Blog: The Social

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It's really nice and EASY doing gigs in London's fashionable Fitzrovia, as it is about 5 minutes walk from where I walk, and last night I was able to do TWO things there. First of all I nipped to The Yorkshire Grey, a NICE pub, to see if i could book their upstairs room. I COULDN'T, which was a bit of a bugger, but i DID meet my brother and his young lady, who were having a BEER there in preperation for my gig later that evening.

Said GIG was occurring at The Social just round the corner, to which i removed myself shortly afterwards. It all started really early, at 7.30pm with Former Utopia a.k.a. GEORGE, who also put the gig on. It was the first time I'd seen him play an ELECTRICAL set and was MOST impressed, especially by his guitar playing which was ACE - he is one of those PEOPLE (like Mr F A Machine) who seem to be able to play anything well. I do not find this annoying and upsetting, and anyone who says I do is fibbing.

Shortly after this the Chord Diagrams In My SongBook arrived and it was time for ME to go on, and do THIS:

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

Payday Is The Best Day

Never Going Back To Aldi's

Things'll Be Different (when I'm in charge)

It Only Works Because You're Here

The Gay Train

Do The Indie Kid

The Lesson Of The Smiths

I got off to a bit of a SHAKEY start, with an version of My Boss Was In An Indie Band Once having to be ABORTED because I'd completely messed it up, and words in several of the other songs early on going AWRY. This happened because I had a bit of NERVES - The Social is a funny old venue, it's NICE but does not seem to have been designed by somebody who has EVER been to a gig - the sound desk is behind the stage, you can't get to the toilets if there's a drummer, and it's all arranged so that people sitting at tables wanting to have a chat are RIGHT at the front next to the stage, whilst other people get tidied away along a long corridor. As I say, it's got quite a nice atmosphere, and would be good for a) quiet JAZZ b) CHATS but feels WEIRD for GIGS. It's also quite a LONDON COOL sort of venue, with people being COOL in it, or at least that's how it always feels to my COUNTRY BOY INNER BRAIN, so I managed to convince myself that everybody near me would DISLIKE me intensely, so i would have to WORK to win them round.

Thinking about THAT, and how to DO that took up quite a lot of my BRANE ENERGY, and when THAT happens areas which would usually be TASKED with Remembering The Words get seconded to other facilities, and so i PANIC and forget things, and that is what happened here. HOWEVER i WRESTED control of the functions and managed to FOCUS myself a bit better, and after that things all seemed to go OK, and I rather enjoyed it. I enjoyed doing a couple of OLDER songs on request, and especially liked It Only Works Because You're Here, just because it is NICE.

After that we watched Michael L Clamp from the back of the room, who was as ACE as ever - he always makes me feel FRIVOLOUS, such is his MIGHT - and then we had to LEAVE. I've got a band practice tonight and didn't want to be out late, so felt it best to FLEE before Thee More Shallows came on, so I wasn't barging my way out during their set. HOWEVER, good intentions rather failed when we emerged and saw a PUB, into which we WENT, so this morning i am a little tired and worn. Still, it's EASTER soon - add this to the FACT that I work for a University, and you get TOP UNIVERSITY PERK NUMBER ONE: a free (nearly) week off work, starting on Thursday! HOORAH!

posted 3/4/2007 by MJ Hibbett

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