Haverhill Arts Centre Thurs Feb 24th

Do you ever get that feeling that everything’s conspiring against you, and that maybe some things just aren’t meant to be ?? Now, I’m normally a “ glass half full “ kind of cove, but recently even my optimism has been given a severe shoeing. We’re about to start what is arguably an even more important tour than the debut outing a year ago, yet over the course of just a couple of days we’ve heard that Jamie’s chest infection is still giving him serious trouble with his voice, quickly followed by the dreadful news that our friend and fellow crew member Moore, has suffered a stroke and is in hospital. As Clive was probably the fittest and healthiest member of the whole crew this has been a major shock, and to be honest we’re struggling to get it to sink in. He’s got such a presence that it’s hard to imagine him being laid so low, and this has really cast a pall over our preparations. The only bright spot is that Tomps, despite being the most in- demand cameraman and video editor this side of the Rockies, has come to the rescue and managed to re-arrange his work so that he can cover the whole tour. It’s thus with somewhat mixed emotions that we arrive at the Arts Centre today…..we’ve got the usual pre-tour mixture of nerves and excitement peppered with a fair amount of anticipation, a dash of pure terror and a pinch of roiling guts, though on reflection the latter is probably last night’s chicken jalfrezi. For the first time in ages there’s also a totally new face on the crew in the shape of monitor engineer Chris Stocker. When Pug left us last year for Antipodean shores we’d half expected that he’d either run out of money or do something illegal, either of which would necessitate a sharp exit back to Blighty and the welcoming arms of the Bootleg family, but sadly he’s proved to be made of sterner stuff, and we’ve had to go back to the drawing board. Of course, with our contact network and our gazillion years in the business we could get a monitor engineer in no time at all, but it needs to be someone who fits in with our somewhat idiosyncratic bunch as much as someone who has the pure technical ability. We’d seen Chris before many times outside Milton Keynes railway station as he sat wrapped in rags with his dog on a string, and had been impressed with the cheerful way he shamelessly begged for money and scraps of food, so after a short negotiation about how many bottles of cider he’d be paid and a quick trip to a local sheep-dip, he was in. So finally the build-up is over, and here we are again in Haverhill. Now, first days are always a BIT fraught, but today seems especially knotty and gnarled. Chris is seeing the system built for the first time, and there are also new elements to the PA, so that all takes a while to get going, plus the computer which runs all the show visuals falls over and steadfastly refuses to start up again. Did you notice how calmly I slipped that in, Faithful Blogreader ? A year ago that news would have at best rendered me a sobbing wreck and at worst had me reaching for the steak knives to commit hara-kiri, but these days a combination of absolute trust in the abilities of my colleagues and, of course, some blind, desperate optimism gives me the warm, fuzzy feeling that it’s somehow all going to be fine. The other thing that seriously impresses me is the band’s attitude…..instead of having conniption fits, Den accepts the problem with almost Zen-like stoicism. Before we’ve even started the first date we’ve had to change the show anyway…..Jamie’s voice problems mean that we’re having to drop four numbers from tonight’s set….but the experience of last year’s tours mean that we now greet this kind of news with almost arrogant insouciance rather than bowel – loosening panic. As it happens, by some arcane process of digital alchemy the computer decides not to only to start working but to KEEP working throughout the show, although Tomps advises us not to breathe anywhere near it or even look at it in case whatever little demons are churning around inside it’s bits and bytes get the arse with us and go on strike again. All in all it’s been a pretty fraught and stressful day, to be totally honest, but then the lights go down, the “no smoking” announcement is made, and the magic begins all over again . Can I just say here and now that I’m going to make no excuses for not going into detail about the actual show here, because if I’m totally straight with you much of it went by in a blur of new cues, new songs and furtive sideways glances at our recalcitrant computer. Suffice to say that despite Jamie’s vocal worries the band, to use a well-worn X Factor cliché “ owned “ the stage tonight….and fear not, folks, there’ll be a lot more about the performances themselves in future blogs. One thing that DOES merit special mention, though, is that for the first time we’ve a big, spiffy, proper tour programme which Den put together with old mucker and all – round graphic genius Ian; it’s glossy and professional and I think I want to marry it and have it’s children. Well done chaps….big pats on the back due all round. Another marker of how the show is expanding and developing arrives tonight in the shape of a big, shiny double-decker tour bus, with bunks, kitchen, entertainment systems, engine, wheels and everything. This beastie is going to be our home for the next few weeks, though sadly not for me tonight….I’ve got to head back to base to pick up some bits and bobs for tomorrow. I DO get the dubious pleasure of being the pathfinder, leading the bus out towards the M11 and tomorrow’s show in Morecambe, but as I stop for fuel I see the bus pass me and disappear into the Suffolk night. Either driver Kev is now sure of where he’s going now, or else I’m going to find myself very lonely at the gig tomorrow…….