thursday practice...

So we're suppsed to practice before the Dorset gig , which is on Friday night. But the bassist has been sorting out provisions and rushing around getting our amps and PA and mikes and mixing desk and drum kit from the last place we played (on Sunday night) and is absolutely trashed. And he's having a slight paranoia attack. This is normally the point at which he would disappear until he recovers, but we need to practice. I was hoping we could add an Arctic Monkeys track to our set, and add a song to our set we need to, as if we're a bit hyped we can quite easilt tear through out 7 song set in 15 minutes.

The drummer coaxes him out and we meet down our studio. And have to cart the equipment in from the van and set up. Our bassist does an admirable job of co-ordinating things, helped by our drummer who desrves a medal for having the patience of a saint.

Me and the singer are little more use than a condom machine in the Vatican, but what the hell, we're new to this.

We get the drum kit PA and Marshalls in place, and go through some of the songs that have been giving us grief, mainly AC/DC's "Live Wire", which I screw up the timing on the beginning chords every fuckign time, and the Kaiser Chief's "Everyday", which is lacking arrangement wise given that we're covering the keyboard and guita parts on one guitar, and the singer isn't that confident with the song.

And then we try the Artic Monkey's "Bet that you look good on the dance floor", and after I tear a nail off playing it (ouch ouch fucking ouch), we decide we won't have it tight enough to play tomorrow. Shame. We bring "God Save the Queen" back into the set, which given we're already playing two Pistols songs means we're in danger of turning into a Pistols tribute band. Here's hoping there are some Pistols fans in Dorset. It's their lucky day...

We call it quits at a reasonable hour, and pack the gear into a car and a van, and I dash off home to drop off my guitar before heading out to try and catch the band Marvin. I arrive in time, a bit worse for wear, and meet a bunch of people from work who are even more wrecked than me, and catch an superb set by the band. And their keyboard player is to die for, and it's her birthday. Their set is cut short by our crappy licensing laws, but I pick up a cd (it's ripping now).

So all in all a good night. Now I just have to wake up in time to get to the studio tomorrow before heading by train to Dorset.