5th July ~ Re-con
So… Ruben Seabright, (known also as @rubenseabright) is, I think, the most laid back person I know.
On Friday the 5th of July, Ruben, James Elliot-Williams, Rob Scott and I (known henceforth as Doctor Stanley’s Medicine Show) meet up to rehearse for the first time – for a gig that very evening! Ruben, having been getting his end away in Spain for the week (or sightseeing, I don’t bloody know) had returned with a handful of “new” songs for us to play that night – by new, I mean new to us as musicians.
Fortunately, Ruben, James, and Rob are extremely good at what they do; I am loud enough to compensate for what I bring to the table (except there wasn’t a table). The rehearsal went fairly well, and although there were a few numbers in which I hadn’t a clue what I was doing, none of the others seemed to notice – or at least if they did, they were British enough to not offend me by saying so.
A chinese takeaway later, we arrive at the venue: Malvern’s [no longer quite so] brand spanking new music venue Re-con.
A day of truly “scorchio” weather, and therefore presumably a plethora of heaving beer gardens in Malvern, left the venue fairly sparse while the two support acts played (“Inches From the Ground” and “11:11” – check them out!). In fact it wasn’t until part way through the second song of our set that a tribe of people entered, willing to dance, pogo, whoop and holler like the best of them.
It actually went really well, despite the lack of practice. It’s always nice to be playfully booed for not playing more songs after the encore. Unless you’re Justin Bieber – because that wonderful feeling is ofset by the knowledge of being Justin Bieber…
Drinks a-plenty afterwards and didn’t actually make it home until 5:30 am – sign of a good ‘un.
I’ll be back at Re-con on 31st August with my band, so stick it in your diaries and make sure you come along. And try and get there before the second song has started.