Men at work

well readers, i know it has been a while since you heard from me with news of events, but by way of consolation i am reporting live from a gig! 

i should explain that it is slightly more low-key than wembley, being in a working men’s club in a military town.  the Ageing Rockstar and i had to leave home rather earlier than usual as this club had somehow induced the band to enter into an actual written contract requiring them to set up by a certain time.  this is unusual in the world of ageing rockers, who tend to have played at all their venues for decades and are known for their ability to plug their gear in and complete their faffing in plenty of time without legal inducements.

anyway, after an uneventful if rather rain-soaked journey we arrived at the club. fortunately there was a parking space with the Ageing Rockstar’s name on it bang outside the building. well, i say his name.  actually it said ‘disabled’ but he has a badge which allows him to park in such spaces so all was well.

i went into the club with some of the kit, while the Ageing Rockstar got his breath back, and walked straight into the middle of a loud and rather acrimonious exchange between a large angry man, who was clearly the wrong side of a great many pints of lager, and the bar staff.  i deposited my cargo on the stage and beat a hasty retreat to the arms of the Ageing Rockstar, who has a calming effect on my frazzled nerves. when we went back in with further equipment the shouty man was just leaving, but it did leave a rather edgy feel to the evening.

things settled down and the Ageing Rockstar and the rest of the band settled down to discussing how many decades it had been since they last played here, who in the music world had died recently and what of, and how tricky the satnav had been about finding this place.  

just when i thought it was safe to relax, a grey-haired gentleman approached and asked what we were doing setting up on the stage as they too were booked for this evening.  there followed a rather tortuous conversation about whose agent was at fault (this one was easy as the Ageing Rockstar’s band were booked direct by the club as they don’t have a agent), how far everyone had to travel and where the person in charge of entertainment at the club had hidden himself.  on inspection, both bands were advertised as playing tonight, with one poster above the other, yet no-one at the club had spotted this deliberate mistake. i reminded the band that they were lucky that their roadie was also a lawyer, albeit a burned out one.

the misunderstanding was cleared up without bloodshed, or even the exchange of writs, and faffing continues unabated as i write.  i will end here, and hope that you too are having a wild old saturday night.