Blog: The Henry Holland

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I had a lovely SUMMERY stroll across London's Fashionable Fitzrovia Area after work last night, to the Henry Holland for my Totally Acoustic gig ("Totally Acoustic" isn't the most THRILLING name for these sort of things, but it seems to be what I've ended up calling them). I was a bit worried about it, as when I'd spoken to the Landlord a few weeks ago he'd said it was fine to book it, but if anybody who had more people coming wanted to have it then he'd give it to them instead. This seems to be the WAY of Room Bookings in That London!

I arrived to find Mr Carsmile Steve and PALS already there, which was LOVELY and a MIGHTY RELIEF. I went over to check everything was OK with the room, and was told that if it didn't get busy upstairs the regulars were going to come and turn the telly on to watch the football! THUS I went up feeling STILL quite nervous about the whole thing - i always get like this ANYWAY when I promote gigs myself, and it's why i try very hard to almost NEVER do it nowadays, but the RISK of GIG IMPLOSION was scaring me. HENCE when a group of ladies came upstairs and sat down I thought it was best NOT to be arsey, and as it turned out this was an EXCELLENT thing to do. They'd just been next door in Selfridges, and elsewhere, shopping and had popped in for a drink. As it turned out they stayed and watched the whole gig!

Other people gradually arrived, including Ms. K Kennedy, PR WOMAN, the lovely George (who always seems to turn up bearing CA$H, this time for the Bowling Alley Gig he put on) and that nice Mr Steve Lamacq, amongst others, and once we got to 7.40pm I thought I ought to start, which I did, and did this:

The Peterborough All-Saints' Wide Game Team (Group B)

The Gay Train

Do The Indie Kid

Never Going Back To Aldi's

Hey Hey 16K

My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once

The Lesson Of The Smiths

Easily Impressed

Boom Shake The Room

It was GRATE! I had an absolutely FANTASTIC time - these Totally Acoustic gigs are ALWAYS a whole lot of fun (for me, at least) as they're dead RELAXING, and i can stand there and WAFFLE ON about the songs as much as I like, and i did indeed do this A LOT. Other people arrived as we moved through the set, and I was able to say hello as they did, and BRILLIANTLY two slightly worried looking Tourist Types came in and sat down DURING the "two terrified tourists" bit in The Gay Train. At several points i was SURPRISED to look round the room and realise that pretty much everybody a) knew the words and b) was singing along, and this gave rise to a STADIUM ROCK MOMENT in The Lesson Of The Smiths when i DIDN'T sing the "Peace and love is still a bloody good idea". BY HECK it felt good - i can see why International Rock Types do it!

And the nicest thing about the whole evening was that the SHOUTING was all done and dusted by about 8.20pm, leaving plenty of time for everybody to MINGLE and have a chat, which we very much did. The Rock Around My Clock arrived shortly after half past eight, and we all ended up sat round a big table having a lengthy discussion about... er... I'm not entirely sure. The evening all gets a bit fuzzy for me, I know we got off at Liverpool Street on the way home for PASTIES, but i think all the excitement, also the fact i didn't have any tea, must have gone to my head. It is the only explanation.

Anyway, it was an absolutely FANTASTIC evening, thanks everyone who came, i had a lovely time!

posted 2/5/2007 by MJ Hibbett

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