Taunton Brewhouse Theatre Tuesday April 24th

We’ve only got five shows to go now, and I’m already starting to feel the slight panic I get when a tour comes to an end. Partly it’s the prospect of having to sort out all the finances ( and I’d rather stick needles in my eyes, if I’m honest ) and part of it is having to return to “ normal “ life, without the support and friendship of these brilliant guys. It’s not like we don’t speak between tours, of course…Rodders and Tomps in particular are always just a phone call away when things get a little fraught and I need a dose of sanity…but here on the bus and in the theatres we’re a little army, and I can put all the other poo out of my mind for a while. It’s been a bit of an “ annus horribilis” for me in many ways, and there’s a lot to be afraid of when I get back, but there’s also one very good thing to look forward to, so hopefully I’m not going to feel quite so cut adrift when I’m home. I’m moving back from Norfolk to Northamptonshire, and will be sharing a house with me ol’ Mum ( gawd bless ‘er ! ) so I need to look at all of this as a new start. Today’s a new start for the show as well…we’re in virgin territory here in Taunton, and although we’ve heard very good reports about the Brewhouse Theatre we don’t really know what to expect. The early signs are all good…it’s got a very pretty riverside location, and there’s a Morrison’s just over the footbridge, so we’re sorted for cakes and ale. Inside, it just gets better…a new building with a big stage and loads of wing space, plus the seats are raked very steeply, so it’s as though the audience is right on top of the band. We also know we’ve done a good advance sale here, so we’re in decent shape as we head into soundcheck. The theatre staff have also arranged for us to leave the bus and vans here tonight, which means we get the chance of showers and breakfast, and this also gives me the chance to launch a mini-tirade against the bunch of superannuated NIMBYs who live in the swanky new “ retirement complex” opposite the theatre. Basically, the Brewhouse was here first, but then these high-end condos got built opposite it along the edge of the cricket ground. They’re specifically for well-heeled and well-connected crumblies, and no sooner had Colonel and Mrs Bletherington-Ffarnes-Barnes moved in than they started to make waves about the noisy theatrical types from across the way, especially the vehicles that come in and out of The Brewhouse’s loading bay. The access road is, of course, a right of way belonging to both the theatre AND the complex, but this bristle-‘tached old buffoon and his coven of cackling geriatric witches have been trying to ban anything bigger than a tricycle from coming in to the area where the theatre load dock doors are. You know the score….”too much noise, ruining our view with their nasty tour buses, common long-haired men standing around wearing t-shirts and smoking cigarettes”….and what’s REALLY annoying is that generally, these kind of people manage to wear councils down with their incessant bleating , unless timely death intervenes first. Now, I’d be the first to jump on the NIMBY bandwagon if someone suddenly put an airport on top of my potting shed or something similar. I also believe an Englishman’s home is his castle, and I have my generation’s innate respect for the elderly ( I mean, I nearly AM one…). What I DON’T agree with is a situation like this, where a new development has come in and the residents are trying to bend the existing community and facilities to their will by playing on their status as senior, or privileged citizens. The theatre is gamely resisting this tide of Saga-sustained pressure, and that’s one of the main reasons we don’t pick up the interfering old git who ostentatiously walks around noting down the registration and operator’s licences of the vans and bus and throw him in the river…the Brewhouse have got to use firmness and courtesy in their struggle, so the “accidental” drowning of one of their opponents probably wouldn’t help their cause much. Shame. I’m also aware that many of these old boys would have fought in previous wars just to allow young whipper-snappers like me the freedom to drivel on in forums like this, and for that they’ll have my eternal respect…as I was saying to my friend Sue just the other day, I’m fiercely patriotic and anyone who fights for this country IS a hero in my eyes…but that doesn’t give them the right to then start to start displaying the fascist tendencies that they fought against in the first place. If, say, Admiral Nelson moved in to the road where I’d been happily living for the past ten years and started campaigning to have my conservatory demolished as it was lowering the tone of the neighbourhood, I’d probably put his other eye out, Trafalgar and The Battle Of The Nile notwithstanding. The Brewhouse is a great little theatre doing a fantastic job, with minimal impact on the surrounding area, and no wrinkly-come-lately should be allowed to stop that. Blimey….I AM ranting lately, aren’t I ?? Sorry folks…end-of-tour psychosis must be setting in. So…back to the gig ! Tonight is one of those slightly odd shows that has what we call an “ applause “ audience. They’re very appreciative, and their applause is genuine and fulsome, but there’s not much a-hootin’ and a-hollerin’. Doesn’t mean the boys aren’t going down well, it’s just that there isn’t the mayhem that often characterises the shows. With audiences like this here’s always a slight worry that when the band exhort them to get to their feet, they simply won’t, and that would be a tad embarrassing. I’d say it takes them almost right up until the end of the first half and the “sturm und drang” of You Really Got Me before the noise level ratchets up, but after that things improve significantly. I definitely get the impression tonight that people are actually watching the show, and I have to keep reminding myself that they’ve never seen it before. We tend to forget that it IS a bit of an assault on the senses, and sometimes you just want to sit and take it all in. Jamie’s turn on Handbags And Gladrags is especially well-received tonight, and partly that’s because he’s so close to the audience. It’s always been a bit of a tour de force but tonight he really wows them, thrashing his guitar and stamping the stage as though he were trying to eliminate an armour-plated rodent…and when you’re sitting just a few feet away from that voice, you’re not going to forget the experience quickly. The pyros in Pinball Wizard actually get a cheer of their own ( in fact I’m thinking of setting up a Facebook page for them ) then Blackberry Way seals the deal. This song really has been one of the musical highlights of the tour for us…just brilliant. The closing medley with it’s new drum intro sees everyone on their feet, and by the time the house lights come up we’re already getting fantastic feedback from both the venue and the audience. To paraphrase the immortal words of Arnie, “We’ll be back !”.