drummer. Bean, our regular drummer, was under orders from his wife that he could either do Saturday or Sunday, but not both. A dinner party with the neighbours, apparently. With the Kite Ball unconfirmed but Sam desperate, I got hold of Alan, an ex-member and long time friend of the band, to ask if he'd be available. He was good for the Friday but not the Saturday.
So we confirmed the Railway for Friday and told Bean that if the Kite Ball confirmed he could have that.
A couple of days later, Ria got back in touch to confirm that the other band had stepped aside and they'd definitely like us to play for their Ball, setting us up for a delightfully busy weekend when only a week or two previously, I'd thought I'd get to spend it sailing.
Needless to say, both gigs were brilliant. A couple of well-liquored, enthusiastic crowds, albeit one considerably better dressed than the other, made for exceptionally lively shows. And two very late nights. Come Saturday morning I did manage to drag myself out of bed in time to get to karate, but what followed felt like one of the longest hours of my life, although Strava and the log from my watch suggests I could have pushed myself harder.
By the time I crawled into the shower early Sunday morning to try and revive myself enough to get to the sailing club to take my allotted turn manning the safety boat, I was feeling distinctly sub-human.
This burning the candle at both ends lark is definitely a young man's game.
But it's far too much fun to try and stop.
postscript:
I'm assured that the band who'd graciously stood down for the Kite Ball were happy to do so. A young group, they'd been in the 6th form together (at the same school my eldest son went to, funny enough) and very active when they'd first committed to the Ball back in 2021, but, as youngsters do, had all moved on and out to university by the autumn of 2021. So coming back home and essentially reforming for the one gig was proving far from straight forward for anyone concerned. My note to Ria to lament the cancellation of the sailing club dance had been fortuitous. For them and us, I hope.
All but the last three of the above photos were taken Friday night at The Railway Tavern. The final two were taken by Ria at the Kite Ball on Saturday night, along with the one preceding, taken by myself. It's the first time I've worn that suit in anger in quite a while. I don't know if I've just gotten used to not wearing it, but it was a worryingly tight squeeze to get into it . . .
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