Blog: Total Hero Team In Nottingham

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Mr S Hewitt and I were properly back on the road yesterday, as we headed up to Nottingham for another preview of Total Hero Team. Our train was one of those you get on Sunday that stops EVERYWHERE (e.g. Luton Airport Parkway AND Luton) so we had plenty of time to wonder at all the SNOW, go through our LINEZ, discuss ADMIN issues and, in my case, read some comics. It's funny - not doing so many gigs lately has been FINE, but I've really missed the opportunity that train travel provides to read COMICS!

We arrived in a very chilly Nottingham and hopped on a TRAM to Spanky Van Dyke's, a venue that I quickly realised I had played BEFORE, many moons ago - much discussion eventually revealed that it used to be called The Fair & Firkin, and The Validators had played there almost exactly THIRTEEN YEARS AGO, when we were on tour with Johnny Domino. I distinctly remember Mr FA Machine being surrounded by GURLS that night, Dr Kneel playing SYNTH, and I think it may have been the first time that Tom was ever addressed as "The Tiger". There should be a BLUE PLAQUE!

This time it was full of CHILDREN - well, teenagers at least. As more PALS arrived there was much discussion of how, IN OUR DAY, students didn't have enough CA$H to EAT, let alone EAT OUT, but here they all were, eating Sunday Roasts ("Ironic Sunday Roasts", as Mr S Metcalf put it) and drinking Jaeger Bombs. There were also some much YOUNGER children, in the form of ACTUAL children, including the sons of aforesaid Messrs Metcalf and Machine, who ended up PLAYING together (NB the children, not the gentlemen). I expect a band to be formed before the month is out.

There was a slight delay in getting upstairs as the Small Child running the bar had forgot to put ALL of our food orders in, but it was all fine as we got upstairs just in time to see Markie Does GirlPop - he claimed to be NERVOUS but it all came across as a GRATE bit of SCHTICK, especially when he was flipping through his book of SONGS saying "No, not that one, too hard." I told him he should keep it in the ACT!

I think I upset The House Engineer after that, by fiddling with LIGHTS, as it was DARK, but he soon sorted it out ready for Norbert And Daniel Dentrassangle, who was also ACE - lovely songs as heard on The PBH Free Fringe Benefit Album, including one about BINKER from the AA Milne poem which has been turned into a DIFFERENT song by Mr Chris T-T. "This is from a poem by AA Milne" said Dan. "WE KNOW" said me and Steve.

And then it was time to get going, and we got going pretty good - there were a couple of mistakes, which I think we covered up in a quite jolly way, especially when Steve said a Slightly Rude Word by accident, which I covered by saying something MUCH RUDER. It was a BIG old room to do it in, so there was HOARSENESS halfway through, but it all seemed to work out pretty well. Still a bit long, but I'm sure we'll fix that somehow.

Afterwards there was plenty of time for CHAT before we rolled down the hill to catch our train again. The journey home was slightly FRAUGHT by the train only having TWO working toilets, one of which contained a VERY ANGRY YOUTH avoiding paying for a ticket - I know this because when I knocked on the door he opened the door and SCREAMED at me... all three times I did it!

It was a lovely day out, a reminder that the NICEST thing about going off and doing gigs is meeting the SMASHING PALS that are there, especially the ever marvellous Mr Alexander Hale, who had BOOKED the whole thing. Thanks Alex, it was GRATE!

posted 18/3/2013 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

My daughter and I loved the show, very funny and with some fantastic new songs plus one of my favourite older tracks, free badges too.
posted 18/3/2013 by Steve

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